I'm pretty sure I'm the first one to ever come up with the idea of doing a Top 10 list at the end of the year. I'm hoping it catches on. But, it's been a remarkable year here at Introverted Church, and I do want to revisit the highest visited posts of the 2011. This was the first year I started inviting guest posts and it is been an unmitigated success. So I want to post the top 5 posts that I wrote and the top 5 posts that others wrote.
First, the highest visited posts written by yours truly:
5. Pastors and Honesty This was my response to my friend Rachel Held Evans, who, on behalf of "the congregation" asked pastors to be more honest. My post is a friendly critique of her post and a discussion about some of the hard lessons I have learned in my years in ministry.
4. Why You Can't Express The Most Important Things. I wrote this when I was stuck at home with the flu, watching TED talks. In this post I discuss why it is that the things we feel most deeply are often the hardest things to express. Hint: It's neurological.
3. Why Pastors Should Get Their Heads Examined. This is my appeal for pastors to be in therapy. Our work can tie us in some complicated knots and we need help to unravel them.
2. The Introvert Brand. You might guess that labeling yourself an introvert in such a public way can lead to some caricatures and pigeonholing. So I thought the best way to respond to that is through satire. I think this one will make you laugh.
1. The Writer as Madman and Mystic. There are pretty much two options for writers - either you find spiritual meaning in your work, or you go insane. There is no middle ground.
And now, for the top 5 guest posts of 2011:
5. A Christmas Snapshot. This is Anne Bogel's post from two weeks ago. You know it's a significant post when it can make the top 5 in that amount of time. Don't miss this one. A picture taken at Christmas reveals a flaw that no one could have anticipated.
4. Ten Tips for Parenting an Introverted Child. This one is by Susan Cain, author of the forthcoming (and fantastic) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. This was part of our "Introverted Parenting" week. Lots of insightful, practical tips for nurturing your child's introversion.
3. Conflicted at Catalyst. Introverted campus pastor Guy Chmielski reflects on his experiences at a BIG Christian leadership conference.
2. Parenting as Spiritual Discipline Introverted moms Shelley Batdorf and Sarah Winfrey reflect on how parenting opens them up to the transforming work of God, especially in relation to community and hospitality. This post got some major love from Ann Voskamp.
1. Introvert Fantasy Camp. Exhausted from another extroverted camp, future star Aubry Smith envisions the perfect conference for introverts.
Thanks for an amazing year everyone. The blog's readership doubled in the last year. I really appreciate your visits, comments, and loyalty.
Happy New Year! See you in 2012.
Hi Adam- I just wanted to thank you. I got my husband your book for Christmas. He's an introvert and I am not. We have struggled over the years, but as he reads me little snippets from your book, I hear the joy in his voice as he realizes he's not the only one who has felt the way he has in church. It's helping me to understand a little better, also.
ReplyDeleteI was also wondering if you've written any articles about introverts being married to extroverts and how we, as extroverts, can best encourage our spouses and vice versa. I struggle in this department. I adore my husband and LOVE when it is just the two of us, but struggle when we are in large groups and he "retreats."
Thanks and kindest regards.
I'm glad your husband is enjoying my book! I haven't done a lot of writing on introvert/extrovert marriage, though I live it every day. There is a book called The Introvert and Extrovert in Love, by Marti Olsen Laney (author of the Introvert Advantage) that may be helpful for you.
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