Ministry Musings: January 2026

Monday, January 5, 2026

Best Books of 2025: Ministry and Pastoral

I had the privilege of reading a large number of ministry-oriented books this year. The volume of books is primarily due to the fact that I can walk for exercise in our church gym and read at the same time. Of course, that means that I find I don’t have a lot of time to sit, read something deeper and take notes. Sigh….

Here are the best books I read this year, and the rest.

God, Technology and the Christian Life by Tony Reinke. A book on a Christian perspective regarding technology might be one that could get dated very quickly. But Reinke’s book is not about specific technologies, but about the blessings and troublesome aspects of technology for a Christian. It is incisive, balanced and sane in every respect and will, I believe, stand the test of time.

2084 and the AI Revolution: How Artificial Intelligence Informs our Future by John C. Lennox. This was a remarkable book about the growth and expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our society. Lennox gives an excellent summary of the benefits and dangers of AI, as well as its limits. His special focus is on the dreams of futurists, who postulate some kind of trans-humanism where AI and human beings merge. In the last third of the book, he then holds those ideas up to the lens of Scripture. Excellent stuff!

No Apologies: Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men by Anthony Esolen. Esolen’s book is well-written and strident, argued from a Roman Catholic perspective. He faces down society’s assumption that masculinity is often toxic, dangerous and unnecessary in today’s world. Esolen argues the opposite – that our world depends on masculine men who live their lives in conformity to the pattern laid down in God’s word.

Understanding Trauma: A Biblical Introduction for Church Care by Steve Midgley. Trauma is a word that is thrown around a lot today. People assume everyone has trauma, which means that trauma can become an excuse for bad behavior. Steve Midgley is a former psychologist who now directs Biblical Counseling UK. In this brief book, he defines trauma and its causes, admits that often severe trauma requires some kind of professional, focused help, but also has many practical, ordinary ways that the church can care for and support those who have experienced trauma.

The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus our Shepherd, Companion and Host by David Gibson. This book was a balm to my soul. We have all read Psalm 23 – perhaps we have it memorized. It is one of the most famous passages in the Bible. In this book, David Gibson, walks slowly and carefully through the psalm, arguing that it ultimately points to the care and companionship that believers find in Jesus.

Radically Whole: Gospel Healing for the Divided Heart by David Gibson. Gibson’s book on Psalm 23 was so good, I also picked up his book on the letter of James. Again, the book is wonderfully insightful. Gibson argues James’ prevalent theme is the danger of the divided heart and he follows that theme into some powerful, thought-provoking interpretations and applications.

The Clay Pot Conspiracy: God’s Plan to Use Weakness in Leaders by Dave Harvey. My only regret in reading this book is that it was not printed prior to my current preaching series on 2 Corinthians. Harvey’s book is at times hard to read – mainly because it is so challenging and convicting regarding our tendency as leaders to lead out of our own strength and reject or run from the path that God has actually laid out for us, which of course involves His strength and our weakness.

Songs of the Son: Reading the Psalms with the Author of Hebrews by Daniel Stevens. This book is the most surprising one on the list. I was not sure what to expect when I started to read this beyond the fact that the topic was intriguing. Stevens’ book explores every messianic psalm quoted in the book of Hebrews, interpreting it in its original context and then discussing how the author of Hebrews used it in his argument. This is a fascinating read.

Lest We Drift: Five Departure Dangers from the One True Gospel by Jared C. Wilson. I have read a number of Jared Wilson books over the years, and I would put this one up with his best, including The Pastor’s Justification. As the title makes clear, Wilson is warning church leaders about the many ways we can drift from a gospel-centered ministry focus. His tone is urgent and his words are powerful. For me, chapter 4 was worth the whole price of the book.

Best Books of 2025: Fiction

My fiction reading list for this year contains some of the usual suspects (Sanderson, Modesitt, Preston/Child and Box), but also some new authors I have enjoyed. I greatly enjoyed the three Robert Harris books I read this year, but I was let down with the endings of each of them, which is why none of them made the “best of” list. Here are the best fiction books I read this year, and the rest (which include 2 “fiction-adjacent” books).

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #5). Weighing in at over 1300 (!!) pages, this is the 5^th installment of Sanderson’s Stormlight series. This series is meant to be 10 books in all, and Sanderson ties up many plot lines in this book. Apparently book 6 will start some new plot lines. Even at its length and the time it took me to read it, it was compelling all the way through. Cannot wait for #6.

From the Forest by L. E. Modesitt Jr. Modesitt’s Recluse books are comfort fiction for me. In some ways, every book or mini-series of books are structured the same way, but for me they are immersive, engrossing and different enough to hold my interest. Soon I hope to pick up the next book, which apparently contains the same main character as found in From the Forest.

Of Darkness and Light by Ryan Cahill (Bound and Broken series #2) I read the first of this series last year and enjoyed it. I read a short novella set in the same world (see below). But with book number 2, Cahill’s writing and storytelling skills have advanced. I found this book much more enjoyable and captivating than his previous book, which bodes well for the series.

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson (Secret Projects #5) A few years ago, Brandon Sanderson broke the Internet and set Kickstarter records for his Secret Project novels. I did not subscribe, but have picked up all the books over time. Isles is the surprise 5^th book in the project. It is more science fiction than fantasy, but Sanderson’s world building is great and I would say this is probably my second favorite of the Secret Project books.

