How Use Your Blog as a Witnessing Tool: Guest Post by Melissa Gross
Today, as we begin a brand new series of guest posts from Christian female entrepreneurs based all over the world, I'm delighted to introduce to you all, Melissa Gross from Texas, USA.
Melissa feels the Lord calling her to lead and encourage women in their walk with the Lord. She is a teacher by passion and by training and has taught everything from Children’s Church to Ladies’ Bible Studies to the Young-at-Heart (elderly) Sunday School, from middle school technology classes to university level business courses. She is also an avid scrapbooker and has taught and coached in online and in-person scrapbooking, cardmaking, photo organization, mixed media, and illustrated Bible journaling classes. When she’s not teaching Bible Journaling workshops or gluing pretty pieces of paper together in her craft room, Melissa enjoys reading, cooking, blogging, and traveling. She lives in Texas with best friend/husband, Robbie, and she shares their everyday adventures and her latest scrapbooking and Bible Journaling projects on her blog: Daily Life – Bits & Pieces (link below).
In Mark 16:15 Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” With today’s technology, we can easily “go into all the world” by using our blogs as a witnessing tool.
I am a lifelong scrapbooker, and this fun hobby led me to blogging seven years ago. I started my blog to share what’s happening in my life, post photos (especially my scrapbooking pages and other crafty projects), and ramble about books I'm reading, stuff I'm organizing, and fun classes I'm taking.
About a year and a half into blogging, I realized that my blog had become an effective witnessing tool. I received an email from, not one, but two of my blog readers asking for prayer for specific situations. One also had questions about a Bible study I was leading at the time. That’s when it hit me that by simply sharing my craft and my life, I could also shine the Light of the Lord into the World.
Whatever your blogging platform – business, lifestyle, craft, homeschool, photography, etc – you can be a witness. Don’t worry, it’s not necessary to sound like King James when thou writeth. In fact, it’s important that you continue to write in the same voice you always use. You can build on the relationship you’ve developed with your readers and be a witness by incorporating these four ideas.
1. Use Your Craft (or blogging platform)
Think of ways to incorporate your faith into your typical blog posts. If you’ve had a successful month in your business, thank your readers/customers and mention how grateful you are for the Lord’s blessings. Or share a photo of your product or service and incorporate a relevant scripture right on the photo or in the caption.
Scrapbooking is a way to share our stories and preserve our memories, and I will often scrapbook a testimony about something that God has done in our lives. I also create art journaling pages based on a scripture. I then share the scrapbook and art journaling pages on my blog, thus getting those testimonies and scriptures out into the world.
2. Review Christian books
There are Christian books on almost any topic. By sharing reviews of books related to your blog platform, you’ll educate and encourage others to read similar books.
I am an avid reader and share reviews of all the books I read on my blog a couple of times a month. Many are Christian books, so I’m able to share what Christian books are available along with my thoughts and views about the content. These reviews allow me to share my Christian values as well.
3. Share About Your Life
While readers often visit your blog for information or inspiration, they will return if they feel a connection to you. If your passion is cooking and you blog your favorite recipes and cooking adventures, sharing the story of the time you burnt the macaroni & cheese because you moved it to the back burner (which had been left on!) will help your readers connect to you as an individual. Or try including a short description about your relationship with your Grandma as you share her famous pecan pie recipe.
A few years ago, I wrote (and presented) a ladies’ retreat curriculum. Along the way, I shared with my blog readers about the process and how humbled I was that God was using me in such a huge way. At the beginning of each year, I share my goals, one of which is always to draw closer to the Lord. Often I’ll list the ways I hope to accomplish this goal – daily quiet time, Bible study, church attendance, illustrated Bible journaling, etc. By sharing our daily life, we can share Christ in our life.
4. Create Spiritual Musings Posts
Don’t be afraid to occasionally post something spiritual. Whatever your blogging platform, it’s ok to throw in other things at times. Think about it like this – if your favorite dessert is a single scoop of chocolate ice cream, consider what a treat it is to have the occasional spoonful of sprinkles or a couple of cherries on top.
In the early years of my blog, I began creating Sunday Musings posts as a place to share my thoughts on a particular scripture or my opinion on a message I’d heard. These posts probably accounted for less than 10% of the information on my blog, yet my readers came to know that I love the Lord and want to live for Him. [Over the past couple of years, as I’ve begun teaching and using my crafty supplies in illustrated Bible journaling, more of my posts contain scripture and messages about my faith.]
In conclusion, I want to encourage you to give one of these ideas a try. Use your blog to be a witness by using your current blogging platform, reviewing Christian books, sharing about your life, and intentionally creating the occasional spiritual musings post. If you have other ideas for using your blog as a witnessing took, please share those in the comments, along with links to posts where you’ve incorporated the ideas presented here.
Happy Blogging Y’all!
To connect further with the wonderful Melissa, you can find her on her blog where she shares her everyday adventures and her latest scrapbooking and Bible Journaling projects on her blog: Daily Life – Bits & Pieces (www.melissagross.blogspot.com).
You can also catch her on the following social media channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.gross.5439
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/melissagrossDL/