My Favorite Reads of 2022
Between starting a new job and moving to a new house, I wasn’t sure I’d have much time to read. But thankfully, I’ve been able to take in several great works. Here are six that I deem my favorite reads of 2022.
Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy
Henry Kissinger
It’s rare to have a book like this. Henry Kissinger is a foremost mind when it comes to foreign policy and national leadership. You can’t talk about American politics in the mid-twentieth century without mentioning Kissinger. In this incredible book, Kissinger writes brief biographies of six leaders who rose above their station in times of crisis: Konrad Adenauer, Charles De Gaulle, Richard Nixon, Anwar Sadat, Lee Kuan Yew, and Margaret Thatcher. While other, more detailed biographies have been written on each of these figures, Kissinger has produced a volume that is based on his personal relationships with each person. Throughout these mini-biographies, Kissinger synchronizes his personal relationships with contemporary leadership advice. While I am certainly no world leader (nor do I desire to be), I gleaned invaluable leadership insight from Kissinger’s work here.
Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good News of the Fear of the Lord
Michael Reeves
The fear of the Lord is a theme that stretches throughout all of Scripture. And it’s difficult to understand! “Fear” is a confusing topic today; I don’t have to tell you that the Church is confused about what fear is, or what a healthy view of fear should look like. I distinctly remember reading Proverbs throughout for the first time in High School. I kept encountering the phrase “Fear the Lord.” I struggled to understand the concept then, and I still do. Michael Reeves has produced a study of the fear of the Lord that turns our modern understanding of fear on its head. For Christians, the fear of the Lord is good news! “Rejoice and Tremble” helps us believe that truth in our heads and hearts.
Turnaround: The Remarkable Story of an Institutional Transformation and the 10 Essential Principles and Practices that Made it Happen
Jason K. Allen
Alright, I’m toeing the company line with this one. I am a graduate of Midwestern Seminary, and I am so proud of the seminary it’s become in the last decade. In this great little book, Jason Allen tells his story of leading the institution from a place of extreme unhealthiness to one of the fastest-growing seminaries in the world. Allen is a leader who integrates his gospel-centered theology into his leadership style, while still being informed by best leadership practices in the “real world.” I appreciated taking a look behind the curtain and celebrating what God has done at Midwestern through reading this book. If you’re trying to lead change at an organization, I would highly recommend this work.
Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith
Russ Ramsey
Living in Kansas City during seminary opened my eyes to the world of art. Kansas City is home to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (with free admission!) which features works by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and so many more. Being in close proximity to so many classic works ignited a love for art in my own soul. ‘Rembrandt is in the Wind’ features mini-biographies of great artists while showing the transcendental connection of beauty and faith. Ramsey is a gifted writer and is consistently inviting the reader into the story of redemption while finding beauty in the world God has created. I especially enjoyed his three appendices: “How to Visit an Art Museum,” “How to Look at a Work of Art,” and “Overview of Western Art: Renaissance to Modern.”
A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream
Yuval Levin
Christians are naturally institutionalists. In fact, God has called us to be members of an institution, his own spiritual family, the Church. However, we live in an anti-institutional age. Levin’s brilliant response to our public crisis point is not to continue forward with an attitude of tearing down institutions. Rather, Levin in ‘A Time to Build’ is calling us to build institutions. Whether it’s our family, church, or government, Levin’s solution to our confused cultural moment is to build. Building institutions takes energy, commitment, and hard work. I think Levin’s principles are nicely applicable to being committed to a local church, and leading families in truth and faithfulness.
Dune
Frank Herbert
When I saw the trailer for the Dune movie that was released in 2021, I rushed to order the book so I could read it before the movie was released. I love authors that can create a world and all its complexities, and Herbert is no exception. ‘Dune’ is stark, thrilling, and glum in all the right ways. While I’ve not enjoyed the subsequent volumes in the series, ‘Dune’ deserves its status as a classic work of science-fiction. Herbert develops his characters and advances the narratives with fascinating detail.