A few years ago, I set a goal to read at least one book a month as I had allowed my phone, social media, etc. to greatly lessen my ability to stay focused. In 2024, I continued this challenge and read 24 books — an average of two a month. While some were deeply challenging, others were not. I tried to mix in some fiction this year (and already have some fiction on tap for 2025), but mostly read non-fiction works.
While each photo links to Amazon, I'd urge you, instead, to visit your local bookstore and ask to order any that may interest you. While it may cost more, you help keep the bookstore spirit alive for another day.
Here's what I read with my favorites, listed in order of reading, at the end of the post.
Don't Hold Back: Leaving Behind The American Gospel To Follow Jesus Fully by David Platt
Non-Fiction, Theology, Christian Living
In the early 2010s, our church read David Platt's book Radical together. In some ways, it was a revelatory book for us. It inspired our family to try child sponsorship for the first time. That, in itself, is not all that "radical," but it was a step towards moving our eyes away from the American Dream and on to the gospel of Jesus more fully. Don't Hold Back is a follow-up, of sorts, to that book, with some practical ways we can put this radical life into action. As with the previous book, what Platt teaches is almost a 180-degree turn from what is the DNA of American Christianity. There's much to chew on here and much to think about — even if I may disagree on a few things.
FEBRUARY
Seinfeldia: How A Show About Nothing Changed Everything by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
Non-Fiction, Cultural Studies, Entertainment
A few years ago, I read a deep-dive into the television show The Office. Another show I have loved for decades is Seinfeld. Despite the book being nearly a decade old at this point, I thoroughly enjoyed Seinfeldia: How A Show About Nothing Changed Everything. I enjoyed reading more about how the real-life inspirations behind characters on the show fared before, during, and after the show's run. For TV nerds, the book is also worthy of your time.
MARCH
Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
Non-Fiction, Cultural Studies
The fact that I found much of the content in this book difficult to easily digest probably proves the author’s point of where we are as a people — and this book was initially released in 1985!
Henry David Theoreau said telegraphy made relevance irrelevant. Moving long-form print (such as books) to shorter bursts of information produced a “decontextualized information environment,” where things that don’t matter to your actual daily existence suddenly become important to you (Princess Kate, anyone?).
Neil Postman’s 1985 book holds as much relevance 40 years later as it did the day it was published. He uses Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984 to compare and contrast our current age — where the medium of television has radically changed politics, public discourse, and education instead of those things changing television. Postman’s assertion is technology has turned the serious into entertainment simply by the medium in which it is presented and we are much more Brave New World than 1984. He says, “seeing, not reading, became the basis for believing” and “where people once sought information to manage real contexts of their lives, now they had to invent contexts in which otherwise useless information might be put to some apparent use.”
Though the book has aged, our entertainment-driven society has only gotten much, much intense than the era Postman decries. I can’t help but agree with him ... says the man typing these words out on a computer and later reading them on a screen that can be held in the palm of your hand.
33 1/3: Jesus Freak by Will Stockton and D. Gilson
Non-Fiction, Music, Cultural Studies
I bought this book blindly thinking it was a document on the making of dc talk's classic 1995 Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) album Jesus Freak. I could NOT have been more wrong in my assumption. Essentially, this book is a look at the lives of the authors and their recollections of where Jesus Freak fit into it and in the larger context of the times. While some parts were interesting — and I can get over my misunderstanding of what I thought the short, and small in size, 134-page book was going to contain — I won't recommend this one to anyone. It had its moments, but there are typos (Michael Tait's name is spelled both "Tait" and "Tate") and gross misinterpretations of lyrical content rendering it with the feel of a self-published book. It's not that the album, the Sgt. Pepper's of CCM, can't be appreciated by two gay men who are now atheists, but, while there are some similarities, my view of Jesus Freak and the authors' experience with the album are vastly, vastly different. To be fair, I did read the whole thing — since I paid for the book. However, next time, I'll read the description a bit closer. Instead, I would recommend going back and giving the album another listen ... it's still great, in my opinion.
APRIL
Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found by Mike Cosper
Non-Fiction, Christian Living, Memoir
I've followed the work and ministry of Mike Cosper since the early 2010s, as he was instrumental in the work and music of Sojourn Church in Louisville, Ky. They, along with Mars Hill in Seattle, were doing church music in a radically different way that hit all the right buttons with me. Unfortunately, both Mars Hill and Sojourn had struggles and, at least in the case of Mars Hill (Cosper devoted an entire podcast series to Mars Hill's Rise and Fall), fatal flaws.
