I wasn't planning to do a "Best of 2014" post, but my life somehow felt incomplete without it.
The truth is that the two most significant things that happened in my own life were the beginning of Collective Church and the publication of my first eBook, Lost in the Flood. However, I still enjoyed lots of things as well. There were books, movies, and music albums that will continue to endure for me when 2014 is far, far behind me. So I thought I'd share some of those things with you, just in case you missed them.
Books
Girl at the End of the World by Elizabeth Esther
I've written elsewhere about how much I loved this book, so I won't repeat all of that here. However, I will say that Elizabeth has a powerful story to tell, and she tells it fearlessly. I responded so strongly to this book that, after I read it, I contacted Elizabeth to ask if she would be willing to come share her story to our church, and I'm grateful that she did.
This book is important. It matters. Stories like this need to be told, and the people who tell them need to be honored for their courage. If you haven't read Girl at the End of the World, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed by Austin Fischer
If you've ever wondered about the paradox of free will versus divine predestination, this book is an essential part of that conversation.
Movies
I won't comment on all of these movies, but I will say that they were all really good and interesting. I think I've gone on record as saying that Boyhood is my favorite movie of 2014. However, I also wanted to point out that a very close second is a film called Whiplash. It is scheduled for DVD release on February 24.
Here are my seven (because, why not?) favorite movies of 2014:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Mistaken for Strangers (Documentary)
(*Note: As of the writing of this list, I have not seen Selma or The Overnighters, both of which I have very high hopes for. So I may amend this list later)
Music
Not surprisingly, Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes is my favorite album of 2014. I know this largely due to bias, but I don't care. When Bruce releases something new, it's noteworthy.
High Hopes - Bruce Springsteen
After the Disco - Broken Bells
Somewhere Under Wonderland - Counting Crows
They Want My Soul - Spoon
Lost in the Dream - The War on Drugs
And that was 2014 in stuff I read/watched/listened to.