I’m spending the first moments of 2014 by reviewing 2013 to see how I might be able to help improve things this year. Not because I think I can do it all by myself, but because if every person fights apathy and is willing to do something we can see significant changes happen this year. Part of my effort is to review some of the best “top lists” from 2013 to see what went right and what went wrong.

I thought it would be fun and helpful to share some of these lists with you. So after scouring the Interwebs for the best “top lists,” I have several I’d like to share.

Top 8 Things Planned Parenthood Wants To Forget In 2013

This is an excellent list of reminders of how the fight to defend life went in 2013. Everything from fraud, Wendy Davis, and Timothy Liveright is mentioned here; the biggest stories from 2013 concerning Planned Parenthood. Of course Kermit Gosnell, though not directly affiliated with Planned Parenthood, is certainly something they would like to forget and keep their distance from. They call Gosnell an outlier when the truth is that he is representative of abortionists and the industry built around killing.

And let’s not forget that in West Virginia, my home state, the effort to bring the abortion industry under common sense health and safety regulations is ongoing. Planned Parenthood opposes such health and safety regulations but continues to accuse pro-lifers of a “war on women.”

Biblical Archaeology’s Top Ten Discoveries of 2013

I am including this list for a specific reason. As we continue to see Christianity and the bible attacked in our society, archaeological discoveries continue to support the claims of the Bible. Everyone from atheists to agnostics skeptically challenge the claims of the Bible in the face of overwhelming evidence. And each year more historic finds are located that further bolster the claims of the world’s most popular book.

One of the items on this list, the Egyptian Scarab, was a monumental find. The article explains:

“This tiny 3/4-inch long amulet, carved in the familiar shape of a dung beetle, has been dated to the Late Bronze I period, 1550-1450 BC. Its discovery in the remains of a fortress at Khirbet el-Maqatir, nine miles north of Jerusalem, strengthens the case being made by the excavators that this site is the real location of Ai, the city destroyed in Joshua 8.” Once again archaeology helps support the claims of Scripture.

The 10 Major Media Cover-Ups of 2013

The mainstream media is complicit in many of the events that rocked us in 2013. Not because they perpetrated crimes or other events, but because they covered them up and pretended they did not exist. The Kermit Gosnell trial might be the best example. This list shares the top 10 media cover-ups of 2013 with the hopes that you already know many of these facts. If you don’t, perhaps it’s time to find a new news source. Had it not been for alternative media the truth might still be hiding in the dark corner the mainstream media banished it to.

Some of the items on this list include the Obamacare lies, concentration of Executive powers to bypass Congress, persecution of Christians world-wide, and IRs targeting of conservative non-profits.

The Top 20 Blaze Magazine Stories of 2013

There are some really interesting and worthy stories in this list. No doubt that The Blaze has become one of the most recognized and respected media outlets in recent years. They serve, along with others, to fill the void left by the liberal mainstream media. One of the reasons I wanted to include this list is that one of the most popular stories from 2013 for The Blaze centered on home-schooling.

Many people still don’t know that home schooling is the most rapidly growing form of schooling nationwide. As parents continue to see any number of dangers associated with public education, they are turning to home schooling as an alternative. And while the government and other critics continue to decry home schooling as inadequate, home schoolers continue to end up leaps and bounds ahead of their public school counterparts. The question for 2014 will be whether or not parents have a right to home school.

Top Church Signs of 2013

This list is here because it’s funny. Hey, if you can’t have a sense of humor and laugh every now and then there’s a problem. So here are some funny church signs to brighten your day.

And as 2014 dawns may we resolve to work harder to defend life, marriage, and religious liberty for the sake of the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of life, wherein marriage between a man and a woman is a picture of His church, among other things. So let’s plan to make 2014 the year things moved forward instead of backward.