2018: The Year's Travels and Reading

This will not be a unique end-of-year post, except for possibly because I am combining two lists posts into one. Here I will recap the books I read and places I visited in 2018. I set a new post-college record for number of books read in the year at 14 (with two others started but never finished and two more in progress but will not be finished by year's end), and my traveling this year took the number two spot in my personal annual record number of miles traveled.

Books I read in 2018, in order of completion

Jeremy Treat: Crucified King: Atonement and Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Theology

John M Gottman and Nan Silver: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

Neil Gaiman: American Gods

Tish Harrison Warren: Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

Mark Vanhoenacker: Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot

Joe Biden: Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose

Elaine Tyler Mary: Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned Democracy

Robert Kurson: Rocket Men

Daniel Hill: White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to Be White

Christopher Potter: The Earth Gazers: On Seeing Ourselves

Daniel Coyle: The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

Mark Dillon: Giving and Getting in the Kingdom: A Field Guide

Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians

Jimmy Carter: Faith: A Journey for All

Juan Francisco Martinez: The Story of Latino Protestants in the United States

Places I visited in 2018, in order of visit

January: My fifth visit to Florida. Florida is Naomi's home state, and she and I went to visit her parents in Orlando for a late Christmas. We took a day to go to Disney World, enjoying both Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

April: I generally take the weekend after Easter Sunday off, and this year Naomi and I decided to visit Austin, first time for both of us. It was unfortunately unseasonably cold there most of our four-day visit but even so we saw and did a lot of Austin's highlights and also visited an old friend.

In Austin in April

August: For our second wedding anniversary, we spent six days in Vancouver, first time for both of us. We again saw and did a lot of Vancouver's highlights and had a great time exploring the city and surrounding area. Read my full travelogue in two parts.

Also in August was a quick weekend trip to Baltimore for a college friend's wedding. My first time to Baltimore, and we squeezed in a few of the local sights.

November: Back to Florida again for Thanksgiving with Naomi's family.

All told, it involved over 11,400 miles of air travel across eleven flight segments, the longest being the return flight from Vancouver.

Looking forward to more reading and traveling in 2019! What did you read or what places did you visit in 2018? Comment below.

Music and Meditation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 23 | The Fourth Sunday of Advent

"Of the Father's Love Begotten"

• Words by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (4th century), translated by John Neale
• Music is 13th century plainsong
• Performed by the Church Folk at College Church in Wheaton (2015)

Text

Included in the video

Readings

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:9-10

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

The Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Music and Meditation for the Third Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 16 | The Third Sunday of Advent

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

• Words translated from Latin by John Neale (1851)
• Music is plainsong chant adapted by Thomas Helmore (1854)
• Performed by Lauren Daigle on the album Behold (Centricity Music, 2018)

Text

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lowly exile here until the Son of God appear

O come thou Dayspring come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice! Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel

O come desire of nations bind all peoples with one heart and mind
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease, fill the whole world with heaven's peace
Rejoice! Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel

Rejoice! Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel

Readings

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
And the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and uphold it
With justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:2,6-7 (ESV)

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever, Amen.

The Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent

Music and Meditation for the Second Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 9 | The Second Sunday of Advent

"Be Born In Me"

• Words and Music by Bernie Herms and Nicole Nordeman (2011)
• Performed by Francesca Battistelli on the album Christmas

Text

Displayed in the YouTube video

Readings

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV)

Almighty God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

The Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent

Music and Meditation for the First Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 2, 2018 | The First Sunday of Advent

"Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus"

• Words by Charles Wesley (1744)
• Music by Rowland H. Prichard (1831, hymn tune HYFRYDOL)
• Performed by Fernando Ortega on the album Christmas Songs (2008, Curb Records)

Text
Come thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set thy people free
From our fears and sins release
Let us find our rest in thee
Israel's strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a king
Born to reign in us forever
Now thy gracious kingdom bring
By thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By thy all sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne

Readings

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV)

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now and in the time of this mortal life in which your son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

The Collect for the First Sunday of Advent