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What’s Your End Game in Blogging?

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blogging

I did it. I took the plunge this summer and did the unthinkable in the blog world.

I STOPPED. I took a summer break, and only posted on contributor sites that I had committed to.

But my own space fell silent. Why? For a girl since her first grade journal that has always had “too much to say”, I felt somewhat overwhelmed by all of the noise online, the constant rat race of keeping with blogging tips and tricks, and what I felt like was “supposed to be said” and what blogging goals were “supposed to be met”.

And out of all of that confusion, the one thing that kept rolling around in my mind was this:

What’s your end game in blogging? What is the ultimate goal you hope to accomplish with this?

I have been blogging for six years, which in blogland is pretty much rights to earn an AARP card or a senior coffee at McDonald’s. While I am mostly an unknown in the online world, six years is a LONG time to commit to something without really knowing what your end game, or ultimate goal, may be.

For some it is selling a beautiful product, making extra income for your family, driving toward a book deal, or just getting the words out there for other people to read. Those are awesome end games. But there was still something missing for me.

But one day this summer, while my blog lay dormant and I sat on a porch chair, just rocking away, watching the kids play in the tall grass and yelling at the crows that are bent on feasting on our garden (told you I was like an old woman in a thirty-something’s body..) it hit me:

The goal? The END GAME for ALL bloggers and writers that are believers is the same:

THE GOSPEL. The goal is the GOSPEL.

The goal is the gospel if you are a writer, a doctor, a mother, a baker, a janitor, a soccer coach,  a chef.

The goal is the gospel if you are a missionary, a visionary, a secretary. A college student, a babysitter, a waitress. A cop, a firefighter, a construction worker.

For those who believe in the cause of Christ? The goal is the gospel.

We can write beautiful words all day long. We can share pinnable images, have posts go wild online because people see themselves in them, or sell a billion copies of an amazing book. And nothing is wrong with that. But if our ultimate “end game”, our ultimate goal is to make much of us and not much of Christ, than we have missed the entire point:

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.  Galatians 1:10

My end game is the gospel. Finally, after six years, things are starting to make sense. And if you are reading this and not a believer? Let’s sit on those porch chairs and talk. I would love to share that end game with you.

The Beauty of a Blogging Break

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Last week I committed the cardinal sin of a blogger who posts regularly about motherhood, bad recipes, and funny things she sees on the internet—I took a blogging break. There. I said it. And now that I have outed myself, I want to encourage you to do the same. There is a unique beauty that comes in silence, a rest that sometimes can only be achieved when we are truly intentional about taking a break from a passion that we hold dear. Here are a few ideas if you plan to take a sabbatical from your online space:

1.) Inform Your Readers.

If you plan to take a blogging break, whether it be a few days, a week, or a month or two, be sure to let your readers know! I took a week long blogging break a few years ago without announcing it on my blog, and by Wednesday I had a friend calling from out of state to see if I was okay. Consistent blogging gives your readership something to look forward to, so be sure to let them know you are taking a break from your space, and let them know when you are returning! They will miss you. Here’s what I did last week during my writing time off.

2.) Keep Them Interested.

So, you’ve told your readership that you will be back in a week, but how do you keep pageviews coming in without your stats flatlining? Social media schedulers, like HootSuite, are your best friend, ma’am. Schedule some of your favorite posts to share on your facebook and twitter in advance for each day you plan to be absent from your blog. Chances are, some of your new followers have yet to see this older content and your veteran readers will appreciate some of their favorites popping up on their news feeds.

Also, post pics on Instagram of your kiddos racing in the yard, the progress in your garden, scripture you read this morning, or the dogwoods blooming downtown. You are still giving your friends and family little glimpses into your week without going into a 500 word blog post.

3.) Enjoy the Break.

Take the time you would use normally for writing to absorb a favorite book, sleep a few minutes later, or curl up and watch season 5 of Friends on DVD with your favorite afghan and a large bowl of ice cream. You are taking a break for a reason–to refresh and replenish. How is the Lord speaking to you this week? What inspiration have you gathered that you can share with your readers next week? Enjoy your time with no regrets. Use this time to clear your mind and develop of renewed sense of direction and purpose for your online space. Kick up your feet and enjoy the break!

