This past year has been the best year ever for kevincarson.com. No doubt to write, collect, and organize this blog brings me much pleasure as I learn and think through issues that prove to be helpful to others along the way. Thank you for the privilege to walk through life together with you. It is my honor!
I have listed the top 10 individual 2020 blogs first.
Following those, I have the top 5 series of the year.
Then I close the year end review with the top blogs on the site for this year (which include more than just 2020 blogs).
Here they are! Hope you enjoy looking through them…
When a Pastor Commits Suicide…a Letter to the Church
Another heartbreaking week of news. Pastor Darrin Patrick – a pastor of Seacoast Church, founding pastor of Journey Church in St. Louis, former Vice President and one of the founders of Acts 29, and author of several books – died Thursday night of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while out target shooting with a friend. This refrain begins to sound all too common. Just eight months ago another megachurch pastor Jarrid Wilson committed suicide and before that pastor Andrew Stoecklein. This sadly is just part of the megachurch pastors list. The complete list of pastors who have taken their lives is of course much longer. Just one would be too long. Again, this is a heartbreaking and tragic trend.
Paul Tripp responded to his death with the following Tweet: “I hate this! God help us!… weeping yet again…want to wrap my arms around my pastor brothers, hold them close, keep them safe; but I can’t…I cling to four words in my grief…Jesus is still Lord.”
Church, What Are We to Think?
No doubt, this is hard to process, isn’t it?
Why are our pastors committing suicide? What is going on? Let me suggest a few thoughts for you to at least consider. Click Here
A Response to the Super Bowl Halftime Show by Kayla Burkholder
Editor’s Note: This article by Kayla Burkholder is her response to Sunday night’s NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show. My friend Kayla Burkholder wrote what I considered one of the more personal and powerful responses to the show. She gave me permission to share it with you.
As a women who holds tightly to modesty, who has been sexually abused, and who has went through hell and back trying to escape the pain and torment from the after effects of abuse, this is why the halftime show sucked and why I believe it is demonic and not something I want my daughter (or myself) to watch. This is incredibly hard for me to share but it needs to be shared.
When we sit and accept a woman half dressed dancing with a rope around her body, that tells them that ropes in sex are normal…. I will tell you they are not. They are scary, hurtful, and incredibly shameful. We want to act like we care about sex-trafficked women and want women’s rights, but at the same time want to represent women as bound in ropes or chains and say it’s “beautiful” and “awesome.” That is not freedom and power, that is slavery and bondage. And women were not design to be anyone’s slave or created to be bound. Click Here
How Does a Christian Respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads, how does the Christian respond?
What seemed thousands of miles away just days ago invades our nation, our states, and our communities. As COVID-19 races around the globe, fear continues to spread even quicker than the virus itself. Shelves lay bare as people stock up on everything imaginable as citizens brace for a seemingly inevitable bout with this virus.
The NCAA, NBA, universities, school systems, and corporations of every kind rush to respond to the environmental challenges and threats this virus poses.
One source reports over 1.1 billion mentions of #Coronavirus in the media.[1]
As the fear continues to mount and people’s response seems more and more exaggerated in tone and urgency, my mind raced to the setting of the first inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 as America faced tough days, miserable conditions, and a crippling economic situation. He said, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”[2]
Fear.
In this environment, how should the Christian respond? What should we do? Click Here
Whatever Happened to Respect?
As the first official debate of 2020 raged between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, I was counseling at the office. I arrived home to a silent house. My teenage son and wife were shocked. The debate was going off as I walked into the room. I asked, “How did it go?” They both replied something to the fact that they had never seen something so disrespectful in modern politics. I watched the rerun. They were right. Two ill-tempered men shouting at each other.
Whatever happened to respect? Click Here
No Sex Tonight, AGAIN
Another night, another rejection.
You could be a woman longing for your husband to have sex with you.
You may be a husband longing for sex with your wife.
Regardless, let me suggest three things you need to remember and which are true.
7 Guidelines for Talking Politics as a Christian
I’ve always heard it said, “Never discuss religion and politics.” Add social media where the conversation is not face to face, and watch out!
However, this is not too practical since we live in a world dominated by politics. As a follower of Christ, you must both talk about Christ and live Christ in faithful ways – even in the midst of a political world. Thus, in reality, to not discuss religion and politics may keep some kind of peace, but in the end, that advice does not work. Instead, we must learn to speak about politics as Christ-followers in a way that both honors God and demonstrates love to our neighbors. Here are seven guidelines that make that possible. Click Here
Are you worried or afraid of the Coronavirus?
