Each year, I set myself a goal of reading one book per week. It’s an ambitious goal and I rarely ever hit the mark. This year I’m finishing with a total of 45 books read. But given the hectic pace of the last year (senior year for the twins, getting them off to college, etc.), I’ll take it. As I said in last year’s post, quality over quantity. And as I look back over the books I’ve read this year, there’s been plenty of quality.
I have given some thought to how I want to approach things in 2024. I’m sure I’ll still be reading plenty of books that are “new” to me, but I also want to devote more time to some of the best books I’ve read over the last 10-15 years. Many of these are somewhat longer books, so I may not hit my mark of one book a week. But we’ll see how it goes. I really feel pulled to re-engage some of those texts I’ve identified as “the best” over the years. (If you want to see a full list of these books, click here.)
Anyway, here are the 10 best books I’ve read this year, with a few honorable mentions at the end.
A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly. First published in 1941, Kelly’s A Testament of Devotion has been hailed as a spiritual classic. My copy includes a reader testimony hailing it as “the single most helpful written resource for the most important endeavor of my life: practicing God’s presence.” Richard Foster says, “Each time I leaf through the pages of this book, I know I am in the presence of a giant soul.” The word I would use is communion: this little book increased my sense of communion with God. Kelly talks about a life lived from the Center — out of the overflow of a deep and abiding communion with Christ. The key to actualizing this sort of life seems to be our desire, simple as that. Page 93, “Each one of us can live such a life of amazing power and peace and serenity, of integration and confidence and simplified multiplicity, on one condition — that is, if we really want to.” And page after page, Kelly’s description of such a simplified way of being is utterly compelling. Kelly directs us to our interior life, away from the world of busyness competing for our attention every waking hour, toward the cultivation of an inner sanctuary to which we can repeatedly return. I found this book to be full of deep wisdom, pairing the heart of a pastor with the competence of a field guide. Kelly reminds us that God never guides us “into an intolerable scramble of panting feverishness,” — an even more appropriate description of modern life than it was when Kelly first wrote it in 1941. I don’t think we’re conditioned to see our busyness as a sign of spiritual insecurity. More often, it seems we wear our busyness as a badge of self-importance. But I’m drawn to the life of freedom Kelly describes here, a life that is securely grounded in the love of God to such a degree that even the practical realities of my daily “yes” and “no” responses are impacted. I also love the way Kelly encourages us toward holy obedience with the simple admonition: “Begin where you are. Obey now.” I often speak with people who are saddled with so much guilt and self-loathing that their view of themselves has been radically warped. They can’t believe God truly loves them because they don’t even love themselves. But there is such a refreshing sense of grace when someone can say, with love and compassion, “Begin where you are. Seek obedience right now, in this present moment. That will be enough.” To people who are weary and heavy laden, that seems attainable, unlike so much of the religious talk people overhear. At barely 100 pages, A Testament of Devotion likely won’t take long to read. But it’s the kind of book I will be returning to again and again. I highly recommend this book. It’s the best book I’ve read this year.
Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul’s Greatest Letter by N.T. Wright. This book is incredibly rich. Wright delves into a deep study of Romans 8, considered by many to be one of the landmark chapters in the Bible. As one of the leading interpreters of Paul in our day, Wright deftly unpacks the thematic elements of Romans 8, giving readers a sense of Paul’s argument and how it fits within the whole of Romans. This would be a great companion to a deep study of Romans 8. The chapter on Romans 8:28 alone is worth the price of the book. Highly recommended addition to Wright’s growing body of essential works.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. Grann, the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, returns with the harrowing true story of the crash of the Wager, a British naval vessel in the 1740s. Chasing a Spanish ship filled with treasure around the horn of South America, the Wager wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The Wager tells the story of this crew as they struggle to survive thousands of miles away from home. These sorts of “real life” survival stories are absolutely thrilling and this has quickly become one of my favorite genres. (See 438 Days on my “best books” list from a few years back.) I thought this was a great page-turner.