In Cosper's new part-memoir, part-theology work Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found, he weaves together the stories of Elijah and Peter with his own narrative as well as images from his visits to Israel. Throughout he wrestles with struggles and their correlation to Elijah's and Peter's. He ultimately lands with the phrase "I'm still here." In one of the book's final chapter's — "Homecoming As Galilee" — he writes, "... what's beautiful about life and faith shines brightest after we've seen what's dark about life and death."
He also wrestles with the disconnect of the past eight to ten years of living as a Christian in an ever-widening American political divide. He relates how our desire, especially in ministry, to transform the world can have dangerous implications if they aren't rooted in the true Jesus. In chapter 4, "The Mount of Olives and the Specter of Triumph," Cosper describes our unending desire to conquer the world via our ministries and faith. This desire is not new, as he describes, "And if that's what we want, at some point the real Jesus will disappoint us. The mob in Jerusalem eventually wearied of his lack of further triumph, and once their patience wore thin, the religious officials saw their opening and had Jesus arrested. Handing him over to the Romans and accusing him of insurrection. When questioned by Pilate, Jesus only made claims on spiritual power rather than political. Still, the mob demanded his execution."
Land of My Sojourn was a great read for me as I found my story mirrored Cosper's in many ways — and diverged in many others. His church's story mirrored my church's story in many ways — and diverged in many other very important ways. I am always thankful to read stories of people wrestling with their faith because I believe most people do at some point and we need to be honest about it.
At less than 160 pages, I read it in four days. I recommend this book.
Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church by Paul David Tripp
Non-Fiction, Church Leadership, Theology
The elders of Redemption read this book over the course of a year, so I feel a little conflicted about including it in my 2024 list — but I did complete it in 2024, so ... . Regardless, Paul David Tripp provides 12 principles to help pastors and church leaders stay in the work of the church, advancing the good news of Jesus until He says we're finished. I really appreciate Tripp's approach as it focuses on Jesus and the gospel and less on how-to advice. We can only do this because of His presence (as the final chapter outlines). this is recommended for anyone in church work. It's a fantastic resource and reminder.
All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore
Non-Fiction, Memoir
Sometime in the early 2010s, I was in the thick of a hyper-masculine, Mark Driscoll-saturated phase of my walk with Jesus. I remember being at Walmart one day and noticing the book section was filled with Christian books from authors, pastors, and speakers like Joel Osteen and Beth Moore. I took a photo and posted it to the early incarnation of my Facebook feed noting, with great snark, what I considered to be the weak theology on display (for the record, I still don't pay much attention to Brother Joel's teachings). I was so smart, don't you know. One commenter — the wife of a friend of mine — set me straight when she commented something to the effect of "leave Beth Moore out of this, she's one of the good ones."
Consider my surprise then when, somewhere around 2016, I began to hear more about Mrs. Moore in relation to the divide over the growing political divide in American evangelicalism, which was more than a little disturbing to me. The aforementioned interaction sticks with me to this day because Mrs. Moore slowly, but surely, became one of my favorite people to follow on the swirling cesspool of negativity known as Twitter.
I can safely say in 2024 that anyone who knew me well in those days would probably be a little surprised to see me talking about her 2023 memoir All My Knotted-Up Life with nothing but praise and admiration.
I had heard positive things about the book in late 2023 and it sat on my shelf for a few months before I fairly decided to follow up Mike Cosper's memoir, Land of My Sojourn with Mrs. Moore's book — as both hit on familiar themes of fighting for their faith in the midst of a church culture once called home, but are now homeless.
The title is no joke, as Mrs. Moore's life is, well, "all knotted up" from nearly the beginning and never really lets up. While some situations may not be familiar with me directly (thank God) with the chaos of her childhood and adolescence, I know others who can relate and this helps me understand them better. I also understand the struggle of living in the midst of mental health issues and feeling helpless. The way she cries out to God about those struggles — especially on behalf of a loved one — are strikingly familiar. It was liberating and inspiring to read of people who go through the storms of life and come out the other side realizing all they have to hold on to is Jesus.
I can't say where this book will fall on my year-end list, but I can't imagine it not being in my Top Five list (end-of-the-year me: it is). The book was a fantastic read, bar none. When we all get to heaven, in addition to singing and shouting the victory, I hope to be able to thank Mrs. Moore for sharing her story with the world. A story that is compelling even to someone as unlikely as me — a guy who was once sure he had it all figured out for so long, but who God is still shaping.
I recommend this book.
