It’s been a crazy few months for the Randleman family.

We moved over a thousand miles from everything familiar. We’ve started working with a new church, moved into a new neighborhood, met new people. My day off has changed to a different day of the week. We’ve had to make new friends. We’ve learned our way around a new city.

And frankly, it’s been tough.

I’m not saying it’s been bad. It’s just been hard.

Our schedules have been severely disrupted, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing either.

As a result, my writing has taken a considerable hit. And so has my reading. I haven’t read more than about six or eight books since we moved.

For me, that borders on scandalous.

I have some ideas to help me overcome this:

• Develop a detailed daily and weekly schedule, and stick as close to it as ministry will allow.
• Take the time to look over weekly appointments and details with my wife consistently.
• Structure margin time into my week; time where I can rest and recharge my batteries.
• Develop a time set aside specifically for writing. This may have to be early morning due to family noise.
• Rethink my blog post schedule, and adjust as necessary.
• Rebuild a consistent exercise routine into my life.
• Relegate television to only one or two evenings a week.

Not everything has suffered through the transition though. There are a few stable things that haven’t wavered.

My Bible reading has deepened and strengthened. It’s always been pretty consistent, but this year I started a new method of reading through the Bible. And it has only gotten better. That may be because of the struggles and frustrations instead of otherwise. I’ve also started writing the Scriptures as well. This has been extremely encouraging to me.

Our family has grown stronger and closer. I have my failures, I know. And when I am stressed, it usually surfaces at home. I’m intimately aware of this, and am working to overcome it. But overall, our family has tightened our bonds over the past few months. And again, I know that this is a result of things being tough.

Let’s face it. Youth ministry is a busy thing. There is always something else that could be done. And just because summer is over doesn’t mean the busy season ends. Now the school events begin: sporting events, band and choir, and students have even less free time.

Trust me, I’m not shrinking from those responsibilities. No, I’ve carried them for too many years not to realize their importance. It’s what I believe God has called and gifted me to do.

But I also know that he has called me to be a husband. He’s called me to be a father. And I believe he’s called me to teach and write as well.

I just want to make sure that my priorities are in line so that I can be as effective as possible in being a tool to be used in building his kingdom.

And for me, that means that my relationship with Christ is first and foremost. My wife is my next priority, followed by my children. My ministry comes next, and the responsibilities I carry as a shepherd and leader in the church. And part of that includes my writing and teaching on growth and leadership in the areas of youth and family ministry.

I’m trying to regain my balance. This transition has knocked my equilibrium our of whack more than I expected it would, and it’s taking me a while to overcome that.

But I’m getting there…

Do you have any suggestions that may help me get fully back on track? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.