I’ve been toying around with poetry lately, both as a fun little exercise and something to learn and improve my writing.
I wrote the following after reflecting on Matthew 14:23, where Jesus, even after all the ministry and miracles, withdraws alone to pray. I suspect many of us live in the tension of hurry and stillness, this is a kind of prayer from that place. An invitation to slow down and respond out of the rest in his presence.
Pull Up A Pew
Driven, my heart beats fast and faster Hurried, from one to the next The urgent crowds out my time and place To sit, be still, and seek your face.
The mind, it races on and on Thinking, what I ought to do So much, so many, so few pursue But here you call, pull up a pew.
You stopped and went with task after task Up the mountain, where in the Father you bask Teach me your ways, for I forget Instead I find I just project.
I want to stop and pray my Lord To find the rest you promise so To leave the work in your hands As you lead me to the silent lands.
After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone. – Matthew 14:23
As the year wraps up, it’s time to look back and celebrate the posts that have resonated with you, my dear readers. To begin with, this year hasn’t exactly been a literary whirlwind. It’s been more a little bit of randomness and some adaptation of other content I’ve worked on. Evidently there are a few people who appreciate my ramblings though, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy my writing and share it too.
Just like my post on the Top Books of 2024, without further ado, here are the stats and then a summary of the posts that had the most views.
Enjoy.
THE STATS:
Total Views: 8,944 (Clearly, you still like me!)
Unique Visitors: 7,058 (Some of you even brought friends—thanks!)
Comments: 11 (Keep them coming; I’m lonely over here)
Likes: 20 (A number so small, even my posts feel insecure)
Posts Published: 14 or 10,645 words (Let’s call it “quality over quantity”)
This post explores the sacrificial love of God, vividly demonstrated through the cross of Christ. Drawing on 1 John 4, it reflects on how God’s love transforms our sin and brokenness into something good through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. If you’ve ever doubted God’s love or struggled with the weight of sin, this post will remind you of the grace that calls you “perfect” even in your mess.
Looking at Mark 14:53-65, this post unpacks the unjust trial of Jesus as both a moment of human injustice and a divine fulfilment of prophecy. Jesus’ silence, His declaration of being the Son of Man, and His willingness to endure suffering reveal the depths of God’s plan for salvation. It’s a reflection that leads us to the cross with gratitude and confidence in Christ’s work.
Inspired by Luther’s Commentary on Galatians, this post delves into his reflections on the complete forgiveness found in Jesus. Luther’s bold and comforting words remind us that forgiveness is not something we earn but something Christ gives freely through His sacrifice.
So, after posting about my reading in 2024 and giving some recommendations for the year this post got a little traction. It ended up sneaking into the top 5 within a week. If you’d like to see what I’ve been reading and what books you might like to add to your list this coming year then heading over and have a look.
Adoniram Judson’s marriage proposal to Ann Hasseltine is anything but ordinary. This post recounts the radical faith behind his request, as he asked Ann’s parents to release their daughter to a life of missionary hardship—and possibly death. Ann’s courageous response highlights the cost of following Christ and her shared commitment to God’s mission. It’s a love story that’s as inspiring as it is humbling.
This book review highlights the life and legacy of Adoniram Judson, the father of American missions. Through the lens of Duesing’s collection of essays, this post explores Judson’s faith in God’s sovereignty, his endurance through suffering, and his commitment to long-term service. If you’re looking for a book to inspire your faith and challenge your perspective on missions, this review will convince you to pick it up.
So there you have it: my greatest hits of 2024. Thanks for reading, sharing, and sticking with me—even through my quieter years. This blog wouldn’t exist without you (well, it would, but it’d feel more like me talking to myself).
This is something I’ve done in previous years, which you can find here: Top posts for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. I also have a collection of writings published elsewhere on the inter-webs, which you can read here.
Got a favourite post or a burning topic you’d love me to tackle in 2025? Drop me a comment or message.