MAY
Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack of a Generation by Steven Hyden
Non-Fiction, Music, Biography
Pearl Jam has been a mainstay in my life since Melisha Cox played the album Ten for me on a cassette tape in the parking lot of Fairview Baptist Church sometime in 1992, after the album from the Seattle upstarts had exploded in popularity and reached the distant rural shores of Paris, Tenn. In college, my friend Chris Taylor took me on a deeper journey with the band — beyond the hits I had heard on KQ105 or saw endlessly on MTV as a high school student.
In this unauthorized look a the band (this is one of those books where the band is not interviewed for the book, per se, but interviews from other sources are utilized), author Steven Hyden (who helped write the Steve Gorman Black Crowes book I enjoyed a few years ago), traces the band's journey from the early days to nearly the present (written in 2022, we do not get a look at the latest album, Dark Matter, but do get the rest of the discography represented). Along the way, he explores what the band means for Gen X via its personalities and songs all along the journey.
On Gen X, Hyden writes, "When actual opposition conflicted with performative opposition, we chose the latter." (p. 126).
This book is as much about our generation as it is Pearl Jam — they just happen to supply the soundtrack (as marked by a song representing each chapter. In this regard, I enjoyed the look back at a band I've loved since I was 14. It wasn't a difficult or weighty read, but I found it to be slightly melancholic as well. A sign of aging, I'm sure.
"If you're still in your twenties, the meaning of Sirens might be elusive. But trust me: It will hit home sooner than you think. and it will hit hard." (p. 221).
JUNE
The Storied Life: Christian Writing as Art and Worship by Jared C. Wilson
Non-Fiction, Christian Living, Writing
Writers write. Full stop.
This is the twentieth book by Jared C. Wilson (a former college classmate at Middle Tennessee State University and someone I would consider a long-distance friend, since) I have read. If I'm being honest with you, I thought the subject matter would produce a tough read for me. Simply, I was wrong.
I keep reading Jared's work because he's an amazing writer and always engaging. The Storied Life is no different. A book written, essentially, about writing itself may not pop off the page for most people, but Jared has a way of keeping drawing the reader in by writing about The Story, not just about the craft.
Personally, I enjoy writing but have myriad excuses not to, as well. This book has challenged me to keep going (or, rather, get to it) even if I think few will care — which is my mind's go-to excuse. If you write anything, from sermons to old-school blog posts to novels, this is worth your time and will benefit.
Writers write. And writing is a way to worship the Author of all things.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin with Neil Strauss
Non-Fiction, Art, Creativity
Producer Rick Rubin is a legend in the music industry. Working on projects with everyone from Beastie Boys to Metallica to Johnny Cash (his final — and stellar — six albums) would produce an exceptional memoir. Instead, what he chose to write (with acclaimed writer Neil Strauss — credited only on the INSIDE cover only, for what it's worth) was a 400-page work on creativity. To be fair, 400 pages are really about 250 pages with a design choice that expanded the book's page count.
I read this book at the beach in Cape San Blas, Florida while the Gulf of Mexico did its endless work as my background music. The setting, for me, was perfect to read a book like this one. It can get a bit esoteric at times, but it's full of wisdom about the act of being creative.
My biggest takeaway is it's OK to be creative for the sake of the art itself — regardless of reception. This is something I've struggled with over the years. Writing songs and just writing, I've worried much more about the reaction and reception of others rather than creating for the good of the work itself. "The best work is the work you are excited about," Rubin/Strauss writes.
On other days, I may look at this work as pie-in-the-sky thinking and a little too heavy on the hippie vibes, but I think he's on to something, too, especially when he writes about the danger of your creativity becoming the source of your livelihood.
I really enjoyed this work and it is challenging me to keep creating.
Quietly Making Noise: The Ultimate Inessential Humor Column Collection by Scott Saalman
Non-Fiction, Humor
I fell in love with the humor column when I read a Lewis Grizzard book in the early 1990s. Short columns/essays often had a way of making a slice of life applicable to more than just the author's life.
Scott Saalman, who I first met when I was working at the old version of The (Dubois County) Herald newspaper in the early-to-mid-2000s and then later got to know during the Will Read and Sing For Food events in the region, just released another collection of humor columns in this fun book. Going on the heels of reading the Rick Rubin book about creativity, I applaud Scott for following his writing muse — even if the acclaim didn't follow him as he may have wished.
This collection was a part of my two-book beach-read-binge in June 2024 and I t was a great companion as there were several pieces about Jimmy Buffet and his seafaring way of life and other columns that fit my locale. If you enjoy good writing, you should give this a shot and support local writing!
