Throughout 2025, a multitude of books crossed my desk and nightstand. While each had a different degree of impact on my personal and professional growth this year, I wanted to take a few moments to highlight five works that stood out to me for their usefulness and impact.
Haunted Cosmos: Doing Your Duty in a World That’s Not Just Stuff by Brian Sauve and Ben Garrett.
This book, which sprang from one of the most popular and interesting Christian podcasts today, lays out the case for an enchanted reality and our role in it. As the subtitle suggests, Sauve and Garrett argue that secularism has tried to flatten reality into simple materialism, but God made a world that is not merely stuff. The authors write beautifully about nature, creation, and some of the wildest things imaginable from a Christian worldview. They seek to provide a cohesive, consistent Christian answer to the world’s questions about high strangeness, such as: What is Bigfoot? What about the Giants? Are ghosts real? Are aliens demons? While this may sound outlandish, the book actually paints a compelling picture of seeing beauty in the everyday, routine elements of creation before theologically explaining the Christian’s duty in a spiritual world. While there are some elements of this book where I diverge from the authors’ views, it is an entertaining, thought-provoking, and sanctifying read. I highly recommend this book (and the podcast).
Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. Gwynne.
This book is an excellent biography of Civil War General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The book traces Jackson’s life from being essentially orphaned through his legendary military career to his death. The legacy and importance of Jackson cannot be understated in Civil War history. Jackson is a far more complex person than many understand, and Gwynne highlights his military exploits by showing how Jackson’s character and experiences uniquely prepared him to lead with excellence. This is by no means a hagiography, and Gwynne also reveals Jackson’s inconsistencies and areas of stubbornness. Chief among all of Jackson’s other traits was his unshakeable belief in the absolute sovereignty and providence of God. To study Stonewall Jackson requires studying Providence, because that doctrine drove everything else Jackson did. It is easy to tell why this work is a New York Times Bestseller, as it is, in my opinion, one of the best Civil War biographies I’ve ever read. This is a must-read for leaders, history buffs, and anyone interested in how religion shaped leadership in the Civil War. It was my favorite book of the year.
Consider the Lillies: Finding Perfect Peace in the Character of God by Jonny Ardavanis
This book confronts one of the most prolific issues in our society today: anxiety. In an increasingly anxious society, Ardavanis lays out the biblical path to finding peace. This book is an excellent read rooted in the loving, kind, and providential care of the Lord. This book is especially helpful for any sort of biblical counseling role who works with people experiencing anxiety. If you are anxious or struggle with anxiety, this book is a must-read. It was one of the most impactful books I read this year from a counseling and personal application standpoint.
Redemption Song: A Primer on Singing for the People of God by Sean DeMars
This booklet is on the list out of its sheer practicality. In this work, DeMars uses an expositional approach to the Song of Moses to instruct the people of God in congregational singing. Personally, this book became required reading for every member of our worship team at my church. If you are curious about biblical principles of worship that will edify and uplift the church, this booklet is an excellent starting point. It is incredibly accessible, and an easy read.
Christ and His Threefold Office and Christ Humbled Yet Exalted by John Flavel
These works are a divided version of John Flavel’s Puritan Christology classic, The Fountain of Life. These works are short versions of Flavel’s Christological sermons focusing on Christ’s threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King, and the humility of the incarnation and the exaltation of Christ’s resurrection and ascension. Personally, these were used for me as devotional reading throughout the year. The works are a great introduction to Puritan writing that will hone your affections for Christ. Highly recommend.
Honorable Mentions
The Care of Souls by Harold Senkbeil
Emotional Sabotage and Leadership by Joe Rigney
The Warrior Poet Way by John Lovell
The Art of Prophesying by William Perkins
Conclusion:
Taken together, these books were simply the ones that stayed with me after the year was over. They were helpful and clarifying in different ways, whether by sharpening how I see the world, reminding me of God’s providence at work in history, addressing everyday anxiety, strengthening our church’s worship, or directing my attention back to the person and work of Christ. I share them not as a program to follow, but as a short list of reads that proved genuinely worthwhile in 2025 and may be worth your time as well.
Colt Hudson 