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Top Posts For December 2012

2012 has come and gone. It’s been a big year for the Randleman family. There have been several significant events, including our move to Florida and the launch of DeliberateDads.com. We are days away from another significant event: the arrival of child number six, Jude Michael Randleman, and the pregnancy has been a fun process with several new friends here.

December Word Picture from Wordle.net

JeffRandleman.com has seen some significant events as well. Check out my 2012 Top Posts & Year End Review for more specifics and how the year stacked up.

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

Normally, I can predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy which of my posts make this list. Most months, a couple of posts dealing with purpose, mission and vision make the list, as it did again for December, in the top slot. But the rest of the list surprised me. The other six posts normally don’t make this list, although with it being December, the fact that they did so makes sense. They are posts on such topics as Bible reading plans, and Christmas traditions, typical Christmas and New Year’s topics.

My favorite post written in December was one announcing the launch of DeliberateDads.com, a blog I am especially excited about, designed to help dads be better than the normal, average dad. Check it out!

I’m also pretty excited about what’s in store for the coming year here at JeffRandleman.com. I have big plans, but I know God has even bigger ones. I can’t wait to see how he uses this site for impacting his Kingdom.

Have a Happy New Year!

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.

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One Word 365 – 2013 Edition

For the past two years, I’ve selected a single word to live by throughout the year. 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

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 my life has been to stick to many of the things I decide to do. I’m not referring to relationships or responsibilities, but more along the lines of interests and desires. For example, a few years ago, I decided to hone my photography skills. I decided to shoot a photo each day of the year. I outlined monthly themes with weekly sub themes. I didn’t even complete January. 2012 saw a significant improvement in this area, at least in my eyes.

I choose to identify and implement a word every year 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 last few months have been pretty intense in my life. 2012 held a lot of significant events and some huge changes and challenges. We moved from the midwest to the Gulf Coast of Florida, taking a new ministry with a pretty awesome church. But moving over a thousand miles and leaving our families and friends behind has been tough.

We’ve experienced the pregnancy of our sixth child for the entire time we’ve been in Florida.

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Coffee Break – 12.31.2012

Coffee Break

The Hario Drip Scale – I love brewing coffee with my Hario V-60. But I don’t have a great scale for measuring my water as I brew. My scales has an annoying self shut-off feature that occurs just as I need to see where I am. This scale shuts off after five minutes, eliminating that problem. However, selling for $70 puts it as slightly extravagant for my budget right now.

The Year In Numbers: 2012 – The Gospel Coalition takes a look at the numbers from the year.  With references to population, national debt, consumer debt, and other major items, as well as less mainstream stats, such as percentages of people who bought books, the salary of mega-church pastors and more, this list is eyeopening.

Abandoned Suitcases Reveal Private Lives of Insane Asylum Patients – Photographer Jon Crispin has journaled the finding of hundreds of abandoned suitcases belonging to deceased patients of the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane. Ranging from the 1910s through the 1960s, these suitcases give a glimpse into the life of many that society deemed as a stigma upon society. These images are fascinating, saddening, and thought-provoking all at the same time.

4 Reasons Men Play Video Games – My wife cannot understand the allure of video games for our oldest son, as well as my own occasional fascination. The Some Wise Guy blog gives some insight into this subculture of a man’s life.

5 Reasons To Be A Morning Person – I have to admit, I never thought I’d be a morning person. In college, I swore to myself that a night owl was a much better persona than those disgustingly chipper morning people in my dorm. However, as I get older, I find that more of my productivity occurs earlier in the day. Claire Diaz-Ortiz takes a look at five reasons this is a good thing. Number four hit me as surprisingly true.

What Are 3 Common Areas Of Neglect In A Pastor’s Life? – Pastors are busy people. And there are many demands on our time. The Practical Shepherding blog take a look at three key areas that unfortunately get shoved aside in the busyness of life, and how you can go about making adjustments in these areas.

5 Signs You Glorify Self – Our society is increasingly “me-centered.” And that’s an issue that we must fight against, since Christ calls us to be others-centered. At The Gospel Coalition, Paul Tripp sees five areas that are tricky, and we fail in these areas more than we think. After reading this list, I know I’m watching myself more closely.

The man who has a why, can live through almost any how. – Victor Frankl (neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust-survivor.)

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Memorize Scripture – Week 52

This is the last week of 2012. And this is the last passage we will memorize together this year. I think it’s a fitting passage for the end of a year and the beginning of the next. This week’s passage is found in Ephesians 3:20-21:

Ephesians 3:20-21

This week, we focus on new beginnings. Out with the old, in with the new. We write New Year’s resolutions. We celebrate a fresh start.

But our celebration of a New Year pales in comparison of what Christ can do, has done, and will do. In fact, we can’t even imagine it!

And it goes beyond a New Year celebration; this is cause for celebration eternally!

Thanks for joining me in memorizing several important and inspiring passages this year. I hope you’ll join me as I memorize the book of 1 Timothy in 2013.

Happy New Year!

What was your favorite passage we memorized this year? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Book Review – Oliver Twist Audio Drama by Charles Dickens

Oliver TwistI’ve never been much of a fan of audio books. I guess they have their purpose, and I know many people who love listening to them. I just find them inconvenient, especially if the material requires my mind to process a lot of information.

So it was with trepidation that I decided to review Focus on the Family’s Radio Theater presentation of Oliver Twist. My daughters and I listened to this over several days as we traveled back and forth from our church.

I have to admit, I was surprised at how easily I adjusted to an audio book, especially one that tells a compelling story, such as this one.

The quality of the radio theater was amazing as well. The actors portraying the numerous characters did an excellent job, and really brought the story to life.

This set comes packaged in a very eye-appealing sleeve, holding the five CDs and 1 DVD set.

My kids and I loved listening to Oliver Twist, and we plan to add to our audio book collection in the near future.

This is our first audio drama. What else should we pick up and listen to? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in listening to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, presented by Focus On The Family, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Coffee Break – Christmas Edition – 12.24.2012

Coffee Break

Coffee Break Christmas Ornaments – While it may be a bit too late to order these to put on the tree for this year, they are a great idea for next. Made from blown glass, these would be the perfect gift for the coffee lover you know. And who knows, maybe they’ll go on clearance after Christmas…

Top 10 Sanity-Saving Holiday Hacks – I have a love/hate relationship with Lifehacker. Some of the things I find here are great. Others are pointless. Same thing with the comments left: some are helpful, others aren’t. While this list may be overly simplified, it does help you to consider some ways to avoid holiday stress as you celebrate.

12 Facts About “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” – Have you ever wondered about the origin of some of our more quirky Christmas carols? Here’s a few tidbits of information about The Twelve Days Of Christmas that may or may not be verifiable as true. But it’s a fun read. And here are a few facts about some other carols.

Unique And Little Known Christmas Traditions – One of my favorite dad blogs is the Familyman website. This list is entertaining, leaving much to the imagination.

5 Ways To Lead Your Family Through The Christmas Chaos – The Christmas season can be stressful and hectic. With so much to keep us busy, it’s easy to lose focus of what’s truly important in the hustle and bustle. The Resurgence gives a few ways to prevent this from happening.

Dump The Myth And Keep The Merry – Phillip Jensen says it well: “This Christmas the American Atheists have posted a large billboard in Times Square New York. It has two pictures: one of Santa Claus and the other of Jesus on the cross. The captions under the pictures are ‘Keep the Merry’ and ‘Dump the Myth’. Apart from having the captions under the wrong pictures, the sentiment is one I agree with.”

Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth. – Matthew Henry