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Do you have any tips for taking a break from blogging? What have you learned from your sabbaticals?

 

 

Blogging with Kids: A How-To Guide

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Ahhh yes. Blogging with Kids. It is kind of like Married with Children except there are no side ponytails and reckless cursing (hopefully!) and you are not married to your blog. But even in this season with young children, you CAN find the time to write and write effectively. Here are a few tips to get you off the ground (or that pile of matchbox cars you just fell in):

1.) Seize the Moment

One of my favorite quotes from Kat Lee, mom blog encourager extraordinaire from blogs such as Inspired to Action and How They Blog, is this: “Steal the hours in the day that no one in your family wants“. In other words, write when they are sleeping. Or napping. Or at grandmas. Take the hours in the day that are devoted to you and your children and do just that: SPEND TIME WITH THEM. But when it is 5am and it is quiet in the house? Steal those hours and seize the moments. Write with that warm cup of coffee and watch the sunrise. Write in carpool lines or  a few minutes on your lunch break. Take advantage of that time right after you give those good night kisses and close the door. Maybe you are a nursing mama? Write in your head. If you are anything like me, I carry around stories in my mind all the time.  Even if your child is an early riser, simply taking advantage of the snippets of time we are given can produce beautiful works of art!

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2.) Write Fast

One of the many fantastic sessions from Allume 2012 was Tricia Goyer’s Balancing Blogging and Children. Having children does limit that writing time (hence seizing the moment above!) but she suggests learning to WRITE FAST. Sit down, produce the work. Sometimes I have to mull over exactly how to say what needs to be said, but when I have a focused time and sit down to write? Many times that helps me to write something. Just something. Just being able to get my heart on paper helps. I tend to carry a pack of 3×5 index cards with me, just to scribble down notes in case I forget them. This works well when we are out at the park, mall play area, even a museum. I don’t want to be hooked to a device when I am around my children. A simple pencil and paper approach gets the thoughts saved in an old-school manner, and you have a mini-outline when you are in “write fast” mode. Or take a simple picture for inspiration!

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3.) Involve Them!

I wrote a post for Allume last year entitled “Let Them See You Write” . Sometimes we get nervous that our passions and our interests will take away or negate our season of caring for children. I say involve them! Let them see that writing is a tool to share God’s love with the world. Ask them for writing ideas. Use their funny sayings and sweet sentiments as inspiration. Even if you are a blogger who chooses not to include pictures of your children or their real names, you can still share your works with them, show their tiny hands playing in the mud, whatever inspires you! Involving my children in my writing, just as my grandfather involved me as a little girl, has been a blessing and a practice I will continue well into their teenage and adult years.

 

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 Blogging with kids can be an adventure–but you are recording memories that generations upon generations can read, and being your very own family’s historian. Also of note? As soon as I finished this post, my youngest had a major “potty accident”. Got these 600 words in, just in the nick of time!

Meeting God in the Airport

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airplane

Once upon a time, there was a girl headed to a conference. She nervously packed her bags, checked her hair, and prepared herself for an early morning flight. Her breath was taken away by the cool, rarely met, early morning breeze as she rolled her slightly beaten suitcase along the cracked concrete to take her number and find her gate.

But–she is not the only one. There, as she slowly sinks into the slick, black leather chair only to wait, are people–others that are prepared to take the same flight. Others with the same destination, same flight number on the same day. She has placed herself at odds that happen in these rare moments, divine encounters with strangers that will most likely never again happen during her time here on earth.

A two hour layover is plenty of time to grab a searing hot cup of coffee, read a few “how to” ebooks on blogging, and look cute while doing it, right?

But.

She has a two hour layover.

Two hours.

Two hours to help encourage a mom who just lost her child. To thank a veteran for his service to our country. To relive along with a pilot his shaking, near experience with the September 11th attacks.

