John Piper and Sam Storms recently shared lists of their favorite things, respectively. The lists really helped me understand both men better and gave me a better understanding of their personalities (for instance, John Piper said one of his hobbies is pulling grass out of sidewalk crevices. If that doesn’t help you understand what the man is like, nothing will), quirks, and interests.
So, I thought I’d give it a shot myself. Here are a few of my favorite things.
Movies
I’m not much of a movie guy, although I love going to movie theaters. However, if you had to force my hand, I’d say some of my favorite movies are the Iron Man and Avengers movies because of the beautiful character arc of Tony Stark. Stark comes onto the Marvel scene as the hotshot genius with all the prestige and money a man could ever want and tries to positively impact the world. However, he soon finds out that his brilliance has actually been used to propagate oppression throughout the world in ways he never intended. This (and the need to blow his way out of a third-world prison) leads him to create Iron Man—a suit, but more of a persona—who will protect the world and bring about the change he’s always wanted. Of course, as you work through the movies and the Avengers franchise, you see Tony being confronted with his brokenness, shame, and selfishness. Avengers: Endgame ends with him doing what he would have never done earlier in his life: sacrificing himself for the greater good, namely, those he loves.
This is the character arc of all of us, in a way. But certainly for Enneagram Threes. We want to change the world, but we don’t want to be overlooked as it changes. But the cruciform path is love through acts of self-sacrifice. That’s why I love these movies. They motivate me to be a better person, open my eyes to the soul suicide of selfishness, and give me a vision of what the Christian life is all about—dying so others might live.
Novels
I love Harry Potter. The series is just unbeatable. So many remarkable themes, characters, and lines. Ah, I love it. Besides HP, I’d have to go with The Lord of The Rings, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the Narnia series.
Apps
Piper and Storms narrowed this category to Bible Apps, but I’m broadening mine just a little. I have several apps I use on a nearly daily basis:
- Lose It! — I track my calories and record my weight nearly daily. This app has been the easiest to use and most reliable for me.
- Oura — I have an Oura ring and absolutely love it. The app monitors my daily sleep, readiness, heart rate, and more.
- Spotify — I listen to podcasts (very few) and music through Spotify. I’ve used it since its inception and have loved it ever since.
- Audible — Listening to books is so fun. Audible is the best app to use, in my opinion.
- Way of Life — This is a habit tracker that tracks your progress on habits you want to build or starve. It’s super easy to use, and the interface is very minimalist, which I love.
- STEP Bible — I have no idea where I heard of the STEP Bible app, but I’m grateful to whoever recommended it. It’s amazing. It’s simple, clean, and lets you see the original language for keywords in every verse.
- Amazon Photos — I’ve used Amazon’s photo service to store my family’s pictures. I love the app because it allows you to look at the photos you’ve taken throughout the years on any given day. It’s become a spiritual discipline of sorts to look at my old pictures to reflect on how God has used particular seasons of my life to shape me.
Drinks
Dr. Pepper is by far my favorite drink. I crave it nearly every day (that says a lot about my health right now…) and rarely drink any other soda. Though I do love a good Coke in the Christmas season (darn you, classic Coke commercials with that persuasive polar bear…).
Meal & Restaurant
My wife and I are huge foodies. We love going out to eat when we can and enjoy trying new restaurants around the city. So this is a hard category for me because there are so many places I could choose from. If I had to choose my favorite meal, I’d probably choose a great french dip sandwich with a side of veggies. For a restaurant, I’d choose either Charleston’s or Buffalo Wild Wings (plain, I know). I’m a sucker for a nice ambiance (hence Charleston’s) and great bar food (BWW).
Hobbies
Reading. Writing (though I wish I did it more). Spending time with friends. Nature walks. Pokémon cards (don’t you dare judge me). Riding my bike in the Summer. Watching certain TV shows (Loki, Madalorian, Netflix documentaries, etc.). Watching Purdue basketball games.
Breakfast
I don’t eat breakfast. I typically fast from 8pm-11:00am. I’m so used to doing this that when I do eat breakfast, I feel sick. So long, pancakes.
Songs
Man, that’s tough. I love several of John Mayer’s songs, such as “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” “Dear Marie,” “In the Blood,” “Love on the Weekend,” and “Stop This Train” (all-time fave). I enjoy NEEDTOBREATHE, especially their most recent album, Into the Mystery. Shawn McDonald is probably my go-to music artist, but in regards to songs, “Storms,” “Closer,” and “Don’t Give Up” are my favorites.
Sports Team
NBA: San Antonio Spurs, NCAAMBB: Purdue Boilermakers, NCAAFB: Texas Longhorns, NFL: Indianapolis Colts.
Those are a few of my favorite things!