Fresh Blog Start - SarahMae.com

“Once I decided that my children were God’s best will for my life, I saw all of my life through this grid. So when I went through my day, in general, if an interruption came into my life, since my “grid” said, “My children are my decided and valued priority,” then I could say yes to my children and put the other non-essential things aside because it did not fit with my priorities. The other tasks and goals in my life are secondary to the plans I have made to keep the Lord, my children and my husband first.”

-Sally Clarkson, Cultivating Kindred Spirits and Choosing Priorities

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This space is mine. I have the opportunity to fill it with my opinions and ideas, and truth and grace and all the bits that make up the DNA of who I am. Oh, but it’s more than even that. It’s a gift to be able to write, to put out words that will land in someone’s else’s sphere (Tweetable). Incredible how these invisible wires connect us all. And what a responsibility to be purposeful with what I have.

I want to give good things. I want to encourage and inspire and be known and know others. I want to love people, even if I can’t see them. This space is my living room, where I say,

“Pull up a chair and get comfy. Would you like some coffee or tea? Let’s not waste time on chit chat, let’s delve under surfaces, throw away the manufactured life, and live whole and free and real. Are you with me?” (Tweetable)

This place, my blog, will have purpose and I will find joy in it (or I won’t do it). Also? I want to glorify God here. Enjoying writing is enjoying Him because He weaved in me the desire to write – it is all glory to Him!

Friends, why do you want to write? Are you compelled? Do you have a message to share?

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“Mommy, you’re spending too much time on your computer.”

This from a 7 year old.

Her words remind me that we made an agreement. I would never put my computer/writing before her. She has permission to tell me when I get off path, and then we start fresh.

I can’t sacrifice my children to write, do ministry, or anything else. However, I also realize that time is mine for the molding. I can choose to be wise with my moments, my days, and my life. And in fact, I’m getting fierce about my time and the choices I make.

I’ve backed off in many areas, and am taking regular time off to rest, stay alert with my priorities, and guard against burn-out. But I do want to write. I like writing. It’s my hobby, my fun thing, a way to stimulate my mind. So I will write with boundaries. I’m choosing to push out the voices that say, “you’re not really a writer” and to instead allow myself to fill blank space with who I am and what I want to pass on. My words, a legacy.

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” Luke 14:28-30

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I feel like starting over, going back to my blog roots.

I had such joy when I first began writing online back in 2007 (first with a family blog, and then with Like a Warm Cup of Coffee), and I’d love to experience that enjoyment again. In fact, I figure I’ll just pretend I’m starting from scratch! I’m going to start fresh, but not.

Know what I mean?

Want to join me? I’m joining Nester’s 31 Days link-up by hosting a 31 Days to a Fresh Blog Start – Starting Over, But Not series! Sound fun? Do it with me! Let’s rekindle that love of writing we had when we first began. Let’s imagine we’re blogging for the first time! You might want to even pick up Problogger’s First Week of Blogging or 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Maybe you’d prefer Bryan Allain’s 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo. Heck, maybe you just want some writing inspiration, in which I recommend You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins. Maybe you want to start over by being fierce with your time and setting some serious boundaries on your blogging (that’s what I’m doing – strict hours – so I don’t abuse my family). In that case, might I suggest Blogger Behave, Time Management 101 (free!) or Tell Your Time.

If you want to do your own 31 Days, head here and join! If you want to take the Fresh Blog Start challenge with me, grab a “Fresh Start” button and follow along! You can add a Fresh Start button by right clicking on it and then clicking on “save image as”. Just as an FYI, I won’t be posting on the weekends.

This is going to be fun! See you tomorrow for Day 1!