As I’ve done for a number of years now, I want to share with you my favorites for the first half of 2020 in a variety of categories. As we have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic the past few months, this list will look different from years past. Concerts and conferences have been cancelled, and movie theatres have been closed.
Except for books, and the film A Hidden Life (which wasn’t available for me to see until 2020), these are all items that were released in 2020. For books, I include my favorite books that I’ve read during 2020, regardless of when the book was published.
Enjoy, and please let me know what you think of my list, as well as what would be on your list.

Movies

Top Choice: A Hidden Life. This film never came to the theatres in our town, nor was it available on any of our streaming services until 2020. Read my review here.
Other films that I’ve enjoyed, in order are:

• • • • • • 1917
          • Little Women
          • Just Mercy
          • Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words
            

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Albums

Top Choice: Tie
Rough and Rowdy Ways – Bob Dylan
Blues with Friends – Dion

Other albums I enjoyed, in order, were:

• The Life of Christ Quintology: Passion and Resurrection EPs – Keith and Kristyn Getty and Various Artists
• Let There Be Wonder – Matt Redman
• Christ Be All EP – Grace Worship
• American Standard – James Taylor
• The Lost Demos EP – TobyMac
  

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Songs

Top Choice: Christ Our Hope in Life and Death – Matt Papa, Keith and Kristyn Getty

Other songs I enjoyed this year, in order, were:

• Forever Jesus – Stuart Townend
• Christ Be All – Grace Worship
• Murder So Foul – Bob Dylan
• Song for Sam Cooke (Here in America) – Dion, featuring Paul Simon
  

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Books

Top Choice: The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning, Worship and Work by Steven Garber

Other books that I’ve enjoyed, in no particular order were:

• The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Import Responsibilities by Patrick Lencioni
• The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing and Multiplying Leaders by John Maxwell
• Where is God in a Coronavirus World? by John Lennox
• Coronavirus and Christ by John Piper
• The Range Bucket List: The Golf Adventure of a Lifetime by James Dodson
• A Gentle Answer: Our ‘Secret Weapon’ in an Age of Us Against Them by Scott Sauls
• To Seek and to Save: Daily Reflections on the Road to the Cross by Sinclair Ferguson
  

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Blogs

Top Choice: Tim Challies’ Ala Carte. This is required reading for me each Monday through Saturday. Challies includes helpful Kindle deals, links to a good variety of helpful articles and a quote.  Check out Tim’s blog here.

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Podcasts

Top Choice: Albert Mohler’s The Briefing. Each weekend morning, Albert Mohler hosts a podcast providing worldview analysis about the leading news headlines and cultural conversations. The podcast runs approximately 25 minutes, and is usually posted by 5:00am. This is required listening for me. Check out Dr. Mohler’s website here.

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Television Shows

Top Choice: The Last Dance

Other television series I enjoyed, in no particular order, were:

• Defending Jacob
• Hidden
• Blood
• Deadwater Fell
• A Confession
• The Bay
  

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New Resources

Top Choice: No Other Gospel: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians – Derek Thomas

Other new teaching series that I enjoyed were:

• Blessing and Praise: Benedictions & Doxologies in Scripture – H.B. Charles Jr.
• Blessed Hope: The Book of Revelation – Robert Godfrey
  

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These are favorites in a variety of categories for the first half of 2020. How about you? What were some of your favorites?