What do Vaccines, Prayer Requests, Abortion, Still-birth, Introversion and Depression All Have in Common?
As I reflect on the year gone by, I realize that in spite of the darkness I am experiencing, I have been blessed beyond measure. 2014 has been a good year for the Smith family, and we move forward to 2015 in the confidence that although we do not know what the future holds, we have a God who does.
I have also learned a lot this year.
I learned that One Christian Dad has a large following in the Canadian and American Reformed Churches, considering that two of the “most read” posts this year were prayer requests for members of the Church. Thank you for reading 🙂
I learned the hard way not to come between a Canadian and his beer.
I learned that there are tons of introverts out there who appreciate an “outspoken” introvert.
I learned that the Church in general does not understand depression nor how to deal with it, but it is getting better. I have been struggling with depression for the past couple months and have been posting regularly about it on my facebook page and blog, and the response has been overwhelming. I learned that I am not the only one, as many of you also struggle with depression.
Best of all, in 2014 I learned that we are all far more broken and sinful than we realize and that Jesus loves us more than we can possibly imagine.
So, what do Vaccines, Prayer Requests, Abortion, Stillbirth, Introversion and Depression have in common? Well that is an easy answer. They are the subjects of the most read posts of 2014!
10: As My Dark Night Waxes – This post is not about Batman refinishing my floors. It is my coming out of the closet with regard to depression, and Jesus.
9: I shouldn’t Have Written This Post. – And you shouldn’t read it, but you did, so thank you for that. This is a post about a negative pattern of thinking that I struggle with, and Jesus. You shouldn’t read it.
8: You Don’t Have What it Takes… But Jesus does. Written a couple months ago, after Noah was born, a friend’s mom asked if I was struggling with depression after she read this post. I scoffed, but…maybe she was on to something.
7: 10 Things You should Know About Introverts – I am an intense introvert. I love people, but I need my alone time. My persona on-line does not match who I am in real life. This is a list of things you should know about me, and many other introverts. Online i am outspoken and verbose, in real life I am a little more awkward and shy, the only times that I really overcome that is when I am speaking about Jesus.
6: Pray for the Hovius Family – A prayer request for the Hovius family of my congregation. Please continue to pray for Gary and Rita.
5: Do You Use “OMG?” – Confused that Christians use this acronym on facebook and twitter, I surveyed a number of people about what OMG means and posted my findings and analysys.
4: My Response to the Chilliwack Times article, “Veterans Speak Out on Anti-Abortion Protest at Chilliwack Cenotaph.” The title is self explanatory.
3: She’s in the Towel. Written for the “Help Bring a Cuddlecot to ARH” campaign, this article is about a time I had to deal with the distraught mother of a stillborn baby in a hospital.
2: Please Pray for the Lodder Family – Another prayer request. Pastor Theo and Marina, if you read this, know that thousands of people read this post. You are much loved and many across Canada and the world have prayed for you.
1: What I Believe about Vaccines. – I wrote this after a measles outbreak happened in Chilliwack. I never intended to cause what this post caused. Both outrage and applause rained down upon me, and the ground opened up to swallow me whole…ok not really, but in the aftermath of this article, which was linked to on various news outlets across the country, I did a couple interviews and attempted to respond to hundreds of emails (that are still coming in almost a year later). I have learned that there are many, many viewpoints on this topic.
