~ Nearly 1500 ~

I've been blogging for several years now. I think it is quite safe to say that I enjoy it... a lot! As I started to work on a recent post, I happened to glance at the statistic that said I'm just a bit shy of 1500 posts! I truly had no idea.

I've also been challenged to take time to look back and reflect on where I've been, what God has done, the things He's taught... those things he is still teaching me... because when I see how clearly and unquestionably He's been involved in my past, it gives me the confidence to trust Him with my now and my future.

So I've spent some time going back through all of those earlier blog posts, and have picked out my "Top 15." They aren't necessarily the ones that have had the most views or the most comments. But they are ones that stand out from the rest to me, at least in this moment, from the others. I wouldn't exactly call them my all-time favorites, but they are the ones that are memorable to me.

Therefore, without further ado...

#15 

Mama? Can MckNugget Come and Play at our House?

What can I say? I just LOVE the photos in this post! Even though I hardly ever go and look at MckMama's blog these day... I go back and look at these photos of my munchkins snuggling the toads and remember all the other times I've found them loving on "creepy crawlies!"

#14

Reflecting on these words: Moderation ~ Moderate ~ Modesty ~ Modern ~ Mode… and what it means to model modesty

This remains a continuing priority and struggle – with 6 daughters and a mama who is still trying to figure it out. Teaching to live a life of moderation in all areas is no small feat! I want these precious girls (and boys, frankly) of mine to radiate modesty of heart and spirit… and I’m pretty sure that modesty in appearance will follow.

#13

Poolside Tragedy

This might be the most recent post in this list... but it has already become one of Our Wrighting Pad’s most popular posts ever. Maybe it will make you smile, too.

#12
Encountering Jesus – Jesus speaks with the “Jews in Charge”

Good reminder. I hate to think that I'm like that group of people for whom Jesus reserved some of His hardest words... Yet I fight the battle against that hateful Pharisee-within… EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! And I'm so very thankful for those some days when by the grace of God, I'm victorious...

#11

Self-Sufficient? Others Dependent? That is my question…

I really do think with my fingers. I’ll be a hopeless case if the arthritis ever gets so bad I can no longer type. ;-)

#10

Challenged by my child
Here, I wrote about a difficult parenting moment. God grew me that day… I need to go back and ask said child featured in this story if our conversation continues to challenge him or her the way it does me.

#9

So what do you do when someone won’t listen to just plain “good sense?”

This post is all about ladies' Bible study at our Harobanda church. Today, several months after this conversation, we’re still looking deeply into this subject of biblical confrontation and our responsibility to encourage and exhort our brothers and sisters in the Lord, as well as to point everyone around us towards the cross.

#8  
Letting Go

Ah… parenting… and with so many stages in this always happening home of ours, it is always an adventure. We are never sure what might be just around the next corner. Sometimes it is nerve wracking! Most of the time, it is nothing short of magnificent! And the pictures of my biggers in this post are definitely among some of my absolute favorites!

#7
Going Bananas

We were packing up our house and storing everything as we prepared for our '09 - '10 furlough. In a move of classic avoidance and procrastination from what REALLY needed to be done, Tim snapped these photos and I made my first significant foray into the world of photoshop… i.e. I did more than crop, saturate and brighten… These pictures still make me smile every time I see them.

#6
Multitude Monday – 1000 Gifts ~ A splinter story

We've had some scary and some strange things, medically, happen to our family while we've been living in Niger, and it is always uncomfortable stretches my faith in the Lord as we are in the middle of a "crisis." This was another one of those crisis times... and God’s care and provision simply astounded me. I still wonder, though - will there ever come a time when I decide I just can’t accept His terms of supply? Even after so much proven faithfulness, each time, I still have to deliberately choose trust... I wish I'd learn this lesson once and for all.

#5 

What are you wearing today?
This blog post was one of my very first Bible studies. Last furlough, I was able to do a demonstration/adaptation of this study at several speaking engagements. Kids, in particular, seemed to love it!

#4

Enountering Jesus – The Capernaum Nobleman

This one has surprised me, for it is the second most popular of all of my posts, receiving dozens of views each week. I never expected that, so would someone tell me to pick my jaw up off the floor, please.

#3

You blink and they become

My feelings are still just as real, just as powerful today... as when I tapped out these words many months ago. And then there's the fact that this picture of Nadia standing and looking out over the Niger River is another all-time favorite.

#2

Multitude Monday – 1000 Gifts: High Fidelity for Friendships

This post immediately generated more response than any other post I’ve written – except one; it wasn't in the comments section of the blog, but rather real life conversations, phone calls and letters and emails. I was totally surprised and overwhelmed... but even more now than then, I believe what I was trying to express.

#1

Amma goy-teerey kaŋ na haro kaa wo bay...Yohanna 2.1-11

That is Zarma for “But the servants knew…”

I’ve taught a lot of Bible studies since this one – in English, in French and even some parts of ones now, in Zarma. However, the lessons God continues to impress upon my heart through this particular portion of His Word are unbelievably, compellingly powerful.