Best Reads (or Listens) of 2025

Earlier today, while listening to a Substack post from Abigail Wilson, she challenged her readers to share their best reads of 2025. That prompt pushed this “listener more than reader” to look back over the books that shaped this past year. Some I read, most I listened to, but all of them left a mark.

1. Winning the War in Your Mind

By Craig Groeschel

This is not the most beautifully written or brilliantly narrated book on the market, but its content makes it my number one book of 2025.

For as long as I can remember in my Christian life, I have wrestled with my thought life—everything from sexual temptation, to legalism, to harsh, judgmental critiques. At some point it felt easier to give up than to keep trying to corral the monkeys jumping around in my head. About three years ago, though, I finally drew a line in the sand and committed to taking every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). I had memorized the key passages, but I was still losing the battle.

Groeschel’s book was a true game changer for me. The way he unpacks patterns of thinking, spiritual warfare, and practical strategies for renewal helped me experience real progress. My thought life is still not perfect, but compared to where I was, it has improved a hundredfold.

My personal Bible study on the Kingdom of God – Kingdom Kernel Collection

2. A Year Immersed in the Kingdom of God

2025 has really been “the year of the Kingdom of God” for me. Over the last 18 months, I have zeroed in on Old and New Testament passages on the Kingdom, and the study has been incredibly rich. Along the way, several books broadened and clarified my thinking.

A two volume set stands out “Empire of the Risen Son” by Steve Gregg. The two are titled:

There Is Another King and

All the King’s Men

Both helped me see the Kingdom not just as a future destination but as a present reality under the rule of Christ.

Another influential work was:

The Scandal of the Kingdom

By Dallas Willard, with an introduction by John Mark Comer

Willard’s insights into discipleship and the reign of God, combined with Comer’s framing, gave me a deeper, more practical vision of what it means to live under King Jesus every day.

3. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

By W. Phillip Keller

A friend recommended this book, and honestly, I wish I had read it years ago—for two reasons.

First, it offers profound personal comfort. Keller, writing as a shepherd, walks slowly through Psalm 23 and opens up the imagery in ways that soothe anxious hearts. Second, it provides rich insight for pastoral ministry. If you are navigating a tough season or trying to better understand the challenges and burdens of ministry, this little book is a wise, gentle guide.

4. Two Classics That Shaped Me Early On

These next two are not 2025 publications, but they remain pillars in my library and resurfaced in my reading this year:

Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret

By Dr. Howard Taylor and Geraldine Taylor

The Master Plan of Evangelism

By Robert Coleman

I first read these when I was a very young Christian, and they were foundational for my faith and my understanding of disciple‑making.

Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret is, in many ways, a must‑read for every believer. It traces the inner life and trust in God that fueled Taylor’s missionary work, and it still challenges me to lean more deeply into God’s faithfulness.

The Master Plan of Evangelism is exactly what the title suggests: a master work on Jesus’ model of ministry. Coleman doesn’t just theorize about evangelism; he traces the actual strategy Jesus used to form disciples who would carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. For anyone who takes the Great Commission seriously, this book is essential.

5. Honorable Mentions

These final titles may not be must‑reads for everyone, but they were informative, challenging, and genuinely enjoyable. If any of these topics interest you, they are well worth your time:

Designed to Lead

By Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck

A thoughtful look at building leadership culture in the church.

A Chance to Die

By Elisabeth Elliot

A powerful biography of Amy Carmichael and a moving call to sacrificial obedience.

The Civil War: A Narrative, Volumes I & II

By Shelby Foote

Immersive, detailed history that reads almost like a novel while treating the subject with depth and seriousness.

Midnight in Chernobyl

By Adam Higginbotham

A gripping, meticulously researched account of the Chernobyl disaster and the human decisions behind it.

Those are the books that most shaped 2025 for me—some for my inner life, some for ministry, and some simply for the joy of learning. Here’s to more good reading (and listening) in the year ahead.