Courtney Speaks

Today I have a guest post from Tami Kellerman. Enjoy!

Many times after a move I found myself in a community with little or no support system. There I would be, alone, thousands of miles away from family and not knowing a single sole.  So, I would get out there. I would become acclimated to my surroundings, get a job, join some groups and get involved….and that is what I did with my website.

Integrating my faith into my website really was never, not part of my plan.  It is who I am and what I write about. No matter what your website may be about….there are others in the cyber world with similar interests and experience that can help guide you. Reaching out to other bloggers like myself and taking a look at how they set up their blogs, was a huge part of my process. Finding similar interests groups can be as easy as goggling your subject matter or joining a social media group.  I recommend you do both.

I already had a Facebook account so I decided to try Twitter.  I created an account and started stumbling around.  Twitter, as with almost all social media can be an amazing networking experience.  I simply started searching under Christian Authors, Christian Writers, Christian bloggers etc. The numbers are amazing and the amount of useful information being shared is staggering. An additional benefit is the amount of people you can reach with links to your blog. Without even thinking about it I had started to market myself and my writing.  Eventually, I started posting links to my blog on my Facebook account and have only increased the numbers of people that I am exposing my writing to.

Here are some other great ways to integrate your faith or blog interest on your website. An Amazon Book Store on your site that sells books that would appeal to your readers or that you have referenced in past blogs.  Having a My Playlist MP3 devise on your site that plays your favorite music,(mine plays my favorite Christian Music), A Blog roll widget that has links to favorite blogs related to your specific blog genre and/or a recommended resources widget with links to sites that provide help and information regarding your subject matter.

Staying true to why you created your blog in the first place is crucial in being successful at marketing yourself and integrating your values and beliefs.  I can’t image having my blog set up any other way and look forward to how God will use me through my writing or any other way he has planned!  It is the thrill and fear of the Unknown again!! I pray you are energized as you launch into your unknown!

Tami makes her home outside of Chicago with her husband, Michael, and their three young children.  She was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Journalism.  She received her Master’s in Public Administration from Valdosta State University.

Tami is working on her first book and enjoys blogging on her website, www.mudpiesformom.com, about how God is working in her life and the lives of those around her.  She is committed to becoming the woman God created her to be and providing inspiration to other woman on their own journeys.

I put together a little audio last night about what I think it means to be a Christian blogger.  I would love for you to take a listen and let me know your thoughts!

 

 Standard Podcast [3:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

To have a Christian blog are you required to post devotions or Bible studies?  Many people associate Christian blogs with these things but there are a lot of different topics that embrace the Christian faith that could be blogged about.

I have come up with 10 different Christian niches that could be used to create a blog without writing devotionals.  They are listed below.

1. Christian Homeschooling
2. Christian Finance
3. Christian Blogging
4. Christian Affiliate Marketing
5. Christian Crafts
6. Christian Holidays
7. Christian Parenting
8. Christian Marriage
9. Christian Product Reviews
10. Christian Modesty

The above 10 topics are topics that could be devoted to entire blog!  While these topics could certainly include devotions, they do not have to.   There are a wide range of writing styles that could be used.  For example, if you choose to create a blog about Christian Modesty, you could recommend stores to shop at, review clothing, and even include an affiliate link to make some money as well.  You could also suggest modest outfits for different type of events.

The point is that even without writing devotions everyday, you can still have a Christian based blog.  This blog of mine is another example.  I write about Biblical principals but do not always write devotionals or Bible studies.  The most important aspect of Christian blogs is that the author first the Lord first in the blog!  Everything else will happen according to His will.

P.S.  I have written a special report about starting a Christian Review Blog.  If this is a topic you have been interested in you can check it out at ChristianReviewBlog.com to find out more information.

Are you looking for some great Christian content to read?  Or do you want to help promote other Christian writers and bloggers?  Then Christian Media Zone is the place you want to be.  Christian Media Zone is new site by a good online friend of mine and is like a Digg for Christians.  You can submit links to articles and/or blog posts you think rock and also find articles other Christians have submitted as well.  You can also vote on submitted articles and indicate if you like them or not by clicking a simple up or down arrow button.

I know the site is new, but I can see great things happening over at Christian Media Zone.  So head over, sign up for an account, and submit you articles!

To be able to blog the Bible you must first know the Bible.  By blogging the Bible I mean incorporating biblical virtues and characteristics into your blog. In order to include biblical principals in your blog you must first know what those principals are and in order to know that you must read the Bible.

2 Timothy 2:15 tells us, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timonthy 2:15 explains that a person who who is studying and “rightly dividing the word of truth” should not be ashamed with his/her work.  The only person person we need approval from is God.  “Rightly dividing the word of truth” simply means sharing the Word the of God truthfully.  To do this we must study the Bible.  Our readers want the truth and it is our job to give it to them.

When we are ministering to non-Christians on our blogs it is important that we give them the truth.  Your blog may be the only chance that reader has to hear about the Lord and His love.  If you are writing about spiritual related topics without knowing what The Word of God says about that topic, you could be steering your readers down the wrong path.

The value of your blog is not the only thing that will increase by Bible study, but so will your relationship with the Lord. It’s a win-win situation.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about blogging the Bible and different ways we as Christian bloggers and business owners can incorporate the Bible and Christian characteristics in our blogs and businesses.  In the course of my research I have found that may be  some books may be about this very topic, or at least the titles would make you think so.

The first book I saw is actually titled Blogging the Bible.  Amazon does not say much about this book so I’m not sure what is about.