A Life of Alexander Campbell by Douglas A. Foster. As a member of the churches of Christ and the Restoration Movement, I had a general appreciation for Alexander Campbell and his impact as a religious reformer and leader. But Foster’s biography brought the man to life for me. Campbell looms as a man of strong conviction, as a man of confounding inconsistencies, but ultimately, a disciple devoted to the authority of God’s Word and the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.
Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson. Peterson has long been one of my favorite authors and I think I read this one several years back. But I pulled it off the shelf this fall in preparation for a spiritual direction program I’ll be a part of next spring. And I was really blown away. Peterson writes that everything in holy scripture is meant to be lived — and I find tremendous wisdom in this claim. The best thing I can say about this book is that it prompted me to pick up my Bible with a sense of hunger and urgent expectation that God would meet me there.
Why Believe: A Reasoned Approach to Christianity by Neil Shenvi. This is Shenvi’s first book and he makes the case that the evidence for Christianity is comprehensive and compelling. What sets this book apart from many of the other apologetics texts I’ve read is that Shenvi engages deeply with the work of atheist writers and scholars. I read this one early in the year and I thought it would ultimately rank higher for me. But that says more about the quality of the books on this list than anything else.
Resilient: Standing Firm in a Hostile World by David Young. Young looks at the increasing hostility toward the Christian faith here in North America and encourages us to remain firmly committed to our convictions. I read a few other books along these lines this year: Eric Metaxas’s Letter to the American Church and Hold the Line: A Call for Christian Conviction in a Culture of Conformity by Erik Reed (a pastor in my hometown of Lebanon, Tennessee). But Young’s was my favorite, as it not only addressed the cultural pressure we’re feeling as followers of Christ but (more importantly) inspired me toward hope rather than despair.
Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert Hillburn. They say you should never meet your heroes. Maybe you also shouldn’t read your hero’s biography. I love Cash. And reading this biography made me love certain aspects of his life even more: his bold faith, his heart for the forsaken, his dedication to his craft. But reading this biography also made me want to punch the guy. But Hillburn pulls no punches and those harder-to-read elements only make this even more of a redemption story. For that, I’m thankful.
Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett. I guess I kind of had a thing for shipwreck books this year.
Lightbringer by Pierce Brown. This is book six in the Red Rising series, so you can’t really just jump right into this one. But Brown’s series continues to raise the stakes and this might be his finest work yet.
Honorable Mentions:
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer. As you can tell by some of the other entries on my list, I’ve kind of fallen into this niche of disaster literature. Krakauer chronicles the
Tracks of a Fellow Struggler: Living and Growing Through Grief by John R. Claypool. Claypool, a pastor, writes this book based on the sermons he preached during and after his young daughter’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent death. It’s brief, which is by design; there are simply no words for this kind of tragedy. But the words Claypool does use are powerful and wise, grounded in sorrow but alive with hope, too. Recommended for anyone dealing with grief.
The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski. A ranking of the top 100 players in MLB history. The numbering is kind of a joke, but there are far less interesting ways to tell the history of my favorite game. A great June / July read as the pennant chase begins to heat up.
Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America by Jared Cohen. A fascinating study of the eight men who assumed the Presidency without being elected to it.
The Bible tells us that God is the best gift-giver. James 1:17, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. God’s gifts are good and perfect. In this way, God’s gifts are a reflection of His character. He gives good and perfect gifts because He is good and perfect. God always gives His gifts in love.
And in Jesus, we see the ultimate gift — a gift that is good and perfect, given in complete love. Perhaps you remember John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This time of year, you see a lot of graphics like this, pointing to Jesus as the greatest gift. We see it so much it almost becomes kind of cliche.
I wonder if we really believe this, though.
Do we really believe that the greatest gift is one that we cannot buy?
Doesn’t that fly in the face of all the consumerism and materialism of our age?
