Hey Fellow Dads,

If we could sit down together and talk, I’d want to ask you…What books did you read this past year, either to your family or on your own? Which were your favorites? And what are your goals for the coming year? I hope my answers to these questions encourage you to make your own lists and continue in the good work of leading your family.

—Nathan

Terms

Semiquincentennial: lit. half of 500 years. 250th year.

Books I Read to My Family in 2025

The Cross Versus the Crescent: More Missionary Stories About Work Among Muslims, by Captain Eric G. Fisk
The Morning Star of the Reformation, by Andy Thompsen
Alaskan Adventures: Hunting and Fishing by Faith, by Bert Shultz
Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids About God and Science, by Louis Giglio
Of Skies and Seas: Discovering the Wonders of God’s World, by Joanne E. De Jonge

Top Ten Books of 2025

(Theology) The Holy Spirit, Your Best Friend, by Adrian Rogers
(Prayer) Prayer Power Unlimited, by J. Oswald Sanders
(Parenting) Screens and Teens, by Kathy Koch
(Missions) In the Presence of My Enemies, by Gracia Burnham
(American History) If You Can Keep It, by Eric Metaxas
(World History) The Story of China, by Michael Wood
(Autobiography—survival—set in WWII) Out of the Depths: An Unforgettable WWII Story of Survival, Courage, and the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis, by Edgar Harrell, USN, Ret.
(Theology) Heaven: Biblical Answer to Common Questions, by Randy Alcorn
(Fiction-wilderness survival-adventure) Lost in the Barrens, by Farley Mowat
(Humor) Peanuts, by Charles Schulz

Bonus titles

(Biography) How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life, by Peter Robinson
(Biography - Combat, Courage) Legend: The Incredible Story of Green Beret Sergeant Roy Benavidez's Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines, by Eric Blehm
(Inspirational) The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters, by Andy Andrews
(Biographical fiction - missions) Silent Road to Rescue, by Denise J. Williamson
(Biography – history) Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission, by Bret Baier and Catherine Whitney

Anticipating 2026…

(continue) Reading one chapter of Proverbs for corresponding date.
(continue) Reading three chapters in ongoing Bible reading.
(continue) Homeschooling our children
(continue) Leading daily Bible times and family times
(continue) Having Daddy Times with my children
(continue) Prioritizing date weekly date times with my wife
(continue) Leading my family to make church attendance and participation in church ministries a vital part of our lives.
We have also been invited to help with some special ministry opportunities.
I really hope to visit some family and friends we haven’t seen in a long time.
Above all, I want to be faithful to my Lord Jesus Christ and be ready always to give an answer for the reason of the hope that is in me with meekness and fear.

Quotes

“True, there are only twelve hours in the day, but there are fully twelve hours in the day—sufficient time to do all the will of God. There is always enough time to do that.” —J. Oswald Sanders, in Prayer Power Unlimited

[When pastoring a church, George Whitefield] “divided the day into three parts—eight hours for study and retirement, eight hours for sleep and meals, and eight hours for reading prayers, catechizing, and visiting the parish. The profit I reaped by these exercises…was unspeakable.” —George Whitefield’s journal, quoted in Forgotten Founding Father, by Stephen Mansfield

“I have observed that before God calls me to a public work, He always sends me into some retirement.”—G. Whitefield

“Our lives are not the same as Whitefield’s, nor should we try to emulate him or any other man in every detail—but we may and should feel compelled to improve in certain areas when we see how those men excelled in those areas—and it’s not a bad idea to ask the Lord how we should change in those areas, if it all. I know this—I long to be a more faithful servant of my Lord Jesus Christ, and managing my time better than I did in 2025 and praying more consistently than I did in 2025 will prove major factors in my desire coming to fruition—to be a better servant to my Lord Jesus Christ.” —Nathan

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Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/benjamin-botkin/march-of-the-victors
License code: RH8BJYAJCKI9WIS9

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC