September Reading Log

 

Not a lot of entries in this month's log, but believe me, I read a LOT. In fact, this was probably my most disciplined month of reading all year. Take a look below to see what held my attention this month!

BECOMING THE PASTOR'S WIFE by Beth Allison Barr

In 2021, one of the biggest books in evangelicalism was Beth Allison Barr's The Making of Biblical Womanhood, a book that was part history and part polemic, all focused on how the modern concept of complementarianism was not, as often said, "what the Bible has always taught," but was really just a new spin on sanctified patriarchy. She wrote that it was time for women to go and be free, aided by examples in both the Bible and church history which prove women's calling by God.

Becoming the Pastor's Wife has a narrower focus but a similar theme. In this book, Barr keys in on the role of the pastor's wife, showing how for generations that role has been both elevated and inherently limited within the church. Her argument is that this has been done less as a sign of respect for ministerial spouses than as a way to enforce complementarianism—the only leadership role a woman can hold in the church is an unofficial one that is directly tied to her relationship to a man. In other words, little girls are taught that God wouldn't call them to be ministers, he would call them to marry ministers.

Barr approaches this argument from a number of different angles, showing how pastor's wives have blessed their churches and communities even as they are kept in the shadows. Her historical examples range from medieval saints to 20th century women in the Southern Baptist Convention. And sprinkled throughout is her own testimony as a pastor's wife—the ways she has fit within the mold of what is expected of her and the ways she has not.

This book does not necessarily have the broad appeal of The Making of Biblical Womanhood, but is nevertheless a fascinating and, at times, provocative read. There is plenty to learn from Becoming the Pastor's Wife, and Beth Allison Barr has once again blessed the church with her research and writing.

GOD'S COACH by Skip Bayless

THE BOYS by Skip Bayless

HELL-BENT by Skip Bayless

Before his forays on First Take or Undisputed made him a household name among sports fans, Skip Bayless was a columnist for the dearly departed Dallas Times-Herald, where his takes on the city's sports teams—especially the omnipresent Dallas Cowboys—made him a local celebrity in the 1980s and 1990s. Along the way, he wrote three infamous books about the Cowboys, filled with both both insight and conjecture, reporting and sensationalism. You know, classic Skip.

God's Coach is, at its heart, a hit job. Bayless became a columnist at the low point of the Tom Landry years, when the coach was clearly past his prime and struggling to hang on. So Bayless' take in this book is that Landry was never actually the genius he was portrayed to be—merely a good man and a sincere Christian whose image outpaced his skill. On the plus side, this book highlights the players who made the Cowboys into America's Team, showing that they—not the the trinity of Landry, president and general manager Tex Schramm, and chief scout Gil Brandt—were most responsible for Dallas' consistent success. But ultimately, Skip doth protest too much—while never quite coming off as vindictive, his criticism of Landry ultimately seems more about the author's contrarianism than about telling the truth.

The Boys is the most conventional of the three books, a beginning-to-end account of the Cowboy's 1992 season, when Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson's dreams became reality and Dallas inaugurated a dynasty with its first Super Bowl win since the glory days of Landry, Schramm, and Brandt. In one sense, this is the best of Bayless' three books because it is the least spectacular—this is Skip the sportswriter, not Skip the provocateur. There's some behind-the-scenes drama along the way—including, presciently, tension between Jimmy and Jerry—but mostly this is just a chronicle of how that season played out. Its biggest weakness is that you can really tell which players and assistants gave Bayless a lot of access and which didn't want to talk to him—from reading this book, you'd think defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt was the glue that held the team together and that offensive coordinator Norv Turner barely showed up to work. Give Skip the time of day and he'll make you a star.

Hell-Bent is the wildest of the three books, as Skip shifts back into let's-make-some-headlines mode, most infamously by speculating (absent any evidence whatsoever) that Troy Aikman might be gay and that he once called a teammate the N-word. The central drama of the book is the very real conflict between Aikman and head coach Barry Switzer, who took over after the firing of Jimmy Johnson and brought a far more laid-back, boys-will-be-boys attitude to the enterprise. Bayless takes Switzer's side—since that's the opposite of what the rest of the Dallas media was doing—portraying him as misunderstood and Aikman as whiney and petty. The book culminates in the Cowboys' 1995 Super Bowl victory, which comes more as a relief than a triumph and which Bayless ominously (and, as it turns out, correctly) predicts may be the beginning of the end for the Cowboys dynasty.

