Tomy Wilkerson

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know I’ve always had a complicated relationship with technology. Years ago I noticed my students becoming less human and more machine, unable to go anywhere without cords and chargers. The first thing they’d ask me for upon entering my home was the code to my wifi. Social anxiety was everywhere, and instead of engaging the physical world around them, they were retreating into the virtual ones they created. While it would’ve been easy for me judge (and I certainly did in some cases), I think I was mostly just scared. Scared of what it meant for me, for them, future generations, etc.

For better or worse, my response was to go pendulum swing the opposite way. When I first got my iPhone, I refused to take it off airplane mode before 8 AM. When I saw the way we became too busy posting about the moment at hand to actually enjoy it, I vowed to never post pictures from an event as it was happening. When I saw how everything in our lives was becoming public knowledge, I intentionally chose not to advertise certain aspects of my life. And when I realized nothing good happens after a certain hour, I stopped checking Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter after 8 PM.

Since then I’ve removed the majority of notifications from my phone, committed to keeping it facedown at meals and in meetings, reserved Sabbaths as screen-free days, and even began a regular practice of taking an entire week off major social media channels to pray and detox. Often these weeks are so freeing, I’ll extend my absence for another week. Eventually, I began to wonder: what if I took the whole year off social media? I became excited about the possibility even as I doubted its feasibility.

It’s not that social media is bad. It just doesn’t come without its liabilities. Cal Newport hits the nail on the head in Digital Minimalism. Not only has technology become addictive, but unrestricted online activity has taken a toll on our psychological wellbeing. Online exchanges have become so emotionally charged and polarized, we struggle to relate to each other. This isn’t just true in some theoretical sense. I’ve felt it in my own life.

Thoreau went to the woods to live deliberately. I left social media to discern what’s real. To find where wokeness ends and Babylon begins and see if, in doing so, I could regain a sense of self.

I left because there are conversations happening online that seem completely divorced from real life. Because the more I tended my virtual life, the more it detracted from my real one. Because twitter shouldn’t be able to ruin your whole day.  Because my feed was no longer things that I liked but things that you liked (whether I liked them or not). Because of the echo chamber and the sense of obligation that comes with having some sort of platform. Because EVERYONE now has a platform. Because the more friends and followers I acquired, the less free I felt to post. Because if you didn’t like my post, then it must not have been great and therefore should be taken down. Because I couldn’t tell if I was genuinely mad at something or if I simply thought I should be because everyone else was.

As usual, it started with a weeklong fast that turned into a two-week break. But this time that two-week break turned into a monthlong hiatus. Now it’s been nearly two months and I no longer miss it. It’s been nice to not care about what people are saying on twitter, who ate what on Instagram, and to realize that if I want to share something actually matters with those I love, I can always send a text message.

Interestingly enough though, sometime in the month of January, I had a sense that retreating from social media wasn’t the answer. If Jesus were to have social media, he would engage it differently. This then begs the question of what it means to be on social media but not of social media. I don’t know if I have an answer for that. But until then, I’d like some space to think it out.

What I will say is this: taking a break from major social media channels doesn’t mean that you don’t find other ways to fill the time. Zillow has become my new Instagram. But also, the beauty of social media is that you’re able to keep up with friends from all over the world. Your heart grows and expands even as you become aware of global issues. Your faith in humanity does occasionally increase through common experiences of kindness and laughter. The question is how you do get that without it wreaking havoc on your soul. How do you get the benefits without opening yourself to the negatives? Or, is it the presence of the negatives that make the positives possible? Once again, I don’t know. But I’d like to have some space to think about it.

Some of you are probably thinking I’m simply escaping one reality for another. Why not go all the way and not have a phone? I haven’t cut out YouTube or Goodreads. Aren’t those also social media platforms? You might be right.

So far, I’ve found that what’s in front of me is real. My wife and my marriage are real. The work I do, the people we serve, and the injustices they fight are real. My gym and the people I’m trying to love in it are real. The latest #fitspo page is not real.

All this to say, I don’t think I’ll be off social media forever. I’ll probably be on before the end of the year. But for now, I’m enjoying the silence. You can text, call, or email me (any comments on this blog should probably be posted here). You can even follow what I’m reading on Goodreads. But until then, if you haven’t seen me lately, this is why.

Well, you know what time it is. Time for me to poke my head out just long enough to share my favorite reads from this past year. Last year the goal was to read a hundred books. I figured if I read a bunch of books, I’d catch up on my reading list. On the contrary, the more I read the more I found to read. This year I didn’t set much of a goal for myself. I figured I’d just read and see where it took me.

As I reflect on this year, I don’t feel like my reading was as diverse as last year. I still read a bit about feminism and true crime, but this year found me reading a lot of memoirs, personal essays, and biographies. I read a lot on presidents and, because of my job, various books on theology, leadership, and team dynamics. Perhaps, more surprising, is that I didn’t read a whole lot on the church. Of the 115 books I read (116 if you include the Bible), about 40 of them were by women, 14 of them were fiction, 6 of them were fables, and a little over half were audiobooks.

Already I anticipate things decreasing in 2020. Because I’ve been so bent on finishing books, I haven’t made space for podcasts. I’d like to change that in the coming year. Also, I want to a better job at drawing connections between the stuff I’m reading and the work that I’m doing. Sometimes I’m able to do this through verbal processing, but I’d like to be more intentional with it in the new year. Also, Baby Wilkerson is due in June and I imagine productivity will change a bit then. But who knows? I’m a 2w3, which means I do enjoy achieving quite a bit.

In keeping with tradition, here are my top five in no particular order.

