You start a Christian blog.  It’s a great opportunity to share God’s dynamite message (Romans 1:16).    You hit the “Publish” button.  A like comes in!  Someone shared it!  Wait…it’s your mother.  Then…nothing else.

You feel like giving up.  What do you do?

Don’t despair.  I have a plan for you.    It’s how I’ve had

• 10,000+ views in a little over 2 months of blogging.
• 5,000+ visits to a single post in my first month.
• 1,000+ views on the very day that I’m writing this.

Disclaimer:  I will be posting several links as examples.  This doesn’t mean I endorse everything these authors write.  

1.  It is about you.

If you want to be like Jesus, you have to bleed.  Are you willing to share your story as a passionate, authentic Christ follower?     People want to know a real person.

The post that has gotten me the most views was a very personal post.  I felt a little nervous sharing it.

Here are some examples of people who really bare their soul.

• Anything Bob Goff writes
• William P. Young’s blog and books

2.  It’s not about you.

Jesus was all about the needs of others.  He was a master connector.  You have to think beyond yourself.  Here’s your plan:

• Write things people want and need.  It isn’t just about what you’re interested in.  You could share a post 100 times, and it would stop there.  Share it 1 time, and have 100 people share it,  and then their friends share it…that’s called going viral.

Example:  Jon Acuff – Work Can be Awesome.

• Build a network with other bloggers.  Jeff Goins did a great job with this.  It involved building a real network and doing lots of guest posting.

Reference:  Goins, Writer on guest posting.

• Build an email list.  There’s gold in that list.  Wes McAdams of Radically Christian said that this is vitally important.  One reason is that it gives you control.  You’re not relying on an outside source (say, Facebook) to allow you to connect.

Reference:  Michael Hyatt on building an email list.

3. Make it understandable.

Say something important.   Use short sentences.    Break long paragraphs up into shorter ones.   Use words that are understandable.

Jesus used the parables.  You should, too.

Examples:

• Seth Godin’s blog
• CopyBlogger Shorter is Better
• My post on this.

4.  Make it emotional.

Why is Max Lucado so popular?    He writes in a way that evokes emotion.  He makes you feel.

What about Jesus?  His story is the most emotional of all.  John 3:16.

Not only do you have to bleed and share authentic work, but you also have to make others feel like they are right there with you.    You’ve got to make them feel.

Examples:

• Max Lucado’s blog and all of his books
• Look at all of the viral websites (ViralNova, BuzzWorthy, etc.).  They are designed around evoking emotion.

5.  Make it something that connects to people’s deeply held beliefs and identity.

I’m convinced this is why my most popular post is being shared.

You might write informational, instructive posts, but you have to get people emotionally involved.  Not just feeling it for themselves, but feeling a burden to share the message.

You have to address their deeply held beliefs and get right to WHO they are.

Examples:

• Radically Christian by Wes McAdams
• Jesus Daily

6.  Hit a homerun with your title.

Readers are deciding fast.  Pull them in with the title.  If the title is emotional and appeals to deeply held beliefs and identity, then you are gold.  They will share that!  But, you have to work at this!

Here’s how:

• Headlines that Grab Readers by the Eyeballs and Suck Them into Your Message, Michael Hyatt
• How to Write Magnetic Headlines, CopyBlogger

7.  Don’t forget the little picture.

Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat.   Get the picture?  Make your featured image grab people.

How to do it:

• Take an engaging picture.  Click here for an example.
• Find a great picture from a paid stock service.   I use Adobe Stock photos.  Click here for an example.
• Use a free service like Unsplash.
• Add a logo and title.  Example here.  I used Lee Snow for my logo, and I am very happy with his work.

8.  Keep their attention.

With a fascinating title and a captivating image, people will click on your post.  But, will they read it?

You have to make their eyes move down the page.

How?

• Lists
• Headers
• Images

I hate lists.  But, they work.  Don’t take out the emotion.  Don’t take out the story.  But, put it in a list.  Use bullets.  Use pictures throughout the post.

9.  Facebook is your friend.

Here are the three things you need to know:

• Create a Facebook fan page.  Here’s how.
• Invite all your friends to ‘Like’ your page.   The problem:  It takes forever to select your 2,000 or so friends. Solution:  Do it all at once with a little help.  Here’s how.
•  Try Facebook ads.  Targeting is key.  Experiment.  This is key to how I got over 5,000 visits to a post my first month.  After you get likes on your post, invite them to like your page.

10.  Wow them.

People invest their time into your posts.  Let’s say 12,000 people invest 1 minute in your post.  That’s about 5 work weeks.  Don’t waste their time.  Give them something of value…not only is it the right thing to do…it’s what makes people share it.

As Michael Hyatt says, “Start with Wow!”

 Why

Here’s why I share this with you.  I believe that most of my readers are involved in the most important work in the world.  We’re doing the work that truly matters.  We’re involved in the bigger story of what God is doing.  Now, given the importance of our message and work, shouldn’t we do our best to make that message attractive?  That’s all this is about.

 After all, it’s not about me.

Mark,

Thank you for connecting us and making the world more open.

I have to tell you that I believe the greatest connection of all is one that binds us together in love.  I believe that the greatest love story of all is real.

That’s why I’d like issue five challenges.

 1.  I challenge you to help us use Facebook better.

If you could change one thing about how Christians use Facebook, what would it be?  Any tips on how we can use your platform to impact the world for good?

2.  I challenge you to help us show you love.

We love what you’re doing in giving away your fortune.  It’s quite Christ like.  Our basic belief is that Christ gave his all, he rose again, so that he might set us on a path of love.  So, I ask you,

What is your favorite way for us to show you some love?

3.  I challenge you to help us make the world a better place.

As I mentioned, Christ followers are all about doing all the good we can.  You might help us here.  You have great insight into strategy and effective use of resources.  So, if you were to advise us, what would you say is the best strategy for doing good in the world?

4.  I challenge you to the chase.

Really, I challenge you to chase three questions:

• Is there a God?
• Who was Jesus?
• Did Jesus rise?

5.  I challenge you to prove us wrong.

I Corinthians 15 in the Christian Bible makes a central claim.  It says that Jesus rose from the grave.  Followers of Christ live based on that belief.   If we are wrong, we are really wrong.  In essence, we are fools if this isn’t true.  So, I challenge you to prove that the resurrection is wrong.  Are you up to it?

Thanks for reading.

Justin

I recently returned from a trip to Nicaragua.  I went with a group  from the Central Church of Christ in Tuscaloosa, AL.   Here’s what I learned.

1.   Leadership Matters

We saw flourishing churches, growing schools, and dedicated servants.  We saw

• unity
• respect
• contentment

Now, why was that?  I believe it has everything to do with  leadership.

Have you ever seen the picture of the difference between a leader and a boss?  It’s a popular meme going around.  Fundamentally the difference is that a leader is out in the front pulling.  A boss is behind barking orders.  We didn’t see bosses.  We saw leaders (Matthew 20:26).

These leaders were servants who were travelling a tough yet rewarding path.   I met a man who has a a well paying job.  He could be spending his Saturdays eating churrasco on a lazy Pacific beach.   Instead, he is spending his Saturdays on  a motorcyle, traveling dusty roads of a million bumps.  Roads littered with more manure than pavement.  Roads with more cows than cars. Why?  Because he is leading a school,  teaching in the school, and supporting two preachers.   Why?  Because he is a leader (Galatians 6:9).

2.  Networks Matter

I don’t want to make it sound like there were just a few people involved in this work.  There wasn’t just one contact.  There were many.  There were two school directors who were great leaders, and they stood at the hubs of a network of leaders/servants.  At each church that supports the schools, we met men and women who were serving by teaching, working with children, and serving in the community.  They were well connected and unified.

Just think, Jesus took time to mentor 12 apostles.  Why?  He saw the need for a  network of servant leaders.

3.  Make Thankfulness a Priority

One of the thoughtful ladies in our group from Central shared this thought.  She said that the Nicaraguan prayers were different.  Let me explain.  She said that the prayers we (USA) pray are often more about requests.  The prayers that our Nicaraguan brothers prayed contained much more praise and thanks.  Now, I noticed that the folks down there were quite content seeming.  I think it started with thankfulness (Colossians 3:15).

4.  Everyone Can Give

Here’s a picture for you.

That’s the church building in San Joaquin.  High atop a hill gather about 25 kids and 8 adults.  They come from the neighboring agricultural community.   Here are some stats

• Average income: $35/month
• Average number of children per household: 8
• The church building is as pictured, and the children meet in the shed in the background.

The roof has holes, the floor is a dirt ground, and they don’t even have hymnals or a pulpit.  All the basically have is the leaky roof over their heads.  Oh, but they have each other.  They have dignity.  They have the Spirit.  They have love.  They have beautiful children.

