After the 2016 elections, pundits everywhere called for all Americans to listen to voices different than our own. So last year, that’s exactly what I did with many of the books I read and the podcasts I downloaded. Many of those opposing voices came from outside of my faith. This year, many of the dissenting perspectives came from those who at one point shared my faith but who now define their spirituality or even their Christianity differently than I do. I haven’t ridden the skepticism train as far as these authors have, but the examination of both my assumptions and the systems in which I live has generated a recognition of nuance and a sense of humility.
The rest of these books got rescued from the Humane Society that is my 100+ book Amazon/iTunes queue because of interesting premises or the recommendations of voices I trust. All are listed in the order in which I liked them.
Everybody Always
Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People
The tales in Bob Goff’s second book aren’t surprising for those familiar with his brand. They are at least equally inspiring and maybe even more challenging as those in Love Does. Bob is living life the right way, though it be the hard way. If you want to be a better person, read Love Does; and then read this book. (This was the first time I read a physical book while also listening to an audio version of the same book. It was interesting to me how and where his manuscript for the audio book differed from the print edition.) After reading this book, I spent a couple days with Bob at a retreat on a secluded horse farm in Tennessee. He’s the real deal. He’s living this content every day. It’s not talking points and influencer marketing. He shares several of the same private struggles I face but with them a fierce hope, a big faith, and a pragmatic sense of candor.
Amazon rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars
Story Brand
Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
If you can get past Donald Miller’s incessant plugging of his company’s resources, you’ll find maybe the most important principles to rethink your marketing. Part of my job includes consulting on small business marketing, and I wish every client had read this book first.
Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible
I wish all the faith deconstructionist authors I’ve read this year had read this book before they crafted their revisionist treatises. A number of the problems we Americans have with the Bible stem from our culture’s approach to life. I doubt Richards and O’Brien are right in all of their book’s assumptions, either; but I appreciate that they don’t approach the Bible with the intent to craft it in their image. If anything, they even doubt their own approach. This book will make you think not just about Scripture but also about your daily conversations—especially with the questions of “What goes without saying for them? What goes without saying for me? And what’s the difference between those assumptions?”
Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Everything Happens for a Reason
And Other Lies I’ve Loved
Kate Bowler is a church history professor who earned her doctorate studying the Prosperity Gospel movement. Her sudden, stage 4 cancer diagnosis juxtaposed against the backdrop of that religion’s tenants is worth the read alone. I read this because one of my friends is fighting stage 4 cancer, and her words confronted my thinking. The two appendixes are very helpful for those of us with friends facing great tragedy.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Planet Funny
How Comedy Took Over Our Culture
Ken Jennings’ ability to deduce, deconstruct, and then weave back together is as impressive as his research and recall. His own humor, which garnishes this taxonomy of comedy, is neither too heavy nor too light. The last chapter throws a curveball, revealing Jennings’ motivation in teaching us about humor’s proliferation. Whether you agree with that thesis or not, you’ll have a new appreciation for a movement you may not have known was a trend.
Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Where the Water Goes
Life and Death Along the Colorado River
David Owen opened my eyes to the nuance of conservation, presenting how different environmental causes actually oppose each other. Come for the history and economics. Stay for a new way to look at hydroelectric power, property rights, and the American West. If you live in Los Angeles, you might want to read this for its well-calculated projections. If you don’t live in Los Angeles but love spending time on the river, this might be worth your time, too.
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Thinking in Bets
Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts
I’m not a poker player. You don’t have to be to understand this treatise by sociologist and retired professional poker player, Annie Duke. She weaves science and anecdotes to help readers look differently at failure and success. This easy read will make you look differently at past and present choices and give you healthy skepticism for motivational speakers and supposed experts trying to sell you their program for success.
