It’s always interesting finding out what people choose to read. I started this blog because I enjoy writing – and I figured its a good way to develop something I enjoy – as well as being a magpie-esque place to collect ‘useful things’ from the web. To be honest probably about 70% of posts here fit into the latter category so, given WordPress provide annual blog stats, I thought it could be mildly interesting to share again the most-clicked posts in 2012.

1. Why I Love Christianity Explored – 10 reasons. Does what it says on the tin, and received over 3 times more traffic as any other post because it then got linked to from Barry Cooper‘s blog and the Christianity Explored site (no bribes).

2. Some Helpful Reflections on Facebook. Essentially an index of thought-provoking posts by Tim Chester, which are now available in a new book, Will You Be My Facebook Friend?, published by 10ofthose.

3. Coffee With Your Name On It. In April Starbucks started asking for your first name and writing it on your order. This was a few reflections on the impersonal becoming personal.

4. Ways for a CU to make the most of Freshers’ Week – Part 1. Speaking the amazing news of Jesus to others is what CUs exist for. This was written as an encouragement to CU’s to underline that priority and have a go at highlighting what endangers it.

5. Instagram Your Life. 2012 has been Instagram’s big year. Here I began some reflections on using this app and why it’s so popular.

6. Ways for a CU to make the most of Freshers’ Week – Part 2. I think CU’s work best when they create a culture that loves the local church. So I wrote about it.

7. Two Years of the Little Picture. Inspired by the words that were preached at our wedding, a reminder of Revelation 21 as Zoe & I seek to live out marriage as the ‘little picture’ of the big wedding to come.

8. The Dread S********* – Part 2. Submission is a dirty word these days. The idea of it being a beautiful precious thing as part of the marriage relationship is rarely discussed publicly, and similarly rarely do you find someone describing what it looks like in practice. That’s why I found Glenda Hotton’s 6 stereotype-demolishing reasons so refreshing.

9. The Cost of Following Jesus – Kids & All. A quote from Mez McConnell’s challenging post on church-planting and the family.

10. Why Simply Reading the Bible Isn’t Enough. A few thoughts emphasising that our Bible reading must involve personal meditation.