“Jesus bags” are hygiene bags. Hygiene is one of the biggest challenges for those who are homeless or low-income persons, as many of the items they need cannot be purchased with government assistance.

The bags become “Jesus bags” when a promise or truth about Jesus is written on the outside and a gospel tract is placed on the inside.

How to Build a “Jesus Bag”

Begin by filling a gallon-sized bag with the items listed below. Find a subtle way to mark the bag as intended for a male or female. Once assembled, pray over each bag you’ve made, asking the Lord to bring Himself glory and to use the bag to point people to faith in Jesus. Place them in your car so that at stop lights or whenever you see a homeless, struggling person, you can hand it to them and say, “Jesus loves you. I will pray for you.”

 What to place in a Jesus Bag for a woman:

What to place in a Jesus Bag for a man:

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The Meaning of Marriage – Tim Keller provides a theologically rich and practical book on the beauty and challenges of marriage, rooted in the gospel.

Sacred Marriage – Gary Thomas explores how marriage is designed to make us holy more than simply happy, emphasizing spiritual growth within marriage.

Love & Respect – Emerson Eggerichs focuses on the biblical principles of love and respect between husband and wife as foundational for a strong marriage.

How and When to Tell Your Kids About Sex

God’s Design for Sex Series (6 Books) – Stan & Brenna Jones share a biblically grounded, age-appropriate series that helps parents guide their children in understanding God’s design for sex and relationships. One of the books is for the parents to read and the rest of the series provides books to read to or with your children. 

Lust

Every Man’s Battle – Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker addresses the struggle with lust and sexual purity, providing biblical strategies for victory.

Finally Free – Heath Lambert offers gospel-centered solutions to overcoming lust and pornography addiction.

The Purity Principle – Randy Alcorn provides a short but powerful book that underscores the importance of purity in the Christian life.

Divorce

What the Bible Says About Divorce and Remarriage – Wayne Grudem offers a thorough biblical analysis of divorce and remarriage, offering clarity on scriptural teachings.

Hope for the Separated: Wounded Marriages Can Be Healed – Gary Chapman Offers encouragement and biblical guidance for those going through separation or contemplating divorce.

Healing from Infidelity

Unfaithful: Hope and Healing After Infidelity – Gary & Mona Shriver share their journey of healing after infidelity, offering biblical wisdom and practical steps for restoration.

Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken – Cindy Beall provides a  guide for couples seeking to rebuild trust and restore their marriage after betrayal.

Pornography

Pure Life Ministries (www.purelifeministries.org) – Is a Christ-centered ministry offering counseling, resources, and residential programs for overcoming sexual addiction.

Covenant Eyes (www.covenanteyes.com) –  Provides accountability and filtering software to help individuals and families fight pornography use.

The Porn Trap: The Essential Guide to Overcoming Problems Caused by Pornography – Wendy and Larry Maltz address the damaging effects of pornography and provide steps for recovery from a Christian perspective.

Watch related sermons as part of our Faithful Life series.

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The purpose of this course is to provide you with the essential tools you need to discover the life God has for you in Christ. Secondly, we hope to help you answer the crucial question of the extraordinary life: How can I, as the person I am and with the gifts I’ve been given, bring glory to God, advance His Kingdom, and fulfill His purpose for my life?  You can watch the videos for each session below.

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Picking up God’s Word and spending time in it are essential to the life of a Christian. Below you can access different reading guides to help you create a clear spiritual plan for reading the Bible. Each of these reading plans are available through the Bible App which you can download HERE for free!

THE GOSPELS- The Bible Project

This plan takes you on a journey through all four Gospels in ninety days. Each book includes videos specifically designed to enhance your understanding and engagement with Scripture.

THE NEW TESTAMENT- The Bible Recap

This 3-month New Testament chronological plan corresponds to The Bible Recap, designed to help you read, understand, and love the Bible! Daily recaps are available in podcast, video, and book form, where Tara-Leigh Cobble highlights and summarizes each day’s Bible reading in an easy-to-understand way.

THE BIBLE IN A YEAR- Nicky and Pippa Gumbel

The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel is a daily plan that takes you through the whole Bible in just one year. It’s for anyone looking for a simple, structured way to read the Bible. Each day is broken down into short, bitesize readings.

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Get the 2024 Easter Devos Here

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10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity | Rebecca McLaughlin

Going to school, hanging out with friends, or scrolling through social media feeds, teenagers are sure to face real challenges to faith in Jesus Christ.

Backed by state-of-the-art research, personal stories, Harry Potter illustrations (warning: spoilers!), and careful biblical study, this book doesn’t dodge tough questions. Instead, it invites teenagers to ask their hardest questions about Christianity and to find surprising, life-giving answers.

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This Changes Everything | Jaquelle Crowe

My name is Jaquelle, and I’m a teenager. I like football movies, sushi, and dark chocolate. But the biggest, most crucial, most significant thing about me is that my life’s task is to follow Jesus. He is the One who changed my life.

That’s what this book is about.

It’s for teenagers eager to reject the status quo and low standards our culture sets for us. It’s for those of us who don’t want to spend the adolescent years slacking off, but rather standing out and digging deep into what Jesus says about following him. This book will help you see how the truth about God changes everything – our relationships, our time, our sin, our habits, and more – freeing us to live joyful, obedient, and Christ-exalting lives, even while we’re young.

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What am I worth?

Do I matter?

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We can easily get caught using the wrong standard, the wrong measure when we ask these questions. Followers of Jesus are called to think of themselves with “sober judgement” (Romans 12:3). This “Pride Test” is a tool to check ourselves for areas of pride.

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“The more I make of me, the less I make of Christ; but the more I make of Christ, the more He makes of me.”

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This test is from the message “Living All In, Part 1”

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1) Do you long for a lot of attention?

2) Do you become jealous or critical of people who succeed?

3) Do you always have to win?

4) Are you argumentative and always think your way is the right way, the only way, or the best way?

5) Do you have a pattern of lying or shading the truth?

6) Do you have a hard time acknowledging you were wrong?

7) Do you become defensive when you are criticized or corrected?

8) Do you have a lot of conflicts with other people?

9) Do you get upset when people do not honor your achievements?

10) Do you tend more toward an attitude of entitlement instead of thankfulness?

11) Do you talk too much about yourself?

12) Do you frequently interrupt people when they are speaking?

13) Do you have a sharp, critical tongue and are quick to point out fault with others?

14) Do you resent being asked or expected to serve your family, your children, your parents, or others?

15) Do you often complain about the weather, your health, your circumstances, your job, or your church?

16) Do you work hard to leave a better impression of yourself than is really true?

17) Do you react negatively to rules or have a hard time being told what to do?

18) Do you find it hard to admit to others you need practical and/or spiritual help?

19) Do you have a touchy, sensitive spirit? Are you easily offended or get your feelings hurt easily?

20) Are you thinking of how many of these questions apply to someone else?

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Radical Womanhood I Carolyn McCulley

Biblical womanhood is not for the weak. In an age that seeks to obliterate God and His authority, modeling biblical womanhood involves spiritual warfare. Radical Womanhood seeks to equip new believers and long-time Christians alike, exposing the anti-God agenda of the three waves of feminism to date and presenting the pro-woman truth of the Scriptures. Illustrated with numerous personal testimonies, this book will dig deep into the Word and show how it can be lived out today. The foundation and core message of Radical Womanhood is consistent with the traditional complementarian teaching on biblical womanhood. However, the target audience, tone, and style are radically different. Most books on this subject take a heavily didactic tone that assumes an awareness of Christian lingo and a high degree of spiritual maturity. Radical Womanhood has the narrative approach appreciated by postmodern readers, but still incorporates solid, biblically-based teaching for personal application and growth.

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Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood I Wayne Grudem

A controversy of major proportions has spread throughout the church. Now more than ever before, gender roles are openly questioned in the wake of evangelical feminism – a movement that is having a profound impact on society, the home, and the church. In this redesigned edition of an influential and award-winning bestseller, more than 20 influential scholars such as John Piper, Wayne Grudem, and D. A. Carson have committed their talents to produce the most thorough response to date. Combining systematic argumentation with popular application, this volume deals with all of the main passages of Scripture brought forward in this controversy regarding gender-based role differences. Anyone concerned with the fundamental question of the proper relationship between men and women will want to read this book.

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The Gospel Centered Woman I Wendy Alsup

Many Christian books written to women claim to present God’s good instructions for their lives. Some expound on the value of marriage and children. Many extol the virtues of the Proverbs 31 wife. A good number teach the value of love, submission, and respect in Christian marriages. Though this book deals with these topics, The Gospel-Centered Woman addresses women from an entirely different perspective. The most important part of the Bible’s instructions to women center around the gospel. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection brought about a seismic shift in our understanding of Scripture. After His resurrection, His disciples understood words written thousands of years before with a clarity they never had previously. The good news of Christ illuminates all other Scripture, including instructions to women.

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The Accidental Feminist I Gloria Reissig

Many Christian women wouldn’t identify themselves as “feminists.” However, according to Courtney Reissig, we’ve all been influenced by the feminist movement in profound ways, unconsciously reflecting our culture’s notions about what it means to be a woman. Helping readers navigate a wise path in the midst of a confused world, this book chronicles the journey of a wife, mom, and successful writer as she recounts her journey from “accidental feminism” to a biblical view of womanhood. Filled with wise insights related to relationships, body image, and women’s roles in the home and the church, this thought-provoking book will help Christian women carefully consider these important issues.

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Is the Bible Good for Women? I Wendy Alsup

In this fascinating look at God’s work of redemption from Creation to today, Wendy Alsup explores questions such as:

Using a Jesus-centered understanding to look at both God’s grand storyline and specific biblical passages, Alsup gives practical and accessible tools for understanding the noble ways God speaks to and about women in its pages and the dignity He places on His daughters.

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