Check out these resources gathered by our Resource Team!

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church by Paul David Tripp

“For every celebrity pastor exiting the ministry in the spotlight, there are many more lesser-known pastors leaving in the shadows. Paul David Tripp argues that lurking behind every pastoral failure is the lack of a strong leadership community. Tripp gives churches twelve gospel principles necessary to combat this leadership crisis. Each of these principles, built upon characteristics such as humility, dependency, and accountability, will enable new and experienced leaders alike to focus their attention on the ultimate leadership model: the gospel.” This is a PERFECT book for the month of Guard, especially for people in leadership positions!

Every Young Woman's Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World (The Every Man Series) by Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn

“We discuss sexual purity from emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical perspectives, teaching readers to guard their minds, hearts, and bodies in this sex-saturated world.” Our team member, Celina, likes that description of the book from the publishing company. She read this book in her youth group and she also has one for older women. It was a great book for Guard in her teen years! There is also one for young men and older men. This is a good series for both singles and married people!

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES:

Desiring God - Where We Draw the Line: How to Live (and Die) in Babylon

“What does it look like to live as a Christian in a society that does not like what Christians believe, what we say, and how we live? It means knowing God as Daniel did — that God is in control, that he will keep his promises. If we know God in this way, we will be willing to draw a line.”

Gospel Coalition - Daniel’s 3 Tips for Surviving the University of Babylon

“If we enjoy table fellowship that orients our hearts around worship of the one true God, we’ll find the power to stand strong when we face a fiery furnace or a lions’ den. Though you face trial, tribulation, and the social sword, don’t be afraid. The God who placed Daniel in Babylon also leads you and will be with you.”

Grace to You Ministries - Dare to Be Like Daniel

“If you've fallen into a pattern of compromise, confess it as sin to the Lord. Repent and look at Daniel as an example of unwavering integrity. Then seek the Lord's help to live like he did. You must resolutely set your heart as Daniel did to fear the Lord, and the Lord alone. Borrow a little backbone from him, and you'll live your life with integrity before God.”

Gospel Coalition - How to Win Your City

“World-changers are a rare breed. But they don’t have to be. If displaced youths can revolutionize the kingdoms of the earth in God’s name, you and I can transform our communities with the gospel.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEOS:

Bible Project - 3 Ways to Choose to Live in "Babylon" (and Which Jesus Chose)

“If followers of Jesus are to give their total allegiance to God’s Kingdom, how should they relate to the governments and power structures of their own day? In this video, we’ll see how the experience of Daniel and his friends in Babylonian exile offers wisdom for navigating this tension. Following Jesus in the 21st century means learning the way of the exile.”

Our Daily Bread Ministries - Choose Your Response Now! (Daniel 1:6-8)

“We often fall into temptation without thinking about it first. Watch this short devotional video to learn how we can plan ahead, like Daniel!”

Spoken Gospel - Daniel: The Bible Explained

“Despite what it looks like, God is in control. The Book of Daniel gives us a unique insight into how God's rule relates to earthly governments, armies, and rulers. Even when it looks like the nations of this world surely must be working against the divine plan, Daniel shows us that God is still reigning on the highest throne. The famous stories of the Daniel diet, the fiery furnace, and the lion's den all emphasize the fact that God is in control even when it doesn't look like it.”

Bible Project - Book of Daniel Summary

“Watch our overview video on the book of Daniel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The story of Daniel motivates faithfulness despite exile in Babylon. His visions offer hope that God will bring all nations under His rule.”

RECOMMENDED SERMONS:

Charles Spurgeon - Dare to be a Daniel

“But, though they might change Daniel’s name, they could not change his nature, nor would he give up anything that he believed to be right. Captive as he was, he had a right royal soul; and he was as free in Babylon as he had been at Jerusalem, and he determined to keep himself so, for he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank.”

Alistair Begg - God of the Exiles

“Although they were captives in Babylon, Daniel and his friends submitted to their captors through changes in location, education, and even their names. When required to surrender the dietary practices that marked them as God’s own people, however, they resisted. As Alistair Begg leads us through this passage, we see that it provides not so much a strategy to cope with trying times, but comfort and encouragement to be faithful. The focus of the story is not Daniel, but the God that he worshiped.”

J.D. Greear - Be Different

“Daniel is a book about how to shine, how to thrive, in a very dark and hostile world. You see, unlike most of the other books in the Hebrew Bible, the book is set not in Israel, but in the heart of an enemy, pagan Empire where God’s people have been taken captive. We’ll learn that the power to make a difference is only found in the commitment to be different.”

RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:

Warehouse Podcast

Welcome to The Warehouse! Has a Sunday sermon ever left you running to Google with new theological questions? Have you ever wished that you could peer behind the curtain to see how the message comes together? That’s where we come in! Here at Cornerstone Church, we spend hours every week talking about the Bible. This is the place to learn about Scripture, dive into its context, and study the Bible’s cultural background. Come to the Warehouse–where we’ll extend the stuff you learn from the stage.

Spoken Gospel - Daniel 1: A Test of Allegiance

“God has sent Israel into exile in Babylon. Stolen from his home, Daniel is scrubbed of his Hebrew identity and promised prestige and power by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel is being tested. Will he bow before the king who offers the wealth of the empire, or will Daniel trust the God that sent him into Nebuchadnezzar's hand in the first place? Seth and David talk about exile, priesthood, the end of proud empires, and most importantly, how Daniel is all about Jesus.”

She Reads Truth - Daniel Week 1 with Nancy Guthrie

“For the first week of our Daniel series, Raechel and Amanda sit down with author, speaker, and Bible teacher, Nancy Guthrie. In this introductory episode, the hosts read about Daniel’s captivity in Babylon and explain different genres of biblical literature. They chat about kings and kingdoms, dreams and divine deliverance, and why Nebeduchnezzar reminds Raechel of Prince Huperdinck from The Princess Bride. Together the three women explore what it looks like to live a life consecrated to the one true God and why it’s worth investing every moment of our lives in seeking God’s Word and His kingdom that lasts forever.”

With the Perrys - Guarding Your Heart in Marriage

“The Bible tells us to guard our hearts, right? Well, how often have you thought about how to apply the principle to your marriage relationship? There’s temptations everywhere. From ex’s, to co-workers, to pornography, even bitterness and entitlement can harden your heart towards your spouse. Let’s chat about how to keep our hearts soft towards God and each other. This is a great resource for the whole month of Guard!”

RECOMMENDED BLOGS:

Gospel Coalition - A Prayer for Trusting More in King Jesus Than in Me

“I now realize the best way I can, like Daniel, “resolve not to defile myself,” is through a greater preoccupation with the beauty and bounty of Jesus. The more fully I give myself to growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, the less I get enamored with, or “sucker-punched” by, things that don’t really matter, or deeply satisfy—the “royal food and wine” of the wrong kingdom.”