Writing nonfiction eBooks can be a great way to get your writing career off the ground. It’s often easier and quicker than going the traditional route.
There are four main steps processes involved. The first is coming up with a general idea. Next is coming up with a more specific plan. After that, is the execution of the plan. Finally is the publishing step, and you have your end result.
The Big Idea
Having a general idea is all well and good. But an important aspect is finding out what, exactly, your readers are interested in. They want to know things related to what you are interested in. You’ll need to do a survey. Ask people what problems they have and need to be solved and what they are interested in. Then the trick is to discover what you want to write about, what you know about, and what they want to read about. Find the overlap, and you’ll have your idea. You can write your eBook on what you want to write about and also help people with what they want to read about.
The Plan
Now you move on to the plan You came up with the overall theme, or “big idea”, for your book. What is your book about, in a nutshell? You need to be able to state that in a paragraph or even one sentence.
Next, it’s time to come up with 10-21 working chapter titles. A few more than that is ok. Sometimes, if you start getting too many chapters, you can combine ideas.
Then you want to come up with chapter plans. This is very important. Come up with points for each chapter. Here’s a secret: It’s much easier to write an answer to questions. After coming up with 9-15 points for your chapter, turn those into questions. Then, for each question, give yourself little hints as to what you’re going to write as an answer to those questions. Lay that out for the whole book.
The Execution
Write daily. Figure out how many minutes a day you can write. Make it at least 30 minutes, up to 75 minutes a day. If you can write 75 minutes a day, you can complete a rough draft of a 20 chapter 200 page book in about 20 days. The key is to write daily. Another key is to write a fast rough draft. Power through and get your rough draft done quickly. Just write, and do the editing later. Some people do prefer to edit daily, which is fine, but it will take longer each day if you do it that way. Just make sure you write every day and complete your daily goals. Doing it this way, you’ll be able to complete a rough draft fairly quickly and move on to editing.
You are the best editor for your book because you are the most familiar with what you want to say. It does have some drawbacks when it comes to proofreading. When you are proofreading your own work, your mind knows what you want to say, so sometimes it will put in a word when it’s not actually there. So, edit your book after doing the first rough draft. If you have the money and the inclination, you can hire a professional editor to help.
Publishing – The End Result
After the idea, plan, and execution, we come to the final step, which is publishing. If you are writing an eBook, I recommend self-publishing. If you’re doing both an eBook and a print book, then you have other ways you can go. If you do that, you can go 4 different routes.
First is traditional publishing. You’ll need to compose a good query letter and book proposal. You would then send those off to prospective agents. Then the agent would find a publisher for your book.
The second route is self-publishing. Especially with eBooks, you can come up with a PDF file that you can sell from your website.
The third route is using Kindle Direct Publishing. I have no connection with them, other than the experience of having worked with them in the past. They will allow you to publish a print book around the same time that you publish your eBook.
Another possible route is a hybrid publisher. It has some of the best aspects of traditional and self-publishing. They will offer you additional services, which you would have to pay for. They may offer editing services, marketing services, or cover design.
You have the idea, you have the plan, and you have written the book. Now get it published. Since we’re talking about a non-fiction eBook, I recommend either self-publishing via a PDF file on your website, or through Kindle Direct Publishing. You would then have it listed on Amazon.com
This is the third in a four-part series on mistakes that Christian family members make, when dealing with one another, without realizing it. In the first part, I discussed the mistake of not knowing how fragile your family members are. You can read the first post and watch the video here.
The second post dealt with the importance of encouraging words. Read that here.
In this third post, I’ll talk about understanding how general attitudes of encouragement benefit the entire Christian community.
Building Up
Romans 15: 1-6 (MEV) We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak and not please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.3 For even Christ did not please Himself. But as it is written, “The insults of those who insulted You fell on Me.”[a]4 For whatever was previously written was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I recently posted a blog about humility and how it can help a marriage. The edification, or “building up” can help a marriage as well. But it goes far beyond marriage and enters into our relationships with one another. Remember, marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (MEV) 11 He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service*, and for the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, into a complete man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so we may no longer be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, by craftiness with deceitful scheming. 15 But, speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him, who is the head, Christ Himself, 16 from whom the whole body is joined together and connected by every joint and ligament, as every part effectively does its work and grows, building itself up in love.
*Other translations read, “the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.” If you are a believer, you are a minister and a servant of Jesus!
Barnabas, Paul, and Mark
The Bible tells of a man named Barnabas. His name means “Son of Encouragement”. Christianity could be very different were it not for him. Saul (Paul after his conversion) was not a nice man! He persecuted Christians full-time. He got letters of authority permitting him to arrest and imprison them. When Stephen (the first Christian martyr) was being stoned to death, Saul didn’t even try to stop the mob. In fact, he offered to hold their garments so they could throw the stones more easily. Word quickly got around that he was not someone Christians wanted around.
Then, while on the road to Damascus, he met the living Christ! Saul became Paul and his life was changed. He was excited about his encounter and wanted to tell everyone about his newfound faith. But who would listen to him? His reputation preceded him.
He thought he could go to the apostles, and get their endorsement, and then the people would listen. But the apostles wouldn’t receive him. Then, the man named Barnabas heard Paul’s story and believed it. Then Barnabas took Paul before the apostles, and they listened to him and believed his story.
Paul went on to become one of the greatest preachers the world had seen. He planted churches and went on mission trips. On his first mission trip, Barnabas and his relative Mark accompanied him. Because of the difficulties they faced, Mark left the journey early. Paul resented him for it. When it came time to plan for the second missionary trip, Barnabas again wanted Mark to go. Paul would not allow it. It caused contention between the two and Paul and Barnabas ended up splitting. That’s when Silas came into the picture.