When we really believe that Jesus is the greatest gift that we could ever receive, we live with a greater sense of contentment as a counter to that consumerism. That will address some of what plagues us: our disillusionment, our frustrations, our longings for more.
When we really believe that the gift of salvation is the greatest gift we’ve ever received, we’ll want to share that gift with others. We will want to point others to this same gift so they can enjoy it, too.
Do we really believe that without Jesus, we would be lost in our sins?
Do we really believe that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing — as Jesus Himself says in John 15:5?
And do we really believe that if we have Jesus, we have already been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms as it says in Ephesians 1:3?
Do you really believe that Jesus is the greatest gift of all?
Listen to this bold proclamation of the Good News from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians:
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge … so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Paul speaks of God’s grace — this is the free gift we receive in Jesus. This is the ancient gospel, the Good News that has been proclaimed for two thousand years. It is not something we can earn or merit or purchase on our own, lest any man should boast. It is God’s gift precisely because it was given to us. Gifts are not earned. Gifts are freely given. And this great gift that we are acknowledging here is the gift of God’s grace, God’s mercy, God’s forgiveness. This is the gift of having the slate wiped clean, the gift of a fresh start.
Isaiah 1:18, Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.
And this gift of grace enriches our lives, as Paul points out in verse 5. It’s not simply a promise of “going to heaven someday,” although it surely is that. But it is so much more, too. The grace of God is a gift for today just as much as it is a promise for tomorrow. Our lives are rich with His blessings, with peace and joy, hope and love. Paul’s point here is that God has enriched our lives by giving us everything we need in Jesus. God cannot bless us any more than He already has by giving us what He has given us in Christ.
He doesn’t say, “in some ways He has enriched us” or “in many ways.”
He says, “In every way.”
Psalm 23:1, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. We can say this when we recognize how rich our lives are because of the riches we experience in Jesus.
To believe that we are lacking in some way is what we call a scarcity mindset. It’s believing that we don’t have enough so we act out of a sense of insecurity. But Paul says that we are lacking nothing.
Remember when COVID first hit and we all went out and bought up all the toilet paper in town? That was a scarcity mindset. What if they run out of toilet paper and we have to live like animals? I still have one pack of that toilet paper in my garage. Saving it for the next pandemic, I guess.
Satan played on this scarcity mindset in the Garden of Eden, convincing Adam and Eve that God was “holding out” on them, that there was something they were lacking. But if we really believe that Jesus is the greatest gift, then we see that our lives are not lacking in any way. We have been given everything we need.
Why does God do this. The answer is in v9:
God is faithful. The story we find in the Scriptures is the story of God’s unfailing love. God will not abandon His creation to destruction. He will not give us up to the evil one simply because we have sinned. No, in Jesus, God has made a way for us. He has defeated sin and death and the devil himself. God is mighty to save, faithful to the end.
We wrap up our series this week by looking at the love language of receiving gifts. This is appropriate because we’re all thinking about the gifts we will be giving to our loved ones in the next few weeks.
At some level, everyone enjoys receiving gifts. Gift giving is a part of every culture around the world, although some of the customs vary from place to place. For example, in some Asian countries, when you are offered a gift, you are expected to refuse it a few times in order to avoid the appearance of being greedy. But in many other places, this might be considered rude.
No matter where you are from, gift giving is a way of expressing love and appreciation. Solomon seems to acknowledge this in the book of Proverbs when he says, everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts (Prov. 19:6). That’s because everyone enjoys receiving gifts.
But for some of us, this is our primary love language. It needs to be said that this doesn’t make a person shallow or materialistic. It’s just how they’re wired. For some people, receiving a gift communicates more than words of appreciation or physical touch. It says loudly and clearly, You are loved.
We pointed out a few weeks ago that we tend to express love to others in our primary love language. But the whole goal of this study is to learn how to express love to someone in their primary love language. So gift giving will probably require a bit of a learning curve if receiving gifts is not your primary love language. But according to Dr. Chapman, gift giving is the easiest love language to learn.
