Finding FaithWriters...

My friend, Julie Arduini, over at The Surrendered Scribe, posted on her blog this week about FaithWriters. I have decided to be a copy-cat and do the same. Not only because it was FaithWriters that re-jump-started my writing career five years ago, but also because FaithWriters is really feeling the crunch of these tough econimic times and I simply can't imagine waking up one morning to find it gone. It just can't happen.

Anyway, I hope to focus on FaithWriters for the next week or so. Today, I will post my FW testimony so you can get a feel for how this ministry has truly blessed me and why it will always be near and dear to my heart. Once you get involved and see what FW is all about, it will do the same for you!


I've loved to write for as long as I can remember. Before finding FaithWriters, I even got a couple of things published. But back then, writing was only a hobby. Sure, I had dreams of becoming a famous novelist someday. But those dreams were put on the backburner of my heart for a long time. After all, how could a "nobody" from a little town in Michigan make it big? And, an even bigger question: how could God use somebody like me, an insecure girl from a broken family, with a rebellious past, to accomplish anything for His glory? It just didn't seem possible.

When I found FaithWriters, a spark ignited in my soul. The warm and friendly atmosphere and Christian spirit were unlike any I had ever experienced. My passion for writing came to life and I started diligently entering the Weekly Writing Challenge. It was through the Challenge that I learned and grew as a writer like never before. With the discipline of sitting down to write every week and through comments and encouragement from other members, I developed more confidence. Maybe I really could do something. Maybe God did give me a gift. Maybe I was truly called to write.

Over the next several months, I jumped in, head first. I volunteered my time as Writing Challenge judge, book reviewer, online magazine editor. I didn't care much about making money at that point - I was just hungry to learn the craft and get some experience under my belt. But as I started becoming more involved, the opportunities literally exploded.

When the FaithWriters 500 was introduced, I was thrilled to give back to this site that had stirred up the passion for me. The site that was directly responsible for providing me with writing opportunities beyond what I could have ever imagined. The site that had changed my life.

Today, I am a full-time freelance writer. I have had my work published hundreds of times. I have won or placed in several writing contests. I am almost finished with my first novel, which has finaled in three national contests.

But it's not about me. When I look back and see how God's hand has been on every moment of my journey, I am deeply humbled. I see now how He moved me - sometimes very slowly - in the direction He wanted me to go. And there isn't a doubt in my mind that He used FaithWriters to do it.

The FaithWriters 500 offers so many wonderful benefits that have helped me accomplish my goals - the Page Turner contest, the Writer's Digest and Christian Writers Market discounts, Glenn's Weekly Writing Articles…but more than the perks and benefits, I feel honored to give back to a site that assists people in using their creative gifts for God's glory. A site that helps make dreams come true. Dreams like mine…

I'll be honest. I don't understand those who freely use all of FaithWriters features and refuse to give back. I've found that 500 members aren't those with the most money. They're the ones with the biggest hearts.

Please open your heart and consider supporting this site by becoming a 500 member. If FaithWriters dies, many dreams and opportunities will die along with it. Don't let it be yours.