Books are important. They fashion the way we think, learn, grow, and understand the world. With the omnipresence of social media and video shorts the need to sit and ponder a “bit of theology,” as C.S. Lewis calls it, seems slow and outdated. Yet, the Lord has chosen to reveal himself and his salvation through the written word. He did not disclose himself in a meme, TikTok reel, or YouTube short. He did so through the Word.

This makes reading a precious and profound experience when books engage with, explain, and help us apply the Word of God in our lives. Discipleship that is gospel-centered must have reading as one of its practices. We need to have the gospel developed in our hearts and minds and reading books is a noble means to that end.

This year the GCD Team has recommended some of our favorite books read in 2025 that have helped us grow in grace and faith. We hope you’ll pick these up and be encouraged by them.

Jeremy Writebol, Executive Director

Do You Believe? by Paul David Tripp

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Do You Believe? makes theology both approachable and practical. It provides a good summary of each doctrine it addresses. However, that is not the real strength of the book. Its strength is found in a chapter devoted to the application of each doctrine wherein Tripp asks the question, “If we deeply believed this doctrine in light of the Gospel, how would that belief shape the lives we live?” I found myself personally challenged and encouraged to move doctrine not only from head to heart, but then out to my hands

Dave Carlson

 

A Bit of Earth: A Year in the Garden with God by Andrea Burke

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When I say I savored this book, I mean I savored it all year long. Season by season, I picked it up. In the dead of winter when I felt as frozen as the ground, it was as if Andrea handed me a cozy blanket and a hot cup of coffee and said, “Hang in there. Spring is coming.” When I pushed through back pain and exhaustion stripping diseased leaves off a hundred zinnias in the summer heat, I found a friend who had been there, and like me, still felt the work was worth it to reap the harvest. I was not just encouraged in earthly matters, but in matters of the soul. And to top it all off, her writing is beautiful. I'll come back to this one often.

Brittany Allen

 

The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God by Seth Lewis

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This book caught me by surprise as Seth Lewis describes the world we thought we knew in what seems like a brand new way. He begins with Psalm 19 and the Genesis account as the biblical backdrop for his masterpiece. But then, he pulls out a magnifying glass to examine each day of creation as he marvels at the wonders of God. Lewis helps us to see again these ordinary themes such as land and sea, sky and stars, animals and plants. He shows without just telling. As God once said of his own creation, this book is “very good" because it feeds your soul. I even recommend reading it outdoors so you can feel the sun on your face and the stiffness of the breeze.

Tom Sugimura

 

From the Rising of the Sun by Tim Challies and Tim Keesee

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Tim Challies and Tim Keesee cross mountain ranges and oceans in From the Rising of the Sun: A Journey of Worship Around the World, making the notion of the global Church visible. Each chapter features a church “made up of people who are native to the country,” with each church worshiping in "their unique cultural setting.” This book, along with its accompanying videos, helped grow my love for God and people. I enjoyed the occasion to consider the histories and cultures of eleven places where Jesus is known.

Timarie Friesen

 

Waiting Isn't a Waste by Mark Vroegop

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Addresses a real-life issue that we all face, yet rarely speak about in Christian community. Our church staff worked through it together this summer and found it to be richly biblical and practically helpful. Vroegop has blessed the body of Christ as we wait for our Savior's return!

Rob Bentz

 

When Life Feels Empty by Issac Serrano

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My former-professor-turned-friend has written an excellent book for generations to come. Serrano engages with the inconsistent assumptions our materialistic world hands us from birth and shows how the gospel of Jesus gives us a better reality full of meaning and truth. Pastors and parishioners alike will benefit from reading this and would do well to keep a few copies on hand to give out.

Matt Boga

 

Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Who We Are in Christ, edited by Melissa Kruger; with Jen Wilkin, Hannah Anderson, and more

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Earlier this year, a friend gave me Identity Theft, and in the months that followed my life seemed to tilt and rock through one upheaval after another. When an unexpected hospitalization separated me from my family—including my then two-week-old son—for a few days this fall, it felt as though every inch of my misplaced identity was suddenly exposed. I could no longer find any security in my own strength during the sleepless nights in a hospital bed, but it was this book that I paged through in those dark hours. The wise words within each chapter gently reoriented my heart and pointed me back to where my true identity is found—Christ, the Rock of Ages.

Hillary Nelson

 

Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation by Nancy Guthrie

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I have always believed that God gave us the book of Revelation for our good. How could a Christian think otherwise? But all the imagery, all the debates, and all the confusion sometimes make that belief difficult and have given me hesitation from teaching the vision John received on Patmos. Guthrie’s book, however, made it easier to see how Revelation, with all its twists and turns, is not only eminently preachable by ordinary pastors to ordinary believers but also eminently believable and livable.

Benjamin Vrbicek

 
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