The second book I saw is called The Blogging Church.  According to Amazon this book “offers church leaders a field manual for using the social phenomenon of blogs to connect people and build communities in a whole new way. Inside you will find the why, what, and how of blogging in the local church. Filled with illustrative examples and practical advice, the authors answer key questions learned on the frontlines of ministry: Is blogging a tool or a toy? What problems will blogging solve? How does it benefit ministry? How do I build a great blog? and Who am I blogging for?” It sounds like a very interesting book.

Another book I found is titled Blogging for God Devotional but Amazon does not tell me anything about this book either.

Have you found any books on the topic of blogging the Bible?  If so, I would love to hear about them.

Yesterday while I was searching on Google for some Christian blog related topics I came across a post at Magnanimity about Safe & Secure Christian Blogging.  It is a great post but one sentence stood out to me:

“Christian blogging is not a place to be someone else, or create an alter ego who is some fantasy person. It IS a place to continue to be real and honest.”

Wow!  How true is that statement?  Romans 12:2 instructs us to be, “..not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

If we are trying to be someone we are not, we are conforming to “the world” and not God’s will.  God made us they way He wants us and that is what is important.  He gave us each talents to use and if we are not being true to ourselves, we may never discover those talents.  (Romans 12:6).

Besides it going against the will of God, why would you want to be someone else in blogging?  Why wouldn’t you want to be yourself?  I’m not talking about using made-up names to keep your identity safe, but creating a persona that is not you.  I’ve never done it, I’ve always been myself and pretty transparent, so I just don’t understand the appeal.  It seems like it would take a whole lot more work trying to be someone else then yourself online.

I have a video today for you!  It’s what I would call my first real vlog so it isn’t the best but hopefully I will improve with time and practice.  This video has to do with the previous post Blogging the Bible.

I am not the only Christian blogger that has trouble coming up with post ideas am I?  Today is one of  those days.  I just cannot come up with an real ideas about what to write about.  My mind has just gone blank.  This is where a list of possible blog topics would come in handy if I had actually made that list.

So today it is my goal to come up with a list of possible blog topics all about “combining faith, family, and business”, since that is the topic of my blog after all.  But how do I come up with that list.  It’s not as easy as it sounds.  Below is how I plan on accomplishing this goal:

1. Twitter – I am going to ask my Twitter friends what they would like to read about.  I follow a large number of Christian bloggers, surely they would have some ideas.  I’ll also check out the trending topics at Twitter and see if any of them would be a good fit for my blog.
2. Forums – I am going to visit some of my favorite forums and see what they are talking about.  Maybe one of the topics will be something I can expand on in a blog post.  Some of my favorite forums are Mom Masterminds, Self Starter Weekly Tips, CSAHM, Twitter Moms, and Moms United In Business.
3. Look in my Archives – I am going to see what I have blogged about in the past and see if there is anything I can update, put a new perspective on, or just revisit.
4. Visit other Christian blogs – What better way to get some blog post ideas then to see what others are blogging about.
5. Pray – This is probably the most important part of this plan.  But I am going to ask for God’s guidance.

So hopefully in the next day or two I will have a lengthy list of blog post ideas and won’t get stuck again!

What do you do when you don’t know what to blog about?

It’s a question we hear all the time but never get a real answer about.  Should we work on Sundays?  Should we do anything other than worship the Lord on Sundays?  And now, should we blog on Sundays?

First, lets see what the Bible has to say before I give you my personal opinion.

Exodus 20:8, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ”

Exodus 20:10, “But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:”

Exodus 16:30, “So the people rested on the seventh day.”

Deuteronomy 5:15, “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and [that] the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.”

Mark 2:27, “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:”

Hebrews 4:9-11, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

Now I am not a history scholar and will not even begin to get in the debate of whether the sabbath actually falls on Saturday or Sunday, but instead will focus on the meaning of the sabbath and how that applies to blogging.

Most people know that God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th.   That 7th day was the sabbath.  Sabbath (in Hebrew) simply means to rest from labor.  The point behind having a sabbath day is to have a day of rest in which we can reflect, praise, and worship the Lord thy God (Ex. 20:10). It is a day for us to remember all that He has done for us.

It is important to point out Mark 2:27, “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:“.  Sabbath was not created for God but for us.  It is meant to a blessing to us.  God want us to take time for ourselves and rest.

Now to answer the question, “Should a Christian blog on Sunday?”  Please remember this just my opinion based on my reading of the scriptures and I am sure there is more than one interpretation or opinion.  I think the answer depends on what blogging is to you.  Is it a hobby or a job?  Is it your business or just something you do for fun?

If you blog as a business then I believe that the sabbath would apply.  You would need a day of rest from work and according to the scriptures your day of rest is the sabbath.  This allows us to have time to reflect on what has been happening in our blogs and how the Lord is leading our blogs, business, and life.  It’s a chance to thank Him and praise Him for all the things He has done  for us.

For those bloggers who want to post everyday, just because you don’t actually work on your blog on Sundays doesn’t mean you can’t have new content on your site.  You can write a blog post in advance and schedule it to be published on a Sunday.

If you blog as a hobby or just for the fun of it, then blogging may be restful for you.  It may be how you relax and reflect on what has been happening in your life.  Of course this is different for every person.  What is a restful and relaxing activity for one person by not be for another.

Just remember the meaning behind the day of sabbath – it is a day of rest in which we can reflect, praise, and worship the Lord thy God.  If blogging gets in the way of this, then no you should not be blogging on Sunday.

What do you think?  Agree or disagree?  I would love to hear your opinions.