best posts

2014: A Year In Review

/ Lon Hetrick

Thank you!

For every post you’ve read or shared, thank you.

I enjoy writing this blog. I’m glad to have this technological opportunity to publish words that, I hope, will encourage you to following Christ. Life is hard. We all need encouragement and instruction. I hope you find both here.

Here’s what most of you found encouraging and/or instructive on Average Us in 2014:

TOP 10 POSTS OF 2014

1. God’s Will and Your Big Stupid Mistakes—4 Things to Remember. This was far and away our most popular post of the year, attracting more than twice as many of you as any other post.

2. Why Pastors Shouldn’t Teach Tithing. Our #1 post of 2013 moved down to #2 in 2014.

3. How Much Should You Give to Your Church?—18 Questions to Help Plan Your Giving Next Year. Published at the end of 2013, I was surprised at how much attention this post attracted.

4. Why I Left Pentecostalism. Our #3 post of 2013 moved down to #4 in 2014. Sometime in 2015, I’ll write a related post about why and how I embraced Calvinism, even though people told me it was “of the devil.” Even if you think it is, a post on this might still make an interesting read.

5. Why the Apostles Didn’t Teach Tithing (And Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About It). A lot of you want to rethink the teaching you typically hear about tithing.

6. 7 Reasons Christians Should Not Boycott Starbucks. We Christians sometimes mobilize around stuff that, I think, we shouldn’t.

7. Why Your Church Does Teach Tithing (And Why You Sometimes Feel Guilty About It). Still thinking about tithing…

8. What Jesus and His Apostles Taught About Giving (And How You Can Find Joy in It). Still thinking…

9. Three Ways Doubt Can Strengthen Your Faith in Christ. Yes, doubt can be good for you. It can drive you forward and deeper.

10. Why Pastors Shouldn’t Teach Tithing—One Pastor’s Gracious Response. I received a nice note from a pastor explaining why he disagreed with me .

3 MORE PERSONAL FAVORITES

Here’s a few more posts you may enjoy…

1. 6 Ways to Love Someone With Anxiety or Depression. This article was written as a guest post for two other blogs, and a lot of you have read it on Average Us, too.

2. How to Pray for a Friend. This is still one our top 10 posts of all time.

3. Will God Forgive Me? Again? The answer is YES. Read the post to find out why.

Most Average Posts of 2013

/ Lon Hetrick

Hello Average Us Readers!

Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts here on Average Us. Dawn and I feel honored that you give your valuable time to visit with us here.

We aim to be helpful to you by being transparent about our spiritual journeys, both the good news about Christ and the difficulty of living the life of faith in this troubled world. Our hope is inspire more people to embrace the gospel of Christ and the greatness of God. So, in 2013 we began posting once per week which resulted in a significant traffic increase, and added the Photo Friday feature which appeals to a broader audience. We plan to continue this rhythm in 2014.

Thanks again for reading, commenting on and sharing our posts.

Please let us know if there are any topics you’d like us to request, like the Kingship of Jesus,  which a friend in Alabama requested.

Here’s a few of our most average posts of 2013.

Continue reading →