Amazon rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Blessed Are the Misfits
Great News for Believers Who are Introverts, Spiritual Strugglers, or Just Feel Like They’re Missing Something
Brant Hansen’s latest book isn’t as anti-establishment as Unoffendable, but it similarly makes space for an authentic pursuit of Jesus. His tales are the first I’ve ever absorbed through the lens of an adult with autism. If you struggle to connect with God like people around you say they do, this book is for you.
Amazon rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars
Letters to the Church
Francis Chan pulls no punches with his rebuke of the American church. He points his reproof especially at large, contemporary churches like the one I attend. My friend who recommended this book to me warned, “It’s a lot to process.” He was right. If you substitute “church” with “community group,” though, these principles are a lot easier to incorporate into your faith assembly. By Chan’s definition, I started a church several years ago whose DNA includes Chan’s recommendations, and we’ve seen it become a powerful collective. The same goes for an environment my wife helped shepherd for almost a decade. Chan seems to think that a church of 20 or fewer people is the best place to use spiritual gifts; but—having experienced both—I’ve found that a larger church body offers more niche, nuanced opportunities for people with unique gifting.
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Living with a SEAL
31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet
Jesse Itzler signed up for something far more demanding than I ever would; but his stories will inspire you to push yourself harder, to set higher expectations for yourself, and to move toward the difficult things in your life. If you get the latest edition, you get to learn a lot more about the man behind the jaw-dropping SEAL legend, including his name (to power your Google searches).
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Stumbling on Happiness
In this fascinating book, Daniel Gilbert explains why and how our brain physiologically arrives at false assumptions. Gilbert’s assertions will challenge the way you look at your own memories and your expectations for the future. They’ll also confront your confidence in your own self-awareness. The journey to the counterintuitive conclusions in the last section is peppered with wit.
Amazon rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
The Eternal Current
How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us From Drowning
The American church faces pendulum swings every generation. Aaron Niequist grabs several of those pendulums, holds them in their respective middles, and calls us to reconsider both sides of various church continuums. The book starts theoretical and then moves to very practical suggestions for improving your faith life. Many of Niequist’s tweetable lines are worthy of your highlighter. I particularly like his repudiation of those who invite God into moments and environments rather than thank an omnipresent God for already being in our midst (and preparing the moment for us).
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Didn’t See It Coming
Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences
I consumed Carey Nieuwhof’s book in one day. I wish I could’ve absorbed his practical advice a decade ago, as I’ve faced several of these seven challenges and learned from them the hard way. It’s funny how profound truth is so easy to see in retrospect—how plain it looks. If you’re in an emotional spot in life you don’t like, read this book. If you’re in a good place and want to avoid feeling stuck down the road, read this book.
Amazon rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars
Inspired
Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again
In this book, Rachel Held Evans illustrates the practices of most of us who look to the Bible for guidance. We, like her work, approach the Bible with bias and maybe even with a similar tendency toward revisionism. All of us draw on the parts of the Bible that we can live with, and all of us discount the parts of the Bible that we find uncomfortable. Some of her most unorthodox perspectives just might be right, though; and we might all benefit from investigating our doubt and confronting our avoidance with the tenacity she has in crafting this book.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
The Very Worst Missionary
A Memoir or Whatever
Jamie Wright penned this book as if Amy Poehler rewrote When Helping Hurts—only with more profanity than Poehler’s Yes Please. (She also takes Christ’s name in vain way more than any Christian writer I’ve read.) It’s for effect. I guess it works. I still haven’t finished When Helping Hurts, despite it being on my nightstand for three years; and I absorbed this book in two days. Jamie’s right about a lot of what’s wrong in the American missions culture, and I can’t say she’s wrong about the suburban stateside church. Trying not to follow those tropes, she somehow also exemplifies a new stereotype of evangelical thought leader that may also not be 100% beneficial for the church.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
I’m Still Here
Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
I needed to read Austin Channing Brown’s essays. I needed to be uncomfortable that she capitalized black but not white. If I’m going to live in a better world, I’ll have to constantly move toward discomfort and—more importantly—toward the stories and experiences of people different from me. Brown gave me a new category in which to think, new questions to ask myself, and a new standard to measure my progress. She presented all of that in a very generous, approachable way.
Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Living with the Monks
What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus
Having enjoyed Jesse Itzler’s first book, I wanted more of his reflections on life experiments. As someone who loves diving into a life experience just to find a truth about life, I related to his motivations and takeaways. I love how Jesse weaves recollections and randomly-inserted flashbacks in his writing. He made hay from 15 mostly-uneventful days, but the efficient story never slows or dims.
Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
The Like Switch
An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over
Jack Schafer’s advice in this book works. I use some of it on a regular basis, and I wish I remembered more of it. It’s not that the techniques are incredibly advanced—just not always instinctive. The fact that he flipped a Russian operative with this stuff should tell you that this book is worth its cover price.
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
No More Mr. Nice Guy
A Proven Plan for Getting What You Want in Love, Sex, and Life
Dr. Glover offers interesting advice for men, particularly those in committed relationships. I connected only with a small fraction of the stated audience profile but gained valuable insight into how I’m contributing to frustrations in my extracurricular pursuits and my relationships. If you struggle with passive aggressive reactions in life, this is a good book for you. I’m grateful that some of the prescriptive actions were already realities in my life—particularly regular access to self-care activities and a unified, intimate, and masculine group of male friends.
Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
She Comes First
The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman
Read Ian Kerner’s practical instruction manual, if you want to be the man Salt-N-Pepa lionized in “Whatta Man” with “Tryin’ to rush me good and touch me in the right spot. See other guys that I’ve had, they tried to play all that mac sh*t. But every time they tried I said, ‘That’s not it.’ But not this man, he’s got the right potion. Baby, rub it down; and make it smooth like lotion. Yeah, the ritual highway to heaven. From seven to seven he’s got me open like Seven Eleven.”
Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Finding God in the Waves
How I Lost My Faith and Found It Again Through Science
“Science Mike” and I hold very different definitions of both Christianity and orthodoxy. His journey back to Jesus seems to boil down to syncretism of evangelical terms for mystical moments in the practice of secular humanism. I won’t soon forget McHargue’s insightful revelations of neural theology. I’m saddened by his influential desire to shrink an immortal God to fit his understanding: “I’m finished trying to let my faith, my theology, my reading of the Bible trump human kind’s crowning system for uncovering facts about the physical world. I’ll never do it again.” That hubris doesn’t sound like faith to me.
Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The Sin of Certainty
Why God Desires Our Trust More Than our “Correct” Beliefs
Peter Enns’ premise contradicts the basis of the faith system in which I was reared. That’s why I read it. While I don’t take Enns’ train as far as he did, I don’t think he’s wrong about what God desires from those of us in the human experience. Enns points out the ironies of evangelicalism and especially fundamentalism and points readers to a worldview more about change, growth, and interactions with God rather than creeds and stances.
Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Platform
Get Noticed in a Noisy World
Michael Hyatt is the right person to write this book. He reveals his personal information thoroughly and humbly. As someone who does social media advertising for a living, I found his book grew comically more and more dated as it progressed. Still, I gleaned valuable, actionable insight for my current process of writing a book. His advice guided long, quiet walks on a mountain that clarified my purpose.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Level Up Your Life
How to Unlock Adventure And Happiness By Becoming The Hero of Your Own Story
I’m not a gamer, but you don’t have to be one to gain insight from Steve Kamb’s unique treatise. He contends that you can reach your unique life summits by programming your existence using video game architecture. I’ve been gamifying my goals for more than a decade, and I’ve found most tenants of this book to be true. I don’t need to create an avatar or alter ego to chase dreams. If you do, you’ll get even more out of this practical book.
