When You Write

By Kristen

When you write what the Spirit whispers, all the hosts in the heavenlies bend to listen and adore to the praises of their King. On coal-burnished lips they whisper holy over the soft sound of beating wings. The word echoes through eternity in unending repetition, holy, holy, holy.

But in the shadows where the light has cut the line and fenced the darkness, the hosts of hell take up arms. It is not their habit to let a battle-cry go unanswered, and you have raised the colors of an enemy King when you wrote His words.

This is war, whether you realize it or not. The battle rages in highest heaven and deepest earth and you have been uniquely equipped for a place in the battle by the power of your pen. It is a pen that shreds the veil and open eyes because they are not your words, they are His, and His words have the power to ruin and restore with a single thrust.

Do you take that task lightly? It is no light task to listen to what the Spirit whispers and to write “Thus sayeth the Lord.” When you write those words, eyes are opened and swords are drawn.

God’s Word is powerful. Effective. Game-changing. It is no less powerful in the hands of little-known writers or back-woods pastors.

And that is the truth that makes the underlings rise when you dare to lift your pen. Because oh, if you realize how sharp is your sword and how mighty is He who is on your side, their ruin would be sure.

Their ruin is sure.

So they respond with the coarse whispers of those who must crawl on their bellies and grovel at the gates of the Kingdom. They must speak in lies and half-truths because there is no truth in them, and no love. Where there is no love there is only fear, so it is with fearful words they speak.

You must not listen.

But then, you will not hear them, not with your ears. You will feel it with your heart and with your emotions and even with your will. And if you listen, those lies will work their fear into you and fell you. They will keep you on the ground when God has called you to arm yourself.

They will keep you from your sword.

You have been there, perhaps more often than you wish. You have been crushed by something you cannot see. But it is no less real.

When you cannot get up, when you cannot write more, it is because deep inside, you heard the cadence of lying tongues and in your weakness, you believed it, and they won.

Listen, Writer, from your place on the ground and know this: the power they hold over you is nothing like the power that lifts you up.

That is what they fear, those demons who lurk in the shadows, working the truth over forked tongues and causing you to believe you are nothing more than a writer with a word. They fear that one day, you will come to understand the truth of your calling.

You are a writer with The Word.

You are armed with a sword that always hits its mark. It has never returned to its sheath in shame, and it never will. When you pen truth, you thrust that sword right into the den of the liars.

They will claw and fight when they find you there, and you will feel the blows.

But this is not the time to shrink back. You must get back up. Secure your armor, take up your pen, and write.

–Yours in the fight,

Kristen

Five Thoughts from a Blog Designer

By Andrea

As a designer, I have a myriad of blogs that come across my desk every day. Design blogs, blogs I’m building, friends, writers, ideas, concepts, you name it. Over the course of a year, I talk to lots and lots of fellow bloggers, thinkers, entrepreneurs, moms, sisters, friends who want to talk dreams. Plans. Goals.

So here’s my 5 thoughts for you, fellow bloggers, writers, seekers of truth and beauty, and miners of the diamonds amidst all the coal. These are what I would tell you if I could over coffee or peanut butter on toast with blueberries, which is my absolute favorite, but I digress…

1. Your blog is an extension of you, but does not, and should not run your life. It’s really easy in this blogging world to get swallowed whole by the screen that you sit at every day. I’ve found myself taking out my iPhone, snapping a photo only to think, “I should blog about this later.” I’m sure you all know this feeling. Your readers, your friends, your family, don’t want your blog to run your life. TRUST ME. The best and most authentic posts and content come from people who are living rich lives, learning from mistakes and getting into the grit of the world they live in. This might mean you take some time off and that’s ok. I’m sure I’m going against all “How to get one million followers in one day” suggestions, but you don’t need to keep constant content. Keep GOOD content.

