Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19, 20, NLT

I’m always excited to hear when my Pastor puts emphasis on our congregation going outside of the walls of our church to share the good news of Jesus Christ, for it’s just a reminder of our primary purpose as Christians  – to go and make disciples.

Did you know that your primary purpose as a Christian writer is to also go and make disciples? For you are called to write words to help others know about the good news of Jesus Christ. You are called to write words to let others know of the wonderful plan God has for their lives when they choose to place their faith and trust in him. You are called to write to let others know of his desire to heal them from their deepest hurts and their deepest wounds.

Christian author Marlene Bagnull states: “While we may never never go more than a few hundred miles from our homes, our written words can go around the world and make a difference for all eternity”.

Are you ready to use your written words to make a difference in the world you live in today? Then go, write and make disciples!

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Responding to the call of writing:

As you reflect on the great commission found in Matthew 28:19-20, how do you believe God wants to use you as a Christian writer  to make disciples for his kingdom? Post your answer on my blog or engage with me on my Facebook group page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/345280025595641/?ref=bookmarks) for Christian writers.  I enjoy hearing from you!

One day, while Moses was taking care of his father-in-law’s sheep in the land of Midian, he noticed a bush engulfed in flames that was not burning up. As he drew closer to the bush, God called to him from the bush and told him he would lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage.

As with Moses, God has a way of getting our attention when he is calling us to write for ministry. What are some ways he uses to get our attention?

1. He uses our circumstances – Has an event recently happened in your life that may be a sign God is calling you to write for ministry? Is your passion for what you're currenty doing lessening and your desire to write for ministry increasing more and more? Are doors closing regarding job opportunities in your existing career that once opened easily for you? Then pay attention to how God may be calling you to write for ministry through your circumstances.

2. He uses people – What are others telling you about your writings? Are they saying it’s time for you to move from writing as a hobby to writing for ministry and publication? Do people enjoy reading what you’ve written and want to read more? Is your critique group giving you more positive feedback lately about your writings than negative? Then pay attention to how God may be calling you to write for ministry through people.

3. He uses divine intervention – In what ways has God spoken to you directly  to let you know he wants you to write for ministry? Have you received an unexpected note from someone confirming you need to begin your writing ministry? Has God spoken directly  to you through a sermon, a song, a Bible verse, or through prayer? Then pay attention to how God may be communicating his call for you to write for ministry through divine intervention.

Like the great leader Moses, God knows how to get our attention when he wants us to do great things for him. So be sure you are paying attention to how he may be calling you to write for His kingdom.

Responding to your writing call: Which of the three ways is God  using in your life to let you know he may be calling you to write for ministry?  Post your comments on my blog or in my Facebook online Guild  for Christian writers.  I enjoy engaging with you !

I didn’t feel like writing my blog post today.  I needed to write my blog post  so I'd have it ready to include in my weekly newsletter, but the motivation just wasn't there. So I almost didn't write a blog post  for today's newsletter. Until I remembered my why.

You see, my why determines why I write. My why is my purpose for writing. It helps me get up every day and stay committed to my writing goals. And it reenergizes me when the journey of writing gets weary along the way.

So I took some time this morning to reflect on the following question: Why am I writing?

• I am writing because I want to make a living as a writer
• I am writing because I want to  inspire other Christian writers
• I am writing because I want to teach 
• I am writing because I want to create a body of work I can be proud of and leave as a legacy  

1.  It is my life goal to write a book I can be proud of and can hold in my hand
2.  I want to get an agent and a publishing deal
3.  I want to see my book on the shelves of a bookstore
4.  I want to reach readers with my words
5.  I want to sell lots of books.
6.  I want to receive critical acclam and win a literary prize
7.  I want to make a full-time living with my writing
8.  I want to create a body of work that I can be proud of over my lifetime.

Jeaninne 

Responding to your call to write: What is your "why" for  writing? Share your feedback via my blog or  Facebook page!

And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samara, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8b

After Jesus’ Resurrection and before he ascended into heaven, he commissioned his twelve disciples to share the good news about him with the world. But instead of commissioning them to share the good news first at the end of the earth, he told them to start in Jerusalem.

