Why Bother Blogging?

     Why bother blogging? Why learn a new writing skill? Why not stick with what you are familiar with? These questions and a dozen more flooded my mind. 

    When I returned from the 2013 Write! Canada Conference, I had a decision to make. Would I heed the advice of Kim Bangs, whose writing workshop I attended, or would I ignore her recommendation. You see, Kim Bangs, now of Baker Publishing, strongly urged all in her class to begin blogging.

    Did I want to begin blogging? No way! And no thank you.

    But the Holy Spirit might also be called a gentle whispering nag. In the days following the conference, the Spirit kept whispering, "When are you going to start that blog?"

    After a time of resistance, I finally relented.

    "Okay! I'll write that stupid blog."

    Actually, it wasn't the blog that was stupid, but the author had a lot to learn, and he needed an attitude adjustment as well. 

    I stumbled about for a while as I tried to discern a theme and purpose for my writing. Eventually, I began writing devotional posts on the Psalms. Once that decision was made, I settled into a routine writing rhythm, knocking off a daily post of consistent length. In due time, I had devotional posts for every day of the year, and all one-hundred-and-fifty psalms in the Bible—enough to fill three 265-page volumes.

    Why bother blogging? Well the answers have been coming thick and fast for a number of years now. Answers come in a variety of ways. Most often they come in the comments left by blog readers. At other times they come through words spoken directly to me, or through Amazon book reviews. 

    But perhaps the biggest answer to that question came on September 25, 2021 at The Word Guild Gala when I won the Grace Irwin Best Book of the Year Award for Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, Volume I.

    Yes, my blog posts on the Psalms became an award-winning book with a significant cash prize attached. You never can tell where following the advice of a writing professional might take you. That's especially true if it's accompanied by the Holy Spirit's urgent prompting.

     All three volumes of Psalms 365 are available for the Christmas season. They are a great way to begin the new year. For a closer look or to purchase click here.

    
    David Kitz is the author of numerous books and the chair of The Word Guild.