June was a month of rest for me and my family. We took time off and traveled quite a bit. My reading, listening, and playing were a bit disjointed. I got a lot more fiction read this month and some of my fav albums of the years came out. Here’s a recap of June 2024:
Books
This is perhaps my least favorite of Paul Miller’s books. Don’t get me wrong; there’s absolute gold in this volume. I gleaned wisdom I hope to apply at Mission Church. However, Miller’s idealistic portrayal of his ministry sometimes felt like an intense standard to meet. His critique of the church from a parachurch perspective also rubbed me the wrong way. Still, I found valuable insights, especially on Pastoral Prayer, which I aim to incorporate into our church’s life and liturgy.
Oh, how I miss Tim Keller’s prophetic voice! This book is easily one of the best I’ve read on the life of Jesus. I’ve been deliberately reading it slowly each morning alongside Scripture, and it has enriched my mornings for several weeks. Keller guides us through the Gospel of Mark, focusing on who Jesus is and how he has redeemed us into the Trinitarian dance. His insights on the gospel as good news rather than good advice resonate deeply with me. Absolutely stellar and a must-read for anyone studying Mark.
I’ve really struggled to get into a new fiction book lately. After tackling some mammoth reads last year and earlier this year, I’ve felt too intimidated to start a new series. I initially dipped into The Lightbringer by Brent Weeks but wasn’t keen on slogging through 7 books. Then I discovered Murderbot. I’d heard so many great things about this series and intentionally avoided too many spoilers. I admit, I picked it up because I knew it would be a quick read. And it’s been a blast! I can’t help but think it would translate well into a television series.
The series revolves around a cyborg assigned to safeguard humans on a research expedition. Narrated from the perspective of the cyborg, who dubs itself ‘Murderbot,’ it achieves autonomy by bypassing its ‘governor unit.’ Despite its security role, Murderbot finds more solace in watching soap operas than fulfilling its duties. As it forms bonds with compassionate humans, it begins grappling with unfamiliar emotions that unsettle its programmed existence. It’s both hilarious and captivating—a fantastic serial series. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more!
Confession: I have never read through all of Narnia. I know… I know. “Billy, you’re a pastor, you love fantasy, how is that possible?!” It’s one of those things I always intended to do. I have read the first two books, especially The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, several times. Recently, while chatting with a friend who had just finished The Wingfeather Saga, I found myself longing for a series like that. My wife simply said, “Why don’t you finally read Narnia!” So I dove in. I finished this book in two sittings, and many new things stood out to me in my reading.
One of my favorite moments is when the White Witch comes to claim Edmund, who had betrayed his siblings. The morning after his rescue, he spent time with Aslan, and then we read this: “‘You have a traitor there, Aslan,’ said the Witch. Of course, everyone present knew she meant Edmund. But Edmund had moved past thinking about himself after all he’d been through and the talk he’d had that morning. He just kept looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the Witch said.” This encourages me to fix my eyes on the King over the accuser. There’s such magic in this series.
I’m reading the series in publication order. The Gospel Coalition has a compelling article on why that’s beneficial, but the real reason is because Hannah told me to, and that’s good enough for me. I’m grateful I’ve only seen the first film; this story was largely new to me. There are so many wonderful characters. Catching up to Narnia centuries later and witnessing the shift was such an intriguing setup for Caspian.
Some of my favorite moments include how Lewis captures the Fear of the Lord so well: Aslan had stopped and turned and stood facing them, looking so majestic that they felt as glad as anyone can who feels afraid, and as afraid as anyone can who feels glad.
It’s solid gold.
Another memorable scene is when Aslan affirms Susan after her doubts about his presence: “Susan.” Susan made no answer but the others thought she was crying. “You have listened to fears, child,” said Aslan. “Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?”
And finally, when Aslan appoints Caspian as the rightful king: “Welcome, Prince,” Aslan said warmly. “Do you feel sufficient to take up the kingship of Narnia?” Caspian hesitated, “I—I don’t think I do, Sir. I’m only a kid.” “Good,” Aslan replied. “If you had felt“Welcome, Prince,” said Aslan. “Do you feel yourself sufficient to take up the Kingship of Narnia?” “I—I don’t think I do, Sir,” said Caspian. “I’m only a kid.” “Good,” said Aslan. “If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not.Therefore, under us and under the High King, you shall be King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands. You and your heirs while your race lasts. sufficient, it would have been proof that you were not. Therefore, under us and under the High King, you shall be King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, you and your heirs as long as your race endures.”