2. Uncluttered design is better for your reader. I come across a lot of designs that are full. Busy. Links and arrows, directions, options, ads and you name it. I love seeing so many exciting things going on for so many bloggers. But if people are coming to your site to read, make it easy to read. When it comes to the design, remember that there are three main areas your readers are looking — who you are, where to connect with you and what you’re offering. Keep it simple and cohesive. Too many colors, images, fonts, etc, will make it harder for your community to engage completely in what YOU are saying. Try to imagine your blog and website as another room in your home. Declutter it. Dust it. Refresh it. Give people beautiful things to look at, but not too much to distract them from why they’re really there — to see YOU. Whether you’re writing about parenting, home decor, organizing, the Gospel, whatever it might be… keep the main thing the main thing.

3. Don’t try to be someone else. We all know that there are some amazing writers and creators out there. So. much. good. stuff. But if we all tried to be like them, this world would implode really fast. As Dr. Seuss said: “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Own who that person is. Maybe it takes some introspection. Don’t be afraid to routinely ask yourself — Why am I writing? What is my story? What do I have to give? What is my voice?

4. Smaller can be better. Your audience is not a direct reflection on your content. In the business realm, it might be beneficial to keep an eye on stats, but sometimes it can destroy a personal passion. If you are PASSIONATE about something, then don’t let small numbers deter you. Your passion should not fly or fall based on the attention of others. We wouldn’t tell our children that they are less beautiful or handsome based on how many people tell them this, would we? And if you are trying to grow numbers, remember to stay authentic and press on. Hard growth doesn’t mean it’s bad. It could mean that you are just growing deeper roots.

5. Moodboard your life. With all the designs I do, I start with a moodboard. This is a collection of images, colors, typefaces, concepts to help myself and the client work from the same idea. We are both looking at the same collection of items regularly to make sure we’re not splitting too far from the concept. You can do this on your own for your own life and blog, and you should. Start collecting images, photos, prints, clips of things that inspire you. Maybe it’s a magazine ad. Maybe an old photo. Maybe it’s a quote in a book or a blogger who said something that went to your heart. Collect all of these things and put them somewhere where you’ll see them every time you write. Remember who you are and why you’re there.

(If you create one of these or already have one, link up here and share!)

I am thankful for all of your stories, voices, tips, bravery and passion.

Shine bright. 🙂

What Are You Building?

By Erika Dawson

Photo Credit: John Donges

Building a blog. Building a platform. Building a following.
In this blogging world, we read about building all the time, don’t we?

With each word and thought and post and comment,
each interaction, each tweet, each mention and share, we are building.

But what are we building?

I have wrestled with this question every time the idea of platform building is brought up, and I shrink back. The reality of Genesis 11 hits me with full force, and I wonder if my mind equates building my platform to building my tower of Babel.

“They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ … Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves…’ (Genesis 11:3-4).

A name for ourselves.

The barb of those words pierces me through.

That old slave of seeking approval and perfection and wanting to be accepted and liked and seen rears its ugly head, and I must flee!

The temptation to stack those bricks to make a name for myself can whisper loud at times, but may it never be! I don’t want to build with bricks. I am not called to build with bricks. I am called to be a living stone.

Living stones don’t build towers; they become altars.

And those altars are beautiful because on them we pour out, lay down, give away, that our lives might become a living sacrifice.

Less of me; more of Him.

Sweet sister, can’t you already feel the freedom in that?

Even in this competitive world of blogging,
even in the desire to get noticed,

we can put off envy and division. Selfish ambition has no place. We can let go of vain striving and fierce competition. As we become that altar and pour ourselves out for His name, following His lead, we find the purpose and fullness and hope He has for us.

Bricks are made by man, but stones are created by God. I am not the builder, He is.

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:1-2 NLT).

What endless toil there is in laboring over a plan that is not God’s.

Solomon knew this well when he penned Psalm 127, one of the very few Psalms written by him. One well acquainted with meaningless striving (Ecclesiastes 1), Solomon recognized that all the effort and time and work spent on anything that God does not build is wasted effort. It is pointless. Futile. Meaningless.

