Tag Archives: #jesusbloggers

Hosting a Party!

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Happy Blog-a-versary to us!! This week, mittonmusings.com turns two years old! I can’t believe it! What started out as a little “learning experience” has grown into a full fledged toddler — complete with the meltdowns of a terrible two year old! (I recently had to delve into the world of website analytics. Let’s just say I don’t get it — yet.) But, I have learned a lot. A lot. And I want to thank you all for supporting me and this little adventure with your comments, encouragements and “likes”.

You’ll notice some subtle changes as we “grow up” a little. I’m hoping our new look is a little more streamlined and easy on the eyes. It’s been fun learning blips and blobs of this huge world we call “technology”. And it changes fast… so we are learning to keep up! We’ve just about hit 200 followers with just under 2 000 views. We’re active on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and you can find our Facebook page here. We are not YouTubers yet, but maybe we’ll be cool enough for that someday. Won’t the kids be so impressed?! Videography is on the list of things to learn. We dove headstrong into our first ever daily email campaign, 30 Days of Blessings, and had lots of great feedback. God has truly blessed our little ministry.

So what are we going to do to celebrate all our slow, but exciting progressions?! We’re hosting a party! Well, sort of. As much as I’d love to have you all over for cake and ice cream, the introvert in me says ” uh, no.” So, we are going to do the next best thing, we are going to all sit at home and drink warm beverages on the couch — and colour!!

Colour, you say? Yup. For the next several weeks, mittonmusings will be studying all about colours! I’m no artist, but I’ve enjoyed colouring since I was, well, two years old. So I thought it would be fun to do a study on colours, their symbolism, their psychology, and why God gave us such a rich resource to play with! We might even look into Bible Journalling and colour coded study. Are you up for it, my friends?! Fabulous!!

And what would a party be without presents? Oh, we are going to have those too! How can you get one?! By joining us on the adventure! And sharing it with others! Throughout the colour party, I’ll be looking for likes, shares and new followers! It’s how the internet decides we are “worthy” of taking up space in it’s crazy world! Simply click on the side “follow” button, or join the adventure when prompted in the pop up! Then pick your favourite post, write a raving “colour commentary”, and share it on your favourite social site! It warms my heart to think that I have had a little impact on making people think, helping them grow, and encouraging blessings along the journey. Will you help me celebrate?! I’ll meet you on the couch next week, with crayons in hand!!

Can’t wait to have you join us!

Blogging from the Heart

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I want to start this post by saying “thank you”. Thank you for reading. Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading this post all the way through to the end and supporting me by becoming a “follower”. Thank you for encouraging me by sharing and commenting. This blog thing started as an excuse for me to learn some technology. To broaden the scope of my horizons. If you’re curious, you can read my first ever post here. I don’t consider myself a writer, nor do I have ambitions to publish a book or creative set of poems or muses. I write from the heart about weird and wonderful things that happen, here, in our neck of the woods. Things I think about, things I question, things I struggle with. I also blog about things I love. My muses have blossomed and bloomed and it has become easier to share. Especially with regards to my faith journey.

I didn’t start out trying to be a #jesusblogger. I had no intention of writing devotionals or bible studies, nor do I wish to be the next woman of faith speaker. And yet, my muses quickly morphed into my ministry. We launched 30 Days of Blessings as a side project and I’ve learned more and more about websites. A self proclaimed introvert, it somehow became easier to share my faith journey, here, “on paper”, than from behind a pulpit. That’s one of those things about your own little space on the internet. It seems private, and yet it is not! It’s a tool. And any tool can be used for both good and evil. My hope is that you will find my space used as a platform for encouragement, growth, challenge, and to make you think. I don’t intend it to criticize or point fingers at any one source.

You will notice I have no affiliate links, no brand collaborations, no sponsors are knocking down my doors wanting to advertise. In fact, I pay extra to not have pop ups and advertising flashing across the screen on my homepage. Am I against it? No. I follow and read many a blogger and instagrammer who earn their living through influencing. It’s just not where I am at. I have no intention of quitting my job and blogging full time to earn thousands of dollars online. It’s my learning curve. Plus, I promised my family that mittonmusings would still allow me time for them.

Words on a page may not mean the same to you as they do to me….

Some weeks are difficult. It takes time to research, write, design decent photos and schedule and post. I’ve committed to weekly blogs and stayed up late to finish them. I have no technical background — so post many of my social media follow ups by individual upload. I don’t know how to keep stats and follow algorithms and make perfect SEO posts. Yet, I read every comment and see every follower. I learn and grow by studying and through the help of others. I hope that I encourage and shed light with each post. But the internet is tricky. Words on a page may not mean the same to you as they do to me. My attempt at humour may not come across as such. My Canadian references may not apply to followers in the Philippines. My opinions and muses about things that happened two years ago may have changed and grown from when they were originally written about. Which leads me open to criticism. And vulnerability. An introvert’s worst nightmare.

