These are books and tools I’ve personally used to help make discipleship at home more intentional and consistent. Each recommendation is something I’ve found genuinely helpful for building simple, everyday rhythms of faith in our family.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, including Amazon Associates links. This means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend resources I personally use, trust, or believe will genuinely help families grow in their faith.
Bibles
ESV Following Jesus Bible
Two of my three boys are using this Bible right now, and it’s been a solid choice for helping them engage with Scripture more independently. It’s a full ESV Bible with helpful notes and discipleship-focused features that make reading feel less overwhelming, and it pushes kids to think about what it actually means to follow Jesus in everyday life, not just read about Him. A great bridge between a children’s Bible and a full standard Bible for growing readers.
ESV Study Bible
This is the Bible I use for my own study and teaching prep, and it’s one of the most consistently helpful tools in my library. It’s packed with notes, maps, and cross-references that help you understand what a passage means, where it fits in the bigger story of Scripture, and how to apply it, without replacing the hard work of reading it yourself. It’s not a kids’ resource, but if you’re going to lead your family in the Word, having a solid study Bible in your own hands is one of the most practical investments you can make. If you want something built to last, the ESV Study Bible in buffalo leather is worth the upgrade, the kind of Bible you mark up for thirty years and hand down to your kids.
Family Devotionals
The Jesus Storybook Bible
This has been one of my favorite resources for helping younger kids understand that the entire Bible ultimately points to Jesus. Rather than treating Bible stories like disconnected lessons, it consistently shows how God’s redemptive plan unfolds from beginning to end. It’s especially helpful for younger families who are just beginning to build rhythms of reading Scripture together at home.
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook
This is a great next step for kids ready for something a little deeper while staying engaging and understandable, with helpful explanations that show how the whole Bible points back to God’s plan of redemption. I’ve especially found it useful for kids who’ve already read The Jesus Storybook Bible and are ready to grow without jumping straight into a full study Bible, since it balances rich biblical truth with language kids can actually follow and enjoy.
Theology for Kids
Everything a Child Should Know About God
This is one I’ve personally read to each of my boys as they’ve grown up, and it’s been a steady, simple tool for introducing them to who God is at a young age (my youngest especially loves it). It’s clear and foundational without trying to be overly complex, focused on helping kids grasp basic truths about God’s character in a warm, accessible way, and it’s been a great first step in our home before moving into narrative-driven resources like The Jesus Storybook Bible and, later, The Biggest Story Bible Storybook. Recommended age: Preschool through early elementary.
The Garden the Curtain and the Cross
This is one of the most gospel-clear picture books I’ve found for young children, tracing Scripture’s whole storyline from Eden to the cross to resurrection in simple, memorable language that answers the question every child eventually asks: why did Jesus have to die? The repetition Laferton builds in makes it stick, setting up the problem clearly enough that the resolution, that Jesus changes everything, lands with real weight. We’ve used it especially around Easter, though it works anytime, and it’s simple without being shallow, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. Recommended for ages 3–8.
The New City Catechism
This has become one of the most helpful tools we’ve used as a family for building a strong foundation in what we believe, with 52 simple but rich questions and answers that spark real conversations with kids and adults alike. We use it alongside the song version in the free app, which helps our kids remember the answers while the book gives us something to slow down and discuss together, a great rhythm for keeping core truths of Scripture in front of our kids consistently.
Books to Help Parents Lead
Family Discipleship
Family Discipleship by Matt Chandler and Adam Griffin is a book I read before I even started my blog, and I still go back to it often for how I think about leading my family spiritually. It gives a clear, practical framework for treating everyday parenting moments as chances to point our kids to Jesus, without making discipleship feel complicated or out of reach. I’ve used a lot of its concepts with my own family, and it’s a steady reminder that discipleship at home is more about faithful presence than perfect systems.
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys
Discipleship involves shaping both the heart and the mind. David Thomas equips parents to understand how boys process emotions and offers practical tools for helping them develop resilience, confidence, and healthy relationships. It’s a valuable resource for parents who want to raise emotionally strong, Christ-centered sons.
Parenting
This is one of the most grounded, helpful parenting books I’ve read. Paul Tripp takes deep biblical truth and makes it practical for everyday family life without losing the weight of what Scripture says about our role as parents, reframing parenting through the gospel instead of behavior management and consistently pointing you back to heart-level discipleship, both in your kids and in yourself. It’s convicting in a good way, but also encouraging and hopeful, and it’s one I come back to often.