Edit – 12/30/2019 @ 10:42 PM: After posting the initial list, I spent the rest of the day agonizing over whether or not I chose the right books. After some consideration and deliberation, I’ve rearranged the books to fit the categories that feel truer to my gut.

1. Becoming – Michelle Obama

There’s a reason this book has been everywhere. It’s breathtaking. You come away feeling like you really know Michelle Obama. But I think what resonated with me most was the sense we (you and I) were witnesses to history. Of course, we knew that as it was happening, but watching her play it back for us helped me see the magnitude of it all. I remember the Jeremiah Wright controversy, the Obama’s crusade against obesity, the comic strips denigrating the Obama, and of course Donald Trump and the birther scandal. What a time to be alive. This book deserves more than a movie. It deserves a mini-series where we don’t miss a thing (including the college years and the boyfriend who wanted to be a clown). Also, can we talk about how beautifully she writes about Barack? Their relationship might actually be the cutest thing in the world (sorry, Baby Yoda).

2. The Locust Effect – Gary Haugen

Some people write books because they love to write. Some people write books because they merely want to call themselves an author. Still, others write books because they have something to say. Gary Haugen, to me, fits in that last category. He’s not prolific by any stretch of the imagination, but he writes books from a place of deep conviction birthed from a life on the front lines of battle. The Locust Effect is prophetic and heart-wrenching, eye-opening in the best possible way. In a time where it’s tempting to be myopic about America and its woes, Haugen reminds me there are others around the world with greater problems. It’s a clarion call to remember the poor and most vulnerable in our world.

3. Educated – Tara Westover

Sometimes books that don’t deserve critical acclaim receive it. Educated is not one of those books. It deserves every bit of fame and recognition it gets. Westover would probably never see herself as a hero for having overcome the things she has, but that doesn’t make it any less true. As I wrote on Goodreads, “This book highlights the complex nature of human beings and our relationships. How much easier it would be if we were entirely good or entirely evil, but the reality is that we are capable of both tenderness and torture.” Westover doesn’t allow us to hate her family and refuses to exalt herself. Both are fascinating choices in my eyes. There were a lot of things I expected this book to be about. It was about none of those things. And for that I’m grateful.

4. Destiny of the Republic – Candice Millard

This book gets my “Random Book of the Year” award. I’m sure part of why this book was so good was because I had no prior interest/knowledge in the subject. From the very outset, it was shockingly good. And because I know almost nothing about history, it read like a novel to me and I had no idea of its ending. Millard strikes a goldmine here. Not only is the story interesting, riddled with all sorts of twists and turns but Millard is a masterful storyteller, introducing threads and characters early only for them to reappear at just the right moment in a grand reveal. Every book I read on presidents and presidencies after this was a result of this book.

5. Go Ahead in the Rain – Hanif Abdurraqib

Another one of those books that took me completely off guard. I’m not a huge fan of A Tribe Called Quest. I have a deep admiration and respect for them of course (you kind of have to), but I don’t think I could name five songs from them if you asked me to. Still, you don’t have to be familiar with their music in order to appreciate this book. It truly is a love letter to an era. Abdurraqib is a poet and his mastery of the craft shines in his prose. I found myself in this book and my own relationship to Jack’s Mannequin, how it seems certain artists were put on this earth just for you. Somehow you grow with them and they provide a soundtrack to your life. This book inspired some writing I did later in the year.

And because, it’s hard to read 116 books and keep your list to five, here are some honorable mentions that very easily could’ve made it in the top five:

6. Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins

Most self-help books today inspire us to act by appealing to our positive characteristics. The reason why we don’t achieve what we’re capable of is because we don’t believe that we’re inherently awesome. The second we wake up to this reality, the sooner we’ll achieve. The more we believe it, the more we’ll achieve. Goggins spits in the face of all that. His achievements stem from a more realistic (if not negative) view of self: he achieves because he feels like he isn’t worth anything and has yet to do something that justifies his existence. The reason we don’t achieve is because we’re lazy and we don’t want it bad enough. I found myself recommending this book out of the sheer absurdity of it all. David Goggins is actually crazy and I’m willing to bet so is anyone who is willing to settle down with him. I would never tell someone to ascribe to his philosophy, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think he has a point.

7. On Reading Well – Karen Swallow Prior

I had the privilege of hearing Prior speak on virtues at a conference earlier this year and knew instantly that I had to read her book. Book aside Prior is interesting to me. Not only was she a professor at Liberty University, but she’s also part of the Southern Baptist Convention and has ties to the Gospel Coalition. I’m ashamed to say it, but upon first learning this I judged her for it. Then she spoke and she won me over. I’ve had a mild interest in virtues for a while (even if my reading list hasn’t reflected it) and she broke them down in a way that made them accessible and practical. But more amazing is that she does so through the lens of classic literature. In her analysis, you understand not only understand virtue, but you also understand her as someone who loves books and reads them deeply. I don’t know if I would do well in her English class but I would have a blast learning from her.

8. Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng

That’s right! A fiction book has made the cut. Between this and American Marriage, I almost started a book club JUST so I could unpack this book with someone/anyone. As I wrote in my Goodreads review, if I was an English teacher, I’d assign this book. Ng doesn’t just tell the story of one or two characters but a whole town. There are so many threads running through the novel that by the end you see she’s woven a tapestry. While the story begins and ends with little fires everywhere that coalesce into a conflagration, really the title could be used to describe all the drama in this story: Little fires everywhere that ultimately become something great and all that’s left are ashes. Part of the suspense is that you as a reader know what’s happening while none of the characters get the full picture. Ng reminds me that while I may occasionally have an idea for a fictional story, I’m definitely not a fiction writer. Not like this.