You may have a few hours or a few minutes to share love, peace, and ultimately the gospel message with these wayward travelers who, just like you, are all headed somewhere.

You may have only a brief moment to connect with the stranger crammed next to you who orders peanuts instead of pretzels and is obsessed with playing Candy Crush on their smart phone.

That ticket, that purchase you made so long ago that covers all your meals and provides access to fabulous speakers is really just a way to get you out of your comfort zone. No, not necessarily once you arrive and wonder if you are wearing too much makeup or smell like old laundry. This time, this moment, this opportunity will never happen again.

Meet God in the airport. He is there with earphones, He is there huddled up with a soft blanket and silent tears. He is there, cradling the screaming infant amidst eye rolls from fellow passengers. He is there when you, when they feel alone.

It is not always about the destination. It is about all of those stops in between.

Let Them See You Write

By

allumewriting2

As mothers, it is so important to share with our children our dreams, passions, and talents. If you sing in the church choir, are part of a softball league, or lead storytime at the local library, would you take your children with you? Of course you would! So why is writing any different? So often we feel guilty for pulling out our laptops in front of our kids. Let’s change the reason why–show them what you are putting out for the world to see in black and white. Make your words real for them. Here are a few great reasons why:

1. It carries on a legacy.

When I was a little girl, I stayed at my grandfather’s feet as he pounded out his heart on that old word processor amidst the soft anthems of show tunes and classical music. He would bring out family, honest faith, and any and all things Southern onto those crisp pieces of paper. When he would complete his latest work, we would glide down the hill to the newspaper office to submit his weekly column to our hometown newspaper, the LaFollette Press. People would see him out and about and approach him like he was a celebrity. Why? He was just a small town man. But his words meant something to someone. And sometimes words are all we have. Now, thanks to his legacy, those passions instilled in me at such a young age are coming to fruition. I now write a column for the same paper. And when the children and I drive down that same, familiar road to pick up our copy on Thursdays, they beg me to read it to them before we ever leave the parking lot.

You are your family’s historian! May we continue to tell the tales that bind hearts and encourage souls.

2. It inspires greatness. 

A few weeks ago, the children and I set up a lemonade stand to help the victims of tornadoes in Oklahoma through our “50 State Prayer Project”.  Once we returned from our sales and I sat down to share our story, I invited our oldest child to sit with me and shared with her my blog for the first time. I explained to her the heart behind it, how the Lord fuels the words, and how it is named after her. A few hours later, I found her writing feverishly on 3×5 index cards. When I inquired of her latest project, she explained that she was “working on her website, and it is all about pictures, art, and keeping your house clean”. She wants to inspire greatness in others, even with crayons and paper. We have also been journaling back and forth, where I will ask a simple question in her journal at night, leave the journal in front of her bedroom door, and she responds in the morning with her “answer”. These are dreams we are recording on a daily basis!

May we all have record of where we are going and where we are from. Sharing our hearts can be the greatest of gifts.

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3. It is a cure for writer’s block.

I went through a period of time earlier this year when I struggled with writer’s block terribly. I felt my column submissions were dry and boring at best, and my blog was less than inspiring. In a moment of desperation, I asked my children one morning (after five cups of coffee and several handfuls of chocolate chips..) what people would love to read about in the paper that week. They gave me enough ideas for the next three weeks of columns. It has become so commonplace for me to ask now that a few weeks ago, when we were heading for the splash park, my son declared that he was wearing a “naked shirt” when he was shirtless. We all laughed and my daughter said, “Mommy? You should write about that!” What was next week’s column about? Yes. THE NAKED SHIRT. Not sure how those old men at Hardee’s enjoyed that particular article, but it was a great idea from my five year old, so I went with it.

Children see the world differently than we do. Explore their thoughts; they may have something in mind we would have completely missed if we had failed to ask!

