Best Blog Posts of 2017

I was startled to discover that I only wrote 13 posts over the past year. However, thanks to friends who read and share what I write, this was far and away the best year yet in terms of reaching a wider audience. (Sharing older posts on Facebook also helped). My blog has now had over 100,000 views. Here's what made a splash in 2017:

On Cell Phone Addiction:
Confronting Modern Day Slavery: It's Closer Than You Think (974 views)

"How did we get here? How did this tiny computer manage to become the only thing that matters? The only thing alluring enough to capture our attention? Why have we let it fragment our focus into smaller and smaller pieces until we can no longer remember what it means to sit in silence and listen? When is the last time we have sat across from someone and looked into their eyes?"

On Our Surprising Move to Canada:  
Trust Without Borders (284 views)

"At the tail end of May, when hope in Oregon had dried up and we were buckling in for the long roller-coaster ahead, a job was posted at Prairie College in Three Hills, Alberta. Their need was urgent. They wanted to have an Old Testament professor in place by July 1st. Gulp."

Blueberries and Trust (256 views)

"The same God who provided blueberries arranged for my Canadian citizenship 40 years before anyone knew I would need it. That's impressive. The LORD promises neither a rose garden nor a blueberry bush, but he does promise to be with us always. Ultimately, that's all we need."

On Dying Well:
Christmas in October (4393 views!!!)

"It's mid October, but in a certain corner of Bend, Oregon, it's already Christmas. The whole neighborhood has put up Christmas lights. You may see carolers drop by. The mail carrier has delivered handfuls of Christmas cards. God is totally on board. He even sent snow this weekend."

On My New Book:
Practicing Biblical Hebrew the Fun Way (956 views)

"Each volume includes the unabridged Hebrew or Greek text of Scripture embedded in lively illustrations by Keith Neely. At the bottom of each page is a fresh English translation that follows the word order of the original text as closely as possible so that readers can easily locate a gloss for unfamiliar words."

On Church Attendance:
Church -- Why Bother? (783 views)

"When I invest weekly in corporate worship with a relatively healthy community, I join with others in declaring where ultimate truth and value lie. Each week my heart is re-calibrated in tiny ways that keep me facing Jesus rather than drifting in another direction."