The Year in Review

As is my custom, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2025.  I start the year with goals; this post looks back at some of them and considers other factors we experienced this year.

Spiritual

My goals here:

- Be disciplined in reading/prayer routines (and reduce putzing).
- Do devotionals with the family twice a week.
- Serve better, but in fewer roles.
- Focus more on others. Figure out balance with competing needs.

Some good things here. Prayer was better from mid-year on, when I started doing evening quiet times (in addition to morning) with better regularity. And I now do Sunday morning 'prayer walks' for about an hour, which has been transformative. Humbling but good and necessary.

I did not do devotionals with the family nearly enough.

I stepped down from two roles this year (one 'permanently' and the other temporarily), which was needed to better focus on the family and my own spiritual disciplines. That has been helpful, yet life remains overwhelming at times due to the busyness of the season (lots of activities and obligations for all five of us). Overall, though, this was a positive year spiritually.

Nutritional/Fitness

My goals here:

- Get (and keep) weight under 185 lbs.
- Eat more fruit/vegetables. Eat out less.
- Improve gut health.
- Complete 270 workouts; bike 1200 miles.

Weight loss achieved! For the first time since college, I dropped my weight under 180 lbs (my low was 175). I am just over 180 today, as the holiday eating has taken its tool, but am confident I can stay at/under 180 moving forward. What a blessing. The keys for me have been eating less (and better) and walking more (doing an evening mile walk plus other things). 

I completed 272 workouts, which is satisfactory. I had shoulder surgery in April that knocked out a month, but I was able to hit 1000 miles on the bike, making it the first time I've done 1K in consecutive years.

Most workouts were gym, bike rides, and yardwork. Including the past few years' totals for reference:

2023: 22 runs for 54 miles, 182 gym workouts, 58 bike rides for 623 miles, 15 hikes/walks for 55 miles, 21 mow/yardwork, 113 hours spent working on the basement.

2024: 12 runs for 25 miles, 169 gym workouts, 82 bike rides for 1119 miles, 9 mow/yardwork, 13 'other' (hikes, etc.)

2025: 9 runs for 14 miles, 127 gym workouts, 92 bike rides for 1015 miles, 34 hikes for ~95 miles, 10 yard work (mowing/shoveling)

Reading
My goals here:

- Read 50 books.
- Read 15 works at my American Reading List.
- Minimize my owned-but-unread pile

I read 55 books, and kept my 'owned but unread' pile at an okay number. My post here caps this year's book recommendations. I read only 5 works on my ARL. Overall, though, I'm satisfied.

Household Management

My goal here:

- Minimize stuff in the home.
- Figure out ideal home organization.
- Buy less/budget better.

Buying less went pretty well until November, where the sales got me. I need to be better about ending the year well. Our home still has too many things. We made some home organization strides, but not enough. This one needs improvement.

_____________

Conclusion
Looking across the categories above, it was a pretty good year. Here's to a better 2026. "Never stop starting."

Thus Concludes 2025

Another reading year "in the books." This post recaps the year and presents what I consider the best of the bunch.

I read 55 books this year, totaling 14,487 pages—about 40 pages a day. My average rating was 89.6/100.

Of the 55 books, 0 were audiobooks, 2 were eBooks, and 16 were borrowed from the library or friends. By genre, I read 6 fantasy books, 16 religion, 19 graphic novels, 6 literature, and a smattering of others.

I chipped away at my 240-book American Reading List (presented in four parts: here, here, here, here) and read four titles on those lists. I re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I studied theology books to prepare for a Sunday school class I am developing. And I kept my 'owned but unread' pile to a reasonable size.

Here are my top ten reads from this year:

The ESV Chronological Bible
Andrew Peterson: North! Or Be Eaten

- Also check out the others in that series!

Marilynne Robinson: Home

Tim Keller: Every Good Endeavor

Kevin DeYoung: Daily Doctrine

Richard Osman: The Thursday Murder Club

James K.A. Smith: On the Road with Saint Augustine

Herman Bavinck: The Certainty of Faith

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings

Various: Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls

Happy reading!

Looking Back

Remember the days of old;
consider the years of many generations;
ask your father, and he will show you,
your elders, and they will tell you.

- Deuteronomy 32:7

2025 is soon over. The turning of the year is typically a time of reflection and anticipation; today, I focus on the former.

The Bible calls us to remember. The word shows up 234 times in the ESV. Some of those are featured in specific stories (e.g. Genesis 30:22), some are God remembering His covenant and people (e.g. Leviticus 26:40-45, Jeremiah 31:20), and some are a broadly-applicable call to all of God's people to remember three things:

- they were slaves and rebellious (e.g. Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 9:7, Isaiah 17:10, Isaiah 46:8-13, Ezekiel 36:31)

- they were freed by God; He has done marvelous things (e.g. Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 15:15, 1 Chronicles 16:8-18, Psalm 77:11, Psalm 105:5, Ephesians 2:11-13)

- they owe the Lord their obedience (e.g. Numbers 15:39-41, Psalm 103:15-18, Revelation 3:3, 2 Peter 3:1-2)

We were slaves to sin. God freed us. We owe Him our lives. As you think back on 2025, keep these three things in mind. Our reflections tend to focus on our specific achievements or trials, and yet a year is not defined by our victories (or failures). We are called to focus on and remember the Lord, who while we were sinners died to set us free (Romans 5:8). May we reflect on the ways (large and small) the Lord has shown us mercies this past year; they were new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), whether we recognized them or not.

Winter Fire: Christmas with G.K. Chesterton (Ryan Whitaker Smith)

Winter Fire collects writings from famed wit G.K. Chesterton related to Christmas. The book has:

- 30 daily readings (a snippet from Chesterton plus commentary from Smith)

- 11 poems

- 5 essays

- 2 short stories

- 10 recipes [not sure if these were from Chesterton]

- 8 games and traditions [ditto]

- a smattering of old-fashioned paintings related to the holiday season

The book was . . . okay. I love Chesterton's wit and wordplay. It was nice to read some of his article snippets (many are from G.K.'s Weekly or other sources I didn't know). It was interesting to see how the struggles with Christmas in his day mirror our own (commercialism, etc.). Smith's commentary was mixed: occasionally helpful and complementary, but more often simple regurgitation of the Chesterton writing for the day. The poems, essays, and short stories were fine. The recipes, games, and paintings felt like filler. Overall, I would have preferred more Chesterton content and less of the other stuff.

Rating: C+

LOTR: Book vs. Films

Last month, I finished re-reading The Lord of the Rings. This post reflects on the book vs. the films. I've done this before; this post will complement my original.

The Differences

1) So many things are condensed (or omitted) in the films. In my original post, I mentioned a few, but there are others. What I noted this time around:

- Frodo and Sam (and others, as they join) take much longer to get to Rivendell. Many days and adventures, including an encounter with elves (led by Gildor), a supper with Farmer Maggot, a stay in Frodo's new house (he sold Bag End), a journey in the Old Forest (with Old Man Willow, Tom Bombadil, and Goldberry), the Barrow Wights, the long walk from Bree to Rivendell (with Glorfindel's aid towards the end).

- The Council of Elrond (and the fellowship's overall stay there) is much longer.

- Their time in the Mines of Moria is longer, and events rearranged [but largely retained] between book and film.

- Their time in the Forests of Lothlorien is much longer, and we get to see the Elvish city Caras Galadhon [which we see in passing in the extended edition of the film].

- Merry and Pippin's time with the Ents is drawn out over days, and includes a stay in Treebeard's house.

- Frodo and Sam's time in Emyn Muil navigating the rocks.

- Gamling's role in Rohan. (He is in the films, but Eomer takes the dominant role)

- Theoden/Rohan's journey to Isengard after the Battle of Helm's Deep.

- Aragorn's journey to summon the Army of the Dead (and their subsequent actions before, but not during, the Battle of Pelennor Fields).

- Theoden's/Rohan's journey to Pelennor Fields and his encounters with (and assistance from) the wild men of the mountains.

- Prince Imrahil and his army's role at Pelennor Fields.

- The Healing House in Minas Tirith and people therein (Ioreth and others).

- The entire story after the destruction of the One Ring. This includes Aragorn's assumption as king and his activities there, the Scouring of the Shire (and Battle of Bywater), and other elements.

2) A few things were extended in the films compared to the books. Off the top of my head:

- The humor of Merry and Pippin. They provided very occasional and mild comedy in the books (about the same as Frodo and Sam); that was drawn out heavily in the films as they were made the comic relief.

- The Righting of Theoden's mind.

- Aragorn's interactions with Arwen and Eowyn. Those relationships were the romantic interests in the films and played up to maximum effect.

