It’s late once again. I spent the first week of the month on a mission trip and I’ve been playing catch up ever since. Here’s a rundown of the 10 books I read in October. This brings my 2022 total to 82 books. Happy reading!

(I must always clarify that I read many books with which I disagree. I learn the most by reading things that do not represent my position.)

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present by Paul McCartney

This book is a treasure. I’m a Beatles fan. Beatles lyrics run through my mind throughout the day. Rocky Raccoon is on constant loop in our kitchen. The Lyrics is a beautiful book – binding, layout, pictures. I spent a week with both volumes. I read every word and stared at each picture. The Beatles fan will love the book. The Beatles fan will also likely be bothered by the amount of Paul McCartney and Wings songs included in the collection. Give us more Beatles!

Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change by Tod Bolsinger

I believe this is my third reading of this volume. It still holds up. Bolsinger uses a powerful metaphor to deliver a powerful message on leadership. I don’t typically like leadership books. But I love this one. Pastors: If you’re looking for a leadership book – this is it. Look no further. Unless it is Bolsinger’s other book “Canoeing the Mountains.”

The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

I’ve read this volume multiple times as well. It is an all-time classic for me. I recommend this book to anyone entering pastoral ministry and any pastoral ministry veteran. It teaches the necessity of learning the difference between vine work and trellis work in ministry. I’m still learning to apply lessons learned.

The Singing Bowl by Malcolm Guite

I’ve become a huge fan of Guite. I’m working my way through his complete works. This collection is a random sampling of various poems on various topics. Fun from start to finish. Some lighthearted poems. Some serious contemplations.

Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for Christian Year by Malcolm Guite

More Guite. More great poetry. I personally love the sonnet poetry form and Guite does not disappoint. Not only is it beautiful poetry prose but helpful for church use.

The Trouble With The Church: A Call For Renewal by Helmut Thielicke

The opening pages provide a great deal of promise but the book ultimately lacks substance. The book is less about the church and more of a critique of preachers and preaching. The book reads like an academic griping about preachers. He critiques preachers for lack of substance – but I’d make the same critique of his critique.

Silence by Shusako Endo

I read this book on a flight to Canada. Yet another re-read for me. One of my favorite works of fiction. Reads like real life. Set in seventeenth-century Japan, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to a country hostile to Christianity, where feudal lords force Christians to publicly renounce their faith. I think of this story often.

God’s Mysterious Ways: Suffering, Grace, and God’s Plan for Joseph by Gary Inrig

I read the next two books as I preached a series through the life of Joseph. This is the best of the pair. Ingrid does an adequate job linking the twist and turns of life to the sovereignty of God. Book is full of solid theology and helpful illustrations.

God Meant It for Good: A Fresh Look at the Life of Joseph by RT Kendall

I am a big fan of Kendall but this is not a great book. It is full of great insights but does not make for great reading. The formatting is strange and the thoughts loosely connected. I’ll use this as an opportunity to plug a few of my favorites from Kendall: The Sermon on the Mount (a previous winner of my book of the year), Holy Fire, The Anointing.