9. Heavy – Kiese Laymon/Thick – Tressie McMillian Cottom

I know these are two different books about a host of different things, but I can’t bring myself to separate them. Both fit in that hard-hitting nonfiction/memoir/personal essay genre and I couldn’t recommend them strongly enough. Their titles work on multiple levels. Not only is Heavy a reference to weight but the subject matter itself is heavy. You don’t come away feeling triumphant or resolved. You come away feeling sobered by the brokenness of the world. Thick is the same. For a slim book, it’s dense. Jay-Z opens “Ignorant S***” by talking about how he gets hailed as the greatest rapper of all time when he raps about ratchet stuff but gets questioned all over again when he writes about conscious matters. He then tells the key to the song: he’s about to give you both in the same song. Cottom does the same in the intro. She pulls the biggest okey-doke by setting you up to believe you’re just in for another series of personal essays, but she’s every bit as scholarly as she is personal. She then proves it time and time again.

10. Creativity, Inc. – Ed Catmull

There is so much to love about this book. Not only is Catmull pulling back the curtain a bit on the success of Pixar and creative work culture, but he also does so by telling the story of animated movies that have shaped the past three decades. Time and time again, he’ll casually mention a movie or a person responsible for the development of a movie only for you to realize how absurd Pixar’s run has been. When discussed one after the other, you realize Pixar really is unmatched in the world of animated movies. The only people who come close are the ones directly connected to them.

Honorable Mentions of the Honorable Mentions (yes, because this year’s reading list was just that good. Any one of these could’ve been honorable mentions, which is to say any of them could have been in the top five):

11. Team of Rivals – Doris Kearns Goodwin
12. The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
13. This Will Be My Undoing – Morgan Jerkins
14. A Black Theology of Liberation – James Cone
15. Insight – Tasha Eurich

*Initial List consisted of Becoming, The Locust Effect, The New Jim Crow, Educated, and Destiny of the Republic as top reads, Go Ahead in the Rain, Creativity, Inc., Insight, Heavy/Thick, and A Black Theology of Liberation as honorable mentions, and This Will Be My Undoing, Little Fires Everywhere, Team of Rivals, Can’t Hurt Me, and On Reading Well as Honorable, Honorable Mentions.

Full List (asterisks for audiobooks):

January

1. Feminism is for Everybody* – bell hooks
2. The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
3. The Cross and the Switchblade* – David Wilkerson
4. Immeasurable – Skye Jethani
5. Heavy* – Kiese Laymon
6. Everybody Always* – Bob Goff
7. Sacred Fire – Ronald Rolheiser
8. Mating in Captivity* – Esther Perel
9. The Dark Night of the Soul – Gerald G. May
10. Carve the Mark* – Veronica Roth
11. Mindset – Carol Dweck
12. The Supremacy of God in Preaching – John Piper

February

13. How To Fight a Hydra – Josh Kaufman
14. Becoming* – Michelle Obama
15. Dare to Lead – Brene Brown
16. Their Eyes Were Watching God* – Zora Neale Hurston
17. White Rage* – Carol Anderson
18. Life Together* – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
19. The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
20. Stamped from the Beginning* – Ibram X. Kendi
21. A Black Theology of Liberation – James Cone
22. The Culture Code – Daniel Coyle
23. Yellow Crocus* – Laila Ibrahim

March

24. Reviving the Black Church – Thabiti Anyabwile
25. Changeling* – Molly Harper
26. The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen – Lisa Gungor
27. On The Come Up* – Angie Thomas
28. Thick* – Tressie McMillan Cottom
29. When They Call You a Terrorist – Patrisse Khan-Cullors
30. A New Model – Ashley Graham
31. Thriving Through Ministry Conflict – James Osterhaus
32. The Very Good Gospel – Lisa Sharon Harper
33. Power of TED* – David Emerald
34. The Fates Divide* – Veronica Roth
35. Sisters in the Wilderness – Delores S. Williams

April

36. Sex, Jesus, and Conversations the Church Forgot – Mo Isom
37. The Coddling of the American Mind* – Jonathan Haidt
38. Team of Teams* – General Stanley McCrystal
39. Monday’s Not Coming* – Tiffany Jackson
40. The Locust Effect – Gary Haugen
41. The Color of Compromise* – Jemar Tisby
42. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
43. Sing Unburied Sing* – Jesmyn Ward
44. Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins
45. Road to Character* – David Brooks
46. Breakfast at Tiffany’s* – Truman Capote

May

47. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership – Ronald Heifetz and Martin Linsky
48. Principles* – Ray Dalio
49. Insight – Tasha Eurich
50. A More Beautiful Question* – Warren Berger
51. A Tale of Three Kings* – Gene Edwards
52. Canoeing the Mountains* – Tod Bolsinger
53. LeadershipNext – Eddie Gibbs
54. Dreams from my Father* – Barack Obama
55. Good Leaders Ask Great Questions* – John C. Maxwell
56. An American Marriage* – Tayari Jones
57. A Failure of Nerve – Edward Friedman

June

58. Petty* – Warren Zanes
59. I Will Find You* – Joe Kenda
60. Multipliers – Liz Wiseman
61. The Righteous Mind* – Jonathan Haidt
62. Mujerista Theology – Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz
63. 5Q – Alan Hirsh
64. Team of Rivals* – Doris Kearns Goodwin
65. On Reading Well – Karen Swallow Prior
66. The Run of His Life* – Jeffery Toobin
67. Unbelievable – Katy Tur

