I decided to start a blog in the spring of 2009. On June 11, 2009, I published my first blog post. Over the last decade, I’ve written over 1,800 posts – a post about every other day!
Top Posts
My attempt to determine the top all time posts is somewhat limited since I did not add Google analytics to this site until October 2012. From that date to present, the 18 most viewed posts (roughly the top 1%) are
- Prayers of the People – Youth Sunday (2009)
- Pastoral Prayer – Love (2014)
- Review of Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman (2011)
- 12 Marks of Convergence Christianity (2012)
- Sermon: Lost –> Found –> Party (2015)
- My Visit to Next Level Church (2012)
- Reading the Whole Bible (2010)
- The Acceptable Year of the Lord – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2011)
- Top Church Websites (2012)
- Review of the Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith (2011)
- Theology on Top – Theology Pub Discussion Starters (2011)
- Football, Jesus, Ninja (2012)
- So What? (2011)
- A Sensory Maundy Thursday Service (2014)
- Leaders Clear Obstacles (2015)
- Top 10 Books of 2012 (2013)
- Valentine’s Expectations (2013)
- Unison Prayer of Invocation for Sunday, September 12 (2010)
Top Topics
Considering only those posts ranked in the Top 100 most viewed list, the top topics are listed below (followed by the number of posts making the most viewed list):
- Book reviews, recommendations, and ratings (30)
- Trends in American Christianity (26)
- Worship resources, including sermons and prayers (15)
Notably, I’ve reviewed, recommended, and/or rated books by more than 500 authors. And, I recently named the Top 12 authors of the last decade.
Top Years
Considering only the publication dates for those posts ranked in the Top 100 most viewed list, the top years are listed below (followed by the number of posts published that year making the most viewed list):
- 2011 (29)
- 2012 (21)
- 2014 (18)
Since I posted on a daily basis from late 2010 to mid 2013 I have more total posts from that range of dates than any other time period. In other words, I would have been quite surprised if 2011 and 2012 were not on this list. And, the year missing from the above range (2013) and immediately preceding it (2010) were nearly tied for fourth place.
So What?
Since starting this blog I’ve served five congregations (three affiliated with the United Church of Christ and two affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA) located in two states (Florida and Texas), served a Christ-centered non-profit now know as the Mansfield Mission Center, visited and worshipped in more than 50 congregations in the Dallas – Fort Worth metro area of Texas, and taught more than 30 undergraduate religion courses. Additionally, I’ve continued my education by completing advanced training in appreciative inquiry through the Clergy Leadership Institute, completing a fellowship in social enterprise facilitated by the United Church of Christ, and earning a MBA from Texas Woman’s University. In other words, a lot has happened in my life personally and professionally. And, a lot has changed in the world of blogging.
I have no idea how many hours I’ve invested in blogging, but consider it time well spent. The spiritual discipline of blogging has helped me become a more faithful follower of the Way of Jesus, a more thoughtful person, and a more intentional advocate for creating a more just world for all. Finally, blogging has connected me to and allowed me to learn from many people I otherwise would not have known.
Whether you are a regular here at So What Faith, are reading this post as your first ever experience of So What Faith, or find yourself somewhere between these extremes please know that I appreciate your presence and welcome your wisdom. So What Faith is committed to encouraging conversation about matters of faith that matter.
