I wasn’t thinking I would write about my top
5 reads this year, partially because I wasn’t sure that there were that many I
would want to rave about publicly, but at 4:30 this morning when I found myself
fully awake in bed, it became clear to me that there were five, and that
was my divinely orchestrated moment to write about them. So here you go.
#1 The Exodus You Almost Passed Over by Rabbi David Fohrman
This is this book I’m most excited to write about from this year—not that I think it’s necessarily the best of the five I’ve listed here, but it was certainly the most surprising thing I’ve read in a long time. It answered questions for me that I thought unanswerable, and significantly changed my perspective on Romans 9, specifically the part referencing Pharaoh. The writing style was SO engaging, I found myself unable to put it down. I don’t think I’ve read another nonfiction book that so compellingly kept me coming back for more in a suspenseful sort of way.
- It dealt with the “hardening” of Pharaoh’s heart, and what that word, or rather, those words (it turns out there are actually two different distinct words used in the Hebrew which got translated into the singular English word) meant.
- It tackled several interesting questions about the Exodus story:
o Why was Moses’ initial message to Pharaoh just a request for 3 days of worship in the wilderness rather than complete freedom for the Israelites?
o Since God was so keen on getting the Israelites out of Egypt, why didn’t He just have them escape during the plague of darkness while the Egyptians were unable to leave their homes for 3 days straight?
o How was it loving for God to “harden” Pharaoh’s heart?
o When God offered Pharaoh the honor of deciding the precise time that the plague of frogs would end, why in the world didn’t Pharaoah say, "right now!??" Why did he instead respond, "tomorrow?”
- The book changed my perspective on the Exodus story completely, causing me to see it as an incredible reflection of God’s compassion for Pharaoh and the Egyptian people (and thus, the nations of the world in general) rather than merely one of His wrath.
- It drew an undeniable and really fascinating connection between the entire exodus story and the story of Jacob’s burial at the end of Genesis, which put the whole story into a context and perspective I never would have picked up on myself.
-
It understandably explained
the surprising perspectives of the Jewish sages, or Biblical commentators from
ancient times, on the Exodus story—some perspectives that would have been
common knowledge to the religious teachers during Jesus’ day.
#2 Dirty Glory by Pete Greig
This book I listened to on audio while on a road trip last spring, and so I unfortunately do not have any notes or highlights to go off of as I attempt to recap it for you. I wish that I did. At some point I need to go back and read a physical copy. This book tells the narrative of the birth and growth of the 24-7 prayer movement, and simultaneously presents story after story of God’s miraculous responses to the prayers of His people in the past few centuries. As such, it compelled me toward prayer and an attitude of pilgrimage with God, not through theological arguments or practical how-to’s, but through story. It is testimony after testimony of God’s intention toward His people, His eagerness to respond to them, and the incredible delight waiting for us in relationship with our heavenly Father.
#3 God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew
This one was another page-turner. Derek and I actually read this one together, out loud, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It’s the story of Brother Andrew’s upbringing in the Netherlands during Nazi Germany’s occupation there, his resistance to and eventual surrender to Christ, and his radical pursuit of God’s direction for his life which led him behind the iron curtain repeatedly to smuggle Bibles to individuals and entire congregations meeting in secrecy without a single copy of God’s word. It captures so well the thought process and emotional development of brother Andrew through wild and miraculous experience after experience. SO many times he should have been arrested and His Bibles should have been confiscated, yet God repeatedly stepped in and took the situation into His own capable hands. This book was just so fun to read, and incredibly faith building at the same time. I have since found myself searching for other books like it.
#4 Living in Christ’s Presence by Dallas Willard and John Ortberg
This one I’m currently listening through for the 2nd time (this time with Derek—and the conversations around it have been fantastic). My first time listening to it while flying to Malasyia, I stopped halfway through, backed up and started over because it was so good I wanted to let the first half sink in better. So you could almost say I’m on my 3rd pass through it. This book is the transcription of a conference in which Dallas Willard and John Ortberg took turns speaking and responding to questions both from one another and the audience. For those who find Dallas a little dense, John provides a really helpful perspective and his way of relentlessly asking blunt and practical questions of Dallas makes the whole thing more tangible and digestible. I’ve loved listening to the audio, because you hear the actual authors speaking as they did to the actual audience, and you pick up on engaging nuances of their interaction with one another, but I really want to read through it again as a physical copy so I can take notes for future reference. In the talks, they give fresh perspective on life with Christ, discipleship, the church, the difference between knowing Christ experientially and knowing a lot about Him, practical ways to use spiritual disciplines for combating specific sin struggles or negative tendencies, and a host of other topics incredibly relevant to life with Jesus Christ as your friend and director.
#5 The Princess and the Goblin by George Maconald
This one I had actually read before as a child, but this year I read it again, this time out loud to Finn. For one, it’s just a delightfully engaging and fanciful story. The copy I ordered also has beautiful pictures. But this time through, I actually found it to be spiritually challenging as I picked up on many metaphorical truth nuggets that George Macdonald worked into the story. There’s just something so delightful about learning truth for life from a story isn’t there? Macdonald, who C.S. Lewis regarded as his master teacher, had such a way, like Lewis himself, of capturing spiritual realities through other-worldly stories. Some of his, I have found a bit too “out there” for me to wrap my mind around, but this one is so engaging and understandable that Finn and I both completely adored it. I recommend it for kids (maybe age 7 and up? It might still be a bit wordy for Skye at this point) and adults alike.