It is just bricks.

“Imagine pouring your daily efforts into something completely meaningless. None of us wants our work to be in vain…The question we need answered is whether or not God is in our labor and indeed initiated it as His own building project” (Beth Moore, Stepping Up).

Are we spending ourselves on making bricks? Are our blogs just another way to build a name for our selves, or are we surrendering selfish ambition, following Christ’s lead, living lives marked by spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God so that we might be living stones?

We are not to build up for ourselves but pour out for Him.

We aren’t called to build, but to be.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

“I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him” (Romans 1:1-2 MSG).

Oh Sisters, may it be that our words, our blogs, our very lives follow God’s lead and be all about making much of Him!

“Not to us O Lord, not to us, but to YOUR name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).

Soli Deo Gloria!

Erika

erikadawson.com

because the milk will probably spill

By Lara

Yes. The milk will spill. And it will probably be chocolate. And it will probably spill on the floor you just mopped for the first time all month.

Not only that, the kids will run through the house with muddy boots. The dog will eat your still-warm, from-scratch cookies off the counter. The toilet will overflow because someone tried to flush a Lego creation. And the computer will crash just before you save that 800-word blog post — the one in which you poured out your heart with deep vulnerability.

I’m just here to encourage you.

Seriously, though. These are the things that can get to me. In fact, it’s often the little daily annoyances that bring out the me that I can’t stand. The one that I hope no one else sees or hears or remembers. Because she can be jacked. up.

So in recent years I’ve asked for wisdom for those kinds of moments. Because they’re gonna happen. And I really don’t want to hurt anyone. Literally.

The only solution that seems to work sounds so churchy. But it really helps me keep perspective, especially when the container of 5000 plastic beads gets poured across the kitchen and you’re still stepping on them eight days later.

Pause. Breathe. Pray.

I told you it sounded churchy. But it’s just true. The spilled milk won’t matter in ten years, but the hearts of those who spill it will. When I pause, breathe, and pray, it changes my perspective.

I may say something profound like, “Lord. God. Help me not hurt someone.” Or I may go deeper, “Father, it’s just milk. Give me your perspective. I want to reflect You and Your grace, even now. Show me what to do.”

God loves it when we simply turn to Him. He’s knows we’re dust. He knows we’re going to lose it at times. He remembers our humanity. And He just loves it when we turn to Him.

We won’t do it perfectly. We’ll still totally overreact at times — especially during heightened hormonal seasons. Can I get a witness? But even when we completely fail, He’s still grace. He still lavishes grace.

So if…when…the chocolate milk spills today, I’m asking Him to remind us to pause, breathe, and pray. We’re such a needy people.

What do you do to keep perspective when those daily annoyances arise?

Looking forward,
Lara
ToOverflowing.com

Being with God–Maybe It’s Not About Doing That Thing

By Jennifer

I hug my knees against my chest, boots plunged into February sand, watching foamy waves crash onto Northern California shore. Two hundred other women join me, scattered across this quiet stretch of beach—sitting on dunes, dipping bare toes in cold water, or treading over dirt paths. The rustic retreat center is a mile away but otherwise, for this group of women, seemingly off the map. The retreat speaker invited us to spend an hour of meditation, with God. From the moment the speaker’s talk ended and for the next hour, we need to be silent—any temptation to speak reserved for communication, in our hearts, with the Father.

This is the first time I’ve considered being quiet with God, and I have never had anyone share with me that God could talk to them, that He uses our hearts to communicate with us. I had been used to praying to Him, reading the Bible and being in awe of the way God spoke to the hearts of people in the Bible. I am trying to imagine the possibility of God speaking to me, too.

White seagulls squawked and crested surging waves. I open the journal I grabbed from my bedside table at home, the one I took on our first mission trip, to Ethiopia, two years before and hadn’t opened since. Where do I begin? How does one have a conversation with God?

