It’s that time of year…time for the, “best of,” lists. I’d love to hear yours. So if you have one, share it in the comments. Here is my list:
Book of the Year: Hidden Genius: The secret ways of thinking that power the world's most successful people, by Polina Pompliano. This books is in the same stream as Tools of Titans (Tim Ferriss). I love books that provide mentoring from great leaders from all walks of life. One of the best insights is from Pompliano herself. She writes: “Without realizing it, I had stumbled upon something I like to call people-focused learning, the notion that people and their stories are at the center of any learning pursuit. This type of learning goes beyond historical events. If I want to improve my decision-making or develop mental resilience, I can choose a person who best embodies the idea about which I want to learn. From there, I’ll immerse myself in their stories and begin searching for their “hidden genius,” the differentiator that makes them truly exceptional.” People-centered learning provided me with words to describe my own approach to leadership growth.
Honorable mentions: A Creative Act, by Rick Rubin; Redesigning Leadership, by John Maeda.
Movie of the Year: Jesus Revolution. This movie took off because it captured the best of Christian mission on the screen. It made 54.3 million against a skin-tight budget of 15 million. So I’m giving it the nod due to how much they did with so little. We live in a culture where the worst of the Church is put in neon lights and skywriting by secular media and critics, while the colossal good the Church does around the world is either ignored or explained away with a, “yeah, but…” I loved the movie for capturing what truly drives evangelism—a profound love for Jesus and a white-hot desire to see lives transformed for abundant life now and for eternity.
Honorable Mentions: Everything Everywhere All at Once; Air
TV Show of the Year: Lawmen Bass Reeves. I LOVE Taylor Sheridan shows. While he didn’t direct this show, he told the story of the first Black deputy U.S. Marshall in the upper Midwest Territory as only he can. He shows the pain and complexity of the Reconstruction era. Barry Pepper plays an amazing creep, but David Oyelowo deserves a shelf of Emmys for his performance as Bass Reeves. It’s truly stunning.
Honorable Mentions: Suits, Fargo (season 5—in progress).
App of the Year: Motion. Motion uses AI to plan your schedule, projects and calendar for you. You tell it how you want life to go…and it schedules your tasks and projects for you. Think of it as a combination of Todoist, Asana, and Google Calendar. My favorite feature: If you forward an email into it, it turns it into a task, and then creates an action list for your response. Meaning, I don’t have to create a task list of things I need to do or included in a response. It does it for me. Be forwarned. It isn’t cheap—but it’s pretty awesome. I’ve just started using it…and it’s blowing me away.
Habit of the Year: Hiking. If there is one hobby or habit that has truly changed my life, it is hiking.
Honorable Mentions: Limiting news intake; Increasing story/memoir intake.
Evolution of the Year: More fellowship with fewer people. Emily and I are huuuuuge extroverts. However, after mingling in large groups for decades, we have come to treasure going deeper with fewer people. So, while we still enjoy large gatherings, we’ve started to invest in fewer relationships much more deeply.
Honorable Mentions: Revisiting my fan status for all teams. Every fan should do this every five years. Your teams have no loyalty to you—you are not married to them.
Defining Moment of the Year: The transition from church ministry to ministry at Pepperdine. There is lot I could say here. The condensed version: I couldn’t be more grateful. The family is thriving, and God’s goodness is palpable to me every day. I do miss vocational church ministry on occasion. But I know this is where God wants me.
Chief goal for next year: Instead of setting resolutions or goals, I am writing a “Rule of Life.” I might set goals, but I commit to a Rule of Life. It doesn’t just sound fancier. It focuses on becoming, rather than doing. That doesn’t preclude specific goals. Rather, it puts goals in their proper place—as subsidiary rather than primary.