And, they have watermelons.  Do you see that one in the corner of the picture?  They gave it to us.  They didn’t ask for anything.  They just gave.  My guess…we’ll probably give back to them.

By the way, their picture is the featured image (top of post).

5.  Happiness isn’t a function of dollars.

Why are people so happy in third world countries?  I mean we come back to the US stunned that the people are happy.  I suppose we assume that happiness and net worth are directly related.  I believe there are three reasons they are happy:

• They are connected to each other.  When you’re a little kid on the top of a mountain and you don’t have a cell phone or a bunch of toys, what do you do?  You play with the other kids.  I think those poor kids weren’t so poor at all.
• The are connected to the moment.  When you aren’t distracted by technology or fake posturing, you are able to get to the reality of the moment.  That’s all we have after all.  Jesus said some things about that, too (Matthew 6:25-34).
• They are connected to purpose.  With these schools and churches, the people are working for a greater purpose.  They are involved in God’s greater story of redemption, of setting the world to rights, of sharing the greatest message of all (Mark 16:15).

What About You?

There you have it, these are the 5 lessons I learned from my short trip to Nicaragua.  Have you ever had a learning experience like this (mission trip, etc.)?  What did you learn?

 

This is about the kindness shown by a true Christ follower by the name of Flavil Nichols.  Today is his 97th birthday!  He is the man on the right in the featured image.

The Preacher

He was a big name preacher, but he was also a man whom children loved.  When I was five,  he greeted me at the church house door as  “the  little preacher man,” and he made me want to preach.  I looked up to him.  I almost idolized him.  I know, that’s bad.  But, I did.  When people got sick, he was the one they wanted to do the praying.  I knew a man who didn’t really like most preachers, but interrupted a big job just to see this preacher.  And he did magic.

The Magic

He did magic when he walked in a room and people lit up to be around him.  He did magic when he took time out for little kids like there was no one else in the world.  Let me tell you something.  He could make his thumb disappear.  Right there at the church building.  Right there behind the red velvet pews,  in front of a group of three to ten year-olds gathered in amazement.

My Memory

Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, because not everyone got to experience it, but this magic man came to my house when I was about five years old.  He visited with both of  my parents, but after their visit, he took time out with me! A five year old!  He talked with me!  He smiled at me!  And, then he asked my parents if it would be alright if he did magic tricks.  I don’t remember all the particulars, but I do know this.  He found a fan in me, and when I became a fan of his, I was really becoming a fan of the one who was living in him.

The Need

I was in a Bible class recently and someone was asking about why God would expect us to respond to a two thousand year old book.  The more I think about it, I’m convinced that while the words on the page are important, it’s when the messengers become the message that the world is changed.  This is really a story about encountering the message in a messenger who might have been a great preacher, but was more importantly someone who would take time out for kids.

So, I ask you.  Are you seeing the invisible people around you, the ones who might just need you to show them a little magic?  Are you smiling at the children and serving the forgotten?  Are you pointing them to the Savior, the real Story that’s more than magic?

The Story

As this man was to me, so you can be to others.  You can point others to someone who was a lot more than a magic man, a lot more than we could ever be.  You can point them to Jesus.

What if I told you that behind these 5 steps, there is a story that has caused riots and revolutions?  What if I told you that there is a shocking truth revealed in these 5 steps?  I’ll explain.

First,  you need to know the background of the phrase.   In churches of Christ, we have often talked about how to respond to the gospel in terms of 5 steps.  Some have called these the “plan of salvation.”  They are, in fact,  what someone does when they respond in faith to the gospel message:

• Hear (Romans 10:17)
• Believe (John 3:16)
• Repent (Acts 2:38)
• Confess (Acts 8:36)
• Be Baptized (Acts 2:38)

Second, you need to know the background of this post.  This was inspired by an article on Radically Christian, entitled, “Why I’m Not Fond of the Phrase: ‘The Five Steps of Salvation.’”  It’s excellent.

Here is a quote:

“It isn’t that I disagree with any of these five points, but I’ve grown very uncomfortable with presenting the gospel in this manner.”

I agree with his critical thoughts.  So, now what?  What are we to do?  Let me give you 5 practical approaches that will help you.

5 Things to do with the 5 Steps:

1.   Connect the 5 Steps To People Where They Are.

You know, we often talk about the context of passages, but have you ever thought about the context of the person?  Just as taking a text out of context leads to  misinterpretation, so does taking a person out of context!

