Jayber Crow

This is one I had not heard of until John Ortberg referenced it on a recent podcast episode. He said it was one of the best novels he had ever read — an endorsement that piqued my curiosity. I enjoyed it very much and I believe you will too: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry.

Here’s an overview of the book via the publisher’s website:

ABOUT JAYBER CROW

“This is a book about Heaven,” says Jayber Crow, “but I must say too that . . . I have wondered sometimes if it would not finally turn out to be a book about Hell.” It is 1932 and he has returned to his native Port William to become the town’s barber.

Orphaned at age ten, Jayber Crow’s acquaintance with loneliness and want have made him a patient observer of the human animal, in both its goodness and frailty.

He began his search as a “pre–ministerial student” at Pigeonville College. There, freedom met with new burdens and a young man needed more than a mirror to find himself. But the beginning of that finding was a short conversation with “Old Grit,” his profound professor of New Testament Greek. 

“You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out—perhaps a little at a time.”

“And how long is that going to take?”

“I don’t know. As long as you live, perhaps.”

“That could be a long time.”

“I will tell you a further mystery,” he said. “It may take longer.”

Wendell Berry’s clear–sighted depiction of humanity’s gifts—love and loss, joy and despair—is seen though his intimate knowledge of the Port William Membership. 

BEING HENRY

The past few years I’ve added a few autobiographies, memoirs, and biographies into my reading rotation. As a fan of “Happy Days” from my younger years, I found myself drawn to this memoir. So, I got the audio version via the Libby APP and listened to it in one day on a recent road trip. I was thoroughly captivated by his story, and I believe you will be too. BEING HENRY: The Fonz…and Beyond by Henry Winkler.

Here’s an overview via the publisher’s website:

From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.  

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence by his role as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.

Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he’s revealed himself as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as The Fonz, he could hardly find work.

Filled with profound heart, charm, and self-deprecating humor, Being Henry is a memoir about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and kindness and of finding fulfillment within yourself.

FLOURISHING IN MINISTRY

Although this book is written with clergy in mind, the concepts he talks about are helpful and transferable to other vocations (especially the 4 principle dimensions he talks about throughout the book: Daily Wellbeing, Resilience, Authenticity, and Thriving): Flourishing In Ministry by Matt Bloom.

Here’s an excerpt from the book to give you an idea of how this can be helpful for everyone:

We find that a very helpful way to think about wellbeing is to break it into four principle dimensions:

• Daily Wellbeing—the quality of our daily lives.
• Resilience—our capacity to adapt, change, and respond to life’s challenges and also our capacity to grow, learn, and develop new capabilities and capacities.
• Authenticity—our sense of self-integrity and dignity.
• Thriving—the meaning and significance we experience in our lives; our sense of having values and beliefs that inspire us, create purpose, and provide moral guidance to our lives; experiencing deep and positive connections with others.
  There are smaller subcomponents that make up each of these dimensions, but dealing with those details is often confusing and unhelpful. We find that these four dimensions are a useful way of summarizing the various subcomponents of wellbeing into a framework that we can put to use in our lives. We flourish when we experience daily wellbeing, resilience, self-integrity, and thriving.

Bloom, Matt. Flourishing in Ministry: How to Cultivate Clergy Wellbeing (pp. 22-23). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Supercommunicators

Here’s another one I think you’ll find super helpful: Supercommunicators HOW TO UNLOCK THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF CONNECTION by Charles Duhigg.

Here’s an overview via the publisher:

Come inside a jury room as one juror leads a starkly divided room to consensus. Join a young CIA officer as he recruits a reluctant foreign agent. And sit with an accomplished surgeon as he tries, and fails, to convince yet another cancer patient to opt for the less risky course of treatment. In Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg blends deep research and his trademark storytelling skills to show how we can all learn to identify and leverage the hidden layers that lurk beneath every conversation.

Communication is a superpower and the best communicators understand that whenever we speak, we’re actually participating in one of three conversations: practical (What’s this really about?), emotional (How do we feel?), and social (Who are we?). If you don’t know what kind of conversation you’re having, you’re unlikely to connect. 

Supercommunicators know the importance of recognizing—and then matching—each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and deeply held beliefs that color so much of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives—and how we see ourselves, and others—shape every discussion, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work. In this book, you will learn why some people are able to make themselves heard, and to hear others, so clearly.

With his storytelling that takes us from the writers’ room of The Big Bang Theory to the couches of leading marriage counselors, Duhigg shows readers how to recognize these three conversations—and teaches us the tips and skills we need to navigate them more successfully.

In the end, he delivers a simple but powerful lesson: With the right tools, we can connect with anyone.

HOW TO KNOW A PERSON

Here’s a very practical book you’ll find to be very helpful as you strive to better connect with others: HOW TO KNOW A PERSON The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks.

Here’s a synopsis via the publisher’s website:

ABOUT HOW TO KNOW A PERSON

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A practical, heartfelt guide to the art of truly knowing another person in order to foster deeper connections at home, at work, and throughout our lives—from the author of The Road to Character and The Second Mountain

As David Brooks observes, “There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen—to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood.”

And yet we humans don’t do this well. All around us are people who feel invisible, unseen, misunderstood. In How to Know a Person, Brooks sets out to help us do better, posing questions that are essential for all of us: If you want to know a person, what kind of attention should you cast on them? What kind of conversations should you have? What parts of a person’s story should you pay attention to?

