Too 2022 for you
Top 10 lists? Who’s got time for that!
Here’s a bunch of top five lists instead! My top Who’s, What’s, Where’s, When’s, and Why’s from 2022, in no particular order, with no photos (except for that one below, by Liz Brown), and with minimal explanation:
Five When’s:
When I flew to New York to film an episode of ‘Beats’ with Shalom World.
When I did a three state tour in four days.
When I took a class on audio production and applied what I learned to my self-produced EP, ‘Those Other Psalms’.
When we found a new church and I took a job there as the worship director.
When I threw myself a birthday party and felt no shame in doing that even though I am a grown adult. (Psssst: would recommend!!! You might be an adult but you are still a person and your life is worth celebrating!)
Five What’s:
Becoming a podcast producer
Check out the two podcasts that I produce: The Whole Person Revolution and Zealots at the Gate.
Recording some new songs for my new album
Pre-save the first one and stream it when it comes out on 1/6/23! I’ll be back in the studio in February to work on the rest.
Buying a forest
What?! Remember when I said “minimal explanation”?
Therapy
In my top five for two years running!
Honorable mentions:
Blazers: I bought four of them this year. No regrets!
Rice pudding: Matt and I have a handshake agreement that we can each only eat one of these per day. I just had my daily ration. Mmmmmmm.
Big Grove Brewery: I’ve been there multiple times in the past few months. Great vegetarian options, great beer, great atmosphere. Triple threat.
Five Who's:
Most years, I have one band/artist who I absolutely fall in love with, and who ends up influencing my songwriting and overall musical style for that year. In 2022, it was the band Darlingside. You can hear their influence in my EP, ‘Those Other Psalms’.
(Pssst: for funsies, I will tell you the other artists for past years — 2021: Joshua Hyslop, 2020: Wildwood Kin, and 2019: Lake Street Dive.)
Funny people: JRR Jokien (Twitter), @leogonzall (Instagram), @tanaradoublechocolate (TikTok)
His writing just clicks for me. I read a few of his books this year, and I plan to re-read his Lent book again this year.
I’ve done a couple songwriting workshops through her collective, Artist And. Christa is a consistently inspiring person.
Honorable mentions:
Brian Zahnd: I love how he reads the Scriptures and how he sees the world.
Donovan Woods: I know of him from a collab he did with Aoife O’Donovan and this year, I really dug into his solo stuff and loved what I found.
John Smith: Another new-to-me artist this year — he scratches the itch that lingers in the wake of Ray LaMontagne’s first couple albums.
Five Where’s:
The Grand Canyon
Need I say more?
Long Island, NY
I got to film a music video at a century-old amphitheater where Charlie Chaplin used to perform!
Minnesota x 1,000
I lost count of how many times I drove up to the Minneapolis area this year. I bet it got close to double digits.
This place was unexpectedly breathtaking.
Michigan x 2
I drove deep into Michigan twice this year. I’m starting to learn the order of those cute little lake towns.
Five Why’s?
I don’t know how to do that, so I’ll break it down into some of the voices that were commonly pinging around in my head this year:
Top five songs in my head:
La Luna by Siiga
I was surprised when my Spotify Wrapped told me that I only played this song, like, 60-some times. I thought it would have been in the hundreds.
Soul Sweet Song by Tedeschi Trucks Band
I am a Tedeschi Trucks Band super-fan, and it was an exciting year to be one, because they released so much music in 2022! This song is my fave of the lot.
These Cold Nights by Oshima Brothers
Mangrove by The Accidentals and Kaboom Collective
Know It All by Billy Strings
We got to see him play live this year at Hinterland. Did not disappoint.
Top five books I read:
A Touch of Wonder by Arthur Gordon
Thank you to my mother-in-law for gifting me this gem from the 70’s.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Listen to this one.
Peacework by Henri Nouwen
Might be my favorite of his, but I’m not ready to commit to that because I’ve loved everything I’ve read by him.
Free: Rescued from Shame-Based Religion, Released into the Life-Giving Love of Jesus by J Kevin Butcher
I quoted this book to friends so often while I was reading it, but the title was hard to remember — it’s either too short or too long. But a great book.
With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani
Skye also has the issue of a title that’s either too short or too long, but he always provides a refreshing perspective.