Top 5 Posts (and Top 8 Moments) in 2013

Happy New Year!

I'm still not full-go back into blogging, but I wanted to highlight the most popular posts on this blog in 2013. Did you miss any of these . . . .

#5.  "Prayer Back in Schools" Is NOT the Answer.  Based on the conversation this generated on my social media accounts, probably the most controversial piece I wrote last year.

#4.  Santa Is Not a Salvation Issue.  A late-year, seasonal post. Santa is famous, or infamous, to Christians, depending on your perspective.

#3.  Recommended: The Case for Faith -- Student Edition.  A great book that I read through with my daughter, and I am about to with my older son.

#2.  The Connection of Passover and Easter.  Being a Jewish Christian, this topic is very close to my heart.

#1.  How Do We Know That God Is Real?  A post from 2011, which was a re-blog from years earlier. (And which preceded the Top Post of 2012.) Apparently a popular topic!

Year in Review

And just for kicks and smiles, I looked over Facebook's list of my top 20 moments for 2013. I'm not sure how they calculated those events, but some of my favorite were:

January 2 --> Started working at USC Salkehatchie. (I wrote about this in an update on my jobs and ministries.)

April 21 --> (A conversation I had with my son.)

Me: "Why did you make that craft in class?"
Sender: "Because I HAD to."
Meaningful time today at Grace Church Childrens Ministry.

May 5 -->  Got to witness a historic moment in #AllendaleSC: 2 black teenagers baptized at Allendale Baptist Church.

May 26 --> Love former neighbors who still invite us over for cul-de-sac parties. — with Jamie Fuller and 2 others.

July 18 --> Happy anniversary (of our engagement) to my incredible wife, Joanna Wimmer Espinosa. It has been a wonderful 14 years since you said "Yes." 

And after some teenage boys from Allendale told me yesterday, "Your wife is beautiful," I answered, "I know. Why do you think I married her?"

September 17 -->  When you place an order at the drive-thru microphone at Hardees, & the response is, "Ok, drive around, Mr. Joey.".... 

October 15 --> (see image to the right) She was supposed to be studying for a science test, but decided to make this scarecrow instead. #creativemess
 
November 23 -->  (Too long to copy over here. You can read what I wrote in Thankful: The Best 2 Years of My Life.)


Edit: Here are the top 5 posts from my other blog, Misson: Allendale.

** first image courtesy of rkirbycom via rgbstock.com (other images mine)