July

68. The Alter Ego Effect – Todd Herman
69. Humilitas – John Dickson
70. Destiny of the Republic* – Candice Millard
71. Insider Outsider – Bryan Lorritts
72. River of Doubt* – Candice Millard
73. Notorious RBG* – Irin Carmon
74. Attributes of God – A.W. Pink
75. Little Fires Everywhere* – Celeste Ng

August

76. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker* – Damon Young
77. Leadershift – John C. Maxwell
78. Born a Crime* – Trevor Noah
79. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth – Gordon Fee
80. Educated* – Tara Westover
81. The Wounded Healer – Henri J.M. Nouwen
82. Drive* – Daniel Pink
83. You and Me Forever* – Francis Chan
84. Building a StoryBrand – Donald Miller
85. A Praying Life* – Paul Miller
86. Liquid Rules* – Mark Miodownik

September

87. Integrity – Henry Cloud
88. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark* – Michelle McNamara
89. The Sun Does Shine* – Anthony Ray Hinton
90. Creativity, Inc. – Ed Catmull
91. Chop Wood, Carry Water* – Joshua Medcalf
92. How to be a Woman* – Caitlin Moran
93. This Will Be My Undoing – Morgan Jerkins
94. The Road to Jonestown* – Jeff Guinn
95. White Fragility* – Robin DiAngelo
96. The Next Right Thing – Emily Freeman
97. Transforming Church – Kevin Ford

October

98. The Dichotomy of Leadership* – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
99. Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
100. Where the Crawdads Sing* – Delia Owens
101. Microchurches – Brian Sanders
102. The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
103. Grace, Actually – Grace Sandra
104. The Bully Pulpit* – Doris Kearns Goodwin

November

105. They Both Die at the End* – Adam Silvera
106. Hillbilly Elegy* – JD Vance
107. Sticky Teams* – Larry Osborne
108. That’s What She Said* – Joanne Lipman
109. Call to Commitment – Elizabeth O’Connor
110. Go Ahead in the Rain* – Hanif Abdurraqib
111. Eloquent Rage* – Brittney Cooper
112. Rescuing the Gospel from Cowboys – Richard Twiss

December

113. Inheritance – Dani Shapiro*
114. Unmasking Narcissism – Mark Ettensohn
115. Embrace – Leroy Barber

For the longest time, I wanted to read 60 books in a year. The rationale being that both Stephen King and Bill Gates read that amount. It wasn’t until last year, though, I finally did it. Despite feeling somewhat accomplished, I mostly felt indifferent. Sixty was a good goal, but I still came away feeling like I hadn’t even scratched the surface.

Going into 2018, I don’t know if I set a reading goal for myself. Maybe I thought 100 books would be cool. I wondered to myself if I read a hundred books in a year, would I finally get to the end of my ever-expanding “to read” list. After reading/listening to 122 books for the year, I can confidently say the answer is no. Although, it does help.

A couple things happen when you read/listen to over a hundred books in a year. First, you become a lot more relaxed about your reading list. When you read 60 books a year, or five books a month, you feel like you have to be selective. Every book takes time, so you pick them wisely. When you’re at a hundred, there’s a sense that no matter how many books are on the docket you’ll eventually get to them. Second, almost everything reminds you of some book you’ve read. You almost can’t help but reference something you’re reading. Because that’s practically a different book every few days, every time you talk to someone, you’re more than likely mentioning a different book. You get self-conscious.

What I will say is that I feel like my reading list this past year was more diverse than any year prior. I read/listened 20 works of fiction, 37 books by women (still little in comparison to the total number), roughly 36 were Christian books. I constantly found myself shocked by the experiences of others and yet it was those books on subjects I knew nothing about I found myself most enjoying. Of the 122, 49 were audiobooks. I still physically read more than I listened to, but the dramatic leap between 63 and 122 can be attributed to their introduction. I’ve placed asterisks by the audiobooks in the event some people feel audiobooks don’t count.

I don’t know if I plan on reading the same amount next year. As great as it is to read this much, you can’t do it without giving up other things. I didn’t listen to nearly as much music this year, and now I have a list of albums I’ve been meaning to check out. On top of that, because books went so quickly, I didn’t do a great job at making notes of what I took away from them. The result is that if you ask me about any given book, chances are I don’t remember a single thing from it.

But now that I’ve written a 500-word caveat to favorite books from this year, without further ado, my top five (really, 6) with another five (really, 6) honorable mentions, in no particular order:

1. Bad Feminist/Hunger– Roxane Gay

 

I knew from the moment I read/listened to Bad Feminist that no other book was going to come close. As much as I love James Baldwin, I don’t know if there’s ever been a writer who has absolutely leveled me like Roxane Gay. Between her story and her literary/cultural criticism, I don’t know if there’s a more important writer in our time at this time. As a married Christian, cisgender, heterosexual male who’s never dealt with body issues or sexual trauma, I don’t think our experiences could be any more different, and that’s what made her work so jarring. She left me with more questions than answers and yet she made me a better person. I include Hunger because leaving it off doesn’t feel right. I honestly can’t recommend her enough. Special shout out to Nikki Siverson, Stephanie Selander, and Hannah Cole who all told me to read her.

2. Life in Motion –Misty Copeland

This book is on the list because of the sheer surprise of it. I know of Misty Copeland, but I’ve never really followed her story. For her to tell it and for us to get an inside look at her life is a gift. Her story is almost a fairytale, and you can’t help but be enchanted the entire way through.