- Aragorn and claiming (or fearing) his kingship.

- The Battles of Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields. Pinnacles of the second two films were raced through in the books.

3) Characters that got more (or less) screen time than page time.

- Who got more screen time: Arwen, Eowyn, Theoden, Legolas, and Aragorn stood out to me

- Who got less: Radagast, Glorfindel, Tom Bombadil/Goldberry, Gamling stood out 

- The below graphic is helpful and has more comparisons. (copied from Facebook)

The Similarities (in Spirit)

I'll keep this short, but what I mention below is huge.

1) The overall story.

2) The main characters.

3) The iconic quotes. Though who said them and when may differ, I was impressed with just how much dialogue from the books made it into the movies.

4) The 'tone' of the world. You know you're in an ancient story with much impression of depth. 

Overall

I think they did an amazing job capturing the spirit of the books in the films. Yes, many things had to be condensed. (I found this mildly ironic, as people complain the films are so long.) As always, the books pack in so much more. But what works on the page doesn't always work on the screen—the medium is the message, as Neil Postman would say. And the changes they made for a visual representation in large part made sense to me.

Many people have a favorite book that was ruined by a movie adaptation. I'm thrilled that LOTR managed to be a hit in both worlds. These artifacts should be (and probably are) used in a storytelling class, looking at the art of conveying the same story in different media.

The Bad Beginning (Lemony Snicket)

The Baudelaire orphans—Violet, Klaus, and Sunny—are in dire straits. Their parents are dead, and the villainous Count Olaf takes them in to try and get their enormous fortune. Can this story have a happy ending? Or is this the first in "a series of unfortunate events"?

I didn't like this. At all. I put it on my American Reading List due to critical acclaim and cultural influence (this book series spawned a movie and television series). It's one of the few books I couldn't wait to end—not due to its quality but its story and some other factors. Here are things I did not care for:

- the overall message seemed to be that not all stories have good endings. True! But this is a story without hope; not just hope that bad circumstances can end or justice can be done in this world, but a deeper hope that life has purpose and meaning even in terrible circumstances.

- the author defined words as part of the telling. Not terrible, but I've seen other children's books explain vocabulary in better ways.

- the villain did some ridiculous things, including announcing his evil plot to an audience.

- the children are portrayed as the intelligent ones; the adults were mostly morons.

- the ending was unsatisfying; more like the chapter of a larger arc vs. a self-contained story.

There was some humor . . . but this didn't do it for me. Perhaps the main value was pointing to the greater truth that we tell stories for a reason (and it is not to discourage).

Rating: D

ESV Chronological Bible

The ESV Chronological Bible presents the Scriptures in the order in which events occurred. Entire books can be preserved or broken up based on their nature. That means (for example) that some Psalms will be interwoven with the historical accounts, some of Paul's letters will be interwoven with events in Acts, the Gospel accounts of the same event are presented sequentially, and so on.

In addition to the chronology, the book is broken down into 365 readings for those who wish to go through it in one year. Each day's reading has a short introduction (including estimated year of writing), and each historical era has its own section introduction. The eras:

• Primeval History
• Patriarchal History
• From Deliverance to Inheritance
• The Last Judge and the United Monarchy
• The Divided Monarchy
• Exile and Restoration
• The Kingdom Comes
• The Early Church

----------

As I hold the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant word of God, this is an obvious A+. But I want to focus on the presentation/approach here. I have never before read the Bible chronologically like this. Some observations:

• It was helpful to have the approximate year for each reading, though there are a lot of unknowns
• It was insightful to group things like the Old Testament prophets chronologically and presenting them during the events in the historical books. 
• I loved having the Psalms inserted immediately after events that inspired David (or others) to write them
• Arranging the material this way helped me make some connections I never did before, including (for example) Esther and her reign during the Exile
• Having the parallel Gospel accounts presented together was a good way to study them
• Being familiar with the Bible is helpful; I think a person new to the faith might get confused with some parts, especially where books are broken up

Overall, I'm glad I read this arrangement and will use it again (perhaps every ten years). I will stick with the 'traditional' treatment most of the time, but this approach is a useful learning aid.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume)

Peter Hatcher, fourth grader, lives a quiet life in New York City with his mom, dad, and brother 'Fudge.' And Fudge is quite the problem. He destroys things, throws tantrums, and in general makes life difficult. And he gets away with everything! Why should Peter have to stand for that? Why don't his parents pay attention to him?