This is good news for someone like me because gift giving is not my love language. If I were ranking these 1-5, it would probably come in at #5 for me. Which means that there have been times in the past when I’ve not been the best gift giver.
In the past, I wouldn’t want to buy flowers or chocolates for Sunny on Valentine’s Day because it was “expected.” I’d go on a big rant about how Valentine’s Day is just a made up holiday and how Hallmark and Hershey got together and decided to push this fake holiday on us. I didn’t really appreciate gift giving because it wasn’t “my” thing.
But even when I would give someone a gift, I wouldn’t always put the most thought into it. I have truly given some lousy gifts to my loved ones over the years. When we were teenagers, I once gave my best friend Lane a Christmas gift — but instead of wrapping it in wrapping paper (like a normal person), I put it in an old ratty pillow case. Thankfully, he didn’t unfriend me.
If you think that’s bad, I think I might win the prize for the all-time worst birthday present from a husband to his wife. I didn’t get her jewelry or clothes or something nice like that. I got her tickets to the Tennessee Valley Vipers arena football game at the Von Braun Center here in town. I thought long and hard about it and thought that the best way to show my love to my wife was to get her minor league arena football tickets. Pretty lame, right?
So if you’re like me and you’ve struggled with gift giving in the past, the good news is that gift giving is one of the easiest love languages to learn.
Here is the formula for successful gift giving:
Thoughtfulness + Generosity
These are the two key ingredients if you want to grow as a gift giver.
Thoughtfulness is sort of obvious, I guess. You have to be thinking of someone in order to give them a gift. The gift is basically a symbol of that loving thought. In fact, we have a saying: It’s the thought that counts. That’s true, but the problem with my arena football tickets is that they weren’t quite thoughtful enough. It’s the thought that counts, but some thoughts are definitely better than others.
The thought has to be followed up by action — that’s the generous part. Gift giving doesn’t require that we spend a lot of money. Gifts come in varied forms: some are expensive, others are free. But gift giving does require us to exercise a bit of generosity. The gift must be purchased or it must be made, requiring a degree of time and other resources.
Some of my favorite gifts I’ve received over the years didn’t cost much in terms of dollars. What makes them special to me is that these thoughtful, generous gifts came from people I love dearly.
You really see all of this coming together in a Gospel story about two people who were healed by Jesus through physical touch.
Matthew 9:18-25
…a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.
And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
The story begins with a man approaching Jesus — we know from the other Gospel accounts that he is a ruler of the synagogue and his name is Jairus. Jairus’s daughter has just died, but He believes that Jesus has the power to bring her back to life. This is incredible faith, so Jesus follows Jairus back to his home.
But on the way to perform this miracle, another miracle breaks out. That’s how powerful and miraculous Jesus is! A woman approaches Jesus and she has been dealing with an extreme medical condition for many years. And we know from the other Gospel accounts that she had spent all of her money on different treatments. And yet she’s no better. But she hears about Jesus and she thinks, “If I could just touch his garment, I will be made well.”
There was a Jewish tradition that said the Messiah would have healing “in his wings” (based on the rabbinic interpretation of Malachi 4:1-2). The rabbis took this to mean that the Messiah’s healing power could flow even through the tassels of His garments. That’s a pretty powerful picture of the Messiah!
So by reaching out for the fringes of His garment, this woman is showing that she believes Jesus is the Messiah — she believes that there is healing power even in the tassels of His clothing.
And this woman is healed instantly because of her faith — the faith that prompted her to reach for Jesus, to touch Him.
Jesus then arrives at Jairus’s house and everyone laughs at Him when He says, “The girl is only sleeping.” But the Bible says that Jesus took this girl by the hand and she arose back to life. She was healed when Jesus touched her.
Two people, both of whom are healed by Jesus.
The woman in the crowd was healed when she reached out and touched Him.
The young girl was healed when Jesus reached down and touched her.