It’s important to follow the same strategy Jesus gave his disciples when you begin writing for  ministry and  publication. As a new writer, rather than submitting your work to a national publication, start with a local one. For example, submit an article you've written to a local magazine; submit a poem or a devotional  to your church's newsletter; write your own blog and send it to family and friends, or write an opinion-editorial piece and submit it to your local newspaper. As your writings are accepted for publication in the smaller markets and your credibility and confidence increases, the time will come when you’ll be ready to submit your writings to the larger ones.

Are you ready to make an impact on the world today using your Christian writings? Then start first in your Jerusalem.

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Responding to God’s call to write for ministry:  Think of one place you can begin submitting your writings for publication locally?  Post your comments on my blog. I enjoy hearing from you.

Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act. Travel steadily along his path. Psalms 37:34, NLT

School is out and vacation season has officially arrived. Many of us will now pack our suitcases and travel to various destinations for a fun-filled vacation. Whether our travels are on a road trip from one state to another or in the air flying to our favorite vacation destination, this is the time to wind down from our hectic, harried lives and enjoy time just doing nothing.

But sometimes our travel plans don’t go as we expect. Flights are postponed, turbulence occurs and  cars break down on the road. But in spite of the challenges that occur along the way, with a sense of determination we finally make it to our desired destination.

Like vacation travels, your plans to write for publication will not always go as planned. You may  plan to committ  to a certain amount of time writing every day, yet your time gets eaten up by other obligatons. You may  plan to complete a writing project by a certain date, yet you find it's still unfinished when the date rolls around. You may plan to submit something you've written to a designated market, yet the fear of rejection keeps you from moving forward. 

Like the desired vacation destination you're determined to reach during your summer  travels, don't give up on the travel plans you have made to write for publication, no matter what challenges you encounter along the way. Keep planning your writing time. Keep working on your manuscript until it's completed. Keep submitting your writings for publication. Keep traveling along the path God has laid out for you as His Christian writer, until you finally arrive at your desired destination.

Sharing the journey,

 Jeaninne

Responding to your call to write: How will you keep traveling this summer on your journey as a Christian writer untiil you reach your desired writing destination?  Post your comments on my blog. I enjoy hearing from you!

Don’t get discouraged and give up, for (you) will reap a harvest of blessings at the appropriate time. Galatians 5:7 NLT

It's graduation season and I always enjoy every graduation I attend.  Because it’s a reminder that the early morning rising for classes and the grueling late night study sessions have finally paid off. 

But I’m sure there were days when many students didn’t think they’d make it to their graduation ceremony. Days when school was difficult  and they felt like giving up on their dream of getting their degree or diploma. But since they chose to keep moving toward their goal, in spite of the challenges they encountered along the way, they are able to now walk across the stage to receive their coveted award.

Like these graduates, you  can expect to encounter challenges along the way as you seek to write for ministry. Challenges that may at times cause you to want to give up on your dream to become a Christian author. But just as the student kept working hard to to receive their degree, keep working hard toward your  writing goals.  And one day,  we’ll be attending  your graduation too!

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Questions for reflection:  What are you doing today to prepare for your graduation from writer to author? Post your comments on my blog. I enjoy hearing from you!

What’ s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram; now you will be known as Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. Genesis 17: 5, NLT

Did you know that when God changed a person’s name, it was usually to establish a new identity? According to: www.gotquestions.org/name-change.html, God changed Abram’s “high father” name to “Abraham,” “father of a multitude” (Genesis 17:5) and his wife’s name from “Sarai,” “my princess,” to “Sarah,” “mother of nations” (Genesis 17:15). God changed Jacob’s “supplanter” name to “Israel,” “having power with God” (Genesis 32:2.  He changed Simon’s “God has heard” name to “Peter,” “rock” (John 1:42).

Did you know God also wants to change your name? For after he calls you to write for ministry, he immediately begins to form a new identity within you. An identity which includes writing to share the gospel of hope and salvation found  through his son, Jesus Christ.  An identity which includes writing to inform, instruct, encourage and to help heal the hurts of mankind. 

Are you ready to embrace the new identity God wants you to have as his Christian writer? Then get ready for a name change! 