On the surface, that looked like a bad thing. However, what wound up happening is that the Gospel was spread even further! Near the end of his life, Paul asked for Mark to be sent to him. They were reconciled, and Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark; perhaps the first of the four Gospels. If that is the case, Matthew and Luke could have gotten much of their information from him. Their was no jealousy or plagiarism. It is, however, one way the Holy Spirit could have caused the working of the synoptic Gospels to have come about. The “synoptic” part (like synonyms) refers to these Gospels covering many of the same events – yet each presents a different emphasis. Mark may have been written first, and may have become the foundation for the other two. At any rate, Mark became a Gospel writer.
What would have happened if Barnabas had not encouraged these two men?
I challenge you to consider how your encouragement of others can have a far-reaching impact. Put the practice of encouragement into your own family today. Then spread it out to the rest of the people you come into contact with.
Thank you for reading. I hope you are enjoying this series. Part four is coming up shortly. Until then, check out other posts on Randys’ Blogs and remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Edification Mistakes Christian Family Members Make – Part 2
This is the second in a four-part series on mistakes that Christian family members make, when dealing with one another, without realizing it. In the first part, I discussed the mistake of not knowing how fragile your family members are. You can read that post and watch the video here.
Today, I will be talking about the power of encouraging words.
A Lasting Impact
There was once a teacher who was concerned about some problems going on in her class. She came up with an assignment.
She began by giving each student a list of the names of all their classmates. She instructed the students to write down one good thing about each one in the class. The students turned in their assignments the following day. The teacher then compiled all the good things the children had written about one another, and gave the list to the respective student. She then moved on with her normal lesson plans for the rest of the year. Several years passed, and the teacher hadn’t thought much about the lists. Then, one of those students was killed in the Viet Nam war. The teacher, along with several students from that class, attended the visitation.
While talking and remembering, it was said that, among the soldier’s belongings, was the letter from the classmates listing his good qualities.
Once that was revealed, one by one, the other former students began saying, “I still have mine.” One said, “I look at mine at least once a week.” Another smiled and opened his wallet, and removed a tattered and taped piece of paper, showing that he, too, still had the letter from so long ago.
The teacher’s actions that day so long ago had a lasting impact on those students. It was evident by how many of them held on to and cherished the letters and the words written on them.
We see the power of encouraging words in examples such as these.
At Home
As I’ve said in previous blogs, the one about humility, for example, (read it here) supportive words and actions can go a long way and have a deep and lasting impact on the recipient. Words have the power to build up or tear down.
I’m sure we’ve all seen a child light up when a parent, teacher, or coach, tells them they did well, or praises their attitude, or congratulates them on a newly mastered skill. The encouragement makes the child want to try even harder, or repeat the action, or get even better at the skill.
Adults are no different. We all need to hear that we’re appreciated for who we are and what we do. We all need the encouragement of those we love and are closest to.
Husbands need to hear from their wives that they are proud of them, how hard they work, and how well they lead the family.
Wives need to hear from their husbands that they are pleased with the work she does, both in and out of the home. Wives need to be encouraged that they are doing well with the children and running the home.
Children need to know that Mom and Dad are proud of them and their efforts to learn, grow and improve.
Children need to communicate to their parents that they’re appreciative of the time, money, and effort that is put into their well-being and upbringing.
Not Just Blood Family
While the main focus of these posts is on blood-related family members, it’s important to note another family relationship. For those of us who are believers, our brothers and sisters in Christ are our family as well.
Those family members need support and encouragement as well. It’s easy to grow weary while serving Christ. Especially these days when we are under attack from so many directions. Discouragement and frustration can easily creep in. Just as it’s important to encourage our spouses and children, it’s important to lift up and exhort our pastors, deacons, elders, and other fellow believers.
Everybody needs encouragement and support from those around them. It’s so important to understand the power of encouraging words.
Thank you for reading. Please check out my other blog posts at Randy’s Blogs and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
The importance of edification cannot be overemphasized.
Edification Mistakes Christian Family Members Make – Part 1
There are 4 mistakes that Christian family members make when dealing with one another. In the next several posts, I will be discussing what those mistakes are, and ways to avoid them. In this first installment, I will talk about the mistake of not knowing how fragile your family members are.
I’ve always been proud of the relationship that I have with my son, Rusty. Currently, he is serving as a missionary in Japan. Well, a few years ago, my wife and I took a trip to visit him and his family. While there, I had an opportunity to have a conversation with Rusty about an event he recalled from his past.
He was in school, and I was the assistant principal at the time. I had come into his classroom, and found that he had not completed his goals. He had gone as far as getting some of the school staff to support him, but I was going to override it because I knew what he was capable of accomplishing, and a different goal would have benefited him two weeks later.
I did not realize how damaging that was to him. Now, at that time, had he better explained to me what he was thinking, I feel like i would have understood and done what he asked. But what hurt me the most was that he didn’t feel like he could talk to me and explain. I had hurt my son, and I was oblivious!
Then, Rusty told that he recalled a time when he and my youngest daughter, Rita Beth were together, and she made what I interpreted to be a disrespectful comment. It concerned me because I felt I was responsible for her correction. I felt it was my fault.
Rusty left and went over to my mother’s house. I followed him a little later, and proceeded to speak to him and ti try to explain why I had corrected his sister. He looked at me and said, “It just feels like that sometimes you don’t respect us.”
Well, that floored me. I didn’t have anything to say. I just turned and walked away. During that same conversation I mentioned above, Rusty said that he remembered the look in my eyes after he said that, and how hurt I looked. He didn’t remember what he said, but he remembered the look of hurt.