3. The Architecture of Happiness – Alain De Botton

What do our buildings and architecture say about us? How do they represent us while simultaneously evoking a mood? What’s the difference between architecture and engineering? For the last couple of years, I’ve had a cursory interest in architecture and architectural features, but Botton gets philosophical here and waxes poetic about it in a way that’s sweeping. I only wish I remembered more from it. Once again, one of those books that took me by surprise.

4. The Myth of a Christian Nation – Greg Boyd

With all the conflict surrounding the last election, I was forced to think about the role of faith in politics. Greg Boyd says a lot of what I was thinking with some sharper criticism towards America and how nationalism has infected our faith. Perhaps it’s too simplistic and repetitive at times, but it’s still poignant nonetheless. He doesn’t give you the easy answers but forces you to ask bigger questions surrounding values and beliefs. Really interesting to read alongside Chuck Colson’s God and Government.

5. The Magic of Thinking Big – David Schwartz

The older I get, the more I realize just how much work I have to do regarding my mentality. There are things we learn in our youth that allow us to survive and do well that stop being helpful as we enter adulthood. This book gave me some tools and insights to come back to when I’m tended to shrink away from being the person that God’s called me to be. Credit goes to my wife for this recommendation.

Honorable Mentions (really, any of these could be put in the top five):

6. Lean In/Option B – Sheryl Sandberg

 

Similar to Roxane Gay, as much as I’m thinking and talking about Option B, it doesn’t feel right not mentioning Lean In. I read Lean In because it felt like I couldn’t escape it. Everywhere I went, someone was talking about it or referencing it. Now I see why. Lean In gave me tons to think about regarding working with women (namely, how to recognize, empower, and develop women under my leadership). It made me think about my relationship with my wife and how I can be the kind of husband that not only encourages my wife to lean in but does so without feeling inferior. Option B, on the other hand, gutted me differently. It wasn’t the first time I thought about death before, but it might’ve been the first time I thought about how my death would affect those I’d leave behind (mainly my wife and kids). In both cases, I was grateful for Sandberg’s heroic candor. I like to believe she, also, made me a more compassionate person. Shout out to Karol Coyne for the recommendation.

7. Originals – Adam Grant

Occasionally I come across books that both propel me forward while beckoning me to slow down and take it in. Adam Grant’s Originals was one of those books. It felt important as I listened to it, and all I wanted was to grab it and take into myself. Eventually, I’m going to go back through this book and write on its implications for the church. I realize that says nothing about what this book is about. Sue me.

8. Love Does – Bob Goff

Bob Goff is one of those people you’re just grateful exists. That he shares the same plane of existence with you and that you’re alive at the same time is an added benefit. He challenges you to re-evaluate the way you think about faith. He dares you to be more imaginative and, in the process, you find yourself coming alive in an unexpected way. Can walking with Jesus really be that fun? Really be that much of an adventure?

9. Strong and Weak– Andy Crouch

 

I’m pretty sure if there were ever such a thing as doing an inductive study on a 2×2, this would be it. Crouch, from my experience, is one of those guys who comes off incredibly smart and whenever you recite his ideas, you sound, if not feel, smarter. However, the difference between this and something like Culture Making (which I believe made my list a couple years ago) is that this feels a bit more important. Culture Making carried implications, to be sure, but Strong and Weak changes everything. It feels less cerebral and more immediate. The paradox of strength and vulnerability in leadership. So good. Shout out to my wife and Brian Sanders for the recommendation.

10. The Warmth of Other Suns –Isabelle Wilkerson

My mom was born and raised in Louisiana but moved to California sometime in the ’80s. Though she wasn’t part of “The Great Migration”, The Warmth of Other Suns caused me to reflect on my mother’s story. What I loved here, aside from the brilliant storytelling, is the way Wilkerson doesn’t just wrap these stories up with a bow. Instead, we see how the migration from the South to the North, and West, gave just as much as it took from Black Americans. We gain a deeper understanding of just how bad the South had to be for such a mass exodus to occur. But make no mistake: the storytelling here is brilliant. Although I don’t think she and I are related, I’ll gladly take any sort of familial association she’s willing to grant me.

 

Wow. That was a lot. Now you see why I only blog once a year.

My complete list:

January

1. Turtles All the Way Down – John Green*
2. How to Be Here – Rob Bell
3. Prayer – Timothy Keller
4. The White Album – Joan Didion*
5. The Liturgy of the Ordinary – Tish Harrison Warren
6. Called – Mark Labberton
7. Recapturing the Wonder – Mike Cosper
8. Beneath a Scarlet Sky – Mark Sullivan*
9. Opening to God – David Benner
10. Orphan Train – Christina Baker Kline*
11. Garden City – John Mark Comer
12. The Deeper Journey – M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

February

13. Bad Feminist – Roxane Gay*
14. Tears We Cannot Stop – Michael Eric Dyson
15. Leadership and Self-Deception – The Harbinger Institute*
16. Fatal Fix – Graham Morse
17. This is Water – David Foster Wallace
18. Life in Motion – Misty Copeland
19. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley*
20. We Were Eight Years in Power – Ta-Nehisi Coates
21. The Magic of Thinking Big* – David Schwartz
22. Assata – Assata Shakur
23. We Should All BeFeminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
24. Jesus and the Disinherited – Howard Thurman

March

25. Surprise the World – Michael Frost
26. Dying – Cory Taylor
27. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood*
28. Shrill – Lindy West
29. Sacred Rhythms – Ruth Haley Barton
30. Tranny – Laura Jane Grace
31. Accidental Saints – Nadia Bolz-Weber
32. Scores – Michael Blutrich*
33. Underground Church – Brian Sanders
34. Hunger – Roxane Gay*
35. Walking on Water – Madeline L’Engle