But in both cases, they were comforted and consoled and revived because of this touch.
Do you need to feel the touch of Jesus today?
Maybe you need to have Him reach down and touch part of your life to bring revival, to bring some part of you back to life. Maybe it’s your joy. Maybe it’s your sense of peace. Maybe you need Him to restore a sense of purpose to you. Sometimes we’re like this young girl. We need Jesus to touch our lives and bring us back to life.
And at other times we are like this woman. We need to reach out to Jesus in faith. We need to bring our infirmities to Him, our struggles, our pain. We need to reach out for His healing touch. Maybe today you need to reach out for Him in faith.
Since Jesus is our ultimate example, I want to look at how He did this. Jesus didn’t come to earth as a ghost or a spirit. He came in a physical body. John 1:14, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That is important because that physical body would be the means through which He would bring about our redemption. By dying on the cross and being raised back to life.
But that physical body also gave Jesus the opportunity to touch people: to hold their hands when they were crying; to console them by putting a hand on their shoulder; to give a high five or to shake hands or to bow his head in prayer. All of these are possible because Jesus had a physical body.
Here is an incomplete list of the times Jesus demonstrated the power of physical touch in His ministry:
A man with leprosy (Matthew 8:2). Lepers would have been considered “unclean” and “untouchable” in the ancient world. But Jesus touches this man and heals him.
Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:15). Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever until Jesus touched her. After this, people brought many others to Jesus — people who were possessed by demons and dealing with various physical ailments.
Restoring the ability to see (Matthew 9:29; Matthew 20:34). Matthew records two different instances in which Jesus healed two blind men. In the first story, Jesus asks the two blind men, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” But what He actually says is closer to, “Are you faith-ing that I can do this?” The second time, Jesus was leaving Jericho and two blind men cry out, “Lord, have mercy on us!” And Jesus healed them.
Peter, James, and John at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:7). These three just witnessed Jesus in all of His glory, which was understandably frightening. But Jesus comes and touches them and says, in characteristic fashion, “Do not be afraid.”
Restoring the ability to hear and speak (Mark 7:33). Mark records this story of Jesus opening up a man’s ability to hear and speak.
Blessing the children (Mark 10:13-16). People were bringing their children to Jesus so that He could bless them. Imagine what He said to those children. I picture Him placing a hand on the shoulder of a little boy and saying, “You are so special.” I see Him embracing a young girl in a hug and saying, with a smile, “God loves you and He will always pursue you.” The disciples scoff at this because children were considered to be insignificant in the ancient world. But Jesus rebukes them. He sees the value in these little ones, so He continues to bless them by laying His hands on them.
Healing the ear of the high priest’s servant (Luke 22:51). When they came to arrest Jesus, Simon Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. But Jesus puts His healing touch on the servant and heals him. And following this, the guards take Him away. What power and strength and humility!
In every case, Jesus touches these people as a way of bringing healing, as a way of bringing comfort, as a way of consoling and caring for them. In every case, Jesus demonstrates supreme love through physical touch.
Is there someone in your life who needs your touch?
Could it be someone who is in pain?
Someone who is afraid?
Someone who has been told that they are “unclean?”
A child who needs to be blessed?
An enemy who has come to do you harm?
Could it be someone who is having difficulty seeing God’s plan for their life?
Someone who is having difficulty hearing God’s call on their life?
Is it possible that your hand on their shoulder, your secure embrace, could make all the difference to this person?
Physical touch is a powerful communication tool. A handshake is a way of communicating a greeting. Or, perhaps in some circumstances, it represents the sealing of a business agreement. A hug sends a message of warmth and sympathy. A high-five communicates excitement and joy.
Of course, physical touch can also communicate negative emotions. We use metaphors like “a slap in the face” or “a punch to the gut” to communicate shock or pain. These only have significance as metaphors because of the pain associated with these physical touches.
