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Top Posts For December 2013

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.

December 2013 Word Picture from Wordle.net

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.

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One Word 365 – 2014 Edition

For the past few years, I’ve selected a single word to live by throughout the year. As I’ve described before, this is a word that defines my life for the year, and helps undergird everything I do for the next twelve months.

One Word 365

I’ve settled my focus on several different words over the last few years. For example, in 2011, I chose to focus on the word passion. This word underlined all I did throughout the year. It defined the year. Everything I did, I did with enthusiasm, and passion was pretty visible in most areas of my life.

In 2012, I chose the word commit. One of my biggest struggles in life has been to stick to many of the things I decide to do. Focusing on this word helped me to address that deficiency.

Last year, in 2013, I chose the word intentional. We have a large family, and as a result, we have a lot going on. I realized that I needed to be intentional, especially in my relationships with family and friends, and in my ministry.

Each year, I choose to identify and implement a single word as a part of my life plan. I add this word to the beginning of my plan, and try to use it as a piece of the foundation for every portion of my plan. Some areas are more successful than others.

The past half a year has been a pretty crazy year for my family, and for me, personally. We’ve seen several major changes in our lives, from the birth of our sixth child, to a move to the Midwest from Florida, to a change in ministry role, from youth minister to a lead minister role. I’ve also started a master’s degree program, which requires some time.

Add all of that to the higher priority things, such as family time, personal growth, fun and leisure, and it starts to get pretty hectic.

It’s been obvious to me that I need to slow down, take a deep breath, focus, and wait.

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2014 Bible Reading Plans

One of the most critical disciples we can develop in our lives is consistent, daily Bible reading. I believe strongly that we should take in something from God’s Word on a daily basis. And I believe that the benefits far outweigh the time investment. It’s completely worth it.

Bible Reading Plan Ebook

I’ve written several times in the past about this discipline:

I firmly believe that this is a critical element of our spiritual lives. And it seems to be lacking in a lot of people’s lives. I think, when you experience the many benefits of consistent, daily time spent in God’s Word, you’ll develop a craving for more.

God’s Word truly does change us.

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Coffee Break – 12.30.2013

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An Illustrated World Of Coffee – Interested in seeing an interactive map of global coffee trends? Then look no more. Here is a fun look at those trends, along with some great info about each coffee culture, brew methods and more.

Adventures Of A Serial Trespasser – Some of the most interesting places are the places we’ve abandoned or forgotten about. Bradley Garrett takes photos of these places. There are some pretty interesting shots, and a few where I question his sanity.

America’s Ancestry By County – This is an interesting map showing the predominant origins by county. I found it interesting, but not surprising, to see the counties I’ve lived in over the years. Although it’s dated somewhat (2000), this is a thought-provoking image.

Another Way To Read The Bible – With the beginning of a new year just around the corner, many people will be looking at beginning a Bible reading plan. Here are some great thoughts to keep in mind as you seek the best way to absorb God’s Word into your life.

7 Perspectives On Prayer – Too often, we neglect our prayer lives in favor of something we can “do.” These seven perspectives help eliminate that idea from our thinking.

The Best Way To Improve Your Preaching – It’s simple, really. And it’s applicable in every area of our lives. Be in love with Jesus.

How To Spot A Father Of Young Children – As a dad of young kinds, I can attest to how accurate this can be…

The martyrs shook the powers of darkness with the irresistible power of weakness. – John Milton

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:20-21

1 Timothy is somewhat unusual in its ending. It lacks the usual benediction and final greeting that Paul typically puts in his letter. Instead, 1 Timothy is all business right up to the very end, and concludes with a final charge to Timothy.

You can see it in 1 Timothy 6:20-21:

1 Timothy 6:20-21

Paul finishes off his letter to Timothy with a final charge, the third such charge he has given (1:18-19, 6:13-16). It might be the fourth charge, if you see 4:6-10 as a charge.

Paul has given Timothy many explicit instructions in this brief letter, but almost every one of them centers around the false teachers and their influence in the Ephesian church. That factor even is seen in Paul’s concluding remarks and final charge.

This final charge comes in two parts.

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Coffee Break – Christmas Edition – 12.23.2013

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Coffee Lover Holiday Gift List – Looking for a Christmas gift for that person who loves coffee? Here’s a great list of ideas. And there might be some sales after Christmas, if you want to pick up something for yourself…

The WestJet Christmas Miracle – When you watch the news, you can easily get down with all of the negativity. So when something truly incredible happens, it can be a breath of fresh air. WestJet has created that with their Christmas miracle. This has been sweeping through social media, so you may have seen it there. Even so, it’s worth seeing again.

10 Important Facts About A Christmas Story’s Leg Lamp – This movie has become a holiday staple in our home. And the leg lamp has developed quite a niche in our culture. But there may be some things about it that you never knew. Consider this your education.

50 Years of 50 Toys – There have been multiple changes to the toys kids get for Christmas through the ages. This infographic gives fifty years’ worth of iconic toys. I remember many of these. And I was shocked to see the abrupt change in prices that came with the middle of the last decade or so.

Dugger Family Favorite Christmas Traditions – My family has several key traditions for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s always interesting to see what others do as a family as well. The Duggers are a family that most of us know of, so a peek into their traditions is especially interesting.

5 Suggestions For Finding More Christmas Joy – Too many people miss out on the joy surrounding Christmas and the holiday season. Ron Edmondson gives five quick ways that you you can make sure you don’t miss out this year.

The Season Of Giving – One of the things I strive to instill in my kids (and myself) at this time of year is that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. This brief post gives some encouragement in that, and links to some ideas for promoting that in your family.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – Luke 2:7