This is a very Biblical concept.  Think of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8.  When he first met him, what did he do?  Did he teach him a 5 step plan?  No, he explained to him who Jesus was.  Why?  Because that’s where he found him.

So, before we start sharing a five step response, perhaps we need to consider what the person needs to hear and start there.  Maybe they really need to hear the good news first!

2.   Communicate the 5 Steps in a Language that is Understood.

We also need to tailor our approach.  We need to speak a language that people understand.  Let’s say I went to Peru and started teaching in English.  Would it do them any good?  No!

When we speak about hearing, believing, repenting, confessing, and being baptized, it’s possible that this just doesn’t connect with people because they just don’t get what we’re talking about.  I mean, go up to the average person on the street and ask them to define “repent.”   We have to be able to frame the Biblical message in the language that people can relate to.

It turns out I’ve written a post on how to do this:

More Than a Gift: Speaking in Tongues

The bottom line is simple.  Let’s show people how much we care, then they might care what we know.  Jesus did miracles, touched the lepers, healed the lame, and fed the hungry.  Then, he taught them.  Perhaps people need a hand with five fingers to touch, to heal, and to feed.  Then, they will may be more interested in the five steps you can point out with those same fingers.

3.    Connect the 5 Steps to ‘Why?’

The 5 steps are fundamentally the answer to the question, “What must we do?”  Talking about what we need to do is important.  It’s fine.  It’s needed, but let’s not forget about why.  We need to talk about why we do things.  We need to talk about grace and faith.  We need to talk about how God is the one that does the saving, and we accept his salvation through faith.   We need to talk about the message of the gospel (I Corinthians 15:1-3).  Now, the heart of the gospel is about love (John 3:16).  Let’s remember that the greatest commands are all about love (Matthew 23:36-40).  If we disconnect the response to the gospel from the real reason for that response (grace, faith, and love), then we have disconnected what from why, and we have something that isn’t very Biblical at all.

5 reasons to connect to WHY:

• When we connect the 5 Steps to WHY, then we get passion and purpose for what we do.  Without that connection, we have drudgery and duty.
• When we connect the 5 Steps to WHY, then we get relationship versus simply rule keeping.
• When we connect the 5 Steps to WHY, then we get grace through faith versus legalism.
• When we connect the 5 Steps to WHY, then we are more closely resembling the body of Christ rather than a sort of list-checking  corporation/institution/denomination.
• When we connect the 5 Steps to WHY, we get closer to Jesus and further from being a modern day Pharisee.

4.   Connect the 5 Steps to ‘Who?’

Check this out:  Start with God

There is scandal in these 5 steps.  There is revolution in these 5 steps.   Why?  Because they proclaim that God has become a man, and that we as humans can be united to God.

Think about it.  In baptism, through faith we are united with Christ (Romans 6:1-3; Galatians 3:26-28).

We become citizens of new kindom (Colossians 1:13).

We have a new King.  We have a powerful Father.  We have a new family.  We have a new identity (Romans 8:29).

This is the inauguration of a new reality that is based not in a list, but in a person.  It is based in Christ.

In the 21st century Western society, we tend to be a brainy, intellectual bunch.  Let’s remember that these 5 steps are about connecting to God himself. That’s super exciting.  Think about it.

5.  Connect the 5 Steps to the Epic Story.

When we connect belief, repentance, confession, and baptism to  ‘Why?’ and to ‘Who?’,  we find a shocking truth.  This is all about becoming a part of His epic story.

Check this out:  Why I’m a Member of the Church of Christ

Responding to the gospel is saying, ‘I want to be a part of this story.”  It’s a story of redemption.  It’s a story of restoration.  It’s the hope of the world, and the thing that will give your life purpose, meaning, and passion.  When you hear about it, it will make you want to get into it.

It’s good news.  God is bringing the fallen creation back to himself.  He is restoring all things.  He is making the old new.  He is making the lame to walk.   He is bring in rivers of water in a dry place.  This is great news, and it’s a story that I want to connect to, work in, and just be a part of.  I want to enter that story.  That’s what this is all about.

This is our chance to change the world.  Let’s change the world together!

 How else can we better teach the good news?

I’ll just come out and say it.  I believe in speaking in tongues.

I’m not talking about a miraculous gift. I’ve never experienced that, and I’m not convinced there is a Biblical basis for it continuing today.  But, still, I believe in speaking in tongues.  I believe in speaking in a language that people understand.  Let me explain.

