Looking Back On a Year of Blogging

Here are the most popular weblog entries of 2006. In terms of response, the first two stood out far above the rest. In compiling this list, I counted comments plus emails plus personal comments made to me. By “popular” I mean only that these entries brought the most feedback, not that people always agreed with what I wrote. In some cases readers disagreed strongly with some points that I made, which is fine with me. I am grateful to everyone who read this blog during 2006.
By the way, the Comments section is open for all of these posts. If you want to add your own thoughts, please do. We value your feedback. I read every comment even if I don’t respond to each one personally.
1) Jay Bakker’s Strange Religion
Number 1 by a long way. I got more responses to this post that anything else I’ve written in the last year. Clearly this topic touched a nerve with my readers.
2) Where Have All the Pastors Gone?
Read the Comments section to get a sense of the turmoil in local churches all across the country.
3) Ted Haggard Removed as Pastor of New Life Church and Signs of a Restorable Spirit
Reflections on the saddest pastoral story of 2006.
4)Whatever Happened to Congregational Singing and Does Congregational Singing Matter? and More Thoughts on Congregational Singing and Helpful Feedback on Congregational Singing and My Perfect Church Is … A Singing Church
The original article turned into a long string of entries. I was surprised to discover how deeply I felt about the importance of congregational singing.
5) Who Is the Most Influential Pastor in America?
Read this to find my personal nomination.
6) How the Internet is Changing Ministry
A topic that is close to my heart. Any church that ignores the Internet will have a hard time being effective in today’s world.
7) Resignation Fever and Resignation Fever Revisited
Reflections on the trials and rewards of local church ministry.

8) The 21-Day Challenge
When I mentioned this during a sermon at the First Baptist Church of Tupelo, many people took the challenge.
9) One-Sentence Prayers
Readers provided excellent examples of memorable one-sentence prayers.
10) My Perfect Church
My answer to a question that came out of the blue one evening when we ate dinner with some close friends.
11) Saint Dudley
A lesson I learned by watching our beloved one-year-old basset hound.
12) “Pastor Ray, Isn’t That a Little Harsh?” and A “Sort of” Christian and Do Atheists Make Good Church Members? and Another Atheist Goes to Church
This string of posts deal with the resurrection of Christ as a non-negotiable foundation of the Christian faith. It evolved into a discussion of whether or not we should allow atheists to become church members. Ultimately this string relates to the Jay Bakker discussion above in this way. Will the church of the 21st-century have any standards at all regarding what we believe or will we capitulate to the culture around us?
13) Six Months in Mississippi and A Few More Questions, A Few More Answers and One Year Later
Three posts of personal reminiscence that answer a question we are often asked–So how are you doing?
14) Eggville Free Will Baptist Church
I wrote this after visiting the church on a bright Sunday morning last January. I was so impressed by this country church that I wrote this entry, which was later reprinted on a Free Will Baptist discussion board.
15) Does God Hear Hindu Prayers?
My answer to a controversial question that is becoming more relevant in our multicultural world.