31 Day Writing Challenge – Use Your Gift

Around March last year, I decided that I was going to use a gift that God has given me. That gift is writing. Not only did I go to school for it, but I also felt a call to write and publish more intentionally with the goal of encouraging and sharing the hope of Jesus with others.

Last year I didn’t publish a book. I didn’t write a post every day. However, I did write more intentionally and took writing more serious. I stepped out on a ledge and spoke about my writing a little bit more instead of hiding it. I appreciate everyone who has subscribed, liked, or commented in the past year.

This year, I want to continue the trend of progress. It starts with the 31 day writing challenge from Jeff Goins. Let me share some of the things I want to come out of this challenge –

• I want to become a better writer – I don’t think perfection exists except from one person, and the Bible shares that even He had to learn (Jesus). I want to become a better writer and the only way to do that is to write, read, and invite feedback. I want the gift of writing to be honed and molded. I want to be able to write in a way that communicates a complete thought and not a random blurb.
• I want to increase engagement – I want to hear what is on your mind! Do you agree with what you read? Do you disagree? Did you find some encouragement or think that it’s complete trash? Maybe gently let me know if something is bad, but I want to hear from you! I do struggle, like a lot of people, with the “gimme the likes” syndrome. I like the likes, and I like encouraging comments. However, I want to value constructive criticism more. So, please feel free to comment! Just remember to keep it clean and respectful.
• I want to be more confident – I still get that pit in my stomach when I click or tap that “Publish” button at times. I know that the pit can be a good thing. It can keep me from posting something out of line and potentially damaging. In the world of blogging, that is really easy to do. However, the pit can also be a really bad thing. The pit can keep me from posting something that should be posted. The pit also is telling of my tremendous insecurities as a writer. I still struggle with whether I’m actually a writer or just faking it. I want to do business with that insecurity this year, and the only way to do that is to continue to write.
• I want to keep moving forward – I want to continue what was started last year. I want to continue to refine what this blog is about and the vision for it. I want to encourage you wherever you may be. God loves us, desires a relationship with us, and wants us to live abundantly. I want to continue to learn what that means in my life and share it with you.

Because of the nature of this blog, this 31 day challenge may be the only time you see super frequent posts. Writing about faith is a tough thing to do well. Outside of being a writer that loves God, my qualifications are pretty limited to what I’ve been taught by others through meeting and reading. So, it requires some pause and thought.

I don’t want that to be an “out” though. I hope to write even more in 2018 and would love for you to stick around!