The Meaning of Marriage
My wife and I read this during our engagement, and it’s still one of the most shaping books we’ve gone through together. It’s not a parenting book, but it grounds marriage in the gospel, challenging shallow views and presenting it as a covenant shaped by grace, sacrifice, and Christ-centered love, a framework that’s been incredibly helpful as we’ve stepped into family life. A healthy, Christ-centered marriage is one of the most important foundations for raising kids well, and this book helped us build that early.
Stories that Shape Faith
The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set
This is one of the most beloved fiction series our family has read together, and for good reason. Lewis weaves deep theological truth into story without it ever feeling like a lesson, and kids experience grace, sacrifice, resurrection, and a longing for a restored world through the story itself, which naturally opens the door to real conversations at home. We’ve read through it multiple times, and each time my boys pick up something new.
The Wingfeather Saga Box Set
This four-book series has become one of our family’s absolute favorites. Peterson tells a sweeping, imaginative story full of danger, beauty, humor, and hope, deeply shaped by a Christian understanding of love, sacrifice, and redemption. Kids don’t just follow the plot, they feel it, which makes it a powerful way for families to talk about courage, loyalty, loss, and the kind of love that lays itself down for others. If your family hasn’t started this series yet, start it. It’s that good.
The Hobbit + Lord of the Rings Box Set
This boxed set includes The Hobbit and all three volumes of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien’s classic tale of hobbits, wizards, and the fight against darkness in Middle-earth. Best suited for older kids and teens (ages 12+) rather than young children, given the length and complexity of the story. A great addition to any family’s bookshelf alongside Narnia and Wingfeather Saga.
Leadership Reads
Soundtracks
Soundtracks by Jon Acuff tackles the broken thoughts that play on repeat in your head, the ones that quietly shape how you see yourself and your potential. Acuff offers practical, research-backed tools for spotting those overused mental “soundtracks” and swapping them for ones that actually move you forward. It’s a quick, actionable read for anyone who wants to stop overthinking and start doing.
Deep Work
Deep Work by Cal Newport makes the case that the ability to focus without distraction is becoming both rare and increasingly valuable in a world built to fragment your attention. Newport lays out practical strategies for cultivating sustained, focused work and cutting out the shallow busywork that fills most days without moving anything forward. It’s a strong read for anyone who wants to produce better work in less time.
Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits by James Clear breaks down why small, consistent changes compound into remarkable results over time, far more than the big, occasional efforts most people rely on. Clear offers a clear, practical framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones, grounded in how identity and environment shape behavior. It’s a highly readable, actionable guide for anyone who wants lasting change without relying on willpower alone.
Good To Great
Good to Great by Jim Collins presents years of research into what separates companies that make a lasting leap from good to great from those that never quite get there. Collins identifies key principles, from disciplined leadership to getting the right people in the right roles, that drive sustained success. It’s a foundational read for anyone thinking seriously about what it takes to build something that lasts.
Essentialism
Essentialism by Greg McKeown makes the case for doing less, but better, by ruthlessly cutting out the nonessential to focus on what truly matters. McKeown offers a disciplined framework for saying no to good opportunities so you have room to say yes to great ones. It’s a clarifying read for anyone who feels stretched too thin and wants to lead with more intention.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport challenges the popular advice to “follow your passion,” arguing instead that skill and mastery are what create meaningful, fulfilling work. Newport makes the case for building rare and valuable abilities first, then using that leverage to shape a career you love. It’s a compelling read for anyone questioning whether passion alone is enough to build a career on.
Tools I Use
Moleskine Notebook
I use these constantly and recommend them without hesitation. They’re simple, durable, and just work, whether I’m taking sermon notes, planning content, or jotting down a thought before it disappears. Nothing fancy or over-designed, just a reliable place to write, pray, and think clearly, which is exactly why it’s stuck with me.
Pilot G2 Gel Ink Pens
These are the only pens I really use. They write smoothly with a consistent ink flow, and they don’t skip or drag, so I can just write without thinking about the pen. Nothing flashy, just dependable, which matters when you’re journaling or tracking ideas throughout the day.
Yellow Highlighters
I’m an unapologetic highlighter. Some people prefer underlining, but for me, highlighting makes key ideas jump out fast, whether I’m reading Scripture, taking sermon notes, or working through a book for family discipleship. It’s a simple tool, but it’s one I lean on constantly to track themes and find important passages again without re-reading everything.
A Final Word for Parents
Parenting and family discipleship doesn’t require perfect resources—just faithful, simple steps over time. My hope is that these tools help you create small, consistent moments where your family can grow in God’s Word together.
