End of the Year Reflections

Good Morning from Temple Terrace, Florida.

It’s 73 degrees here which is a welcome change from the 32 that I left yesterday in Kansas City. It’s still dark and a good time to share some reflections and personal thoughts with our readers around the world as I enjoy my first cup of coffee.

This is a time of year during the holiday season to enjoy family and friends. Share special times. Savor some good food. Indulge your “sweet tooth.” Relish the festive nature of the season. Sit by the fireplace and sip some hot chocolate, or in our case this year enjoy a morning walk by the Hillsborough River in shorts and a T-shirt.

It is also a time for me, and I think many others, where you become reflective. You ponder the past. Consider the present. And anticipate the future. It’s time to reminisce and ruminate. Often during this time as we come to the close of a year and begin a new one, we consider both our setbacks and successes. Where we fell short, and where we need to improve. It’s a good time to think about goals.

For Norma Jean and me 2015 has been a good year. We’ve been blessed with good health. Great friends. And a loving, caring church family. We’ve been provided with opportunities to serve, share and minister. For this we are grateful and humbled. And, of course, we are embracing our new role as grandparents.

This month marks the completion of our fourth year publishing the ThePreachersWord. Four years ago I was looking for a way to expand my ministry. Time and opportunity had come together in an unexpected and unique way for me to consider blogging as a means to share the Word.

We began with no readers, no posts, and no “hits.” Today, according to WordPress, this is post #1102. We have 3,406 followers and 148 topics categorized for easy reference. ThePreachersWord has been read in 190 countries and territories around the world! Our posts have been reblogged. Copied for bulletin articles. Used for short talks. And delivered as Lord supper devotions.

We have been posting a “Word of the Week” on Monday, a favorite verse called “Great Verses of the Bible on Wednesday, and a special column on Friday called “It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming!” After 166 posts I plan to change the Friday column next year to address other themes.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to share some thoughts that encourage, edify and uplift. And maybe even enlighten or inspire. I plan to continue this ministry during the coming year. As we close 2015, we’re going to take a little break from publishing new posts while we split our time between visiting grandsons, Roy in Florida and Miles in Louisanna.

So, for the final days of 2015, we want to reblog the top 10 posts of the year based on reader views. It will be fun to see what our readers have enjoyed and shared with others. Plus it’s an opportunity for new readers to peak into the past!

We rejoice for whatever good has been accomplished in the past 4 years, and for whatever way our readers have been helped, encouraged and edified. We appreciate our readers’ comments, questions, suggestions, and words of encouragement. Most of all, may God be glorified through this effort.

Norma Jean and I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God Richly Bless you.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman