Wrapping Up 2024
It's ALL "Dave's Faves!"
We’re at the end of 2024, and like everyone else at this time of the year, it’s time for me to recap all the good stuff! So as I did last year, the final newsletter of the year is all “Dave’s Faves!” (Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for an EXCITING UPDATE!)
So read on to find several collections of some of my top faves in several categories…
Dave’s Fave Podcasts for 2024
I listen to quite a few podcasts! This list is actually perennial favorites…but I love them, and these are ones that I listen to every single episode.
Dave’s Podcast Fave #1: The Ten Minute Bible Hour
I start my day with this podcast every Monday through Friday. The name is silly, but it really is about ten minutes every day. The Ten Minute Bible Hour is daily deep-dive Bible, presented by former pastor and current public biblical scholar, Matt Whitman. We take our time doing careful biblical study to explore the text, this historical and cultural context, and the “what does this mean for us today?” aspects of whole books of the Bible—with a sprinkling of humor and pop-culture savvy. It’s short-burst (just ten minutes each day) but we go slow—we’re currently studying the book of Galatians, and we are 90 episodes in and just started reading Galatians 3. If you are interested in boosting your Bible knowledge, this could be just the thing for you!
Dave’s Podcast Fave #2: Freakonomics Radio
I read the book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner back when it came out in the early 2000s. Levitt is the titular “rogue economist,” and his friend, Dubner, is a journalist who helped write a compellingly engrossing book. Dubner since then has started a long-running podcast with the same title, which continues the quest to explore the hidden side of everything—and episodes often have an economic aspect to them, but not in the way you might think. Some intriguing Freakonomics episode titles lately include, “Is Ozempic as Magical as It Sounds?” and “Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset?” and “Multitasking Doesn’t work. So Why Do We Keep Trying?” Every episode is about an hour long, well-researched, intriguingly presented, and I feel smarter every time I listen. I highly recommend it to you!
Dave’s Podcast Fave #3: 99% Invisible
Roman Mars might have the best voice in all of podcasting, 99% Invisible is such a great way for him to showcase that voice. The podcast is all about design, but perhaps not in the way you think. The title comes from the idea that “good design is 99% invisible”—as in, if you notice the design, it almost always means it’s bad design. Ever wonder what’s the deal with Spirit Halloween stores? There’s an episode here that gives that history and current situation of the pop-up retailer. Did you know that Medellin, Colombia, perhaps most famous as a haven for drug cartels, has completely reinvented itself in the past 20 years? There’s an episode all about it. Anyone who has been to Los Angeles (or watched the film Grease) might remember the concrete flood-control channels…but did you know that they initially were designed to wall in an actual river? There’s an episode that explains the (bad) design decisions about channeling the Los Angeles River. This is another excellent show that will leave you feeling both educated and entertained every time you listen.
Dave’s Fave Books of 2024
My goal this year was to read at least 30 books. I blew past my own goal…I’m currently finishing my 40th read of the year! (If you’re interested, I do share short book reviews on my “professional” Instagram every time I finish reading one, so feel free to follow along over there.) While I read a bunch of great books this year, here were my top four, including the reviews I shared on Instagram:
Dave’s Book Fave #1: The Martian, by Andy Weir
WOW, what a great story! (I know, I know…I’m about 10 years and a feature film late to getting to this one.) In a nutshell: astronaut Mark Watney is mistakenly left behind for dead when his fellow astronauts have an emergency end to their expedition to Mars. Mark’s incredible ingenuity and tenacity—and a bit of luck—keep him alive on Mars while NASA races to figure out a way to get him home. Absolutely packed with adventure but rooted in real science throughout, it’s a fantastic survival story. If you like action thrillers, I can almost certainly guarantee you’ll enjoy this book.
Dave’s Book Fave #2: The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
Wow, friends…if you are an educator or a parent you MUST read this book. (And even if you aren’t, you should still read this book!) At the risk of sounding hyperbolic…this is perhaps the most important book I’ve read in the past 5 years, and certainly the most important book I’ve read this year. Haidt is a social psychologist at Columbia University, and this book is a careful, methodical explanation of the effects of a phone-based childhood (his term, but I bet you can surmise exactly what he means) on Gen Z…the generation of young people currently in high school and college. (And, you know…my own kids.) It is an absolutely compelling read, full of data to explain the things the so many of us are noticing and feeling for this younger generation: that there has to be some sort of a link between the smartphone + social media + “always online” nature of life for Gen Z’s and the HIGH prevalence of anxiety and depression. Haidt’s diagnosis is thoughtfully and compassionately articulated, but he pulls no punches: we are doing kids a disservice by replacing a play-based childhood with a phone-based childhood. It’s a cultural problem, and it will take collective action to change things, but he gives clear advice for parents, teachers, youth workers, and even tech companies. If you only read one book this year, this is the one you should read, friends.
