I'm Thankful For Blogging

Thankful Thursday is a meme I have been participating in with my personal mom blog for sometime now.  It is a great way to give thanks to the Lord for the things He has done in your life, which is something we should always be doing. One thing I am very thankful for is blogging.  The fact that the Lord has seen fit to allow me the time and provided the tools to blog is amazing because there are so many of things I could be doing.  Having the opportunity the serve the Lord in this capacity just amazes me because it is something I love to do.

Another aspect of blogging I am thankful is the other Christian bloggers I have gotten to know.  The blogosphere has a great community of Christian woman and I am loving connecting with them.

Are you thankful for blogging?  What aspect of blogging are the most thankful for?

Thankful Thursday is hosted by Women Taking A Stand.

I'm Thankful For Blogging

Thankful Thursday is a meme I have been participating in with my personal mom blog for sometime now.  It is a great way to give thanks to the Lord for the things He has done in your life, which is something we should always be doing. One thing I am very thankful for is blogging.  The fact that the Lord has seen fit to allow me the time and provided the tools to blog is amazing because there are so many of things I could be doing.  Having the opportunity the serve the Lord in this capacity just amazes me because it is something I love to do.

Another aspect of blogging I am thankful is the other Christian bloggers I have gotten to know.  The blogosphere has a great community of Christian woman and I am loving connecting with them.

Are you thankful for blogging?  What aspect of blogging are the most thankful for?

Thankful Thursday is hosted by Women Taking A Stand.

10 Ways To Pray For Your Blog

I am a firm believer in the power of prayer.  I keep a prayer journal and write everything I can think of to pray about in it.  It is so exciting to be able to cross an item off my prayer list because the Lord has answered it!  Prayer is one of the most important aspects of my relationship with the Lord.  I don't have any worries in my life because I pray and hand everything over to the Lord.  It is a very refreshing and thrilling feeling to know that my life is in the Lord's hand and that His will will be done. I also incorporate this same philosophy with  blogging.  I don't worry about my blog.  I don't get upset if I don't get the traffic I want or the opportunity I was hoping for.  I don't get caught up in the blog drama that constantly seems to be happening.  I pray for my blog.  I pray for my blog readers.  And praying makes all the difference in the world.

Here are 10 ways you can pray for your blog:

1. Posts and articles you write. Praying before you sit down to write a post or article can make the whole process go a lot faster.  If you feel you are being led by the Lord to write on a certain topic, the words just seem to come together naturally.  Just a quick prayer asking the Lord to give you the words needed is all it takes to make the writing process much more enjoyable and easier.
2. How you react and respond to comments. It is inevitable that you will get some rude and hurtful comments at some point in your blogging life.  Unfortunately not everyone understands where we as Christians are coming from and can feel threatened for no reason.  People sometimes leave rude and unjustified comments just because the can.  Whatever the reason for the undesired comment, take a moment in prayer before responding and acting upon the comment.  I response made in the heat of the moment maybe all it takes to destroy our testimony.
3. Advertisement or sponsorship. Before accepting any paid advertisements or sponsorships take some time to pray about it first.  By accepting their advertisement on your site you are referring your readers to them.  Make sure any advertiser you agree to sell ad space to holds the same values as you do.  Sure the money you can make is great, but does the ad or product align with your faith?  Would you be putting your testimony on the line by accepting the advertisement or sponsorship?
4. Product reviews and/or giveaways.  This could actually fall into the advertisement or sponsorship category.  If you are going to include product review and/or giveaways on your blog, pray before accepting the review offer.  Pray as your write the review and host the giveaway.  See if there is a way to incorporate the product or giveaway with your faith.  Most of all be honest and up front about any review or giveaway you do.
5. Your blog readers. Not only do I pray for more readers, but I pray daily that the readers I do have will find my posts helpful.  Readers are one of the main reasons we blog.  We want to be able to communicate with the world and blogging is one way of doing that.  Without the readers where would blogging be?
6. Other bloggers. We should encourage other bloggers even if it results in them becoming a better blogger than yourself. Praying for bloggers is one of the best ways to encourage them.
7. God's will for your blog. You may have a lot of plans for your blog, but if it isn't God's will then it probably won't happen.  Praying that God's will be done will bring our wills under His.
8. Partnerships. Before starting a partnership with another blogger pray about it.  Does the other blogger have the same faith and values as you do?  Kelly and I met on Twitter and were instant friends.  When we started discussions about starting this site together, I know we both spent time in prayer about it.  Of course over time and talking to each other over Skype and Twitter, it turns out we have a lot more in common than just our faith and love for blogging.
9. Ebooks, Special Reports, etc. Pray about any product or service you plan to offer to others. In the past I have started projects without praying and it was such a struggle to get everything going. The projects I have prayed about and felt the Lord leading me to do have been much more successful. I pray every step of the way from conception of the idea, to implementation, to any writings I must to do, to asking price, and marketing efforts.
10. Affiliate Programs. Affiliate programs are great ways to try to make some money on your blog.  Before you start actively promoting an affiliate product pray to make sure the product is a good fit for your blog.

Do you pray for your blog?  Are there any other aspect of blogging we should be praying about?

5 Ways to Share Your Faith

Have you ever sat down to your desk, pulled up the screen to write a blog post, and wondered “How can I share my faith through my blog?” Many of us have a sincere desire to write about the love our Father has for us and to inspire others towards seeking Him. How can we effectively do that?

Here are a few ways that may help you share your faith.

