Two Biggest Influences
“The two biggest influences in your life will be the books you read and the friendships you make. Chose both wisely.” These were the parting words of wisdom my father gave me before I left home for Bible college. I don’t know if this counsel was original with him or not, but I’ve often thought about how formative friends and books have been in my own growth and development. I hope to address the influence of friendships in a future blog post. In today’s post, however, I’d like to offer a few book recommendations for teenagers that might inspire them to pursue hard after Christ.
The Starting Point: God’s Word
If you don’t want your teen to be a “spiritual dwarf,” encourage them to read through the entire Bible in a year. Better yet, select a reading plan (here’s the plan my 13 year old daughter and I are using) and read through the Bible with them. I was 10 when I first began having daily devotions. When I was 13, I read through the entire Bible for the first time. Reading the Scriptures each year has been without question the most transformative spiritual discipline I developed during my teenage years.
Inspiring Stories
Everyone loves a good story. Stories have a captivating power over us because they touch on the deepest longings and aspirations of the human heart. A good biography and/or story can help your teen find greater meaning, inspiration, and direction for life.
Biographies For Young Men
We know that biblical masculinity is under attack. Young men desperately need heroes to show them the virtues of godly manhood. They need to be inspired by stories of men who turned their back on worldly enticements such as money, fame, and power to follow Christ. Although there are a number of godly examples that young men can read about, I’d especially recommend the following biographies that I read as a teen: William Borden, Eric Liddell, and David Livingstone. These three men helped me to understand that my desire for adventure and God’s call to holiness did not need to be competing or mutually exclusive pursuits.
Biographies For Young Women
The biographies of Mary Slessor, Corrie ten Boom, and Amy Carmichael powerfully demonstrate how the Lord uses godly women in the advance of His Kingdom. Reading their stories will help your daughters visualize what devotion to Christ might look like in their own lives as they submit themselves fully to Christ.
The Classics
Over the past two years, my daughter and I have read through the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia series together. While not explicitly “Christian,” classics like these can powerfully shape a young person’s moral imagination as they discover the beauty of virtue, valor, friendship, sacrifice, loyalty, and character. Conversations over these classics have been lively, fun, and thought-provoking.
Bible Basics
Catechisms
Catechisms are wonderful tools that God’s people have used throughout history to instruct their children in the essentials of the Christian faith. There are, of course, a number of historic catechisms that you could chose from. As a Baptist, I would strongly recommend using Spurgeon’s catechism to help disciple your teenager.
Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem
Grudem’s accessible book provides clarifying explanations and helpful applications for some of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. His writing style is engaging and easy-to-follow, making this an ideal resource to help young people learn the major doctrines of the Bible.
Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle
Ryle offers excellent counsel for young men on how to slay the besetting sins of youth and pursue holiness. Ryle’s advice is biblical, practical, and challenging. This will be one of the first books I give my boys when they turn 13.
Advice for Parents
Talk with your teens about what they’re reading.
In many homes, parents and teens rarely get past small talk about the day’s events. This is a tragedy. The teenage years are some of the most formative times in the lives of our children. We can’t afford to squander this season or drift apart relationally. Conversations about the things that you and your teenager are reading helps you go deeper and get a better pulse on what’s going on the in the heart of your teen.
Teach them how to read actively.
In his classic work, “How to Read a Book,” Mortimer Adler writes, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.” In order for good books “to get through” to your teenager, they must learn the skill of active reading. I’ve already written about active reading (Click Here), so I won’t belabor the point here. But in a world where we’re perpetually distracted, it’s essential that you proactively teach your teenager how to engage thoughtfully with what they’re reading.
Read with your teenagers.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading books with my daughter. I look forward to doing the same with my boys as they grow older. Reading together can help you cultivate deeper bonds of affection with your teenager. It also gives you shared vocabulary, experiences, and memories that can last a lifetime.
Conclusion
A good book can be a wonderful tool that the Lord uses to inspire, influence, and shape our teenagers’ hearts for Christ. By God’s grace, let’s offer our teens a glorious vision of what the Christian life can be as we encourage them to read good books.