Doing Life With Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut & The Welcome Mat Out by Jim Burns
Non-Fiction, Christian Living
Shannon and I spotted this book in a bookstore in Port St. Joe, Fla., while vacationing in the area in early June. We initially didn't purchase it, but I couldn't get the title out of my head for a day or two, so we went back and picked it up before the impulse departed us. The title immediately grabbed us both as it's our current stage of life — one child living on her own and one adult child at home, but rapidly making her independence apparent.
We are so proud of our two girls. While these past few years have had more than their share of challenges — exacerbated by world events and sometimes less-than-normal circumstances — we're seeing that our work in raising them is yielding a bit of good fruit as the girls take responsibility for their own lives.
There are nine principles mapped out in this book (for the record, I know nothing of the author or his background — hopefully he's not problematic in any way), that boil down to the subtitle, "keep your mouth shut and the welcome mat out." Obviously, there's more than that and there are many solid principles ranging from kids who are failing to launch, to kids recently leaving the nest, to being a new grandparent.
Scripture in 1 Peter says "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." While I think the book is a good reminder to parents of adult children, this is the main point. There's a time and place for your opinion once the kids are grown — and there's definitely a time to shut up about it.
If you're in a similar life stage, this book may be helpful for you.
JULY
Supernatural: What The Bible Teaches About the Unseen World — and Why It Matters by Michael S. Heiser
Non-Fiction, Theology
I started listening to Bible Project's podcast a few years ago after hearing about it from a co-worker. Their exploration of Biblical "oddities" like the Nephilim, angels, and demons piqued my interest. I've read the Bible all the way through about 10 times now and there are just some things there that are plain "weird" to me. I initially bought Dr. Heiser's book The Unseen Realm after hearing about it on the podcast and hearing recommendations from friends. This book, Supernatural, however acts as a primer for that book, I've come to understand, so I thought I would read it first to set a better foundation for deeper reading later.
Supernatural is an easily readable and understandable introduction to some of these concepts and was not as "out there" as I had initially feared. The late Dr. Heiser (he died in 2023 from pancreatic cancer) focuses on the two main points of his work — our identity as a part of the family of God and our purpose as a part of God's plan to restore Eden. Each chapter dives into the "shallow" end of these concepts and, at each chapters conclusion gives his take on why it matters. Concepts introduced/more fleshed out to me in this book include the idea of "the nations" and a "divine council."
Supernatural seems to be a great introduction to these concepts — without getting too weird. I'm anxious to see how The Unseen Realm unpacks them even more. However, I may need to rest for a month or so before I jump in too deep.
AUGUST
The Unseen Realm: Recovering The Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Michael S. Heiser
Non-Fiction, Theology
If my July read, Supernatural was the shallow end of the late Dr. Michael Heiser's work, The Unseen Realm heads down the slope to where my toes no longer touch the bottom.
In the epilogue, Heiser writes "the realization that I needed to read the Bible like a premodern person who embraced the supernatural, unseen world has illumined its content more than anything else in my academic life." This is what makes this book so fascinating — and so difficult at once. I've got 47 years full of post-modern thinking and worldviews that makes it extremely difficult to turn off in one reading of one book (or reading these two books together).
There's way too much in the 387 pages of text that I'm not sure I can summarize it here very well. I will say it's an illuminating read with which I don't necessarily disagree with so much as struggle — if that makes sense. I will say, in the end, that these two books have helped my daily Bible reading as I'm seeing words and concepts I had previously ignored and/or brushed over as "strange."
Despite the title, what this book is NOT is an entry into American charismatic theology (to which I do not subscribe). It's something MUCH deeper than that, I think. I'm still firmly rooted in what I believe about all of that, but Heiser's work is chipping away at a larger way of thinking — a way in which all of us in 21st century western culture are swimming.
I may need to return to this book every few years (and read the copious footnotes next time). For now, I would say this is the deep end of the pool for me. While I can swim in it, it doesn't make me comfortable either.
And that may be exactly why I needed to read it.
SEPTEMBER
Waiting For The Monsoon by Rod Nordland
Non-Fiction, Biography
Thoughts: As one who has stared death in the face for much of his adult life, New York Times International Correspondent At Large Rod Nordland, theoretically, should have been prepared for his own mortality when a battle with brain cancer emerged. What he found was a fight in which he was unaccustomed.
Nordland writes in Waiting For The Monsoon (a reference to his time in India where a seizure led to his cancer diagnosis) of his troubled childhood with a serially-abusive (and criminal) father and a doting mother. His early journalism career leads him to foreign correspondent work where he covers — and faces — death from war as a daily reality. Away from the politics of war, Nordland recounts these war zones in human terms and not just theoretical concepts.
The second half of the book is his discovery of the beauty of life and love, post-diagnosis, and the sharp edges of his character being sanded down by the cancer.
