Top 10 Posts of 2019 Roundup

Join the movement and download the Bible Reading Itinerary today!

Our 12-month, Bible Reading Itinerary, in chronological order of book authorship, gives readers a unique perspective of the Bible. Read the prophetic books of the Bible alongside the historical books, and the Psalms of David in conjunction with the historical narrative of his life. Make your plans today to read through the Bible by downloading this free resource.

16 Names of God & What They Mean

This post is not actually from 2019, it is from November 2018. It's over a year old, yet day after day it receives more visitors than any other post we've ever written, and honestly, I'm not sure why. It's currently pushing 80K pageviews for the year. That's pretty awesome. People are interested in these 16 Names of God & What They Mean and that's one reason I am currently working on a names of God Bible study. Stay tuned. . .

On our Pinterest account we have a board called The Names of God. Although it has only 39 pins, one the smallest boards on our account, it has even more followers and gets more shares than our boards with hundreds of pins. The names of God are fascinating!

This post from March 2019, sounds like it might be the same post as above, but actually it's different. The 16 Names of God and What They Mean are the same, but the graphics have been updated and now there's a brand new, very popular 16 Names of God printable. This printable has been downloaded from our website more than any other printable we offer.

All throughout Scripture God reveals Himself to us through His many names. When we study these names that He reveals, we better understand Who God is. The meanings behind His names reveal the character and nature of the One Who bears them.

This is a guest post written by one of our 2019 guest bloggers, Kathy, and third on our Top 10 Post of 2019 Roundup. I would encourage you to click on Kathy here or under the categories in the sidebar and read her lovely posts. This is part 2 of our series on adoption: 10 Favorite Bible Verses on Adoption by Redeeming Goods.

"Hi Friends! Over a year ago, my husband and I started our adoption journey. The wait has been long and hard, but God gives endurance through His Word. . . ."

Our Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide

Our Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide is a fun new thing we did this year, just last month actually. I was somewhat surprised to find it was fourth on the Top 10 Post of 2019 Roundup.

The great thing about this post is, secretly, it's not just for Christmas! This post works for a lot of other things too—like birthdays and Mother's Day!

We polled our guest bloggers about their favorite things, like faith-inspired gifts and Bible study tools, books, etc. and came up with Our Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide and we're excited to share it!

Who doesn't want to know how to help their teen love God more? We all want that, right!? Why is it that some teens are so obedient and others are not? You may even find this to be true with teens in the same household. Teens raised the same way, by the same parents, can turn out dramatically different. We have experience this in our family. You may have experienced it in yours as well. How can we account for the sacrifficialness of Ruth, who willingly gave up her own future, and Isaac, who was willing to give up his life? What can we do to have our teens willingly obey without nagging and threaten? The key, I believe, is in helping our teens love God more. Loving God is at the root of obedience.

Sixth on the Top 10 Post of 2019 Roundup is a post from our guest blogger, Stephanie. She writes:

"Recently, my husband said something that gave my heart a serious wake-up call. I was crying like I’ve been doing for the past two months since my best friend suddenly and unexpectedly went to heaven. My grief can be overwhelming and I was drowning in an ocean of tears when my husband walked in the room. He desperately wanted to comfort me, but when he looked me in the eyes, he said, 'You know God’s Word tells us as believers that we do not grieve as those without hope. When I look at you like this, I don’t see any hope in your eyes. . . .'”

Have you ever asked yourself, or wondered, "Can I lose my salvation?" No, you can't! It’s been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus Christ personally offered forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Of the millions who have accepted His offer, many have found the peace and joy of knowing they have a secure relationship with their Lord and Savior. Others, however, haven’t felt so secure. Some routinely struggle with confusion and uncertainty, wondering if they’ve lost their salvation in Jesus Christ because of something they have or have not done. Maybe you are one of these? It’s a frightening and tense place to be in when you are uncertain about where you stand in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Heather’s Story: I Will Hope in Him (Part 1)

This is a tough one! If you haven't read Heather's story, you need to! Heather and her husband lost their 6-year-old daughter in March.