Look, these books were pretty popular because Skip Bayless has always had a knack for getting attention and turning a phrase. They're also trashy, over-the-top, and full of a lot more style than substance. So, in a way, they are the perfect books for the Jerry Jones-era Cowboys—they're not good, but you can't look away.

 

THOR BY JASON AARON: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 1-5

From 2012 to 2019, Marvel handed the keys to Asgard over to Jason Aaron, and the result was 100+ issues of arguably the best comics Thor has ever seen—only the great Walt Simonson has a case for topping Aaron's run. At a rate of more than 3 issues per day, I immersed myself in the whole run this past month, gobbling up all the thunder I could withstand.

The run is bookended by stories about a brand new character who immediately landed on the Mount Rushmore of Thor villains: Gorr the God Butcher, an ordinary mortal whose life of tragedy and unanswered prayers, combined with the fortuitous discovery of the ultrapowerful Necrosword, give him the motivation and the means to hunt down and destroy all the gods in the Marvel Universe. Menacing, creepy, and seemingly omnipotent, Gorr is a worthy antagonist for the God of Thunder, and the battles against him cross space and time—it is only by enlisting the aid of a younger version of himself and his future self (the truly awesome King Thor the All-Father) that Thor is able to stand a chance against the God Butcher.

The rest of the run is dominated by two stories: the War of the Realms and the replacement of the Odinson with Jane Foster, his onetime lover, who becomes the new Thor when the old one is rendered unworthy by his own self-doubt. The War of the Realms is plotted and led by longtime Thor antagonist Malekith, a dark elf who I'd never cared much about but who makes an incredible villain in this story, as he seeks to take over or destroy all ten of the realms, from Asgard to Midgard (Earth) to Svartalheim, Niffleheim, and all the other lands of Norse mythology. It all culminates in an event that brings the rest of the Marvel Universe into the fray to defend Earth and take down Malekith, led by Thor.

The story of "lady Thor" is really the heart of the run though. Jane Foster, wracked by cancer, is imbued with the powers of the God of Thunder every time she picks up Thor's hammer, but doing so accelerates her disease—being Thor is killing her, but the realms need her. While the story was divisive among misogynists, it is beautifully told, so much so that I was actually disappointed when the "real Thor" was once again worthy enough to pick up Mjolnir.

All of these stories are aided by incredible art, first from Esad Ribic and then Russell Dauterman (and then Mike del Mundo, though he places a distant third). Ribic brings a painterly quality that makes the Gorr stories feel appropriately mythological and high-concept. Dauterman, in contrast, is pure metal, superhero comics at their best. Both are perfect for the stories they are telling, and writer Jason Aaron couldn't be more fortunate to have them as co-creators.

If all you know of the Jason Aaron run is its adaptation in the much-maligned film Thor: Love and Thunder, you owe it to yourself to read the FAR superior source material. It's the most fun I've ever had reading Thor.

Bow Your Heads, Close Your Eyes (Friday Devotional)

 

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

- Psalm 46:10

When teaching children how to pray, there are usually three instructions I give: Put your hands together, bow your head, and close your eyes. Before we ever get into “Dear God,” before I ever explain the different kinds of prayer, and long before the final “amen,” we start with that simple posture: put your hands together, bow your head, and close your eyes.

But have you ever wondered why we do those things when we pray? Why is that posture—one never explicitly demanded by Scripture—so automatic for believers around the world and throughout the ages?

I think it comes down to one word: still. When you clasp your hands together, you render them incapable of doing anything else—they can’t make anything or break anything, they can’t move at all. When you bow your head, you fix your gaze in one direction, limiting the scope of what you can see. And when you close your eyes, you block out your vision altogether, shutting out the world around you. For the time you are praying, you cease moving and observing. You’re simply still.

In our overstimulated world, there is something powerfully humble about making yourself still for the sake of prayer. Ours is a society where focus is fragmented, where we are bombarded by ceaseless alerts and notifications, where taking a 5-minute bathroom break without your phone in hand is borderline incomprehensible. We live in a state of constant distraction.