April

36. Everything Happens for a Reason – Kate Bowler
37. Union with Christ – Rankin Wilbourne
38. Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
39. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien*
40. Your Best Year Ever – Michael Hyatt*
41. The Power of Positive Leadership – Jon Gordon
42. Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin*
43. Deep Work – Cal Newport
44. The Architecture of Happiness – Alain De Botton
45. Get Well Soon – Jennifer Wright*
46. Hidden Figures – Margot Lee Shetterly*
47. Prayer – Phillip Yancey

May

48. What the F – Benjamin Bergen*
49. The Innovator’s Mindset – George Couros
50. The Ten Faces of Innovation – Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman
51. Unf—k Yourself – Gary John Bishop
52. The Success Principles – Jack Canfield*
53. The Effective Executive – Peter Drucker
54. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

June

55. Forgotten God – Francis Chan
56. The Warmth of Other Suns – Isabelle Wilkerson*
57. Braving the Wilderness – Brené Brown
58. The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas*
59. The Great Divorce – C.S. Lewis
60. The Leadership Lessons of Jesus – Bob Briner and Ray Pritchard
61. The Training of the Twelve – A.B. Bruce
62. Heroic Leadership – Chris Lowney
63. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – Neil Degrasse Tyson
64. A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela*

July

65. Emboldened – Tara Beth Leach
66. The Radical Pursuit of Rest – John Koessler
67. I’m Still Here – Austin Channing Tatum*
68. Anxious – Amy Simpson
69. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy*
70. Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg
71. The Myth of a Christian Nation – Greg Boyd*
72. God and Government – Chuck Colson
73. Start Something That Matters – Blake Mycoskie
74. Boundaries – Henry Cloud and John Townsend*

August

75. The Art of Social Enterprise – Carl Frankel and Allan Bromberger
76. White Awake – Daniel Hill*
77. Strong and Weak – Andy Crouch*
78. The Gospel of the Kingdom – George Eldon Ladd
79. Shepherds – Daniel Fredericks
80. A River in Darkness – Masaji Ishikawa*
81. Letters to Malcolm – C.S. Lewis
82. The Sky Below – Scott Parazynski*
83. Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss*
84. Capital Gaines – Chip Gaines*
85. Servant Leadership – Robert Greenleaf

September

86. Love Does – Bob Goff*
87. Option B – Sheryl Sandberg*
88. The Lost City of the Monkey God – Douglas Preston
89. The Order of Time – Carlo Rovelli
90. It Ended Badly – Jennifer Wright*
91. If I Can’t Have You – Greg Olsen*
92. So You Want to Talk about Race – Ijeoma Oluo*
93. Disruptive Discipleship – Sam Van Eman
94. The Coaching Habit – Michael Bungay Stanier
95. When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi*
96. Emma – Jane Austen*

October

97. Let Your Life Speak – Parker Palmer
98. The Road Back to You – Ian Morgan Cron
99. The Attentive Life – Leighton Ford
100. Originals – Adam Grant*
101. Raise Your Voice – Kathy Khang
102. Sacred Enneagram – Christopher Heuertz
103. Hit Makers – Derek Thompson
104. Helter Skelter – Vincent Bugliosi*
105. Present Over Perfect – Shauna Niequist*
106. Strengths-Based Leadership – Tom Rath

November

107. Beyond Belief – Jenna Miscavige Hill*
108. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing – Hank Green*
109. Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Patterson*
110. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
111. The Leadership Triangle – Kevin Ford and Ken Tucker
112. The Witness Wore Red – Rebecca Musser*
113. My Struggle, Book 5 – Karl Ove Knausgaard
114. Everything Everything – Nicola Yoon*
115. 13 Reasons Why – Jay Asher*
116. Conscious Business – Fred Kofman

December

117. The Blood of Emmitt Till – Timothy Tyson
118. Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie*
119. Letters to a Diminished Church – Dorothy Sayers
120. Made to Stick – Chip Heath and Dan Heath*
121. Breaking Miss Lovely – Tony Ortega
122. Let Justice Roll Down – John M. Perkins

For the past six years or so, my goal has been to read 60 books a year. Reason being that Stephen King in On Writing said he reads 60 books a year. I figured if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me. After nearly hitting it last year, I finally did it. Sixty-two books for the year.

Looking over the list, I realize just how little fiction I read. Despite reading nine more books than last year, I read half the amount of fiction. My creative nonfiction numbers, however, nearly doubled. Looking at the list in order, you can see themes in my reading. There’s quite a bit on calling, leadership development, and spiritual gifts. I think my struggle to read fiction came from a deep desire to learn about those subjects. But now I wonder if it came at the expense of closing off my imagination. Hopefully in 2018 that’ll change.

At the risk of being late to the party, here are my top five reads from the year (in no particular order).

1. ­The Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri Nouwen

I don’t know if I have a favorite author but Nouwen has to be somewhere near the top of the list. His ability to name what’s going on inside at some subterranean level isn’t just good. It’s downright terrifying. This is Nouwen at his best: simple yet deep, honest in a way you’re afraid to be, and beautiful.

2. The Holy Longing – Ronald Rolheiser

There are a couple reasons Rolheiser makes the list. First, because the season I read it in. This past year was a huge one in terms of discerning calling and fighting restlessness. This book forced me to recognize that the grass isn’t greener on the other side. At our core, we are unsatisfied creatures who occasionally experience moments of satisfaction. Not the other way around. Second, because it was just so outside my usual authors. Rolheiser is Catholic. There’s an air of mysticism that I found refreshing. He reminded me of C.S. Lewis in the way he communicates profound truths in beautiful images I never would’ve thought of. This is supposedly first in a trilogy. I hope to read the others in the coming year.

