Our annual list of top blog posts is back, and this year there seems to be a pretty obvious theme. Clearly, any blog post that dives into the relational part of our lives. (A handful of posts that just missed the top 10 were also about relationships.)
There are also stories here about finding financial freedom (a huge theme this year at Hoboken Grace), finding faith and finding purpose. It’s a list not only of the stories that were most read, but also a snippet of a year in the life of our church family.
1). The Secret to Dating at Church
In celebration of Hoboken Grace’s 10-year anniversary, we featured the stories of eight couples who met through the church and are now married. But for every beaming wedding photo and heartfelt “I do,” we realize there are undoubtedly dozens of deleted pictures and plenty of “I don’ts.” We thought we’d use the Love Project series as an opportunity to sit down with Pastor Chris to talk about the benefits of dating someone at church, the risks, and everything in between.
2). You Had Me at Hoboken Grace
When you look back at the last 10 years, one of the biggest stories is one that’s perhaps not as obvious or often talked about: the number of Hoboken Grace weddings. The Writing Team sat down to talk with some of those couples, who got to know each other at connection events, on a mission trip, at a choir info meeting and even while working in the church office.
3). The Best Thing We Ever Did
Nate and Alyssa were unsure what they’d take away from Financial Peace University — if anything. A civil engineer by trade, Nate is a numbers guy who for years meticulously updated a financial spreadsheet. Alyssa, meanwhile, had studied financial planning and previously worked in wealth management.
4). Six Ways to Invite Someone to Dinner Group
More than half of the guys in John’s dinner group didn’t join by signing up online, as some people do. They’re guys he simply met and invited. (In some cases, it took a few tries.)
5). Oh, Baby!
Have you noticed the baby boom going on in our church family lately? At least seven babies were born over a span of just two and a half weeks! (A few of them were even born on the same day.)
As one person joked, what are they putting in the coffee these days?
6). Portraits: Finding Faith, Losing Fear
Amy came to Riverview-Fisk Park at her wits’ end. She’d had a huge fight with her boyfriend and needed to leave her apartment a few blocks away. Weighed down and worn out by the emotions of the past four years of an abusive relationship, she sat on a bench and thought she was done with her life in this city.
7). A Bigger Plan Than I Ever Expected
From the time I was a little girl, I loved taking care of babies and kids. My dream job was to be a neonatal doctor for premature babies or a clinical child psychologist, but being a missionary in Africa was never on that list. But as I grew in my faith and trust in following God, I realized He had much greater plans for my life than the ones I could have made for myself.
8). She Said Yes!
One Sunday, before services began, the dozens of people serving that morning gathered for a 9 a.m. Team Huddle. The gathering started out as it usually does, with teams sharing celebrations from the past week. And then Stephanie was called to the stage, for something “a little bit different.”
9). Letting Go
“We should send Angie.”
I held my breath and looked around the room. Anthony just recommended I take his place as team leader on the spring mission trip to Guatemala since he couldn’t go. The thought had obviously occurred to me. I speak Spanish, I’ve been a dinner group leader for two years and I’ve led other teams. I’ve traveled and previously lived outside the U.S. But hearing someone make that suggestion left me with a knot in my stomach I couldn’t untie.
10). Why I Took FPU Four Times (When I Wasn’t Even in Debt!)
When I first heard about FPU, I was immediately intrigued – a Biblical way to manage my money? Sign me up. I wasn’t in debt and I’d always considered myself responsible with money, I just never really had a plan. My budget was whatever felt convenient at the time and I was haphazardly saving for this elusive thing called retirement — a far away place and time that everyone told me I needed to prepare for, without telling me how. So when I took FPU, I was ecstatic to find out that it was a proven, step-by-step plan for budgeting and wealth building.
Read our top 10 posts from previous years
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