3 Considerations for Sharing Your Message & Why It Matters

Though today may or may not be your specific birth date, at some point in 2014, by the grace of God, your age will increase by one digit.

With every addtional candle added to a birthday cake, there is an accompanying applause, to God, for His blessing and graciousness in granting the honoree an additional year of life.  Here is another reason for applause : “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12

Birthday celebrations serve as an acknowledgement of one who is wiser than she was just twelve months ago.

The more candles on a cake, the more likely it is that over the years there had to be a skillful balance of managing a career, raising children, working in ministry, taking care of an aging or ill family member (or yourself), teaching, traveling, or overcoming varying degrees of trials and obstacles.   Wisdom gained by taking care of daily, sometimes quite difficult, responsibilities while abiding in Christ, is valuable knowledge that should be shared with those who need or want to know how you did it.

Here’s why you should share your wisdom:

1. God commands it:
   “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”  John 15:16
2. Somebody needs to hear it:
   Just watch the news.  Take a look around your neighborhood.  Listen to your co-workers, your family, your church members.  People are hurting, are confused, want to know how to get out of the messes they are in – and you have the answer.
3. It is so much easier than it’s ever been:
   A print or e-book, a blog, a podcast, videos, just to name a few.

It would be understandable to wonder why another book, message, article or blog is necessary since there are thousands, perhaps even millions that already line bookstore shelves and occupy internet space.

Though there may be tons of articles and books, that does not mean they all are being read, are reaching everyone who needs a particular message, or are very good.

If you have a message to share, an audience who needs to hear what you have to say, and are determined to deliver it with quality, then forget about the number of blogs and published books already in print.   Just grasp your opportunity to be obedient to God’s call on your life and share what you know.

Consider the following as it relates to your message:

The Message – What is it?

Knowing your message is critical to  determining your audience.  Its content should be based upon personal (past or present) experience  so that it is received as being genuinely from you.  Anything less than an authentic message from within the essence of who you are, will lead to a loss of credibility.

Take an inventory of your life’s experiences.  Which ones teach a lesson, tell a funny story, impart wisdom, or could be otherwise useful to someone else?  Those may be the experiences you use as a foundation for your overall message.

The Audience – Who needs to hear it?

Having decided the essence of your message, you need to consider those who need or want what you have to say.  Ask questions that will drive you to your audience such as: (1) who currently listens to similar topics, (2) what is their age range, (3) what are their wants and desires,  (4) how do they spend their time during the day, (5) what are their fears, etc..

The questions you can ask about your audience are unlimited.  Once you know your audience, you will be able to find, then deliver your message to them.

The Quality

Your work should be of the utmost quality.  Fortunately there are hundreds of tools to help you create topnotch work.  Blog sites such as WordPress (one of, if not the top blog hosting site) offer free templates.   Book cover design assistance as well as writing tools and tips abound on the internet.  A simple search will display a list of tools you can begin trying out.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

For Quality Blogs
WordPress.com – This is my favorite of the free blog sites.  You can choose from a large selection of free templates and the setup is pretty straight forward.
WordPress.org – This requires blog hosting, which takes it out of the free category.   However, there are more bells and whistles including design styles, plug-ins and other widgets, with this option.  (Don’t worry, I’ll explain these terms in upcoming blog posts if you are not familiar with them).

For Quality Writing
Thesaurus.com – A resource to find suitable alternative words
Writersdigest.com – A variety of articles and writing resources

For Quality Design
Here is an article with just 5 simple blog design tips to keep in mind.
For font styles to use in PowerPoint presentations, graphics or on a blog, Google Web Fonts is a good choice.

To summarize:

There’s no better time than today to begin your path to sharing your message that matters.

Pray for God’s guidance.  Inventory your experiences.  Identify your audience.  Do quality work. Live your calling.

Have you taken an inventory of your personal experiences?  I would love to hear where you are in the process.  Leave a comment.

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