But when you pray, you declare that time with God is worthy of your focus. When you bow your head and close your eyes, you choose to shut out the noise. You are still.

So let me encourage you now, whether you are reading this on your phone while waiting in line, on your desktop computer in between tasks, or on your iPad while you bounce between emails and social media—stop what you’re doing for a couple minutes. Turn it all off and set it to the side. Just for a few minutes, be still and know that the Lord is God. Listen to what God has to tell you when you pray—because when you don’t move and you can’t see, you’ll be amazed by what you hear.

Trivial Pursuit (Friday Devotional)

 

Who is wise and knowledgeable among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 

- James 3:13

 

Ok, it’s pop quiz time. Let’s see how well you know your Bible.

 

Q1: What was the name of Aaron’s wife?

A: Elisheba (see Exodus 6:23)

 

Q2: Upon what mountain was Israel cursed for disobedience?

A: Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:13)

 

Q3: What was the name of the cave where David sought refuge when fleeing from King Saul?

A: The Cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1)

 

Q4: What does Jehovah Shammah mean translated from Hebrew to English?

A: The Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35

Q5: What Athenian judge was converted under Paul’s preaching?

A: Dionysius (Acts 17:34)

 

How’d you do? If you got any of those right off the top of your head, you did better than me…and I went to school for this stuff!

I suspect for most of you, those questions were tough, a reminder that there’s plenty of Bible knowledge you don’t have right on the tip of your tongue. Whether you’ve been reading the Bible for 80 seconds or 80 years, there’s always more to know.

But Scripture reminds us that, even as we should continually read and learn, wisdom doesn’t come from accumulating mountains of trivia. Rather, wisdom is found when we apply God’s Word to our lives, practicing faith in gentleness and care.

In the end, people don’t think you know God because you can pass a quiz like the one above. Godly wisdom is displayed through Christlike behavior, by living for Jesus instead of just knowing about him. So read your Bible, memorize verses, study up—but not so you’ll win at trivia night. Do it so you can show people the gospel by how you live.

Come Look (Friday Devotional)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

- Acts 1:8

“Come look!”

You might exclaim those words after reaching the summit of a long hike and gazing out at the view before you. You might say it once you’ve reached the conclusion of a long project and you’re ready to show off your work. You might just say it to a friend after you watch a funny cat video on YouTube.

Whatever the reason, the reaction is the same. When we’re amazed or proud or excited—when something has managed to truly capture our imagination—we want to show other people. Enthusiasm isn’t something you keep to yourself.

So it’s natural that Jesus tells us that we are his witnesses in the world—that it’s our responsibility to tell others what we’ve seen and heard. It’s not meant to be a dry obligation or a nerve-racking assignment, but the ordinary response to being saved by the grace of God in Christ. We don’t tell people about Jesus because we have to, but because we want to!

Somewhere you may have gotten it into your mind that sharing the gospel is a job strictly for professionals. But the truth is that the most effective evangelists are often brand-new believers—not because they know the most, but because their excitement about Jesus is so fresh. What can become old hat to old believers is still novel to them—and so they want to tell everybody!

Who’s the last person you talked with about Jesus outside the walls of a church building? When’s the last time you invited a neighbor to church? Are you being obedient in your evangelism?

Don’t be scared or ashamed of your answers. And don’t think you need a master plan to evangelize. Just try two words, and pair them with the excitement you had the first time you met the Lord: “come look!”

Treasured Time (Friday Devotional)

 

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

- Galatians 6:9

Every sport has “garbage time,” the period at the end of a game when the result is a foregone conclusion and both teams are merely running out the clock. In basketball, it’s the time when you see second-stringers jack up wild three-pointers which the defense only halfheartedly acknowledges. In football, it’s when the winning team suddenly stops passing the ball, instead calling runs up the middle on every down. Even in baseball, if an opponent’s lead is big enough, you’ll see position players sent in to “pitch,” throwing 45 mph lobs that would look silly even in batting practice.