Our focus here is to think about how physical touch can be used appropriately to communicate love. We’re wired for this from the very beginning. It has been well documented that babies need plenty of physical touch at birth. They need to be held because this communicates something to the child in a language far deeper than words. And although we certainly change as we age, we never really outgrow the need for appropriate physical touch.
As we think about this love language, here is an important disclaimer: there is no “one size fits all” application of physical touch as a love language. What we mean is that you have to take physical touch on an individual level, a case-by-case level. There are varying levels of acceptable and appropriate physical touch from one relationship to the next:
With a neighbor or a co-worker, a handshake is probably the limit of what is reasonable and acceptable. You might speak kind words to your co-worker; you can serve your next door neighbor by watering her flowers when she’s on vacation; but you’re probably going to be limited in the ways you can demonstrate love to these people through physical touch.
But with a close friend? There may come a time when that friend will need you to embrace them — when they receive a bit of bad news, for example.
Certainly with your children, your nieces and nephews, your grandchildren — there’s a different level there.
And, of course, the physical touch between a husband and a wife is in a category all by itself.
It is important that we understand that different relationships come with different boundaries. And in order to use physical touch as a way of expressing love, we have to be aware of appropriate boundaries. When it comes to physical touch, boundaries are essential. Unwanted physical touch is unacceptable. There are some people who do NOT respond well to physical touch — and that’s okay. It is incumbent upon us to respect those boundaries.
There are some people in your life for whom physical touch is a primary love language. And for them, appropriate physical touch helps them feel loved.
If you know much about me, you know that I love music. According to Spotify Wrapped, I listened to 1,268 different artists across 80 different genres this year.
But this year was a little different than most years. This year I had a hard time finding a lot of new music / artists that I really liked. As with most years, there was music I really loved — it’s just that there wasn’t as much of it. In some years, I’ve had to exclude some really good music just to whittle down my list of best albums to a top ten. This year, outside of these five records, not much grabbed me and held my attention. That probably says as much about me as it does the quality of music released this year. At my age, I have some fairly entrenched favorites, so something has to really grab me in order to break into my heavy rotation. I also spent a lot of time this year listening to some of my older favorites. (Oasis, for example.)
But that doesn’t mean 2023 wasn’t a banner year for new music. Some of my favorite artists released new records which soundtracked these past twelve months for me. Some of the associations I have with this music will stick with me the rest of my life: songs I was listening to when the twins graduated from high school, when we took them off to college, when Sunny and Jackson and I learned how to be a family of three, etc.
So here is my annual post of the best music (in my opinion) from the last year.
Best Albums of 2023:
Weathervanes by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.
Laugh Track by the National.
First Two Pages of Frankenstein by the National.
Higher by Chris Stapleton.
One Thing at a Time by Morgan Wallen.
2023 Album of the Year: Weathervanes by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
This album has been on constant repeat for me since it was released in June. I’ve been a part of Isbell’s fan club for the past decade. His landmark 2013 album Southeastern still looms as my favorite album ever thanks to songs like Cover Me Up, Live Oak, Elephant, and Traveling Alone. But Weathervanes is another career highlight, marked in particular by the brilliant playing of Isbell’s longtime band, the 400 Unit. With an Americana / rock sound that has been honed by years of live shows together, the band has never sounded better than they do on Weathervanes. And as the album’s producer, Isbell gives these songs plenty of space to grow, particularly the longer tracks on the back half of the record like This Ain’t It and Miles.
