Encouraging Gifts for Grads
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It’s that time of year when normally there would be all kinds of invitations for Graduation Parties, but this year - thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing requirements - not only have there not been graduation parties, but many high school graduations have been cancelled or postponed. I think it’s an understatement to say that this season has been disappointing for so many students!
If you have a graduate in your life that needs some additional encouragement, consider sending them a small gift to congratulate them for making it through high school - especially during such a crazy, unique season of life! I have curated a few items that I love and think will most encouraging to seniors as they are preparing to head off to college (and hopefully that’s not just online classes this fall, am I right?!).
JOURNALS
Journals may not be for everyone, but there are more than just journals with blank pages for writing! Consider a few of these unique journals for the grad in your life to get a jump start on tracking their college memories, digging into Bible Study, being intentional with their prayer life, or getting creative with planning and tracking their schedule!
Prayer Journals (& more!) — The Daily Grace Co.
The Daily Grace Co. is one of my absolute favorite resources for journals, Bible studies, and more! They have some incredible varieties of journals for growing in your prayer life, taking sermon notes, or guiding you through intentional Bible study! And right now, almost everything in their store is on sale!
SCRIBE Bible Journal by Lyfebooks
The world's first HABIT-FORMING Bible study journal (backed by science). This journal was designed to help you grow closer to God by keeping you in scripture daily!
One Line a Day — A Five Year Memory Book
Whenever I would visit my grandmother’s house, one of my favorite things to do would be to pull out her yearly diaries where usually she was making small comments about the things she did that day - how many foods she canned that day or what broke down on the farm or something silly that one of her kids had to say. In recent years, I have started to keep one of these daily memory books for myself, but think that it would have been so great to have these simple memories of daily life during my college years!
DEVOTIONALS
One of the things that I feel I was asked the most in my years in Student Ministries was about devotionals… it seems like students and leaders alike are always looking for resources or books to help them stay in the truth of Scripture, but don’t always know what to use! Here are a few devotional resources that I highly recommend.
Daily Truth - For Men — The Daily Grace Co.
This book is designed to be as a reference for every circumstance of life. It lists out 25 various topics from worry and waiting to lonely and angry and lists Scripture passages and encouragement to reference during the different seasons of life. It is the perfect companion to have as a reference to encourage your own heart or find Scripture to encourage a friend with.
Meditations For the Heart — The Daily Grace Co.
Meditations For The Heart helps the reader to ask themselves deep heart questions and grow in their walk with the Lord. Asking ourselves questions is one of the most beneficial thing that we can do in our walk with the Lord and this resource helps us to do just that. Each question includes insights from Scripture as well as Scripture references to refer to as the reader thinks and prays through the questions. Each question also includes helpful reflection questions, application, and journaling space to help process through these questions.
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
I absolutely love this devotional! Oswald Chambers is easy to read, short devotions for each day that are packed with so much wisdom and truth directly from Scripture. There are several versions of this devotional that are tailored specifically for giving as graduation gifts, or ones that have updated language to be easier for students to read. You can’t go wrong with this gift!
New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp
Offering more than a rush of caffeine, best-selling author Paul David Tripp wants to energize you with the most potent encouragement imaginable: the gospel. Forget "behavior modification" or feel-good sayings. Tripp knows that what we really need is an encounter with the living God. Then we'll be prepared to trust in God's goodness, rely on his grace, and live for his glory each and every day.
BIBLE STUDY TOOLS
One of the best tools you can have for studying the Bible… is a great study Bible! Consider searching for deals on a great study Bible for a graduate to encourage them to continue to dig into God’s Word in this next chapter of life. There are so many types of Bibles to choose from - two of the Bible versions that I highly recommend are the ESV (English Standard Version) or the CSB (Christian Standard Bible).
ESV Journaling Bible (Hollis) - The Daily Grace Co.
The ESV Journaling Bible® provides the perfect way for you to keep a journal of your spiritual life right inside the Bible that you read and study every day. This Bible features 2-inch ruled margins for writing observations, reflections, prayers, praises, and journal entries. This unique Bible makes a great gift and lasting keepsake for anyone who values God's Word.
CSB He Reads Truth Bible
The CSB He Reads Truth Bible is a unique men's Bible that includes robust, well-crafted theological extras to draw the reader back to Scripture, increase biblical literacy, and foster a growing affection for God and His Word. This Bible is color coded by genre, and each book of the Bible features detailed book introductions, a reading plan with supplemental passages for deeper understanding, and full-color maps, charts, and timelines by the He Reads Truth team.
Bible Highlighter Set — The Daily Grace Co.
Men’s Bible Highlighter Set — The Daily Grace Co.
Highlighters are an incredible resource when studying your Bible. There are many resources to help you decide how to color code your highlighting and makes Scripture stand out in brand new ways! These highlighter sets have encouraging words written on each highlighter and are made specifically for using on thin Bible pages so they won’t bleed through.
Scripture Verse Cards — The Daily Grace Co.
