Summer is always a very busy time in ministry. This late in the summer, however, things are starting to slow down. Camp has finished for the season. And last week, our church held our Vacation Bible School. That was a very busy week, but a very fun week, too.

My hope is that with summer slowing down, my life will slow down a bit also. I’m not holding my breath. Fall brings with it back to school stuff, football games, and a swarm of its own busyness. The only difference is that it’s a little more predictable.

One of the things I’m looking forward to this fall is the high school football season. One of the community organizations I’m involved with is our local Kiwanis Club, and our fall project each year is selling funnel cakes at all the home games. So, if you’re in the area on a Friday night, swing by and grab one. They’re pretty good!

Fall also means my annual trip to Colorado, to attend CIY Wilderness. This is my number one event each year. It draws my spiritual and personal life back to a focus, and deepens my faith. For the past couple of years, this has been held at the YMCA of the Rockies. This year, we get to go back to Bear Trap Ranch, near Colorado Springs. This is one of my favorite places on earth. I keep a metal tag with the GPS coordinates of Bear Trap on or near me at all times, to remind me of the spiritual benefits I’ve received while there. I love that place! This happens in early October, so even though it’s still a ways off, it’s looming on the horizon, and will be here before I know it.

It’s hard to grasp the fact that the year is so far gone. It hardly seem possible, but the calendar is staring me in the face: summer is almost finished. So, in case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of July:

• 6 Characteristics Of A Good Communicator
• The Difference Between Purpose, Vision, and Mission
• How To Take Notes While Reading The Bible
• 4 Negative Results Of Jealousy
• Why You Need To Develop A Philosophy Of Ministry
• Trying A New Bible Reading System
• My Current Philosophy Of Ministry

This month pleasantly surprised me. Most of my list is the old standby posts, the ones that make this list every single month, mostly from the Foundations of Youth Ministry series, but there was a twist this time. A post written towards the end of the month made the list. In order to do that, it has received a lot of traffic in a very short amount of time. That excites me, and shows me that my efforts to write content that is both timely and lasting seem to be paying off. My goal is to keep that up.

Also, here are my seven most recent posts, not including the Coffee Break posts, or the series on memorizing 2 Timothy.

• Top 5 Reading And Study Apps – Resources
• 4 Negative Results Of Jealousy – Leadership
• Developing A Life Plan (ESD) – Growth
• Top 5 Social Media Apps – Resources
• Top 5 Productivity Apps – Resources
• 12 Ways To Live As Citizens Of The Kingdom Of God – Bible
• The Benefit Of Heading Outdoors – Growth

My favorite post from July was 4 Negative Results Of Jealousy. This is based off of a lot of leadership reading I’ve been doing, and seemed to be a topic that crops up a lot in a couple of ministry forums I’m a part of. I have a few more similar topics planned for the coming weeks.

With summer winding down, and fall gearing up, I’m excited to see what is headed our way. I hope you are as well.

Have a great month!

Question: If you are a blogger, leave a comment with your top post for the month. If you don’t blog, leave a comment with a favorite post or blog that you read this month. You can leave a comment by clicking here.