Isbell’s songwriting is also exemplary — although it may be more appropriately called “story-writing.” It sometimes takes a hundred pages to reach pathos in a novel; for Isbell, it’s more like four minutes (give or take). For example, Cast Iron Skillet is a perfect distillation of the kind of well-worn and hard-won wisdom you often heard growing up in the South. But there’s also an ugly cultural flipside to this kind of upbringing, one that many of us would just as soon not talk about. Yet Isbell unflinchingly shines the light on this world of biases and prejudices with a tone of mournful lament — personalized by the tale of Jamie and her boyfriend. I think Isbell has an uncommon knack for prompting legitimate reflection on things that matter — and in the case of Cast Iron Skillet, he does this in a little under three and a half minutes. And this is just one of many such songs on the record. The foreboding and paranoia are palpable on another standout track, Save the World: a somber reflection on anxiety in an age of school shootings. Middle of the Morning perfectly captures the mental fatigue of having too much time on our hands — something most of us experienced during the pandemic. Strawberry Woman has my favorite romantic-yet-not-romantic line: “You were thick cut bacon on Texas toast.” But he follows up with one that lands a little closer to the mark: “I’d sell the farm to see you smile / But it might just happen if we wait a while.”
But the song I’ve played more than any other from this album is King of Oklahoma. When I think back on the music of 2023, this is the song that will come to mind most readily. In his live shows, Isbell likes to talk about the fact that he doesn’t really write happy songs, only sad ones. And this one is definitely an all-timer. (Poor Molly.) It’s another classic “story song” with a down-and-out protagonist and blistering guitar riffs — and the highlight of the album.
The only thing better than listening to this record is hearing these great songs live, something I’ve done a couple of times already this fall. Just a great record by my favorite artist.
The National, Chris Stapleton, and Morgan Wallen
Here are some other stray thoughts about music from 2023:
The National put out two fantastic albums this year, April’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein and the surprise release of Laugh Track this fall. And I feel like each of these two records capture something essential about the band: on Frankenstein, Aaron Dessner’s meticulously beautiful songcraft and production; and on Laugh Track, the looser feel of the band performing live. I kind of wish that they had just combined these recording sessions into one really killer album. At the bottom of this post, I might just post my alternative reality single LP of the best cuts from these two albums. But as it is, National fans surely enjoyed the generous helpings in 2023.
Chris Stapleton just churns out some really good stuff. While I haven’t fallen in love with this new album as a whole, there are definitely some standout songs on Higher. My favorites include What Am I Gonna Do and It Takes a Woman.
Morgan Wallen dominated the year with his triple-album One Thing at a Time. Of course, 36 songs is excessive and indulgent. But it seemed to work for Zach Bryan, I guess. So why not? Now that I think of it, if Wallen had pared this material down to the best 12-15 songs, he’d have an incredible album. But as it is, there’s still plenty of filler on One Thing at a Time. But it’s a fun mental exercise to imagine these songs as part of an all-time great country record.
The National, First Two Pages of Laugh Tracksetlist
Once Upon a Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
Eucalyptus
Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
Weird Goodbyes (feat. Bon Iver)
Tropic Morning News
Turn Off the House
New Order T-Shirt
Tour Manager
This Isn’t Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
Crumble (feat. Roseanne Cash)
Laugh Track (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift)
Space Invader
Grease in Your Hair
Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
Tell me that’s not one great album.
Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (edit)
Don’t Think Jesus
Last Night
Everything I Love
Devil Don’t Know
One Thing at a Time
I Wrote the Book
Tennessee Numbers
Thought You Should Know
Me + All Your Reasons
Tennessee Fan
Money on Me
Days That End in Why
Outlook
I know I’m leaving off You Proof, which is probably the biggest song on the album. But there are so many better songs here. This would also be a fantastic record.
My favorite local artist, Jackson Bybee, released some new music this year under the moniker “The Band Hiraeth.” He and his good friend, Pat McRight, have been recording music under this name and I’m excited to see how some of their future projects come together. On the playlist below, you’ll find two of their songs, “The Meadow” and “Videlicet.”
We’ve already talked about words of affirmation in this series. Some people really need to hear those words in order for their emotional tanks to be filled. But there are others among us who are more of the mindset that actions speak louder than words. For these people, they’re thinking, “I don’t need you to tell me that you love me. I want you to show me that you love me — show me by what you do, not by what you say.“
For these people, acts of service is their love language.
