My Top Ten Books of 2022

Let’s get right to it.

Every year, I like to reflect on the books I have read and come up with the top ten books (in my opinion) I read over the year.

It helps me to remember and reflect and is a fun exercise. The main reason I do it is to help anyone who reads the list to have a book or two that they can add to their reading list for the next year.

But first — a disclaimer.

Just because a book is on my list does not mean that I agree with everything in it, nor does it mean that it is objectively the consensus top ten book I have read this year.

It means that I enjoyed it and was either informed, entertained, equipped, challenged, or enlightened in some way.

Cool?

Here goes, in no particular order, my top ten reads of 2022:

The Non-Anxious Pastor by Trey Van Camp

Trey is a pastor, YouTuber, and now author (shout out, Trey!) that I have followed pretty closely for the last couple of years. I purchased this book mainly to support a creator I had followed closely for a while.

It turned out to be phenomenal.

Writing from a pastor’s vantage point, but applicable for anyone, in my opinion, Pastor Trey Van Camp wrote a phenomenal book on how to combat anxiety. Specifically, he dealt with the current climate and reasons for anxiety. He then showed theological truth and a practical way forward into a non-anxious life. Written in an honest, compelling, and nuanced manner, this book added a unique voice to the conversation around anxiety in the church.

Particularly helpful was his paradigm of a dinner, digital, and devotional way of life. Read it to find out exactly what I mean by that. I had well over 100 highlights on my kindle after I finished this book.

That’s saying something!

God Has a Name by John Mark Comer

As I finished this book this year, I realized that I had read every one of John Mark Comer’s books. I love his writing. I found this book to be one of my favorites that he has written. It was a breakdown and exploration of the passage where God reveals himself to Moses in Exodus 34.

Written engagingly but still serious theologically, this book genuinely taught me many aspects of God’s character in a deeper way than I had considered before. Its ripple effects quickly spread into some of my teaching and writing in the weeks following when I finished it.

So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

I have read Cal Newport’s “Deep Work” in the past and loved it. This was an older book of his that I also greatly enjoyed. He explores the concept of what makes a career or job meaningful. His basic thesis is that fulfillment comes through getting very proficient at a craft rather than finding some magical thing we would call our passion.

There is a place for passion, but Newport rounds out how we view vocation, craft, and career in a compelling and helpful way.

Habits of Grace by David Mathis

I taught a six-week class on the spiritual disciplines last summer called “Deep Habits.” As part of my preparation, I read several books on spiritual practices or disciplines. I enjoyed this one by David Mathis.

He took a look at the spiritual disciplines in a way that stayed tethered to the gospel, as well as grounded in reality. I was encouraged and helped by how he took on this broad and ancient topic.

Letters to a Young Pastor by Eugene Peterson

This book was a birthday gift from my wife. It was a great gift. I am a big Eugene Peterson fan, and this book is a collection of letters he wrote to his son Timothy about the art of pastoring.

Filled with personal struggles, questions, triumphs, and ideas — this book was a wealth of knowledge. Also, it is just fun to read other people’s letters.

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

This was a play, and it only took two hours to read. This is a book that many high school literature classes, but this was the first time I had read it.

It was absolutely phenomenal.

The storytelling is great, and the ending will shock and surprise you. It grapples with the idea of morality and ethics in an engaging way.

For those of you who are twenty-one pilots fans, this is the book that inspired the name.

You should read it.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

This is a memoir written by the founder of Nike on how Nike was founded.

Kind of.

It was much more about life and father-son relationship dynamics and just great story-telling. I foresee myself re-reading this book. It was that good.

If you want to get into the memoir area — this is the book for you.

The Life We’re Looking For by Andy Crouch

The subtitle of this book says it all: “reclaiming relationship in a technological world.” Writing from a Christian perspective, Crouch seeks to forge a pathway for just that. This book is a phenomenal read, written compellingly, showing the absolute necessity of building deep relationships in a world that is designed for just the opposite.

Drawing on the difference between personalized and personal, arguing that we treat modern technology like magic, and pointing out that the biblical gospel alone can infuse beauty into personhood based upon the image of God, Crouch makes a compelling case that deep relationship in a world built for shallow interaction cannot happen accidentally.

He also writes in a winsome and compelling way that will leave you constantly highlighting as you read.

Here is a quote as an example:

“There must be a different and better life to seek, a different and better way to be persons, a different and better way to deploy all the knowledge, wealth, and power that we have spent on our shallow, mirrored selves.” — Andy Crouch

The Care of Souls by Harold L. Senkbeil

A longtime Lutheran pastor wrote this book on what it means to care for souls pastorally. Some of his Lutheran distinctions seep in from time to time which may be frustrating for the wider audience he writes for.

However, this book is worth the few disagreements you may stumble upon. Senkbeil makes the case that caring for souls is at the center of what it means to be in the ministry. He seeks to recapture some ancient imagination for what this looks like.

This book is dense at times but written in a careful and scripture-rich manner.

It challenged and edified me.

On Writing by Stephen King

This was another memoir that I enjoyed this year. Stephen King honestly wrote about his struggles and addictions and how writing intersected with them. While I would disagree with many of his conclusions about life and morality, the writing was beautiful and a captivating journey into the human condition.

The last third or so of the book was straight writing advice. This is where the classic kill your darlings line is found. He peels back the curtain on the craft of writing. You will have to eat the meat and spit out the bones, but if you are looking to grow and be challenged as a writer, I recommend this book to you.

Honorable Mentions:

Early North African Christianity by David L. Eastman

Garden City by John Mark Comer

Deeper by Dane Ortlund

Re-reads that definitely would have made a list, but they are re-reads, so they don’t:

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Thanks for reading, friend. Hopefully, you got one or two suggestions to add to your reading list! Have you read any of the books above? I would love to hear your thoughts or maybe some of your favorite reads from the past year.

Let me know down below!

Happy reading.

My Top Ten Books of 2022