How much would you pay to meet your favorite celebrity? $100? $1,000?? $10,000??? The number isn’t insignificant, is it? Listening to the stories and wisdom from those we trust is worth quite a bit, isn’t it?
This year Angel and I worked hard to bring our first co-written book entitled Substitute Identities to publication. Right now it is in the hands of our publisher’s copy editor, and we can’t wait to share it with you. The process of pouring our hearts into this book makes me reflect on just what gifts books are. While we might be willing to pay exorbitant sums to sit at the feet of the world’s best thinkers, it only takes $10-$20 to listen to these spinners of tales. Isn’t that amazing?
So, however many books you read in 2022, maybe you might be blessed to read a few more in 2023, and perhaps some of my favorites might point you to a few gems.
In 2022 so far, I’ve read 110 books and hope to read a handful more before the year closes. I’ve been blessed to read a wide variety of good books this year. I’ll begin with my four favorite books of 2022, followed by the entire list of books I read. I hope you find some gems for your 2023 reading list.
Live No Lies by John Mark Comer
In 2019 John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry rocketed him from obscurity to being sought after. He follows up his book on taking back the Sabbath in a culture of hurry with a curve ball. Live No Lies is a book on spiritual warfare, a war that Comer says must be fought on three fronts: against the devil, against our flesh, and against the world.
Comer explains that the war against the devil is a war against “deceptive ideas”, the war against our flesh is the war against our “disordered desires” and the war against the world is a war against the normalization of disordered desires “in a sinful society.” He argues that “Deceptive ideas that play to disordered desires that are normalized in a sinful society” are the target of our warfare.
John Mark Comer has offered a biblically-saturated vision of life and what living in this world with our eyes on Christ is intended to look like. I pray that many Christians who have been weaned on deformed understandings of spiritual warfare would pick up John Mark Comer’s book. I hope that many more Christians who think of spiritual warfare as something only strange and obsessed Christians talk about would pick up Live No Lies and have their eyes and heart formed by Christ’s call to war against the principalities and powers.
Rejoice and Tremble by Michael Reeves
Michael Reeves is one of my favorite contemporary Christian authors. He tackles profound theological topics with clarity and depth. In Rejoice and Tremble, Reeves argues for us to recover fear as a foundational posture in our relationship with God.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," Proverbs 9:10 reads. "The fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure," Isaiah tells us.
Meanwhile, we live in a culture that is deathly afraid of fear. We do everything to ensure our safety and our family's safety. This idol of safety loosens the power of fear in our spiritual lives. "When your culture is hedonistic, your religion therapeutic, and your goal a feeling of personal well-being, fear will be the ever-present headache," Reeves says.
Reeves believes that our anxiety as a culture stems from our moral confusion (he points to various sociologists on this front). "Anxiety grows best in the soil of unbelief. It withers in contact with faith. And faith is fertilized by the fear of God."
Reeves invites us to pull back and consider our fears. "What do my fears say about me and my priorities, about what I treasure? What do they say about where I am looking for security." Amazingly, Reeves argues, when our fear is right (that is, the fear of God), it makes us happy, not anxious. "As the fear of the Lord grows, it outgrows, eclipses, consumes, and destroys all rival fears." Modern culture believes that fear is diminished as our self-esteem increases. On the contrary, the more we think our happiness is dependent on our control, the more our fear overwhelms us. Freedom is knowing that our compassionate and sovereign God is in control.
Reeves says that our fears meet their terminus in eternity. "That day will usher in a new age in which both the sinful fears of unbelievers and the right fear of believers will crescendo. Both sorts of fear will climax and become eternal states--an ecstasy of terror on the one hand, and delight, on the other." Oh to grow in holy fear and experience the fullness of God's presence!
I wholeheartedly endorse Reeves's Rejoice and Tremble. It will encourage and strengthen you and invite you into a perfect and holy fear that casts out all other fear.