But what you’ll never see is something readily available to the losing team to stop the bleeding: a forfeit. At any time, they could simply wave the white flag and retire to the locker room, ending their humiliation and turning the page to the next game. But for some reason, it is deeply embedded in our understanding of sports that, no matter how lopsided your defeat, you never willingly forfeit. You can make nods to the inevitability of the outcome, but you can never just surrender. Defeat is disappointing, but giving up entirely is unacceptable.

That attitude is a useful one to keep in mind off the field, where life can sometimes feel as one-sided as a scoreboard reading 58-0. We all go through seasons when merely getting out of bed feels like a victory, when it seems like your every attempt to do the right thing blows up in your face. It can feel like giving up is the only thing that makes sense.

But the Bible encourages you to persevere in such periods, to never “grow weary of doing good.” These seasons, it tells us, lead to an eventual harvest, one reaped from what was sown in hard times. The key is to not give up before that harvest comes.

Life is full of “garbage time.” But if you persist through it, following Jesus even when the way is narrow, you will see him turn that trash into treasure.

August Reading Log

 

The reading log is back to a normal length this month after an unprecedentedly short entry in July, but it was still a pretty meh month for reading. I've started trying—with mixed results—to work out in the mornings, which zaps an hour of time I once spent with my nose buried in a book; additionally, I had a 2-week reading slump after we got back from a weeklong family trip.

In other words, I'm in no danger of beating last year's page total. But I did knock out 5 books this month, so take a look below to see what I thought of them!

21: THE STORY OF ROBERTO CLEMENTE by Wilfred Santiago

Read in conjunction with our family trip to Pittsburgh, 21 is a graphic novel biography of my all-time favorite baseball player, the legendary Roberto Clemente, whose flash on the field and humanitarian heart off it made him a beloved figured both in Pittsburgh and through Latin America. Bouncing between scenes in Clemente's native Puerto Rico and his career highlights for the Pirates, the book beautifully renders both the ballplayer and the man.

I'll start with the art, because it's what shines the brightest. Wilfred Santiago, whose style is expressive and impressionistic, has a knack for portraying movement. Especially when he's portraying moments from baseball games, the images never feel static. This is especially appropriate for Clemente, who was so renowned for his athleticism and physical grace. There are numerous times throughout the book where the words feel superfluous; the art is doing the heavy lifting.

The writing is not quite as strong, occasionally reading like someone communicating in a second language. While the story of Clemente's life gets across, it sometimes comes across as disjointed, both because of the structure Santiago employs and because he refuses to spoon-feed the reader. I was able to follow without a problem, but I question whether that would have been true if I'd been less knowledgeable about the beats of Clemente's life going into reading this book.

For Clemente fans, I would say this is a must-read, a unique way of portraying the life of one of the most revered ballplayers to ever live. For those less familiar with the Great One's life, I'd start with a more conventional biography first.  

WHAT'S NEXT: A BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE WEST WING by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack

The West Wing is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and it probably is my mom's favorite, so when I learned that What's Next—a behind-the-scenes account of the show written by two of its stars—was coming out, I instantly preordered it for her. Then when she finished it, she promptly lent it to me, and I devoured the majority of it on two long flights.

What's Next, like the show it chronicles, is 75% entertainment, telling the story of how the show came to be, sharing backstage anecdotes from cast members and writers, and reveling in favorite episodes and scenes. But it's also 25% call to service, interspersing sidebars on the various charitable organizations that the show's family has supported over the years and explaining how and why readers should get involved. In a way that is unique to a show which idealized the work of the federal government, the alumni of the West Wing remain committed to making a difference in the world, not just with photo ops and donations, but with deep, involved work in these organizations, and What's Next goes to great lengths to highlight that work.

This is definitely a book for so-called "Wingnuts," the hardest of the hardcore fans, those who have listened to every episode of The West Wing Weekly podcast and watched favorite episodes multiple times. As such, don't expect much tell-all gossip or criticism of the show (even the disappointing-by-West Wing-standards 5th season); this book is a pure celebration of the show by people who are indebted to its success. And if you thought the show was just ok, you'll likely find all the fawning over writer Aaron Sorkin's genius to be a bit much, and may feel out of the loop on some inside jokes, like the actors' facetious disdain for castmate Josh Malina.

But if you love The West Wing like I do, you will fly through this book, and its stories will feel like a warm blanket. This was the ideal book to read on a plane, one that didn't require much concentration but kept me captivated throughout. Definitely worth a read for all my fellow Wingnuts.

