On Joining A Community

I have been dreading writing this post and I've had a hard time pinpointing why. I think I have come up with an answer. I hope.

Some of my "five loyal readers" might remember at the beginning of the month when I posted that The High Calling was hosting a contest for free registration to their Writers' Retreat. To enter the contest, you had to be a member of The High Calling community. Registration is easy, so I did that. Then you had to write a blog post about why you need to be at that retreat, which I did. They also suggest that one should display The High Calling badge on their blog. Thankfully, I'm proficient enough to make that happen on my blog. I followed the rest of the instructions on sharing my blog post to enter the contest. Voila! I was done.

The contest winner was announced the following day (I had waited until the very last minute to join). The winner - whose name I think is Kathy - is from the same area I live in. I'll have to catch up with her now that I know she exists! Even though I did not win the contest, several lovely people made it possible for me to go to the Writers' Retreat. In fact, I'm leaving in a few hours for the retreat and I am nervous, excited, and nervous. Or is it excited, nervous, and excited? I'm not sure...

God's Mangy Dog Rescue and Obedience Training Program

Saturday I got to spend some time with a friend helping her learn how to set up a blog. Her blog will be vastly different than mine in purpose and audience, but I was able to steer her around some of the newbie pitfalls I've backed into these past few months. (Plus it was just a good excuse to spend time together!)

I thought it was amusing that my friend had asked me for help when I had never intended to be a blogger. My blogging came about through a strange sequence of events that was set in motion by the death of my precious mother. I sometimes wonder if Mama were alive and in her room right down the hall, would I even be in this community with you? Would I know that you were here? We'll never know, but it reminds me that I did not end up sitting in this corner typing because I had always thought that people wanted to read what I have to say.

One of the questions that my friend asked me is, "how did you get people to read your blog?" I explained a little of how I had met my "five loyal readers" and my gracious visitors.  I also told her about something I had just read that said bloggers need to be able to explain their blog succinctly when asked about their writing. Just saying, "I just write about what is going on with me whenever I feel like it" does not usually inspire people to take the time to come to your blog to see what you have to say - not unless they are a good friend or loving relative. Of course, my very organized friend already had a mission statement for her blog, so I was not worried that she could "sell it" to readers. However, it did make me wonder if I could tell you what I'm doing here on my little patch of internet real estate.

On Going to a Writers' Retreat

The first time I heard about The High Calling, I was listening to talk radio on an AM station in Corpus Christi, TX. I heard the warm voice of a man - I found out it was Howard E. Butt, Jr. - telling stories in little clips about living well. I sat up a little straighter in my seat while driving each time I heard his voice after that. Growing up in south Texas, you learn to listen when somebody with that name speaks. I grew up going to the Butt family's groceries stores - H.E.B. - and still shop there today. They have a history of success and community involvement, so I appreciate their input. I always meant to go to the website to see what Mr. Butt was talking about, but by the time I got out of the car, I would forget. Sure did love those radio spots, though.

Today, through a link to a link to a link (you know how that goes, right?), I found out that today is the last day of a contest that The High Calling is having a contest (look here) to send one person to their Writers' Retreat at the end of September. This is not just any ol' retreat, my friends. According to the website, "This year’s Laity Lodge Writer’s Retreat instructors are each experts in their field. Greg Wolfe edits Image Journal. Jeffrey Overstreet has won two Christy Awards for his fiction. Julia Kasdorf was awarded a 2009 NEA fellowship for poetry. And that is just a taste of what you can expect. Several editors from Christianity Today will also be at the retreat, as well as TheHighCalling.org editors and others." So for a beginner like me, this would be hitting the jackpot right at the start of my journey.