You may find yourself reading this article somewhere between the overcrowded gyms full of new faces and state of the union addresses full of new slogans and statistics. Let’s start the month of January with a preview of the range of topics we’re aiming to tackle this year by taking a retrospective look at the Top 10 articles of 2022. In other words, let’s look back and reflect on the way forward!
As many of you know, we started this publication in late May and have enjoyed sharing stories and crafting many articles with subjects ranging from the intersection of faith and culture, theological meditations, and book reviews to covering art/entertainment, sharing food recipes, travel tips, and UK specific topics and mission updates.
Here’s a look at the Top 10 articles of 2022 based on email and social media stats, including likes, comments, links clicked, and subscriptions generated…
10 - Eat With The Espinelis | 003: Apple Crumb Muffins
Steph has carefully selected and shared recipes she feels will be most beneficial for individuals and families. She trades out particular ingredients due to availability in the UK while often adjusting measurements and cooking methods/times accordingly to suit our family best.
Most of the recipes she’s shared this past year have been of baked goods (and one of a special hot cocoa recipe), and she plans to share some breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes (some are UK-specific) this year to expand the scope of the Eat With The Epsinelis series!
9 - Christmas in plain sight: Jesus in a world of grinches and scrooges
I’m never one to shy away from provoking thought in my social circles, looking to apply our Christian faith in a world entrenched by secularism. Steph and I think it is of the utmost importance to invite others to consider and evaluate their own annual rhythms related to holidays such as Christmas.
This year we will continue to share our reflections and critically think about how we can better apply our faith in Christ instead of settling for a watered-down nominal (in name only) compromised dead faith.
8 - Cold-Case Homicide Detective investigates Christianity!? The "easy A" of Apathy
As a proponent of Christian apologetics, this article is the beginning of an ongoing series aiming to share the work of other noteworthy apologists and Christian philosophers. Each has a valuable contribution to the defense of the faith, and we have so much to gain by interacting with their methods, approach, and air-tight arguments for Christianity.
I will introduce you to the works of C.S. Lewis, Stephen Meyer, Alvin Plantinga, John Lennox, Lee Strobel, Greg Koukl, Gary Habermas, Frank Turek, William Lane Craig, Hugh Ross, and more.
7 - Engaging with International Students: Part I | No other ministry has this SCOPE & IMPACT!
As we built a network of contacts in the UK this past year, ranging from charities to churches, we were able to encounter and learn about various ministries where the Lord is active and doing amazing things through His people. One such ministry is called Friends International, a charity dedicated to reaching international students.
Our new assignment in Birmingham will involve working in international student ministry, which will provide unique opportunities to share stories and updates from the field.
6 - God Save The Queen: Remembering Elizabeth II
Thursday, September 8, 2022, was a day not many in the United Kingdom would forget. The longevity and consistency of this remarkable woman—this embodiment of British culture and timeless institution, saw her peaceful end. We were grateful to find out through our research that her somewhat publicized Christian faith was, in fact, genuine on all accounts.
We plan to cover more current events here in the UK, some of which will be very educational for our readers and for us. I’ve started to research red-pill communities in the UK (and the US) that challenge the status quo of Western culture.
5 - GENTLE AND LOWLY: What did Jesus say about his heart?
Gentle and Lowly was a book I read with my reading group in Oxford—a group that consisted of local leaders and ministers. I found the content and subsequent group discussion refreshing and illuminating, especially when it links up old ideas meticulously mined by the great Puritan thinkers to our modern world.
Steph and I are avid readers who realize the benefit of reading broadly, but we also came across books regularly recommended for our reading list. We’re looking to cover a range of literature, such as UK classics, popular fiction, and critically-acclaimed contemporary works.
4 - WHAT DO MISSIONARIES DO? Part III | Support Schedules, Taxes, & Onboarding
Many of our closest family and friends have heard tell of how challenging the first year of our mission had been. Short of writing an open letter and gathering the stories of others who have served with the same agency and country (that have only validated and confirmed the common denominator), this 4-part series was quite the cathartic experience when pen met paper.
By God’s grace, our family has persevered and learned many lessons on this arduous journey of mission. We now seek to help others who are discerning and seeking the Lord in their individual or collective calling.
3 - LOSS: The pain of miscarriage
This lengthy memoir to honor our unborn children would not have come about without many hours on our knees in prayer. It took courage to seek the Lord in the deepest caverns of pain, as we each personally processed loss—but what was born was a rich theological and emotional reflection that was both practical and served to reinforce our trust in and love for the Lord.
This year, we’re sure to share some real (and raw) exposition of life in unchartered places, where our faith will be further explored and proven to be authored and sustained by Jesus, for it is in Christ that we find infinite resources to deal with pain and suffering.
2 - Our Top 10 Favorite Christmas Films: Movie Nights
One of our family's most cherished Christmas traditions is gathering to watch our favorite Christmas films each year throughout the season of Advent. It was hard to narrow down our mutually agreed-upon list, but our process did start with creating individual lists—comparing and making a case for our picks. You probably won't be surprised to know that we largely agreed about many selections in our top 10.
This year we will craft more lists that will fuel interest and inject some fun and humor into our published assortment of monthly articles. Leave a comment on this article, and let us know if you have any ideas we should explore.
1 - Depp/Heard Libel Case: Blitz and clamor of glitz and glamor
It comes as no surprise that the top article for the year centers around celebrity culture and, in this case, a pair of controversial figures formerly entwined in a volatile marriage that always seemed to be the subject of tabloids the world over. Apart from the real-time unfolding in-court drama, which allowed us to bypass media bias, our research allowed us to think critically about the contentious topic of the “me too” movement.
One of our primary goals for this year is to stay on top of current events as they happen and to work hard to sift through all the noise of mainstream coverage to arrive at something resembling the Truth.