Are you afraid of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
If you are, join the millions across the globe who are watching the news of the potential pandemic. In the past few days, despite the alarm by many, good news is slowly leaking out. Researchers continue to make strides toward both determining its genesis and a possible path for treatment (consider this great article explaining it from the Business Insider). The financial markets worldwide also continue to take a major hit as people’s questions multiply and answers seemingly are all forthcoming.
You, like myself, possibly know of those who could severely be affected by this disease with their already weakened immune systems. Our hearts immediately move toward prayer for mercy and protection for our friends and loved ones in this situation. To say the least, we as a global community are more than just merely interested; this is extremely serious. The outbreak, which started in Wuhan, China, continues to race internationally across the globe.
For anyone planning to do any travel, you can’t help but wonder where all the other people around you have been, what they’ve been exposed to, and what possibly you are being introduced to in terms of illness. Even if you do not plan to travel, who knows where the people around you have been? Passed as easily as the common cold and potentially dormant for up to a month, most of us have at least an increased awareness of our weaknesses as humanity. Without major prevention, the CDC reports that as much as 40-70% of the global population could suffer from this outbreak. As far as we know, there are only experimental medicines and few specialty units throughout the States who can truly keep it isolated.
SHOULD WE BE AFRAID OR WORRIED? That’s a tricky and great question. Click Here
Doing Wrong Is Never Right
Let’s be unequivocal. Doing wrong is never right.
Two wrongs do not make a right.
The ends do not justify the means.
GRATEFUL FOR THE PEACEFUL PROTESTS
I’m glad we live in a nation where it is both possible to peaceably protest and that the right to do so is protected. This right is a blessing for each one of us. We are all the better for it.
As a result of the peaceful protesters, we are all reminded of both the necessity to treat all people with kindness, respect, and dignity as they are in the image of God. Further, the protesters provided a reminder that many suffer in our communities every day.
GRATEFUL FOR CONSCIENTIOUS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
Furthermore, I am grateful for conscientious law enforcement officers. When the truth is told, of the around 700,000 law enforcement officers in the US, almost all of them are as upset or even more upset than the common citizen. They realize that a brother in blue both seemingly sinned against a fellow citizen and, by doing so, represents all of them. Their anger rages as well against this officer who has been charged in the death of George Floyd. Click Here
Navigating the Storms of Life
Storms.
I have a friend who loves a good thunderstorm and rain. I admit I enjoy them as well occasionally. Occasionally.
If it is the right time of year and everyone is where they are supposed to be, thunderstorms are fun. However, I’ve been in some doozies where the last thing I thought was, “This is fun!”
Cue the heavy winds. Add some nighttime darkness. Throw in a tornado watch, maybe even a tornado somewhere in the area. Blinking electric service. Not so much these kinds of storms.
In life, sometimes we go through significant storms as well. No lightening or thunder, no rain or wind, but significant physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual storms. You know of them. Possibly you are in one right now.
The Bible provides us help when this is the case. Click Here
Trusting God in the Midst of Disappointment
Disappointment.
This morning my middle son and I, along with a bus load of others, were to begin a much-anticipated trip to Israel. This past weekend, we had to cancel the trip. On Monday of this week, the rest of the group had to cancel when the Israeli government said all people flying into Israel either had to have a private home where they could self-quarantine for fourteen days or the visitors would be turned back at the border. This meant that the rest of our group would be turned back. Therefore, none of us left today on what for many would be a trip of a lifetime!
Disappointments happen. In your life right now there may be many types and kinds of disappointments. Financial. Vocational. Relational. The list could go on and on.
How do we trust God in the midst of disappointment? Click Here
Top Series of 2020
Some of the series throughout this past year have been very popular as well. I enjoy writing in various series and rejoice that you have found them helpful as well.
Thank you for your response and feedback to these series and I welcome your suggestions moving forward.
Here are links for each of the top 5 series of 2020:
Top Overall Blogs of the Year
The following list is the order of the most popular blogs in terms of total readers on the overall site in 2020. These include blogs written other years that remain very popular.
Here are links for each of the top blogs of the year:
- What does the Bible teach about anal sex?
- What does the Bible teach about oral sex?
- When a Pastor Commits Suicide: a Letter to the Church
- A Response to the Super Bowl Halftime Show
- What does the Bible say about how often a married couple should have sex?
- What is a Christian Allowed to Do in Sex? What is Permissible?
- Is Celebrating Christmas Wrong: Is it Sinful?
- What does the Bible teach about masturbation?
- How can you understand the struggle of a man’s desire for sex in marriage?
- 9 Reasons to Celebrate Wedding Anniversaries
- How should a husband deal with his desire for sex?
- What You Need to Know about Sex and Why
- How Does a Christian Respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- What is the Ultimate Purpose of Sex?
- What does the Bible teach about sexual aids (including BDSM), pornography, and X-rated videos?