I read what I had scrawled out in my journal during that trip, remembering His faithfulness, His clearing the path for my husband and me to go. I want to feel His closeness now. I want to discern His words in me, His voice bringing peace, but I don’t know how to begin the conversation. So I watch the waves and then scribble down a prayer:

“Father, draw me to you. I remember how you were with us, so near, while in Ethiopia, and I miss you now. Are you here, too? What do you want me to do?” And He tells me, one of the first whispers in my heart I recognize as His, “Be. Just be, and then I will take you where you want to go.”

Previously, my relationship with God was one of convenience—me asking Him for help. So, His response—“Just be”—was something brand new and unfamiliar. I was used to striving, reaching for God—as if His life in me was something I could attain so I could be a better person. His speaking to me on the beach, whispering directly to my heart, took my breath away because it revealed that He was already here.

We are each desperate to be loved for who we already are, this very moment, not for who we believe we need to strive to be. “Just be” answers the cries of our hearts, the prayer that underlies each attempt we make to try to be more than the girl our Father has already created. Who we are, right now, with Him, is more amazing and beautiful than we can even imagine.

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

Let me tell you something girls . . . I’ve have had to learn this truth the hard way—that God’s presence is not something for us to attain, but, rather, receive. Striving to be in control was the only life I knew how to live, for so long. And it prevented me from realizing that listening to His voice within me, and heeding it, was the only path to the freedom and joy that I truly craved. Is this the case for you, too?

I would love to know your thoughts about God whispering to you, and how we might pray for each other as we surrender and let ourselves be with Him, rather than trying to chase Him down by earning His approval.

Listening with you now,

A Prayer for You

By Kristin

My heart overflows for you today sweet Allume community. Would you allow me to pray for you and sow a seed into your blogging and ministry?

Heavenly Father,

I pray for the precious woman reading this right now. I thank you that nothing surprises you and wherever she is in her blogging journey that you are pleased with her and love her fully right here. Would you allow her to rest in You right now? That you have her in this place and this online space for a reason.

Thank you Father, that this woman, this molder of words, is fearfully and wonderfully made. I praise you that you have great plans to prosper her. Thank you that you know her every thought and that you delight in the details of her life.

I ask that You would help her to know and understand more clearly the amazing depths of your love for her that she may live a life of confidence in You and the things you have called her to. Holy Spirit, would you speak to her right now about who You are and who she is in You? Reveal any lies she has believed about who she is and flood her heart with the truth of how you see her.

I ask that you would provide for her in every way. Grant her unusual wisdom, abundantly clear direction and great vision. Protect her and her family as she walks in this calling and takes back territory that the enemy has held. Arm her for battle Lord, but hold her tightly when she is weary from it.

My heart cries out for you to bring her the encouragement that she needs and the friendships she longs for. Fill her life with sweet moments, reflections of Your heart, that bring her great joy.

Teach her to let You be her source so that she never runs dry. Give her a deeper passion for You and Your Kingdom and drive eternity into her heart so that eternity would drive her.

Father, when she fails, help her to know that you You never do. Then let her rest in your unfailing love as you hold her and wash her with grace. Be her strength in weakness.

Teach her to turn away from comparing herself to anyone else, for comparison is death to what you have called her specifically to do. Help her to trust Your plan and Your timing. Thank you that you never look at us in comparison with anyone else but that you see us as you created us to be: beautiful and holy.

I ask for a breakthrough for her this year. Because of Your goodness and her obedience to this call to bare her soul with words, would you tear down walls that have stood in her way? Will you rain down your favor and blessing in her life in new and fresh ways?

And to you be all the glory and all of the honor for every crown she receives. You alone are worthy of praise and may you be magnified and lifted up in her real light living.

Amen

With Love, Kristin at The Beautiful Deep

photo source

Which Kind of Shy are You?

By Kristin

I spot her there, beyond all of the other women. She’s pressed up against the wall in the corner of the room. She’s trying to not be seen but she stands out to me.