I had the privilege of having a piece about our Bible reading and the guilt we often feel with it published at YMI. In the article I talk about how we often feel guilty because we make plans to read our Bible’s and connect with God but aren’t consistent. I try to make the point that we shouldn’t feel guilty because we aren’t in a performance-based faith. I say things like,
Perhaps you’re like me. You start off the new year with a plan to follow—to finish the whole Bible in one year. But by the time the third week of January rolls around, you’re three days behind, equivalent to 12 to 15 chapters to catch up on. The doubt about actually doing this in the first place creeps in. The guilt of not doing what you said you’d do piles up.
And suddenly, you find yourself questioning whether your relationship with God is actually where you thought it was.
I’ve done very little writing on this blog in 2022.
So little writing you’d almost think I’ve given this away!
But, this isn’t the case. Life circumstances have changed and publishing content through this website hasn’t been a priority these past 12 months. A change in churches and moving into a Lead Pastor role has meant I’ve continued to write, just not for my personal blog here. There is a hope that as I continue to settle into the role I will begin publishing here again. As I posted last week, I continue to read which often leads to review posts or reading recommendations here and there.
Nevertheless, this year has still seen plenty of visitors and people checking out some old posts. Below is a bit of a summary of who has popped by and what they’ve been interested in. This is something I’ve done in previous years, which you can find here: Top posts for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. I also have a collection of writings published elsewhere on the inter-webs, which you can read here.
As to what has been popular on joncoombs.com this past year, here are the top five posts for 2022:
All in all I have only posted 4 times this year, one of those posts being this one. However, in total I have had:
7662 views from 4828 visitors.
I’ve had 7 comments and 28 likes on these last 3 posts.
A big thanks to all those who do come and have a read. It’s quite humbling and amazing anyone would come and check this place out. Look out for more via social media or go ahead an subscribe so I can regularly hit up your inbox.
I continue to write and seek to express myself and hopefully encourage others along the way too.
This past year has seen my writing develop in different ways, and less so on this blog than I would’ve liked. I’ve been taken up with writing more sermons due to an increased teaching role at my church. And, one of the unique writing projects I completed this year was a weekly review focussed on Supercoach (fantasy AFL) during the footy season. This meant that time and dedication to writing in this space dissipated from previous years. And to be honest, another year of lockdowns had an affect on this too.
Nevertheless, I continue to commit myself to writing. I find it is the best way for me to express myself and to find clarity of thought. It’s also an enjoyable experience to have written, to finally hit publish on a post about an idea that I’ve been mulling away on for a while.
Having only posted 13 times in the past 12 months you’d think people would simply stop reading the articles and posts I have here. However, this hasn’t been the case. There are still a number of popular posts that continue to have traction with people, which is certainly pleasing as a writer! It seems that I had about the same amount view this blog as I did last year, which is to say just over 9200 hits all up.
As to what has been popular this past year, here are the top five posts for 2021:
If you’d like to explore more of what has been popular on here in previous years you can do so here: Top posts for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. I also have a collection of writings published elsewhere, which you can find here.
After three years of significant growth the last 12 months has seen a little dip on my blog. I’ve certainly had less capacity for writing, and have slowed down my posting and focus. This has had an impact. But then, hasn’t everyone slowed down and felt unfocussed in some form or another at times this year?
I have certainly written less in the past 12 months, less that I have in the last five years. Both my public and private writing has suffered, and as a result I feel like I’ve suffered because of it too. This is not to be dramatic, but it is a result of decreasing in a habit that I find great joy and satisfaction in. Since writing less I have found myself to be less reflective, and in turn less reflective on my heart and soul. You see, there is something about writing that causes us to slow down, to reflect, to take stock, to gather thoughts, and to be precise about what we think and say. Writing enables better thought-processes–all things I have had little capacity for these past 12 months and wish to get into once again.
Having said this, while posting less may have meant less people have wandered over to my part of the internet I am still very thankful that people do read what I’ve written. It surprises me how many people wish to read something I’ve written, and who may even post a comment about it on my social channels. And so I’m very grateful that I get to share something of my life and faith through this site.
