I never meant for this blog to become a twice a year or sometimes more thing, but that is what it has become unfortunately. So in that spirit, I thought I’d give you a couple of things I have enjoyed in 2023 as well as some things I’m looking forward to the rest of this year. Here we go!

Books

Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools – Tyler Staton – The challenge I find when I read books on prayer is that they either make me feel guilty, like I’m not doing enough or they don’t give any practical advice when it comes to prayer. This book does neither (although I still felt a little guilty). Tyler Staton represents 24/7 Prayer and I found the practices in this books as well as a couple of others I’ve read in recent years very helpful to my own practice of prayer. Additionally, I was encouraged by his writing to how prayer changes things in his own life and in the lives of others. If you are looking for a book on prayer, this is one to pick up.

The Hobbit (Audible) – J.R.R Tolkien – I’ve read the Hobbit before. It’s been years and I didn’t remember much of it, but what made this time through that much more enjoyable was listening to it. But it gets even better. How about listening to it, read by Andy Serkis. Yes, the same Andy Serkis who plays Gollum in LOTR. But just in case you are thinking, “Oh, ok, that’s a short chapter in the book,” let me encourage you that the voices he does for the other characters are excellent as well! And if you don’t want to use one of those 75 credits you have on Audible or pay for it, you can find it on Overdrive or Hoopla for free.

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms – Justin Whitmel Earley – Another set of books that generally have me feeling pretty guilty are ones around family or raising your children in a “Christian” way. Like the “never-measure-up” suggestions in prayer books, sometimes books on raising kids also give similar advice. It just seems a little to unreasonable to throw my TV out till my kids are 12 (here’s looking at you Andy Crouch). Habits of the Household did not offer suggestions that seemed impossible to implement, but rather focused on how habits can be carried forward into your home. At the time I partnered reading (listening) to this one with Atomic Habits which offered a nice supplement to the reading in this book. If we form individual habits and those habits can shape us, how can we also form family habits that shape our entire family? That is the question asked in this book. This book is both practical and gives attainable advice that I’ve begun using in my own home.

Podcasts

The Bulletin – Hosted my Mike Cosper and Russel Moore, this podcast focuses on the events and issues of the day. Since I gave up The Briefing ( I just couldn’t do it anymore), this podcast has helped me to look at news and events of each week from a Christian worldview (see what I did there). What I like about this podcast is that both Cosper and Moore have a sense of humor, which can be rare in Christian circles. Both hosts are insightful and bring in additionally insightful guests when they are more unfamiliar with the topic at hand. And as previously stated in another blog, I’ll listen to mostly anything Russel Moore is on.

Rule of Life by Practicing the Way – I’ve recently (I guess since last year) done a deep dive into books on spiritual disciplines and this podcast is one of the reasons. Hosted by John Mark Comer and a number of other people, this podcast is divided into seasons of 4 to 6 episodes focusing on one of the spiritual disciplines. What I’ve enjoyed most about these episodes is that they are conversational and explore the disciplines by looking at them both biblically and practically. The disciplines are often seen as beneficial only to our spiritual lives but this podcast also spends some substantial time talking about their holistic benefit in our lives.

Music

Live From Atlanta – Ben Rector – I’ve been a fan of Ben Rector for a while. His first album was played at our wedding and I’ve loved every album since. And yet, I’m not a huge fan of live albums. Something about the crowd singing can make me cringe, and let’s be honest, some musicians are not vocally great. I wasn’t expecting much when I started listening, but since its release I haven’t stopped listening. There’s a combination of some new and some old, Ben sounds great, and then there are some songs that have definitely been changed for the live album/tour. It leaves me excited to hear him in October when he comes to St. Louis.

The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) – Switchfoot – Yes, they are still making music. Even if it is a complete re-record of an album from 2003. Listening to this album is a hit of nostalgia, which is probably why I love it so much! There are a couple of changes from the original, including lyric changes on “Gone,” but Jon Forman’s voice sounds a good as ever and the subtle changes make this album a good listen distinguishing it enough from the original.

Coco Moon – Owl City – I’ll admit. I was really reluctant to listen to this album. I did not like his previous album, “Cinematic” at all and I long for the days of “Ocean Eyes” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” But this album was much better than I expected it to be. It was a return (closer) to those albums I loved. Standouts for me are “Adam, Check Please,” “Son’s of Thunder,” and “The Tornado.”

What I’m Looking Forward To:

Holiday season – Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which for me marks the beginning of the holiday season. None of that Christmas music before Thanksgiving kind of thing. But, the holiday season always brings a sense of nostalgia, as well as anticipation, as I am sure it does for many other people.

2024 – it might seem cliché to say that I am looking forward to 2024, but I really can say that I am excited for it! With a new year comes new goals, new experiences, and a lot of unknown. Typically the unknown has been quite scary for me, but as I have seen God’s goodness and kindness and faithfulness in many many things, not just this year, but in the rest of my life, 2024 presents more opportunities for God to show His goodness, His kindness, and His faithfulness to me.