Suffering and the Heart of God by Diane Langberg
Diane Langberg's Suffering and the Heart of God, is a masterful work that is a must-read for any counselor. My wife and I were blessed by being cared for by two counselors in Langberg's practice and are impressed with Langberg's godly and sacrificial leadership.
Langberg's book is rooted in the gospel and leans in toward those who suffer. In a season of the church's life where so much abuse is being exposed, Langberg's book is all the more significant both in caring for those who have been traumatized and preventing further trauma from being incubated in our institutions.
Langberg says, “I think a look at suffering humanity would lead to the realization that trauma is perhaps the greatest mission field of the twenty-first century.” We can walk into this mission field because Christ has already been there. “The Crucified is the One most traumatized...He was wounded for the sins of those who perpetrated such horrors. He has carried the griefs and sorrows of the multitudes who have suffered the natural disasters of this world--the earthquakes, cyclones, and tsunamis. And he has borne our selfishness, our complacency, our love of success, and our pride. He has been in the darkness. He has known the loss of all things. He has been abandoned by his Father. He has been to hell. There is no part of any tragedy that he has not known or carried. He has done this so that none of us need face tragedy alone because he has been there before us and will go with us. and what he has done for us in Gethsemane and at Calvary he asks us to do as well. We are called to enter into relationships centered on suffering so that we might reveal in flesh and blood the nature of the Crucified One.” What a glorious vision of healing that is.
The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell
The Bomber Mafia is a very different book from Malcolm Gladwell's other books. Here, instead of considering an idea through stories, Gladwell considers an historical development and the web of ideas that emerged from that development.
Gladwell shares the story of how precision bombing was developed and the moral complexities that arose from the attempt to make war less lethal. In short: how could a technological advancement that was intended to reduce casualties have led to so many casualties?
Gladwell is thoughtful, personal, and nuanced in his analysis. I love how he brings out the personalities of the characters, and he does an excellent job navigating the complexities of moral questions with solicitude. I listened to the audiobook, which I encourage you to do as well. It was one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. I love all of the audio clips from the sources.
Any lover of Gladwell or history will appreciate The Bomber Mafia.
Onto the rest of the books I read in 2022. There were a lot of books that easily could have been included in my top list.
Christian Living
Julian Hardyman’s consideration of the Song of Songs in Jesus, Lover of My Soul was so good for my soul. My second read through Dane Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly was just as good as the first and drew me closer to Christ, as did my first reading through his follow-up book, Deeper, which was just as good as its predecessor.
I benefited from re-reading The Cure by John Lynch, Bruce McNichol, and Bill Thrall which invites readers to experience the fullness of an authentic life of grace. I also re-read Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, which challenged my overly distracted life. Spiritual Discipleship by J. Oswald Sanders was a bit of a letdown. It isn’t nearly as strong as his classic Spiritual Leadership, which was filled with pearls of wisdom. Robert Elmer’s compilation of Puritan prayers, Piercing Heaven is excellent, and anyone who has benefited from Valley of Vision should try it out; I think it’s even better.
I appreciated reading two books on parenting and family life: Take Back Your Family by Jefferson Bethke and Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley. Bethke encourages parents to consider how to live as a team on mission, while Whitmel Earley navigates the reader through a day and offers suggestions for how to create healthy daily rhythms as a family.
Ten Words to Live By by Jen Wilkin was a helpful primer on the Ten Commandments. What if Jesus Was Serious? by Skye Jethani was a pithy introduction to the Sermon on the Mount.
I read Who I am In Christ by Neil Anderson as my wife Angel and I continued to sharpen our draft of our book on our identities in Christ: Substitute Identities. I appreciated Anderson’s comprehensive structure but otherwise was somewhat disappointed.
The Genius of Jesus by Erwin McManus is an interesting idea (how smart Jesus was) that I thought failed to deliver on its interesting premise. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell (I’m a couple of decades late to this one, I know) is abysmal: self-aggrandizing and theologically unmoored.