3. The ONE Thing – Gary Keller

“What’s the ONE thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be either easier or unnecessary?”

Simple in language and engaging in its delivery, this book singlehandedly changed the way I view and/or approach my life. It gave me language for my own personal productivity. For weeks after, I couldn’t even attempt multi-tasking without feeling guilty. It was one of the few, if not the only personal development books I read this past year that didn’t feel longer than it needed to be. You could read the spark notes, but why would you?

4. Autobiography of Malcom X – Malcolm X and Alex Haley

Absolutely sweeping. For most of my upbringing Malcolm X has been an enigmatic, if not polarizing figure. Though we always associate him with Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s MLK who gets the national holiday, the statues, and the streets named after him. Malcolm X always felt like second best (perhaps because history is written by the winners). This book not only showed me the span of a life, it changed my whole perspective on Malcom X. I found his critiques of the overall civil rights movement and the Christian church poignant. He may not have been a Christian but he was definitely a prophetic voice. I have a whole new respect for him.

5. Surprised by the Power of the Spirit – Jack Deere

This almost didn’t make the list. But if I’m going with books that changed me in some way, then this book has to be included. This book challenged me to expect more from my life with God than I currently do. It gave me a deeper hunger and thirst to hear His voice. It made me want to create more space for the Holy Spirit within my ministry. It opened my eyes to what it means to eagerly desire the spiritual gifts. One of those books where I walked away knowing I couldn’t return to life as normal without in some way incriminating myself.

Full List:

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
2. Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
3. My Struggle (Book 3) – Karl Ove Knausgaard
4. Sticky Church – Larry Osborne
5. My Struggle (Book 4) – Karl Ove Knausgaard
6. Divided by Faith – Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson
7. I Ain’t Coming Back – Dolphus Weary
8. Walden – Henry David Thoreau
9. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
10. The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcom X with Alex Haley
11. Spiritual Equipping for Mission – Ryan Shaw
12. Slow Kingdom Coming – Kent Annan
13. Beauty – Roger Scruton
14. Strengthsfinder 2.0 – Tom Rath
15. The Elements of Speechwriting and Public Speaking – Jeff Scott Cook
16. The Challenge of Jesus – N.T. Wright
17. Living with a Creative Mind – Jeff and Julia Crabtree
18. The Lost World of Adam and Eve – John H. Walton
19. How Should We Then Live? – Francis Schaeffer
20. Has Anyone Seen My Pants? – Sarah Colonna
21. The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis
22. The Gift of Being Yourself – David Benner
23. What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do – David Jeremiah
24. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C. Maxwell
25. Brimstone – Hugh Halter
26. Good to Great – Bob Collins
27. The Slight Edge – Jeff Olson
28. The Listening Life – Adam S. McHugh
29. A Fellowship of Differents – Scot McKnight
30. The Go-Giver – Bob Burg and John David Mann
31. The ONE Thing – Gary Keller
32. Getting Things Done – David Allen
33. Courage & Calling – Gordon T. Smith
34. Grit – Angela Duckworth
35. The Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri J.M. Nouwen
36. Zero to One – Peter Thiel
37. Start with Why – Simon Sinek
38. If You Feel Too Much – Jamie Tworkoski
39. The Sacred Journey – Frederick Buechner
40. Chasing Excellence – Ben Bergeron
41. Now and Then – Frederick Buechner
42. The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
43. Let Your Life Speak – Parker Palmer
44. Rising Strong – Brene Brown
45. Telling Secrets – Frederick Buechner
46. The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
47. The Language of God – Francis Collins
48. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist – Norman L. Geiser and Frank Turek
49. Miracles – Eric Metaxas
50. Simply Christian – N.T. Wright
51. The Last Arrow – Erwin McManus
52. Run with the Horses – Eugene Peterson
53. Surprised by the Power of the Spirit – Jack Deere
54. Surprised by the Voice of God – Jack Deere
55. The Holy Longing – Ronald Rolheiser
56. Leaving Church – Barbara Brown Taylor
57. Drown – Junot Diaz
58. Out of the Silent Planet – C.S. Lewis
59. Practicing the Power – Sam Storms
60. Autumn – Karl Ove Knausgaard
61. Called to Create – Jordan Raynor
62. Perelandra – C.S. Lewis

 

It’s about that time of the year again when I emerge from my hobbit hole just long enough to share with you my top books from this past year. Upon reflection, 2016 wasn’t that great of a reading year for me. Even as I survey the list I have a hard time remembering what some of them were about or why I even read them. Some of that had to do with the books I read, some of that had to do with the nature of the year.

Unlike years prior, I didn’t set a reading goal. I just kind of went for it. I was reading on average about five books a month up until I got in August and then it all kind of tanked. Still not clear why. Still, I managed to sneak in some books in December to help get me to 53 (well, 54 if you include the CrossFit Level 1 Training Manual which was 225 pages). Of the 53, sixteen were non-religious reads, 36 were religious. Fourteen fiction. Roughly seven literary nonfiction.

A word before I dive in: as much as I disagree with this division when it comes to life, typically when I make this list I break it down into two categories; religious and nonreligious books. When I first started this, it was a way of ensuring my secular reads got some attention – and ensuring I was reading secular things in the first place – but this year it felt the secular books outshone the religious books in terms of quality. Next year, I might not divide them up and let every book fend for themselves. Anyway, here are my top five from each category.