Before we move on, I should point out that all of my children were generally very respectful, including these two.
Family members sometimes make mistakes like these and don’t even realize it.
What Children need from Their Parents
Children long for approval and love from their parents. We’ve all seen a young child yell, “Daddy, watch this!” or “Mommy, look what I can do!” From an early age, children seek out their parents’ approval. Many of their motivations early in life come from a desire to make Mom and Dad proud of them. Even as adults, they don’t outgrow that need for approval.
A basic human need is love. Children who are deprived of that love and closeness often have lifelong problems with relationships. It’s sometimes referred to as “attachment disorder”. That is defined as “a type of mood or behavioral disorder that affects a person’s ability to form and maintain relationships. These disorders typically develop in childhood. They can result when a child is unable to have a consistent emotional connection with a parent or primary caregiver”
So you see, a lack of a loving support system can have lifelong consequences.
What Husbands Need from Their Wives
I’m not sure that wives understand how important their admiration, respect, and encouragement are for their husbands. As men, we feel the need to provide for and take care of our families. The Bible commands that we do so! Big, showy, grand gestures aren’t always necessary to show your husband support and respect. I heard a story of a pastor and his wife. Every Sunday, while leaving the church, his wife would link her arm in his and say to him, “You’re a good man.” That was an encouragement to him.
What Wives Need from Their Husbands
Similarly, husbands aren’t always aware of the needs of their wives. Wives crave security, support, and encouragement from their husbands. Wives have a lot on their plates. Often, they work outside of the home. Many women are also responsible for the running of the household and care of the children. Knowing that their husbands are there and “have their back” is a source of great comfort.
What Parents Need from Their Children
Children, especially young ones, may not understand what their parents need from them. They may not know their parents need anything from them. But they do. Parents need to hear and see their children express gratitude for the things that they do for them. Parenting is a tough job, and it’s important to feel that what you’re doing matters and is appreciated.
Summing it all Up
So, within the family, everyone needs something from the other members. It’s a circular relationship. When everyone fills his or her role, the family can be happy, harmonious, and united.
In my next post, I’ll be discussing how important encouraging words can be. In the meantime, you can visit Randy’s Blogs for more about marriage and family relationships. You can also follow me on You Tube or Rumble.
In my recent posts, I’ve discussed edification or encouraging one another in the family. Here, I’ll be talking about building up each other’s confidence. While I’ll be focusing on relationships between husbands and wives here, remember that the church is the bride of Christ, so this blog post can be applied to relationships within the church as well.
Philippians 1:3-6, 25 (MEV)
3 I thank my God for every reminder of you. 4 In every prayer of mine for you all, I have always made requests with joy, 5 due to your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. 25 Having this confidence, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your joyful advancement of the faith,
Definition of Confidence
Let’s start off by defining confidence. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstance” Another definition is “…feeling sure of yourself and your abilities — not in an arrogant way, but in a realistic, secure way. Confidence isn’t about feeling superior to others. It’s a quiet inner knowledge that you’re capable.”
Confidence is not just our own confidence, but who we are in the Lord and how the Lord can bless us. We should be able to lift others up within the Lord and that should bring confidence within our lives.
Problems From Lack of Confidence
A lack of confidence can cause missed opportunities. Feelings of inferiority can cause you to think you can’t do something, or shouldn’t try. Maybe you won’t go out for that promotion at work because you feel like you wouldn’t be able to handle the extra responsibility. Perhaps you decline an offer to teach a Sunday school class because you think you lack the necessary abilities. It’s important to take advantage of opportunities that come your way. No matter if you succeed or you fail, you will always learn something.
Personal growth can stall without confidence. For example, what if, in order to get a new job, you needed to go back to school? If you’re feeling less than adequate, you may miss out on furthering your education, not to mention a great new career. You will feel defeated before you even start, so, you may not start. That goes back to those missed opportunities. How many things have we missed out on because the words “I can’t” or “I’m not” ran through our minds? It was once said that the word “can’t ” should be removed from the dictionary.
I think the worst thing to come from a lack of confidence is the feeling of being worthless and feeling that no one cares. It can get to the point that it will pull a person down. If Satan can’t rob you of your knowledge of who Jesus is, he will try to rob you of your joy. He’ll rob you of thinking clearly and he will fill you with lies. Satan will gleefully remind you of your past failures. That robs us of the freedom we have, in Christ, from those failures. When Satan gets a foothold in your thoughts and keeps reminding you about your past, it steals your confidence, and you fall deeper and deeper into despair. The sadness turns into more self-deprecating thoughts, Satan gains ground and the cycle continues.
Helping Rhonda
Let me begin by saying that I am in no way elevating myself. We all need to encourage one another.
Something I have always wanted to do is encourage my wife, Rhonda in her personal growth. She was once asked to speak at a Mother’s Day banquet. She had never really spoken like that before and was a little apprehensive. As a family, we encouraged her to speak. She did and was successful. Then word got out and another ladies’ meeting called and asked her to speak. We encouraged her to do that event also. Hopefully, that helped her develop some confidence
While living in Georgia, we started a Christian school. Rhonda hadn’t completed her education degree yet, but we felt like her main ministry should be at home during that time. She did come into the school once a week and started working with a reading program helping the children. She was also a monitor which is like a teacher’s aide. While helping out, I knew I could just ask her to do something and she’d understand what I needed.
