As we look forward to the new year, we would like to take a moment and reflect on everything we talked about here on stpetersfireside.org in 2014. It has been a big year of growth for our blog. This year we had over 36,000 unique page views compared to just 16,000 in 2013. Our blogging family also grew from 5 to 7. In case you missed any of the most read articles throughout the year, here are the 10 top posts from 2014:
10. Frappucinos And Stupid Questions
by Michael Chase
“While medical technologies have brought with them the ability to preserve and prolong life, they have also fostered a sort of therapeutic thinking about children. That children can be chosen or rejected at will, as though they are some kind of medical condition. What we’ve forgotten is that children are always a gift, and a gift of the highest order.”
9. The Four Levels Of Happiness
by Roger Revell
“About eight years ago, I had the good fortune to study at Augustine College, where my life and destiny were forever changed. During this time, I was pressed to think a bit deeper about human happiness. A professor of mine gave a very meaningful address called the Four Levels of Happiness. His musings were nothing novel—they’re indebted to ancient Christian thinkers. The concepts he introduced have stuck with me ever since, and I hope they’ll stick with you, too.”
8. Where Is God?
by Alida Oegema
“Wildflowers sprouting in deserts. Water flowing where land is barren. Life where there is death. Cities where there once were ruins. Hope where hope once seemed lost. That’s the promise of the God who stands beside us in brokenness. God’s Spirit is present in refugee camps and shell-shocked war-zones. Even in the brutal killing of those who follow Him, He is there, remaining always as the exceedingly great reward worth more than life itself. And, in Him we have a God who weeps with us now and a God who will never abandon us to the darkness.”
7. Untying Knots: Facing Anxiety
by Roger Revell
“To make a long story short, the events of my anxiety attack launched me on a much-needed journey. I started to seek an understanding of anxiety. Why? Because I didn’t want to return to the pit. I can confidently say that I am better off today than I was three years ago. I still battle anxiety, though it’s not as debilitating. I’ve found hope.”
6. Katy Perry And The Clerical Collar
by Alastair Sterne
“Whether or not I should be wearing a Katy Perry shirt is up for debate (probably not). But my experience wearing a pop superstar’s face plastered on my shirt in a seminary was a lot like walking down Granville Street in my clerical collar. It certainly made me stand out.”
5. Wait, Women Are People?
by Alastair Sterne
“As Christians, we need to seriously consider our theology of creation and redemption and what it teaches us about women so that we can identify areas in our culture and in our lives that are not in line with the gospel of Jesus. We need to empower women and actively combat the many ways inside and outside the church that they are treated as less than people. We also need to actively call men to start viewing women with the eyes of Christ.”
4. Get Into Prostitution: Bedford vs. Canada
by Alida Oegema
“As followers of Christ, God calls us to lives of justice. He invites us to not only know his heart, but to be his heart. He is the God who rescues. He is the God who heals. He is the God who breaks chains, dismantles systems of injustice, and sets captives free. And so, we must work to do the same.”
3. Drop The Just
by Julia Sterne
“There is a four-letter word that I hate—not hate, loathe. In the past few months it has gotten under my skin and become a pet peeve to the nth degree. This four-letter word is a word many Christian men and women use. What’s worse is that it is a word people use in abundance, particularly and irritatingly, in prayer: Just.”
2. A Single’s Guide To Wedding Survival
by Alida Oegema
“Weddings remind us that beauty is always meant to be shared, always meant to shine beyond individual stories. In marriage, love is a journey with your one person and a journey alongside many others. It’s the way that a joy-filled glance and ceremony and pictures can testify to the necessity and impact of love, a love that’s meant to encourage the collective whole and not to isolate the privileged few.”
1. The Vaccination Problem
by Alastair Sterne
“Vaccines are headline news. The media are correlating Anti-Vaxxers with certain Christian groups. Should we vaccinate as Christians or not? To answer this, a bigger issue needs to be dealt with: how should Christians view medicine as a whole?”
