In today’s post, I want to provide a different type of article - one aimed at helping those in my audience who are also authors & writers (or dream of becoming one!).
Robert J. Crane is a fantasy and fiction author. My wife absolutely loves his books! He is prolific, in every sense of the word, and one of the most successful self-published independent authors I know (easily making $300,000+ per year from book sales alone).
In this article, I want to share his 10 tips for succeeding in the self-publishing space. You can read his full, original article here titled: How To Make A Living As An Indie Author (however, it is 7500+ words long, and uses a fair amount of swear words).
These questions are meant to complement and build upon the updated edition of his classic work. You can find the perfect edition for your personal study or church small group here (available 2019).
Podcasts are an immensely powerful platform and I am grateful every time a fellow creator invites me onto their platform to share about the work and calling God has given me.
To make accessing these episodes as easy as possible for future reference, I am listing them all in a single comprehensive blog post.
This past year was nothing like I imagined it would be. In some strange way, I’m thankful for that. Most of all, I am thankful for you – my community of brothers & sisters in Christ, readers, creators, and doers who encouraged me all along the way.
In this post I want to invite you in, behind-the-scenes, to get a picture of what I accomplished, the goals I hit as well as the ones I missed, and what to keep an eye out for in 2019.
In this article you will find a comprehensive list of books which helped me complete the Magnetic Faith project, along with links which will take you directly to each title.
If you are ready to move from theory and knowledge to action and exploration, this book is for you. It will require you to risk, to step outside your comfort zone, and to rely on our Heavenly Father in a whole new way. If you can feel your heart beat a little faster at the idea of living a God-ward life of extraordinary faith, then what are you waiting for?
Let me be honest, I was a little hesitant to read Francis Chan’s new book Letters To The Church. I skimmed the initial reviews when it was released and many seemed to confirm my suspicions. Here goes another book telling us how bad American Christianity is and how house churches are going to save us. Granted, that’s exactly what this book is about. But, it’s also about something more. A more I think we could all benefit from hearing.
I have done more work on my inner life this year than I have done in my previous 28 years of life combined. The areas I neglected grew into painful plants I had to, quite literally, pull up out of my life. These took the shape of health issues, destructive habits, and spiritual distance from God.
My experience in these areas, the failures I faced and successes I celebrated, led me to write this second book in the Magnetic Faith series. Magnetic Mindset is a testament to what I have learned, and a tool I hope will catapult you towards the victorious inner life God desires for you to walk in.
As I grew healthier, my wife and I began to pray differently. We prayed with more boldness, more faith. All the ridiculous challenges we faced brought us lower than we thought possible. But the experience also taught us what we could survive. It gave us a resolve we didn’t have before. It was in the midst of this inner transformation and emboldened faith that we felt led to pray for complete debt-freedom by the end of 2018.
This book is many things, but above everything else I prayerfully hope that it lights a fire. A fire in the soul of those whose faith has been thinned by life's hardships. A fire in the heart of those who want to want God more, but have felt caged by "religion". And a fire in the mind of those who believe the Bible has so much more power than we see on Sunday mornings.
However, as a rule – if pain and pleasure are always linked, then you cannot get to your long-term pleasure by continually seeking short-term pleasures. It’s like trying to drive across the country but making a right turn every time the opportunity arises. It doesn’t matter how fast your drive, you’re only ever going to go in circles.
Dr. Jung calls it “soul eating.” Dr. Brene Brown describes it as “corroding.” Shame undresses our defenses. It leaves our most vulnerable parts out in the open and then promises something bad is going to happen. Shame is the twin brother of fear. It moves and chains in the same way. It screams lies at us until we give up, because that’s what it wants. It wants, more than anything, for us to stop. To freeze. To stop progressing, creating, loving, hoping.
Stop letting yourself accept less. Stop letting sin win. Stop believing the lies that have kept you stuck falling in downward spirals of shame and guilt. There is a more available to you if you are willing to take it. All it requires is that you step out into the light.
Over the years, books have consistently been the most important source of change and progress in my life. Which is why I dedicate time, energy, and money every single month to gathering the best materials I can find so that I can continually develop into the person God has called me to become.
This year I have the pleasure of publishing 6 7-day reading plans through the YouVersion Bible app! I am so grateful for this opportunity and am excited for thousands (and prayerfully, hundreds of thousands!) of new readers to discover the extraordinary message God has for them in the lives of these Biblical characters.
I believe every person should have a bucket list - a framework of defined, clear goals and experiences they want to achieve. I know lists like these lend themselves well to my personality type. But you should ask yourself - if you don't know where you're heading, how will you get there? If you don't know where you want to end up, how will you know if you're making progress?
There are the 9 rules of essentialism I believe Christian leaders can benefit from. It’s important to remember that the practice of essentialism is not the goal itself, but rather what it can produce. Essentialism brings clarity. Clarity brings action. Action is how our faith comes alive.
Discovering your purpose or calling can be difficult, but finding resources that can help you shouldn’t be. Here are 10 of the best posts on the web that have honestly helped me on my journey towards calling, and I believe they will help you as well.
Podcasts have a way of connecting people and delivering ideas that is truly effective. In this article, I want to share with you a group of podcasts that have powerfully impacted me. And if you are a Christian Entrepreneur – I think they’ll have something valuable to add to your journey as well.
I don’t know how much further through the valley of the shadow we have to go. But what I do know is that I do not travel alone. And in this journey I will have what I need. Although the threat may be constant, and at times the fear suffocating, my Shepherd will show me goodness. I will have rest even in my pain. I will have provision even in my lack. And I will have comfort even in my fear.
