NEW: Big Questions about . . . God

Is there a God out there? How can we know for sure? And if he is there, what’s the plan?

Who God is and what he’s got to say to us is hugely important! If he is speaking loud and clear, then the worst thing we can do is shrug our shoulders and ignore him. But where do you start? Here are a few of the big questions about God, but they’ve not been answered by theologians writing essays, but by readers in the Our Daily Bread Ministries family—who just say it as it is.

NEW: Big Questions about . . . having fun

You want to live your best life. We all do. But doesn’t God kind of get in the way of that? Isn’t He all about “do this”, “don’t do that”, “I’m watching you . . .”? Is a life with Him full of misery and boredom?

Get answers to the big questions about having fun, and you might just find God’s attitude to fun is a bit more exciting than you expected!

NEW: How should I stand up to bullies?

Maybe you walk home from school with the same jokes being made every day by the people at the bus stop. Maybe you get picked on by your brothers and sisters. Maybe you’ve even found your best friend talking about you behind your back. Being bullied is one of the hardest things we have to cope with. These Bible readings will remind you that the person who walks with you is our “shield around [us]” (PSALM 3:3)—He’s bigger than anyone or anything you will ever face. You can bring every bully, stress and bad relationship to God. And when you do, you’ll see the amazing difference He makes!

NEW: Our Daily Bread: Teen Edition (Volume 4)

The Bible isn’t just for grown-ups—it’s for everyone, young and old! And so we’ve made sure the teaching of Our Daily Bread Ministries isn’t just for grown-ups either. It’s been fantastic to help teenagers to get into God’s Word and see how exciting it is with our teen editions of Our Daily Bread! This latest volume includes 365 insights from the Bible, helping teens think about how they can follow Jesus in everything they do.

NEW: What difference does God make when I feel anxious?

How do you stop anxiety? Maybe we can’t. After all, anxiety isn’t just a switch we can flick on or off. But maybe we can bring our anxiety, stress and panic attacks to the God who is so much bigger than us. These Bible readings are not here to give you a quick-fix recovery programme. They are here to show you the real difference God makes. He understands you better than you could possibly realise, and He can help you live with, manage and find growing freedom from the crippling battles you have with anxiety.

NEW: What does the Bible say about sex?

You’re sure to have questions about sex—because you are a sexual being. And that’s not a bad thing, something to be ashamed of or something you hope will just go away; it’s how God made you! But we’re also not meant to just dive into sex and everything to do with it. There are limits and boundaries. Maybe it all sounds like a bit of a strange balancing act. But there is hope, guidance and practical help to be found in the Bible. Because ultimately, it’s only when we aim to please God with our attitude to sex that we will find ourselves most satisfied in that part of our lives.

Are we meant for more than Instagram?

One square photo. A double tap. That’s all it takes for us to have an opinion. For us to be envious of our classmates. For us to feel the pressure of matching up to them. We often view life through Instagram—but aren’t we meant for more than that? Is ‘the real me’ decided by our social media profiles? Or should our lives find meaning and purpose in the God who deliberately made us to live right here, right now . . . ?

Big Questions about . . . becoming a Christian

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

Maybe you’ve been thinking about Christianity and what it means to follow Jesus. Perhaps you’ve got a few questions about what life will be like if you become a Christian. Will it be boring? Will it be all about the rules? Is it worth it? Explore what being a Christian really means, and you might discover that it’s more exciting, satisfying and mind-blowing than you ever realised!

Big Questions about . . . Christianity

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

What is Christianity really? A club for old people? A life of do’s, don’ts and hard rules? And what does it really mean to be part of it?

Take a look through some of the big questions about Christianity, and find real answers that don’t mess about; they just get straight to the point.

Big Questions about . . . life after death

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

You might be scared about dying, or you might not think that much about it. Your whole life may seem to be stretching out ahead of you, or you might be worried that the end is going to come a little quicker. It doesn’t matter who we are, death comes for us all.

So what does happen after we die? What does the Bible say about life after death? And what do we need to do to be ready for it? Get simple answers to the big questions about life after death!

Big Questions about . . . prayer

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

Prayer can seem so difficult! And boring. Have you ever been in a church service when someone has said, “Now let’s have a time of prayer . . .” only for them to ramble on for ten minutes?! Is that what we’re meant to do with God? Are there places we have to go to pray? And how do we know God is even listening? Get straightforward answers to your questions about prayer, and start making sense of talking with God for yourself! Prayer doesn’t need to be formal and boring. It’s meant to be the way we do life with God!

