Change is Good
January 26, 2009
Well, I hope you’ve all recovered from getting real. It was a wild ride and I am so glad that many of you decided to participate! I have several more related posts outlined to help you “get real”, but today I have a few announcements.
Blue Duck is Changing
That’s right, we’re working frantically behind the scenes, and I am collaborating with a great group of people to launch a Christian website for women. I have met with Naomi Dunford to brainstorm a few ideas for the business, and we are talking again this week to see what other genius plots will arise from our combined brain power. I’m excited and scared and super-busy right now, but it’s all for a good cause.
So, why are we messing with a good thing? Because Blue Duck is a business website. And to date, the Blue Duck blog is a little-used business tool. Sure, it’s helping people and keeps my brain from exploding with unposted words, but the bottom line is it’s not reaching the Blue Duck target audience. It’s not bringing in any business for the Blue Duck writers and some of them are getting pretty hungry in this crap economy. