my 15 favorite spiritual formation and devotional reads from 2024

Spiritual warfare, the Psalms, counseling issues, and friendship

Yes, I am still recapping my 2024 reads. Yes, if I hadn’t read so many books, I could have done this a lot more efficiently. Yes, I will continue to read widely and voraciously.

In all seriousness, I hope that these posts are helpful. I have a long list of ideas for book roundups (not just from 2024, but from the past decade of reading and beyond), but if there’s a topic you’re interested in, please leave me a comment or reply to this email! There are few things I love more than giving book recommendations.

These are in no particular order in terms of how much I liked them, but I did try to somewhat group them by topic (spiritual formation, counseling issues, and marriage). You can tell that there was a bit of a theme going on at the end—I spent most of this year walking with more than one woman through difficult marriage situations and quickly realized I needed more training and equipping on that topic. I still have a long way to go, but the books on this list were a good start.

In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions Through the Psalms by Dane Ortlund

This book has become my top recommendation for anyone who is in a season of life where they want to spend time in God’s Word and desire spiritual nourishment, but they are struggling to find time or establish a rhythm. Each psalm is printed in its entirety in this book, and then there is a paragraph or two of reflection. It would only take 5ish minutes to read each day, and while ideally we’d all have hours a day to spend intentionally meditating and focusing on God’s Word, this is real life and sometimes we have to do the best we can. Get this book for yourself or press it into the hands of a mom with young kids—she will be grateful.

Love Came Down at Christmas: Daily Readings for Advent by Sinclair Ferguson

I re-read this book for the third time this past Advent. Dr. Ferguson is one of my favorite Christian writers, and in this book he works through 1 Corinthians 13 for the 24 days leading up to Christmas. Regardless of what I have been going through each December, I have found this book challenging and comforting at the same time. There is a hymn and a reflection question at the end of each chapter.

My Exceeding Joy: Psalms 38-51 by Dale Ralph Davis

If you’ve never heard of Dr. Davis, then I am thrilled to be able to commend his books to you. You’ll notice two of his books made it onto my list for 2024, and that is because all of his books are incredible. He is a wise and gifted theologian, and he is also hilarious. His books are accessible and not overly intellectual, but they go straight to the heart of Scripture. This is his fourth book on the Psalms, and I truly hope he makes it to the remaining 99 Psalms before he goes to be with Jesus.

God’s Rascal: The Jacob Narrative in Genesis 25-35 by Dale Ralph Davis

My husband and I have been reading through Genesis together for the past several months, and so when I realized Dr. Davis had a book about Jacob, I immediately purchased it. As I said above, his exposition of Scripture is excellent and he also makes me laugh (a rare but delightful combination).

Safe and Sound: Standing Firm in Spiritual Battles by David Powlison

This is, hands down, the best book on spiritual warfare that I have ever read, and also one of the best books I’ve ever read. Dr. Powlison passed away several years ago, but I don’t know of anyone else who can write as winsomely and pastorally about mental health issues as he did. I had the privilege of hearing him teach Psalm 25 in person years ago, and it still remains one of the highlights of my life as someone who is trying to grow in my understanding of how to apply Scripture to real life.

The Devoted Mind: Seeking God's Face in a World of Distraction by Kris Lundgaard

I grabbed this book off our church’s free resource table, which usually only offers excellent books (probably because my husband picks them), and it was a wonderful find. I wasn’t surprised it was good, but I didn’t know what to expect. This book is truly a work on sanctification and how to look more like Jesus. The practical tips and advice are challenging but doable, and I suspect I’ll be re-reading this one in the future.

Memorizing Scripture: The Basics, Blessings, and Benefits of Meditating on God’s Word by Glenna Marshall

My husband and I have long been advocates of extended Scripture memorization, although he has been much more faithful in actually doing it. If the idea of that is new to you, or if you’d like practical tips to memorize Scripture, this is an excellent guide. She gives dozens and dozens of ideas of how to do it, many of which I personally utilize.

Why Is My Teenager Feeling Like This?: A Guide for Helping Teens through Anxiety and Depression by David Murray

If you have a teenager or if you work with teens and youth, this book is a valuable resource. David Murray is a pastor and teacher who has written some of my favorite books on depression and mental health. He speaks wisely into the struggles teenagers face in the 21st century, and he gives parents and other adults compassionate tools to help them.

Transformative Friendships: 7 Questions to Deepen Any Relationship by Brad Hambrick

Last summer, I spent almost 20 hours in the car with my mom. We spent some of the time working through just a few of the questions in this book, and I learned things I’d never known about her life (and I am 38 years old). This book would be great for small groups, for families, for discipleship, for growth in friendship of any kind.

Untangling Emotions by Alasdair Groves and Winston T. Smith

This was a welcome re-read for me. I think I actually enjoyed it even more the second time than the first time, probably because since then I’ve encountered so much terrible advice from Christian writers about emotions and mental health. Another author has come out with a book recently with a very similar title, and while I have not read it, I have read her previous book and found it lacking. If you’re looking for a biblical perspective on emotions, read this one instead (sorry for the hot take).

Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing by Jay Stringer

I originally grabbed this one from my husband’s office library because I wanted to equip myself with more information on this topic. Imagine my surprise when I found it abundantly helpful for my own life. While my sin issues are not necessarily the same as the one he presents in the book, what I found helpful was examining our childhoods and past traumas to see how those experiences drive us to center in on certain besetting sins. This book does not minimize sin like some books in this vein do; instead, it invites the reader to put their whole life under the magnifying glass of God’s Word.

A Biblical Counseling Process: Guidance for the Beginning, Middle, and End by Lauren Whitman

This year I began slowly learning about biblical counseling and completing some introductory training. I have a very long way to go, but this book was a wonderful overview of what counseling could look like for someone like me, who is interested in doing lay counseling with women in my church and community.

Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage: Critical Questions and Answers by Jim Newheiser

One question I was attempting to answer from Scripture this year is how the church should deal with matters of marital abuse. This book covered that as well as a lot of other related issues. I appreciated this book because on questions where Scripture is very clear, the author stated that. But in other areas where it is not necessarily black and white, he acknowledged that and shared the various viewpoints on that topic. This is not a book you read straight through; there are 40 chapters that are a few pages each. I read a few questions a day and worked through it over the course of several weeks.

How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong by Leslie Vernick

While I initially read this in order to better help someone in my life who was dealing with emotional abuse in her marriage, I found it helpful in my own marriage and would recommend it to anyone who is married. It doesn’t just address abuse within marriage, but just basic patterns of sin that can and do befall any marriage.

When Home Hurts: A Guide for Responding Wisely to Domestic Abuse in Your Church by Jeremy Pierre and Greg Wilson

I wish this book didn’t exist, only because I wish this problem didn’t exist. Sadly, the Christian church has a terrible track record of handling allegations of domestic abuse well, especially when it comes from women. This book pulls no punches and gives an incredible overview of all the steps that should be taken in order to protect vulnerable individuals, call sin what it is, and fulfill the role God has called the church to take in this world. Every Christian should read this book.

That’s it! If you were on the lookout for a book in one of these veins, I hope you found it helpful.