For me, this book was particularly gripping, especially as he recounted his early life and career, as someone who appreciates journalism. It's also fascinating to follow along with someone as they discover a deeper meaning in life as they face the same thing we all must. While Nordland and I may differ on a few critical questions, I found his journey to be a intriguing read. Many thanks to Scott for this book. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
God Gave Rock & Roll To You: A History Of Contemporary Christian Music by Leah Payne
Non-Fiction, Cultural Studies
Somewhere in the early 1990s, I was in the Paris, Tenn., Walmart looking at the expansive cassette tape section when I came across the self-titled debut from the Christian Rock band Petra. I had seen some recommendations at a Christian bookstore in the past stating something along the lines of "if you like Guns N' Roses, you'll love Petra." I bought the tape and, as a young rock & roll fan who was also entrenched in the Southern Baptist church in which I was raised, I expectantly hit play. "Disappointment" doesn't begin to convey my reaction.
This was so far from Welcome To The Jungle that it might as well have been Welcome To The Jungle Gym.
However, it was only a brief detour in a genre that was — and would — profoundly impact(ing) my life. For instance, dc talk's Jesus Freak became a pivotal album at a formative time — and, perhaps, the best album ever to come from the genre. Third Day's Time album helped me sort out some internal conflicts. Heck, I've even written some songs of my own that would be categorized in this genre.
That's only a fraction of my relationship with Contemporary Christian Music. When I heard about author Leah Payne's deep-dive into the genre in a book called God Gave Rock & Roll To You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music, I knew I had to read it. It was a blast to read (I finished the 200-plus page book in about a week — pretty quick for me) as I lived through a significant portion of the book's historical examination and remember it well. Additionally, for the past 20-plus years, I've been a part of a church as a worship minister (now its Executive Minister) tasked with leading a large church in singing. This book is in the middle lane of my alley.
Christianity Today's editor-in-chief Russell Moore writes of the book, "Payne argues that anyone wishing to understand some of the most epochal shifts in American culture and politics over the past 30 years ought to listen to the radio—specifically to the contemporary Christian music (CCM) genre of a generation of white evangelicals." He goes on to write, "The path from CCM glory days to an evangelicalism in crisis should inform us—and Payne’s book does that brilliantly." (Read his essay HERE.)
Payne's examination of the genre reveals some things I already knew and some things I had suspected for years — and some things that can lead to an extended soapbox-assisted monologue few probably want to hear. For instance, a spiderweb of money, Charismatic/Pentecostal theology, race, and politics has had an outsized influence on, not only the CCM genre and our modern church practices, but also culture and American political movements, as well.
Honestly, I could spend hours crafting a dissertation, but, instead, I will encourage this book to any interested. It's not perfect (anecdotes from random CCM fans, past and present, often sound like they were pulled from a social media post's comments and there is a lack of key-player interviews, in my opinion), but it is a very comprehensive, detailed, and honest look at the genre — including where it came from, where it was, and where it's headed.
OCTOBER
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How A Young Woman Disappeared In Plain Sight by Shawn Cohen
Non-Fiction, True Crime
In 2011, Indiana University sophomore Lauren Spierer went missing after a night spent partying in Bloomington. In College Girl, Missing, journalist Shawn Cohen takes a deep dive into the unsolved case, trying to unravel a knot that has remained tangled. From interviewing her (often combative) well-connected friends and boyfriend to examining theories ranging from kidnapping to serial killers being in the area, Cohen seeks to shine a light on the cold case.
It's a gripping story — enhanced by our proximity to IU and Bloomington. While true crime isn't normally my go-to genre of books, this was fascinating and I read the 250-page book in six days (which is pretty fast for me). With that in mind, it's also heartbreaking, especially as we learn of her parents and their dogged fight to learn the truth about what happened to their daughter. Cohen doesn't mince words about Lauren's behavior that night, but he also shows her humanity and the details the endless grief of her family.
Somebody knows what happened to her. We can only hope justice will, one day, be served. This fantastic book helps keep her story alive.
War by Bob Woodward
Non-Fiction, Current Events, Politics
I'm not sure there's a good way for me to talk about this book without stirring up a hornet's nest of anger among friends and family — such is the era in which we live. It is an era, to be sure, of news entertainment instead of news, an era of propaganda and confirmation bias instead of facts, and an era where understanding and nuance are almost wholly unacceptable and unwelcome in the public arena.
