31 Dec Public Journal :: 004 :: “Read Your Age – 2022 Book List Recap”

At the end of last year, I looked at my reading list and realized that the number of books I read was getting close to my age. By the end of November, I ended Will Smith’s memoir— this happens to be most entertaining story and engaging production I’ve heard in audiobook form to date—thus hitting 31 books and achieving my goal of “reading my age”. 

I thought the phrase “read your age” had a ring to it. I also loved the idea of reading more and more as I get older. Some people assume that you automatically get wiser as you get older. Unfortunately, I’ve encountered enough old fools to know that this isn’t necessarily the case.

Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones has a tremendous quote that says, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” 

The person I am matters a lot to me. It’s honestly one of my biggest markers of success. I’ve read 171 books since I started keeping track of my yearly book reading lists in 2014. I can attest to the many ways in which reading has shaped my mind influencing the way I show up to the world as a person.

Why wouldn’t I show to take ownership of my formation by being intentional about my reading?

This year I decided to accept the challenge to read my age again. I slacked off at some points and had to play a little catch up here and there but I got in under the gun a few days ago.

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to journal a sentence or two on one specific idea that stuck with me from each book I read in 2022. In the spirit of reflection (and as a bit of a test of my retention), I’m going to do my best to pull these points from my memory but I may need to hit Google a little bit to jog my memory. Where appropriate, I’ll add a short, extra bit about how the book intersected with my life when I was reading it.

1. The Artisan Soul by Erwin McManus

Creativity and art are not just limited to the traditionally creative professionals or artists but are, more accurately, expressions that every human shares because we are made in the image of the Divine Creator who is most prolific.

2. Greenlights by Matthew McConaghey

Our steps are truly ordered by God. The best we can do is to embrace the season we are in and make decisions that will set us up to learn the lessons that the season in front of us has to teach us.

3. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

Definitely one my my favorite books of the year. One major takeaway is the concept that love and hurry are incompatible with each other. When I came upon this idea I thought a lot about how it applies to my relationship with music (and I’ll journal more about this in the very near future).

4. Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness In America by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson

This book’s examination of the many transcendent black performers through history led me to consider the ways I’ve felt obligated to perform in order to feel accepted or valuable, especially in predominantly white spaces.

5. A Promised Land by Barack Obama

This was the longest physical book and most vocabulary-dense read of the year.  President Obama says that, when dealing with his staff, he tried to be generous in his praise and measured in his criticism. Generally speaking, I’ve found this to be an effective way to relate to people.

6. Daring Greatly by Dr. Brené Brown

“What is worth doing even if you fail?” Dr. Brené’s question encouraged me as I was grinding to get the first draft of my book done. 

7. The Proximity Principle by Ken Coleman

This book reminded me of how blessed I am to live in a city where I’m surrounded by so many people doing what I love on the highest level. It also encouraged me to lean more intentionally into collaboration.

8. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

This book was a great follow up to Comer’s book on hurry and flows naturally out of the question above from Dr. Brené’s Daring Greatly. Essentialism reminded me that I can’t do everything at any one time. I have to engage with the most important thing in front of me. In this sense it gave me permission to not be overly busy which benefits what I care about most: relationships.

9. the little book of Confidence by Teddy Rowan

A great quote from the book that originates with Eleanor Roosevelt…‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.’ Although there may be strong influences, no one can force me to give up my confidence. I have to choose to give that away.

10. Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

Another one of my favorites. The parts of about solitude really resonated with me. I need to do a solo retreat somewhere soon.

11. A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan & Mark Barton

“Constraints, and our ability to transform them, sit right at the intersection between scarcity and abundance.” The concept of “Can-If” thinking—the idea that we “can” do something that may have seemed impossible at first “if” we attack it from a different angle—gave me tools that enhance my access to hope and optimism.

12. 12 Rules For Life by Jordan B. Peterson

“If you listen, instead, without premature judgment, people will generally tell you everything they are thinking—and with very little deceit. People will tell you the most amazing, absurd, interesting things. Very few of your conversations will be boring.” This part of this book inspires me to continue to develop better skills around listening and asking questions.

13. 12 Notes: On Life and Creativity by Quincy Jones

This book inspires gratitude towards the people on my own journey who have provided me with opportunities to grow in my relationship with creating. I want to better at paving the way to creative opportunities for others.

14. Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most by Greg McKeown

“The effortless state is one in which you are physically rested,  emotionally unburdened, and mentally energized. You are completely present, attentive, and focused on what’s important in that moment. You are able to do what matters most with ease.” The rest part smacked me in the back of the head all year…but I got better at it.

15. Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, & the Church That Transforms by Jim Wilder

This is another one that deserves honorable mention. Renovated helped to channel my focus on personal discipleship and my (along with every Jesus follower’s) call to disciple others. However, this book came at the whole task from the unique intersection of neuroscience and theology. Three clear points that help with this from the book: 1.) Dialogue with God about everything, 2.) Do nothing out of fear, 3.) Love others deeply.