This humorous children's book was a great snaphot of the chaos and insanity of a typical childhood, as told from the older brother's eyes. I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially as a parent now. Judy Blume does a good job capturing the humor and emotions of that stage of life. 

Rating: A

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have lived their lives in hiding and fear. Longing for acceptance, the boys will do anything—good or bad—to get it from humans. But when efforts fail, and Superfly terrorizes the city, the turtles must be heroes whether or not they're accepted by those they save. 

I give this 2023 movie high marks for its stylized (if sometimes frenetic and overwhelming) animation, humor, and general message. I like how it portrays characters doing both good and bad to be accepted—and how both fail when that is the sole goal. It has a gritty, urban feel. There is more cursing then I'd like from the villain. Splinter's character is intriguing. This is a re-imagining of the TMNT franchise, and it mostly works. In general, recommended.

Rating: B+

American Reading List: Children's Literature

image from here

A few years ago, I presented an American Reading List (ARL) in several parts (due to its size). I realized today that I did not adequately cover children's literature. I amend that error here, and moved titles from those earlier lists (literature, history and everything else) as needed.

Most of the ~60 titles below were taken from the 2012 "Top 100 chapter books" poll frequently cited as representative of the opinions of educators. Expect this list to evolve.

Louisa May Alcott         Little Women

Lloyd Alexander             The Book of Three

Tom Angleberger           The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Avi                                  The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Natalie Babbitt                Tuck Everlasting

Lynne Reid Banks         The Indian in the Cupboard

L. Frank Baum                The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Jeanne Birdsall                The Penderwicks

Judy Blume                     Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Meg Cabot                 The Princess Diaries

Beverly Cleary                Ramona and her Father

Andrew Clements           Frindle

Sharon Creech                Walk Two Moons

Christopher Paul Curtis  Bud, Not Buddy

Kate DiCamillo             Because of Winn-Dixie

Edward Eager                 Half Magic

Elizabeth Enright           Gone-Away Lake

Louise Fitzhugh             Harriet the Spy

Esther Forbes                 Johnny Tremain

Sid Fleischman         The Whipping Boy

Ruth Stiles Gannett        My Father's Dragon

Jean Craighead George    My Side of the Mountain

Fred Gipson                 Old Yeller

Norton Juster                 The Phantom Tollbooth

Jeff Kinney                 Diary of a Wimpy Kid

E. L. Konigsburg            From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Jane Langton                 The Diamond in the Window

Madeliene L'Engle         A Wrinkle in Time

Gail Carson Levine        Ella Enchanted

Grace Lin                        Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Maud Hart Lovelace       Betsy-Tacy

Lois Lowry                 The Giver

Lois Lowry                 Number the Stars  

Robert C. O'Brien          Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Scott O'Dell                 The Island of the Blue Dolphin

R.J. Palacio                    Wonder

Katherine Paterson         Bridge to Terabithia

Gary Paulsen                  Hatchet

Richard Peck                  A Long Way from Chicago

William Pene du Bois    The Twenty-One Balloons

Sara Pennypacker         Clementine

Dav Pilkey                 The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Ellen Raskin                 The Westing Game      

Wilson Rawls                 Where the Red Fern Grows

Barbara Robinson           The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Louis Sachar                 Holes

Gary D. Schmidt            The Wednesday Wars

George Selden                The Cricket in Times Square

Brian Selznick                The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Lemony Snicket             The Bad Beginning

Zilpha Keatley Snyder    The Egypt Game

Elizabeth George Speare    The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Jerry Spinelli                   Maniac Magee

Rebecca Stead                When You Reach Me

R. L. Stine                 Goosebumps

Mildred Taylor                Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Sydney Taylor                All-of-a-Kind Family

Megan Whalen Turner    The Thief

Wendelin Van Draanen    Flipped

Gertrude Chandler Warner    The Boxcar Children

E. B. White                 Charlotte's Web

Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie

Deborah Wiles                Each Little Bird That Sings

Selected Poems of Robert Frost

In reading poems by Robert Frost

I plowed on through despite the cost

His rhyming stuff? It was okay

(Though I seldom got what he tried to say)

His blank verse though, I just don't know

Why that genre is allowed to grow

Poetry should always rhyme

Other verse? Name it a crime

I didn't like this as much as some do

America's poet, they say. Me? Ewww.

I'm sorry; I should probably stop the jeering

(this is why I studied engineering)

Rating: C