By: Anlee Fekkes
In an Amazon Prime world with thousands of options to choose from and an E-mail inbox that is probably full of unread subscriptions to daily encouragement newsletters, it can be hard to sift through the pile to find a resource that comes alongside you in your Bible reading or family devotions. I hope this curated list of a few of my favorite things for enrichment in your Christian walk might help you narrow the selection of resources, eliminate buyer’s remorse, and deepen your time spent in the Word both alone and in fellowship with others. Here is my 2026 list of favorite resources and how I am incorporating them (or have used them previously) to strengthen both my own foundation in the Word of God and in the relationships around me.
Chronological Bible Reading Plan: Perhaps you have read through the Bible in a one-year-reading plan. That’s great! Have you ever read the Bible in it’s chronological order? Following the timeline of the historical events as they unfold might deepen the truths you already know and give you greater clarity into what God is doing in and through his people. Knowing that Job is likely the oldest text we have in Scripture helps us better understand that it is a book that declares the sovereignty and goodness of God in all things before the law, before the nation Israel, and before Christ himself comes.
150 Days of Praying the Psalms before The Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference: Any ladies attending TGCW26 are encouraged to participate in the 150 days of Praying the Psalms before the kickoff of the conference June 11th. Beginning January 12th, participants will pray a Psalm a day until they complete all 150 Psalms. You can sign up to receive an E-mail every two weeks with updates from TGCW and for guidance through your prayer journey in the Psalms. They also provide a free printable to help you keep track. *You don’t have to be an attendee or a woman to gain much from this larger-body fellowship of praying the Psalms. Everyone is encouraged to join! Side-note: Tim and Kathy Keller prayed through the entire Psalter every month for 20 years straight. If you do the math, that equals 36,000 prayers through the Psalms. If you really want to gain a lot from your time in the Psalms, pick up Christopher Ash’s new commentary: The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary. Derek and I have enjoyed reading a Psalm a day and reading through the Ash commentary, as well.
The Getty Family Hymn of the Month: Ever wonder about the history behind a particular hymn? The Getty’s, authors of the Sing Hymnal and many of the songs we sing at Roots, send out a monthly newsletters that: tells the history of a hymn, provide song resources to sing it, include a Bible memory verse to ground the hymn in Scripture, a guide to pray the hymn, and share a short devotional. They have their Hymn-of-the-month archive available on their website dating back to 2021 if you find yourself wanting more than one a month. This is a great way to get your family or community group engaged in worship together! And it’s FREE. This month is showcasing the Hymn Man of Sorrows – a favorite of mine! Sign up at www.gettymusic.com and tab over to Hymn of the Month. While you’re at it, order a Sing Hymnal from their store. If you purchase the spiral bound hymnal, it will include chords for those like me that don’t read music but can handle basic chords. Our choir has been singing through the Sing Hymnal as has Pastor Derek for much encouragement and fruitful worship. (Pick a hymn a week to grow in singing about the Lord and grow in faith as you read the corresponding scriptures and liturgies in the Hymnal.)
The Bible Talk Podcast by 9Marks and Southern Seminary: This is one of my favorite Bible podcasts. They are slow and steady in their talking through the Scriptures; only up to Isaiah right now, but there are 166 shows you can catch up on to gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word. Hosts Alex Duke, Sam Emadi and Jim Hamilton lead well, wisely, and deeply through the historical and present day implications and realities of God’s Holy Word. (*If you’ve been studying the Nancy Guthrie book with the Women’s Ministry, then you’ve heard me mention Alex Duke and his book From Eden to Egypt. Best book I’ve ever come across on Genesis!)
Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung: This daily snippet of systematic theology and all the terms that go into a deep and wide understanding of God and His Word is categorized into themes starting with the basic understanding of who/what is God and ends with the endtimes. Maybe you have sought to read through a larger, denser book on systematic theology and didn’t reach the finish line. This book might be it for you. While it is set up as a devotional-esque book, it is digestible theological content. Kevin DeYoung writes in his introduction that he hasn’t written anything “new”, but his “gift” is taking what all the old dead guys have said in unfamiliar language and illustrations and made it “understandable” and “translatable” to our ears and era. Please don’t read he “dumbed-it-down” in that! He has made “old things new,” clear and concise and doable in a year (5 days of readings, rather than the common 7 for 52 weeks). Sections in the book include: prolegomena, theology proper, anthropology, covenant theology, Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. (If you have wondered what those words mean and how they might help deepen your view of God….grab the book!)
Rooted Readers: Shameless plug time. We have a great resource in our church that invites all women (men you are welcome to read what we are reading at home) to a God-honoring bookclub. Maybe your bandwidth in this season for adding in extra things is small. Maybe you want to grow as a reader this year and don’t know where to start. Maybe figuring out what to read is the hardest decision when faced with so many choices. I’ve been there! Rooted Readers serves as a space to read alongside others, talking about good books that challenge us, provoke us, grow us, teach us, cause us to laugh and perhaps relate to others better. Our January book of the month is A Heart Aflame for God. This book works through spiritual discipline in the Reformed tradition but reads like a conversation, history lesson, and passionate/joyful commendation to be in God’s Word, meditate on it, and pray through it. It was also ranked in The Gospel Coalition’s top books of 2025! Rooted Readers meet every first Monday of the month throughout the year at 6P at the church.
I hope these resource suggestions of Scripture readings, hymn singing, praying through the Psalms and more will enrich your new year to find increased joy and affection for God our Father and Christ the Son! I pray Paul’s prayer over you all! Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17.