I put together a little guide for Christmastime which might be helpful for you as you prepare for your gift-giving. It'll have a bit of the Guide to Holiness flavor in case you're looking for yourself or someone else! (All the Amazon stuff is an affiliate link, FYI.)

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@freestocks?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">freestocks</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/gifts?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">

There's a lot of trepidation that goes into something like this because, what's going to be helpful for my audience? Books, primarily, I think, so that's mostly what you'll see here. I'm also sharing a few stocking stuffers and I picked stuff that I've found useful that will fit in a stocking. I've also shared a few of my favorite things that are random and, while they can be on the expensive side, offer a little insight into me and how weird I am. Use what you can. Laugh at me where you can. Whatever you do, I pray for you that 2023 will be an amazing year filled with awe and wonder over our great God!

BOOKS

Bibles

I know that sometimes people are looking for a new Bible around Christmastime. I also know I might not be the biggest help in this area, but I'm going to throw three out there that I have and really like. I don't do study Bibles, but if you're really looking for one then let me just say that the NLT Study Bible has some of the best notes I've ever come across in a study Bible. I have some hang-ups that prevent me from making the NLT my daily reader, but don't let that stop you from it.

The NASB 2020 edition is great. I know the NASB has gotten a reputation over the years for being super "wooden" but, honestly, compare John 14:21 in the NASB to the ESV. The NASB is way better here. I like the updated version because it is much more woman-friendly than in the past ("brothers" becomes "brothers and sisters" as it should when the Greek adelphoi is used, for instance.)
The NET Bible will feel a little foreign to you, but it is great. We used this text in our daily readings through Luke this summer as a church. This version, which I own, is the one without notes, but you can also find a copy with all the translator notes which will tell you why they translated something the way they did. Very helpful in study.
Lastly, I just love this New King James Bible. It's definitely a premium Bible and it was made for reading. It's an enjoyable experience if you're looking for something a little more high quality.

Most recommended books of 2022

As I've taught and recorded classes this year (more on that in a minute), here are the most recommended books of 2022 from me to you.

A.W. Tozer - Knowledge of the Holy. A true classic. Every chapter deserves deep meditation.
Samuel Whitefield - Discipleship Begins with Beholding. I'm super jealous I didn't come up with this title and concept. I'm 100% on board with acknowledging that our primary focus in following Jesus is beholding him.
Corey Russell - Teach us to Pray. I've been teaching a lot on prayer lately and I've repeatedly told people that this is the first book I've read on prayer (and I've read a lot!) that I wanted to put down so that I could go pray the way Corey describes.
Donald Whitney - Praying the Bible. This book was one of the first truly eye-opening books on prayer for me. It's really short and easy to implement.
Dallas Willard - Life without Lack. I joke in my Twitter bio that I'm part Fred Willard, part Dallas Willard. I want to be way more Dallas than Fred! This is an incredible meditation on Psalm 23.
Dallas Willard - Hearing God. Even the most charismatic of charismatics I know recommend Willard's teaching on hearing God. This is an incredible book by a man with a heart as big as his mind is deep.
Dennis Kinlaw - Prayer: Bearing the World as Jesus Does. This is my favorite book on intercession as well as my favorite on entire sanctification.
Jessica Lagrone - Out of Chaos. Y'all. Jessica's voice and her way of living are much needed during these chaotic times. You ain't gonna regret this purchase.
Mike Bickle - Growing in Prayer. This is a powerhouse book that has been so helpful to me in deepening a life of prayer.
Mike Bickle - Growing in the Prophetic. Don't let the title trip you up. Prophecy is the gift Paul desired the most for the church (1 Corinthians 14) and this book is as informative and sober-minded a book I've ever read on the subject.
Jack Deere - Why I Am Still Surprised by the Voice of God. Another great (and new!) book on the prophetic.
Brian Russell - Centering Prayer. To really hear God, it's good to get quiet. This was a hard, hard book to implement because I'm not a "still" person, but it's been so necessary for me.