Another time, I worked at Accelerated Christian Education (ACE). They did “Bible Time Boosters” which is similar to VBS. They asked her and another lady to work with the little ones. There were at least 35 children in the group. To get the kids to walk in line and stay together, they all had to hang on to a rope. When it came time for the closing program, her class’ turn came and she took the front of the rope, the children grabbed on, and the other teacher took the end and they did their program. When it was time to leave the teachers and children took the rope and went back to their spot. The rope trick really impressed a lady in the church named Mrs. Howard, who was in charge of many areas of the ministry. Later, she became president. When it came time to start the preschool program, they wanted someone to be in charge of the school. This school was to be the pilot program for the development of the curriculum, which would have a world-wide impact. Mrs. Howard asked me if Rhonda would be willing to do that. I would have encouraged Rhonda to do that, but we had already determined that her main ministry would be with our own preschoolers at home. Nevertheless, the idea of someone wanting her to head up the school was a big confidence builder for her.
Rhonda played the piano for her church as a teenager and she told me about a time that she couldn’t hold the foot pedal down because her knee was shaking so badly. But she’s practiced and played many times for our church and others and has gained confidence and been a blessing.
As a teacher, Rhonda’s confidence was in working with the smaller children. She worked with them for a while and was then asked to work with older children. It was intimidating to her, but she did it and gained confidence.
As a Sunday School teacher, again, her confidence was in working with children. But she’s taught young adults and adults and I’ve seen her confidence grow. I’ve just been trying to encourage her to grow.
My Personal Journey
Rhonda has encouraged me to grow and helped me gained confidence as well. She’s encouraged me to trust in the Lord, and I’m SO glad she was willing to do that. Our confidence in the Lord has grown through our lives because of our little, feeble faith that we started with that we could trust God when we couldn’t see what the next steps would be.
I was attending Seminary and had been a youth director at a church. That time was coming to an end, and it was time for me to graduate. The house we were living in did not belong to us, and we needed to move out because the new youth director and his family were going to be moving in. It got to the point where we had to be out in 6 days and didn’t know where we were going. I had sent out many letters all over the country telling them I was available to pastor.
I got a call from a church in Mt. Vernon, Illinois to preach a trial sermon. I went and spoke, but was not called by that church. That was not in God’s plan.
We got some replies from Georgia, and in that 6-day time frame, we went to one church, and I spoke. I was scheduled to speak the next week at a youth revival at another church in Georgia. After speaking at the first church in Georgia, we were headed back to Tennessee and were in prayer about what God wanted. We said if that first church called us, we would accept the call. Before we even got back to Tennessee, they had their meeting and called me as their pastor!
We loaded up and moved to Georgia. We pulled our U-Haul into one of the deacons’ yards with barely any time to spare and headed to the youth revival to fulfill that commitment.
Then we were going to start a Christian school but it all fell apart. I had already resigned from my church, and we had to be out of our house. The church people asked me if I had made a mistake. I said, “I don’t know. I don’t understand. I don’t know what’s happening. But, I’m pretty sure I was right to resign. I just don’t know yet what my next step is.”
They said they needed someone to fill in as pastor, so they asked if I would be willing to do that until I discovered my next step. I agreed, and they said my family and I could live in the parsonage until everything got sorted out. So, even though the direction wasn’t clear at that time, God still provided for our short-term needs.
That Sunday we went up to a Sword of the Lord conference in Atlanta. The regional coordinator from ACE was there, and I said, “It looks like we’re not going to start a school.” He said, “That’s OK. We can just keep everything on file and in the next 3 years the church there can start.” I started to walk away, and he asked if I needed a place to go. It had never occurred to me to tell anyone that I need a place to go. So, I told him that I did, and he told me he knew of a pastor who was wanting to start a school but didn’t have a principal or a supervisor and hadn’t sent anyone for training yet. Classes were supposed to start in a few weeks. So, it turned out that was the next step for us.
Through all this, Rhonda just went along with me, even though I couldn’t see clearly the direction that God wanted me to go. She got confirmation from the Lord along with me that He was doing something. Even though we couldn’t see it, we relied on Him and trusted Him. In our case, God seems to let us just barely hang on when things seem to be falling apart. We just cling tightly to our faith. Throughout our journey, Rhonda has encouraged me, and that has been a confidence builder for me.
Then, I worked for the International Institute, a college program for ACE, for a time. I then went back to southern Illinois and began a college there.
Things didn’t always turn out how we had planned, but no matter what, God worked through that, and people were blessed.
God Provides Confidence
We don’t know how big or small things will be, but they are never insignificant. God is faithful. He can instill the confidence in you, that when you take some steps, even if you can’t see how it will work out, God will come through and it will work out! Then, when you’re facing another time of uncertainty when you can’t see how it will work out, you will remember what God did before, and you ask Him to please do it again.
Rhonda and I decided that we wanted all our children to attend college. We didn’t know how we were going to pay for it, but we took a step of faith and enrolled them. Somehow, through God’s grace and provision, we made it.
We had one year when 3 of them were in college at one time. Our son, Rusty, was told by someone to apply for some scholarships. They scholarship providers didn’t know him and weren’t from our state. Rusty wouldn’t have had any idea about applying for those, but someone suggested he do so, and he got several scholarships out of that encounter. God works that way! He also provided jobs for them. That was the year that our income came up and was one of the highest we’ve had in our lives.
Then, Rusty decided that he was going to be a missionary to Japan. I said, “How are you going to get funding?” He went to area churches to get monthly funding. The mission board said he needed a budget of $108,000 a year. To us, in our area, it seemed excessive. But Rhonda and I took a trip to Japan and bought a watermelon while there, and it was $40, so we found out that level of funding was totally in line. But God made a way, and Rusty and his family were able to move to Japan, and he is still serving in the mission field today!
The Lord builds confidence in failures. Abraham Lincoln ran for office several times and didn’t get voted nt. Then, finally, he was elected the 16th President of the United States.
