Favorite Reads of 2025
For the first time in a good while, I kept track of my reading. My favorite reads from this year are not limited to releases in 2025—these are literally the 12 books I enjoyed the most (some I read on Kindle and are not pictured below).
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Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation by Matthew Bingham - An outstanding, scholarly, and spiritually refreshing work on a Reformed approach to spiritual formation. The triangle of Word, Meditation, and Prayer is critical for a biblical spirituality.
Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix - I couldn’t put this book down. I loved learning about the friendship of these two titans. I learned a ton. A fun read.
Morning and Evening: A New Edition of the Classic Devotional by C. H. Spurgeon - This year, I only read the “Morning” entries. And next year I’ll read the “Evening” (but in the morning).
Sin and Temptation (Volume 15) (Complete Works of John Owen) - Owen continues to be my favorite Puritan. He’s writing on indwelling sin, temptation, and killing sin is so helpful—it is piercing and practical.
Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst - Keller is one of those figures we will be reading and talking about for decades. I loved Matt’s work on Keller’s theology of the Christian life.
How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life by Rebecca McLaughlin - Compelling, short, convincing. Great little book on the power of being a part of a local church. She does a great job applying the results of Harvard’s massive study on church attendance.
Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life by Mark Vroegop - We all wait. And we all need to keep trusting God. Mark’s writing is so pastoral, honest, and filled with Bible.
Good News at Rock Bottom: Finding God When the Pain Goes Deep and Hope Seems Lost by Ray Ortlund - Ray’s books always help me, and this one is no exception. This book is an extended meditation on Isaiah 57:15. I finished this book thinking, “God is so good, kind, and loving.”
J. I. Packer: His Life and Thought by Alistair McGrath - Read this on Kindle and loved it. Learned a ton about Packer. So thankful for this man!
A Holy Minister: The Life and Spiritual Legacy of Robert Murray M’Cheyne by Jordan Stone - Also read this on Kindle. M’Cheyne is someone I want to read more and more. Stone did his doctoral work on RMM, and it shows. A great intro, overview, and dive into RMM.
Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz - Books on writing are always in my stack. This was an interesting book on getting to the point, cutting the fluff, and delivering the goods. I’d say more, but….
Have you read any of these? Would love to know what you think.
I'm excited to read the Keller book! And Smart brevity looks like a good one. I appreciate your commentary (and brevity) about it above.
I've heard so many good things about Mythmakers. I'd like to tackle in '26. Also Matt Smethurst's Keller book (though I still haven't gotten to Hansen's biography on Keller, which is sitting on my shelf). I enjoyed Ortlund's Good News at Rock Bottom but it didn't affect me as much as some of his previous work. Thanks for sharing your list!