Counseling and Relational Issues
Our work on identities had me reading a bit about negative and positive thinking and considering its spiritual implications. Soundtracks by Jon Acuff, Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel, and Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table by Louie Giglio were all beneficial in their own way on that journey, although they all lack a bit of depth and nuance. If you want something a bit more lighthearted, try Acuff’s book; if you prefer something a bit more scriptural, try Groeschel’s book.
I read three strong books on sexuality: Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? by Sam Allberry, Rethinking Sexuality by Juli Slattery, and Unwanted by Jay Stringer. Stringer’s book was particularly profound and will be a book I recommend to anyone who battles sexual addiction. Allberry’s is about as good a short introduction as one could hope to find for issues of sexuality.
Dating with Discernment by Sam Andreades was disappointing in its overly stereotyped understanding of gender in marriage (Andreades would have helped himself out by defending positions he assumes), but it’s not without its strengths, and I plan on using it as a springboard for conversations with my teenage children. Platonic by Marisa Franco advocates for friendship but is built on a foundation of straw and cannot be recommended. Spiritual Friendship by Wesley Hill, on the other hand, draws from a deep well and is well worth reading. Making Sense of Forgiveness by Brad Hambrick is probably my new favorite book on the topic—it is simple and nuanced. I hope many read and benefit from it.
Hope Always by Matthew Sleeth considers the tragic issue of suicide but would have benefited from partnership with a pastor or counselor. Sleeth’s strength is in advocacy.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk has had a huge impact on the world of therapy, and its insights are significant relating to the impact of trauma. Van der Kolk’s anti-religious tone is tiresome, though. I would love to hear of a Christian who has incorporated some of these core truths in a God-honoring framework.
Theology
Speaking of embodiment, Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey is magisterial and ought to be read by any serious Christian thinker or anyone considering the sweeping claims about the human person being made by contemporary secularism. You’re Only Human by Kelly Kapic is a related book on human finitude that is well worth the read.
Best of Jonathan Edwards Sermons gives the reader a good sense of Edwards’s earnest skill as a pastor and theologian. The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson draws an interesting comparison of the similarity between legalism and antinomianism and distrust in God’s character through the consideration of an obscure theological controversy. I thought Jim Scott Orrick’s Mere Calvinism was a bit disappointing, although I can see how his down-to-earth prose would appeal to some.
The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson contains a theology of creation in memoir form. Garden City by John Mark Comer draws out a theology of vocation out of God’s mandate for Adam and Eve to have dominion in the Garden of Eden. God of All Things is a delightful little theology of God the Creator by Andrew Wilson. It’s a gem of a book.
I re-read How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, and it still holds up as an excellent introduction to exegesis.
I re-read Erasing Hell by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle and benefited from this consideration on the doctrine of hell. Even on the second read, it left me wanting more.
I read a couple of volumes on eschatology: Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond edited by Craig Blaising, The Meaning of the Millennium edited by Robert Clouse. Both were helpful but uneven.
The Secular Creed by Rebecca McLaughlin is a tight little book that navigates a Christian response to today’s secular worldview. Everything McLaughlin writes is worth reading: she is sharp and winsome. How to Reach the West Again by Timothy Keller was similar and also worth the read.
Pastoral Ministry and Leadership
My favorite book in this category was Lead by Paul David Tripp. Our Executive Leadership Team read through Tripp’s book, and I benefited much from it. Pastors and Their Critics by Nick Thompson was also encouraging to me.
My re-read of Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald netted some fresh insights. At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof is a good place to start for effective time management. Leadership Strategy and Tactics by Jocko Willink was simple and solid. Fail Fast, Fail Often by Babineaux and Krumboltz is an ideal book for a young adult looking for solid advice on making life choices.
Think Again by Adam Grant and Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets by Andy Stanley both deal with the issue of decision-making and are both well worth reading. Grant encourages the reader to allow their positions to be held lightly and re-evaluated. Stanley offers a wisdom rubric for our decisions to be filtered through.
General Fiction
I loved the movie Dune and was inspired to pick up Frank Herbert’s series of novels that the movie was based on. I was disappointed by the first entry, but am willing to give the sequels a chance.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford was a sweet romance set in the backdrop of Seattle during the Japanese internment in the early 1940s.
