Happy New Year to each of you! I hope that 2025 is a wonderful year for you, full of many moments when you experience God鈥檚 multifaceted grace. I also hope that 2025 is a year when you can read some good books. Here are seven of my favorites from 2024 (presented in the order I read them) in case you鈥檇 like some recommendations.

by Christopher Watkin. My favorite book of the year was also the first book I read this year. In a generation awash with various 鈥渃ritical theories,鈥 Chris Watkin asks how the Bible鈥檚 storyline addresses and critiques the key social/cultural questions of our age. I had an 鈥渁ha鈥 moment about every third page. Not light reading, but exceptionally fruitful.

by Tim Keesee. The producer of 鈥淒ispatches from the Front鈥 reflects on suffering and joy in daily life. Many of the chapters in A Day鈥檚 Journey are structured as one-day-in-the-life-of-[someone]. A few of the people Keesee interviews are well-known (Joni Eareckson Tada, Rosaria Butterfield); others are lesser-known-but-faithful Christians whom Keesee wants you to know. The final section of the book focuses on Keesee鈥檚 own battle with cancer.

by John Perkins. Memoirs of a Christian civil rights activist, evangelist, preacher and organizer of economic cooperatives. He suffered a lot on his mission. Extremely well-written. Be prepared to do some soul searching if you read this modern classic.

by Verlyn D. Verbrugge and Keith R. Krell. A comprehensive (academic) analysis of pretty much everything you need to know about the apostle Paul鈥檚 attitudes toward, and practices related to, money. Full of clear-headed analyses of relevant biblical texts.

by John Piper. Twenty-seven biographical sketches of Christian men presented thematically 鈥 and somewhat sermonically. These profiles of Christian men were originally presented as at twenty-seven consecutive Bethlehem Conferences for Pastors, and then published as nine books containing three sketches each. Now all these short biographies have been collected into one volume. Insightful and inspiring鈥ometimes convicting. Wonderful reading for a four-month sabbatical, which is when I read this book.

by Henry Scougal. A puritan devotional classic (written in the 17th century). Scougal explains to a friend (originally a 100-page letter!) what 鈥渢rue religion鈥 is, by which he means living the Christian life. Faith, love, purity and humility are the four branches he focuses upon. Part 3 includes practical suggestions for how to cultivate these Christian qualities. Justin Taylor has a nice of the book at the Gospel Coalition.

by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This classic Russian novel (first published in 1880) is not a Christian book in the way the other books on this list are. It is first a novel, and only 鈥淐hristian鈥 because of its setting and subject matter. Furthermore, in my opinion, the author doesn鈥檛 seem to fully grasp the gospel. But this book includes profound insights into fallen human nature. I need to warn you in advance, though: this book is long and wordy. I know that it鈥檚 dangerous to critique a classic piece of literature, but I wonder if this novel would have been 30% better if it had been 30% shorter. Still鈥emarkably insightful in so many ways.

Happy reading!

is my list for 2023.

is my list for 2022.

is my list for 2021.

is my list for 2020.

is my list for 2019.

is my list for 2018.

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