I recently stumbled upon a fellow faith blogger who shared my fears — and yet encouraged me that despite the vulnerability… jesusbloggers can still be salt and light to a darkened world! According to thinkaboutsuchthings.com, more than half the world’s population in 2019 has access to the internet. That’s over 4 billion humans online. It’s estimated that 3.48 billion people now use social media in some form or another. The internet is our mission field! (and yes, I do link and share on this blog! They are references for you to check out and discover — as I do).

I have two degrees hanging on my wall. I study and work hard. I love learning. But I am far from perfect. My words don’t always convey the meaning I want them to. You may disagree with my views and my opinions. But, I encourage you to be part of the conversation. Please don’t write me off because of something you find here. I challenge you to question and discover along with me. I am one in a sea of opinions. If you join the adventure and follow along, you will learn a bit more about the imperfect me, and how, through a whole lotta grace and mercy, I’m learning to write from the heart.

How to Network (Even if it Scares You!)

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One thing I have discovered since starting mittonmusings, is that blogging is really all about connections and networking. And I am painfully bad at it! As a self proclaimed wallflower and hopeless introvert, actually talking to people is brutally tough! I smile and nod politely, in great hopes that you might talk to me initially… but heaven forbid I make the first move! Very few of “my people” would even know that I blog… except for random posts on social media.

So, I scanned a few resources to see what the experts say about networking. Why do we put ourselves out there, out of our comfort zones, to connect and make ourselves known? Sometimes it is to improve our positions… perhaps a new job or a better rank within a current job. Our eldest has just started to tackle this daunting task… and we are trying to encourage her that employers don’t come knocking at your door — you must go to them and prove that you are worthy of their hiring. Yes, I agree, it is not easy!

Other times it is to make connections. If you have a passion for art or music, you tend to gravitate towards like-minded people who share your passion. Perhaps, it is to learn more about something you are interested in. The hubby and I attended “Seedy Sunday” at Evergreen Brickworks this past weekend… the intent was to learn more about gardening (another adventure I am hoping to tackle this spring), but I ended up chatting with a fibre artist about alpaca wool. Should I mention that the hubby wandered off and got coffee at this point? But put him in a room with small talkers who love world events… and it’s me who searches out the family cat.

I’m learning. I joined two online blogging groups — and have made some connections. I have had to be vulnerable and ask for help when needed… and, by golly, it works sometimes! Part of the reasoning for this post was to convince myself that I should attend a real, live, blogging networking event. It will be good to go — but I am petrified. It’s one thing to post on Instagram — it’s another to actually be there in the flesh and tell people what you blog about. Especially, in my case.

#Jesusbloggers, or people who have faith based blogs, have created a very narrow niche for themselves. It’s controversial. It’s limiting. Many businesses and affiliates don’t want you mentioning the whole God thing. No one wants you to guest post about “religion” — stick to just the craft or product, okay? (which — actually — I am cool about — just not something I choose to do here). I’ve also found it frustrating that many faith based bloggers are a little too flowery for me. All southern belle, hugs and kumbaya. Others have a significant story to tell — a miraculous event, or traumatic experience that illustrates their faith so beautifully. People read those stories.

I’m just a regular ol’ mom who happens to love Jesus. I started the blog to learn some technology, and it has blossomed into a unique way to share my faith. Networking, like sharing the gospel, is simply telling your story. My faith happens to be a part of my story… and so I am learning to tell a story that is so much bigger than my own. It’s God’s.

The experts say there are some key tips to follow when you network:

Smile. Okay. I can do that. I am putting on my southern belle smile. Here’s your ice cold lemonade. Come sit on the porch awhile, whilst I tell ya’ll about what I been musing about lately….

Prepare. I promise to continue to post weekly. I’m committed to sharing how my faith and my everyday life continue to coincide. I’m far from perfect, and I don’t have all the answers, but if you follow along on this adventure, I will seek to shed some light on this dark world as I give you glimpses of how God continues to work in our lives… perhaps not in big , miraculous events… but in the everyday. I hope to have another online course fully prepared for launch this summer!

Challenge yourself. Alright. I am boldly going to put myself out there… I will attend the live network (and pray hard I find another Jesusblogger hidden among the wallflowers!). I’m going to follow up on some leads for guest posts and re-connect with a few others. I continue to learn more about the technical side of this blogging thing…look for my upgrades!

So, my friends, here’s where you can help! If you have just joined me, and liked this post… would you consider following along in the adventure? Click here and you’ll get a weekly email. Already a follower? Want to share a post? Click on the title of your favourite post on the blog page… that gives you the “link”…then you can copy and paste the link to an email, your favourite social media account, or your own blog! Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of being the next internet sensation, but I have learned that “clicks”, “followers”, “shares” and “forwarding” is the way that the internet says your story is worth sharing. I’m hoping mine is.

Haha!! We, my new friend, have just networked!