Big Questions about . . . sin

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

Sin is a little word, but it seems to come up a lot in sermons, youth group and Bible studies. But what exactly is it? Things we want to do, but know we shouldn’t? Should we secretly love it or only ever hate it? And is it possible to do stuff that God won’t ever forgive?

Here are a few big questions about sin, answered for you with short, straightforward answers. Get your head around what sin is without getting lost in church speak!

Big Questions about . . . the Holy Spirit

Do I have to go to church?

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

Do we really have to go to church? Couldn’t we just go to youth group meetings and skip Sunday mornings? Or even just do our Christianity by ourselves? Church is actually a really important part of our life with God. It’s an exciting place to grow, change and find the strength and real-life guidance we need for handling life! Church isn’t just meant to be Sunday morning, but our support network throughout the week. Read through this booklet and discover the real purpose and mission of church!

Does going to church mean I’m a Christian?

We go to church, pray the prayers, do the youth group meet ups and join in the Bible studies . . . but is that all it means to be a Christian? Read the story of a teenage girl who realised she didn’t love God, even though she did all the church stuff; and let her help you examine your own life and relationship with Jesus.

Help! My exams are stressing me out!

Exams are stressful! Our family piles on the pressure, our friends all seem to know what they’re doing and the extra classes after school just wear us out. Our future and the whole world seems to depend on whatever grades we get…! Yet in all the stress of our exams, the Bible has some really important and helpful exam tips for us—not on how to revise and sit them, but how to do our exams with Jesus as our focus and hope.

How can I make God the centre of my social media?

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

The Bible says that we all need to feel good and satisfied; to live with meaning and purpose. But the problem is, when we’re obsessing over our social media profiles, we’re looking for those things in the wrong place. So how can we keep God at the centre of all we are and all we do (including online)? What does it look like to maintain our social media as people who first and foremost belong to Him? And how can we make our feeds more about His love and welcome, and less about competing to have the best online life?

What difference does God make when I feel depressed?

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

Have you ever felt like giving up? Do you go through times when you just keep spiralling downwards with no way out. Maybe you felt really low for a long time after you lost someone close. Maybe you feel like depression is always hovering over you, ready to bring you down again. These Bible readings are here to show you that we were never meant to carry our depression on our own. Jesus walks with each one of us, every day, ready to give us the strength we need for absolutely everything. Even in the hardest times, we can focus firstly on Him and find just what we need to keep going.

What does it mean to be free?

We like to think freedom is doing what we want, when we want, how we want. It’s about being our own bosses and making our own way. But is that real freedom? And how does it compare to the freedom the Jesus promises us when we follow Him? Find out what freedom really is—and really isn’t!

What’s so bad about gossip?

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

The world of gossip quickly fills up with stress, anxiety, outsmarting each other, split friendship groups, backstabbing, trolling and loneliness. Maybe you think this booklet is going to be all about telling you to STOP right now! But what if actually there’s a plan that’s better than just not gossiping? What if God wants to help you replace it with something better? Like a way of life that shows His care and love for the people He has made?

What’s so bad about porn?

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

Looking at porn is exciting to start. Yet it’s not long until it takes over, demands our attention and, too late, we realise it won’t let us go. It affects our self-esteem, our relationships, our ability to open up, our expectation of sex and our mental health. And yet the Bible offers real hope and freedom. No matter what your experience of porn or how trapped you may feel by it, it is nowhere near as big and powerful as Jesus, who came to rescue us from all addictions, prisons and shame. This booklet will help you see how this rescue is something you can start experiencing today!

Where does Christianity fit with all the other religions?

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

From meaningless existence to reincarnation or life after death, you can live your life for loads of different faiths, causes and religions. So how do we know Christianity has it right? Can we mix the religions up a bit to suit what we want? Can we know for sure that Jesus is the answer? This booklet will help you start getting your head round why Jesus is the only way, what the danger is of mixing religions and how we can share our beliefs with others who may have a totally different perspective on life.

Who am I?

Read the full booklet here. Watch this space for when the print version becomes available

Does our Instagram account make us who we are? Or is it our school grades? Or the amount of friends we have? Or what our parents say about us? Is it a bit of a mix? The Bible tells us there is a better, more secure and much more satisfying place to find our identity: knowing Jesus for ourselves. He gives us the best identity—one that doesn’t depend on what anyone else thinks or on how well we feel we’re doing in life. It is a gift from Him that lasts forever. When we trust our life to Him, who does He make us? God’s own child!