Holiness

Since a lot of y'all reading this came by way of The Guide to Holiness Newsletter, here's some holiness oriented books I love.

Let me start with Samuel Logan Brengle. Here's the testimony I wrote up about him. You can find:

A biography of him from the Francis Asbury Society.
A daily devotional based upon his writings.
This is a boxset of a few of Brengle's works. It's a great introduction to his message, the only thing I don't like is that it's been edited to update the language a bit. I'm a bit of a purist so I'm wary of attempts like this, but it's still a good set and I own a copy.
Finally, here's a couple of originals of Brengle: Heart Talks on Holiness and Helps to Holiness.

Kevin Watson's latest on entire sanctification titled Perfect love. If you're at all interested in holiness, this is a must read.

Amy Caswell Bratton's Witness to Perfect Love is full of amazing testimonies from the early days of Methodism. If you're a Guide to Holiness person, this is a great book to begin reading on your own.

Other stuff

Stocking Stuffers

Car chargers are a pain, but I always buy Anker Car Chargers for our vehicles. It doesn't come with the cable, but this will charge your phone faster than most others AND this particular model will charge your iPad. It's USB-C so you'll need to make sure you have one of those with at Lightning at the other end for an iPhone or USB-C for your Android or tablet. Anker sells those, too.
This is a great pair of reading glasses with blue-blocker. We leave these all over the place for when we need them. Laugh all you want, young people. I was once your age, too!
Sakura Micron 01 pens for writing in your Bibles. Buy a box and put one in everyone's stocking and save the rest for yourself!

Video

So, I've been recording a lot of video this year for classes that I have been teaching. If you're interested in that kind of stuff, here's what I've been using:

To start with, I've been using the church's camera which is an older version of this Canon EOS M200. It does the trick and records in 4K which is great. (To edit, I just use iMovie which comes preloaded on every Mac I've ever owned.) Just know that if you're recording longer than 29:59 you'll have to stop and restart at that timestamp thanks to the EU.

To light the videos, I've been using the GVM Lighting Rig. Playing around with the controls has taken some time to figure out, but it's a great little setup.

For sound I've been using Røde's Wireless GO ii which has been fantastic. It plugs into the camera and works like a champ. I plug this little mic into the part I keep on me and it works great.

Miscellany

These are things I've purchased or gotten that I really like.

I've long wanted a leather backpack, a Shinola one in particular, but I wasn't going to spend $1000 on one. I did some research, and thanks to some generous gift cards at the end of last year bought this Frye Backpack which has really served me well this year. I've used it pretty much every day and it just keeps getting better.
The year before last, I got a Mac Mini and had been using my AirPods Pro when I wanted to hear something, but that got annoying. I decided to get a pair of speakers to plug into it. Not wanting to spend a whole lot, I bought these Amazon Basics computer speakers and they have worked so well. I'm not an audiophile, I'm just a middle-aged man with worsening hearing and these work just fine.
Speaking of the AirPods Pro, I know there are times I can be not so objective about Apple, but the AirPods Pro are hands down the best product I've ever had from Apple. And I've had the Series 3 Apple Watch since December 2017 and it's still working. But the AirPods are still my favorite. I use them every day which is something I couldn't say about the original AirPods.
Are you a coffee person? Bit of a snob? I started looking for a way to protect the beans I buy because just leaving them in the bag can create a mold problem and I'm allergic to molds. Also, putting them in the freezer didn't work because the ended up gumming up my grinder when frozen or semi-frozen. So, I started looking for a storage canister that would force the air out and make it harder for mold to grow. I found the perfect solution for me with this Airscape Canister. I've been using it for three months and I haven't had mold issues at all since I started using it.

(If you're curious a super generous friend gifted me this Moccamaster coffee maker and it is hands down the best coffeemaker I've ever owned. This is my Baratza grinder that I've had for ten years and it's still working great with regular cleanings and non-frozen beans. Inflation sure has had its way with this grinder in the last ten years, but it's still worth it!)