It seems like it was just a few days ago that my kids were out of school and looking forward to summer vacation. And now, teachers are back, my daughter is taking a test as I write this to determine her placement in public school from home school, and my boys are spending time with their cousins at Grandma’s house for one last summer fling.

August has arrived. The fall is just around the corner. Summer has been full of mission trips, camps, vacations, excursions and more. We spent time at the pool, in the yard, on the porch, with family and friends, and enjoyed every minute of it.

I was challenged by an elderly Apache by the name of John Longfeather to slow down and listen, or I might miss something. I was encouraged by a bunch of knife collectors who rallied around me and raised some funds to help pay for my cancer surgery. I rediscovered hope in the midst of hopelessness at a place called Suicide Canyon. I sat in the waiting room while one of my kids underwent an MRI on her head. Our home was invaded for several weeks by family and friends. A lot has impacted me this summer, and impacted my family. I hope I paid attention close enough to learn something. I hope I slowed down enough to listen.

This week, I am preparing a message for Sunday on John 4, where Jesus interacts with the woman at the well. He tells Nicodemus, in chapter three, to be born again. He tells this woman to taste the living water. In both cases, he meets people where they are and gives them what they need.

This summer, God has met me where I am. He has met me in my busyness. He has met me in my stress and worry. He has met me in my frustrations. And he has spoken to me, giving me what I need. I pray that I can hold onto it, and let it permeate into my life.

Some of this, I have written about here, sharing it with you. Other pieces are only written in my journal for now. They may eventually make it here, or maybe they won’t. I don’t know. What I do know is that the life lessons that I have learned will certainly be reflected here in what I continue to write and share. Some have already appeared.

For this month’s top posts, I am doing something different. Each month, it seems like the same few posts always make the list. Most of these are from the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. That’s good. Those posts are making an impact. But it makes for a boring “Top Posts” post. So this month, I am listing out the next seven posts, in terms of traffic. I hope you enjoy them all over again.

1. Tips For Becoming More Consistent In Your Bible Reading
2. 3 Characteristics Of A Bad Communicator
3. Trying A New Bible Reading System
4. 2016 Bible Reading Plans
5. 11 Things I Love About Field Notes Brand Journals
6. How To Gain Insight By Hand-Copying The Bible
7. 4 Negative Results Of Jealousy

This is a dramatically different list. Certainly, some of these have made the top seven slots before, but most of these are fresh and new to this list. As I have been watching over the past few months, the top seven stay pretty consistently the same. But the next seven fluctuate a lot. This is exciting to me, revealing that a lot more of the content I write is being viewed than it may appear at first glance. That’s enough to keep me going.

My personal favorite post from the month of July was the story of a bunch of knife collectors who made a lasting impact on my life. It’s called Pay Attention! God Does Some Amazing Things That May Just Wreck You! I am still humbled and overwhelmed, and very grateful, for this group of people on Facebook.

I am praying that you have a great month! I look forward to seeing what God brings in the weeks to come!

Question: 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. You can leave a comment by clicking here.