My Favorite Books of 2023
I read a bit more than usual this year, mainly because I read more fiction - something I really enjoy but for some reason have to be intentional about doing. For a listing of all the books I read this year, see my Goodreads Year in Books.
The selections below are books that I read in 2023, not necessarily books that were published in 2023. And many of the books I read that don’t appear below were also great, these are just the ones that stand out to me as I look back on this past year of reading.
So, here you go:
I read this book on a flight to England last spring, on my way to a conference on racialized Christian nationalism at Oxford University. Lisa Sharon Harper was also a participant at the conference. Having the chance to meet her, interact with her a bit, and learn from her was so good. This book is heart-wrenching, eye-opening, but ultimately hopeful. I’m a white male, grew up in suburbia, and went through decades of education without knowing much about the history of Black people in the United States. This book showed me how much more I have yet to learn, telling the story of race and slavery in America through the experiences of many generations of her family. I can’t imaging holding on to hope in the midst of such injustice and suffering, but she points us towards hope and gives concrete suggestions for how we can repair all of the damage done over the centuries. There is work to do, work we can do, work we should do. But will we?
This collection of reflections about the teachings of Dallas Willard and about is own embodying of the kingdom of God is excellent. No writer has had more influence on me than Dallas Willard. His influence also extends through his students who had and continue to have a deep influence on my life. Whenever I read something by Dallas, or about Dallas, I more fully come into contact with the kingdom of God. I am motivated to know Jesus, and to give him more sway over the whole of my life. This book had those effects on me. It was wonderful to read about Dallas as a husband, father, grandfather, professor, mentor, friend, and colleague, with insights into his teaching along the way.
This is the first book I’ve read by Ruth Burrows, and after reading this I definitely plan to read more. My own spiritual upbringing in prayer was primarily about me talking to God. I’ve learned that there is much more to prayer than that, and this book was really helpful to me as I seek to grown and deepen not only my understanding, but my practice of prayer. It also freed me, a bit, from my habits of critical preoccupation with my self, my performance in prayer, my experience in prayer, placing the focus back on God and simply being in his presence.
Here are a few of my favorite gems of wisdom from the book:
“Prayer is not a technique but a relationship.”
“On our side prayer is simply being there: open, exposed, inviting God to do all God wants.”
“There is nothing whatever to worry about, no matter how unsatisfactory our psychological experience of prayer….Jesus will set us free from this futile self-preoccupation.”
“We have to be there before God as we really are. Maybe upset, angry, worried, emotionally at sixes and sevens. This is the self I set in God’s loving gaze; this is the little creature He loves and has to deal with. In this way, what are usually thought of as temptations are all turned into real prayer.”
This book is one I will return to again, so rich and rewarding and practical.
I avoided reading this book for a while, simply because I heard a lot about it. Sometimes, I have an aversion to what is popular simply because it is popular. This can screen out a lot of bad stuff, but it can also screen out much that is good. Also, the title is from something Dallas Willard said. I (pridefully) figured I already knew whatever Comer was going to say. I was wrong! I’m glad I took the time to read this book. While not everyone can make the same choices in life regarding how to spend their time, there is much in this book that can help any of us who feel under the thumb of the contemporary forces of hurry. As we eliminate hurry in our lives and souls, we make room for the presence and voice of God. Comer’s book helped me do just that. I wrote the following about this book last summer: It is rich, insightful, enjoyable, and intensely practical. I highly encourage you to read this book, and pick 2-3 things to apply from it. The chapter on the discipline of slowing is worth the price of the book. There are several practices I’m going to try, inspired by this book (a regular 24 hour time away, practice a weekly sabbath, and put sharper boundaries around email and social media usage). There are others that I want to recommit to in light of this book, such as a regular time of solitude and silence. If you only read one book on spiritual growth and formation this year, you can’t go wrong with this one.
I love Bono’s description of the book: “Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept. A word I only circled until I gathered my thoughts for the book. I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands. In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist. Surrender is the story of one pilgrim's lack of progress ... With a fair amount of fun along the way.”
Even a casual U2 fan will find much of value in this book, and the theme of surrender in these realms of life - work, family, our relationship with God - really resonated with me. Surrender is a challenge for all pilgrims on the Way, and I appreciated Bono’s honesty about this theme in his own life.
Thank You!
For those of you who subscribe or take the time to read my newsletter, I appreciate you! In an era of exploding content, I’m grateful that some find what I offer here to be useful. I’ll keep working on trying to provide resources that are helpful to you in 2024, including my next book - Humility: Rediscovering the Way of Love and Life in Christ, due out in March. Look for more about the book here in the next couple of months. I’ll also be offering a 14 Day Humility Challenge, available in late January or early February - more to come on that as well. Again, thanks for reading, and I pray you have a good 2024.