Aside from the statistics there is a particular satisfaction I have in writing and publishing posts. Reading posts I wrote a number of years ago is like going back and looking at sermons you’ve written, a harrowing and embarrassing experience. To see the quality of my writing increase in these last few years has been pleasing. And this is reflected in the top posts for the year 2020, which you can read below.
Like any pursuit, creative or otherwise, there is a certain satisfaction in finishing a post and seeing it ‘out there’ on the inter-webs. It is an accomplishment and and encouragement at the same time. As with life and faith, which this blog is all about, writing and blogging require me to plod along. The quality of these things are built on small steps and increases in habits each day, week, month, and year.
So, here’s to another year of writing, hopefully a bit more consistently, and with something that might be of value to you!
After a long absence I had a book review published at TGCA recently. I wasn’t really the intended audience of Choosing Love by Heidi Johnston, however it was still worth the read. It would be particularly helpful for parents to talk through with their daughters, or a youth ministry leader with their youth group or small group.
“From the outset, Johnston puts these themes of love, relationships, marriage and sex into perspective by reminding us that we are all created in God’s image: made for relationship, and therefore are to express our love and desire for one-another in the way God intends. The foundation of the imago dei, and the defining of love as that which comes from God, and shown through his Son Jesus, is an important truth to be understood for teenagers and adults alike.”
I continue to plug away on this thing called a blog. There are times when I wonder whether any of the words I string together to make sentences and paragraphs are worth publishing. But it seems this year has seen continued growth on this blog, and also some wider writing on other ministry sites, so that’s been encouraging.
In typical fashion I started out the year with a flurry of posts and articles but it seems I went missing in the second half of the year.
Below I list the top 5 posts in 2019 as well as some stats for the year. For those interested in stats from previous years you can read about 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
The only post actually written in 2019 was the first one, ’10 Tips For Reading In 2019′. The reason this made it to number one was because it got picked up by a very popular blogger in North America. The traffic that sent to this site was out of this world, particularly compared to usual!
I found myself writing 21 articles or posts for other ministry sites. I don’t get to know how well those did in terms of page views, but due to the sites I wrote for I’m fairly confident the readership will have been larger than I could reach.
The top five posts actually written in 2019 go to:
Write over 29,800 words from those individual posts.
Have 11,657 views on the site for 2019 (up from 7700 in 2018).
Increase to 185 followers to the blog, as well as 34 email subscribers.
Publish 21 articles on other ministry sites.
This is actually more encouraging the more I think about it. I didn’t think I’d posted on average once per week, but it looks like I have. Writing for other sites at nearly every other week is also a pleasing goal to have achieved.
While right now it’s holiday time, and really the last couple of months I’ve not been in the zone to write and publish, I do hope I can continue to plug away at this again in 2020.
Anyway, if you’re a regular reader, thanks for popping by. I hope it’s been useful for you as it has been for me.
Each day last week I had a blog post series published at Rooted Ministry. Each post focussed on particular slabs of Scripture that used the phrase ‘but now’. The entire series was narrowing in on the theme of identity in the life and times of a youth ministry practitioner (and others). The round up of each of these posts is outlined below.
Over at Rooted Ministry the fifth and final article of a 5-part series I’ve written has been published.
The essence of the series is identity for the youth pastor, centred on the phrase ‘but now’.
You can read the first post here, which looks at being made right with God. The second post focusses on the freedom we have because of the cross. The third post seeks to show how God has broken down barriers in order for us to be part of his family and community. The fourth post highlights our identity in relation to being reconciled to God. And the fifth post is a reminder that we are now included in God’s family.
“I am reminded often, when working with teenagers, that there is a tendency in our younger years to withhold mercy toward one another. This, of course, isn’t solely a student problem. This is a humanity problem. But the withholding of mercy toward others, especially school friends and those who we deem “different,” seems particularly evident in teenagers.
In our ministry to students, one aspect of the gospel to emphasise is the fact that the mercy we have received from God through Christ changes our identity to mercy-givers. Following in the example of God, we too are called to offer mercy to others. History’s greatest act of mercy is the mercy offered by Jesus on the cross. And in our lives and the lives of our students, it is he whom we seek to imitate.”
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