June Reading Wrap-Up
June's reads, recommendations, and oncoming study
The wrestle is real. Do I do a wrap-up on the month’s reading, or do I pick up the next volume on the ever-increasing to-be-read list? The former tends to tap out as the latter struts off with the win.
My reading, as it often is, has been balanced between study and leisure. I’ve been engaged in various dialogues and group discussions that have directed a fair amount of my reading and interest. All the while, I’ve been able to pick up some remarkable personal reads to refresh and invigorate the soul.
JUNE’S READING LIST
On The Incarnation - Athanasius of Alexandria
An absolute classic in Christian writing. Quite possibly the most important Christological text written since the Apostolic witness of the New Testament Scriptures. I try to read through this at least once each year. This was actually my second time through for 2026, as I was leading a group discussion through the text during June.
Mystical Union - John Crowder
John Crowder is someone I have been quite surprised by in recent years. A bit of a wild personality, the thing I respect about his work is the absolute centrality of Christ’s person and work. This plays out in this volume as Crowder observes the absolute sufficiency of Christ’s grace and life for us. As I often emphasize, we have been united to Christ in such a way that His life is now our life.
The Great Dance - C. Baxter Kruger
A wonderful and relatively short work on the primacy of the Trinity in understanding the life of the believer. We have been given a share in the life of the Triune God of grace. We have been welcomed into the great dance of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Deeply Loved - Bill and Kristi Gaultiere
Bill and Kristi have a beautifully Christ-centered psychological approach to life, spiritual formation, and the offering of spiritual direction. This work emphasizes the importance of giving and receiving empathy in our lives, presenting a holistic view of doing so as a whole person (body, soul, spirit), connected to and receiving from the Lord and others.
Benedict XVI : Defender of the Faith - Joseph Pearce
I have developed a deep respect and interest for the theology of Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Joseph Ratzinger. His Christ-centered and Trinitarian emphasis, often through the retrieval of early church fathers, has been a refreshing discovery in my dialogues “across the Tiber,” so to speak. This volume is a wonderful primer to Benedict’s theological thought and dialogues within the Catholic tradition, and it has only led to a greater respect for the character and work of one of the great Christological Trinitarian theologians of the past century.
Holy the Firm - Annie Dillard
A pure delight filled with the ecstasy of heaven in the ordinary! This will be one of my top 10 reads of the year for certain. Dillard’s writing, reflection, and sacramental undergirding brought me to tears on more than one occasion. I read this on retreat, and it lives as one of the main highlights from this time away, marking me in ways I have yet to discover. Highly recommend.
Portrait of the First American Pope, Leo XIV - Matthew Bunson
Also read on retreat, from the library of the retreat center where I stayed, I have taken an interest in watching the ministry of the current Pope, Leo XIV. As a native resident of the Midwest region, with specific ties to West Michigan, this brief biography traces his Midwest roots, as well as his missional work to South America, and his journey in ministry leading up to last year’s conclave and papal election.
Speaking of Broken Glass - Jordan Sleed
A brilliant and honest collection of poetry, with an underlying pursuit of what it truly means to be human, while overtly calling into question the lies of Babylon that have crept into our Christian fabric and framework. Guaranteed to be on my 2026 Top 10 list.
RECOMMENDED BOOK OF THE MONTH
Speaking of Broken Glass - Jordan Sleed
Over the past few years, I have increasingly come to regard poetry as a vital part of a well-balanced spiritual diet. Several poets come to mind when I think of poetry that tends the spirit and soul: Malcolm Guite, George Herbert, John Donne, Wendell Berry, and Lucy Shaw. I now gladly add another, lesser-known name to that list: Jordan Sleed.
I had the privilege of spending time with Jordan at a recent Soul Shepherding Retreat in Stoneville, North Carolina. He is a humble, unassuming husband, father, pastor, writer, and musician; easily relatable and refreshingly honest in his pursuit of a life led by Christ. What struck me most was the remarkable absence of performance or self-promotion in our conversations. It was only toward the end of the retreat that I discovered he had published two volumes of poetry: Speaking of Broken Glass, his most recent collection, and the earlier The Rage Against Grace. Both volumes bear witness to a life of surrender, of dying to self, and of transformation in the light of repentance.
Speaking of Broken Glass feels, in many ways, joyfully apocalyptic. It is both an unveiling of the subtle systems of ego and performance that have quietly infiltrated much of the Western church and a discovery of the hope and restoration found in the divinely humane way of Jesus Christ. Above all, it is a beautiful invitation to reconsider, in the light of Christ, what it means to be human.
Jordan’s poetry is prophetically pastoral and pastorally prophetic. It lays the axe to the root of the habits and assumptions that steadily diminish our dignity and humanity while extending a gentle hand and a hopeful word toward a more Christlike way of being. These poems show the heart of someone who has not merely thought deeply but has been deeply formed.
It has often been said that poetry is prayer set to the meter of the heart. Yet works such as these remind us that poetry can also become the metronome by which the heart learns again the rhythms of the Kingdom; rhythms long forgotten under the weight and noise of ambition, anxiety, and the exhaustion of self-creation. And for this, I am sincerely grateful; for the faithful word-spells of my new friend, Jordan Sleed.
If you want to pick up a copy of Speaking of Broken Glass, I suggest jumping on it soon, as copies seem to be harder to come by. I would also recommend Jordan's Substack to you Jordan Sleed
CURRENT READING INTERESTS GOING INTO JULY
I’m currently preparing to facilitate a couple of discussions later this month that are shaping my evening readings over the next two weeks.
The first is for the Thomas F. Torrance Reading Group discussing chapter 8 of Trinitarian Perspectives. With this, I am reviewing related volumes around Torrance’s historic dialogue with the Easter Orthodox church and their common statement of belief around the Trinity.
Second, I am reviewing the great little work from Karl Barth, The Humanity of Christ. This will be my 4th time working through the text, primarily the second and third chapters, while also leading an ongoing discussion with a young, budding theologian working through a reading list I gave him for the summer.
I am currently working through a Benedict XVI Reader, excitedly moving into the section of his writings on the Holy Trinity. As stated above, he has been a remarkable dialogue partner to put in conversation with T.F. Torrance, Karl Barth, Athanasius, and the rest of the Christological pedigree I am drawing on so frequently in my studies.
Lastly, worth noting, I am steadily working through Malcolm Guites Galahad and the Grail, which has been a pure joy. I do have the hard copy, thanks to the wonderful generosity of a friend, but am delighted to be listening to the audiobook as it is read by Malcolm himself. Need I say more?
Go in grace and peace!
In Christ,
N.R. Mayo
Man, I cannot thank you enough for reading these poems and engaging with them on a deep level. Your words are gracious, insightful, and a blessing to me as I continue to press forward with this desire to “write what I see” (mostly in my own heart). Thanks for sharing what you see. In each of our conversations, I have been moved by your Spirit-formed gentleness and overflowing hope in Christ.