Verse cards are a beautiful display of meaningful verses that can be a great resource of encouragement for recent graduates! There are so many different tailored sets for specific reasons or topics. Consider a set of verse cards that would be most helpful for students as they are preparing for college or for this uncertain season of life and many plans being put on hold. There are sets of verse cards for anxiety or the anxious heart, truth for lies, or prayers for the weary heart. This is a small gift that can go a long way in encouraging someone else!
“Daily He Leads Me” Notepad - Men’s
”Daily He Leads Me” Notepad
Sometimes the idea of a journal might seem too daunting or overwhelming — these notepads are a great alternative to journaling that allow you to jot down notes during your time in God’s Word or during sermons! The Daily Grace Co. has a nice variety of notepad options to help you process what you are reading/hearing from God.
The Bible Study
Reading the Bible doesn’t have to be complicated - it’s just about you understanding how it relates to your daily life, and how powerful a few hours a week can be in transforming your faith. The Bible Study is a package of two books that cover the Old Testament and New Testament, with weekly guides that will help you dig deeper into Scripture with in-depth questions that help students to strength their relationship with God, themselves and others.
PLANNERS
We all know how important it is to keep tracking of everything once you get to college - new schedules, assignments, outings with friends! Planners are a crucial part of college life! Why not gift one that also encourages students to stay in God’s Word?! Here are a few planners that I think would be encouraging gifts for any recent grad.
Faith and Focus Planner — Christian Planner
Faith & Focus is Christian Planner's new 90-day, undated journal. Faith & Focus takes your to-do list, your spiritual growth, and your goals and makes them work together in one compact, premium design. Designed to be the first thing you pick up in the morning and carry with you throughout the day, it takes just 5 minutes to be intentional with how God is going to work through you as you accomplish your goals instead of wandering through your day.
Hope Planner - Daily
The Hope Planner is more than a daily planner with Bible verses – It's an all-in-one Christian planner that combines a daily planner and prayer journal to help you be organized and put your faith first each day. Read your Bible, write down Scripture, journal your prayers, track to-dos & your schedule. Repeat daily.
BOOKS
Finishing one chapter of life and preparing for a new one can be both exciting and extremely daunting. Consider some of these following books to help encourage a senior in your life as they are looking ahead to this new stage after high school.
Anonymous: Jesus’ Hidden Years and Yours
This book has been one of those monumental books in my life that has given me a new perspective and shifted the way I look at difficult seasons of my life. I have personally read this book at least half a dozen times (if not more!) and have walked through this book with a small group of seniors for a number of years. When your potential is unseen and your abilities are unappreciated… When you’re living in the gap between your dreams and life’s realities… You’re in what author Alicia Britt Chole calls an “anonymous season of the soul.” Heading into college or post-high school life, stepping away from everything you have ever known, a place that was comfortable and where you felt known, into a new season of life that can often feel like that anonymous season.
Bonus: Small Group Leaders, consider checking out the 7-week DVD bible study for Anonymous or the Reflective Study Guide and walk through the life of Jesus and His anonymous seasons with some seniors in your life before they head off to college or the work force!
Starting Now: A 30-Day Guide to Becoming Who You Want to Be in College
Successfully navigating life’s transitions requires, among other things, wisdom and confidence. That’s because transitions can be hard, and certainly the transition from high school to college is a big one. Where do students begin when it comes to handling such a huge life change? What do they do when their confidence falters? How do they handle the inevitable failures, disappointments, and freedom that comes with the beginning of adult life? In Starting Now, Crystal Chiang and Gerald Fadayomi speak directly to students in their first year of college, a transition which can be both exciting and terrifying. This interactive guide helps students think through not what they want to do in college, but who they want to be.
#Gospel: Life, Hope, and Truth for Generation Now
#Gospel is a book/media project that breaks down Paul's explanation of the gospel in Romans in a way that is accessible and engaging for culture today. This project is designed to use current cultural references and stories to draw us into a thoughtful conversation about what the Gospel really is, and how it radically alters our everyday lives. What could be more encouraging for students as they graduate than to be able to solidify what they know about the Gospel and how it has changed their life and feel prepared for how to share that with people they meet in “the real world” outside of high school?!
Bonus: Small Group Leaders, there is also a free Small Group Study Guide app available to go along with #Gospel that you could use with some seniors in your life or to mentor a student as they prepare for college or life after high school!
SHIRTS & ACCESSORIES
Shirts and other accessories can be a great way to encourage a recent grad and give them a gift that allows them to promote an encouraging verse or statement that they can in turn use to encourage new people they meet after high school! There are so many types of shirts or other accessories that you can find out there, but I’m going to list a few that I have created myself!
Shirts by Bespoke Grace Designs
Click on each photo to see the product or browse for more designs!
Mugs by The Daily Grace Co.
Everyone knows you’ll need LOTS of coffee when you get to college! Why not give someone you know one of the most encouraging and beautiful mugs that will continue to point them to truth every time they use it? Click on each photo to shop for that specific product.
It may be a crazy and uncertain time for many seniors as they are ending this chapter of life and moving from high school to college or into the work force. Just because their graduations and parties may have been postponed or will look different, doesn’t mean that they should not feel celebrated! I hope this buying guide brings some joy or encouragement to you or a recent graduate in your life!
Let me know some of your favorite products! Is there anything you love to give to seniors as they graduate college that I may have missed?