With that in mind, I'll talk about the latest book I read, War, by Bob Woodward. Woodward (of Watergate fame and a 50-plus year career of distinguished skill as a reporter — covering every president from Nixon to Biden) has written a gripping and compelling 435-page account of the last two-plus year of the Biden presidency — years marked by dual wars in Ukraine and Israel. He deftly weaves in the 2024 presidential race with its many, many twists and turns.
Reading long-form works about politics is so much better than watching cable news or reading only curated news (my opinion: it's rotting our brains and making us worse as a people) or the constant barrage of opinion pieces and commentary that masquerade as "news." So, I'll guess I'll just go for it as I talk about War.
Woodward shows us the world is (and conflicts are) very complex and black-and-white narratives don't work well to explain it. He also shows the stereotypes we've seen about Joe Biden as a doddering, senile old man are, simply, ungracious at best. To be sure, Woodward shows Biden as an aging man who lacks the vigor often needed to handle the hardest aspects of the job of president and who is frequently gaffe-prone in public (he is unsparing about his June debate performance, for instance), but a leader who also possess skills in closed-door international negotiations that, so far, have kept the United States from boots-on-the-ground wider conflicts in two major conflicts happening in Ukraine and Israel. Biden's conversations with Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Benjamin Netanyahu are gripping to read (as are reporting on Trump's past and current conversations with many of the same actors in these conflicts).
Woodward also deftly shows, again and again, the need for leaders who can deal with extremely complex and fragile world issues with clear thought and deliberation — and who can listen to others' thoughts and deliberations — to make clear decisions for the good of the country. He doesn't sugarcoat Biden's shortcomings (or Harris's, for that matter) but he also makes crystal clear Donald Trump is still uniquely unqualified to hold this office. Woodward details Trump's weakness for those who flatter him (read: dictators and authoritarian leaders who flatter Trump and then do whatever they want to do — at the cost of freedom around the globe and people's lives). He writes "Trump was the most reckless and impulsive president in American history and is demonstrating the very same character as a presidential candidate in 2024." (p. 362)
I realize the above paragraph has probably triggered about half of the people who will read my small thoughts, but, instead of getting angry at me, I urge you to read the book for yourself and see what your thoughts on the matter will be.
The delicate balance of world events is a tightrope act few can handle. We ignore this at our peril. Woodward shows the reader the CHARACTER of a leader weighs heavily in the role — and affects all of us on this globe. Not the leader's PERSONALITY, but his character (let the reader understand).
This book is an illuminating reminder. I urge you to turn off your TV news, your podcasts with hosts offering their own commentary on the news, and your curated news feed — designed to confirm your already existing point of view — and read real-deal news reporting — such as is found in War.
NOVEMBER
Suffering Wisely & Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God by Eric Ortlund
Non-Fiction, Theology
Suffering is part of being a human. For those of us who are believers in an all-powerful Creator God, suffering can be perplexing and, often, extremely painful (even spiritually painful). One of the oldest books of the Bible, Job, deals with this reality in ways debated for millennia.
In Suffering Wisely & Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God, author and theologian Eric Ortlund gives us a deeper and more profound look at Job's suffering (if you are unfamiliar with Job's story, I won't recount its detailed and nuanced story here). He also addresses some long-held arguments about the character of God, especially as it relates to the existence of evil and God's allowance for it to continue its devastation upon His creation.
From the supernatural nature of this story (as I read about earlier this year in The Unseen Realm) to the very earth-bound folly of Job's friends, we can see how this ancient book applies to us in our own suffering. Ortlund also addresses how God doesn't have to answer our questions, but instead shows us how we understand far less than we presume and that we can trust Him without having all of our questions answered.
This is a deep book and not designed for speed-reading. Each chapter is around 25 to 40 pages and needs to be read deliberately (less than 200 pages and seven chapters). It's not always easy, but it's helped me understand a fairly confounding book a bit more and has helped me read beyond the surface of Job (for instance, "Leviathan" and "Behemoth" are not about hippos and crocodiles, but are symbols of supernatural chaos and evil) and see a deeper message.
"God's perspective on his world as Creator has more weight than ours, for he sees the whole, whereof we see the part ... even when we enter a Job-like ordeal, we can rejoice." (p. 161).
Suffering will, inevitably, come my way. I hope what I've gained from this book can stay with me when it does.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic
Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel The Road is, quite simply a brilliant piece of writing. The late author had a way of painting vivid portraits of his characters (here, "the man" and "the boy") without being overwrought or heavy-handed. The Road is considered a modern classic by many and, on my second read, I still see why.
I first read the book when I worked at The Herald newspaper in the latter part of the 2000s. Our publisher recommended it to me and let me borrow his copy and I fell in love with it. A film adaptation was made a few years later and I watched it exactly once because it, like the novel, is what most would consider terribly bleak.
