Some Changes Are Coming

You may know that I maintain several different sites and blogs, and have for some time. It has been sort of a hobby for me over the years, and an excellent outlet for my writing. And most of those other websites have sprung out of this one for the most part.

However, I have been struggling with some things that God has been addressing in my life, and one of those areas has been the idea of rest, and what it means to abide in him. I have come to the conclusion that there are several areas of my life where I display the characteristics of a workaholic, and something has to give if I am to fully obey and follow God’s leading in my life.

In light of this, I have decided to begin to shut down some of those other websites, and focus my attention more specifically here on JeffRandleman.com. I will be restructuring my writing habits, and redefining what I want to do here. In some ways, I will be adding back what I branched off to start a different website project, as is the case with my role as a father and husband. Deliberate Men (formerly Deliberate Dads) will be reincorporated as a topic that will be addressed here. In fact, many of the posts that have appeared on that blog will be transferred here in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for them.

In other cases, I will simply shut down the blog and save those posts as drafts for some day in the future, which may or may not ever come. Who knows? That’s what will happen with the site I built to go along with my studies for a Master’s degree. That site never took off, and has never developed the readers like JeffRandleman.com has. That is partly due to the fact that I didn’t really publicize it, but also partly because I have placed the pursuit of a degree on hold as well for the immediate future.

All in all, I hope to clarify my focus, reduce my busyness, and more closely follow God’s leading as he nudges me closer towards who and what he wants me to be. I hope you’ll stay with me through the process.

Immediately, for the next couple of weeks, things will be pretty quiet around here, because before I make these changes permanent, I will be covering them in prayer for a few more days, just in order to be sure this is what I need to do. I’m pretty certain already, but I want to make sure I’m not simply pursuing busyness in just a different fashion. Your prayers would be appreciated during this time.

For the next couple of weeks, I plan on posting just a bare bones schedule, consisting of Saturday’s quotes, Sunday’s memorization of 1 Peter, and Monday’s Coffee Break posts. Other topics, such as Bible study, book reviews, leadership, and spiritual growth will be on hold until mid-November. At that point, I’ll add in godly fatherhood and marriage, as seen at Deliberate Men, along with the possibility of one or two other occasional topics.

Thanks for being with me on this wild ride. I’m excited about what God is doing in my life, and I can’t wait to share it with you in more detail!

CIY Wilderness

Once again, I will be heading to Colorado for CIY Wilderness. As a result, this week will be a slower week around JeffRandleman.com. I am headed to Bear Trap Ranch, outside of Colorado Springs for for a week of rest and renewal, a week in the mountains, and a week of rejuvenation for my soul and spirit. Since I’ll be out of the normal routine, and halfway across the continent, things will be a bit different. I have scheduled a series of scenic photos I have taken over the years in Colorado, primarily of the aspens as they turn gold. I hope you enjoy them.

Normal activity (whatever that looks like) will resume next week. Please keep me in your prayers for the week, as I seek to listen closely to God and refresh my spirit. Pray that I return renewed and ready to tackle the challenges of ministry for the coming months.

The Beginning Of A New Phase

Things are going to be quiet around JeffRandleman.com for the remainder of the week, and I would appreciate your prayers during this time.

We are facing a new challenge as a family, one that is not unexpected, but one could be more difficult then expected too. Our oldest daughter graduated from high school in May, and she is moving to college this weekend. It’s not a great distance away, only a couple of hours from our home, but for the first time, one of our kids will be living somewhere else. That’s a hard realization for me to accept.

We have raised, and still are raising our kids the best we can, and I am confident that college will be an excellent new page in my daughter’s life. But that doesn’t make it any easier for my wife and I. We will be packing and loading the vehicles, and then moving her to Joplin, Missouri, where she will attend Ozark Christian College.

Because of that, we will be pretty busy this week, spending as much time with her as we can fit in before heading out of town, and all my posts and articles will pause until after the weekend. Thanks for your understanding, and for your prayers!

Camp Season!

It’s June, and that means summer is here! And with summer comes camp!

For the next couple of weeks, things may be pretty slow around JeffRandleman.com. I’ll be spending a full week at the High School week of camp at Rock Garden Christian Service Camp. I’m Co-Dean, so I kind of need to be present for the week.

But the camp has little or no Internet service, and I’ll have little or no extra time, and so, things will be a bit slow around here.

This summer, our theme is Heart Of A Champion, and we are taking a look at the life of King David. Our primary topics will be some of the major events in David’s life, from 1 and 2 Samuel, with our morning devotions coming from several of David’s psalms.

It’s going to be a great week!  See you in a few days!

The Resurrection

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.”

– Mark 16:1-6

Good Friday

…He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

– 1 Peter 2:24

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.

– Isaiah 53:3-5

OCC Preaching-Teaching Convention

Each year, I anticipate Ozarks Christian College’s Preaching-Teaching Convention. This was something that I attended as a student there, and have returned occasionally ever since. However, for the past few years, I haven’t missed it. It’s a great opportunity to refresh and refuel myself without a whole lot of expense.

First, it is close, and I have family in the area. That makes it an easy trip. Second, it is usually filled with top notch speakers and workshops, making it a great opportunity to refuel my soul. And third, I am able to reconnect with several friends that I don’t usually get to see all that often. That’s always fun

Any one of those reasons make it worthwhile to take in the Preaching-Teaching Convention. All three of them make it a no brainer.

I’ll be there through the middle of this week, making it a short week at home. I’ll probably write a little less than normal as a result. Things should get back to normal next week though.

In the meantime, I’d appreciate your prayers for me as I travel, and as I take in some much needed refreshing.