Happy New Year! Below find my year in books for 2023.
But bear with me for a moment...
You will find on my list books by both Kevin Deyoung and Douglas Wilson. I have great respect for both men for different reasons. I read both men quite a bit. Both men have had significant impact on the way I see the world (Wilson on all things family related; Deyoung on pretty much everything else). On the other hand, both men have personal associations that give me great pause. That makes for a level playing field. So when Deyoung posted his Moscow Mood, he did an outstanding job addressing some of my own concerns. BUT, as Proverbs reminds us, one man seems right until another questions him, and, sure enough, Wilson stated his own case convincingly. Deyoung is right; Wilson should watch his language. Wilson is right; no one will come to the table. While Deyoung and Company have a world-class cancel culture going on regarding anyone in Moscow, it was Wilson who earned the respect, the friendship, and at the end of his life, the confidence of atheist Christopher Hitchens. From where I sit, it looks like Deyoung's camp is good at looking good but Wilson is good at doing good. (See, Kevin, I can do mic drops, too.)
As a believer in Proverbs 18:17 AND as a long-time debate mom, I know how this (should) work. Deyoung stated his case. We'll call it the Affirmative Constructive. Then Wilson gave the Negative Constructive. What is supposed to happen next is that Deyoung gets to rebut. Let's call that the Affirmative Refutation. Wilson, likewise, gets a Negative Refutation. Ideally, each would also get an opportunity to ask clarifying questions of each other in a time of Cross-Examination. Then we, the Church, at this point now as fully informed of each position as we can be, get to decide which way each argument flows. (But Deyoung doesn't just get to shrug his shoulders whimsically in a golly-gee-I-didn't-mean-to-stir-anything-up posture. I can't decide if he is coming off as weak or aloof.) Mic drops don't help the Church grow in Unity or Truth; they just sharpen the splinter. I look forward to both men seeing this through. The Church today needs both men. Meanwhile, I will continue to read books by both Deyoung and Wilson.
And now, my reads.
How to Thrive as a Pastor's Wife by Christine Hoover. Sigh. The pastor's wife is not the head of women's ministry. The pastor's wife is not a co-pastor. The pastor's wife is...hang onto your hats...the wife of the pastor. She is her husband's secret service agent who sees the threats while he sees the opportunities. She wears the sunglasses and the wire and watches the calendar, the clock, and the congregation with obnoxious precision. She steps in: Sir, we need to get you into the car now. Where is THAT book on pastors' wives? It's called Don't Let the Door Hit Ya Where the Good Lord Split Ya: A Pastor's Wife's Perspective. That's the book I want to read. Don't make me write it.
The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien. Because Tolkien.
Things of Earth by Joe Rigney. Sweet reminder of the blessings of the mundane. Common grace. And pumpkin crunch cake. Really great book.
Death by Living by ND Wilson. Good, but not as good as Tilt-a-Whirl. :)
After the War by Carol Matas. The Jews' problems did not end just because the Holocaust did. So sad.
Authentic Ministry by Michael Reeves
Building Her House by Nancy Wilson
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King
The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien. Can I just say that the denouement is the most important part of this whole story? I have read this many times, but this was the first time I cried.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Sohlzenitzyn Who would have thought that a book about the Gulag would give a reader so much encouragement to bloom where you are planted? And it really resonated with one of my kids this year who was experiencing his own squeeze.
Ordinary by Michael Horton In a world where it is fashionable to be concerned about the nameless, faceless 'poor and marginalized', instead of people with an actual name and fingerprint, this is a good reminder that being ordinary leads to real human flourishing. The world doesn't need your quest for clean water; the world needs you to stay in your marriage.
Abusing Memory by Jane Gumprecht, MD. Brett picked this up at a conference. I read it once and scanned it again to maker sure I was reading it correctly. The science of the brain confirms that the brain is not able to bury traumatic memories.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. Some books, every sentence is a joy to read. This is one of those books.
Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang. Want to start a revolution? Start by turning the children against the parents. Jiang's autobiography during the Cultural Revolution is chilling.
Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes. Fun read-aloud with the 10 yr old.
Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick. Meh, kind of weird.
Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by ND Wilson. The only book I read every year.
The Tempest by William Shakespeare.
Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt.
Just David by Eleanor Porter.
Beside Still Waters by Charles Spurgeon. There is nothing like affliction in ourselves or others to reveal the wrong, weak, or weird theology in ourselves or others. No wonder Job was grumpy. Spurgeon was a cup of cool water to my soul.
Don't Be True to Yourself by Kevin Deyoung. Nailed it.
A Visual History of the Modern World. This book weighs about twenty pounds. But very good!
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Read-aloud
The Innocence of Father Brown by GK Chesterton. I love Father Brown.
In the House of Tom Bombadil by CR Wiley. Wonderful little read on Tolkien's most mysterious character.
Fight by Flight by Joel Webbon. No. Just all kinds of no. If you are leaving a place because the economy is bad, you don't like the politics, or it poses a threat to your family, just say so. But don't spin it like you're loving a place by leaving it. Bad eschatology. Bad exegesis. Just bad, bad, bad.
At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon. If you want a curl up by the fire and read book, this is it.
The Aeneid by Virgil. I don't care if you sing of arms an-zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
My Life for Yours by Douglas Wilson. Wilson shines on all things household related. But I would like to know if there is anything he doesn't file under First Order orthopraxy. What about Romans 14? Does everyone have to do it like he does? That aside, I really liked this book.
Phantastes by George MacDonald. Reminds me of Spencer's Fairie Queen. I liked it, but Spencer was better.
Genesis in Time and Space by Francis Schaeffer. It was good to get back to Schaeffer. Really good.
The Universe Next Door by James Sire. A good book on the history of worldviews.
Thinking God's Thoughts: Johannes Kepler and the Miracle of Cosmic Comprehensibility by Melissa Travis. This was the most beautiful, doxological book I read this year. It was a 'listen to this!' book. It was a 'my eyes were wide and my jaw was in my lap' book. I can't do it justice here, but it is based on Kepler's belief that God left hints of Himself in the cosmos for us to find, and Kepler's search to do just that. Just beautiful.
The Blue Train by Agatha Christie.
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson. Dare I say it? I find that Wingfeather Saga to be at least as powerful story as...Narnia. I'll just leave that there. And I read it every few years.
Men and Women in the Church by Kevin Deyoung. Excellent treatment of his topic, as usual.
Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. Just what happened to those young boys in the Tower of London?
The Disciple-Making Parent by Chap Bettis. Brett and I both lost old friends to deconstruction this year. Not that we didn't see it coming in either case, but it's a tough pill to swallow nonetheless. One of the major signs? They failed to recategorize their children when the facts clearly warranted it. Instead of saying, "This child who I thought was in Christ is actually very much still in Adam", they recategorized the child's sin. "If it makes my child happy, how could it possibly be sin?" Whoops. I met Chap at a conference over the summer and we compared notes on what we are seeing in the Christian family these days, namely the prevalence of The Prodigal. Bettis' thesis is that the Great Commission is our parenting instruction. Brett and I have long thought the very same thing. Heartily recommend!!!
Praise Her in the Gates by Nancy Wilson.
Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkel. While Jen Wilkin is concerned about 'power structures in the church' (insert disdainful eyeroll here; I'm so over Wilkin), Merkel actually wrote the best book on womanhood I have ever read.
Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour. I picked this up again after the October 7th Hamas attack. Chacour was a Palestinian kid in 1948 who is now a pastor. He saw how Israel did it wrong. And he loves Jesus. So his perspective is worth the read. But it also too easily veers into liberation theology. So read it for another side. But bring the salt.
Worldliness by CJ Mahaney, et al. I assigned this to my high schoolers this year, and then we read Strangely Bright by Joe Rigney for a complete breakfast. Good to read the two back-to-back.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. A favorite of mine since I was a kid.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Such a fun read, especially back to back with Bronte!
The Lost Grizzlies by Rick Bass. A man's story about his passion to restore the grizzly population in the Colorado Rockies.
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson. The journey continues...
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