Tyler's Favorite Five Books in 2022

Here are my favorite five books from this year! What were some of yours?

Ronald Rolheiser, Sacred Fire: A Vision For A Deeper Human and Christian Maturity

Hands down my favorite book this year! I’d never heard of Catholic Ronald Rolheiser until John Mark Comer recommended him. But this book is so good. Maybe it’s just hitting me like a freight train with all the transitions in my life right now. I will probably write an entire review sometime. But in short, this book is about seasons of life, particularly the middle season. The first season is “the struggle to get our lives together,” dealing with the “chaotic, fiery energies of restlessness, wanderlust, sexuality, the quest for freedom, and the sheer hunger for experience.” It’s the move from childhood to adulthood. But as we sort out who we are are start to make more permanent commitments and take on more responsibility, “we soon find ourselves beset by a new set of struggles: disappointment, tiredness, boredom, frustration, and resentment.” This second season is “the struggle to give our lives away” to find meaning and significance in blessing others, honoring our commitments, and wrestling with God through disappointment when we realize our life isn’t going the way we thought it might. But there’s life to be found even in that. A must read for anyone over like 25 (or for new parents who got started early).

George Yancey, Beyond Racial Division: A Unifying Alternative to Colorblindness and Antiracism

This book was immensely helpful as I preached on racism this summer. Yancey (not Phillip) argues that the best way forward in these conversations is to avoid both colorblindness (ignoring past wrong and their impact today) AND antiracism (seeing racism everywhere and in everyone and militantly opposing it). The alternative to both is something he calls mutual accountability, where we all have the obligation to come to the table and engage interracial dialogue in a healthy way. Recommend by Tim Keller and very valuable for any kind of race relation conversations!

Ester Ahmad, Defying Jihad: The Dramatic True Story Of A Women Who Volunteered To Kill Infidels—And Then Faced Death For Becoming One

Yeah, the title pretty much says it all. An incredible story that reminded me of 1) the power of God to show up in incredible ways, 2) the difficulty of being in Christian in other parts of the world and 3) the need to contend with Islam (spiritually speaking). Globally, Islam and Christianity aren’t going anywhere. The future is probably not progressive secularism/atheism, if for no other reason than birth rates.

John Dickson, Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History

Killer cover huh?

Has Christianity done more harm than good? An increasing number of people think so in the west. This book does a really good job looking honestly at our history, using the metaphor of a symphony: “Christ wrote a beautiful tune, which the church has often performed,well, and often badly. But the melody was never completely drowned out.”

The book is way more nuanced than the cliches: “The church tortured people, man!” or “all that bad stuff wasn’t done by true Christians.” Recommended for Christians and atheists alike for a more accurate understanding of the “Bullies and Saints” of historical Christianity.

Matt Fitzgerald, 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower

I had to include a running book! I had a great year of running, completing my first marathon, qualifying for Boston, and improving all my other personal bests at age 32. I think this book helped a lot. Some of the content of this book (I listened to it audibly) was actually quite tedious and boring. But the general concept is fascinating. To get faster, you need to run slower (80% of the time). Fitzgerald argues that 80% of your running should be slow, easy, and conversational. And then to only run fast 20% of the time. This makes less frequent hard workouts more productive, prevents injury, keeps training enjoyable, and allows you to rack up more miles because they’re easier. I would get a hard copy though and not do the audiobook. Recommended for all runners!

What were some of your favorite books this year??

-Tyler

Runner ups:

Yuval Levin, A Time To Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream

Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass

Jon Meacham, American Lion: Andrew Jackson In the White House

Carl Trueman, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution

Abigail Shirer, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters

Additional Books:

Crawford Gribben, The Rise and Fall of Christian Ireland

Jessye Wilden, We Wrote Your Name In Color

John Grisham, The Firm

Aimee Byrd, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Terry Felber, The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant: Twelve Keys to Successful Living

Martin Llyod Jones, Preaching and Preachers

Paul David Tripp, Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church

Soong-Chan Rah, Prophetic Lament: A Call For Justice in Troubled Times

A.J. Swoboda, After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith Without Losing It

CSB Readers Bible

Gerald L. Sittser, Water From a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries

Mark Sayers, A Non-Anxious Presence: How a Changing and Complex World Will Create a Remnant of Renewed Christian Leaders 

Phyllis Tickle, Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn & Winter

Herman Bavinck on Preaching and Preachers, Trans & edited by James P. Eglinton

Andreas J. Köstenberger, Signs of the Messiah: An Introduction to John’s Gospel

Gary M. Burge, John

Rod Dreher, Live Not By Lies: A Manuel for Christian Dissidents

Milan & Kay Yerkovich, How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage

Hungry Spring and Ordinary Song, Phyllis Tickle

Bret Baier, To Rescue The Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, The Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876

Jeremy Riddle, The Reset: Returning to the Heart of Worship and a Life of Undivided Devotion

Watchman Nee, Sit, Walk, Stand: The Process of Christian Maturity

Ryan B. Burge, The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going

Jonathan Gibson, Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy of Daily Worship

Evagrius of Pontus, Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons 

John MacArthur, Being a Dad Who Leads

Jason Fung, Eve Mayer, and Megan Ramos, Life in the Fasting Lane: How To Make Intermittent Fasting a Lifestyle. . .

Andrew G. Walker and Robin A Perry, Deep Church Rising: The Third Schism and the Recovery of Christian Orthodoxy

Andreas Köstenberger, Encountering John

W. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

Steve Wilson, The Boys From Little Mexico: A Season Chasing the American Dream

Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, On Becoming Babywise

Chuck DeGroat, When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional & Spiritual Abuse

James K.A. Smith, How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now

Dave Scriven, The Pursuit of Pornia, A Review of the Culture of Sexual Addiction And a Biblical Pathway to Recovery

Bobby Jamieson, Understanding the Lord’s Supper

C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Jennifer McAlister, Press On: Stories of endurance, faith and trust to encourage you as you run the race of life

Paul David Tripp, Come Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: John 1-10. Edited by Joel C. Elowsky

Andy Stanley, Not In It To Win It: Why Choosing Sides Sidelines The Church

D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John

J.I. Packer, Pointing to the Pasturelands: Reflections on Evangelicalism, Doctrine, and Culture

James Allen, As A Man Thinketh: A Practical Guide to Living the Purpose Driven Life

Rory Noland, Transforming Worship:

Planning and Leading Sunday Services as If Spiritual Formation Mattered

Gregg Ten Elshof, For Shame: Rediscovering the Virtue of a Maligned Emotion

Michael Lewis, Liar’s Poker

Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry

William Barclay, The Gospel of John, Volume 2

Brian Kilmeade, Sam Houston And The Alamo Avengers: The Texas Victory That changed American History

James K.A. Smith, The Nicene Option: An Incarnational Phenomonology

Bob Goff, Undistracted

The Century Project: A Devotional of Changed Lives at Beulah Beach

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners: Rediscovering the Meaning of Life, Love, Sex, and Gender