Such a beautiful reminder that our assurance doesn’t stem from our abilities but from what our King declares over us! I can’t wait to delve into Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a favorite among many in the series.
I also got an Aslan inspired tattoo this month.
I love Sanderson. Last year, I read Warbreaker, his other standalone novel, with Hannah. She liked it but said, “It took forever to pay off!” Boy, she would not have liked this one! Sanderson is the master of interesting magic systems and easy-to-read prose. This book, however, is quite different from his others. Here’s a brief synopsis of Brandon Sanderson’s book Elantris:
Elantris is a fantasy novel set in the city of Elantris, once a place of magical splendor but now cursed, turning its inhabitants into living corpses with no sense of pain or death. The story follows Prince Raoden, who is cursed and thrown into Elantris, and Princess Sarene, who arrives in the capital to find Raoden missing and presumed dead. As they uncover the city’s secrets and political intrigue, they seek to restore hope to Elantris and break the curse that has plagued its people.
This is a book about doubting faith and rebuilding society. It is filled with political intrigue and features a broken man with abounding optimism. I really did enjoy it. Sanderson has clearly grown in his character work since this book. That being said, I found both Hrathen and Galladon incredibly interesting characters. I wish we got a bit more about Galladon. Fortunately, there will be sequels soon, so I look forward to seeing where he takes the series!
Music
Albums
While most of the world has been captivated by a different Taylor, I can’t get enough of Taylor Armstrong’s new record. It’s almost too short. Armstrong wrote this album in the shadow of losing his father, and it exudes a sincerity of grief coupled with a longing for the Spirit of God to restore and work in his life. It met me at the perfect time, as I was overwhelmed by grief after experiencing our third pregnancy loss. This album moved me closer to the heart of God.
My Epic has been my favorite band for a while now, and this album cements that spot even more. “Heavy Heart” might be my favorite song of the year. The weight our loved ones carry is indeed beautiful and heavy. I have only given the whole record a few listens but already love how accessible the entire album is. This will put My Epic on many radars it has yet to reach.
Caleb Gordon has really made a name for himself, selling out his recent tour. He is a content machine, constantly putting out new music. I’ll admit, I find some of his stuff a bit cheesy. However, I love J. Monty, so I gave the whole EP a listen. I’m very glad I did. There are some great songs on here and even better hooks. Christian hip hop is getting better and better!
Songs I Enjoyed This Month
- “Three in One” – Resonate Movement Music –Apple/Spotify
- “The Breakdown” – Off Road Minivan –Apple/Spotify
- “Spend Time” – Pedro The Lion –Apple/Spotify
- “Forever” – Take Lead –Apple/Spotify
- “Pulling Teeth” – Slow Joy Apple/Spotify
Board Games
June didn’t afford me many new games, but I revisited some classics and enjoyed a few new ones:
New-to-Me:
- Watergate – A tug-of-war, two-player game where one player is Nixon and the other is the Editor of the Washington Post. You go back and forth, with Nixon trying to cover everything up and the Editor trying to connect Nixon to his conspirators. It is so much fun. I’m not great at it, but I still enjoy it. The game features multi-use cards and shifting focus depending on which side you play. It’s just a delight!
- Mystic Market – A really simple stock market game. You try to collect and sell ingredients while they are worth the most. However, the market is volatile and can shift at any moment. This is a group-dependent game, as it has some “take that” elements. For my group, it works out well since we have some ruthless players. It’s a nice little filler game and one that’d great for families.
Revisited:
- Quarto – A dead simple abstract game. The goal is to get four in a row, but the hook is that you hand your opponent their piece. Additionally, there are multiple ways to achieve four in a row. It’s a quick 10-minute game and always works for me.
- Cascadia – A very fun and puzzly tile-laying game. You map out various land types, seeking to gain points for how you place animal tokens on the board. This is one I need to get Hannah to play since she loves spatial games like this. It’s a fun game that is simple to teach with lots of replay value in the cards.
- Qwinto – A little roll-and-write game I had almost forgotten about. All players simultaneously strive to fill rows on their score sheets with numbers as quickly and strategically as possible to maximize their points. It’s a fun little filler that I think will stick around for me.
All in all, June was a great month for books and music, with a couple of games sneaking in. Next month, I hope to finish a few more Narnia books, and I’ll be back in the pulpit, so we’ll see how much extra reading I get done. I’d also love to get a few games off the shelf that I haven’t played in a while.
What else should I check out? Any must-listen music I missed? What should I read after Narnia? What games should I try to get to the table?
Soli Deo Gloria,
Billy
SOLI DEO GLORIA - Billy Glosson 
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