These people are usually pretty easy to identify in your family because they’ll do exactly what Martha does in this passage: they’ll complain about having to do it all while nobody else helps.
Chapman says that they begin to “nag” — they will fixate on the things that aren’t being done and, like Martha, they have no problem vocalizing this.
But we have to remember that people tend to criticize most loudly in the area where they themselves have the deepest emotional need. Chapman says this criticism is simply a plea for love.
So he suggests that we should see the “nag” as a “tag” — as a way of our loved one saying, “I need you to love me here.”
Whenever our loved one begins to complain, we have an opportunity to hear it as a cry for love.
The Bible tells us repeatedly that love is expressed through acts of service. I love the succinct way Paul emphasizes this in Galatians 5.
Serve one another in love.
Galatians 5:13
You can probably think of countless ways to serve people in a spirit of Christian love: mowing the grass, loading the dishwasher, helping a friend move to a new apartment.
But with acts of service, it’s not just about what you do. How you do it is really important. With acts of service, attitude is everything. We are told to serve one another in love. That means that the act of service can’t be done begrudgingly — or else it’s not a full act of love.
Let’s say you’re a teenager and your Mom’s love language is acts of service. And she asks you to unload the dishwasher.
You can unload the dishwasher as an act of love — because you love this dear woman who carried you in her womb and gave birth to you after 15 hours of grueling labor, this woman who fed you and clothed you, etc. You can unload the dishwasher out of the overflow of the lifetime of love this woman has lavished upon you.
Or, you can unload the dishwasher with a bad attitude. You’re slamming the utensil drawer and you’re fuming that you have to come and do these chores, etc. You’re technically unloading the dishwasher, but you’re trying to weaponize that act of service — which completely misses the point.
Which one of those does Mom receive as an act of love? Of course, it’s obvious.
Attitude is everything when it comes to acts of service.
You can’t have a bad attitude about it or it doesn’t count. Your loved one has a Spidey-sense about this — they know you too well and if he / she will see that bad attitude every time.
If you’re doing something begrudgingly or out of some sense of obligation, it kind of takes away from the spirit of love.
We began this series by talking about how Jesus demonstrates love through all five of these love languages. He is our ultimate example — we should always be striving to love people like Jesus loves people. So it’s no surprise that Jesus gives us such a clear example of how an act of service can be an expression of love.
Biblical vector illustration series, Jesus washing apostles feet
John 13:1-5
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
The evening meal was being served … so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
As Jesus and His followers gather together for the Passover meal, it says that He showed them the full extent of his love. John uses a phrase here that literally reads, He loved them to the end, to the finish. The Greek word is telos, which means “goal” or “end point.” John is saying that Jesus loved them fully, to the very end.
In fact, just a few chapters later, when John writes about Jesus dying on the cross, he tells us that Jesus said, “It is finished,” (John 19:30) — and the word John uses is the same word, telos.
If you were reading this Gospel in its original language, the link between the foot washing and the death of Jesus would be evident.
Both of them are acts of service, motivated by love.
Both the foot washing and the crucifixion were radical, even shocking. And sometimes, in order to serve someone in love, we have to follow His example by doing something radical.
In the ancient world, foot washing was the work of household servants. This was a culture that was very mindful of things like honor and shame that were associated with one’s status. But Jesus takes this servant role upon Himself, which shocked the disciples. And He does this because to love someone is to serve them, to put their needs ahead of your own.
And of course, the crucifixion was even more shocking. No one expected the Messiah to die, certainly not at the hands of the Romans, certainly not as a convicted felon, an enemy of the state. But that’s what the crucifixion represented. And yet, for the joy set before Him Jesus endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). And He did this as a way of serving us in love.
Who can you serve this week? Following the example of Jesus, whose feet are you willing to wash this week? How can you apply the example of Jesus to your neighbor? Your co-workers? Your teachers at school? Your children? Your spouse?
Let’s use acts of service to demonstrate love to those around us.
already & not yet 