Dave’s Book Fave #3: The Small and the Mighty, by Sharon McMahon
My latest read is one of the best books I’ve read this year: Sharon McMahon’s incredible book, The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement. I’ve been a fan of @sharonsaysso and a proud Governerd for years now, and I’ve been looking forward to reading this one for some time.
This book tells the incredible stories of everyday Americans—some of whom you’ve probably heard of, like Booker T. Washington, and Norman Mineta, and Rosa Parks…and also some you’ve perhaps never heard of (but should know about!), like Gouverneur Morris, Clara Brown, Inez Milholland, Julius Rosenwald, and Septima Clark. These folks are “small”…not George Washington or Abraham Lincoln or JFK or Ronald Reagan types. But they are also “mighty” people who made a tangible difference in the lives of folks right around them, and even across this country in amazing ways that echo right up to the present. Reading the book will take you in a tour of America, from New York City at the founding, to the Colorado frontier, to territorial Hawaii, to a Japanese incarceration camp in Wyoming, to the Chicago headquarters of Sears Roebuck, to a school on a barrier island in South Carolina, to Little Rock and Montgomery in the heat of the civil rights struggle…and everywhere you visit, you’ll be struck by ordinary people who took principled stands and made a real difference. I was left feeling grateful to these bold souls, and encouraged and inspired to be open to taking my own principled stand when the moment arises. I urge you to read this one, friends! And many thanks to @sharonsaysso for the love and care that went into the writing of this book…you are a gem.
Dave’s Book Fave #4: 13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson
Maureen Johnson’s fabulous young adult novel, 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I stumbled onto this one listening to back episodes of Hank and John Green’ podcast, “Dear Hank and John” from 2019. John, an accomplished YA author in his own right, was extolling this book as one of his favorites…so I was intrigued.
Ginny is a teenager who adores her free-spirited aunt Peg. When a mysterious blue envelope from Peg arrives with $1000 and instructions to get a passport and be ready to travel with only what she can fit in a backpack, Ginny’s life is about to change. The most mysterious part? Aunt Peg has passed away…so who sent this letter? The letter informs Ginny that she will have more blue enveloped messages, and each will giver her a new task to complete. The first task sends her to a Chinese restaurant in New York City, where she receives a package, and further instructions to take a flight to London. This begins a mysterious travel adventure across Europe where Ginny meets a fascinatingly diverse cast of characters, and as she uncovers more and more of Aunt Peg’s story, she also discovers more about herself in the process.
It’s a mystery + teenage romance + travelogue + coming-of-age story all rolled into one, and I absolutely loved it. Two big thumbs up from Dr. Dave!
Dave’s Fave Conferences for 2024
This is pretty nerdy, I guess (but, hey…I’m an academic…) I love presenting at conferences, but I especially love presenting with friends! I had three amazing conference opportunities this year…
Dave’s Conference Fave #1: Corban University Christian Educators’ Conference
My friend and colleague in Christian education, Dr. Aaron Imig, reached out to me way back in the summer of 2023, wondering if I would be interested and open to providing the keynote address to the October 2024 Corban University Christian Educators’ Conference. I jumped at the chance—and I am so glad I was able to be there! What an amazing group of passionate, Christian educators. I ended up presenting four sessions at the conference, including three workshops on a variety of topics—tiny teaching tweaks to become more effective in the classroom, and investigation into A.I. for Christian schools, and some cool EdTech tools to try. Oh, and the keynote? “Learning to Teach Christianly: We GET to Do This!” So much fun!
Dave’s Conference Fave #2: Association of Educational Communications and Technology
This is my favorite professional organization—my “nerdy EdTech research friends,” as my daughter lovingly calls it. This year’s conference was in Kansas City, which is as close to NW Iowa as we ever meet. I co-presented a session with my pal, Jake Hall, to the graduate student assembly about doing interdisciplinary research—something Jake and I are both passionate about, and part of how our own research collaboration came together. I also presented an academic paper about my approach for teaching vocabulary in Introduction to Education using podcasts and low-stakes online quizzes for practice. (I’ve submitted that piece for publication, and it was accepted, pending revisions, so I will hopefully be sharing the link so you can read it for yourself in a future edition of this newsletter.) Geeky times!
