most read blog posts of 2013
By Ryan Byrd
websites, writing, blog stuff, personal, lists, favorites
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well friends, we’ve come to the end to another year of blogging. this was a big year because it was my 5-year blogoversary (that’s how ultra-annoying bloggers say it was the anniversary of the day they started blogging…).
in my most read of 2012 post last year at this time, i wrote that i thought the quality of my blogging increased. and i think that only increased this year. i only blogged about the stuff i really cared about. it was a much more narrow focus.
each year, i like to take a look back—more out of curiousity than anything—and see which posts were most read. it never fails that that list is comprised both of posts i could’ve predicted (news-worthy or “controversial” posts) and things i would’ve never guessed.
so, here’s the list of the 10 most read posts on my blog for 2013.
10. on the 12th street shooting: when a thing is more than the thing
and in tragedies like these, may we find the decency and the humility to lay down our will to be heard and to make moral proclamations rooted in privilege, and offer our most sincere sorrow and regret and solidarity with those who are oppressed and disregarded by society.
because sometimes it’s just a thing. but other times, that thing is, in fact, far more than the thing.
9. Mark Driscoll Scholarship Fund for Women in Ministry (no, seriously)
but the absolute best part of the caption was about a recent conference these guys put on. over the course of the past month, a series of conferences called “act like men” were put on, which were basically a big he-man woman hater’s club for jesus featuring our favorite he-man, mark driscoll (among others). so as an act of subversiveness, the guys in claiborne’s photo put on a shadow conference called “act like men?”, featuring a diverse range of speakers. the brilliant thing that came out of this conference, claiborne shares in his caption, is that the organizers plan to use the event’s proceeds to provide scholarship funds for women pastors. what’s the scholarship going to be called? yep. the “mark driscoll scholarship fund for women in ministry”.
8. adventures in getting it right: shane claiborne responds to mark driscoll
Jesus was not a pansy. Nor was Jesus “a prize fighter with a tattoo down his leg, a sword in his hand, and a commitment to make someone bleed,” as Mark Driscoll has contended. “Fight Club” may have been a good movie, but it makes for really bad theology.
7. best of 2013 posts
***i’m including all the best of 2013 posts collectively here. the cover songs post received the most visits of them all but ultimately, they were all pretty close to each other.
here we are. the granddaddy of all music lists: best albums. this is the one that gets me most excited to put together. as much as we’re dominated by a singles-first music culture, i still prefer to sit and listen to an entire album.
this year, there were a lot of really great albums (my original, off-the-top-of-my-head list consisted of about 70 albums). but, my decision for the top album wasn’t as difficult this year as it has been in years past. this was the year of kanye.yeezus was head and shoulders above the rest and naturally, we’re all already eagerly anticipating the follow-up.
new music discoveries »
cover songs »
songs »
albums »
6. the death and resurrection of walter white (again)
as the credits rolled on the finale, i felt satisfied. sure, i’ll deeply miss breaking bad, but after experiencing the death of walter white over the course of the show’s 5 seasons, it felt really good, in the end, to witness his resurrection.
5. photoblogging: a look back at new york city
we did far too much for me to give a concise and palatable play-by-play here on the blog, so i thought i’d share some of the photos i took on my iphone. some of these made it to instagram, but i tried to pick and choose a few that didn’t make it to a public space yet.
4. mike huckabee on supreme court’s DOMA decision: “jesus wept”
christians should feel as strongly about this as anyone. why? because we follow jesus, who was a voice of uncouth equality and who championed those on the fringes of society. ultimately, his greatest commandment wasn’t just to love god but to love others just the same. treating others with grace, dignity, love and equality is a good start at doing just that.
3. don’t call it a comeback: derek web’s ‘i was wrong, i’m sorry & i love you’
here’s the thing: i was wrong, i’m sorry & i love you isn’t webb’s best album. sandwiched between this album and his first, derek webb has evolved and experimented in ways that have been refreshing and challenging and just plain good. quite frankly, he’ll have a hard time topping what he did with either mockingbird or stockholm syndrome. over the course of the past 10 years, derek webb has put out consistently great music.
2. two in review: may/june 2013
this is probably the strongest mix of songs from this series. out of these 20 tracks, 8 of them were on my best songs of 2013 (so far) list. so, there’s a lot of really good stuff here. hopefully you feel the same and enjoy.
1. eikon confessions posts
***i’m including all 3 of these posts collectively here. i was overwhelmed with the response and i’m proud that these posts—my most personal and important of the year—were the most read, by far.
no doubt, i have a few scars from the process and i still carry some baggage that deserves a thoughtful and careful telling of the story. i learned a lot through that journey—things that i’ll forever bear and count as important life-shaping lessons. ultimately, even after a full year, i still have plenty of reflecting and processing to do and i hope to share more as that unfolds.
alright, there you have it. these were the most read blog posts of 2013.
were there posts not on this list that stood out to you?
and while we’re talking about the blog, i’m always eager to receive feedback on what people would like to read or what you would not like to read. so, suggestions? complaints? i’d love the feedback.