Encourage One Another
You can encourage one another. If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing poorly until you can do it well. You can encourage with that. Wives can encourage husbands. Perhaps the husband gets a new job and isn’t doing well in the beginning. She can encourage him by using that phrase and letting him know that she believes he will improve and be successful.
Encouragement Regardless of Personality Type
God can use every personality type. There are some people who are very driven and outgoing and will work to get things done. You can be thrust into leadership positions. You can be a follower. You can be the best support person you can be. But, there are also people who have milder personalities who can be leaders.
There is a spiritual gift of pastoring, but there are some pastors who do not have that spiritual gift. I am currently pastoring a church, but I don’t feel I have that spiritual gift. But I have learned that if God calls you to serve in a certain role, He will provide the necessary tools.
You may have that hard-driving personality, and God will cause things to happen because of your drive. You might have a milder personality. You might be introverted. In many companies, there are people that are introverted and quiet who are in positions of leadership, and people can’t figure out how they got there. The reason those kinds of personalities can be successful is that they are willing to put up with things that people with stronger personalities aren’t. God can take that and use that.
Whatever your spouse’s personality type is, please encourage them that God can use them.
I’m currently interested in Internet marketing and I’m trying to learn how to do that. My confidence grows each time I fail at that. I lean a little bit more each time I try. Maybe someday I’ll be a great Internet marketer and be telling you all how to succeed at doing that.
What Can Be if We Instill Confidence in Others
Think about what can take place if you build your confidence, and your family builds your confidence. You can begin to tackle new things, and you can see God do unusual things. You’d be willing to start without knowing what the next steps will be. You may be called to go to minister in a prison. You may be afraid, but you take a step and be willing to start. As you do this, you may appear to be more outgoing than you actually are. You may overcome some obstacles along the way, but you will recover from failures that you face.
Before Rhonda and I got married, I sang in a quartet. There was a song we sang that said:
When trouble is in my way, I can’t tell my night from day, When I’m tossed from side to side, Like a ship on a raging tide, I don’t worry I don’t fret. My God has never failed me yet. Troubles come from time to time, But that’s all right, I’m not the worrying kind because I’ve got confidence God is gonna see me through. No matter what the case may be. I know He’s gonna fix it for me. Job was sick so long Till the flesh fell from his bones. His wife, cattle, and children, Everything that he had was gone. But Job in he despair, He knew that God still cared, Sleepless days and sleepless nights, But Job said that’s all right because I’ve got confidence.
In Closing
I pray that you will have it as part of your mission to instill confidence in those around you. My desire is to instill confidence in you so you can talk to people about your faith. I want you to be able to step out of your comfort zones. When asked to be a Sunday School teacher, you will accept and see where the Lord leads. When you see a challenge before you, I pray for you to realize that God has never failed you yet. Step out. Even if there’s a failure, you learn from it. I pray that in your life, failure is never a bad thing. Don’t let the failure go to waste. Learn from it and build your confidence.
Thank you for reading. For more posts like this, go to Randy’s Blogs. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and my Rumble Channel.
Humility can bring about healing in our own lives, our marriages, and our Nation. Here, I will address the importance of humility, examples of humility, commands concerning humility, and the most important requirement of humility for us all.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. II Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Marge and Mark
Marge and Mark were next door neighbors. Marge was in her back yard. Mark was in his. Their yards were separated by a tall hedge and they could not see one another. Marge, to herself, said, “I can’t do anything right! He never stands up for me. I’m always taken for granted. He doesn’t notice when I try to look good for him. He is SO arrogant. He never apologizes for anything! He never supports me when the children put me down.”
Imagine if Marge had felt appreciation or gratitude from her husband. How would her attitude be different? Instead of the frustration she was feeling, maybe she would have felt grateful for a husband who supported her and showed his love. Was her husband being arrogant, or just not paying attention? Either way, it’s obvious there was work to be done. Marge needed the support of her husband, and some
encouragement when she made extra effort to fix herself up. Dealing with the children alone was draining, and feeling like she had no one to back her up or stick up for her when they put her down was very hurtful. The whole home would have run more smoothly if Marge’s husband would have shown humility and stepped outside of himself for a few minutes and looked at things from Marge’s perspective. I’m sure she would have had feelings of admiration for her husband as opposed to the resentment her thoughts showed. She was working hard and did not feel the validation she needed.
Similarly, Mark was thinking to himself, “She doesn’t seem to think I know anything! I’m always taken for granted. She never says anything good about me in public. She never apologizes for anything! She never stands up for me when the children push against me. It would be nice to hear ‘thank you’ once in a while.”
Mark’s wife seemed wrapped up in her own world, her own self. Mark worked hard, both at his job and at home. He was skilled at many things, and knew how to do a lot. His wife never seemed to appreciate that. He felt beaten down and defeated. If his wife had taken the time to step out of herself and look at things through Mark’s eyes, she may have seen what her pride had done. Maybe she would have realized that he was a good provider, a good husband, and a good father. Maybe her heart would have been softened, and she would have apologized for how she had treated him, and how she had not taken his feelings into consideration. It could have been the beginning of a new commitment for her to be more appreciative of Mark, and to make sure to thank him for the things he did.
The Importance of Humility
A man once said, “There’s one thing that I’m better at than anyone else: being humble.”
Pride Brings Pain
Proverbs 21:9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
In both Marge’s and Mark’s houses, it seems there were people who were lifted up with pride.
Proverbs 21:19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman. Proverbs 25:24 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
There was a time when God commanded King Saul to take his army and totally and completely destroy the Amalekites. They were to take no prizes, trophies, or plunder. They were even commanded to kill all the livestock. This was to prevent anything from the pagan land from influencing His people.
