I made a concerted effort this year to work through spiritual growth resources I had already on my TBR shelves. I even set aside 12 – one per month – to prioritize. You can see the stack below. I finished 7 and DNF’d (“Did Not Finish”) an 8th. I also ADDED several books to the pile as the year went on. I actually found this system – of setting aside enough for one per month, putting them in a place of prominence where I wouldn’t miss them – fruitful. I will probably do that again for 2021. I also started an online group with some friends where we posted resources we read. It was a nice piece of accountability with a side of book recommendations!
Three notes on my list of resources for this year.
- Like last year, many of these are “white noise” when I think back through the year. I remember that I read them, but they didn’t all make a big impact. In some cases, that was because the book didn’t work for me. In other cases, the book worked in the moment, but after the year we have had, I struggle to remember details. There’s also the issue of the sheer volume of things I read. My brain can only hold so much content. This is why I keep the books I love, and write in them, so I can go back later and revisit the content.
- I also took advantage of some special offers this year and watched some Bible resources through Zondervan Academic’s MasterLectures. If I could have afforded to maintain the subscription, I would have. There were a TON of excellent studies I would have liked to try. I did an overview of the Old Testament that was one of the highlights of this whole year.
- Last year I split out Enneagram Resources and Bible Study resources. This year, that didn’t feel right for the big picture of the year.
So, here are the resources I read this year!
40 Days on Being a Two – I am about halfway through this and it has been excellent. I would like more journaling space, but I can make do with another option. Right now, the devotionals for Enneagram 2s and 3s are out. The rest will release over the course of 2021.
100 Bible Verses that Made America – You can read my full review here. I rated this one ♥♥♥½.
Becoming Us – I talked about this one here. I rated this one ♥♥♥.
Chasing Vines – You can read my full review here. I rated this one ♥♥♥♥♥+++.
The Color of Compromise – You can read my full review here. I rated this one ♥♥♥♥♥.
Dangerous Prayers – I started this as part of an online Bible study, but the online portion was really disappointing. I ended up abandoning the study and just finished the book. The book was good, and I liked it as a prayer resource. ♥♥♥♥
Discerning the Voice of God – I don’t think you can ever go wrong with Priscilla Shirer. This is one I will revisit, much like Fervent. ♥♥♥♥♥
Dream Big – You can read my full review here. I rated this one ♥♥♥♥.
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day – Daily devotional with two pieces per day (which I usually split over two days instead). I liked the content of this, even when I was no longer reading the source book. ♥♥♥♥
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality – Good resource. Some chapters felt more pertinent than others. Would make a great group study, and I know there are videos to go with the book. ♥♥♥♥
The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation – You can read my full review here. I rated this one ♥♥♥.
The Enneagram of Discernment – Some excellent triad material here, but the writing is dense and a bit dry, so it took me forever to work through to the good stuff. Will definitely revisit, but more for specific bits rather than as a whole. ♥♥♥½
Getting to Know God’s Voice – You can read my full review here. I rated this one ♥♥♥.
The God of Great Reversals – My women’s Bible study was doing this in the Spring. Even before we stopped meeting in person because of the pandemic, I had given up on this. I felt the author made far too many leaps from scripture, and then stated his opinions as facts. I was NOT a fan.
How the Bible Actually Works – I LOVED this resource. 10-15 years ago, this book would have scared me. I was uncomfortable closely examining the Bible’s contradictions. I didn’t want to lose all faith in the Bible. But every time this book, and its author, would dig into a conflict or a contradiction or a hard question, it affirmed the value of both the Bible and the work of pressing into the hard bits. I have several of the author’s books on my pile for 2021, and I’m looking forward to them! ♥♥♥♥½
Jesus Feminist – I wanted to love this but it didn’t click for me. Maybe it was answering questions I just wasn’t asking this year. ♥♥♥
Love Letter from Prison – A few years ago I completed a study on Colossians called Enough by these same ladies, and I adored it! I love how they put together a Bible study. I have one more from them on John’s letters. ♥♥♥♥
Pastrix – In recent months I have come to a new level of appreciation for Nadia Bolz-Weber. She pulls no punches and lays her thoughts and feelings out for all to see, take them or leave them. This year especially I needed that level of frank honesty. This was the perfect season to read this book. ♥♥♥♥
Ready to Rise – You can read my full review here. I rated this one ♥♥♥♥.
Remember God – This reads like a novel, and I didn’t want to put it down. I could hear the author’s voice as I read – her personality really shines through the writing. I would happily read anything she writes. ♥♥♥♥
Surprise the World – A quick read that felt like it was asking a lot, even if we weren’t in a pandemic. A lot of the challenges in the book are difficult to consider in 2020. But some good food for thought. ♥♥♥½
Unclobber – I picked this up based on a Twitter recommendation and a conversation with a friend. This is part memoir and part Bible study, and I flew through it. Engaging and though-provoking. ♥♥♥♥
The Complete Enneagram – I have started this one but I haven’t gotten too far yet. I picked this up because I want to learn about the subtypes. There are three subtypes for every Enneagram type. And in a teaching I heard recently, the instructor pointed out that it can be hard to zero into your type because of the variations within the subtypes – one might be the stereotypical description, but the other two might be nuanced and different enough that you can’t find yourself within the type if you fit one of those. So I am going to dig into this more this summer/fall. I recently heard a teaching from the author, and I enjoyed it.
The Enneagram of Eating – I have started this one, too, this year, but haven’t finished yet. I like the idea of these books that take each of the types and show how the type – in health and in some of the lower places – can interact with this topic. This author will have a book about the Enneagram and sex later this year.
Millenneagram – I recently discovered Hannah Paasch on Twitter, and I had to pick up her book! She has a sassy, irreverent style, and I wanted to see how that impacted her take on the Enneagram. I’m going to do a full review of this soon, but for now I will say this is both a fresh and a foul take on the Enneagram. There is a LOT of swearing in this book, so if that will bother you, skip this one. But if you can get past that, don’t miss out on this fresh look at the 9 types. I loved this! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Spiritual Rhythms for the Enneagram – The three resources I have finished this year have all been spectacular, but this one rises to the top of the list for me. Each type is covered in probably 20 pages of material. Each chapter is laid out in the same order so if you want to check something for every type, it is easy to find. This focuses not only on understanding the type but also spiritual practices to be the healthiest you can be. I especially enjoyed the emphasis on triads – each type is a mix of 3 types that make up a triangle on the map. And we can learn to use the other two parts of our triad to be more balanced. The whole thing was brilliant, and it is a resource I will go back to over and over and over again! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
The Art of Typing – This is a gorgeous resource! I love the layout of this. But it is a niche resource. This is what I would recommend to someone who either can’t distinguish their type because they are vacillating between a few or for professionals who work with people on the Enneagram a lot. This gives a set of three questions (different questions for each pairing) to each of two numbers and shows how the numbers would answer those questions differently. It’s brilliant for learning differentiation and the nuances between types. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