• Your Testimony – This is sure to kickoff lots of emotion. Your retelling of your personal testimony will produce a passionate post that will touch the hearts of your readers. Real stories always make for the best blog posts and how much better when those stories are all about how God came into your life.
• Changes God has made in you – Similar to sharing your testimony, giving your readers a look at how you have changed in your Christian walk will show them that you are more than a person behind a computer screen. I have often been able to relate to other blog owners when they open up and are transparent. People like to know that others have the same struggles. They desire to see that they can be changed as well.
• Devotion ideas - Have any ideas on how to use wisely that quiet time with God? Do you have that personal time at night, in the morning, or while the children are napping? What changes have you made to your time of Bible study and prayer that have allowed for more consistency? We all can learn from our Christian brothers and sisters and for those who have a hard time making devotional time a priority, this may give them the extra boost they need!
• Favorite Bible verses – What is your favorite Bible verse? Which particular Scripture has given you comfort when you need it? Perhaps a verse that you and your family are memorizing at the moment would be timely for someone else.
• Where you are stumbling? – Are you struggling and falling in any area? Share it! One of my most popular posts was about where I fall short as a mother. My readers could relate in my shortcomings and I got lots of comments about the fact that they had the same problems. At the same time, my visitors shared ways in which to overcome particular things and I was able to use those ideas. Being transparent, when used wisely, is uncomfortable but may yield eternal benefits.

How have you shared your faith on your blog?

Photo courtesy: ba1969

Setting Limits

As with anything, blogging can suck up precious time. As a wife and homeschooling mother who stays-at-home, I know all too well the struggles in balancing my blog and life.  If I am not careful, blogging can take up time that should be spent on other things.  Here are a few tips on how to set limits when it comes to your blog:

• Set the timer.  Yes, this really does work.  In the mornings I set a small amount of time to answer email.  This is usually before the children are awake.  This enables me to get important emails read and at the same time lets me know when I've done enough.
• Look at your priorities.  God has called us to be His children first, wives and mothers second, and bloggers last.  If your children have no clean clothes for tomorrow, or your husband needs lunch made, do those things first.  Before you sit down to your computer, look around and see if there is anything pressing that needs to be done.
• Set one day a week to write blog posts.  The Happy Housewife has an excellent post on this.  This goes hand in hand with meeting priorities first.  Note: If you think of post ideas before your writing day, write them down!
• Take a break once in a while.  Yes, it is okay, despite what you have heard.  It is always beneficial to take a step back and think long and hard about what you are doing and why.  Use this time to pray and ask God for wisdom in your blogging.  Ask Him to show you if you are putting blogging before Him.  If you are worried about losing readership, you can ask someone to guest post for you during that time, or you can re-run older blog posts.  Writing posts ahead of time and scheduling them for certain days works too.

I'd love to hear from you what helps you keep the proper balance in life and blogging.

Photo courtesy of spekulator

I Won't Water Down My Faith

I love watching Christian music videos on YouTube.  I find myself doing it on my iphone when the kids are playing at the park or we are stuck in traffic.  Watching the videos help to keep my mind focused and not lingering on ungodly things.  I personally am a big fan of southern gospel music.  I guess that comes from growing up in Texas in a Baptist church. :) So the other day when I was watching videos on YouTube I stumbled upon the song For Future Generations by 4Him.  I haven't heard this song in a long time!  I think the last time was at a concert I went to in Maryland where 4Him was performing about 3 years ago.

So you might be asking, What does this have to do with blogging? Well, I'm getting there. If you pay attention to the lyrics there is a line that goes like this:

So I wont bend and I wont break I wont water down my faith I wont compromise in a world of desperation What has been I cannot change But for tomorrow and today I must be a light for future generations

It can be so easy to "water down" our faith on our blogs.  We might not want to offend anyone or to turn away readers.  But by watering down our faith are we truly giving God the glory He deserves?  Psalms 115:1 tells us, "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth's sake." (King James Version)  It is God we are to give glory to, not ourselves, and we do this for mercy and truth.  Don't our readers deserve the truth?

Do you "water down" your faith on your blog?  I would love to hear your comments and suggestions on how not to "water down" your faith.

I Won't Water Down My Faith

I love watching Christian music videos on YouTube.  I find myself doing it on my iphone when the kids are playing at the park or we are stuck in traffic.  Watching the videos help to keep my mind focused and not lingering on ungodly things.  I personally am a big fan of southern gospel music.  I guess that comes from growing up in Texas in a Baptist church. :) So the other day when I was watching videos on YouTube I stumbled upon the song For Future Generations by 4Him.  I haven't heard this song in a long time!  I think the last time was at a concert I went to in Maryland where 4Him was performing about 3 years ago.

So you might be asking, What does this have to do with blogging? Well, I'm getting there. If you pay attention to the lyrics there is a line that goes like this:

So I wont bend and I wont break I wont water down my faith I wont compromise in a world of desperation What has been I cannot change But for tomorrow and today I must be a light for future generations

It can be so easy to "water down" our faith on our blogs.  We might not want to offend anyone or to turn away readers.  But by watering down our faith are we truly giving God the glory He deserves?  Psalms 115:1 tells us, "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth's sake." (King James Version)  It is God we are to give glory to, not ourselves, and we do this for mercy and truth.  Don't our readers deserve the truth?

Do you "water down" your faith on your blog?  I would love to hear your comments and suggestions on how not to "water down" your faith.