Kingdom Writers: A Podcast for Christian Writers of All Genres

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

How many years have you been carrying this book? Four? Twelve? Twenty-five? Somewhere along the way you may have started reading the delay as the answer, and decided it was too late to write your Christian book.

It isn't. CJ and Shelley walk through five reasons the years behind you are not a verdict on the book in front of you.

Delay is not a verdict. Joseph got the dream and then got the prison. Moses was 80 when the assignment came. Time passing tells you that time passed, and nothing more than that.

There are three different versions of "too late," and they need three different answers: I'm too old, the moment passed, and I wasted the time. Naming which one you are carrying is what lets you set it down.

Shelley also shares her mom's story. She started a book, walked through a multiple myeloma diagnosis, and the book she finished years later held a story she could not have written before.

And the restart is smaller than you think. Not a new outline. Open the file, read the last page you wrote, and write one paragraph forward.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

We put so much weight on the big doors. The launch, the numbers, the speaking invitation. Meanwhile God keeps opening small ones and we walk right past them.

Shelley shares two stories from inside Christian Book Academy. Megan mentioned her book at her dentist's office, and the assistant there turned out to know teachers and librarians. Pam handed a book to a neighbor, and one single page in it carried that neighbor through a hard time.

She and CJ call these divine appointments. She prays over you at the end that you would start noticing the small ones.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

A pastor in South Africa wrote a little book in the 1800s. Over a hundred years later it landed on our shelf in Colorado Springs, and it wrecked us. Andrew Murray never knew our names. His words traveled anyway.

If you have been wondering whether the book on your heart will ever reach anyone, this one is for you. CJ walks through Matthew 8 and the Roman officer who told Jesus He did not need to come to the house, that He could say the word from where He stood. The word traveled. The healing happened somewhere the speaker never went.

Your words can do the same thing. They can reach readers you will never meet, in places you will never go, long after you have forgotten you wrote that chapter.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

How do you know God is actually calling you to write this book? Not "would it be nice." Not "people keep telling me I should." How do you know it is Him?

Most of us are waiting for something unmistakable, and while we wait, we walk right past the ways He has been confirming it for years.

In this episode CJ and Shelley walk through five signs you can actually look at. The idea that will not leave you. The material you have already been collecting without calling it that. The story that lines up with the message. The people who keep saying the same thing without ever having met each other. And the fifth one, the sign almost nobody counts, which is usually the clearest confirmation of all.

No seminary degree required. No platform required.

Have a thought on this episode? Share your comments on YouTube here.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

Most writing advice is really time management advice. Find the hour, protect the block, guard the calendar. But you can have the time and still have nothing left to give it.

In this short episode from the Hitz Blitz archive, Shelley talks about energy management and why it matters as much as the clock does for writers.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

You finished your first draft. And ever since, you have been telling yourself the same thing. I need to find an editor.

Months go by. You Google Christian book editor, scroll through websites, bookmark a few, and never reach out.

Editors are not hard to find. There are plenty of them. What nobody has taught you is what kind of help you actually need, and who you can trust with the message God gave you.

In this episode I walk you through three steps: name the stage of editing you are at, know that affordable and trusted editors exist, and reach out with your word count and a request for a sample edit.

One of our members, Pam, said it plainly. "Through the final draft stage, I was able to self-edit the book more thoroughly and figure out how to hire a professional editor." Notice the order. The self-editing came first.

Once you know what you are asking for, and you are choosing from people who have already been vetted, finding an editor stops being a permanent stall and becomes a doable task.

If you are already a member, pull up the recommended editor list inside Christian Book Academy and pick one editor to contact this week. If you are not yet a member, you can join us at Christian Book Academy.

Have a thought on this episode? Share your comments on YouTube here.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

Your testimony is not only part of your past. It may be the very thing God wants to use to encourage, heal, or give hope to someone today.

In this Hitz Blitz, Shelley reflects on Psalm 9:11 and God's invitation to tell others what He has done. She shares how her mom's healing story opened the door for an unexpected conversation in Michaels, and how one Christian Book Academy member turned her life story into a tiny testimony book that continues to impact readers.

You do not have to write your entire memoir or wait for the right platform. Your story can give God glory through a short book, a social post, a podcast, or one conversation with the person He puts in front of you.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

For a few years, Hitz Blitz was a private podcast. Short episodes recorded on the way to somewhere else, most of them under ten minutes. A blitz is defined in the dictionary as "a sudden, energetic, and concerted effort, typically on a specific task," and that's what these were meant to be. A quick burst of encouragement for your writing, not a full training.

Now we're opening the archive up here on the Kingdom Writers Podcast.

In this episode, Shelley explains what the Hitz Blitz was, why she's sharing it now, and what to expect. These land on Tuesdays, though not every Tuesday. They show up when there's one to give. Your regular Kingdom Writers episode still arrives on Thursday, same as always.

Some of these run five minutes. Some run two. They'll feel different from what you're used to hearing here, and that's the point.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

Little by little

Exodus 23:27-30

Here we have the Israelites moving through the wilderness and received the hopeful promise of a land they would possess.

But it would not come at the snap of God's fingers. It wouldn't even come in a year. It would be a gradual process. Little by little.

There are very practical reasons for this:

- If the land were cleared of its inhabitants immediately, the lack of human maintenance would cause crops to fail and the land to quickly revert to wilderness…oh great, more wilderness!