I wonder if the shy girl in the corner hanging her head is hanging it there because someone told her she’s not good enough? Perhaps she’s been told that her words don’t matter, or worse, that if she uses her words she will fail.

Then I wonder if perhaps she is just like Jesus? That shy girl in the corner with her smooth dark hair covering her face as she directs her gaze to the ground.

I picture Jesus in a crowded room of people, all of them desiring to sentence him to their own version of justice due to their feelings towards his radical nature. And I see Jesus there in a corner with his eyes lowered to the stone floor and His face barely visible through tendrils of hair. He wouldn’t answer their questions and they couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t speak.

And I realize the difference between the two. The shy girl may be listening to lies or to past voices filled with sound waves that are sharp, pierce her heart, and leave wounds raged and deep. But Jesus, sweet Jesus, He is only listening to His Father and waiting for when His Daddy says to speak now and speak this…

Which kind of shy are you? The one listening to your Father, so loving, to guide your words and be your confidence? Or the one bound by lies and so afraid to be exposed?

Jesus turns us into Jesus. When we spend time with Him we cannot come away the same. Wounded one, let Him near. Let Him speak to those lies and those hurts and those “you don’t matter and your words are no good” comments. Then let your heart be shy only for Him while waiting for words to rise up and his instruction to speak {or write}.

Why We Write: a blogger’s manifesto

By Jennifer

There are days we lose sight of the path, lose focus, get distracted by the lesser things that take us away from the adventure of our hearts with God. It is a struggle most days, to write here, on these spaces He’s given, isn’t it?

But we write because He gives us a message we can’t keep to ourselves. We write because we see Him better, more clearly, when we do it. We write because it is an act of obedience and an act of surrendering—even when there doesn’t seem to be a scrap of time to find between the job and the dishes and the kids and the schoolwork.

We write because forming words to His truth in our heart makes us think beyond the small space in front of us. We see deeper, our hearts expanded wide–open to imagine all the possibilities He has for these words of ours.

We write for an outcome we seldom—and may never—fully see.

And that’s hard.

But that’s okay.

We type on these screens, determined to not keep these thoughts of ours tucked away hidden, in journals, even though we could. We write for the broken and the voices that would otherwise not be heard. We write for His vision in us stretched out, a map laid flat, curling just at the edges, right before us. We write when we can’t discern what’s ahead, but we know, without doubt, that He can.

We write to claim His glory, His spirit within us. We write to remind ourselves Whose we are, and to whisper truth to sisters who sometimes forget Whose they are, too. We write to remember the light yoke that bears the weight, the arm around us, the Guide who navigates our clear way home. We are His lights upon the hill that stay lit, ablaze with hope and beginning.

We write to guide each other through the course when we grow weary and the rocks over which we stumble tempt us to give up and lay down our heads. We write because He is the one courageous, He is the one before us. He is the one on whom we lean so that when we tire, He lifts our heads and we rise.

We rise.

We write because we believe He sees us in our fullness and we write to sing our song: we are each loud and fierce and courageous and beautiful, a wonder to behold in His name.

We write to pick up our cross and follow Him. We write united, our words blending, reaching for Him, our fingers to keyboard the muscles we use to pick up His word and fight, heart awake and stirred, ready to go where He says.

We write because we are sisters. We write because we are friends.

We write because we are His girls who stand by His side, our words His love and encouragement and strength in His name. We write, swords up, eyes straight ahead, until our Captain says yield.

Keep going, girls. Let’s write.

you. we need you.

By Lara

You. Your voice. Your God-given, Spirit-inspired, life-lessons-learned voice is needed. It’s needed.

Not just maybe needed. Not just “if you want to say something then that would be fine” needed. No. I mean there are people who God strategically places and perfectly prepares to hear your. specific. voice.

Do you believe that?

Personally, I used to really wrestle with that thought. I mean, I had twelve subscribers for the first six months of my blogging venture. Twelve. And eight of those were family members.

