Books by Tim Challies

Plan to Run, Train to Run...Run to WinAnyone can start a race, but it takes planning and training to finish it.A good long-distance runner knows the importance of planning his race. As he passes the starting line he is already considering how he will cross the finish line. As he takes his first easy step, he has planned how he will take his last grueling step.As a Christian man, you are already running the race of life. You are not competing against other people, but against the deadly enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. How do you plan to maintain your pace throughout this race? To obtain the prize, you will need to run to the very end. You will need to cross that finish line. And to do that, you will need to plan your race. You will need to plan the ways you will run today so you can continue to run in the difficult days ahead. That is what this book is all about.

How can young adults make the best use of these years? Be like Jesus and advance!…in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man.Your teens and 20s will be put to the best and highest use if you make them a time of sanctification. Even now you can make bold steps in overcoming sin and embracing righteousness.The Christian faith rises and falls upon this remarkable fact: God became man. Even Jesus had to grow from a baby to an adult, from immaturity to maturity. Even he had to submit to his parents and advance in wisdom, stature, and favor with both God and man.Advance! is my call to teens and young adults to learn from Jesus and make these years a time of deliberate preparation for the rest of life. I plead with you to use these years not first to focus on outward accomplishments that might shape the world, but inward achievements that will shape your character. In short, I call on you to be like Jesus.-Tim Challies

How does the Bible instruct us as we grow older? Age gracefully, age wisely, age resolutely to the glory of God.There are few longings in my heart deeper than this: that God would let me live a godly, purposeful, dignified old age. I mean to encourage us both to age gracefully, to age wisely, to age resolutely to God's glory.We are all aging. We are passing through time until we reach the end of our time. We soon learn that greater age brings greater sorrow but also greater joy, especially to those who are in Christ.To age gracefully we must age in Christ and for Christ. What does it look like to age gracefully? What do we need to be doing now to ensure we finish this race strong?These are questions for all Christians, young and old. Thankfully the Bible speaks clearly about how to age and how to age well. Join me in exploring what the Bible has to say about age and aging and learn how we can all hear those beautiful words, "well done, good and faithful servant."-Tim Challies

A commandment from God. A commandment with a promise. A commandment we forgot.We are all children, we ought to pursue God's blessings, and we need to give prominence to God's prominent command: Honor your father and your mother. For these reasons, we can no longer ignore the forgotten Fifth Commandment.This commandment is not just for children. Rather, it pertains to the whole of life and to every person of every age. In the home, the church, and the workplace, it provides a stable foundation for all of society. Yet, we often neglect it and fail to appreciate its relevance to our lives. It is the commandment we forgot.This booklet is a brief exploration of the Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother. It answers important questions relevant to every Christian: Does this commandment expire when we move out of our parents' home and gain our independence? Does it cease being relevant once we are married? Is obedience synonymous with honor? Do we need to be prepared to provide for them financially? What if our parents are especially difficult or unworthy of respect?My hope is that this booklet will restore the centrality of the fifth commandment, even and especially to adults. Let's look together to the Bible and, ultimately, to Jesus Christ as the perfect fulfillment of the commandment we forgot.-Tim Challies

Learn to be a model of Christian maturity.D.A. Carson has pointed out that the list of qualifications for elders is "remarkable for being unremarkable." Why? Because these traits are repeated elsewhere as qualities that ought to characterize all believers.Are you growing in godliness? How would you even know?A good place to begin is understanding and imitating the character qualifications the Bible lays out for elders. While elders are meant to exemplify these traits, all Christians are to display them. And, with just one exception, each of them is related to character.Join me as I explore the Bible to consider how we can better exemplify the highest Christian virtues. As we consider the character of the Christian, we will spur one another on to love, good works, and Christlikeness.-Tim Challies

God means for your life to be a canvas, the setting for a beautiful work of art. And he also expects this work of art to be seen, admired, and imitated…I want to speak to you if you are 16 or 18 or in your 20s, if you are in high school or college or just moving into marriage and career. I want to speak to you and want to speak with you.There are many ways to invest your time at this stage of your life, but the Bible has convinced me that none is better than the pursuit of godliness. In Paul's letter to young Timothy, you (yes, you!) are called to be an example to your peers and even to older Christians. He calls you to set an example of maturity and godliness in your speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.Join me as together we explore these areas and see how they apply to what you think, what you say, what is hidden in your heart, and what is broadcast in your life.-Tim Challies