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (Hawthrone and Horowitz #1). This is a unique murder mystery, in that the author, Anthony Horowitz, is actually a main character in the series. In the book, he partners with Hawthorne, a secretive, enigmatic and brilliant detective. Horowitz writes himself in to the book – as a best-selling mystery writer – and together they make an interesting pair. Looking forward to read the second installment.

Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Pendergast series) It has been a few years since I have read a Pendergast book – I have a few to catch up on. Bloodless is classic Preston and Child – well-written and plotted, intriguing with a bit of para-normal (parallel universes here) added in. It’s a page turner!

Other great reads that did not get into the “best” list:

The Fall by Ryan Cahill (Bound and Broken novella)

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris

Death in Delft by Graham Brack

Age of Assassins by R J Barker (Wounded Kingdom, #1)

Pompeii by Robert Harris

Nowhere to Run by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #10)

The Second Sleep by Robert Harris

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Cold Wind by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #11)

The Maps of Middle-Earth by Brian Sibley

Somewhat Disappointing Reads:

Origins of the Wheel of Time: The Legends and Mythologies that Inspired Robert Jordan by Michael Livingston (biographical information about Jordan is fascinating, the rest disappointing as it did not add any new information about Jordan’s great series)

Best Books of 2025 - History and Biography

We have come to the end of 2025, and I have once again compiled a list of the best books I read this year, as well as a quick catalog of those which did not make the “best” list. As in past years, I have divided these lists into three groups – history/biography, fiction and ministry-oriented books.
Here are the best history/biography books I read this past year.

Cassino ’44: The Brutal Battle for Rome by James Holland. James Holland continues to make my “best of” list year after year. I consider him one of the best, but also one of the most prolific history writers I regularly read. This book, as the title makes clear, is about the fighting in Italy in 1944, with a specific focus on the many ways the Allies tried to assault and out-flank the German fortress at Monte Cassino.

An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford by Richard Norton Smith. I am not sure Gerald Ford would make anyone’s list of the “best” presidents in American history. He wasn’t the worst president either. Rather, as the title suggests, he was an ordinary man who, due to Richard Nixon’s scandals, was thrust into the office of President. There in the White House, Ford brought healing to a nation and returned dignity to an office tarnished by scandal.

Stopping the Panzers: The Untold Story of D-Day
by Marc Milner. Usually, a book that claims to have an “untold story” is one I tend to avoid, but I am glad I read this one. Milner argues that the Allied commanders prior to D-Day deduced where the German counterattack against the D-Day beaches would fall and intentionally beefed up the Canadian 3^rd Division with extra armor and artillery to face and defeat the German attack, which is exactly what happened in the days immediately after the D-Day assault.

The Vietnam War: A Military History by Geoffrey Wawro. There have many books written about Vietnam since the war ended, but often they have as much content about the politics of Vietnam as the war itself. This book focuses primarily on the military action of the war and the thing that Wawro shows most clearly is the how the US troops, often fighting bravely, were betrayed by the absolute aimlessness and futility of the American strategy during most of the war.

The Fate of the Day - The War in America: Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780 by Rick Atkinson. Atkinson is another of the best historians out there today. This book is the second in his trilogy about the American Revolutionary War. Atkinson is as adept at describing strategy and battlefield action as he is in portraying the debates and decisions of politicians and leaders on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow. Chernow is one of the best biographers writing today. His book on Mark Twain is long, exhaustive and excellent. But the story is so tragic, it was a difficult book to finish for me. Twain’s continual pursuit of wealth led to him being bilked by many fraudsters. His family life was a story of death after death, with only one daughter surviving him. And his views of God and faith were utterly bankrupt. All in all, it is a story of a great, but tragic man.

Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War by John Ferling. Ferling’s book is a top-down survey of the American Revolution, with a special emphasis on how the war impacted nations around the world and especially in Europe. Many books on the American Revolution have been written, but Ferling has focused on an angle that has seldom been fully explored.

The Killing Season: The Autumn of 1914, Ypres, and the Afternoon that Cost Germany a War by Robert Cowley. Cowley’s book is set during the opening months of World War 1. Trench warfare has not fully set in and both sides are racing toward the Atlantic, trying to outflank each other before the ocean was reached. The last and greatest opportunity for German victory in 1914 was the area around the Belgian city of Ypres and it was here that the newest German army, filled with half-trained reservists, met its end. A fascinating but also grim book.

Great Books, just not quite making it to the Best list:

God’s Samurai: Lead Pilot at Pearl Harbor by Gordon Prange, Donald Goldstein and Katherine Dillon

Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America by Annie Jacobsen

To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism by Sean McMeekin

The Last Million: Europe’s Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War by David Nasaw

This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America’s Revolutionary War in the South by Alan Pell Crawford

Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great by Rachel Kousser

Gustavus v. Wallenstein: Military Revolution, Rivalry & Tragedy in the Thirty Years War by John Pike

Fight to the Finish: Canadians in the Second World War, 1944-45 by Tim Cook

Watergate: A New History by Garrett M. Graff

Deadwood: Gold, Guns and Greed in the American West by Peter Cozzens

Canada’s Air Force: The Royal Canadian Air Force at 100 by David J. Bercuson

Victory ’45: The End of the War in Eight Surrenders by James Holland and Al Murray

Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour by Ted Barris

The Blood in Winter: England on the Brink of Civil War, 1642 by Jonathon Healey

The Good Allies: How Canada and the United States Fought Together to Defeat Fascism during the Second World War by Tim Cook

Somewhat Disappointing:

Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington