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What I Read in 2025: 3 Books You Might Enjoy

Three of my favorite books from 2025, plus I'm giving one of them away!

Update, 2/25/26: Congrats to Dave from Oklahoma on winning this year's giveaway!

THE TURN OF the calendar is one of my favorite times of the year. I know changing a number from one year to the next is, in many ways, an artificial marker. It is similar to a woman lamenting turning 40 or the global hysteria when the calendar switched over to the year 2000. These are just numbers, after all!

And while I recognize the superficiality of the new year, I am also reminded that God set forth the seasons and the planet's orbit around the sun. He set up the axial tilt and the 365-day cycle, even inaugurating holidays for his people to celebrate.

The new year inspires me because of its apparent limitless potential for growth, accomplishment, and progress. I can't wait to see what 2026 has in store for you and for me. May we find ourselves in the center of God's will.

While looking ahead is energizing for me, I also, as I do every year, take a look back at the previous year and share with you some of my favorite books of the year.

I came across a LinkedIn post last week with a list of eight books to help you get "unstuck." As a sucker for reading recommendations I took note. In reading comments on the post, I came across multiple responses with an argument I have heard quite often. The comments were varied, but they were all to the effect of "books don't change lives."

Having heard this many times, even by authors themselves, I've come to the realization that this must be true for some. This is not true for me. The Bible aside, which is unquestionably life-changing, I can enumerate a dozen or so books that have had a profound impact on my life both in a practical sense and in ways that enlightened my perspective.

I say all of this only to encourage you to keep reading.

And as I also do every year, I am giving away one of the following books plus a copy of my latest book, You're Utmost Is Not Enough: Trusting God When Life Doesn't Make Sense, in your preferred format.¹To enter is free, but you must opt-in even you are already a subscriber to my email list. To do so, enter your email below and click "Enter the Contest."

But enough preamble, let's get on to what I read in 2025.

Three Books You Might Enjoy

In many ways 2025 was a bust because I started and did not finish more books than I ever remember doing. My TBR list is always growing, so I simply don't have time to tolerate poor or irrelevant writing like I thought I did in previous times. But by the end of 2025 I finished reading eight books, pretty standard for me. Following are the three books I think you also will most enjoy.

The Undiscovered Country: God's Plan to Redeem You and Eliminate Suffering

Because Jesus faced the gates of death, we need not fear them.

Anton Konovalov

HAVE THE GATES of death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

Job 38:17

These are just two of the many rhetorical questions God asked Job in response to Job's request for audience with the LORD. Job asked why, and God responded with questions of his own.

These weren't intended to dismiss or avoid Job's concerns, but rather to reinforce God's omnipotence and omniscience. The questions instead served as a reminder to Job that he could not possibly comprehend the complexity behind the answers he sought.

Yet this isn't to say God didn't offer any hope or satisfactory answers. On the contrary, Job walked away fully content. Perhaps all he needed was reassurance that God really is in control. And God did offer hope as we see in verse 17 above. While the mention of death and deep darkness may not stand out as particularly inspiring, bear with me as I attempt to explain.

What Are You Known For?

Start living for what you want to be known.

Tim Mossholder

WE KNOW PEOPLE based on their actions. Good or bad, reputations have a way of preceding us. John was "the Baptist." Frank Sinatra, "the Voice." Pinocchio, liar.

In Proverbs 21:24, Solomon writes about a different nickname. He wrote,

"'Scoffer' is the name of the arrogant, haughty man

who acts with arrogant pride."

In case you're wondering, as I was, what exactly the word scoffer means, here is the definition according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Stop Acting Rich

A preview of May's email-only article.

IT IS UNDENIABLE that God has a heart for the poor.

The Bible is replete with commandments and admonitions to care for the less fortunate. King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 21:13 that "whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered." And Jesus echoed a similar message with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16.

But Jesus pushed the issue beyond material wealth, which gives Solomon's proverb another level of meaning. And that's exactly what we're discussing in this month's email-only article.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and if you'd like instant, free access, fill out the form below. (If you are already a subscriber, check your inbox!)

Here's a snippet of this month's exclusive:

This is a chilling parable for those who heed not the words of Solomon and ignore the cries of the poor. And Abraham's mention of Moses and the Prophets reinforces the point above. God not only cares about the less fortunate, but he also commanded the people of Israel numerous times and in multiple ways to take care of them.
But I bring up the parable here only to show that Solomon's proverb contains a spiritual dimension as well.

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Why We Fear The One Who Made Us

A preview of April's email-only article.

Caleb Woods

DOES IT EVER seem like God is hiding from us?

If he's really out there, why won't he show us his glory?

It turns out there's a good explanation for this phenomenon, something we're examining in this month's email-exclusive article.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and if you'd like instant, free access, fill out the form below. (If you are already a subscriber, check your inbox!)

Here's a snippet of this month's exclusive:

GOD CANNOT BE contained in any analogy we could conjure, but have you ever considered the paradoxical nature of our sun? Without the sun we could not survive. But were we to venture too near the sun we would perish as well. Even gazing at the yellow dwarf proves injurious.

God is a little like the sun. We cannot stand in God's presence without ceasing to exist. And yet, since God is our creator and sustainer, we would not exist at all without him.

When Moses asked to see God's glory, God replied he would show Moses his "goodness," but he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live" (Exo. 33:19, 20). Even Moses, who met regularly with God, could not survive an unveiled glimpse of the Almighty.

Job was well aware of the awesome, terrifying, and potentially fatal repercussions of an interaction with God. And yet, what he wanted most above all else was an audience with the Creator so he could plead his case. So after preparing his arguments, Job requested two things of God: "Withdraw your hand far from me, and let not dread of you terrify me" (13:21).

This passage is intriguing. Here's why.