Of course, there’s something to be said about timing and applicability of the book to my state at the time of reading.

Non-Religious Reads:

Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson

This book won’t break your heart. It will shatter it. I don’t know if a book has ever made me cry but I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes almost every chapter. I never really was an advocate for the death penalty but this book took it to a whole different level. I can’t recommend this one strongly enough.

Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates

Like Stevenson, Coates leveled me. Writing to his son who is becoming aware of racial inequality in America, Coates gave voice to what I felt but at times wondered if I was crazy for arguing. A bit nihilistic and pessimistic in tone, but that’s largely a product of Coates’ worldview. Still, if I could memorize any book from start to finish, it would be this one.

The Art of Asking – Amanda Palmer

Call me a musical heretic but I never was big on The Dresden Dolls. This book matches Palmer’s lyricism: inflated, overblown and yet winsome for that exact reason. If I recall correctly, there are no chapters, just sections. Much like the cover, she stands naked before us; sharing deeply and vulnerably from her story. While you may feel uncomfortable at times, you can’t help but let her into your heart.

Big Magic – Elizabeth Gilbert

Every once in a while, you need that one person that tells us to go for it. Gilbert is that person. The temptation with creativity is to make it an elitist’s activity. Gilbert gives you permission to create because you love it, regardless whether or not you’re good at it. She gives you permission to fall in love with the process.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – JK Rowling

Rowling could’ve sold me a blank book and it still would’ve made the list. While critics might have issues with the story, the book’s nostalgia factor alone makes it a winner. How could I not grin from ear to ear watching the friendship between Albus Severus and Scorpius develop? How could I not swoon as memories of Hogwarts came flooding back? Harry as a father struggling to get it right? Perfect. It was a book I didn’t want to read fast and yet couldn’t help it.

 Religious Books:

 

The Final Battle – C.S. Lewis

Right when I thought 2016 was a total wash, I started The Final Battle and instantly had to recant. This book reminded me of everything I loved about fiction. Both tragic and heartwarming, Lewis has a unique ability to stir deeper theological questions through literature. An extremely satisfying end to a wonderful series.

In Name Only – Eddie Gibbs

 This very well might’ve been the single most important book I read this past year. Here, Gibbs tackles the topic of nominal Christianity and the problems inherent within it. As I operate in the Caribbean where Christianity is engrained in the culture, this book gave name to a lot of things I’d been noticing but couldn’t quite describe. Not to mention it’s one of the only books out there on nominalism – or nominality as he would call it. I’d be interested in him updating this.

Teach Us to Want – Jen Pollock Michel

Michel wins because of sheer surprise. I honestly had no idea what to expect with this read and, in fact, I almost skipped on it because I thought it might’ve been a book for women (chauvinist confession). But Michel highlights that to want is to be human, the real battle is to replace our desire for small things for a desire for better things. This book rocked my world first because the subject matter, then because how well-written it was and lastly because it showed me a lot about a secret attitude I had towards female writers.

The Call – Os Guinness

There’s a reason why this is a classic. Guinness walks us through the different facets of calling, remembering that we can’t speak of calling without talking about the caller. This book is filled with gems from start to finish.

The Art of Dying – Rob Moll

With a title like that, how could I NOT pick this? The premise is an interesting one: we, as a people, have never had more time to prepare for our deaths and yet we’ve never been worse at it. We cling so tightly to life we’ve lost the spiritual art of dying well, demonstrating faith in the midst of it. This book made me simultaneously less and more afraid of death than I’ve ever been.

Honorable Mention(s):

Beautiful Feet – Jessica Leep Fick

I actually met Fick in Indonesia right as I was starting her book. While this book is about women in evangelism, I felt it was important for me to read and understand. There are problems women encounter that I will never know about or have to worry about because they’re not part of my reality. The first few chapters alone are worth the book. More than just being the female counterpart to Beau Crosetto’s Beyond Awkward, this book stands strong on its own.

How to Survive a Shipwreck – Jonathan Martin

 Honestly, this book probably would’ve made it in the top ten if it didn’t take me so long to read it. Not because the book was long or bad, I just was lackadaisical in reading it. Martin does what a lot of Christian authors don’t do in these books: writes the truth in ways that are transformative instead of simply transactional. Only thing was, I kept wondering what the heck was the shipwreck in his life he kept referring to. The man left his church, eventually got divorced, but I have no idea what triggered it.

Start Something New – Beth Booram

What if the dreams you have aren’t bad, but are actually God given? Booram takes us through first understanding the dreams that are inside of us then walks us through the realizing of these dreams and what happens when they die. Interesting concept.

Full List:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Primal Fire, Just Mercy, Between the World and Me, Journaling as a Spiritual Practice, Soul Keeping, Prophetic Lament, Scary Close, The Furious Longing of God, The Spiritual Life, The Art of Asking, The Gift of Imperfection, My Horizontal Life (don’t ask), Invitations from God, Start Something New, Changing Faith, Big Magic, Jesus Behaving Badly, True story, The Leadership Ellipse, The Art of Dying, Theology Questions Everyone Asks, Slow Church, Percy Jackson 1-5, The Call, The Eclipse of Faith, Searching for God Knows What, The Weight of Glory, Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness, Ordinary, Teach Us To Want, Turn My Mourning into Dancing, My Struggle 1 & 2, House of Olympus 1: The Lost Hero, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, In Name Only, Beautiful Feet, Chronicles of Narnia 2-7, Falling Upward, How to Survive a Shipwreck, Zeal without Burnout, True Friendship, Roadmap to Reconciliation.