Today we get to receive inspiration from Jamerrill Stewart. It has been a pleasure to guest blog swap with her this month. I do hope you’ll take some time to get to know her at her blog Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling.
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Someone found my blog this week by Googling, “Lord Jesus, please help me.” And I’m reminded this isn’t about me anymore. I’ve come to see online writing and blogging as a ministry–a small way that this homeschooling mother of five children can encourage another soul across the world. I have big dreams in my little heart from my big God who holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand. True, some days I’ve written about ways I save my large family money, other times I’ve written about ways to get more Jesus into your day, just so it all points back to the Lord the topic doesn‘t matter.
I’ve also been told that:
Blogging isn’t a real ministry
I’m wasting my time
No one cares about what I’m writing
I could be doing “so much more” for the Lord
The devil is a liar.
I prefer to think in different terms and see writing and blogging through my faith-filled glasses. I choose to believe that I am doing the best with what I have been given. I have a laptop in the corner of my farmhouse kitchen and a heart for Him. Very early every morning I pound out my heart on the keyboard for articles on my own blog, other websites, or larger writing dreams that are beckoning to me from beyond.
I’ve been working on ways to keep balance been my home and faith writing.
Priorities
My first ministry will forever be to my husband, our children and our home. Here is the proper order that my life should be:
1) Jesus 2) Husband 3) Children 4) Home 5) Writing
My time with the Lord must take priority, whether I’m writing or not. I want to spend time with Jesus. I need His peace to infuse every second of my day. If I have my priorities in order then our entire day has a steady flow. I have undoubtedly had my share of messy days. Days where I told myself that I would just work on my writing for a little bit and then spend my time with the Lord. Like clockwork, I would soon find myself with a kitchen full of hungry tummies, while my own soul was starving for God‘s Word. I didn’t seek the kingdom first, and we all felt it throughout the day. He must be first. Lesson learned.
When momma’s priorities are unbalanced, everyone can tell.
{photo credit Jamerrill hosted by Sisterlisa at Pix-O-Sphere}
Schedule
I have myself on a schedule. At any given point during the day, I know what I need to be doing. Not that I’m always on schedule, but since I have one laid out I can jump back in where ever I fell off. Here’s a snippet of my schedule:
Early in the morning, I spend my time with the Lord and then write. Once I reach my cut off time, and my children start to get up, I close my computer screen and walk away from my writing. I serve my family all day–homeschooling, cleaning, leading, cooking, loving, reading, and snuggling. In the afternoon, during my children’s free-time, I write a little more. But once this 2nd writing time is up, I have to walk away from it again. Naturally, since I get up well before my children, I have to go to bed at night at a decent time. This works well though because it’s the same schedule my husband is on.
I also lay out my daily, weekly and monthly writing goals on free calendar forms that I found from DonnaYoung.org This way when I sit down for my time to write I’m not scrambling for topics or wondering what articles are due. As new projects, topics or invitations to write for other sites arise, I add those commitments to my writing calendar.
That brings me to my next point…
Unplug
At least, close the laptop screen if I don‘t completely log out. I have to be purposeful about it. You know it’s easy to be sucked into cyber space. I have to give myself a clear breaking point. I give myself a time in the afternoon to ‘handle electronic business,’ emails, comments, social media scheduling etc. I keep this in mind during my morning writing time so I don’t end up spending that time lost in my email or tweeting #shame. In addition, I have one day per week where I completely unplug. I’m unavailable for 24 hours…scary, but refreshing.
That’s a little peak at how I balance finding time for faith writing, while keeping Jesus and family in the forefront.
Jamerrill Stewart loves Jesus fiercely. Her and her husband Travis have been married for 13 years, and are the blessed parents to 5 children ages 11, 8, 5, 2 & infant. Jamerrill writes about homeschooling on-the-cheap, frugal/large family living and all things Jesus at Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling, Heart of the Matter {online} and The Homeschool Post.
Other articles by Jamerrill:
Our Homeschool Year in Review
My Life with Chickens
Choosing Home: Trusting my Husband to Provide for our Family
Jennifer blogs at 
