web

d electronically, but also it is a place for your readers to get to know you. It can be an outlet for other writing in the form of blog posts to help readers get a feel for your writing. It can also be a place to show your availability for doing book signings or your willingness to speak at events. It is a place that you can leave evergreen content which doesn't need constantly updating as a blog in itself does. For sales purposes it is a way of building an email list which is an important way of building a list of followers that you own and manage. I say this as a writer, a business owner and a web designer. It's like your own personal shop and brand that you can send people to :) Like · Reply · 1 hr Sophie Neville Sophie Neville For better or for worse, I've sent more than 7,000 to Amazon online sites with one of websites and quite a few to other on-line stockisits and bookshops. I keep 7 other blogs to advertise my books. It's taken time to establish but the blog for my Christian book is getting nearly 4,800 hits a month: http://funnily-enough.blogspot.co.uk/ Funnily Enough funnily-enough.blogspot.com

ending well

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted . . . a time to seek, and a time to lose. (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2, 6) When a new child is born, a new crop is planted, a new project, phase, degree, career, friendship, resolve, marriage, house is pursued, we feel fresh excitement and anticipation. We enter a new season feeling hope about the future. We invest a lot of dreaming, planning, energy, and often money in our beginnings, which explains all the books and videos and coaches offering to help us begin well. But there is not nearly as much help available teaching us how to end well. Probably because the demand is much lower. We typically don’t relish thinking about or planning for endings, because endings are goodbyes. They are chapter closings that often leave us feeling regret, grief, or confusion over who we are and what our purpose is going forward — or some ambivalent mixture of the above. Are Beginnings Better? But the end of a season is often more important than its beginning. When a person dies, we can see much more clearly who they really turned out to be, which is eternally significant. When a crop is harvested, we know what the season and farming diligence actually produced. When a season of life ends, we see, at least to some degree, the true fruit of all our dreaming, planning, labor, and investment. This is why the Bible says, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning” (Ecclesiastes 7:8). At a beginning, when we’re looking ahead, we envision a possible future, not a real one. And our vision is always some mixed bag of good and bad motives, love and selfish ambition, serving Jesus and serving ourselves. But looking back, we see reality with greater clarity how various factors — our indwelling sin and Spirit-filled goodness, our strengths and weaknesses, the futility woven into this created age (Romans 8:20–21), and others — affected what we began. In other words, endings are usually more truthful than beginnings. A review of the day in the evening is more truthful than the caffeinated optimism of the morning’s good intentions. So, why is a sobering dose of realistic retrospect better than a hopeful high of optimistic prospect? Because wisdom does not want to build its house on the sand of fantasy. It wants to builds on the solid rock of truth. Because at the end of a thing, more than at its beginning, we see our need for a better, more lasting hope than anything we could possibly build here (Hebrews 13:14). And because often an ending, more than a beginning, exposes our idols — things or people in which we have placed false hope and from whom we have drawn a misplaced sense of identity. Endings are often better than beginnings because they more powerfully point us to God as our only hope. Mentor for ‘A Time to Lose’ For every “time to seek,” there is “a time to lose” (Ecclesiastes 3:6). Learning to end well, to let go well, is one of the most neglected subjects in Western Christian discipleship. There’s little teaching and guidance for navigating these tricky waters. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Christian leaders frequently struggle to step out of leadership, and churches struggle with leadership transitions, and Christians, in general, frequently experience confusion and disorientation at the end of various seasons of life and ministry. But God will help us. One way to prepare for our “time to lose,” and help others do the same, is to intentionally pray about it. God can make our transition out of a season uniquely powerful in glorifying Jesus. My favorite model and “time to lose” mentor is John the Baptist. At the end of his season of call, this voice in the wilderness (John 1:23), this second Elijah (Matthew 11:13–14), this greatest man born of women (Matthew 11:11), who blazed across Israel like a prophetic comet, said as he watched his great ministry eclipsed by the bright morning star (Revelation 22:16), “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:29–30) Those words, as much as anything John ever said, revealed the heart that made him so great. He understood what his life was about: Jesus! The beginning of his ministry was about Jesus and, even more so, its end. And that is what every end of every season of our lives is all about: the increase of Jesus in our decrease. Whatever It Takes, Lord There will be a God-given time to exit every role we enter. Some endings will feel sweet and clear; some will feel bitter and confusing. Therefore, it requires a different kind of wisdom to end well than to begin well. It demands Spirit-wrought humility and Spirit-empowered faith to trust God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness in those transitions. We must prepare for these moments or, better, we must ask God to prepare us, so that as each moment ends, we will say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Whatever it takes, Lord, increase my love for your supremacy and my trust in your wise purposes so that, when it’s time for me to step out of something to which you had appointed me for a season, I will receive the decrease in personal influence with joyful faith. Your Greatest Weapon Against Temptation (Sermon Clip on the Power of the Holy Spirit) John Piper / February 27, 2017 Once you come to realize the gravity of the fact that the Holy Spirit of God lives in you, it will change everything in your life. Read Now Desiring God 2112 Broadway Street NE, Suite 150 Minneapolis, MN 55413 update preferences | unsubscribe Copyright © 2017 Desiring God, all rights reserved

kirk cameron

Kirk Cameron Kirk Cameron is a television and film actor and producer, noted recently for his work in the family films SAVING CHRISTMAS and MERCY RULE, the documentaries UNSTOPPABLE and Monumental, and the inspirational film Fireproof. He is also known for his memorable roles on ABC’s Growing Pains, the Left Behind movies, and co-host of The Way of the Master television series. Kirk spends much of his time producing new television and film projects and speaking to people around the country, teaching them how to share their faith and live out a gospel centered marriage and family. Kirk and his wife Chelsea are the founders of Camp Firefly, a camp for seriously ill children and their families. Together, they live in California with their six children. Kirk’s Faith Story Kirk was not raised in a church-going home and describes himself as an atheist from a very young age. By the age of 14 he was so convinced there was no God that he laughed at those who said there was. But that all changed one afternoon as he sat in his sports car pondering the first Gospel message he had ever heard.

not about fame

I found this devotional in my email today and I whole heartedly endorse it. Not About Fame Feb 23, 2017 READ: 2 Corinthians 5:12-21 We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20). I spent much of my post-college career as a sports journalist—regularly talking with Olympic and professional athletes who professed and modeled a life devoted to Jesus. It wasn’t until I had interviewed well over one hundred athletes that I realized I was more apt to share their testimonies with others than I was to share my own. I believed friends and acquaintances would rather hear about the athletes’ journeys than hear about mine. Scripture, however, doesn’t say, “Celebrities who are in Christ are new persons.” It doesn’t say, “Famous athletes who are in Christ are new persons.” It doesn’t say, “The rich, the famous, the successful who are in Christ are new persons.” The Bible says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). While this passage certainly includes the rich, the famous, and the successful who are in Christ, it doesn’t exclude those who lack notoriety or popularity based on the world’s standards. Respectively, it’s the transformation, the redemption, the salvation through Jesus alone that makes each and every believer’s testimony worth sharing. Our salvation is “not a reward for the good things we have done” (Ephesians 2:9). God reconciles us to Himself through Jesus, and not through our social status or our accomplishments (2 Corinthians 5:18). This means that my faith story is as meaningful and remarkable as the most famous person I’ve interviewed. As is yours. For we are all saved by grace and “are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’ ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Each salvation story is all about Him. —Roxanne Robbins NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Deuteronomy 29:1-29 MORE: Read 1 Peter 3:15 and consider what it says about being ready to share your story. NEXT: What’s a basic outline of your salvation story—something you can readily share with others? How has Jesus changed your life? Who will you share this with today?

more advice

would use hash tags in Twitter and maybe try Google? Another possible approach would be to look up books on Amazon in the same genre as yours and see who has reviewed them and perhaps try and contact potential bloggers that way. Like · Reply · 25 mins

from the writer Mandy jonston

Hi George, I've sometimes taken part in blog tours organised by Tyndale House or Cross Focused Publications. They work by the publisher advertising the book for the tour and bloggers sign up online. The bloggers received a free copy of the book (either ebook or by post). Over the course of a week (publisher decides the date), bloggers upload their reviews to their own blogs and promote on Amazon, Goodreads and social media. They prove they've done this by emailing the links to the publisher, who also promotes across social media. Hope that helps. I guess if you haven't got a publisher, a good way of attracting book reviewing bloggers is to blitz Twitter and Facebook about your book and get them to sign up. Otherwise, you could always approach bloggers direct and invite them to take part. Hope all of that helps. Like · Reply · 42 mins

JM again

Sign UpLog in Rachel Stevenson R Rachel Stevenson Credit: Jory Micah / Twitter An Open Letter To Jory Micah At Geneva College An Open Letter To Jory Micah Pin It 824 shares Sep 19, 2016 I do not intend this letter to be anything other than food for thought written out of sisterly love and concern. Dear Jory Micah, I want to start this letter by expressing my gratitude for your fiery determination to make this world a better place. Your work as an advocate against sex trafficking and abuse is to be lauded. We need more people in the church standing up against such terrible results of sin in this fallen world. But I also am very concerned about your work in the church and in breaking the so-called glass steeple. This letter is written out of love and concern from a fellow sister-in-Christ, who loves theology and church history (and would like to get advanced degrees in these fields if God wills it and opens doors). I also live in the Pittsburgh area! If you'd like to meet up, I'd be happy to do so! I read through several months worth of your Facebook page, some of your blog, watched a few of your videos (specifically your most recent video concerning the loss of your job) and read your master's thesis. I'm very sorry that you lost your job as an adjunct professor. My dream is to teach and I couldn't imagine losing my dream job. However, I'd like to share some thoughts with you, honest thoughts. You talk a lot about "breaking the glass steeple." This very concept is what your master's thesis is based on: the idea that complementarianism is anti-biblical, suppressive, and even abusive. This is not necessarily what I have concerns about, though I do not agree with your general position. Let me start off that the concepts of complementarianism and patriarchy, to use the terminology that I read in your work, are much broader than what they appear. Patriarchal structure in the family has thousands of variations in the world and just as many in the church universal and historical. It may be wise to specify what type of complementarianism and patriarchy you are addressing as opposed to painting wide brushstrokes. Additionally, the egalitarianism that you support is a very new phenomena. I'm by no means a professional historian, I'll admit, but from what I can tell, the family and gender structure in the history of not just the church but also the world has almost always been (with exceptions) in such a way where men hold the highest leadership and the highest authority. This is not to say women do not lead and do not hold authority, but historically, biologically and scripturally, it is acknowledged that they are weaker (not weak, but weaker), and that men are to hold the highest authoritative positions. This is not simply the so-called "cultural backdrop" of the Bible and of church history, but the case from the Fall, where God tells Eve that her desire shall be for her husband, and he will rule over her. The basics of historical study demand that we historians study the past through the perspectives of those who lived it. And scripture demands that we study it for what it says as opposed to playing the "you're putting it out of context" card when someone disagrees with us or looking for proof where there is none. I am afraid, Ms. Micah, that I see more forcing your own 21st century white American perspective on the Bible. I do not deny that there were church mothers and that their work has been severely unacknowledged in the days between then and now. But I cannot agree that the women in the early church had an egalitarian role such as you suggest in your thesis. The early church structure drew a lot of its makeup from the synagogues and from the Old Testament, and also from the teachings of the Apostles (which, in addition, included only men ordained for the position by Jesus directly, as in the Twelve and Paul [one of the qualifications for the selection of Matthias was that he had followed Jesus during our Lord's tenure here on earth]). In the structure of the synagogues and in the Old Testament, women held many positions (look at Miriam or Anna or Deborah, for example), but they did not occupy the position of priest, rabbi, or such equivalents. The Apostles teach that men are to lead alone as ordained officers in the church. The qualifications for ordination as laid out in Titus 1 are all in the masculine. An elder is to be the husband of one wife, a man above reproach. In 1 Timothy 2, contrary to what your thesis states, Paul is giving instructions on the pattern and structure of worship in the church. He asks women to dress modestly (modestly does not mean dowdily, but modesty is, contrary to some of your previous statements, a repeated and gentle command for women throughout the New testament) and to submit, and not to assume authority over a man. You also suggest that Christ has no gender when returning to heaven. After going through various classes this past week addressing ancient Trinitarian heresies, I'm afraid I had to slide this conviction into the same category as said heresies. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man (emphasis on man). If He still has the scars in His hands and side in heaven, how would he no longer possess his masculinity? How come, then, that John saw Him glorified in the form of a Son of Man? To suggest this has two conclusions: one, you either believe that humans can have no gender, or two, you believe that Christ lost elements of His humanity upon His ascension. I'd love to know if it is either or something else, because I am still failing to grasp this statement that Christ has no gender while sitting at the right hand of God, interceding for us as our elder brother, our great high priest, and our king (all clearly male titles), fully God and fully man. I write all this not necessarily with the intention of changing your mind, but rather to clarify some things that I find in your teaching to be inconsistent with plain and simple doctrine laid out in Scripture. Some of your teaching I would agree with if I found it more plainly laid out in Scripture, but I cannot. For example, you discuss Mary the mother of John Mark and how she hosted a church in her home, and draw the conclusion that she was therefore the pastor of that church. There are other such conclusions that I found in your thesis and on your blog. Such conclusions are based in assumptions and guesswork. While these church mothers are to be commended for hosting church functions in their homes, hospitality, which was a feminine jurisdiction in this era, does not equal ordained leadership. Thirdly, you make the statement that "a woman's place is wherever God calls her." I agree. But I think the line needs to be drawn between God's calling and personal feelings and desires. No matter how we may feel we are called, God's calling for us all never goes outside the commands in His Word, and His Word makes it very clear that the ordained office, in His providence, is designed for men alone, and more specifically, men he calls. God will not and will never call any of us to something contrary to His Word. He cannot. God cannot contradict Himself in such a way. This is not to say women are supposed to stay out of influence and refrain from service, teaching, hospitality, theological study, and work in the church. Quite the opposite. But God in His providence has ordained the spiritually authoritative positions of minister, elder and deacon for men. Complementarianism takes many shades, but regardless of how strongly one holds to it or disagrees with it, it is clear that God created complementarianism to be the pattern in daily life and in the church. Biologically, emotionally, and psychologically, women and men compliment each other. Women do things men cannot do, and men do things women cannot do. To deny so and to deny the biological and historical realities of complementarianism is a 21st-century Western concept, not a New Testament one. Lastly, and most importantly, I feel most strongly about your general attitude toward those who disagree with you. Even if you disagree with me on everything I have stated before this, I went through many of the comment sections of your Facebook posts and found an attitude very different than the commendable, cheerful, encouraging demeanor you wear in your videos. I understand how it feels to be trolled. I have my own personal blog and I write here on Odyssey and face trolling. But just because someone disagrees with you and comes across strongly about it does not mean they are trolling you. Many times, they want to engage in purposeful conversation with you. Deleting comments and blocking people who merely want to hold a conversation with you out of curiosity or concerns silences them, is somewhat abusive, is not out of Christian love, and is the exact opposite of the attitude of love and kindness you say complementarians and your other opponents lack. In conclusion, I do not intend this letter to be anything other than food for thought written out of sisterly love and concern. I am sorry that many people have treated you nastily and have legitimately trolled you. That is not at all my intention. I hope that this article gives you things to consider and maybe even opens a door for communication. I also hope that the Lord blesses you, your family, you with your new job at Starbucks and in your walk with Him. Love, blessings, and in Him, Rachel Stevenson Like what you read? Disagree? Join an Odyssey community to continue the conversation. You Might Also Like An Open Letter to Betsy DeVos An Open Letter To Donald Trump An Open Letter to My Ex-Passion Rachel Stevenson R Rachel Stevenson Writer. Photographer. Tulsan. Classy counterculturist. Facebook Comments Related Content Feb 6