Instead, they took some of the spoils. When Samuel returned, King Saul claimed to have done what was commanded. Samuel questioned him. What is the bleating of sheep and goats that I hear. King Saul continued in his lies, indicating that he kept the animals for sacrifice.
Samuel responded:
I Samuel 15:17 -19 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
So, you can see that pride brings pain in our lives. In the case of our marriages, our own pride is a hindrance to helping our spouses to experience that feeling of value they deserve.
However, when we humble ourselves and get our eyes on others, we get into a better position to lift them up.
Humility Brings Joy
1 Peter 5:5-7 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
So, if you have cares, you can bring them to God. All you have to do is humble yourself under His mighty hand. Not only will you feel better, but you, yourself, will be lifted up in due time. Your humility will help you lift up your husband or wife, but it will also place you where God will eventually lift you up too.
II Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Humility brings joy. It brings healing. Healing for our land, for our marriages, and for our lives.
John 9:33 33.Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
I have an entire message on just this, called the Secret of Greatness. It can be summed up in just one sentence: The secret of greatness is humble service without thought of reward. That is what Jesus was talking about here.
Marge and Mark are good examples of what can happen if we don’t practice humility in our own lives. Resentment and hurt feelings arise. That’s just from the human standpoint. Relationships between one another are an important part of life. We want to go through life with people who appreciate and respect us, and we need to do the same.
Imagine if we all showed one another the grace that God shows us. How much more kind would we be to the cashier who made a mistake in giving us our change, or the driver who cuts us off in traffic? Imagine how our brothers and sisters in Christ could be lifted up and encouraged if we addressed them with humility and grace and love? If the humility is something we are the recipient of, imagine how encouraging that would be, and how much more joy and contentment we would feel in our lives. Pride can cause so many problems. Refusing to be humble can cause hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and sometimes much worse. The biggest reason to be humble, though, is because God commands it!
Examples of Humility
Moses
Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. Moses was leading millions of people. God used him to part the Red Sea, and all the children of Israel went across on dry ground.
Something I want you to understand is that humility does not mean being a doormat. We must humble ourselves in the sight of God. We can fall down before God in our feelings of unworthiness. We should be humble in our dealings with others. But humility does not equal weakness. Moses was very strong. In fact, he even had a problem with anger. His anger caused him to miss seeing the Promised Land when he struck a rock instead of speaking to it as God had commanded.
Jesus
Of course, the greatest example of humlity is Jesus. He was King of the Universe, yet He humbled Himself, was born as a baby, and raised by humans. He knew hunger, thirst, criticism, and intense pain on the cross. He had the power of Heaven at his disposal and He chose humility. Humility is strength and power under control.
Luke 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
Joseph and Mary had lost Jesus. Imagine what it must have felt like–to have been given the responsibility to care for God’s only begotten son, and the lost Him!
When they found Him, He was in the temple talking with the doctors of the Law.
When they questioned Him, He told them that He must be about His Father’s business. Still, he went with them and was subject unto them. Here is the ruler of the universe deciding to be subject to human beings.
Notice He was subject to them even though He knew more than they did.
Not only that, He was subject to them even though they were sinful and He was not.
I John 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Jesus came to this earth and humbled himself. When they came to crucify Him, He allowed it to happen.
If the strong personalities of Moses and Jesus could humble them selves, surely we could temper our own selves.
Commands Concerning Humility
Ephesians 5:32-33 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
We need to value one another, and make one another feel valued. You are valuable to God. So much so that He sent His son, who was willing to take your sin upon Himself. God values you so much, he offers you the gift of eternity in Heaven. You are that valuable!
Scripture tells us to not grieve the Holy Spirit. We’re told that when we receive Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit. We also receive the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness*, self-control. Against such there is no law. *Gentleness is the same as meekness or humility.
When we looked at the translations that said that Moses was the meekest man on the earth, we saw that alternate translations said the more gentle than others, and further that he was more humble than others. We see the synonyms: meekness, gentleness, and humility. Therefore, humility is a part of the fruit of the spirit.
How can we learn to be more humble? The Bible is the perfect place to start. Use a concordance or search engine and find scripture verses about humility. Write them in a notebook and keep them where you have your daily devotional. Read the verses daily. Commit them to memory. Another way is to look up…from the phone or computer, from the television, the book, paper, or anything else that takes your focus away from others. Look for needs around you. Look for the person who is hurting. Pay attention to words and actions. Not everyone who needs help will tell you. Pray and ask for wisdom and discernment in seeing people’s needs. Ask for guidance in how you can help. Be open to correction and direction. Remember that being humble is a fruit of the Spirit, a gift from God when we accept Jesus as Savior.
The Most Important Requirement of Humility for All of Us
We have to humble ourselves and admit that we have sinned in order to receive Christ. God requires it. If you are going to be saved, you can’t say, “I don’t need to be saved. I’ve done all these wonderful things. I’m better than that person over there” The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.
Humbling yourself before God is the only way to get to Heaven. Why would God have sent His son, and why did Jesus lay down his life, if there were another way? Even Jesus Himself prayed to His Father, if there were any other way, to let the cup “pass from” Him.
The first step to salvation is to humble yourself before God. Acknowledge your sin, that you’ve gone your own way, and that you have pushed against God. Give yourself to Him, and He will fill you with His Spirit, and you will receive the Fruit of the Spirit.
Pride stands in the way of us lifting up our husband or wife. Humility will remove that barrier.
Humility then will heal our land, our marriages, and our lives.
If you enjoyed this marriage tip, you might like this one that talks about the power of overcoming.
