Substack and Supporting Writers

I’ve recently shifted my monthly newsletter to a new service: substack. One of the benefits of using substack is that it allows my readers to support my work financially. Writing takes time and energy, and while I will always do some writing, being able to devote more time to writing is one of my goals.

My blog and the contents of my monthly newsletter will continue to remain free to all. I’m committed to that. I’m also committed to a similar blog posting schedule as I’ve had up until now. What I’ve been producing will continue to remain available for free. I’m not putting any of that behind a paywall.

At this point, I’m not sure yet what perks I am going to offer to my paid subscribers, but I’m anticipating it might include things like subscriber-specific giveaways, handwritten notes from me, and early access to parts of my upcoming books. If you have an idea of something you would like to receive, I’d love to hear it. No guarantees, but I would be interested in your ideas.

You can find out more about my substack newsletter here.

Many, if not most, of you probably aren’t ready or in a position to financially support my writing, and that’s totally ok! Just the fact that you are reading my blog posts is greatly appreciated.

If you want some more ideas about how to support writers without spending any money, I found two lists of ideas:
How To Support Authors Without Spending Any Money by Erin Dorney
31 Ways to Support Authors in a Month by Shayla Raquel

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I’ve written a book! You can order it here.
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2023 Reading Challenges

While my overall reading goal in 2023 is to read 52 books, I've decided to also participate in a couple of reading challenges this year.

Last year I participated in the challenges listed below:

2022 Audiobook Challenge
I was aiming for Stenographer (can listen while multitasking): 10-15 books. I listened to 24 audio books throughout the year.

Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge 2022
I was aiming for Level one (Snoop): read 10 cozy mysteries of your choice. I actually didn’t read any cozy mysteries this year.

European Reading Challenge 2022
I was planning on participating at the "Honeymooner" level, which means I planned to read at least 4 books from Europe, and I read 4 total.

For the Love of EBooks
I was aiming to read at least 40 ebooks last year. I read 14 ebooks total.

Library Love Challenge 2022
I was planning on taking on the "Library Card on Fire" level, which means I planned to read at 60 books that I borrow from my library. I didn’t borrow any books from my library this year.


So, what's up for 2023? Here are the challenges I'm hoping to tackle.

2023 Audiobook Challenge
I'm aiming for Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me): 15-20 books.

European Reading Challenge 2023
The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. I'm planning on participating at the "Honeymooner" level, which means I plan to read at least 4 books from Europe.

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I’ve written a book! You can order it here.
Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Reading and Writing Goals 2023

This past year I had two reading and writing goals. I also participated in a couple of reading challenges.

- Writing: I didn’t have a specific goal that I set for this year. However, I did continue to write quite a bit.
- Reading: read a total of 80 books

How did I do?
- Writing: As mentioned, I did write quite a bit this year. In fact, I finished and published my first book this year!
- Reading: I did not have as good a reading year this year. I only read 38 books. I know a lot of the factors that contributed to that, and I’m ok with how it turned out. Just not what I had originally planned for.

What's up for this year?
- Writing: I’m planning on continuing to write this year, but I’m not setting a particular goal for this year. I’m hoping to complete drafts of two more books this year (a children’s book and a Bible study book).
- Reading: My plan is to read a total of 52 books this year. Since I didn’t reach my goal in 2022, I’m adjusting my number and am hopeful that I’ll reach this in 2023.

How about you? Any reading or writing goals for 2023?

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I’ve written a book! You can order it here.
Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Favorite Reads from 2022

I read quite a bit this year. Here are my favorite books from this year.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

River of the Gods by Candice Millard

Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

Redeeming Power by Diane Langberg


Any books you read in 2022 that you recommend? I'd love to hear your recommendations.

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I’ve written a book! You can order it here.
Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Best of Because He Lives 2022

These are the most popular posts posted here in 2022.
A few posts you may have missed, so check them out.

- March
- Protestant Reformation - Martin Luther
- Protestant Reformation - Martin and Katharina Luther
- Protestant Reformation - John Wycliffe
- Psalm 121
- Tolkien and Middle Earth

Happy New Year, dear readers!

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I’ve written a book! You can order it here.
Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

January Desktop Wallpaper

Desktop wallpaper for January 2023. Click on the picture for a full-sized version.