With all of the frivolous material and garbage you find on the world-wide web these days, I thought it might be helpful to provide a list of some of the better internet resources I have discovered over time, and that I personally find useful in my Christian walk.  I know there are other good, even great, websites that I have not included in this list; however, time and space constraints limit what I can reasonably present here.  Many of these other resources will be found referenced in the websites listed below:

BibleGateway.com:  http://www.biblegateway.com/

• This is a great website with numerous online translations of the Bible in English as well as many of other languages.  They have a helpful search capability that allows you to search scripture using keywords, phrases or specific passage references, and then compare the results between different translations.  In addition, they have several translations available in audio format which allows you to listen to scripture passages read out loud…I find this feature particularly useful in learning how to pronounce some of the more difficult names of places and people found throughout the Bible.
• If you are looking for ways to grow in your personal Bible study habits and dig deeper into God’s word, either on your own or through some of the daily devotionals and Bible reading plans they provide, you will not be disappointed.  This is a wonderful resource!!!

e-Sword.net:  http://www.e-sword.net/

• This is a Bible study software package that you can download for free from the e-Sword.net website.  I was skeptical at first—I usually am with “free” software downloads—but boy was I wrong!  I have found this to be a very well designed, “user-friendly” software package that has more features than I could possibly enumerate here, although I will point out a few.  I find this to be an indispensable tool for my own Bible study and research endeavors.
• Some Bible translations, including the ESV, KJV, ASV, and several more, can be downloaded for free, but other popular translations, such as the NIV, NKJV, NASB, and RSV, must be purchased.  Personally I do not find this limiting as the ESV is the primary translation I use.
• There are also Bible commentaries, Bible dictionaries, devotions, graphics (maps, charts, etc.), and reference books that can be downloaded, many for free, some for purchase.
• I know there are purchased software packages used by professional ministers that probably run circles around this, but for the layman who cannot afford to spend that kind of money this is a great way to go.  I cannot say enough good things about this software!
• To learn more about Rick Meyers, the creator of e-Sword, and the history of his “software” ministry go here:  http://www.e-sword.net/history.html.

The Gospel Coalition (TGC):  http://thegospelcoalition.org/

• The Gospel Coalition was founded by D. A. Carson and Tim Keller, two big names in current reformed, evangelical circles.  The TGC website contains a plethora of resources, videos, blogs, and book reviews that are helpful, thought-provoking, timely, and relevant, all firmly rooted in biblical truth.
• Other names frequently found on the pages of TGC include Kevin DeYoung, Justin Taylor, Trevin Wax, and many more.
• There is so much useful material here it is impossible to cover it all in a short description.  If you want to learn more about TGC, you can find their  confessional statement and theological vision of ministry at this link:  http://thegospelcoalition.org/about/who.

Monergism.com:  http://www.monergism.com/

• This is another website, much like TGC, that contains an incredible wealth of materials, all rooted in sound reformed, evangelical theology.  You will find many of the same names appearing here as you do on the TGC website.
• To learn more about Monergism.com read their “About” page at this link:  http://www.monergism.com/about_us.php

Challies.com (a blog by Tim Challies):  http://www.challies.com/

• The tagline for Tim’s blog is “…Informing the Reforming” which sums things up quite nicely.  Again, this is a site well rooted in reformed, evangelical theology—perhaps you are seeing a trend here?  Tim’s blog posts frequently challenge me to look at my own Christian walk and help me to see my own shortcomings.  I find his book reviews very helpful when I am in the market for new reading material to add to my library.  His writing style is quite witty and often humorous which makes reading this blog entertaining, as well as informative.
• I think the focus of this blog is best summed up by Tim’s own description found on his About this Blog page:  This is a blog (or weblog)–a kind of online journal…[it is] a compendium of articles, information and book reviews. If the blog has a primary focus, it may be best summarized as “commentary on the contemporary church and its interaction with the culture around us.”

http://www.desiringgod.org/

http://www.sportsmensdevotional.com/

• From the Sportsmen’s Devotional website:  “We provide the Christian outdoorsman a daily email Bible study that Sportsmen can relate to. Our study is short, to the point, and has a new photograph and outdoor tip each day. Our study is devoted to all that love the great outdoors.”
• If you enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and the outdoors their daily e-mail Bible study is a quick, easy read that you can use to get you started in developing a daily devotional routine or add to an already existing routine, without being overwhelmed.

http://archive.org/

http://openlibrary.org/

Note:  I plan to continue adding more resources and filling in more descriptions on this existing list over time.

© Todd D. Nystrom and Todd the Hiker, 2013.