Friend, you are a WRITER. This is a big deal! Who are we without words to explain our very being? And sharing these words with the next generation instills in their hearts and minds what you love doing most and reminds us of the past and allows us to smile at the future. Your life, your family; we all have something to share.  Gather around, kids. We have a story to write.

Even Superheroes Start Out Small

By

titusbatman

 

Dear little boy who stands in the hall

With a Batman mask and a Southern drawl.

You want to save the world, one cricket at a time

But only if you have your paci by your side.

You try to be brave, you reach and it leaps,

You trip and you fall.

It’s okay, sweet child.

For even superheroes start out small.

***

Your brother is waiting, watching cars fly by,

For the perfect moment to ask me why

“If God is a superhero, then why do bad guys win

Why do terrible things happen, why do people sin?”

What can he do, as a little boy, but close his eyes and pray

What power does he have, to keep satan away?

Long ago, life was perfect, but then there was the fall.

Even superheroes start out small.

***

Or maybe it is sister, who laces up her shoes

Who glances around nervously to see whom she will choose

To play with at the park that day, if even the chance, what will she say?

She is nervous to share God’s love with the world.

“Mommy, I am still only a little girl.

What I say can barely be heard,

From tiny whispers to ignored words”.

No, my dear. Hold your head high.

For what you say today could affect someone for life.

For it is not by our own power or might that makes us stand tall.

For even superheroes start out small.

***

Or maybe it is you, mother, I hear your cry.

You stand by the sink, rinsing sippy cups and wiping your eyes.

You are overwhelmed by life, you thought this would be easy

This calling they call motherhood, this life that should flow naturally.

But when cries from nightmares and so-called spiders keep you up half the night,

And you realize the smell of peanut butter is now your kryptonite.

You traded in your Batmobile for third row seating,

And you wish you could read minds to know exactly what your husband is thinking.

***

Mother, you are a superhero, and yes, you are starting out small.

Beginning in a role in which we have no experience at all.

For the very life and breath that children bring to our hearts,

Is where those superpowers began to start.

We grow wings to fly, we see life through a different lens,

We are able to change diapers, wipe noses, and train to count by tens.

***

When the world around you mocks the seemingly small life in which you lead,

You are training future leaders, raising a generation, showing them what they need.

For the Lord grants us power and wisdom, if only we ask,

So, I challenge you, fellow mother, take off your mask.

Show the world that what you do is divine,

That our strength comes from above, that true power we can find.

Our cape may be a faded sweatshirt,

Our weaponry a shrill, ear piercing call.

Mothers, when everything around you is about to fall,

Remember: even superheroes start out small.

norris6

 

 

 

Blogger Beware: Keeping your Family Safe in the Online World

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As the wife of a detective/police officer, we have dealt firsthand over the years with safety concerns, both on my online space and my front doorstep. Deciding what to post online, both in the social media and blogging realms, can be a slippery slope. Here are a few guidelines to help you determine what to share with the world:

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Location is Everything

Many people “check in” on facebook or twitter, revealing their current location, whether it be a park, restaurant, or picking their child up from school. This is dangerous in a thousand ways. If you are playing at the park, your husband is at work, and the internet world is aware, then they also know that your home is empty, leaving a prime opportunity for a break in.

Another online danger is sharing on social media or your blog when you or your husband will be out of town. When I went to the Allume conference last year, I blogged for weeks about attending and how excited I was. My husband dropped me off at a hotel room the night before my early morning flight, taking my vehicle back home. While I was away, a burglary case my husband had been working on broke. The thieves confessed to a break in of a home, closing his case. They also confessed to something else: casing our home for a break in while I was gone that weekend. They described our home to my husband, including each vehicle we had in our driveway and revealed what time they were watching our home.  If my husband had not solved the case when he did, we could have been the next victims.

On the other side of the coin, do not reveal that you are home alone with your children while your husband is away. Tweets such as “I sure miss my husband! Can’t wait to see him on Friday!” is a huge indicator that you and your children will be home alone this week. We had a separate incident where a man called after midnight, angry, and threatened our family. He knew that my husband had been called out a few hours prior, and that he was back home.  He knew where we lived and knew when we had left that day and what time we had returned. Needless to say, our second shift officer friends spent a large amount of patrol time on our street that night.