My friend Heather has graciously allowed me to share her story in a four-part blog post series title Heather’s Story: I will hope in Him. As you read the lines of this post you will see that this is really more God’s story than it is Heather’s. It is raw and gripping, and still being written. However, her journal entries are so encouraging for anyone who is in the deep, deep well of grief. This season has just begun for Heather and her sweet family, but they have hope. They live hope. They express hope. They KNOW HOPE!

Thanks for joining the InstaEncouragements weekly Christian link-up! We would really appreciate it if you would grab this IE link-up button, place it on your blog, and link back to this post. Thanks! Have an awesome week!

If you're new to link-ups, checkout our IE LINK-UP page for a brief explanation and a list of other link-ups to participate in.

8 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor

Eighth on our list of Top 10 Posts of 2019 Roundup is an appropriate 8 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor. These are not hard-to-do things. They are simple, yet meaningful ways to encourage the shepherd of your flock—your pastor.

Pastors can be the loneliest people in the church. Often their hours are long, the pay minimal, the criticism considerable and constant. Feelings of disappointment, discouragement, and defeat may plague the best of them, but we can do something about that!

Every church member needs to read this post!

Our guest blogger, Kathy, also suffered the deep loss of losing a child. Her posts are full of hope as well. If you've suffered a loss like she has, or if you know someone who has, I would strongly encourage you to read what she writes and share her posts with those you know who need to read them.

"Soooo…. The other day I was struggling with depression. Yes, [raises hand] I struggle with depression. For those who know my story, the last few years have been incredibly painful. Where can I find hope when my heart hurts? I have looked in many places. The only thing that has brought life to the deep sting of death is God’s Word, the Bible. . . ."

Which of these posts were your favorites?

17 Comments

Debbie Wilson link

12/31/2019 09:37:09 am

What a fun way to round out the year by remembering. Thanks.

Patricia P Burnette link

12/31/2019 10:41:56 am

Thanks for stopping by, Debbie. Happy New Year!!!

Cheryl Gerou link

12/31/2019 09:42:58 am

I especially loved your post on your deep grief and the words of your husband that helped you. It is so amazing to see how the Lord uses others to speak His truths and awaken us to His voice. Losing loved ones is so very hard. Thank you for sharing the hope we have as believers. May the Lord bring you comfort in the days ahead, as I know memories brings on the deep missing we feel.

12/31/2019 10:51:43 am

Our guest blogger, Stephanie, wrote that one. She lost her best friend this year. It's been a very difficult year for her and many others, but she's encouraged so many through her writing. God is good!

Lesley link

12/31/2019 09:57:01 am

I agree, it's always interesting to look back and see which posts have been most popular. Thanks for hosting the link-up. Hope you have a happy New Year!

12/31/2019 10:53:29 am

Happy New Year, Lesley! Thanks for participating in our link-up!

Barbara Harper link

12/31/2019 10:00:10 am

A nice round-up! I'm often amazed, too, by which of my posts get the most reads.

12/31/2019 10:54:49 am

The Names of God are certainly what people are most interested in, and that's a good thing! :) Happy New Year, Barbara!

Michele Morin link

12/31/2019 10:31:43 am

So much good truth in 2019!
Thanks for all you do to encourage!

12/31/2019 10:56:01 am

2019 was great, Michele! I love that we have this platform to share truth and encouragement! Happy New Year!!!

Lauren Renee Sparks link

12/31/2019 04:08:50 pm

These are great. Thanks for sharing.

Patsy Burnette link

1/1/2020 10:49:20 am

Thank you, Lauren! Happy New Year!!!

Lisa notes link

1/1/2020 02:24:02 pm

I love these round-up posts to remind me of ones I read and to see which ones I need to go read. Thanks for your faithfulness in hosting this year! May you be blessed in 2020.

1/1/2020 05:20:10 pm

Thank you, Lisa. Thanks for linking up and Happy New Year!!!

Maree Dee link

1/2/2020 11:58:57 am

I love your roundup. I see a few I have missed. Happy New Year! Maree

1/2/2020 02:30:49 pm

Thanks so much, friend! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

diane@worthbeyondrubies link

1/4/2020 05:23:28 pm

I am so glad you did a roundup of your posts! I love everything you write and this gives me the opportunity to check out posts I may have missed! Thank you for all the encouragement you provide and thank you for linking up @worthbeyondrubies

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.