Another month has come and gone. I don’t know about where you live, but so far, 2014 has been a crazy year, from a weather perspective. We’ve had several big snows this winter, and are facing another one this weekend.

Sounds like a good time to build up the fire in the fireplace, sit back with my laptop and write a few new posts, or finish a book or three.

Along with the crazy weather, we’ve had a busy season in our lives as well. Our daughter was a cheerleader for basketball season, keeping us busy for several months. That’s finally come to an end, and now we are looking at spring activities on the horizon, if we can get past the ice and snow on the forecast.

It’s been a busy ministry season as well. With a lot coming up in the near future, a conference last week, and studies and classes and books to read and review… Whew! Life stays pretty busy, and only seems to get busier. That’s why it is so crucial to take some time to relax and rest on a regular basis. That’s one of the topics coming up in the Establishing Spiritual Disciplines series.

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of February:

1. 6 Characteristics Of A Good Communicator
2. The Difference Between Purpose, Vision, and Mission
3. How To Take Notes While Reading The Bible
4. Why You Need To Develop A Philosophy Of Ministry
5. 4 Strategies For Making A Daily Routine Stick
6. Trying A New Bible Reading System
7. 3 Characteristics Of A Bad Communicator

Even though it’s been busy, I’ve been making a solid effort to write more. And, I’ve been trying to write more meaningful content. It’s been a challenge for me to improve, because I know where my goals lie and how badly I want to get there. I’m trying to keep an objective view, and I think I can see improvement.

This list is evidence of that. Over the past several months, several posts from the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series continue to show up on this list. I was worried about the fact that my newer content never seemed to make it. But over the past few months, I’ve seen a solid mix of both older and newer content make the list, stuff from my series called How To Develop A Daily Routine, and articles from my series on communication. That really excites me. That tells me that my efforts are paying off. Now I just have to keep it up.

My favorite post from February is from the series Establishing Spiritual Disciplines, and is called The Purpose Of Prayer. This is a series I’m really excited about, and am looking forward to the topics on the list.

Plus, there is a new blog on the horizon that I’m pretty excited about. That’s all I’ll say about it for now, but stay tuned for more info on that bit of juicy knowledge in the coming weeks.

Have a great month!

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.

It seems crazy to me that we have already completed the first month of 2014! It seems as if time is simply flying by in my life right now.

Granted, we have a lot going on, and I long for some slower days. But I have resolved to make the most of each and every moment before it is gone, especially with my wife and kids, and in my ministry to the church.

The new year has brought a lot of busy activity with it. As a result, I’ve been a little slower with my writing. On top of my regular ministry duties and family life, I’ve added classes for my Master’s degree, and had some health issues come up in the lives of some family members. Along with that, I’ve created a store on Etsy, where I sell covers for my favorite notebooks, Field Notes Brand. As I have time, I’m creating covers for other sizes of notebooks and journals as well.

Like I said… It’s been busy.

In spite of all of that, I am still striving to improve my writing skills and my creativity. I have some great ideas for posts and series of posts that I hope to see happen in February and March. Stay tuned, because there will be some fun stuff coming soon!

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of January:

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.

Last night, I had the opportunity to ring in the New Year with a bunch of awesome kids from our church and community. We had a great time playing and celebrating.

And then, at the stoke of midnight, I sent a text message to my wife, who was at home with our younger kids, wishing her a Happy New Year and a Happy 20th Anniversary.

Our twenty years have been full and fun, and we expect many, many more! The past few months have been fun too, right here on JeffRandleman.com.

Since my transition away from youth ministry to preaching ministry, I’ve been able to focus a bit more on my writing and reading. That excites me, since those are a couple of my favorite things to do.

I’m looking forward to what the coming year has in store for this blog and for my family!

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of December:

1. Our Tradition: Christmas Eve Candle Light Service
2. The Difference Between Purpose, Vision, and Mission
3. 6 Characteristics Of A Good Communicator
4. Why You Need To Develop A Philosophy Of Ministry
5. Trying A New Bible Reading System
6. 4 Strategies For Making A Daily Routine Stick
7. Why A Daughter Needs A Dad

December was an odd month for my blog traffic. While a few of the usual posts still made the list, they didn’t stack up like they have in months past. A couple of the usual ones were from the Foundations of Youth Ministry series. And the top post is from our Christmas family traditions series. No surprise there; that’s pretty typical for this time of year.

It is incredible that the year is nearing the end. 2013 has simply flown by for the Randleman family. The month of November seemed especially quick. With two birthdays, Thanksgiving, and my grandparents’ 70th anniversary, we had a lot to celebrate.

November saw some significant events in our lives. But more important than the events is how we react and respond to them. The month also brought a few challenges as well. Again, the challenge wasn’t as critical as how we responded. And even though the month was full, I feel like my family grew together as well as individually.

Here on JeffRandleman.com, there were some significant decisions and events as well. I’m looking at the possibility of some pretty cool changes in the coming months. The things I see on the horizon have me pretty excited.

My writing schedule will have to slow down a bit though, because I’ve enrolled in a Masters degree program that will start this winter and consume a good portion of my time for a while.

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of November:

1. The Difference Between Purpose, Vision, and Mission
2. Our Tradition: Christmas Eve Candle Light Service
3. 6 Characteristics Of A Good Communicator
4. Why You Need To Develop A Philosophy Of Ministry
5. 7 Steps To Defining A Purpose And Vision For Youth Ministry
6. Trying A New Bible Reading System
7. My Current Philosophy Of Ministry

Once again, several posts from the Foundations of Youth Ministry series made this list. Also, with the end of the year, the holidays, and a new year approaching, one of these posts is from our Christmas family traditions series. That’s pretty typical for this time of year.

Also, several have commented, either personally or through a comment, and even a couple have contacted me via email to say that they love the Coffee Break posts each week. These are simply a brief list of things I find valuable or interesting from around the web, posted each Monday. It has quickly become a favorite part of my week as well.

My favorite post from November was a two part series on Developing A Plan For Personal Growth and Succeeding In Your Plan For Personal Growth. These were inspired from some notes I took through a leadership course several years ago. I pull out those notes frequently and review them in order to continually grow from that course.

With the holidays just around the corner, I’m sure that the next few weeks will fly by. Enjoy the season!

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.

October is in the books. I don’t know about where you live, but here in southern Missouri, the trees have turned beautiful shades of reds, yellows, oranges, and even some darker colors like purples. It’s absolutely stunning.

Along with the fall colors, the month held the final few games in both football and volleyball. And to wrap up the month, our church had a Trunk or Treat and a Chili Cookoff. That event was well attended by both community and church people.

In the middle of the month, I had the opportunity to attend Wilderness, a retreat I try to go to each year in Colorado. It was everything I expected it to be, and more.

All in all, it’s been a pretty amazing month.

Things are happening pretty crazy around JeffRandleman.com as well. My writing schedule has solidified into something approaching regularity, and I have a lot of cool ideas on the horizon.

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of October: