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No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed . . . Isaiah 54:17 ESV

What’s on your heart to be or do? What’s been tugging at you, ringing in your soul, keeping you up at night? What can’t you stop thinking about?

I can look back over my life and see times where I, by His grace, didn’t shy away from challenges or new experiences or “stepping out on faith,” as we like to say . . .

>When the opportunity presented itself for me to join my high school chorus on a European tour, I wanted to go, and with financial support, I went. I’d never flown before that trip.

>When I was inspired to start my own magazine a few years after graduating college, I did it. I was the founder of something. PRAISE!Magazine was published for seven years.

>When the Lord needed to do some “uncovering” work in me, showing me all my trifling, immature ways, I let Him. It wasn’t easy or pretty, and it continues. But I surrendered and let Him. I needed to. Had to.

>And when the vision came for the Melchee Johnson | New Day work line . . . well, let me tell you how fast I picked up that assignment. Real fast. And I didn’t question God, nor was I afraid. And here I am in it almost a year later.

What’s the point here? Many of you have stirrings and callings for serving, ministry, business and more, but are putting things off, things you know you should be doing. You’re putting off changing your mindsets and attitudes and dispositions, ways you know you should be walking in.

The excuses? My favorites:

–I am who I am, I’m not changing. Yeh, that’s true. I call it stubborn.

–I’m too busy. Yep, and distracted. Trying to be Superman or Superwoman. Get off it. You’re not.

–I like my life just the way it is. Ok then. Great. That’s being selfish. Could be helping somebody. But you’re too busy, remember? With you?

It’s really time for us to just grow up and stop all the foolishness. We need to drop the pride and settle ourselves in God and His way. Then and only then will our lives be what they’re meant to be. Our attention will be given to the right things, and we’ll answer the tug in our hearts and accept the call for the work He wants us to do. And foremost, we’ll become and live as His children. The being will be it.

What are you waiting on? What’s holding you back? If God has knocked, why haven’t you answered?

I’m a child of the Most High. I live, move, and have my being in Him. My work line, this blog, my prayers, the books I edit–it’s all to help point you in that direction, too. I’m by no means perfect at it, certainly and often missing the mark in my own walk. But I know what’s in my heart. I know Who’s in my heart.

When He invites you to a lifestyle of full-time faith, open the door. When He gives you an assignment, take it. Let all this other stuff GO. Don’t be afraid.

I double-dog dare you on all this. No, let’s make that a triple-dog dare. I triple-dog dare you to be bold enough to say yes . . .

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!