Driven by his trademark sense of curiosity and his determination to grow as a person, Brooks draws from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and from the worlds of theater, philosophy, history, and education to present a welcoming, hopeful, integrated approach to human connection. How to Know a Person helps readers become more understanding and considerate toward others, and to find the joy that comes from being seen. Along the way it offers a possible remedy for a society that is riven by fragmentation, hostility, and misperception. How to Know a Person is for anyone searching for connection, and yearning to be understood.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooks

The Spirit of Our Politics

This book came to my attention recently due to its origin story. The author, Michael Wear, who was a young staffer at The White House, was given a copy of The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard (which, by now, you should know is the most significant book I’ve ever read and go back to it often). TDC significantly shaped Michael’s life and career to the point that he eventually published this timely book in January 2024, The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life.

Here’s a synopsis of the book from Michael’s website:

Michael Wear, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, argues for a new paradigm of political involvement rooted in the teachings of Jesus and drawing insights from Dallas Willard’s approach to spiritual formation.

In this profound and hope-filled book, Michael Wear argues that by focusing on having the “right” politics, we lose sight of the kind of people we are becoming, to destructive results. When political division shows up not only on the campaign trail but also at our dinner tables, we wonder: Can we be part of a better way? The Spirit of Our Politics says “yes,” offering a distinctly Christian approach to politics that results in healing rather than division, kindness rather than hatred, and hope rather than despair. This paradigm-shifting book reveals:

• Why we need to reframe how we view our political involvement as Christians
• How as Christians we can reorient our politics for the good of others
• The crucial connection between discipleship to Jesus and political involvement
• A different way of talking about politics that is edifying, not stomach-turning
• How to navigate political strife in churches and small groups
• Why who we are in our political life is not quarantined from who we are in “real life”
• Why gentleness is entirely possible in our political discourse 

The Spirit of Our Politics is for readers of any political perspective who long for a new way to think about and engage in politics. That new approach begins with a simple question: What kind of person would I like to be?

The Life You’ve Always Wanted

John Ortberg has written more than a dozen books that you should dive into. Today I want to highlight one of my favorites (in fact, it is one of the 3 books that have impacted my life the most). Also, I’m super excited that John will be with us later this week for our Men’s Conference at The Hills.

Here’s a brief description from John’s website:

Ignite a deeper, more vibrant relationship with God that impacts not just your spiritual life but every aspect of your daily life.

John Ortberg calls readers back to the dynamic heartbeat of Christianity–God’s power to bring change and growth–and reveals how and why transformation takes place.

The Life You’ve Always Wanted offers modern perspectives on the ancient path of the spiritual disciplines. But it is more than just a book about things to do to be a good Christian. It’s a road map toward true transformation that starts not with the individual but with the person at the journey’s end–Jesus Christ.

As with a marathon runner, the secret to finishing a race lies not in trying harder, but in training consistently–training with the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are neither taskmasters nor ends in themselves. Rather they are exercises that build strength and endurance for the road of growth. The fruit of the Spirit–joy, peace, kindness, etc.–are the signposts along the way.

Paved with humor and sparkling anecdotes, The Life You’ve Always Wanted is an encouraging and challenging approach to a Christian life that’s worth living–a life on the edge that fills an ordinary world with new meaning, hope, change, and joy.

PS: follow along with John’s daily teachings here at Become New.

Love Does

Bob Goff is one of my favorite people in the world! I’ve been blessed to get to know him as he’s been part of our Men’s Conference for more than a decade now. You really should dive into all of his resources here (books, courses, podcasts, etc). His first book is a great place to start: Love Does

Here’s a description from the publisher’s website:

Can a simple concept shift your entire world? Bob certainly thinks so. When it comes to loving your neighbors, rather than focusing on having the “right answers” or checking the “right boxes,” what if you decide to simply DO love? To shamelessly show love and grace to those around you? What would that look like?

It might look like spending sixteen days in the Pacific Ocean with five guys and a crate of canned meat. It might look like taking your kids on a world tour to eat ice cream with heads of state. It might look like taking a road trip with a stressed-out college student–even though you just got married a few days before.

In Love Does, Bob shows you:

• how to live a fully engaged life
• how to stop putting things off until “next time” and instead find your place of imagination, whimsy, and wonder today
• that God usually chooses ordinary people to get things done

When love does, life gets interesting. Light and fun, unique and profound, the lessons drawn from Bob’s life and attitude in this collection of stories just might inspire you to be secretly incredible, too. If you love Love Does, don’t forget to check out Everybody, Always and Dream Big for more of Bob’s delightful and inspiring stories!

Learn more about Bob here: https://www.bobgoff.com

Lessons in Chemistry

After watching the Apple TV series based on this book by Bonnie Garmus (which is really good), I decided to listen to the book it was based on (I really enjoyed it too).

Here’s a description from Bonnie’s website:

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. 

In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 
 
But like science, life doesn’t always follow a straight line. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. That’s because Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.  
 
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

Dive in and enjoy: https://www.bonniegarmus.com/lessons-in-chemistry

East of Eden

This classic book by John Steinbeck has always intrigued me but one that I had never fully read until this year. So, I decided to begin the year by listening to in via the Libby APP (25 plus hours worth).

Here’s a brief description of the book via Amazon:
A masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America’s most enduring authors, in a commemorative hardcover edition
 
In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

The masterpiece of Steinbeck’s later years, East of Eden is a work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love’s absence.

PS: I have also found this free online study guide very helpful in keeping the characters and themes in my mind as I listen to it — https://www.litcharts.com/lit/east-of-eden