I've always adored reading. Words captivate my imagination and thoughts. Words delight me.
Frequently through the years I've journal-ed. Writing helps me process my thoughts, feelings, and reactions; helps me put things into perspective and set goals. So the cross over from journal to blog came naturally. Typing on a key pad is way easier for me than using a pen.
My blog is basically just my on line journal. Hopefully some people read it and can relate to what I'm writing about. Perhaps that helps them to not feel alone, or maybe they can be encouraged or inspired, or just find a kindred spirit (or even someone with whom to vent out some complaints).
I've enjoyed the insights and thoughts of others that I've received via comments. I'm grateful for the friends I've made. Sometimes in my daily life I find myself thinking about things people have said to me in the comments. I enjoy getting to read what others say on their blogs.
Proverbs 27:17 is one of my favorite Proverbs, and it reminds me of something that often takes place for me in the blogging world:
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
I've found that process of thinking and corresponding about a topic with others really does sharpen me.
It’s either irony or it has to be God. It could be both, but mostly I think it’s God. I hated writing papers in school. I've never journalled and yet, I feel as if I have a lot to say and teach.
I write about my introduction to blogging in my post, The Appointed Time, and I skirt around the issue on my About page. I started by writing a Christmas newsletter – no wait, before you roll your eyes, hear me out. My Boy had just been born and I wanted to have to tell the story only once. I laid it out like a magazine, and called it the New Yorker – you know, because my Boy was the new York (Andrea York, get it?) I included a section called, Listen for God’s Laughter (I still love the heading) and wrote a short testimony because I knew it was going out to a large number of unbelievers. Since it was Christmastime, I figured people are a little more open to hearing about Jesus.
I continued to write the New Yorker each year, not because I wanted to brag about my family and our latest holiday but because it was an open forum to bring the Gospel to people who don’t hear it otherwise. And a funny thing started to happen; I received positive feedback about my writing. I knew it was a God-thing because I wasn’t good at writing.
The first time I came across Habakkuk 2:2, my heart leapt and I knew God was speaking to me. He was giving me new revelation about Himself and the Word, which needed to be shared with others.
Over the years, I tried different ways to communicate. I’m creative by nature, so I experimented through scrapbooking and through other visual concepts but it didn’t feel the same as when I was simply writing – tapping the keyboard of my computer.
Fast forward to 2011 - in less than 5 days I received two prophetic words about writing books, and I knew it was time for me to write. A book seems too daunting right now, so I’m practicing with a blog. I also don’t have a real idea for a book concept, so I’m waiting on God for that too. Blogging is my way to stay obedient to the call, be consistent and to practice and hone my writing voice and style.
I’ve only been blogging for 9 weeks and I’m still in the honeymoon phase. I love it and it doesn’t feel like obedience, but rather a gift. I’m encouraged by the response I’ve received, right from the first week but I know that unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labour in vain. I’m confident God gave me the desire and the revelations to write about so I’ll be faithful and watch what He does with it.
I write posts at my own blog, Write Down the Revelation on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. If you’ve never stopped by, I’d love to see you there.
As much as I love to write, and I do, there are days I am either too busy or I procrastinate over inspiration. This is one of those times. Why do I blog? The answer is simple and yet very complex. The simple answer is I do love to write and it gives me pleasure. There are days I look at the blank whiteness of a word processing screen and almost squeal with delight. It nears the experience of a beautiful piece of Godiva chocolate about to touch my lips and my tongue. Yes, I love to write.
I have had many “words” from prophetic people about writing books. I get lots of comments about these books I am going to write from friends and strangers as well. The other day I was on a plane. My flight had been cancelled and I found myself on my way to the nation’s capital to make connections. Spying the young man I would sit next to, I thought well, he won’t be a talker. I never get talkers next to me on planes. I rather like it when someone talks. It makes the time go faster unless of course they are a wacko. He told me after an hour and half of conversation that he wasn’t a talker. He wasn’t a wacko either.
During this time we shared our lives in that odd way that people do at times with strangers. As the plane was descending into D.C., I shared the two sentence version of last week’s blog. He said, “You’re Oprah!” I laughed and said I wished I had her money. He said “YOU should write a book.” I told him I blogged. I didn’t tell him I was afraid of writing a book that wouldn’t get enough exposure to be read. Blogging is the warm up for a book.
As a kid, at Sunday night services we’d have a “testimony service.” The saints would rise to declare what God had done. Some were simple and oft repeated. “I thank the Lord for His full salvation, full and free.” Or “God has been so good, I just want to praise Him.” Others would involve a long detailed story of a miraculous event – sometimes simple like the right item being in the store when they got there or complex like a healing or a last minute miraculous provision of just the right amount money, down to the penny, for a bill. My blogging is a virtual testimony service. I share the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mostly I share about God’s grace.