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Responding to your call to write for ministry: How are you preparing yourself today for a new identity as a Christian author? Post your comments on my blog. I enjoy hearing from you!

On a beautiful and breezy Sunday afternoon , on the 18th hole on one of the the most beautiful golf courses in the world,  Tiger Woods won his fifth Masters tournament and his 15th major title. But this was a different win for Tiger Words, for this victory was accomplished after he got back up again.

You see, Tiger Woods had fallen down. He had fallen to personal problems. He had fallen to health problems. And he had fallen to legal problems. He had even fallen to the disrespect and disdain of his colleagues and friends. But the good news is that Tiger did not allow his problems to keep him down. With a dogged determination and a heart of resilience, Tiger was able to rise back up again and win his 15th major  title.

It says so much about him. So much about his perserverance. So much about his willpower. For Tiger could have given up when he fell down to health and personal problems. He had enough championships under his belt . He had enough millions to retire and live comfortably for the rest of his life.

But Tiger wasn’t done. He still loved the game of golf and wanted to keep playing. So he did the hard work required to play again:  The back surgeries. The daily trips to the gym. The ice baths. The golf sessions. The gratitude training. Asking forgiveness from those he hurt - his wife, his mom, his children, his colleagues, his friends.

And today he stands. Holding another coveted trophy. All because he was willing to get back up again.

But Tiger isn't the only one who has fallen, because I’ve also fallen many times on my journey to write for ministry. I’ve fallen to discouragement when financial problems arose that impeded me from living out my writing calling. I’ve fallen to depression when I didn't understand why I hadn't yet achieved the success others had attained as Christian writers. I’ve fallen to procrastination when I’ve allowed other people and things to interfere with accomplishing my daily writng goals. So I'm thankful for Tiger's victory, for he reminds me that when I've fallen on my journey to write for the kingdom, I don't have to stay there. With a determined spirit, a steely focus and a continued belief in myself, I can rise back up again!

And you can too!

Sharing the journey

Jeaninne

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20

I'm fascinated by the soldiers assigned to stand guard at Buckingham Palace to protect the queen and her family. For in spite of the many distractions and other annoyances they encounter from tourists, sightseers, pests, and the weather, they never allow their distractions to deter them from their assignment to protect the queen.

Like the guards at Buckingham Palace, you have been given an important assignment - to stand guard of your writing time. For if you have been called to write for ministry, the time spent writing is work God has assigned you to do for Him. Time where you'll write to offer inspiration, information, hope, encouragement, comfort, and healing.

But watch out! For just as the guards at Buckingham Palace are bombarded with distractions to keep them from their duty to protect the queen, you'll be bombarded with distractions designed to keep you from writing. How can you overcome these distractions?

By tapping into your power within. For just as the soldier taps into the inner discipline he has acquired through his soldier training, you have an inner power given to you when you became a Christian to help you overcome any distraction you face. Need helping staying focused? Tap into your inner power? Need help saying no? Tap into your inner power? Need help finishing a writing project? Tap into your inner power.

The soldier's job is to ensure he does not disappoint the Queen by giving in to the distractions he encounters daily as he stands guard. Let's take our jobs as Christian writers just as seriously for the kingdom work we have been assigned to do and continue to stand guard of our writing time.

How are you tapping into your inner power today to stand guard of your writing time? Post your comments on my blog. I enjoy engaging with you on your writing journey!

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? James 2:14, NLT

How many times have you told yourself you are going to write the book God has placed on your heart and mind to write, but it’s still not written?

Those given the charge to write for ministry must demonstrate their calling by their actions. For example, Noah, being warned of God that he would destroy the world, acted by preparing an ark to save his family. Abraham, when told he would be the Father of a great nation, acted by packing up his belongings to move to a foreign land. And Rahab, after being told her city would be destroyed by the Israelite army, acted by gathering all of her family under her roof, and hanging a scarlet cord from a window.

Your actions as an aspiring author demonstrate your faith in what God has called you to do. So if there is a book within you God is calling you to write, seek help if needed on how to begin your writing journey. Then get moving!

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne

Responding to the call to write for ministry:  How will you show by your actions today that you really want to write for ministry? Post your comments on my blog. I enjoy hearing from you.