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With a new year comes a new reading list! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Each book we encounter is like a stepping stone, shaping our thoughts, broadening our perspective, and leaving behind valuable lessons. Without reflection, it’s easy for us to rush past the wisdom we’ve gained and miss opportunities to integrate it into our lives.
With that in mind, I’m sharing the best books I read last year, why they stood out, and the lessons they left behind. Whether you’re looking for something to add to your reading list or curious about the ideas that shaped my year, I hope these six recommendations inspire you as much as they inspired me.
1. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Summary: Through engaging stories and extensive research, Gawande explores the power of checklists in managing complexity and ensuring consistency in all kinds of systems. He explains how adopting this simple tool can lead to better decision-making and higher standards in professional and personal life.
Review: A book on checklists seems super boring on face value. However, Gawande does an excellent job at providing practical information in an engaging manner. This is a must read for everyone in the information business, especially for those in church leadership.
“Failure results not so much from ignorance as from ineptitude—failure to properly apply what we know works.”
2. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Summary: Drawing inspiration from Jesus’ unhurried life, Comer identifies the dangers of living in a perpetual state of hurry. He provides practical strategies like Sabbath, silence, solitude, and simplicity to help readers slow down, focus on what matters, and cultivate a deeper relationship with God.
Review: This is a book I find myself returning to frequently. I desperately need the practices found in this book when the busyness of our western, results-driven culture invades my soul. Be careful when reading- this book will absolutely change your life.
“If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.”
3. The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
Summary: Lukianoff and Haidt present a well-researched and thought-provoking exploration of how modern culture and education can inadvertently hinder resilience and critical thinking. It’s engaging, eye-opening, and actionable.
Review: This is a book for anyone who is confused by what is happening on college campuses today, or has children, or is concerned about the growing inability of Americans to live, work, and cooperate across party lines. This is a must read if you interact with Gen Z or Gen Alpha in any meaningful way.
“Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.”
4. Digital Liturgies by Samuel D. James
Summary: James offers a sharp, thought-provoking critique of how digital media shapes our values, habits, and worship. It’s a timely guide for believers seeking to navigate the digital age faithfully.
Review: James’ take on the problem with our digital age goes much farther than the surface-level takes of growing distraction and comparison. He helps remind his readers about the abundant life that Christ offers, and how that life will never be found in an online platform. I can’t recommend it enough.
“Our sense of distraction, discontentment, and dislocation- and the inhumane, exhausting effects those sensations have on our daily lives- should make us confident there is, in fact, an alternative.”
5. Calling Out the Called by Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt
Review: This inspiring book serves as a practical and encouraging guide for those sensing a call to ministry. It provides clear, biblical wisdom and real-life application for discerning and developing one’s calling.
Summary: “How do I discover if I’m called to vocational ministry?” If you’ve ever asked that question personally or have counseled others with similar questions, this is a must read. Not only will you discover God’s potential calling in your life, you’ll also find out what to do next.
“Don’t run from your calling.”
6. Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
Summary: Piper urges readers to embrace the glory of God as the ultimate goal of life. Through biblical insights and personal stories, he encourages believers to avoid worldly distractions and dedicate their lives to serving God and others with eternal significance.
Review: Why didn’t someone love me enough to give me a copy of this book 20 years ago? In a world that is consumed with seeking success, comfort, and pleasure above all else, Piper shows us that God has designed us for much more than this. Find a high school/college student and personally put this life-altering resource in their hands.
“If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.”
I’m confident you’ll find something in these books that will change your perspective in 2025. Enjoy!
