Just in case you missed them the first time around, here are the Top 12 most popular posts from the Shoebox in 2012:
#1. At nearly 10,000 page views, Haley's Covenant Ceremony is not only the top post from 2012, it quickly became my #1 blog post of all time. Admittedly, many of those page views were from non-Christian forums who tore the post apart, but many readers found the post sweet and encouraging, as it was meant to be.
#2. Coming in next was Adventures of the Secret Society, a post that I had removed (but reinstated for this purpose) because I ended up using the post in the eBook Tugboat: My Voyage Out of Obesity. This was the beginning of my 60 day juice fast!
#3. Too SMALL for His Britches tells about a man from our church who decided to take the plunge into a 60 day juice fast and lost 60 pounds! What a great encouragement Mike is! This post also appeared on the Join the Reboot website!
#4. A couple of months after we ended the 60 day juice fast, we decided to do a 15 day "reboot". Several days in, I realized my nausea had a purpose. You can find out here Why I Quit the Juice Fast.
#5. Following a marriage retreat in February, where several issues were resolved, I wrote a few posts in the series What the Lord Delivered Us From. It was not easy to admit, but I transparently shared I Was the Other Woman.
#6. With ten children, we've been asked When is Enough (Children) Enough?.
#7. At our annual fall party, several of our young people performed a play I wrote based on a popular children's book. Presenting... the Princess and the Kiss is one of my all-time favorite posts!
#8. After publishing Haley's Covenant Ceremony, we received many questions, both in the comments and in emails. Covenant Ceremony Questions and Answers addressed this.
#9. On Pregnancy Loss was written after I miscarried in October.
#10. When the Truth Came Out was another post written after our wonderful marriage retreat and explains how I confessed my sin to my husband.
#11. As the one who compiles our church newsletter (The Ancient Landmark), I have the privilege of reading articles written by other church members. Last year I began a series in the newsletter called Parent's Corner and asked permission to share the wisdom here. The most popular post from that series has been Calling All Captains.
#12. Getting Past the Dog was the first post I wrote following the marriage retreat, and explains how I was freed from the bondage of 5 years of bitterness toward my husband.
I hope you have enjoyed this nostalgic walk through 2012 here at the Shoebox and I look forward to sharing many more encouraging posts here in 2013!
I remember each of these posts! :-) Your words have inspired and encouraged me, and I know they will continue to do so in 2013. May God continue to bless your family abundantly in the New Year! Miss you!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post about turning our heart back to home! Are you still facebookless? I love to read posts about that.. with it being such a BIG deal in the world today, its refreshing to see that there are some out there who prefer not to jump on that bandwagon
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were encouraged, Stacy! Yes, I am still without Facebook. I simply do not have enough self-control to limit my online time and not get involved in other people's business that I have no reason to be in. Since obeying the Lord in this area, He has opened up ministry opportunities to our family that may not have happened otherwise (time being the main factor). There are some aspects I miss (doing Bible or Women's studies with like-minded ladies, for example), but for this season of my life, this is God's best.
DeleteThis made me want to go through and read all of them!! I'll have to pace myself and start at the beginning, reading a few at a time!!
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl! I was able to read your comment but then it went away so I couldn't respond to it, so I thought I would here. :) Your post absolutely encouraged me.. and if you ever get the chance I'd love to hear more! My email address is stacy-duncan@hotmail.com. Unfortunately, most people who I know have turned away from facebook and a lot of the internet have went back, I have yet to meet someone who has stayed away from it.. it just doesn't seem to have many redeemable qualities for me! I did make my blog public in search engines, but I know it won't be very popular. One of the main reasons I made it separate from my other blog is that most people don't want to hear it, they enjoy it and its a part of them, so they don't want to hear that its bad. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel like a celebrity is reading my blogs, becasue I've loved and followed yours for so very long, I love it and it always, ALWAYS encourages me in so many ways. If you ever get the chance, I'd love to chat via email, but I do understand that you aren't online very much. :) I of all people can appreciate that! Much much love,
Stacy
The whole post seems to have disappeared on your blog! (Weird!) I thought it was private because I couldn't find a way to "follow" (via email or Blogger). I do have a few friends that I maintain correspondence with via email. My address is cheryl.a.long@gmail.com I am so glad you find encouragement here!
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