Recovering What We Have Lost as Writers

2 Kings 6:1-7

In this little story tucked away in the Old Testament, we see several nuggets we can apply to our lives and our writing. Like the young prophet in the story, we may find ourselves losing our “cutting edge” and feeling powerless.

This group of prophets were building a new meeting place and insisted that their leader, Elisha, accompany them down to the Jordan River where they would cut down trees for the new facility. They were busy doing good work until one of them lost his ax head which sank to the bottom of the Jordan.

At times, we can also be busy doing good work until we lose our cutting edge. In our case, we can refer to the power of God as our cutting edge. It’s the ability to get the job done most efficiently rather than relying on our own strength. Imagine trying to cut down a tree with only a wooden ax handle. It would be like our flesh trying to cut into the spiritual realm which is something bigger and more powerful than what we possess without the power of God.

As Kingdom Writers, we need the ax head of the Spirit to accomplish writing that makes a dent and that’s able to cut right to the heart of the matter in someone’s life.

Listen to this episode as CJ shares 4 steps to recover our cutting edge based on this Old Testament story.

The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God

Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.

Get access to the video and PDF download now here.

Do You Feel Rusty in Your Writing?

“We must all either wear out or rust out, every one of us. My choice is to wear out.” - Theodore Roosevelt

“There is a time for everything. We wait on God to renew our batteries, and then when they are up to full power, we turn them loose into the work of God.” - A.W. Tozer

“Christians are like farm implements. Farm machinery seldom wears out. If you keep your machinery up, you can use it summer in and summer out until it becomes obsolete. The idle machine sitting in dampness will go to pieces in one season, but that same machine used for 10 years will only make it shine. One year of sitting around sulking will do more to rust your soul than 100 years of hard work, if God granted you that many years” - A.W. Tozer

We can easily apply the above quotes to our own writing. There’s certainly a time to rest but we must be careful not to rust. Writing is a skill that must be practiced and refined over time. Staying consistent with a writing habit will help “keep our machinery up” so we can use it year after year. As little as 15 minutes a day can go a long way to preventing us from rusting out as Kingdom writers.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT) says, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”

Are we waiting for perfect conditions in our writing? If so, we may be in for a long wait which could allow our writing to become rusty. God is calling us to plant our words into the lives of others for His glory.

Let’s keep our pens active and the ink flowing, all for the purpose of fulfilling God’s call on our lives.

The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God

Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.

Get access to the video and PDF download now here.

The Right Kind of Boasting

In this episode of the Kingdom Writers Podcast, we look at the theme of boasting in the Lord rather than a boasting that originates from the flesh.

We look at Paul’s teachings from 2 Corinthians 10:13-18. It seems that there were some people trying to influence the church in Corinth and taking credit for the ministry taking place there. Paul will not be pulled into a competition with others but simply points to the work they did in planting the church there.

Paul’s desire was to see the ministry extended beyond the borders of what they did while living among the church in Corinth. He wanted nothing more than for this church to grow and mature to the point where they were multiplying beyond their local area.

As writers, we have opportunities to see our borders extended through the words we write. Our books can go far and wide in their influence and reach people we wouldn’t be able to in person.

Paul quotes Jeremiah 9:24 to emphasize the right kind of boasting. We get a little more of a full picture in verses 23-24,

“This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

In our world of constant self-promotion through social media, these verses cause us to always be intentional about pointing to the Lord as our Source of creativity and inspiration. He is the reason we call ourselves Kingdom Writers. It’s a privilege to even be called children of God.

As we encourage our fellow Kingdom Writers, we are also recognizing what the Lord is doing in and through them. As followers of Jesus, we are on the same team. At the end of the day, we can boast in the Lord for all He continues to do in our writing!

The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God

Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.

Get access to the video and PDF download now here.

Do The Work

2 Timothy 4:5 - “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Paul gives young Timothy four things to do in this powerful little verse…

1. Be sober-minded - In a world where others may be losing their minds, we are to remain clear in our thinking and focused on the things God has for us

2. Endure suffering - Whether from other people or from our spiritual enemy, we are told to endure which is the ability to withstand pain or hardship

3. Do the work - In Timothy’s case, Paul specifically instructs him to do the work of an evangelist. As Kingdom writers, we might be instructed to “do the work of a writer.”

4. Fulfill Your Ministry - Whatever God has called us to do, we are to complete that task and fulfill what He’s called us to do. Fulfill the ministry of writing that book that needs to get into specific hands the Lord wants to encourage

What does it mean to “do the work”? We’ll look at this topic as it pertains to the Kingdom writer.

The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God

Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.

Get access to the video and PDF download now here..

Don't miss out! The Courageous Writer Bundle ends 5/7/24 at midnight eastern. Get yours here: https://courageouswriterbundle.com/

1. Listen to podcasts for free. Check out my private podcast, Hitz Blitz here: https://trainingauthors.com/hitzblitz

2. Attend online conferences and summits. Sign up to one of the editions of the Kingdom Writers Conference here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/editions/

3. Sign up for bundles. We are hosting the Courageous Writer Bundle with over 40 experts. It ends 5/7/24 so make sure to get yours now here: https://courageouswriterbundle.com/

Which option will you choose this week?

Get valuable insights on writing as a ministry and reaching the right audience for your message as Shelley discusses the importance of consistently creating and publishing content to serve your intended audience, understanding and identifying your target readers.

Take a Step of Faith and Finally Finish Your Book

You have a story to tell. But creating a book that makes an impact isn’t easy, especially without support and guidance.

Our online community, Christian Book Academy, is where we help you write words that leave a legacy, self-publish books that fulfill your calling, and connect with a wider audience.

Click here to learn more.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years about the writing life, it’s that a person needs to have a passion for writing. This passion is fueled by the God we desire to partner with in order to write lasting words of impact. After all, the Kingdom writer is one who is gifted and called by God. The prophet Jeremiah describes our calling with these words,

“But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!” (Jeremiah 20:9 NLT)

Can you relate to feeling this way? Are the words inside you like a fire in your bones until you’re able to get those words onto paper?

But like many things in life, sometimes our passion and fire can grow dim. Somewhere along the way, we forget about the love we once had for the craft of writing. Instead, we become focused on the destination or the finished product and become impatient when things aren’t lining up the way we want.

Listen in as we talk about recovering our first love for Jesus and a renewed passion in our writing.

The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God

Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.

Get access to the video and PDF download now here..