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Looking for Lovely
Collecting the Moments that Matter
I read this book because a dear friend said it gave her talking points or at least language for her sessions with a professional counselor. Annie F. Downs’ journey is far different from mine. Her struggles sit in different bins than mine do. I have two fewer ovaries than the intended reader of this book. But—but—I have been living my life more and more each year the way she recommends, and I know a lot of women could use a good word to nudge them back in that direction.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Learning to Speak God From Scratch
Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing—And How We Can Revive Them
You know when you watch a trailer and then watch its movie, and the movie is very different than what you expected from the trailer? That’s how I felt about this book. After hearing Jonathan Merritt interviewed about this book and reading its introduction, I expected a different book. It’s still filled with provocative thoughts and salient points, but it doesn’t really talk about reviving sacred words. Instead, Merritt gathers personal essays about his changing theology based on individual words. The appendix content deserves consideration in our silo’d American culture.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Remember God
I bought three gift copies of this book before I finished the audiobook (which took me roughly 24 hours). I’ve told Annie this, but so much of the tension of her book (and apparently the year of her life she chronicled) is that she put so much stock in what she assumed she and her friends heard from God. She has admitted since the book’s launch that she now doesn’t know if those “good words” were from heaven. That said, we do need to wrestle with the idea that God’s goodness isn’t determined by our hopes or our circumstances. Her candid, public wrestle comes alive in the audio version, where she ad-libs—sometimes with tears.
Amazon rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Mastering Fear
A Navy SEAL’s Guide
Brandon Webb (with John David Mann) has good advice to remember when fear hits you. I hope I remember the five steps the next time I’m tempted to panic. From the times I’ve stepped past my fears, I can tell you these principles ring true. The anecdotes in this book are captivating. The motivational speaking filler didn’t land on me. For a lot of that I offer this disclaimer: mileage may vary. While Webb starts and closes the audiobook, Jonathan McClain’s narration performance adds value—capturing the swagger I assume Webb intended.
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Yawning at Tigers
You Can’t Tame God, So Stop Trying
I bought this book because of an interview with Drew Dyck on a podcast. Unfortunately, he doesn’t write like he speaks. That was convicting to me as an aspiring writer, because I try to be too cute and too eloquent in type—especially compared to my verbal speech. Dyck does point out some errors in church culture that stem from an unbalanced, malnourished view of God. He’s not wrong. He just comes off as a curmudgeon more than as a zealot.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Familyhood
My wife bought me this book as a Valentines Day gift right after a high school freshman moved in with us. But I’m still not a parent, and the best I could relate to this content was through my role as secondary patriarch in my family as the oldest brother. Even with that distance from my personal experience, Paul Reiser threads entertaining narratives universal to life in America. The chapter about his wheelchair-bound son will put a lump in your throat.
Amazon rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Adamant
Finding Truth in a Universe of Opinions
I bought this book under two wrong assumptions: that this was an apologetical approach to relative truth pervading our culture and that it was written for both genders. If you’re already in the camp that believes the Bible is true and that truth works for everyone, though, Lisa Bevere’s written preaching delivers lots of good reminders in a world where it’s easy to get distracted. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that so thoroughly mined Scripture or that wove its canonical content so well.
Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Seriously . . . I’m Kidding
Ellen Degeneres brings her famous positivity and whimsy to these chapters of random lengths. She carefully crafts what almost sound like streams of consciousness into odd journeys into the mind of a comic. You’ll be more entertained by her social media clips than with these chapters.
Amazon rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars
Love Works
Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders
Joel Manby’s mostly-applaudable career has followed a stereotypical arc of hard charging achievement leading to regret and emptiness. His New Testament-based recommendations might help you avoid repeating his common mistakes. You’ll have to wade through some clichés to get to actionable advice, but you won’t disagree with his advantageous assertions.
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth
If becoming a millionaire is your primary goal in life, Harv Eker’s book is for you. I’m not sure he’s wrong about how to get there, I just can’t get on board with making that the primary focus of my life and filtering decisions through that filter. Apart from that filter, most of the principles in this book make sense. My thoughts were particularly provoked early on in the book with the chapter about recognizing what we, our spouses, and our parents think about money and wealth.
Amazon rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