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor is a series of short stories—all brilliantly written, many bleak. Speaking of bleak, A Million Heavens by John Brandon had some promise, but stylistically was a bit too odd for me and the worldview was depressing. I had similar thoughts about Alam Rumaan’s surprisingly dull and unsatisfying dystopian novel Leave the World Behind. I concede that it contains moments of brilliance, but Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace was too bizarre and slow for me.
I gave Ahdieh Renee’s series a chance and liked the setting and pacing, but was ultimately a little disappointed by her first two books, The Rose and the Dagger and The Wrath and the Dawn.
It was an absolute joy to re-read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton.
Edmond Rostand’s pointed comic-tragedy Cyrano de Bergerac still holds up and had me smiling during several pithy exchanges. David Wroblewski’s well-written, but slow The Story of Edgar Sawtelle shares the story of a boy and his dogs. I really enjoyed Paulette Jiles’s News of the World. The Brothers K by David James Duncan is very good and follows a family fighting to hold together through loss.
General Non-Fiction
I appreciated two books by the lively contemporary historian Daniel James Brown this year: his book on the Japanese internment Facing the Mountain, and his book on the Donner party tragedy: The Indifferent Stars Above. Both books were strong. I don’t think I exhaled for about the final third of the latter book.
Jon Krakauer’s history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Under the Banner of Heaven is fascinating but lacks charity. The Daughters of Kobani by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is a hard-to-believe-it true account of an all-female militia in Syria that squared off against ISIS in 2014. Decision Points is George W. Bush’s autobiography of his time in office.
Kate Bowler’s memoir on her battle with cancer No Cure for Being Human was poignant but lacked the theological grounding I hoped for. I would say similar things about David Brooks’s The Second Mountain, which points readers to a life of sacrifice and purpose as Brooks journals his own spiritual journey. Both books are worth reading.
Me, Myself & Bob by Phil Vischer follows the creation and then implosion of Veggie Tales with some powerful leadership lessons tucked into the final chapters.
I enjoyed getting re-acquainted with one of my favorite philosopher-theologians through Michael Watts’s Kierkegaard: An Essential Introduction. Peter Wohlleben introduced me to a world of ecological knowledge I was completely ignorant of through his The Hidden Life of Trees. In the same vein was Aimee Nezhukumathil’s World of Wonderswhich is part memoir, part reflection on animals and plants. I was surprised at how much I liked it.
I read a few books inspired by our family vacation. Travels in Alaska by John Muir was too slow for me. I was put off by Bill Bryson’s ego in his tale of trekking the Adirondacks in A Walk in the Woods. Jon Krakauer is a captivating writer whose ego irked me from time to time as well, but I still would read anything he writes. Into Thin Air is a wild account about his tragic expedition of Everest. I enjoyed Into the Wild even more. It follows Christopher McCandless, who leaves everything behind to try to live alone in the Alaskan wilderness and doesn’t make it through his first winter.
What I’m Hoping to Read in 2023
You can never run out of good books, and there remain so many that I am looking forward to reading in 2023. Relating to the Christian life and theology, I’m looking forward to reading A Still and Quiet Mind by Esther Smith, The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villados, This Too Shall Last by KJ Ramsey, Finding My Father by Blair Linne, Rethink Your Self and The Thrill of Orthodoxy by Trevin Wax, Jesus Through the Eyes of Women by Rebecca McLaughlin, Humble Calvinism by J.A. Medders, Strange New World and The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman, Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren, and Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri.
My list for fiction is much shorter, and I’m hoping to get some inspiration. But it includes Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng, A Light on the Hill by Connilyn Cossette, The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy, The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott, and The Violent Bear it Away by Flannery O’Connor
What were your favorite books of 2022? What should I make sure is on my reading list for 2023? If you want fuller reviews on any of the books listed above or just want to connect on an ongoing basis about reading, I encourage you to friend me on Goodreads.
As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash