Posts Tagged ‘Blogging’

12 Jul

I’m Thrilled to Announce My First Podcast at “Life and Liberty”

Posted by Jennifer Clark Tinker in Community, Inspiration. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Listen to my first podcast at Life and Liberty: "Where is God in the Muck?"

Listen to my first podcast at Life and Liberty: “Where is God in the Muck?”

Friends, I am so excited to tell you about my first podcast ever! (A “podcast” is an audio recording on the internet that you can listen to on a computer or a handheld device.) This podcast is about one of my scariest experiences I’ve ever had and how I got through it. I was 14 years old at the time. The story is titled, “Where is God in the Muck?” This is the first of my new monthly contributions on “Spirituality” over at Life and Liberty.

>>>“Please click here to listen to the podcast “Where is God in the Muck?”<<<

Keep reading to find out how I got this opportunity and why I’m so excited about it.

Cool, How’d that Happen?

When David Housholder put a call-out for spirituality contributors on a Lutheran clergy Facebook group, I responded before I had the chance to over-analyze the opportunity. Not long before that he had commented on my blog and I became an instant fan of his. I mean, he’s a tradionally-published author with real books to his name and yet he noticed little old me! He was so supportive of my writing that when he said he needed spirituality contributors, I nominated myself.

(I’m grateful to Clint Schnekloth for putting me on his blogroll when both my acquaintance with him and my blog itself were only a few weeks old. It was through Clint Schnekloth’s blog that David Housholder got to my blog to begin with.)

Isn’t this Great?!

The irony is not lost on me that the exact post at which David Housholder first “noticed me” addressed my awareness of my own desire for greatness. Even my elation at being noticed by someone more successful than myself drips with egocentrism.

Also not lost on me is that the content of David Housholder’s original comment to me was, “make the big time where you are.” That’s great advice for being faithful with small things! But then that same guy is giving me this big opportunity? I’m still working all this out in my own spirit.

The Media Business

I’m gonna tell you right out, we hope to make money over at Life and Liberty. It is after all, a magazine. And magazines exist to make money.

On my blog here, I don’t make a dime off any clicks on anything at this site. I’m not directly selling anything here. I started this thing for the sheer need to share my voice with the world on a more regular basis. I need to do this just because I can’t not do it anymore. I’ve squandered my voice too long.

But over there, we mean business…well…hopefully! The site is barely covering costs right now, but it’s gaining momentum and it has the potential to be profitable. I would be delighted if a stream of income from my work there could contribute to my family’s financial goals.

Getting Political

Also, and this is the part I’m mostest scaredest to talk about, if you hadn’t already figured it out, Life and Liberty is kinda political. Okay, a lot political. I’ve tried really hard to pin down my own ideology. I don’t fit neatly into the bipartisan landscape as it is. And so, I have never really thought outloud much of my political stance with anyone outside of my very closest family and friends.

When David Housholder said that contributors would have to be able to work with the Libertarian-leaning of his site, I told him I was secretly very comfortable with that. The way I’ve been voting doesn’t thrill me anyway and I have become more open to Libertarian ideas over time. But, when he formally accepted my application and was willing to give me a shot as a contributor, I had to decide if I was willing to go public as having affinity for Libertarian ideas.

Who’s Ideas Are These?

I went to the Libertarian party website to study their platform. And the more I read, I just kept nodding. And I figured if large portions of their platform felt like something I might’ve written myself, then maybe it makes sense to be honest about the resonance I feel with it.

Once I got the Libertarian concern resolved for myself, the rest was easy. David Housholder’s vision for a free society that is spiritually deep is akin to thoughts and ideas I have had for years. What it comes down to is this, I wouldn’t be over there if David Housholder didn’t agree with me as much as he does! (Listen to this and read my comment exchange with him to see what I mean.)

What Goes On Over There?

There are things on the site I can’t even look at, there are things that make me shake my head just reading the title, and there are things on the site that point out realities that make me sad in ways that I’ve tried to explain here on the blog. At the same time there are things over there that give me much hope, there are things that give me a fresh perspective, and there are even things that kinda encourage a belief in fairies!

Also, as I’ve begun to meet the other contributors, I am particularly drawn to Lisa Goodwin and the amazingly deep things she has to say. I’m glad to join the team as a second female voice.

Taking a Step

So, I’m stepping out into something new. I’m excited and nervous. And I don’t know where any of it is going. But somehow working over there brings out more of who I am really which is so freeing. I hope you’ll take this step with me!

7 May

Finding My Purpose

Posted by Jennifer Clark Tinker in Inspiration. Tagged: , , , , .

Relating well is what matters most to me

Even as I struggle to find my voice here on my blog, I am not giving up. I’m willing to allow imperfections as I learn to express myself better with my writing. My realization that I’m not doing as well as I’d like motivates me to refine my purpose.

What My Purpose Isn’t

For starters, I realized that I can’t be what I’m not. I’ve been trying to stay current on what’s happening in the world and in the blogosphere and using those things as inspiration.

What I’ve noticed is that when I try to write about what’s trending, that’s when my voice is weakest. Why? Because even if I pour my heart into a thoughtful reflection on something current, the topic itself didn’t come from my heart.

The Purpose on My Heart

I started out with a pretty general purpose, to blog about living out my faith in daily life. I didn’t realize in the beginning how broad that topic could be. It was easy enough to justify writing about whatever was current as long as I could relate it to what it means to live out the Christian faith.

I discovered that what is most on my heart about how I live out my faith is how I live in relationship with other people. The books I read, the things I teach my son, the things that keep me awake at night are all about relating well (or the failure to do so). These are the things that I need to write about here.

Practical Matters

What has helped me over time is practical, down-to-earth ideas about how to honor others in relationships. Much of what I can share is from a lifetime of reading and learning about this stuff. I can offer ideas about relating well from my own experience of integrating these ideas over time.

I never want to come across as having it all together though. Some of what I can share is hard-won from having royally messed up in a relationship. Other times, I can share ideas that I am still working to integrate, but that I believe are better ways than what I’ve been doing.

The Purpose Behind the Voice

As I’ve thought this through some more and refined my purpose, I admit to being just a little nervous. It’s kind-of scary to narrow my focus. Maybe it’s still too amorphous! But the clarity that I feel gives me hope for finding my voice.

The following links have helped me refine my purpose or affirmed my need to do so:
“10 Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice” by Jeff Goins
“Branding: Put one sign in your yard” by Mary DeMuth
“In which I’ve got a song to sing” by Sarah Bessey
 
 

3 May

Finding My Voice, or Getting Laryngitis?

Posted by Jennifer Clark Tinker in Brokenness, Inspiration. Tagged: , , , .

laryngitisI have a confession to make: blogging is way harder than I expected it to be. A lot of great writing advice suggests blogging is a good way to find your voice. I want to find my voice, but keep coming up with laryngitis.

I wouldn’t call it writer’s block, it’s not that I can’t think of anything to write. I have plenty to write about, that’s part of why I started this thing. There’s a lot more tumbling around in my brain than is turning up onscreen.

It’s not a time factor either. My son is old enough to entertain himself for a while if I need to write. My husband is very supportive of me writing. I am aware of the time-killers in my life, now more than ever, and set them aside at will so I can write.

It’s not that I can’t write. There’s always room for improvement, but I I think I do alright with the basic mechanics of writing. Constructing a sentence or forming a paragraph are not my top worries when it comes to blogging.

Why Laryngitis Explains it Best

My trouble with blogging is much like suffering from a case of laryngitis when my favorite hymn is played in church. My heart swells with all the emotion that song evokes for me, but I can’t sing because I’ve lost my voice.

Likewise with blogging, when I actually sit down to write, I just can’t get the words out. Even when I have something really meaningful on my heart to write about, I get bogged down when I try to put it into a blog post.

I think the public nature of the blog intimidates me a little. I mean, people are reading what I put out here. It may or may not be all that many people just now. Still, thinking that others can access what I write at the click of an URL sometimes messes with my head.

Values competing in my thoughts sometimes distort what I want to say. For instance, I often try to “put things in the positive,” emphasizing what is possible or permitted rather than what is discouraged or denied. Yet, sometimes the clearest way to state something is to use a “negative” message. (“Don’t play in the street” is much more to-the-point than offering, “You can play in the lawn or on the driveway.”) The inner debate about how to approach a subject stifles my ability to just write.

Uncertainty about who my audience is challenges me on decisions about what to write or how to frame a post. Maybe if I was more specific about who I want my target audience to be, it would be easier to decide. Even when I resolve to answer that question, I have different ideas about who I hope to reach.

The Cure and Certain Hope

I suppose the cure for this bloggy laryngitis is similar to the cure for ordinary laryngitis: communicate the best I can right now and don’t overstress what voice I have. Like the patience required to wait out true laryngitis, I need to be patient with this phase of writing. How long will it take me to truly find my voice? I can’t say. But laryngitis always passes and I know this will too.

12 Mar

Living & Sharing

Posted by Jennifer Clark Tinker in Inspiration. Tagged: , , , , .

I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while now. I like to write a range of things: a personal journal that no one sees, short stories to share with my son, and serious sermons that I am going to deliver out loud in front of a crowd of people.The trouble with my writing so far is that it is all so sporadic. I feel like I have more to say and I need a more consistent platform to say it. I think blogging can be that for me.

For a while now I have been following the blog of a friend of mine, Sarah Bessey.  I love reading about her spirit-filled life and seeing what she has to say about life, faith and church. The really big thing about Sarah is I love her guts to keep sharing her heart. What she does there inspires me to share my heart as well.

I want Living Faith to be a place where I write about what it means to me to live out my faith day-to-day. I don’t just go to church on Sunday and then forget about God the rest of my week. Rather, my relationship with God spurs me to be a kinder mom, be a better listener with friends, and faithfully manage the resources of my household.

I am not a Super Christian, able to leap roadblocks to my faith in a single bound. I struggle to figure out what is the right thing, and I sometimes even struggle to do what it is that I think is right. This blog isn’t going to be a how-to manual of Christian living. it is simply a log of my journey to do it the best I can and my encouragement to others to do the same. When there are things I think I’m doing well, I will probably write more confidently about them but I never want anyone to think for a moment that I think I have it all figured out.

If I had to identify a target audience, first off, I will be happy if anyone besides my mother reads it. What would be really great though is if everyone reads it! Honestly though, I am probably mostly writing to fellow Christians. Still I hope my writing is down-to-earth enough to be approachable for non-Christians. I am Lutheran and studied theology at a Lutheran university, but I have had a lot of different influences on my faith (more on that another day), I am not sure how “Lutheran” my writing here will be because when it comes to day-to-day living in Christ I don’t think denominational distinctions separate us all that much.

I look forward to sharing more as time goes on and I hope you will be inspired in how you live out your faith as well.

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