- With vast, uninhabited, and uncultivated territories, predators and wild beasts would multiply and pose a severe physical threat to the Israelites and their livestock.

- The phrase "little by little" highlights God's method of preparing His people. He gives them time to increase in numbers, become organized, and learn how to manage and care for their new inheritance.

For you mothers and fathers out there, think about the preparation and planning that takes place in those 9 months of pregnancy. Not only buying and receiving baby items but the preparation of your hearts and a 9 month course in maturity as you wait for this gift from the Lord.

As each of us prepares to give birth to our book babies, there is a process God takes us through. Little by little He molds and shapes us. We grow as Kingdom Writers one hard earned sentence at a time.

Yes, there are moments when we wish we could snap our fingers and have the book published. But we would miss out on so much and wouldn't be prepared if put in that position so quickly.

Just as the Israelites wanted to possess the land immediately, people often desire instant answers, success, or perfection. These verses remind us that "little by little" growth protects us from being overwhelmed by blessings or situations they are not yet equipped to handle.

What are some examples of "wild animals" that could become too numerous in our lives if not for the little by little process God takes us through in life and with our books?

(Pride, self-sufficiency, overwhelm with new responsibilities, lack of structure in place, worshiping success, etc).

I see one other glaring reason I think the Lord gives His people this "little by little" strategy: He wants us to rely upon Him every step of the way. If we got everything we wanted in an instant, we would be so prone to living our lives as if to say, "Ok God, I'm good to go! I'll let you know if I need anything else."

Maybe the Lord has given you a vision of a promised land to come. If so, embrace the "little by little" process He has for you. It will be worth the wait.

Resources:

If you're ready to take a step of faith and finally finish your book, we have a few ways we can help you.

1. Free Writing Week Challenge: Create a Writing Habit in 15 Minutes a Day

Even if you feel overwhelmed or stuck in procrastination, sitting down to write for just 15 minutes a day is the best way to finally reach your writing goals. Most writers think they need hours of uninterrupted time to make progress in their writing. However, in this free challenge, we will show you how much you can accomplish in just 15 minutes of focused writing.

Click here to create a consistent writing habit this week.

2. Book Writing Lab Workshop - Map Out Your Book in Just 90 Minutes

If over the last year, you've struggled to get your book written, this workshop is for you. Choose your book topic, write an outline, and create a writing plan in just 90 minutes! Finally, feel confident that you will actually finish your book.

Get started now for just $27

3. Want More Support? Join Christian Book Academy

Most writers stay stuck and never finish their first draft. Inside Christian Book Academy, we help you partner with God to write your book so you can become a published author. Finally, ditch your self-doubt and take a step of faith so you can finish your book.

Join Christian Book Academy (coupon code PODCAST)

Get 50% off your first month by using the coupon code PODCAST at checkout.

New live series: Writing Wins, every Tuesday at 11am Eastern (9 Mountain) on the Kingdom Writers YouTube channel through December 8. Each week CJ and I share one simple win to help you finish your book when life is busy, and the replays are waiting if you miss one.

Watch the Writing Wins playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCv2_QZJjAHg

Theme: Ask, Seek, Knock

As independent authors, we wear a lot of different hats. Writer, marketer, business owner, bookkeeper, book designer. It's easy to feel overwhelmed at times. And because we're Kingdom writers, we also face the obstacles the enemy throws at us.

God provided all the answers we need in His Word.

Let's look specifically at Matt. 7:7 NKJV, "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

How many of you find it hard to ask for help, to seek for what you need, or to knock on the necessary doors?

Yet, as Luke 18:17 tells us we are to approach the kingdom of God like a child.

They are innocent, trusting, and act without hesitation or fear. Kids have no problem asking for what they want! Somewhere in our growing up years, we lost those qualities, but we need to recover them.

Without fear or hesitation and coupled with belief and faith, God wants us to…

Ask for his message, his words to put onto the page.

Seek him and his wisdom for how to do what he's called us to do.

Knock on the doors God leads us to. But also realize our books are like knocking on someone's door. Those who buy them have opened their door to our words. Our marketing is a knock on someone's door.

We are God's children, and he delights in us. He isn't going to hesitate to give us what we ask, seek, and knock for.

Resources:

If you're ready to take a step of faith and finally finish your book, we have a few ways we can help you.

1. Free Writing Week Challenge: Create a Writing Habit in 15 Minutes a Day

Even if you feel overwhelmed or stuck in procrastination, sitting down to write for just 15 minutes a day is the best way to finally reach your writing goals. Most writers think they need hours of uninterrupted time to make progress in their writing. However, in this free challenge, we will show you how much you can accomplish in just 15 minutes of focused writing.

Click here to create a consistent writing habit this week.

2. Book Writing Lab Workshop - Map Out Your Book in Just 90 Minutes

If over the last year, you've struggled to get your book written, this workshop is for you. Choose your book topic, write an outline, and create a writing plan in just 90 minutes! Finally, feel confident that you will actually finish your book.

Get started now for just $27

3. Want More Support? Join Christian Book Academy

Most writers stay stuck and never finish their first draft. Inside Christian Book Academy, we help you partner with God to write your book so you can become a published author. Finally, ditch your self-doubt and take a step of faith so you can finish your book.

Join Christian Book Academy (coupon code PODCAST)

Get 50% off your first month by using the coupon code PODCAST at checkout.