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And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

April is moving right along, and we’re now at week three of New Day’s Spring Blogger Series! Thanks for your engagement so far!

This week’s highlight is another favorite of mine for blogging tips and strategies specifically for Christian bloggers. I discovered Christa Hutchins through social media and have gained a lot of insight from her posts. I’m sharing the link to her piece, “4 Biblical Strategies to Grow Your Christian Blog,” and I hope you’ll connect with her through her website, http://doanewthing.com/, and on social media.

Christa shares why taking steps to grow and engaging with the right people are important strategies for developing and maintaining a Christian blog. Read the full post here, http://doanewthing.com/biblical-strategies-christian-blog/, and follow Christa for inspiration and more resources for aiding your ministry!

One more week to go in the Spring Blogger Series!

Study, train, to show yourself approved… 2 Timothy 2:15

Welcome to week two of my Spring Blogger Series here on New Day! Hope this helps my fellow faith bloggers and writers in carrying out the call to share God’s love through words.

Last week I shared reasons why I write, and this week I’m sharing tools and resources I use or have used to write. Let’s start:

COMPEL training and She Speaks, products of Proverbs 31 Ministries. When God gave P31 President Lysa Terkeurst the vision for COMPEL, He gave her one of the best tools a Christian writer could have, in my opinion. I’ve written about COMPEL plenty of times before as it’s probably my favorite and most useful resource for me as a writer. I enjoy all the teachings, coaching podcasts, advice from writers who’ve been there and done that, and connecting with so many other bloggers who share in this passion. An extension of COMPEL is the annual She Speaks conference, normally held each summer and targeted to seasoned and aspiring Christian writers. I’ve only attended once (read about it here), but man, it was truly awesome. It’s worth the investment.

Arabah Joy. If you’ve not discovered Arabah, read about her ministry here, but check out her Resources for Bloggers page. It’s a good list of courses, consulting packages, and other tools for getting your blogging journey underway. http://arabahjoy.com/resources-for-bloggers/

Social media. For me, Twitter and Instagram are my favorites for sharing my blog posts and connecting with other writers. Social media is a good way generally to discover other writers and learn of trends and best practices. Search hashtags and see what’s being posted about your particular theme or niche, and learn from others to grow your own space. On Instagram, my favorite account to follow for general blogging tips is The Blog Market (@theblogmarket). On Twitter, I enjoy Jeff Goins (@JeffGoins), Christa Hutchins/Do A New Thing (@mckdbooks), and Ashley Brooks (@BrooksEditorial).

Bible, dictionary, grammar guides, etc. You know, you can’t be a good writer without knowing grammar basics. And you can’t call yourself a Christian writer if you never have the Bible open to study it, know it, and then be able to share from it. Honor your gift by training and preparing and you won’t cheat yourself or your readers out of a good product.

There are countless other tools out there for aiding your writing ministry and growth. Develop your skills and keep at it – let’s give God our best!

Thanks for reading, and thanks for sharing your favorites in the comments or through social media. Links to my accounts are at the top of the page!

Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught…Colossians‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Life is feelin’ pretty darn good to me right now! I’m thankful for how God is dealing with me – growing me, establishing me, and settling me into me, His version. Every day I’m learning how to show up in life – in my work, relationships, and in my faith. I’m liking that and am appreciating it as I head to 45 (!) in just a couple of weeks, God willing.

Showing up in work and service calls for striving for excellence. Showing up in relationships means treating people how you want to be treated. And in faith it means giving God all you’ve got, and that’s YOU!

In this next chapter of life, I embrace the courage, grace, and freedom given to show up every day. I hope you’re inspired to do the same. DARE to show up in YOUR life!