2013 is in the books. It’s finished. And a new year has begun.

It has been the craziest year of my life, in more ways than one. But it has been a great year as well.

And, as far as my writing is concerned, it has been a very productive year here at JeffRandleman.com.

2013 was an exciting year! Here are a few of the major events that took place in our lives over the last twelve months:

• We moved back home to Missouri from Florida!
• I finished up 23 years in youth ministry!
• I began a new role as a preaching minister!
• We had our sixth child, a boy!
• I started a Master’s Degree program, studying the theology of Genesis!
• And a whole lot more!

Like I said, it has been a packed year for my family.

Several times each year, I take stock of my life, see where I am, review where I am going, and make sure I’m on the right path to get there. I use my Life Plan for this.

The same thing is true with JeffRandleman.com. One of the most important parts of maintaining a blog is taking stock of analytical statistics. In order to become more of an effective presence with my writing, looking at these stats is essential to see where I’ve been and where I am now, so that I can project where I’m going.

WordPress makes viewing these statistics pretty simple in the dashboard, and to top it all off, they send out an annual report so that I can see how things have stacked up for the year.

Here’s a brief synopsis of 2013:

• I wrote 254 posts this year. That’s 49 more than I wrote in 2012, and 75 more than I wrote in 2011.
• The number of viewers that JeffRandleman.com had stayed about the same.
• Four of my top five posts were all written over a year ago, indicating that my content has lasting impact. That excites me. One was from this year, telling me that I continue to writing impacting material.
• In 2013, my readers came from 161 different countries. That’s a pretty global impact!
• Discussion stayed about the same as 2012, indicating the need for promoting more conversations.
• Visitors to my blog tapered off in the early months of 2013. That’s right in the middle of our transition from Florida to Missouri, and in the process, my writing suffered. The fall saw increased page views, showing that people were reconnecting with my material.

Here are the top ten posts from 2013, including the date it posted, and views it received throughout the year:

1. The Difference Between Purpose, Vision, and Mission (May 27, 2011 – 4,308 views)
2. Why You Need To Develop A Philosophy Of Ministry (May 4, 2011 – 1,387 views)
3. Our Tradition: Christmas Eve Candle Light Service (December 20, 2011 – 1,043 views)
4. Trying A New Bible Reading System (January 18, 2012 – 982 views)
5. My Current Philosophy Of Ministry (May 6, 2011 – 592 views)
6. 6 Characteristics Of A Good Communicator (August 20, 2013 – 586 views)
7. 7 Steps To Defining A Purpose And Vision For Youth Ministry (October 12, 2011 – 507 views)
8. When God Shifts Your Focus (April 22, 2013 – 483 views)
9. Book Review – Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas (April 28, 2010 – 420 views)
10. Why A Daughter Needs A Dad (November 8, 2010 – 378 views)

The majority of these posts were written in either 2010 or 2011. Only two were from 2013. This tells me two things. First, the things I write have staying power. Whether that is a book review or an article about spiritual growth or leadership. People continue to read my material. But on the other hand, very few of my posts from 2013 have had much impact yet. A couple have, and my goal after reviewing these stats last year was to focus on writing more meaningful content. That tells me that I’m making strides in this, but I need to continue to work on writing more meaningful material for my readers. This is an excellent goal to strive for in 2014.

That gives me a lot to look forward to in the coming months, and a lot to work toward as well.

It would be very difficult for me to choose which of my content was most meaningful to me. Most of the stuff I write is because I need it in my life as well as having the desire to share it with you. There have been so many things I’ve learned this year, from good and bad communication skills, to how to stay encouraged, to developing a daily routine. But if I had to select something that was most meaningful to me, it would have to be my series examining and memorizing the book of 1 Timothy. I’ve gained so much more insight into that short letter than I ever dreamed. I hope to compile these posts into a book in the near future.

And in 2014? I’m moving on to 2 Timothy and Titus. If I gained so much from the first letter, then why not dig into the second one now?

I’m excited to see what the coming year holds for JeffRandleman.com. 2013 has been a great year. And 2014 will be even better!

Thanks for traveling this road with me throughout the year. I look forward to connecting with you even more in the coming months.

What has been your favorite part of JeffRandleman.com this year? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.