My Top 20 Posts of 2014

As we say goodbye to 2014, I thought it to be an interesting exercise to see what people found helpful at this site. Here are the 20 most-read posts here at PhilipNation.net. Thanks to all you stopped by for a few minutes of your day.

20) Lincoln and Short Sermons

The sermons in which I have been lax on preparation are also the ones in which I tend to ramble more aimlessly.

19) On My 20^th Anniversary

Marriage lives, survives, and thrives through the normal pace of life on patient endurance, a stubbornness to make it through with one another, and a love that stays.

18) 6 Ways of Dealing with Ministry Envy

Church leaders give in to ministry envy and it makes us do foolish things. Here are a few ideas to help us move from muddling through to embracing God’s call on our lives.

17) What Social Media Personality Tests Say About Us

People want to be known. Living in the shadows, anonymous and obscure is painful. Our desire for relationships has an inherent desire for others to know who we are.

16) 6 Big Issues for This Bivocational Pastor

I am constantly looking for the proper balance in life, work, and professional ministry. As I have thought through it all, for my own sanity, I decided to make a quick list of the top issues I am working through as a bivocational pastor.

15) Sermon Prep for the Bivocational Pastor

So with the hope of bringing some sense to it all, I’ll give to you some of the method to my particular madness.

14) Free eBook on The Scarlet Thread

Great resource that everyone needs.

13) Where Did All the Calvinists Come From?

Fascinating infographic about the theological movement of Calvinism.

12) 8 thoughts on Preparing an Easter Sermon

On Easter, celebrate Him more than anything else. Test your Easter message to ensure that you do not talk more about programs than Jesus.

11) Words and Phrases that Should Die in 2014

Let’s just say that I don’t think I got any of my wishes to come true from this list.

10) 21 Questions to Ask Other Leaders

A leader needs to be a learner. And, the learning needs to be constant.

9) People Behaving Badly with Smart Phones

Many of us now carry around a smart phone. It is the device that promised to make your life easier. We were told that it would streamline our lives. But does it?

8) Truett Cathy and a Life Lived Well

The world is a better place because of what Jesus did through the life of Truett Cathy. I’m grateful to have been near his life for a little while so that I could learn from his life lived well.

7) One Sentence Book Reviews

Since I’m not one for writing long book reviews, I decided to offer one sentence book reviews on some of the more enjoyable books I read.

6) How to Do Email Completely Wrong

My friend and LifeWay colleague Brian Daniels has said, “Anyone with an email account is your boss.” It would be funny if it were not true.

5) 3 Small Group Myths

Small groups must be an environment where people grow closer but not just for the sake of friendship.

4) 5 Mistakes We Make in Our Sermons

Preaching is a sacred and spiritual endeavor but that does not limit us from being disciplined in honing our craft.

3) The 10 People in Every Church

One of the interesting factors that I’ve noticed is that certain people appear in every church family. For the most part, I don’t think they are malicious but they are often misled.

2) Ocean Depth and the Malaysian 370 Black Box

The Washington Post has created one of the most interesting graphics I’ve seen. It concerns the depth of the ocean and the signal from the black box of Malaysian Airlines flight 370. … The depth at which the wreckage of the plane may be resting is staggering.

1) 5 Things You Can Do for the Christians in Iraq

Like many believers around the world, I am horrified at the persecution of Christians in Iraq. It is a sobering moment to realize that the type of persecution I’ve read about so many times in the Book of Acts is happening in our day.