It’s the end of 2015, and as I survey everything the Lord has enabled me to write, it’s been a great year. He has given me favor with many of you who faithfully read–and I trust are encouraged by–my pieces. He’s allowed me the fun of working with some editors at places like Desiring God, TGC, and FTC.
As GOB Bluth quips in Arrested Development, “I’m just a waiter!” What I’m writing is not new. Just handing down the faith to our generation, I hope. I don’t bombard you with ads or promote this blog other than a few grassroots links on social media. I’ve got no outside help. This is as humble as blogs go, but through your partnership in sharing these articles with friends and family, many of these works have been pretty widely read–certainly more widely read than a nobody pastor in nowheresville, SC, deserves.
If you are a regular reader, I would encourage you to continue to share these articles in 2016, as the Lord leads. Facebook and Twitter shares are what keep this content circulating, although Google search hits have certainly driven day-to-day views. Here are a few quick things I’ve noticed in 2015:
- My most common search term hits dealt with unwed pregnancy and apprehension about how it would be received at church. Church members, take note!
- Over 1,000 people have clicked links through this site to find their nearest Crisis Pregnancy Center. Praise the Lord!
- Parents will click anything with “Thomas the Tank Engine” in the title. If you want to drive clicks, post something on your site about Thomas. ha.
- I’ve posted 55 (56 including this one) articles in 2015 compared to 79 in 2014 and 117 in 2013, yet as you can see below, views have grown steadily. I attribute this to a few things–one being a viral post about CPCs. However, I have tried to post quality content that doesn’t age quickly. You’ll notice I try not to do hot takes or post on the flavor of the month. Many of my articles from the past couple of years that started off slow have gotten consistent hits and have now been views hundreds of times.
- Students are most certainly plagiarizing my review of Robert Alter’s The Art of Biblical Narrative. What’s a guy to do?
Lord willing, looking forward to 2016 and more ministry opportunities and thoughtful, God-honoring pieces!
ICYMI: Articles Published Elsewhere
Here are articles I’ve written elsewhere this year. The Lord has allowed me to work with some helpful editors, and I am grateful for the opportunity in 2015 to publish content at these sites:
“Take a Hike: Rediscovering God’s Grandeur in Nature” (The Gospel Coalition)
“A Joyful Cog in God’s Giant Plan” (Desiring God)
“Men, Are You Leaving the Homefront Unguarded?” (ERLC)
“Two Bedtime Prayers for Weary Parents” (Desiring God)
“Pray for Your Children: The Priesthood of Parents” (Desiring God)
“Should a Pastor’s Wife Play Second Fiddle?” (For The Church)
“‘1989’: Everything the Same, Only Different” (Christ and Pop Culture)
“‘All of Me Wants All of You’: Sufjan Stevens’s Manelich and Broken Love” (Christ and Pop Culture)
“What Freedom of Religion Is Not” (Canon & Culture)
“Where a Desperate Small-town Pastor Found Hope” (The Gospel Coalition)
“The Me Monster of Singleness” (Single Matters)
Views for 2015:
Top 20 Viewed Posts of 2015:
P.S.–Yes, the title of this article is an homage to Bill Mallonee:
