Why I Blog

One of the things I'm often asked is why I blog, and rather than just answer that myself, I invited my Take Flight friends to join me and tell us why they blog too because I know we all have reasons. (If you're joining us for the Take Flight Challenge, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post.)

People want to know the benefits of blogging and I don't blame them. So, I'm going to do a "Blog at Work for You" mini-series on blogging, starting today and posting about once a week until it's done.

Blog at Work For You will cover:
And any other posts that come to mind. *wink*

Why I started blogging and am still blogging...

When I finally quit running from God’s call on my life, I joined Faithwriters and immersed myself in learning how to write. January of 2008 found me chewing my nails but determined to take the next step I felt God leading me to: blogging. I had no illusions of grandeur and I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like that first step into the blogging world was the equivalent of stepping off a cliff into thin air. But I was convinced it was what I was supposed to do, so I stepped in faith. It didn’t matter to me if people found me up there or not. My blog was all about obedience. Me obeying God.

But people did find me. As I stepped out of the comfort zone of Faithwriters and visited other sites, I found new friends. I also wondered how they got the cool looking blogs they had! My sister taught me how to change the colors on my basic Minima layout, and that helped, but when Kristen Schiffman stepped in, I was over the moon. She gave me a blog make-over and I gave her some spending money for something-or-other. She didn’t just stop there, though. As I studied the layout she used for my blog, she answered my questions and I learned to tweak my blog. It became a challenge that relaxed me, much like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

When I started blogging in February of 2008, it opened up a whole new world to me. A world I’d heard was out there but that I didn’t know how to tap into. I thought I was simply starting a blog to obey God and to practice my writing, but what I found was a huge opportunity for service and ministry. I honed my skill of devotional writing, found women’s sites that post devotionals and submitted to them. I became an occasional guest blogger with a short byline and a link back to my blog. I got the thrill of seeing my name somewhere other than at my site but far more importantly, I was able to minister to people—to give back to God a little of what He had given me.

Was I paid? No. I look at it as the first fruits principle. God is giving me so much and blessing me tremendously in many ways, writing for some ministry sites is a way that I can give back to Him.

Since then, the sites I was a guest poster on have become normal hang outs for me, and you'll see me posting there monthly (like TODAY I'm at the Internet Cafe with a devotional --they were the first place to accept a guest post from me and they're near and dear to my heart. Love it there!!) Most of last year I was a monthly contributor on four group blogs that were anywhere from start ups to large sites, all because of starting this blog four years ago. Can you say "Suhweet"?

My site has grown and changed with me over the years and as hard as I try, I don't understand it. Now I blog because I love it. I love the people it connects me with and the outlet and opportunities it presents. I love it because of the fun stuff I get to do--like sharing blog tips and the Take Flight challenges and the a 2 z memes.
I love it because blogging is still all about obedience for me. =)

So tell me, why do you blog?

Joining us for the Take Flight challenge? Be sure to link up with us and tell us why you blog...

3 comments:

  1. LOVED reading this - even though I knew much of it. I WILL link up here tomorrow (or whenever I get my post written!).

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm not sure I get what I have signed up for, but I started blogging just to get my stories typed up for posterity. My blog contains the memoirs I will never likely publish. Thanks for this series. I'm off to read the ones I have missed. I do need a kick in the pants to get started again. I write a weekly post for Women of the Harvest on one of their blogs, but that's a different story.

    ReplyDelete

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