And even though I sensed God leading me to write, I struggled. I questioned, “With all these other voices filling blogs and books, does mine really matter? Does my voice really matter.”

God slowly, faithfully revealed that I was asking the wrong question. Wondering if my voice matters put the focus on me. Not Him.

Here’s the bottom line. Write this down. Frame it. Have it tattooed around your wrist…if you’re into that. If God leads you to do it (whatever *it* is) then it’s with infinite purpose. For our good and His glory.

We may not see the results. We may never know how our words affected another. But following His lead brings great reward. I’m not talking about tangible rewards like increased subscribers or more comments or hundreds of shares — that may or may not come. I’m talking eternal, unseen rewards that time can’t steal.

You. Your voice. Your God-given, Spirit-inspired, life-lessons-learned voice is needed. It’s needed. So let’s press into our God. Let’s seek His face. And let’s trust that if He leads us to write it, then He must have a really good reason.

How have you wrestled to believe that your voice is needed?
What is God calling you to do?

When You Feel Like a Wannabe

By Amanda

I remember when I first started running.

Actually it was mostly walking with a few random spurts of jogging. I would keep my eyes focused on the ground ahead of me, slightly embarrassed by how blatantly obvious it had to be to my neighbors that I was not a real runner.

Just a wannabe.

Many times I wanted to give up, but I didn’t. I slowly worked my way up to running 3 miles without stopping, and then up to 6, and eventually 11. I even found the confidence to venture out of my neighborhood and join the real runners on the popular running and biking trail across town.

The thing is, I still feel like a wannabe runner.

When I cross paths with other runners in my neighborhood or on the trail, I just assume that they have been running for years and have completed several races. I assume that running comes naturally to them, that it isn’t something they have to work at.

I wonder if they know that I’m just a wannabe. That I’m not very disciplined. That right now, I am struggling to just get out the door.

Then I remember that I don’t actually know their story and that they could just as likely feel the same as me.

I remember that it is simply the act of running that makes me a real runner.

For me, blogging has been a lot like running.

Three years ago, I gazed out the window of my computer screen and saw the bloggers passing by, and thought, I want to be one of them.

I started a little blog and began writing about this and that, trying to find my voice and figure out who I was as a blogger and a writer. Head down, I kept to myself, quietly tapping away at the keys.

I slowly gained confidence and began venturing out of my little blogging neighborhood to join the real bloggers out on the trails.

I joined over 1200 bloggers writing for 31 days in October. I attended Allume and met some amazing ladies. I was invited to join a blogging mastermind group. And now, here I am, writing a blog post for the Allume blog.

The thing is, I still feel very much like a wannabe.

Someone who still struggles to get the words just right. Someone who can’t seem to find the time and the self-discipline to write. Someone who is always in the middle of a blogging identity crisis.

I see other bloggers and just assume it all comes so much easier to them. That the self-discipline is there and the beautiful words just flow. But then one of them will open up and share a bit about her struggles and insecurities as a writer and a blogger, and I will breathe a bit easier knowing that I’m not alone.

And so I keep at it. I lace up my blogging shoes a few days a week and I do this blogging thing.

Because blogging is what makes me a real blogger.

It’s the act of doing it day after day, week after week. And knowing that no matter how long I do it, no matter how many comments or retweets or Facebook likes I get, I will always struggle with a bit of insecurity. It’s part of the package of putting myself out there on a regular basis.

So to all you fellow bloggers on the trails, I offer you a passing smile and a nod of encouragement.

Because you and me. We’re as real as it gets.

Always,

Amanda

Writing for the Crowd

By Andrea

My sister is the mother of 8 beautiful children. Wife to a hard-working man. Homemaker extraordinaire, gardener of wild things and wild hearts, baker of cakes and cookies, and curator of the good stuff.