Dave’s Conference Fave #3: ACSI’s Flourishing Schools Institute
This was one of the most important and impactful conferences I’ve had the pleasure of presenting at! The Association of Christian Schools International invited me to serve as one of five keynote speakers at this event, which was held in Houston in October. My keynote was on a similar theme to what I shared at Corban, “Joy on the Journey: Learning to Teach Christianly.” I also presented a breakout session about playful pedagogy and teaching for wonder, and participated in a panel discussion about A.I. and Christian education. It was a fantastic learning opportunity for me, and I was so, so grateful to be able to be part of this event.
Dave’s Fave Professional Experiences
One of my good friends who is not an educator sometimes asks me, “Why do you do all those extra things??” I think what he means is that I wind up doing lots of “extra” stuff beyond my job…that I also absolutely LOVE. Here are three big ones for me this year…
Dave’s Professional Fave #1: Traveling to Indonesia!
This was one of the most amazing opportunities I’ve ever had in my life. I wrote about it extensively in this post: My Indonesian Adventure. In short, I got to learn a lot more about Christian educational endeavors in Indonesia, connected with some amazing friends and partners, and enjoyed a variety of experiences I’ve never had before. If ever you have the chance to visit this beautiful, diverse country, I highly recommend it!
Dave’s Professional Fave #2: An Academic Pilgrimage with Friends
Over our spring break this past March, I was part of a group of 10 Dordt faculty who received a grant to travel to California to visit with Dr. Richard Mouw, President Emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary. It was a sort of academic pilgrimage, where we had the opportunity to learn from someone who has “been there and done that” in Christian higher education. It was—no exaggeration—the single most impactful professional development experience of my life. Let alone all the fun and shenanigans with these dear friends. I wrote about this whole experience in much more detail in this post: Heart-Soul-Mind-Strength. What a blessing!
Dave’s Professional Fave #3: Seeing My Book Coming Out in Print!
Here’s the one I teased at the beginning of this edition: my book is FINALLY out! The title is Always Becoming, Never Arriving: Developing an Imagination for Teaching Christianly. This title comes from something I often say when teaching Introduction to Education: “Teaching is a journey of becoming, and we never really ‘arrive,’ at least, not on this side of Glory.” If you’ve ever read Dr. John Van Dyk’s classic, Letters to Lisa, I think of this book as a sort of spiritual successor to that important text. My deep hope is that it will encourage and equip any Christian educator who reads it to develop their imagination for how we work out our discipleship through our service as teachers. If you’re interested in ordering a copy…its available on Amazon now! More information is available on my website as well.
Check out the cover…I love it!
The Last Word!
What a year it’s been. Looking back, there were definitely a few hard times. But alongside the highlights listed above, I found so, so many opportunities for joy and delight, including:
Winning several weeks at our trivia league with my awesome team (shoutout to “Shooting for Third!”)
Tuesday morning coffee with my friends at the Fruited Plain Cafe.
Hiking in Oregon with my friend, Aaron, and seeing four gorgeous waterfalls on our trail time.
Co-leading an adult Sunday school class with my friend, Erik, at our church. I highly recommend The After Party if you are looking for a high-quality curriculum that might help members of your church have better conversations about politics.
Pedaling 2310.99 miles on the gravel roads of Northwest Iowa—my “most pedaled” since 2020 (when I had plenty of time to ride…)
Having my friend, Paul, visit from California three times this year! (Here’s to lots more Iowa adventures, my friend!)
Getting onstage for at least half a dozen karaoke nights. (And having a hilarious video of me giving what I can only describe as the most middle-aged-white-dude version of Beck’s 1993 mumble-rap “Loser” ever.)
Watching my daughter perform in college theater productions of both Comedy of Errors (hooray for Shakespeare!) and Fiddler on the Roof (hooray for musical theater!) I love seeing her in her element this way.
Teaching courses I love to students that I love at an institution that I love.
Traveling with friends and family, and planning for more travel in the year to come!
I hope you can reflect back over your year and find similar moments of joy and delight—both big and small things. Enjoy the change of pace of the holiday break, friends. And may 2025 be full of joyful adventures for you!