Here we are at the transition of calendar years.

One is slipping away as another swiftly approaches.

So, whether this is your first time here or you’re a frequent reader, thank you so much for spending a few minutes with my thoughts.

As a thank-you gift, here are the links to my 10 most popular reads of 2022.

---

Let’s start with a couple that was the most read and written this year.

1. Your Pastor’s Wife was written to help others know her better. The pastor’s spouse is sometimes a thankless servant to the ministry. So this appreciation article exposed my Lisa’s sincere modus operandi. Once you read it, you’ll appreciate your pastor’s spouse even more.

2. 4 Little Known Burdens of Pastoral Leadership is for my pastoral friends. Local church pastors and ministry leaders have highly stressful assignments. I identified with them, discussed their burdens, and assured them they were seen.

While I’ve written many more than those two over the last year, they quickly made the rounds and became popular reads.

---

These next two weren’t written this year, but they have been the most read over the last year.

3. 6 Ways Christians Can Abuse God’s Grace was inspired by a song. Lisa and I were privileged to see We The Kingdom in concert. Their song Holy Water is quite popular; in it, a particular string of lyrics grabbed my attention. “I don’t wanna abuse your grace. God I need it every day. It’s the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change.” With my attention caught, I turned to God in prayer. This devotional article is also provided as a sermon outline for those who engage in spoken ministry.

4. 7 New Testament Verses on Holiness that Every Christian Should Ingest has been published on this site since the summer of 2017. I’m not sure how the variables work that help some articles circulate. But I’m sure glad this piece is often read. It’s the second-most read of this last year and the second-most read of all time.

---

Now I can address the most read of all time.

5. 3 Signs of the Spirit’s Supernatural Arrival has timeless value. This is the most-read of all time on this site. I can still recall when the outline came to me. I was in the middle of an outdoor workout. While I was sucking wind (breathing really hard), I began to ask God questions about Acts 2:1-4. It’s an excellent devotional piece for reading. It works even better as a sermon starter.

6. Holy frustration was the original impetus for 7 Small Church Pointers Towards Better Services. This is the third most-read piece of all time. Clearly, many others agree with me. But I fine-tuned my thoughts into a helpful article for many small churches.

7. 4 Horrible Lies The Devil Is Pushing stands as the fourth most-read article I’ve ever published. It’s a condensed set of sermon notes from a message I’ve repeatedly preached in various settings. I’ll preach it again should the right opportunity arise.

---

Finally, here’s the honorable mention list. These three are popular but deserve to be shared and read much more.

8. 5 Must-Haves for the Small Church came from my burden to help other pastors and the local churches they lead. It’s the seventh most-read piece here, and your pastor needs to see it. Be sure to share it with your friends in local church leadership.

9. The fourth most-read piece of this year is also the sixth most-read of all time. 3 Proven Ways to Take Advantage of Your Access to God is a devotional version of a three-week sermon series. But it also stands as a great individual sermon starter.

10. 5 Marks of a Healthy Team Member needs to be read by all those involved in leading God’s Church. This is a handy evaluation tool for yourself and those leaders under your care. Share it with your staff or other team members, and ask them to examine themselves.

---

While writing is good for me, I write to be read. My ministry burden is not simply for my own pastorate. I seek to pastorally and metaphorically come alongside the body of Christ as a fellow builder.

So, I leave you with a small favor. Would you let me know which of these helped you the most?

The best thing you could do is share a couple of these articles with someone you believe would benefit from them. Thank you for doing that.

It’s a pleasure to spend a little time with you. Let’s keep reading, writing, and building one another up as we serve God.