“Discipleship in the Home: Teaching Children, Changing Lives” by Tammy Darling (Francis Asbury Press)

Tammy Darling lists rules families should live by. In “Discipleship in the Home,” Matt Friedeman offers “a wonderful blend of practical wisdom built on a firm Biblical foundation.”

“Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon” by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock (Baker Books)

Matlock and Kinnaman describe five keys to equipping young people to be resilient Christians in an increasingly post-Christian society. Among these keys is vocational discipleship, countercultural mission, and building the muscles of cultural discernment — all qualities that describe the RevHi program described in David Reardon’s feature about the young adult discipleship community.

“The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction” by Justin Whitmel Earley (IVP Books)

Winner of Christianity Today’s 2020 Book of the Year Award, Earley’s “The Common Rule” will help readers take practical steps in adopting a rule of life of their own. Practices like eating meals with others or turning off our phones for one hour everyday realize one vision for how a rule of life, discussed on p. 24, can transform our lives.

“When God Becomes Small” by Phil Needham (Abingdon & Crest Books)

In Captain Stephanie Pavlakis’ column, she talked about the joy of God’s constant presence. Phil Needham unpacks the experience of God in the smallness of life in his classic work, “When God Becomes Small.” The book reveals the heart of the gospel and the beauty of falling in love with the small.

“The Asbury Outpouring: A Theological Witness” by Jason E. Vickers and Thomas H. McCall (Cascade Books)

Diane Ury reflects on the 2023 Asbury Outpouring. “The Asbury Outpouring” is a theological exploration of religious revivals and awakenings. The authors reflect on God’s pursuit of human persons in the light of Scripture and classical Christian doctrine. They also take seriously eyewitness testimonies to God’s presence and power in events like the Great Awakenings and the Asbury Outpouring of 2023, allowing such events to raise fresh questions and to enliven theology.

“Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love”  by Jacob Fink and Rebecca St. James (David C. Cook)

In The War Cry’s interview with Rebecca St. James, she explains what motivated her and husband, Jacob (Cubbie) Fink, to write their 2025 book. With authentic storytelling and hard-won wisdom,  they illuminate the heartaches and triumphs that have shaped their story as a married couple, as parents, as musicians, and—most of all—as Jesus followers.

“Welcome to Dinner, Church” by Verlon Fosner (Fresh Expressions)

In “They Came Hungry,” David Reardon covers how one corps is using “dinner church” to reach their community. “Welcome to Dinner, Church” examines what it might be like for a traditional church to plant a dinner church in a nearby hurting neighborhood.

“Deep Peace” by Todd Hunter (Seedbed)

Bee Bryant invites us to consider the importance of following Jesus’ example of spiritual renewal and retreat. In “Deep Peace”, Todd Hunter analyzes the anxiety and desperation of our current moment and leads readers to receive the peace of Jesus and experience the deep wholeness that comes from the peace of God.

“A Real Christian: The Life of John Wesley” by Kenneth J. Collins (Abingdon Press)

Envoys Steve and Sharon Bussey told the compelling story of the impact of John Wesley’s preaching on Sarah Milward and, by extension, her daughter, Catherine Booth. Get to know the man behind “The Almost Christian” by reading Kenneth J. Collins excellent, short biography of the founder of Methodism and the theological movement that eventually birthed to The Salvation Army.

“Catherine Booth: A Biography of the Cofounder of The Salvation Army” by Roger Green (Baker)

Catherine Booth…” book: After you learn about the life of John Wesley by reading Collins’ book, read Roger Green’s compelling portrait of a woman deeply affected by Wesley’s ministry—the mother of The Salvation Army: Catherine Booth. Booth was a trailblazer, innovator, and passionate evangelist whose enormous impact continues to be seen through the worldwide movement that is The Salvation Army today.

The Cost of Discipleship: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The Cost of Discipleship” is a gripping commentary on the demands of sacrifice and moral stability from a man whose life powerfully reflected his convictions.

Conversations About Holiness: Bill and Diane Ury

Bill and Diane Ury share their hearts’ passions for the Triune God of Holy Love, who longs to share His life with every person on earth.

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath

Mark Buchanan: Learn why Sabbath is essential to our full humanity and faith, a rhythm of work and rest set by God that if restored to our lives will bring prolonged life.

Raised to Stay: Persevering in Ministry When you Have a Million Reasons to Walk Away: Natalie Runion

An honest exploration of disappointment with the Church, “Raised to Stay” is for anyone weary of God’s people but longing to keep their faith in God.

Streams in the Desert: L. B. Cowman

A beloved daily devotional book with profound wisdom and clarity about the nature of following Jesus.

My Utmost for His Highest : Oswald Chambers

This international bestseller continues to inspire Christians to pursue a deeper walk with God 108 years since it was self-published by Chambers widow from a collection of his notes.

Take Time to Be Holy: Samuel Logan Brengle

This collection of daily excerpts of Brengle’s revered writings on holiness was compiled by Bob Hostetler and given a fresh contemporary voice.

This Day with the Master: Dennis Kinlaw

Dennis Kinlaw, always with an eye for the message of scriptural holiness, breaks open the Word each day and unpacks for the reader the instructions of the Master.

Heavenly Places Revealed: Lt. Colonel Allen Satterlee

This 31-day devotional explores the riches of Ephesians and offers practical teaching for Christian living. Check out all the books in this devotional series from Crest Books.

The Cost of Discipleship: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

What can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today to the businessman, the soldier, the laborer, or the aristocrat? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers these timeless questions by providing a seminal reading of the dichotomy between “cheap grace” and “costly grace.”

Sergeant-Major Do-Your-Best of Darkington No. 1: William Booth

“Sergeant-Major Do-Your-Best of Darkington No. 1” contains 26 narrative sketches based on real characters and events written by William Booth for the instruction of Salvation Army officers. Each story models an aspect of the character the ideal Salvation Army officer embodies.

Eat this Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading: Eugene H. Peterson

“Eat This Book” challenges us to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God’s revelation, and to live them as we read them. With warmth and wisdom Peterson offers greatly needed, down-to-earth counsel on spiritual reading.

The Essence of Spiritual Religion: D. Elton Trueblood

“The Essence of Spiritual Religion” by D. Elton Trueblood explores the core principles of spiritual religion, emphasizing the importance of personal experience and inner transformation in one’s faith journey. 

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contempory Issues: N.T. Wright

An unusual combination of scholar, churchman, and leader, N. T. Wright—hailed by Newsweek as “the world’s leading New Testament scholar”—is not only incredibly insightful, but conveys his knowledge in terms that excite and inspire Christian leaders worldwide, allowing them to see the Bible from a fresh viewpoint. 

C.S. Lewis – A Life: Eccentric Genius,  Reluctant Prophet: Alister McGrath

In “C.S. Lewis—A Life,” Alister McGrath, prolific author and respected professor at King’s College of London, paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. He paints a portrait of an eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?: Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey probes the very heartbeat of our relationship with God: prayer. What is prayer? Does it change God’s mind or ours or both? This book is an invitation to communicate with God the Father who invites us into an eternal partnership through prayer.

C. S. Lewis’ Little Book of Wisdom: Meditations on Faith, Life, Love, and Literature

“This charming volume of quotes from C.S. Lewis’s works includes his Christian apologia (Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy) and his fiction (The Chronicles of Narnia, “The Space Trilogy”). Editors Assaf and Leahy have selected brief quotations and placed them in thematic groupings relevant to modern Christians, such as “Living a Full Life with Christ” and “Recognizing Sin.” Quotes are mainly short but pack punches: “Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead”; “As image and apprehension are in organic unity, so, for a Christian, are human body and human soul.” A complete Lewis bibliography is included for those interested in following up on works quoted. Also provided are several blank pages at the end of the volume for readers to jot their own thoughts. These well-chosen Lewis quotes will inspire readers and prompt them to make their own spiritual reflections.” – Publishers Weekly, (Sept. 2018)

The Wisdom of the Desert (New Directions Book 295) Kindle Edition

The Wisdom of the Desert was one of Thomas Merton’s favorites among his own books — surely because he had hoped to spend his last years as a hermit. The personal tone of the translations, the blend of reverence and humor so characteristic of him, show how deeply Merton identified with the legendary authors of these sayings and parables, the fourth-century Christian Fathers who sought solitude and contemplation in the deserts of the Near East.

On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts

This is not a book about Saint Augustine. In a way, it’s a book Augustine has written about each of us. Popular speaker and award-winning author James K. A. Smith has spent time on the road with Augustine, and he invites us to take this journey too, for this ancient African thinker knows far more about us than we might expect.