Crash. Boom. Lightning strike! Was it going to rain on our . . . (Well, not actually a parade)? Persistence, a key success trait for life and business, was going to figure prominently for us on that day.
The Trip
Last Thursday, I went to Holiday World with Chip, my son-in-law, and Ralanna, my second oldest daughter. They have four children (four of my Grandchildren!). Three of them went with us. The eight-, thirteen-, and sixteen-year olds would be able to navigate the park very well. Their youngest stayed with my wife, Rhonda, who doesn’t care anything about most of the rides anyway.
We started the trip in a storm. Then the rain progressively seemed to get less and less heavy. We, after a couple of hours, could see bright spots in the clouds as we got closer to Santa Claus, Indiana. Yes, that’s really the name of the town where Holiday World is located.
However, about ten miles before the exit off of the interstate, what many would call a “cloud burst” hit–The hardest rain yet!
Would we have to go back home?
The rain let up again, and by the time we got to the parking lot, it was just a little harder than a sprinkle.
The Decision
The bottom line–We went on in. We had plastic ponchos, and they served us very well.
The rain continued off and on. That was OK because after riding the old-fashioned cars, where even the youngest could drive, and the bumper cars, which were inside, we were in the water park the rest of the morning.
Right after we ate lunch, the loud speaker announced that weather with lightning was approaching and all rides would be shut down temporarily. So, for about 45 minutes we sought shelter in some areas with rooftops.
The storm ended, and we changed clothes and went to the other part of the park. Our ponchos came in handy again when we rode the Raging Rapids and the log ride, both of which usually drench us.
The Rewards
Several rewards and nice surprises came our way because we persisted through the storm: The crowd was much smaller than usual. The lines were shorter. We even rode the Raging Rapids three times in a row–which delighted Makenna, the youngest member of our party, very much. Because some of the larger rides were closed, we rediscovered many of the smaller and medium-sized rides. Again, the was a great benefit to Makenna. The weather was cooler than usual. Furthermore, since some of the major attractions shut down for two hours, we also found out that we get to use the same tickets for another trip with no additional charge!
What does this have to do with writing books, having online businesses and other entrepreneurial pursuits?
Realize the value of persistence. Many failed businesses have been estimated to have quit right before their moment of success. Many experts say if those businesses had just hung on a little longer, they would have made it.
So, persevere through the storm. Many unexpected benefits may come your way.
For you, success may be just around the corner and right after the current storm dies down.
Where are you in your business ideas? If you are thinking about writing a book, for instance, here is a great way to start.
Here is another post on writing. Specifically, about writing nonfiction PDF books. They are a great way to get started! Even if you’ve never written a book before, you can do this. If you have a computer and the capability of saving your files as PDF files, you’re ready to go.
Do you have a real book?
Several years ago, many people did not consider eBooks, or PDF books, to be real books. Then Amazon developed this thing called “Kindle.”
Not long after that, eBooks increased in popularity and credibility. Actually, in some years, Amazon sells more digital books than print books. I don’t know the current statistics on that, but I remember a few years ago that the number of digital books (eBooks) exceeded the number of print books that were sold during that year through Amazon.
They Practically Became Equals
What that meant was, that eBooks increased in popularity and credibility. In effect, they became “equals” to print books. A print book was a real book, and an eBook was a real book too.
Give People What They WAnt
When people want a book, they want what they prefer. I actually like holding a book in my hands and being able to rifle through the pages. I have also bought many eBooks, and I really like those too. So, some people will want a print book, some will want an e book, and some will want both.
I Highly recommend you do both
Now, even though I’m talking here about using a PDF file to get started with your book, I really think that you should have the goal to do both. Because once you have your eBook written and set up, and you’ve learned how to format it yourself, you just have so much of what is needed to send the file off for a print on demand (POD) print book. So I think that you should have the goal of doing both.
The distribution won’t be as wide, but it is a place to start
The way to get started is to simply to produce a PDF book. Of course, if you have it set up only as a PDF book, your distribution will not be as wide as it would if it was available via Kindle, Mobi, or an ePub format, but you will still have a book and it will be a real book. It will be a book that you can sell right from your own website. Some of you reading this may already have your own websites. If you do, then you are good to go, and you can get started with your own PDF book
8-1/2 by 11 produces a real book
PDF stands for portable document format. It’s something that’s often used to send things through email, because the file is not as large as it is in other formats. It’s also easier to use. You can produce an eight and-a-half by eleven real book. That’s just the easiest way to do it. Use your preferred word processing platform, Microsoft Word, for example. You can then set it up as an eight and-a-half by eleven, and come up with your own cover page. Then, learn about other pages you need, copyright pages and such, by looking at other books. Be sure to add them.
be consistent with size and formatting
Then you can just produce an eight and-a-half by eleven real book. You need to be consistent with the size of the words in different parts of your book. You can make the title whatever size you want it to be; of course it will be larger than the chapter titles, headings, and subheadings. Then figure out what size you want and just be consistent. Use the same type of formatting and style for the chapter titles, and do the same for each type of heading every time. If you use subheadings, again, be consistent with the formatting and style.
So, the title of the book, chapter titles, headings and subheadings: Be sure you’re consistent with what you are doing so that they all look like.
next steps
Once you get all that done, and you’re satisfied with the book, what’s next? You may have hired an editor to look at your book and go over it for you. Maybe you had a writing group look it over, give you all the input that you need, and you’re satisfied, and you think you have a book.
