Top 5 New Blog Posts for July 2012

Here are the top 5 blog posts for the month of July by views, beginning with number 5:

5. If I Had It To Do Over Again
This blog was written during a week when I was conducting two funerals and giving a lot of thought to how I wanted to be remembered. It's based on a book by Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She wrote a book on the biggest regrets of the dying. The findings of her study were the inspiration for this blog.

 
4. Book Review: The Last Christian On Earth
This book was written by Os Guinness, a British author who had the privilege of hearing this summer. This book was originally published in 1983 under the title "The Gravedigger File: Papers on the Subversion of the Modern Church." It has been updated and re-released. Guinness is an accomplished author with a DPhil from Oxford University who has written or edited over 30 books.

3. A Picnic - Or A Pilgrimage?
Inspired by a quote I read on a friend's Facebook page, this piece deals with the church, and its tendency to preach and condemn rather than lovingly demonstrate a better way by their lifestyle. All too often I deal with people who have been turned off of even the idea of Christianity because of Christians behaving badly. How well do you represent Christ?  

 
2. When It Rains On Your Parade 
How do you respond when life lets you down? This is actually more of an article for leaders on how to manage unexpected challenges. It was written after our town's Heritage Committee was forced to cancel our 140th anniversary celebration due to inclement weather. There are lessons to be learned from everything - even a rainy day.



1. The Mark of a True Man - Heroes of Aurora
Not surprisingly, the blog post on the shooting in Aurora, Colorado garnered the most viewers. There were four young men in the theater that night who laid down their lives for their girlfriends. They will be forever be remembered for their bravery and for modeling what true love looks like. 




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Top New Blog Posts - May 2012

Here are the top 5 new blog posts for May 2012, beginning with the number 5. Thanks for reading!

#5 Conservatives Turn on Their Own

MP Stephen Woodworth

 

This article was written about the hypocrisy of the Conservative Party of Canada as they turned on their own back-bencher, Stephen Woodworth. Woodworth presented a motion to review Canada's 400 year old-law defining when a baby becomes a human being under Canadian law. For this he received the criticism of some even within his own party. So much for democracy. 

#4 Scott Jackson - My Battle With Depression

This is a guest post by Scott Jackson, president of  Trust Communications and founder of LIFE 100.3 Radio. 

 #3 Reflections on a Wedding

 

The third most popular post was written the week following the wedding of my son Levi and his new bride Amanda. With all of the stresses on the institution of marriage, I felt it would be a timely subject. 

#2 No Justice in Canada for the Unborn

This article was written on the heels of the March For Life on Parliament Hill which went largely unreported in the mainstream media, though it was attended by some 15,000+ Canadians. It deals with a number of misconceptions about the abortion issue in Canada.

#1 Akiane Kramarik - 2012

Akiane Kramarik (Age 17)

Once again Akiane Kramarik takes the top spot. I decided to write an update on Akiane since the old posts I've written about her received so much attention. This young lady continues to attract worldwide attention for her art and her poetry, based on spiritual themes. If you've never seen her work before, take the time to look through the artwork displayed on her website. It's worth the time. 

Top Posts For April 2012

It's once again time for the top posts of the month. There are some that have held their spot and others that are new. If you haven't looked at them before, I hope you enjoy them. Here are the top 5 posts for April 2012, beginning with the 5th most popular.



5. Just Do The Right Thing!
This post wasn't in the top 5 last month but has grown in popularity. It is an article that is a reflection on the lack of integrity in our society and a call to return to living lives with integrity. It was written in the aftermath of a number of very public scandals. 






4. Book Review: "The Harbinger"
This is the only post that was actually written in the month of April that made the top 5. Interestingly enough, it's a book review - well, more of a synopsis actually. The book is written by a Jewish Messianic Pastor named Jonathon Cahn. It documents what he believes are the prophetic warning signs to the United States, many of which are based around 9/11. The accumulation of evidence he presents is very convincing, even for someone who tends to view this kind of thing with a degree of skepticism. Read it for yourself and let me know what you think.   




3. The Truth About Easter
This post holds its spot from the month of March. It was actually written last year in April, but contains some timeless truths and quotes from a number of people on the subject of Easter. I wrote it because every year aroundEaster time we are inundated with stories in the media questioning the truth of the resurrection and the person of Jesus Christ. I decided I wanted to write an article that stated the case from a Christian perspective.





2. Akiane Kramarik
This article, from February of last year, has been one of the top two ever since, if I remember correctly. If you've never heard of Akiane, she is a phenomenon in the artistic world, creating masterpieces from when she was a little girl. She piqued my interest because of the spiritual nature of her art and her claims to have received her inspiration through revelations from God (her family were all atheists). If  you've never heard of her, follow the links in the blog post to her website where you can view her collection of works.




1. Akiane
Once again, Akiane takes both spots number 1 and 2. This piece, written in April of last year deals more with Akiane's spiritual journey. It also looks at the church and how it tends to deal with people who don't fit neatly into categories. Imagine the difficulty of a young child trying to express with her art what she believes God has given her and having "Christian" adults tell her to burn it. How would you respond? I've just written a follow-up piece to this. Here's the link to Akiane Kramarik - 2012. She is now 17.

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