Skip to content ↓

Free Stuff Fridays (Open the Bible)

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Open the Bible. They encourage you to enter to win a series of books from Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith!

Included in the giveaway are:

For All Who Grieve by Pastor Colin Smith. Written with compassion and understanding, yet honestly facing the difficult questions that death stirs up, For All Who Grieve shows what it looks like to grieve with hope. Based on the biblical themes of tears, talk, guilt, grievance, hope, and healing this book will demonstrate how to navigate the valley of grief, sorrow, and loss. Most of all, though, it points to Christ, our Savior, who knows what it is to walk sorrow’s path. For when you pass through the valley of sorrow and loss, you are in a place where Christ can be found. Also consider listening to the sermons that led to the book.

The Hidden Path to a Transformed Life by Pastor Colin Smith. Why do some people change while others remain essentially the same? And why is it that while some grow in wisdom, others make one foolish choice after another? Repentance is the hidden path to a transformed life, and Pastor Colin’s prayer is that this book will help you pursue it. Also consider listening to the sermons that led to the book.

Open the Bible in 30 Days by Pastor Colin Smith. This book unlocks the mystery of God’s word in three stages: the Old Testament where God introduces Himself, the Gospels where we meet Jesus Christ, and finally the letters of the New Testament where we meet the Holy Spirit. Perfect for either individual or group study. Also enjoy the online version called Open the Bible Story – The Drive.

Always Good News: Why the Message of Jesus Is Good News Everyday by Scott Lothery. We live in a bad news world filled with relentlessly disturbing headlines – war and crime, poverty and pandemics, racism and oppression. And we all experience discouragement in our personal lives as well – pain and suffering, failure and disappointment, decline and death. Though the world is overflowing with bad news, the message of Jesus is bigger and brighter than all of it, giving us hope in the midst of every negative experience of our lives. It’s always good news! When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide to Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer by Kevin Halloran. A struggle to pray reveals a desire to pray, and when you have that desire, you can address the obstacles to prayer by facing them head on. Writing as a sympathetic and practical guide, Kevin Halloran helps you to pinpoint areas of weakness in your prayer life and take immediate steps to overcome them. Examine your heart, implement practical measures, and experience the joys of faithfully drawing near to God. See Tim Challies’ review of the book or the free companion video course Pray the Bible.


  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.

  • This Week in Christian Books

    This Week in Christian Books (November 3, 2026)

    Tuesday is the day most publishers release their new books. Here is a look at the Christian books that came our way this week, including Prodigal Culture, Scroll Less Live More, and a graphic novel of Pilgrim’s Progress.