My Top Book Reads of 2018...Part 2

If you are a regular here you might remember my reading goal for the year was one book a week for 2018. In case you were wondering…I did it and with 3 days to spare!

Back in July I gave you my Top Reads so far and now it’s time to finish the list including my top 10 for 2018.

Many of the books you see in the photograph are still worth your time even though they aren’t on this list or the list from the first half of 2018.

Throughout the year I keep a Word document which lists the books I’ve read. (I’ve done this for the last 18 years.) If it was a good book I bold the title, if it was an awesome book I highlight the title. Ones that are highlighted usually earned that distinction because I’m still thinking about what the author wrote, it clearly and practically answered a question I had, or I couldn’t put it down.

These were ones I highlighted for my the last half of 2018:

Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World by Andy Stanley. Are you surprised? Everything the guy writes is amazing! He is the best communicator in the country. I’m sure this book will make lots of top 10 lists. It certainly stirred up some controversy.

Stanley addresses a growing problem as more and more people know or understand less and less about the Bible. He points out that typically churches just give people a Bible without explaining the different parts of the Bible and more specifically which parts are for them and which parts aren’t for them. This lack of understanding between the purpose and role of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament/Covenant) and the Christian Scriptures (New Testament/Covenant) creates lots of confusion and misapplication. It’s also opened Christians up to having to defend things they don’t have to defend. As Andy is famous for saying, “The problem with saying the Bible says is what else the Bible says”…or more precisely what the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures says.

Andy points out those aren’t your scriptures or promises. Those are someone else’s. Your promises are new and better. The Old Covenant was fulfilled in Jesus.

The Old Testament gives us background, context, and inspiration but it wasn’t written or addressed to Christians. When someone is typically trying to destroy Christianity they are always referencing the Hebrew Scriptures not the person or work of Jesus.

Some of you might have some reservations about all this…it’s why you need to read the book. Don’t read what others have written about the book, read the book before you make up your mind.

As I read the book I kept thinking about my New Testament History class 20 years ago (yikes!) which covered all these same points. One of our big projects was writing a paper on Matthew 5:17.

Anyway…read it. It’s an important book.

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles that Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp. This book isn’t so much about practical helps as it is about taking a step back and causing you to think about parenting from 30,000 feet. It’s easy to get lost in the daily routines and forget about the big picture. Parenting is filled with helpful perspectives and he is a master at always bringing it back to the gospel.

The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by John Ortberg. I’ve had this on my shelf for awhile and picked it up on a whim. I absolutely loved it! He is a fantastic writer. He talks about similar themes in Soul Keeping which I also read this year, but I think this one is better. I highlighted more in this book than any other book I read this year. His chapter on Celebration and Prayer were amazing!

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier. One of the steady themes I noticed from parenting books to the business books I read was an encouragement to ween ourselves away from social media. Cal Newport had a very convincing chapter in Deep Work on the same topic. Some of Jaron Lanier’s reasons were stronger than others but I’ve found myself repeatedly thinking about the points he makes. For example…when it comes to social media you are the product that is being marketed and sold to corporate America. They have data on every click, place you’ve been, and picture you’ve uploaded so they can target you or sell you more effectively. Creepy!

He also points out that no one is having the same experience when they start scrolling. All the content is curated exclusively for you so we are getting more and more content that reinforces our biases. He says social media is making empathy harder.

It’s a short book and one of the reasons I’m not on social media as much…but to his point…you probably didn’t notice.

If getting off of social media sounds anti-social check out Cal Newport’s chapter on social media in Deep Work.

Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google that Will Transform How You Live and Lead by Laszlo Bock was a fascinating account of the HR side of Google. If you are in charge of hiring people, promoting people, or anything related to HR you need to read this book. The chapter entitled “Pay Unfairly” made so much sense. It’s a big book but it goes fast.

The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert J. Morgan. A friend of mine recommended this book as summer reading for his church and to me. I can see why, it’s packed full of nuggets. If you are going through a difficult situation this will encourage you. Morgan could have easily made this book much longer but he gets right to the point.

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. I grew up in North Carolina but I didn’t know much of the backstory to the first flight or the growth of aviation. The tenacity, ingenuity, and grit they exhibited was inspiring. Imagine being successful at what everyone thought was impossible and then no one believes you. It was years after their first flight in Kitty Hawk before people took them seriously. Fun fact their dad was a pastor!

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson exposed me to a broken part of the criminal justice system I knew nothing about. It’s a heart-breaking and eye-opening book you need to read. It’s the perfect audio-book.