Not sure why (although holidays and extended daylight may have something to do with it), but December seemed to be a month in which I knocked over a bucket-load of reading, listened to a tonne of music, and enjoyed more flicks than usual. Here’s my exploits:

Reading:

• Sun of Righteousness, Arise!: God’s Future for Humanity and the Earth by Jürgen Moltmann. (A bit hit and miss, even for this Moltmann fan.)
• The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. (Recherché!)
• Coming to Terms with Power by Briony Martin.
• What Happens in Holy Communion? by Michael Welker.
• Love, Power, and Justice: Ontological Analyses and Ethical Applications by Paul Tillich. (Yes, there’s still a few of us around who read Tillich occasionally.)
• Church in the Round: Church in the Round: Feminist Interpretation of the Church by Letty M. Russell.
• Power and Love: A Theory and Practice of Social Change by Adam Kahane.
• Resisting Dictatorship: Repression and Protest in Southeast Asia by Vincent Boudreau. (A good read.)
• Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert A. Johnson.
• Resurrecting Excellence: Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry by L. Gregory Jones & Kevin R. Armstrong.
• God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now by John Dominic Crossan.
• Radical Forgiveness by Antoinette Bosco. (Disappointing)
• Teachers As Cultural Workers: Letters to Those Who Dare Teach by Paulo Freire. (A thought-provoking read.)
• Living at the Edge: Sacrament and Solidarity in Leadership by Penny Jamieson. (An honest book.)
• Power and Christian Theology by Stephen Sykes. (This book is outstanding. Possibly the best on the subject!)
• Jesus, Paul, and Power: Rhetoric, Ritual, and Metaphor in Ancient Mediterranean Christianity by Rick F. Talbott.
• The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho. (Not Coelho at his best.)
• The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder.
• Church, Community and Power by Roy Kearsley.
• Gustavo Gutiérrez: Essential Writings by Gustavo Gutiérrez. (Gutiérrez is a much better thinker than I remembered.)
• To Share in the Body: A Theology of Martyrdom for Today’s Church by Craig Hovey.
• Ordination: Celebrating the Gift of Ministry by Stephen V. Sprinkle. (Very helpful.)
• The Eucharist and Ecumenism: Let Us Keep the Feast by George Hunsinger. (‘Certainly among the boldest and most important studies available on the subject’.)
• Systematic Theology, Volume 2: The Works of God by Robert W. Jenson. (Brilliant and disturbing.)

Listening:

• Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri by The Sixteen.
• You Get What You Give, The Foundation, Pass The Jar – Zac Brown Band and Friends Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta by Zac Brown Band.
• The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens.
• No Better Than This by John Mellencamp.
• Contra by Vampire Weekend.
• The Band Perry by The Band Perry.
• Christmas Chants by Gregorian.
• Lady Antebellum and Need You Now by Lady Antebellum.
• Go by Jónsi.
• The Suburbs by Arcade Fire.
• Pink Moon, Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, Family Tree, Time of No Reply and by Nick Drake.
• Doo – Wops & Hooligans by Bruno Mars. (That this kind of rubbish ever makes it onto the charts only supports Calvinism’s claim about total depravity.)
• Live At The Troubadour (CD +DVD) by Carole King & James Taylor.
• Make The Light by Kate Rusby.
• Concertos & Romance by Janine Jansen.
• Plastic Beach by Gorillaz.
• This Is War, A Beautiful Lie and 30 Seconds to Mars by 30 Seconds to Mars.
• Darkness at Noon by Hawk & A Hacksaw.
• Gloria: The Sacred Music of John Rutter by The Cambridge Singers.
• Cloudburst and Other Choral Works, Light & Gold, and The Complete A Cappella Works, 1991–2001 by Eric Whitacre.
• Christmas in Russia.
• High Violet by The National.
• Alas I Cannot Swim and I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling.
• Christmas in Russia: Russian Orthodox Vespers by Don Kosaken Choir.
• Heretic Pride, Life of the World to Come, The Sunset Tree, We Shall All Be Healed and Tallahassee by Mountain Goats.
• Beautiful River by Brigham Young University Concert Choir.
• Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons.
• Bach’s Weihnachts Oratorium conducted by Helmuth Rilling.
• Marc Cohn, The Rainy Season and Burning the Daze by Marc Cohn.
• How I Learned to See in the Dark by Chris Pureka.
• Downtown Church by Patty Griffin. (Stunning!)
• God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise by Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs.
• Gossip in the Grain and Till the Sun Turns Black by Ray LaMontagne.
• The Promise by Bruce Springsteen.
• One Thing at a Time by Graeme Furness.
• Leave Your Sleep (2CD) by Natalie Merchant.

Watching:

• Casino (One of Scorsese’s best.)
• The Social Network (Certainly the most over-rated film of the year.)
• Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (A sequel better than many.)
• The American (Hardly watchable, certainly not memorable.)
• Inception

Brewing: Sumatra Mandaling

Drinking:

• Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz (2004)