December 2023 Top Ten

1.

I read the fantasy novel The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang and loved it. I’ve been thinking about trying to find books to help me enjoy parenthood more, and this one snuck up on me. It’s a war novel, so it’s devastating, brutal, and heart wrenching at times, but it also touches life often.

2.

I watched the first “episode” of BibleProject’s Sermon on the Mount series that I’ve been looking forward to. It was a great introduction. And the animation is insane.

3.

I finished up Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund and enjoyed it for the most part.

4.

My wife and I watched our favorite Christmas movies: Home Alone and The Santa Clause. I’ll let you guess whose favorite is whose.

5.

This all five songs on this album my Abby Gundersen were my top 5 played songs in 2023, according to Spotify Wrapped.

6.

I also watched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning. It’s fun, like all the others. But, the main villain fell flat for me. Wondering if they’ll amend that in Part 2.

7.

This Mark Rober video is fascinating and creepy.

8.

I read Jonathan' Edwards 70 Resolutions. These few stuck out to me:

7. Resolved, never to do anything that I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

55. Resolved, to endeavor to my upmost to act as I can think I should do if I had already seen the happiness of heaven and the tournaments of hell.

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with by corruptions, however, unsuccessful, I may be.

9.

I read another one of Ray Bradbury’s poetry books, The Haunted Computer and the Android Pope, and it was fine. Again, if you’re not a Bradbury fan (or a poetry fan) I wouldn’t start with these.

10.

I listened to this album Hymns in High Fidelity quite a bit. It’s on Spotify, too.