I marvel at her, managing 8 children, each teeming with dreams, hopes, and energy. They’re all weaving a whole story of their own under her rooftop. And she writes about them. Photographs them. Tells stories of them. Yes, blogs about them all.

She writes about their adventures. About their nature lessons. About hikes into the woods and valentines crafts, Christmas dinners and slow Thursday mornings.

I tell her it sounds like a storybook. She laughs and tells me that’s far from the truth…
but she’s a seeker of beauty and I tell her that she does quite a good job of finding it.

Not long ago, we surprised her and took the years of blogging she had written, and printed each entry into a book. A real life, hard cover book for her own kids to hold and read. All those stories, poems, thoughts she had captured about the beauty of a simple life, there in hand to recall at a moment’s notice.

And that was when I realized — sometimes we’re not writing for the crowds of readers and tweeters out in the giant world. Sometimes we’re writing for the crowd around our feet, or the ones who are living life shoulder to shoulder with us.

She tells me her husband loves that she writes about the beauty of her life. That it helps him see it all too. That when it’s hard, or uncertain, she is chasing down the line of grace in the middle of it all, and holding up the light like a beacon of hope in their home. The children circle around the book. They recall the best of days and give thanks that someone captured it, and relive the good that is built under roofs of wood and in hearts of love.

She and me, we talk about the blogging world. How big it feels sometimes. How easy it is to feel small, insignificant, and like you’re not even sure who you’re trying to talk to anyway. There are so many voices, opinions and styles, it’s easy to feel swallowed up in the giant web of it all.

So we agree — it’s good to step back and ask, why? What is it that I really wanted to accomplish with all this blogging anyway?

Sometimes we’re not writing to give an angle on the latest controversy. Sometimes we write to give an angle on the beauty that is refracting into our lives. Sometimes it’s not about marketing and opinions, methods and how-to lists. Sometimes it’s foundations and memories, dog-eared pages and remember-whens.

If you’re writing to remember, that’s a good reason to write.
If you’re writing to capture, that’s a good reason to write.
If you’re writing to document, to frame moments, to tell stories, that is a good reason to write.

Sometimes having a blog isn’t about the numbers or how much traffic you can generate from a tweet at 2:15 p.m. Sometimes it’s much bigger, much better, much more meaningful than a stat or comment.

And that? That, I tell my sister, that is the best kind of blog.

Give Them A Clue

By September

We gather in this spot daily, weekly and once a year – for a cross generational community of women to encourage and inspire Real Light Living.

Have you had any one ask you what Allume is and what Real Light Living means? I have. They ask me to just give them a clue. Just a glimpse into this call on our schedules, our hearts and lives – that pulls us to this one place: Together.

If you had to describe this community, the conference, the meaning of Real Light Living…could others SEE it, rather than be told?

Is a glimpse into our lives enough to show other’s what Real Light Living is all about?

May I encourage you, the women who stop by here, to pull up your chair and get comfy while you read this post. Let the words sink into your skin and inspire each you..each one of us..to model this LIGHT wherever we go, and with whatever we do.

While raising our family, we chose a “tag line,” we have referred to through the years as we bring our focus back to what is really important. “Life is for service.” In a nutshell – Let your line shine before men.

There are 276 days left before we meet together again and convene as women who aspire to Real Light Living.

Wouldn’t the Lord be well pleased with over 400 women gathering together to share their stories of change, growth, and how their light could be seen like a city on a hill – so that other’s could see the light and it made a difference in the Kingdom work?

Grab your notebooks, net books, and let’s begin. The days are ticking …

-Make service a priority in daily living

-Learn how to handle conflict Biblicaly

-Begin intentional, joyful living at home

-Write truth and not false allusions

-Share in the good news of others with words of affirmation

-Model forgiveness

-Re-direct your success and accomplishments to God, and not ourselves

-Write and write more – Letters of encouragement

-Make and Take meals to those around you

-Encourage a mom with a helping hand

-Shower your family with Grace

-Show grace in your relationships

-Learn to see beneath the surface of those you mayhave before judged

-Show Joy in your life and not martyrdom

-Invest into genuine relationships

-Think beyond your walls and computer screen

-Love those that may seem “un-lovable” to you

-Allow your on-line presence to radiate His presence in your life

-Look up and beyond those you normally speak with, there is someone else going unnoticed

Keep your list going. Living in the Light is not about our works, but about a transformation of our daily living, that we may reflect His light in our spheres of influence.