16. Boundaries: When To Say Yes How To Say No To Take Control of Your Life by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend 

Some issues are “boulders”—they are too heavy for one person to carry and need the assistance of others, possibly even a professional. Other problems are  “backpacks” and those can be carried by the individual. This a book that deserves to be re-read in cycles.

17. Currently Untitled Book Number One by Me

I wrote a book about relationships with people and things. It’s still in the editing process but I’m excited to finish it up and put it out into the world.  On discipline I wrote, “Discipline is the pain you get to choose. Dysfunction is the pain that chooses you when you fail to make a choice.”

18. Winning The War In Your Mind by Craig Groeschel

My experience and God’s presence are enough. Love that affirmation.

19. The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Any form of natural love—Phileo, Eros, or Storge—that a person puts in the place of God will turn bad. It is only when we bring our natural loves to God that He transforms them into their highest, supernatural form, a love which Lewis calls Charity.

20. The Sacred Search by Gary Thomas

“Unparticular repentance is a clever way to avoid particular conviction.” This book encouraged me to ask deeply clarifying questions about what I’m looking for in the character of my potential wife. Related to this quote, I need someone who is actively seeking out authentic, particular accountability. 

21. The Four-Fold Way by Angeles Arrien

This book was a bit too new age-y for my taste but it certainly wasn’t devoid of helpful information. However the four tenets that Arrien describes—showing up or choosing to be present, paying attention to what has heart and meaning, telling the truth without blame or judgment, and openness/non-attachment to outcome—have become crucial in honing the focus in my creative process.

22. A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine

The original goal of philosophy was always supposed to be to help people live more skillfully, not to just gain more knowledge or to perform intellectual exercises. Philosophy was meant to support a comprehensive and actionable rule of life, a concept that Ruth Haley Barton also touch on in Sacred Rhythms.

23. The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

In order to succeed in the infinite game of business (and life) it is important to discover and clarify your Just Cause which is affirmative, inclusive, service-oriented, resilient, and idealistic (eg. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech).

24. Eternity Is Now In Session by John Ortberg

This was one of the most important books I read this year and continued my draw into a discipleship focus. I learned about “Bounded Sets” and “Centered Sets” and that Christianity is meant to be a Centered Set concept. The book also clarified that the just cause or “why” for the church is that, as Dallas Willard put it, “There is no problem in human life that apprenticeship to Jesus cannot solve.”

25. Strange New World: How Thinkers And Activists Redefined Identity And Sparked The Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Trueman

This one would certainly be worth reading again. It talks about the history of how our culture has come define so much of its identity on sexuality. Extremely enlightening.

26. The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield

This book speaks a lot about the importance of intrinsic motivation for artists. Pressfield instructs the reader to derive their ultimate artistic enjoyment and satisfaction from the act of making the art itself. Basing our motivation on anything else is a sure-fire recipe for disappointment.

27. Flow: Living at the Peak of Your Abilities by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

A perfect follow-up to The War Of Art, Flow reminded me that in order to work most effectively and access the optimal amount of enjoyment and satisfaction from my work—essential components of flow—I have to be serious about guarding my focus and eliminating distractions at every turn.

28. How, Then, Shall We Live: Four Simple Questions That Reveal the Beauty and Meaning of Our Lives by Wayne Muller

The question from the book that really hit me was, “How should we live knowing that soon we will die?” This question propelled me right over some of my self-conscious creative hurdles. 

29. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Day By Day, A 40-Day Journey with the Daily Office [Second Read] by Peter Scazzero

This was a fantastic, daily devotional. I could pull out so many gems from it but perhaps the most impactful one was that of taking two minutes of silence and stillness to calm my internal space and to restore focus. This is a practice I’m carrying forward.

30. The Reset by Jeremy Riddle

I appreciated Riddle’s definition of purity being something like alignment with the original purpose of a created thing. I also appreciate the fact that he aimed to recalibrate the culture of music in church by calling out areas in which motivations have gotten off track.

31. Atlas of the Heart by Dr. Brené Brown

So many great things in this one. I learned the terms “Shoy”: intentionally demonstrating interest in another’s success, and “Bragitude”: intentionally being grateful for another’s success. I also learned about “intellectual humility” which is openness to ideas that are different from our current way of thinking.

32. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

I try to read one at least one C.S. Lewis book each year. I’ve gone through this book several times before but, it knocked me off my feet as if it was the first time I read it. Of the seemingly countless ideas that resonated with me, one that really struck me was the part about Jesus’s intention to turn us into perfect people if we will let him—such being the next step in the evolution of man into something completely different. This book is so saturated with big ideas that I know I’ll be revisiting it sooner than later.