In Acts 2, there were people gathered there from all over the world.   The only way to spread the good news was to speak to them in their languages.  So, the apostles were given a miraculous gift that enabled them to do that.

When I went to Peru this past summer, I was greeted by lovely people.  When I spoke Spanish, they lit up.  We had a connection, and they wanted to hear what I had to say.  Why?  Because I spoke their language.  Now, it wasn’t a miraculous gift.  It was a skill I had to develop.

If you’re in the USA, you probably know English speakers.  But, that doesn’t mean you all speak the same language.  Listen, we desperately need to learn to speak the following languages:

1.  The Language of the Unchurched

So many times I’ve talked about Jesus in a way that was like Greek to people who didn’t grow up in church.  I used words like baptism, justification, and acapella.  They didn’t understand it.  I was speaking a vocabulary that was foreign.

Our lessons and our songs need to be understandable.  The unchurched (and many church people) don’t know what an “ebon pinion” is nor why in the world it has been “brooded o’er the vale.”   Many of us churched folks in the Bible Belt are fluent in King James and Stamps Baxter.  The problem is that for the lost people we’re trying to reach…King James is as archaic as ancient Greek, and Stamp Baxter is a foreign as Celtic.

So, we need to learn to speak in an everyday, common way that connects to the common, unchurched people.  It turns out the best model for doing so is Jesus himself.  Did you ever notice that it was the common people that followed Jesus?  He could speak the language of the synagogue, but it’s interesting that he mostly spoke the language of the day laborers.  In fact, many of his stories were about working in the field.  He didn’t speak high church.  He spoke low country.  I have the feeling that we could all do that if we’d try.  And, by the way, the New Testament wasn’t written in King James, it was written in Koine or Common Greek.  It was written in the language of the everyday person.  There is a reason.

2.  Postmodern Language

We need to rethink the way we share our message.  It turns out that quoting many proof texts and presenting extremely well-rehearsed arguments doesn’t have the same effect it did in the 50’s.  Am I saying that we don’t need a “thus saith the Lord” or we can’t speak truth?  No.  We must speak truth, and we must be Biblical.  But, we must learn to do it in a way that connects with the postmodern mind.  Now, it turns out that the very best way to do that is to follow Jesus’ way.  What was his method?  He told stories!  He made the complex simple.  He made religion real.  He made the deep realities of life apparent in the everyday materials of life.  He told stories about the people’s everyday lives and brought out eternal truths.   We church folks call that the parables.  It turns out that that’s a very effective way to connect with postmodern people.   It’s very 21st/1st century.

3.  The Language of the Distracted

It seems like people are living with a constant fear.  The fear of missing out.  So, we are constantly checking our social media accounts and text messages.  If you don’t believe this applies to you, then try this:  Turn your phone off for 30 minutes.  No?  Leave it in the car during lunch.  No?  It’s not just young people.  We’re all distracted nowadays.  So, how do you speak the language of the distracted?

It turns out we have another great model from Jesus.  His disciples were distracted by many things.  They were distracted by fear.  They were distracted by power.  Some were distracted by hunger. Some were distracted by greed.  What did he do with them?  He was present.  He was present with them in the stormy sea.  He was present with them in the last Supper.  He was present when they doubted and present when they praised.  He was present in their darkest hour, even if they weren’t present with him.  So, we are reminded of some of the first words of the gospels.  When people wanted to know about him, whether he was the Messiah or not, he said, “Come and see.”  The distracted people of our day may not listen, but they might after they come and see.  We’ve got to be present enough with them and real enough in our lives that they will see something worth sharing.

So, there you have it.  I believe in speaking in tongues.

To the unchurched, we speak the words they understand.  To the postmodern, we speak stories that will connect. To the distracted, we invite them to come and see.  In doing so, we follow the model of Jesus who shows us how to speak the language of every century, every tribe, and every nation.

Since this gift isn’t a miraculous gift, we have some work to do.  So, let me encourage you to learn to speak these languages, but the most important language of all is the language of love.  Paul said something about that in I Corinthians 13.

There is no translation needed for tears.

All people of every nation understand sacrifice.

And, when we speak that language, then people will want to come and see, and they will want to hear about The Story.

 

 

P.S.    If you’d like to see an example of how I’m trying to put this in practice, check out this post:

More than Right:  Why I’m a Member of the Church of Christ

Can you think of other “languages” we need to learn?