Adam Groza
Fort Worth, TX

Music:

• Album(s) of the Year: The Crane Wife by the Decemberists and the Life Pursuit by Belle & Sebastian. Both are melodic with some edge and with great lyrics.

• Music “Find(s) of the Year”: Sufjan Stevens. I don’t think anyone has done a better job wedding faith and art.

• Artist/Performer of the Year: Josh Rouse. His album Subtitulo is another great effort and shows his staying power as a singer-songwriter.

Movies:

• Movie(s) of the Year: The Prestige. This movie raises good questions of identity, truth, and moral culpability. It is a fascinating tale of depravity. All the “good guys” turn out to be bad.

• Movie “Find(s) of the Year”: The Edukator. This German film makes the point that the lusts of the flesh, eyes, etc. can turn the most committed idealists into pragmatists.

• Actor/Actress of the Year: Terrance Howard.

Reading:

• Book(s) of the Year: God is not Nice, One of Us, an American, a Capitalist by D. Brent Laythem (editor). This short book counters popular misconceptions of God. MUST READ.

• Book “Find(s) of the Year”: Inspiration and Incarnation by Peter Enns. This book raised my own understanding of Scripture to an incarnational model, making sense of cultural influence.

• Author of the Year: Peter Enns.

• Misc. reading thoughts for 2006: Avery Dulles, John H. Yoder, G.K .Chesterton, and James K.A. Smith.

Pop Culture:

• Person of the Year: Bono…from the ONE campaign to getting the likes of Bill Gates and Rick Warren to take on AIDS in Africa is monumental. If I weren’t a cessationist I’d say we had a prophet on our hands!

• Pop Culture Moment(s) Or Trend of the Year: Boise State Upsets OU

• Misc. cultural thoughts for 2006? You know, I predicted that Pink would be the new black, and I think I was close, so here goes another cultural prediction: I anticipate Morrissey will be elected president of Mexico .

Faith:

• What theological Truth(s) has particularly “hit home” for you this past year? The sovereign care and control of God in salvation as seen in the imagery of adoption and birth. With a new child on the way and many friends having adopted, I cannot help but be mindful of God’s power to bring us into His kingdom by His will and kindness: We are helpless so He must do everything.

• What have you been meditating on throughout the year? Here I am indebted to Kelly James Clark for making me aware of the danger of making a name for ourselves (Gen. 11:4). Like those at Babel , we want to make our name great. We want to be remembered. Fearing death, we all grasp at straws (degrees, money, legacy, publications, accolades) when our basic fear is rooted in our mortality and the fear of being forgotten and reactionary flurry of activity to make our name great. The promise of God in Christ is that by His grace our short existence means something because we have been reconciled to the Father and He has recorded our names. Mindful that we are but dust, He has promised that our names are recorded and His eyes are upon us. He will not forget us, so we are free to forget ourselves and live for others.

• Has any particular Scripture really impacted you this year? In Genesis, Joseph knew and loved his brothers when they counted him dead. The image of God’s love and grace as well as the transformation of Judah is a testimony of the power of salvation.

• Misc. faith thoughts for 2006? I saw a bumper sticker that said “When Jesus said Love Your Enemies I’m pretty sure He meant Don’t Kill Them”.