"How do you know if you were the last man on earth? He said. I don’t guess you would know it. You’d just be it." (p. 169-170)
Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland (the reasons are very vaguely alluded to and never explained — my theory is a extinction-level asteroid strike that blocks out the sun, but I could be very wrong, and it's not really the point), a man and his son traverse the road(s) trying to make it to the sea. Food doesn't grow and animals are all dead, so the few remaining people are forced to scavenge for what little food and water left behind in an ash-filled void. Themes are very intense in The Road, and there are more than a few unsettling scenes, but McCarthy isn't shocking us for the sake of shock, but, instead, to paint a vivid portrait of a dead and dying world where these two people seek to "carry the fire" and survive without giving themselves over to base animalistic instincts. Trying to remain human in this world is just as important as survival.
If you've read the book or seen the film, you know how bleak the story seems. One of my favorite paragraphs in the book paints this picture and shows McCarthy's mastery of language:
"He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground-foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it." (p. 130)
If post-apocalyptic literature is your speed, I think you'll love The Road. If amazing writing is something you love, you'll love this, too. Again, it **is** bleak, but it also contains nuggets of hope and a theme about what it means to be alive and the lengths a father will got to for his child's survival and his own hope.
I'm glad my wife bought me my own copy of the book last Christmas. I think this is one I will return to more than a few more times in my life.
No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Fiction, Crime & Punishment
After I finished The Road last week, I immediately started Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men and finished it in a week as well. No Country is a gripping novel about found riches, the often fruitless pursuit of justice, and a changing world seen through the eyes of a small-town sheriff near the Texas/Mexico border. Though the time could be now, the story is set sometime in 1980 when a Vietnam vet named Llewelyn Moss finds some dead drug dealers and more than $2 million in cash as he's hunting in the open country of west Texas. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, nearing the end of his career and lamenting the changes he sees in the country, tracks the case as Anton Chigurh, a psychopathic hit man tries to recover the money — leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
I saw the (fantastic) film adaptation of No Country the tail-end of 2007, by myself at the late show. I was the only one in the theater and it was snowing outside when I left, giving me an eerie feeling after seeing a gripping film, directed by the Coen Brothers. A few years later, I listened to the audiobook, but earlier this year, I picked up a paperback copy. I'm so glad I did. Reading the story gives it a new weight that watching the movie and listening to the audiobook could not.
It helped me feel the sadness and resignation Sheriff Bell feels about a country he no longer recognizes and how drugs have shaped this downfall. As a conversation with his uncle, Ellis, moves forward, Ellis explains a life and the inevitability of change.
"You sign on for the ride you probably think you got at least some notion of where the ride's goin. But you might not. Or you might of been lied to. Probably nobody would blame you then. If you quit. But if it's just that it turned out to be a little roughern what you had in mind. Well. That's somethin else." (p. 265)
Reading this novel during a season of change in my own life (as all seasons are) as well as a period of turmoil and change in our country was strangely comforting. It helps me put the era into perspective a little bit. Perhaps that's not what McCarthy had in mind when he wrote it, but, as with any good piece of writing, I could read myself into the story a little bit.
The — what I would call God-haunted — book weaves in a strange sense of resignation of the way the world operates. We spend so much time trying to fight against it, but, sometimes, the bad guy gets away with his crimes. Sometimes there are no real heroes in a story. Sometimes people choose Mammon over God.
I loved reading No Country For Old Men and I think you may, too.
DECEMBER
The Church In Dark Times: Understanding And Resisting The Evil That Seduced The Evangelical Movement by Mike Cosper
Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Religion
In college, I took a class on political philosophy (I ended up minoring in political science and religious studies). It was, bar none, the most challenging class I had in my five years at Middle Tennessee State University. I never felt like I truly understood what was being discussed and I, more or less, hung on for dear life and squeaked out an average grade (more than likely it was a C, though I don't recall exactly what I made). One of the authors we read in the class was German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt — who survived Naziism and, ultimately, became an American citizen.
In The Church In Dark Times: Understanding And Resisting The Evil That Seduced The Evangelical Movement, author Mike Cosper (most well known for hosting the Christianity Today podcast The Rise And Fall of Mars Hill) examines Arendt's writings and thoughts to study how people, and more specifically the American evangelical church, keeps falling prey to scandal and evil within its walls. He delves into the story of Seattle's Mars Hill Church a bit, but it doesn't dominate the book either. Mostly, Cosper focuses on ideology and how "the banality of evil," as Arendt describes it, gets unthinking people (read: many of us, if we're being honest) to follow along with evil — whether that be the Holocaust or corrupt church leaders who (spiritually) destroy lives.