That others may see this place and proclaim the glory of His Name and His amazing work in our lives and others.

Let’s give the world a clue – Allume!

Because Life is for Service, September @ One September Day

How to Beat Discouragement

By Guest

Have you ever wondered why you get so upset when things don’t go as you’ve painstakingly planned? You may be thinking, that’s a stupid question, it’s normal to be upset when things don’t turn out like we want them to; end of story. But is it? Yes, disappointment is an inevitable part of life, but if it’s leading to discouragement or depression, it’s time to take a look at what could be driving it.

Disappointment is the result of a blocked goal, a hurt; or perceived loss of some kind. This usually gives rise to feelings of anger, hurt, or rejection. I wanted something to happen that didn’t, or I didn’t want something to happen that did. The most important thing to consider is the message your disappointment is trying to convey.

All of us have attached a meaning to the situations and events in life that have caused us pain or disappointment. When those add up it’s easy for discouragement to set in. How do you know if you’re discouraged? Here are a few ways:

Chronic feelings of anger or depression
Consistent negative self-talk
Feelings of inadequacy
Feelings of worthlessness

Our beliefs provide clues as to why we struggle with discouragement. So we need to notice the negative attributions we’re making about ourselves that are keeping us stuck. Here are some examples– see if any fit for you.

If things don’t go as I plan, I tend to believe the following:

I’m a failure
I’m inadequate
I’m not good enough
I won’t be happy unless…

Most of our discouragement comes from judgments we make about our performance or our intrinsic worth. If you said yes to any of the above statements, you’re forgetting a very important truth. You are full and complete exactly as you are—apart from your performance! How do I know that? Because Jesus said we have been given fullness in Christ (Colossians 2:9). In I Peter 1:3 he said, “His divine power has given us everything for life. The word everything here means everything! So whether you feel like it or not, the truth is, you are adequate in Christ. That’s the best discouragement buster I know.

Here are a few others:

What you think or feel isn’t necessarily the truth

Feelings aren’t facts, but we make them into facts in the following ways: I FEEL inadequate, therefore, I BELIEVE I’m inadequate, and so I ACT in ways that demonstrate I’m inadequate. We have to STOP negative self-talk, and START replacing it with God’s truth

Your performance doesn’t define you

We all want to do our best, but in the process we’re perfecting ourselves to death. We spend so much time basing our intrinsic worth on what we “do” we’ve forgotten that developing a sense of who we are is far more important to God

Life’s disappointments can make you stronger

Disappointment is a part of life. How we deal with it can generate growth and possibilities. In order to bounce back from discouragement we must cultivate a resilient spirit by focusing on our strengths, refusing to quit, cultivating our dependence on God, and looking at the big picture

What disappointments are you facing today? What beliefs are robbing you of the joy that is already yours in Christ? Begin today to cultivate an attitude of gratefulness by refusing to let life’s disappointments steal your joy.

Rita A. Schulte is a licensed professional counselor in the Northern Virginia/DC area. She is the host of Heartline Podcast. Her show airs on several radio stations as well as the Internet. They can be downloaded from www.ritaschulte.com/category/podcast or on iTunes at Heartline Podcast. Rita writes for numerous publications and blogs. Her articles have appeared in Counseling Today Magazine, Thriving Family, and Christianity Today, Kyria. Her book on moving through the losses of life will be released in Fall 2013 by Leafwood Publishers. Follow her at www.ritaschulte.com, on Facebook and twitter @heartlinepod.

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