PASTOR by William H. Willimon

I love books about pastoring that understand what pastoring really is. Not those that imagine we get to sit in a study praying and contemplating Scripture for 30 hours per week. Not those that think we are corporate CEOs devoted to customer satisfaction and increasing the bottom line. Books that understand pastors to be normal men and women with an extraordinary call, one we fail at all the time: to teach, lead, and serve the local church God has entrusted to us.

Pastor by Will Willimon is just such a book, one that understands how multifaceted pastoral work is, takes that work very seriously, and gives ample grace to those who try and fail to do it well every day. Each chapter walks through the theology of a pastor's various roles, from prophet to priest to teacher to role model, explaining how and why God calls us to these tasks. Along the way, there are stories from Willimon's own ministry, offering both credibility for the author and some on-the-ground case studies that bring the biblical imperatives to life.

The book is carried throughout by Willimon's excellent writing. He has a preacher's gift for prose, which turns what could have been a dry how-to manual or a sleepy doctoral dissertation into a readable, devotional guide. I confess I didn't have a highlighter handy while reading—it's a habit I've never really picked up despite repeated attempts—but this was the kind of book where I'd have worn mine out.

For fellow pastors, this is the kind of book that will make you feel seen. For laity, I'm not sure it's worth your time, but it would give you a fuller understanding of what your pastor is trying to do. For my part, I loved it.

DISCOVERY IN GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK by Aaron Johnson

The adventure continues and the mystery deepens in the second installment of the proposed 10-part National Park Mystery Series, which has my two oldest kids spellbound. Having been left clues to a scavenger hunt his late grandfather, the protagonist Jake and his cousin Wes and friend Amber now journey with their families to Great Sand Dunes National Park, where they come upon an artifact that has ties not only to antiquity, but to Jake's family history.

I found this book to be a slight improvement over its predecessor (which I also liked!) for two reasons. First, this book alternated chapters between the present day and the story of a girl in 1880, a pattern the first book employed also. But in this book, the connection between the past and present was much more evident, which I appreciated. Second, this book introduced a set of villains, which added an air of menace and anxiety to the proceedings.

All in all, this was another good edutainment book, with plenty of safety lessons and fun facts about the Great Sand Dunes, but never so much that it get in the way of telling a good story. Next, we're off to the Grand Canyon!

HELEN OF WYNDHORN by Tom King and Bilquis Evely

One of the most acclaimed comics of the last several years is 2021's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which sees Kara Zor-El get her True Grit on in a character-driven adventure. I won't say more about that book's plot, both because I already read and reviewed it last year and because it's going to be a movie next year. What I will say is that it introduced me and most of the world to artist Bilquis Evely, as she teamed up with Tom King, arguably the greatest working writer in comics, to put on a master class in storytelling. So when my brother loaned me his hardback trade of Helen of Wyndhorn, a Dark Horse miniseries authored by King and Evely, I couldn't crack it open fast enough.

The titular Helen is the daughter of a pulp author of great renown who died by suicide, leaving her confused and broken. Following his death, she is taken to live with her mysterious grandfather in his massive estate, Wyndhorn House. While she is initially rebellious, drinking the days away, she soon learns that there is more to the manor—and to her grandfather—than meets the eye. As it turns out, he is the inspiration for her father's greatest creation, Othan (a clear stand-in for Conan the Barbarian), and every day he ventures to a strange world to slay monsters, win wars, etc.  Before long, Helen is joining him on his adventures, though he always keeps her at a remove. The central conflict of the story is not about dragons or witches—it's about whether or not these two can become a family.

As was the case with Supergirl, King and Evely are a perfect pairing for this story. King, who tells the story from a variety of different POVs over the course of its six issues, keeps the story grounded in the characters, never distracted by the fantastical elements of the plot—as the title indicates, Helen is the point of the book, not Wyndhorn. But while the fantasy is incidental, Evely is clearly having a blast illustrating it. Her art is gorgeous here, possibly even better than what she gave us in Supergirl.

I do think this book ends a little suddenly; it could have used another two issues to keep the conclusion from feeling rushed. But on the whole, I loved this story. Definitely recommend!