Women shaped the men who changed the world.History tells of women whose love for the Bible shaped its earliest and most prominent teachers. It tells of women who were great theologians in their own right, yet whose only students were their own children. It tells, time and time again, of Christian men who owe so much to their godly mothers.Raising children to honor and glorify the Lord is the goal of every Christian mother, but how can you do that? Who can teach you? One of the best ways to learn is to read examples of women who have succeeded at the very task you are attempting.Come take a brief look at some of them. We will look to the church’s earliest days to find a man who owed his salvation to the careful biblical instruction he received on the lap of his mother. We will zoom forward a few centuries to a woman whose constant prayers were at last rewarded when her son came to faith and went on to become one of history’s most influential theologians. We will advance to recent centuries to see how the prayers, teaching, and examples of godly mothers have shaped evangelists, preachers, and stalwart defenders of the faith. We will learn together of Christian men and their godly moms, mothers who were used to shape the men who changed the world.—Tim Challies------------------------------ "Devoted offers rich encouragement, wisdom, and hope for any mom who longs for her sons and daughters to follow, love, and serve Christ.”—Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author, teacher, and host of Revive Our Hearts“Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Moms challenged, inspired, and encouraged me. Tim Challies takes the reader on an inspirational tour through history to meet moms from the first century all the way to the present day. Challies introduces us to moms who struggled in many of the same ways we moms do today. None of these women parented under ideal conditions. It was fascinating to see how God used eleven mothers, with their own unique personalities, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, to produce great men. These are the mothers of giants in the faith, but there were no studied theologians or perfect moms in the bunch. Although their skill sets and gifting were quite varied, the common denominator was each mom’s devotion to Christ. Devoted will encourage moms (and even dads) in the trenches, but also pour out grace and hope on parents of prodigals. Reading Devoted was sheer delight and I highly recommend it.”—Kimberly Wagner, author, Fierce Women"As mom to a young boy, one of my prayers is that the Lord might enable me to be a great mom, but not as measured by the world. Tim has collected for us the stories of women whose greatness was largely hidden. The devoted lives of women like Elizabeth Newton, Amelia Taylor, Mary Machen, and more will inspire and encourage you. These stories and examples, so easily overlooked, are now collected and presented in this accessible and helpful book."—Trillia Newbell, author of God’s Very Good Idea, Enjoy, and Fear and Faith“We look to our heroes of the faith and wonder, ‘How did she do it?’ Godly moms want their labors to make an impact in eternity, but sometimes persevering to the end of a twenty-four day seems impossible. Challies describes the powerful influence of a godly mother in articulate detail through stories of real women who have gone before us. These women believe the same gospel and cling to the same Christ, and I pray this book encourages many more mothers to follow their lead.”—Gloria Furman, author, Missional Motherhood and Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full

Don't try to do it all. Do more good. Better…in this brand new edition for students.This is a short, fast-paced, practical guide to productivity. If you are a student, it will tell you what you need to know about getting things done in today's digital world. It will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God.The consistent focus of this book is one core concept: Productivity is effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God. Productivity calls you to direct your whole life at this great goal of bringing glory to God by doing good for others. Indeed, there is no better plan and no higher ideal. So, ultimately, here is what productivity is all about and, therefore, what this book is all about: doing good to others.In Do More Better - Student Editon, you will learn: Common obstacles to productivity The great purpose behind productivity 3 essential tools for getting things done The power of daily and weekly routines How to balance, school, family, church, and the rest of life And much more, including bonus material on taming your email and embracing the inevitable messiness of productivityIt really is possible to live a calm and orderly life, sure of your responsibilities and confident in your progress.You can do more better.And I would love to help you get there.-Tim Challies TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroductionOne: Know Your PurposeTwo: Answer the CallThree: Define Your ResponsibilitiesFour: State Your MissionFive: Select Your ToolsSix: Collect Your TasksSeven: Plan Your CalendarEight: Gather Your InformationNine: Live the SystemTen: Maintain It ConsistentlyBonus: Tame Your EmailBonus: 20 Tips to Increase Your Productivity Selected quotes: This kind of true, biblical productivity calls you to action in all of life... Jesus calls you to let your light shine before others, and this light is more like a dimmer switch than a simple on and off button. You can reflect more or less of that light to shine before men. The more you let your light shine, the more others will see of your good deeds, and the more they will glorify God....This truth means that productivity is not just about what you do in the workplace. It is not just about your success in the one task that consumes the greatest part of your time and attention each week. It is about all of life. It is about your personal life, your family life, your church life, and everything else.Make no mistake: It is not easy to live in this world. We human beings are finite creatures who face infinite demands. There are so many things we could do in our lives and in any given moment, but so few we actually can do. There are fewer still we can do with excellence. So much of life involves attempting to strike the right balance between competing demands...all of them are competing for the same 168 hours we are given each week. Though time is so limited, the possibilities for using that time are unlimited. Productivity depends upon brokering peace between each of the different tasks we could prioritize in any given period of time.

Don''t try to do it all. Do more good. Better.I am no productivity guru. I am a writer, a church leader, a husband, and a father with many responsibilities and with new tasks coming at me all the time.I wrote this short, fast-paced, practical guide to productivity to share what I have learned about getting things done in today''s digital world. Whether you are a student or a professional, a work-from-home dad or a stay-at-home mom, it will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God.In Do More Better, you will learn:> Common obstacles to productivity> The great purpose behind productivity> 3 essential tools for getting things done> The power of daily and weekly routines> And much more, including bonus material on taming your email and 20 tips I have learned along the way.It really is possible to live a calm and orderly life, sure of your responsibilities and confident in your progress.You can do more better. And I would love to help you get there.-Tim Challies

Capitalizing on the increasing popularity of infographics and a growing interest in accessible, understandable teaching on theology, Visual Theology Guide to the Bible by Tim Challies and Josh Byers teaches timeless, historic, biblical truth in a fresh and vibrant way that that will capture your interest and ignite your imagination.

Even the least technical among us are being pressed from all sides by advances in digital technology. We rely upon computers, cell phones, and the Internet for communication, commerce, and entertainment. Yet even though we live in this ';instant message' culture, many of us feel disconnected, and we question if all this technology is really good for our souls.In a manner that's accessible, thoughtful, and biblical, author Tim Challies addresses questions such as:*; How has lifeand faithchanged now that everyone is available all the time through mobile phones?*; How does our constant connection to these digital devices affect our families and our church communities?*; What does it mean that almost two billion humans are connected by the Internet with hundreds of millions more coming online each year?Providing the reader with a framework they can apply to any technology, Tim Challies explains how and why our society has become reliant on digital technology, what it means for our lives, and how it impacts the Christian faith.

Capitalizing on the increasing popularity of infographics and a growing interest in accessible, understandable teaching on theology, Visual Theology by Tim Challies and Josh Byers teaches timeless, historic, biblical truth in a fresh and vibrant way that that will capture your interest and ignite your imagination.