Get your cover page on there. You can hire someone to produce a good cover for you, but you also can do some yourself. If this is your very first book, and you’re experimenting, you might want to produce your own cover.
get a way to accept payment
Now, you can sell it from your own website. Get a shopping cart of some type or go to PayPal where you can accept payments, and then sell your eBook. It is a real book, especially nowadays. So that’s one way of getting started in the self-publishing world.
basis for print books
Once you have all that done, go back to your word processing file, go over to Kindle or some platform like Lulu.com or48 hour books, (I don’t get any kickback for mentioning those names) read their instructions, and you will have what you need to have a print book produced also. Then you will have an e book, and a print book, and you definitely would have a real book then.
If you did it through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), you certainly would have that book available on Amazon where people could find it. Some people say, “That’s another mark of having a real book, when it is on Amazon.”
So, here’s a nonfiction writing tip: writing nonfiction PDF books are a great way to start, especially if it’s a first book for you.
If you’ve watching this on YouTube, or in the link above, I encourage you to subscribe to my channel. There, you’ll be able to get more tips like these. Here on the blog post, you can go to the top of the page and click on the word “writing”, and you will find many many more tips.
Day before yesterday, I went out to use my chainsaw. I really like when I can start it back up several times during a work session.
I pulled on the starter rope six times. Then the saw uttered that familiar sound of actually starting and running for a second or two before it dies.
Then I gave it several more pulls, and it never offered to start again.
I tried putting the “on/off, run, and choke switch” in several position.
After that failure, I resorted to a YouTube search.
I found the problem. I had flooded the engine when I gave those extra pulls in the choke position.
The solution (and how I got it to work many other times, not knowing what I was doing)–When the saw offers to start the first time after a few pulls, immediately move the switch up one notch. Then it should start on the next pull.
They also showed a method for starting an already flooded engine, but it didn’t work that day.
Yesterday, I tried again. I pulled 5 or 6 times, and I heard what some call, “The Burp.” That’s when it runs for a second or two and then quits.
I moved the switch up one notch to the next position, and it started right away. I used it for several minutes until it died when I tried to let it idle.
Then, I couldn’t get it to start again.
So, I haven’t learned all the tricks, and there have been days in the past where I ran the saw for hours at a time.
Still, I know more than I did.
What is the writing solution? Like anything in life, keep learning and improving upon what you do know. You can do that by reading books, buying courses, investing in coaching, and, most of all, persistently and consistently working on your craft.
If you would like more detailed writing tips, click here.
When talking about writing nonfiction articles, we want to talk about where you can have these articles placed, the length of the articles, the research required, the structure, and the best places to put your articles.
Jill, heard the phone rang. She ran and answered it. She heard from an editor of a magazine that she had been hoping to write for. Then she woke up.
Wouldn’t it be good if you were to have a magazine editor call you and offer you an opportunity to write an article? Not only to write one article, but to write many short nonfiction articles, on any topics that you are passionate about, as many articles as you wish, with no chance of rejection! Well, that would be an even greater dream for Jill, and for us.
Where Can I Publish My Articles?
Let’s talk about where we can put articles. It can be in magazines, on websites, and they can some sections of newspapers.
How Long Should I Make My Articles?
What about the length of your articles? If you do some research on this, you will find one site says anywhere from 800 to 1000 words, while another site says 500 to 1500 words, and another one says 300 to 1000 plus So let’s just take the outside parameters of that and say 300 to 2000 words.
Considerations for Research
We also need to think about the research that’s involved. What kind of information do you need, and then how much information do you need? That will depend on how many words you’re shooting for. Where is the best possible place to get it? Well, think about what you’ve ever read on this topic. Think about what you’ve ever thought about this topic – you have your own research. Think about what you have written. Then turn to outside sources.
Now, the internet has provided us a wonderful thing in being able to do a search on many different topics. So you can go do some online research. But whenever you do this, need to be a little more careful maybe then in the past on checking some of the sources for online articles or information. You may find three different places that say about the same thing, and you discover that they got all their information from the same place. So just be careful in checking out where you get your information when you’re verifying it.
Then you can talk to interesting people. If you know somebody who is an expert in the field or somebody that has experience in the area, you can interview them. Now you can even do that from a distance. You could do it over the phone or Skype or Zoom or some other online platform. Of course you could meet with them in person too.
Next, you’ll want to add some interest factors. These could be interesting facts that are related to your topic; maybe not directly related to what you’re writing about but you can throw in an interesting fact or two. You can start throw in some humorous items, that are related to your topic in general. Also, as I mentioned in the last post, you could add some stories that would illustrate your point.
So, we talked about where, and the length, and the research. Then you want to structure your article. It would have a beginning, a middle and an end.
The beginning you want to try to hook your reader, tell them why they need to read your article, and state the main point your article. In the middle, you will have more paragraphs that give more detail. Then at the end you tie it all together.
Where is the best place to put your articles? I mentioned magazines at the beginning. Those are still good, maybe harder, may not be as good as it used to be. Also newspaper. You could pitch an article to newspapers. Or, you could place them on a website. Probably the best website would be your own website, where you would have your own website and your own articles.
By placing these articles on your own website, you will be building a platform. Then when you get ready to write your book, you can pitch the idea to an agent who would contact a traditional publisher for you. One of the things they will be interested in is your platform. Do you have a platform and a following? One of the best places to build that is on your own website or own blog.
One of the reasons for having your own site or blog, building a platform of course. But think about it: You are in complete control of your writing; you own all of that content. You get to write on topics of your choice. You have no boss to answer to except yourself, you set your own hours, you can take off whenever you want, and you can write from anywhere.
I hope that you will consider writing nonfiction articles.I hope this has been helpful to you. If it has, and you’re reading this on my blog, and if you’d like more tips like these, then just go to the top of the page and click on the word “writing”, and you will find many articles about writing there. You can find the blog at www.randysblogs.com Please also check out my YouTube channel and subscribe for more great content.