The scripture talks about “overcoming by the word of their testimony.” I have a rather long complex testimony of grace. I am compelled to share it. The compulsion comes from a sense that there are other people dealing with the depths and sorrows of life that can find hope in the truth of God’s love, mercy, and grace in my testimony.
I oft complain about a lack of ministry. When I do someone will try to console me by saying,” but Joyce, your blog is touching so many people, it is your pulpit.” To that, I shrug in disbelief and skepticism. The numbers say it is read, not with overwhelming numbers, but it is read. Given to realism, I’ll reply: “Yes, but they don’t stay and read, they are just googled one of the tag lines.”
As I was looking for the inspiration to write this blog this morning, I received two comments on Sounds of Hope. They were for blogs written over a year ago. It was from a woman who had “stumbled on my blog by accident.” She was looking for images of Columbia Missouri. You can read her comment at the bottom of this blog entry. She said she’d read lots of the blog. She said she had a daughter with the same name as the one whose birth and near death chronicled on that blog entry. As she read, she found herself thanking God for my testimony. Wow… I guess it is read and touches people after all?!
My blog is how I overcome? How about you? How do you overcome?
One day I sat down at my computer; it was a fall day in 1998. To my surprise my friend Holy Spirit came powerfully upon me. For a few minutes I was completely engulfed by the presence of God. At the end I felt inspired to write about the Wedding in Cana. I began to type an email, and when I was done I sent it to about a dozen friends from church.
This week the Kingdom Bloggers are going to talk about why they blog, their motivations and the need that it fills. As Christians, God speaks to each one of us differently, and he also gives us gifts for expressing the voice within.
The story behind my blogging is far more than a good idea that popped into my mind one day. Even though God creates a destiny for us before we are knit together in our mothers womb, I wasn't aware of his plan for me to write until a Saturday morning back in January of 1998. I was attending a conference in Connecticut with some pretty well known speakers, neither of which I had ever heard of at the time.
I sat a table during a leadership breakfast, and listened to Denny Cramer minister prophetic words over leaders from the church where this conference was being held. First, I don't know how I got in the meeting, but I was invited. Second, I was here only on the recommendation of a friend; I didin't have a clue. Third, I was not a leader anywhere, nor was I participating in any ministries at my own church. And finally, I sat there and wondered what God would say to me through this man, if I even was chosen to receive a word.
Then, as I was finishing a fork full of scrambled eggs, I felt his hand on my shoulder. He began "Son there was a time"...
There was a number of important things in the word he gave me about leadership, missions and prophetic ministry. What was most intriguing was this line: "and God says you will write, write, write!"
I was skeptical, but those words burned in my spirit. I listened to the recording over and over... there was just something about it that I can't explain. I also wondered if God knew that I had failed English and reading 9 out of 12 grades? Didn't He know that I had a form of dyslexia? I thought maybe he had the wrong guy... but the words burned in my heart.
Not too many months later I began to write THAT email. A friend liked it so much that he sent me about 100 email addresses for my list. As a web designer I set up a site entitled Time After Time and people from around world signed up for my daily messages - that's right, daily. I wrote 500 eamils in less than two years time. My list was 30,000 readers from 81 countries. Some of my emails were pretty rough, but one of my readers was a journalist and taught me some basic grammar skills. My mother, an English teacher and grammarian at Yale, bought me a copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. I tried to learn.
I am still not much of a writer, but God doesn't really care about my vocabulary and grammar... He just don't!
After my divorce in 2000 I stopped writing the daily emails, and other than some teachings for our church newsletter, I didn't really write again until I started blogging in 2006. I decided to mess around with some political rants, and then one day I decided that I wanted to write a book about me and Jesus. I thought the blog would give me a way to tell some of my stories of faith. I thought that eventually I would have enough material for a book. It worked. I penned a book entitled From Darkness to Light - The life of a bumbling Christian and his God. It is out for a second round of proof reading as I type these words. I have found a great editor, and when I can come up with the $800 to pay him, I also think I have a publisher that will take me on - I think - I pray - I feel like it's in my destiny.
My blogging was a chance to write about my frustration in the church, my love of family, some funny adventures I have had, moments in life that were meaningful to me, as well as a chance to have an opinion about politics and other subjects that interest me. At this point I have written about 1000 blogs in 5 years time. I used to be pretty religious about asking God what to write about, now I just go with whatever is happening. However; far more importantly, I get to write about my life with Jesus, my testimony and honestly, when I write those blogs, I could care less if anyone reads them, they build my faith.
Since my heart trauma in April I have had a hard time feeling ambitious about much of anything... in fact I am taking on guest bloggers over at Fire & Grace to keep a steady flow of blogs. If you are interested, just let me know, and maybe you can have a slot!