Rather than placing the blame for darkness in our churches solely on the leaders, Cosper lays the blame on them — and us. Much like out current political moment, Cosper says we lay the groundwork for ideologically-driven and abusive leadership "To borrow a phrase from a classic horror movie, the killer is inside the house. Or perhaps even better: "We have met the enemy, and the enemy is us." Our problem isn't simply our leaders and our institutions— though they certainly bear a share of the blame. No, the problem is us, more specifically our desires, which are revealed by and reflected in the kinds of churches we're building and not the other way around." (p. 184)
Cosper ultimately points us toward the real thing — coming home to God — as the antidote to all of our schemes and plans. He is not a fan of "change the world" language in churches (full disclosure, our church uses that exact phrase — and I helped come up with our motto when I was a much younger man — and I can see his point even if I believe there is room for a nuanced discussion around the terminology), but instead argues for a simpler faith — one rooted in solitude, reflection, and worship. On page 192, he writes "Ideology will always shrink our world in order to make it manageable, comprehensible, and achievable. In doing so, it produces results — energy, crowds, movements — but it does not bring us home."
I really enjoyed this book, but I will be honest with you, it is a challenging read. Its subject matter is dense and philosophy, in general, requires concentration to truly make the connections. Perhaps, this is my own failing. Sometimes, I feel like I'm just not smart enough to truly understand it — I feel like there are several loose connections in mind and I just can't seem to find the right words to make it all fit cohesively. However, what I found in reading the book is that, as I went through most of each chapter trying to understand, Cosper would deftly weave it all together in the last page or two of each section.
The Church In Dark Times is probably my last or next-to-last book to read in 2024 (outside of finishing my bible reading plan for the year at the end of the month). It was challenging, it was convicting, it was agitating, at times, and it stretched my ability to think on a deeper level. With those thoughts in mind, I'd recommend this to anyone interested.
Hammerin' Hank of the Braves by Joel H. Cohen
Non-Fiction, Sports Biography
To wrap up the year, I found a light paperback on my bookshelf that I had never really examined. A few years ago, my friend Kevin Chastain gave me some of his childhood items like an Eddie Van Halen button and this paperback book — with a Hank Aaron baseball card tucked inside.
To get the obvious out of the way, this is a Scholastic Book Services book for children (as I'm sure Kevin had it as a kid). Today, it might be classified as Young Adult, but it's definitely not a book for well-read adults, haha! However, it was interesting to read a book published before Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record (published in 1971, though there are mentions of a 1973 season — evidence of its fourth printing).
I needed something light to finish up 2024 and this unchallenging, statistics-filled paperback was fun to read and made me appreciate Aaron all the more. It also reminded me of being a young boy and devouring baseball stories and history. It was fun to read about Aaron as a ballplayer and not just an icon, as he is now remembered. It also made me want to read a more serious work about Aaron's life next year.
Long live the True Home Run King! 755, forever!
YEAR-LONG READING
The Holy Bible (English Standard Version Bible) [The ESV Study Bible Reading Plan via YouVersion Bible App]
Non-Fiction
By my estimation, this year marks the tenth time I've read through the entire Bible in a year. I once again utilized The ESV Study Bible Reading Plan via the YouVersion Bible App (to be fair, I did not read the entire STUDY Bible, but simply the Scripture and a few notes here and there). Also, it is the only book I read this year in electronic form. As always, there are small things here and there that I notice that I had not in previous readings. For instance, this year, reading Job resounded more with me after reading a book about suffering and seeing it in its fuller context. Reading other books about the spiritual realm made me notice things in scripture I had overlooked in previous readings. However, as always, I tried to read things in context and with the full story of the Bible in mind and not pull things (like the aforementioned spiritual realm) out of its context as recorded in Scripture. Next year, I believe I will read a different translation (likely the New Living Translation), but still plan to work through a year-long Bible reading plan. I invite you to join me in this effort.
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MY TOP TEN (BESIDES THE BIBLE) IN THE ORDER I READ THEM:
- All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore
- The Storied Life: Christian Writing as Art and Worship by Jared C. Wilson
- The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin with Neil Strauss
- Supernatural / The Unseen Realm: Recovering The Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Michael S. Heiser
- God Gave Rock & Roll To You: A History Of Contemporary Christian Music by Leah Payne
- College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen
- War by Bob Woodward
- Suffering Wisely & Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God by Eric Ortlund
- The Road / No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
- The Church In Dark Times: Understanding And Resisting The Evil That Seduced The Evangelical Movement by Mike Cosper
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