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One Word 365 – 2016 Edition

Forget The New Year’s Resolutions; Just Choose One Word

I have developed a habit over the past few years of selecting one single word to focus my life on for the duration of the coming twelve months. This is the word I will strive to live by for the next year.  Identifying a word to live by for the year helps me to keep my focus on a specific area of growth, and helps me become more of the person God has created me to be.

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.

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.

In both 2014 and 2015, I chose the word wait. I tend to be very impatient at times, and focusing on waiting helped me see the bigger picture. And, rather than take matters into my own hands, it allowed my faith to grow by waiting on the Lord.

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.

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Coffee Break – 01.04.2016

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1847, Samuel Colt sells his first revolvers to the U.S. government. In 1885, Dr. William Grant performed the first successful appendectomy. The patient was Mary Gartside. In 1962, New York City introduced a train that operated without conductors and motormen. And in 1965, the Fender Guitar Company was sold to CBS for $13 million.

Coffee Break

The American Press – I love finding new ways to brew coffee. I love to experiment and try different methods and see how the flavors compare with my Chemex or Hario V60. This new press seems like a great way to brew some good coffee.

How Did The Dinosaurs Die? – I love the Fake Science blog. So many of the things I find on here are amusing, and I can come back to them over and over again for laughs.

A Day In The Life Of Americans – How did you spend your days in 2015? This interactive simulation is pretty fascinating.

Reading Scripture: Psalms – The book of Psalms animated, giving an outline and an explanation. This entire series is excellent.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 3:20-21

Paul finalizes his thoughts in chapter three with a description of the person who has their focus set upon Christ.

Take a look for yourself in Philippians 3:20-21:

Philippians 3:20-21

Paul gives a description of the one who is an enemy of the cross in the previous verses. In this passage, he gives a series of contrasting statements, showing how one who is heaven focused differs from such an enemy as he described.

This passage brings a lot of encouragement to the reader. Looking at the previous sections of this letter, one could easily get discouraged. Paul stated that everything he had achieved was rubbish, and so it is with our accomplishments. Paul described the enemy of the cross, and gave a pretty dismal picture. What hope is there for us? What can we look to?

Paul gives us that hope in these two verses. In spite of all that he has described that is negative, the final word on the matter is very positive. In giving us this hope, he shows in three distinct ways how the believer is different from the world.

First, the worldly person has their mind set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. We have a home above, but for a time, we are colonists here on earth. In the Roman Empire of Paul’s day, to be a Roman meant that you spread the culture of Rome everywhere you went, and the Philippian believers would have understood this well. That is exactly the purpose we have as believers. We are to spread the culture of heaven, spread the Good News, everywhere we go.

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2015 Top Posts & Year End Review

Seeing Where We’ve Been In 2015…

The New Year has begun, and 2015 has drawn to a close. It has been a whirlwind of a year, bringing several health challenges, such as sleep apnea and cancer, as well as several new joys, including the birth of your youngest daughter, Mercy Dawn Randleman.

Top Posts and Year End Review - 2015

2015 was a pretty good year, in spite of some of the challenges it presented. And even though it seemed pretty overwhelming at times, our faith in God was strengthened and his hand on our lives was obvious yet again. Here are a few of the more memorable events from the past year:

  • Our church family has become even more like family as we have grown to know them better.
  • I continued my studies for my Master’s Degree, although somewhat sporadically.
  • After my wife’s broken ankle healed in 2014, I was diagnosed with both severe sleep apnea and skin cancer in 2015.
  • Our newest daughter was born in February, and has grown considerably since then.
  • We have striven to move closer to a complete debt free status, and have gained some significant ground in that endeavor.

Our year has been pretty crazy and hectic. On top of all of those big events, life has continued in normal fashion in many ways. We have seven children, and each of them is busy in various ways. Our oldest daughter is a cheerleader and is involved in many other school activities. Our next daughter is in dance and drama, and our oldest son is taking musical lessons. Add church and community activities, and we have a very busy schedule most of the time.

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Top Posts For December 2015

Reviewing The Month On JeffRandleman.com

It is hard to believe that the year is over! 2015 flew by, and brought a lot of new and incredible, and some not so fun things, into our lives. I anticipate what the new year will bring, and look forward to the fun and the challenges it holds.

Top Posts: December 2015

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been reviewing the year. In terms of this website, I have seen steady growth over the previous year. But I have been reviewing 2015 from a personal standpoint as well. Have I accomplished my goals? What things of significance did I see in my life? How have I grown? And where do I need to continue to focus in 2016? These are all some of the thoughts that have been running through my mind and my journal.

One of the main ways I track my personal growth is through the use of a Life Plan. At this time of year, I give this document a very thorough examination, and adjust it for the coming year. You can read about this process here and here. I challenge you to take a good look at your life over the past twelve months. Look for the good as well as the not so good. Set goals to improve and grow for the coming year. Your growth must be intentional; you will not grow by accident.

Here’s to an excellent 2016!

In the meantime, and in case you missed them, here are the top seven posts from JeffRandleman.com for the month of December.