Remember, location is everything. So, keep your current location as private as possible!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Deciding what photos to post online is key to your family’s safety. Never post pictures of the front of your home, your house number on your mailbox, and crop out the license plate number of any vehicles in your family photos. I have plenty of pictures on my blog of the inside of my home–but they are never of points of entry or of any valuables we may have. I know many mothers that do not feel comfortable posting pictures of their children online. When I started my blog in 2008, I named it after my daughter and it was basically about her. Then two boys later, we are still posting heavily about them. I figured being from a small town, everyone already knew who they were regardless. Would I change that if I started a blog today? Not sure. Times are always changing.

If you are uneasy about your children’s faces being online, be sure to check your social media privacy settings and always ask permission of other mom friends before posting pictures of their children online, either on your blog or social media. I have found this to be good practice with birthday party photos, and the mothers very much appreciate it!

In addition to photos, simply the basic info on your blog needs to be in check. Do not list your home address, cell phone number, or any other type of work contact that is easily accessible for readers.

Blog At Least a Week Behind

When it comes to vacation photos, date nights, birthday parties, camping trips, and the like, I am always at least a week behind blogging them. This is purposeful. I love sharing our family adventures, but only when we have returned home and settled, and never from the actual vacation site. Again, if people know that you are having an amazing trip overseas, they also know there is a good chance you are not home (Unless you have a friend house sit, which we have done in the past).

Just remember: what you post on the internet is there forever. Sharing your heart online can be the most humbling and rewarding experience. Your blog is a controlled creature; carefully selecting your content is a safe way to share your story online.

When You Need to Come Up for Air

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There was a time when I almost drowned. 

It was a searing hot Southern summer afternoon, I was at a public pool in town with a group of friends from church. Each of my friends were in line at the diving board, ready to show off their most impressive leaps and dives. Springing from the board to the clear sky above, time would almost pause as they slowly floated through the air, only to plummet through the calm, chlorinated waters below at the enjoyment of the other swimmers splashing and swirling in the depths of blue.

It was my turn. I did not want to admit I could not swim. I was almost ten years old when I had the guts to remove the training wheels off of my bike. Swimming seemed easy enough. I would just float back to the top, right?

I grabbed the cool, metal handles anchored next to the diving board, with legs shaking, stood at the edge. I glanced over at the blistering concrete where my wet footprints were quickly fading, and the line that was quickly forming behind me of anxious swimmers ready to enjoy diving once again.

I smiled, waved to my friends already in the water, and leaped from the board.

 brave little diver

I crashed through the water and began to sink to the bottom. I suddenly realized this was not the shallow end. My feet were not going to touch the bottom. I glanced around, and all I could see were a sea of feet and abandoned goggles. The pressure on my ears was a force, and my lungs were so tight I thought they may explode. I thrashed and kicked violently until my body surfaced. I waved and gasped for air as the sun beamed into my terrified eyes. The deep water pulled me in once again.

I was drowning and no one even knew. 

But there was one. One who noticed. Amidst the laughing, screaming, and music blaring from the poolside boombox, a girl realized I was not okay. She, unlike myself, was an excellent swimmer and began to wade toward me at lightning speed. To keep myself from panicking, I fixed my eyes on her as she came to rescue me. She pulled me to the side of the pool, as I coughed and gasped for air.

But that was not the first time I almost drowned. Sometimes we are drowning and we are not even in the water. 

The weight, the pressure, the feeling of alone. The panic of not knowing what will happen next.  It all is bearing down on you. And you think no one notices. Whom will save you? Whom will help?

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” {Matthew 8:23-26}

No matter your season in life, through wind, waves, and diving boards, there is One who notices. One who is there to help. Why are we so afraid? As you come up for air, take a deep breath and allow faith to fill your lungs.

I think I’d better learn to swim, however. But at least I have graduated to a ten speed bike. 

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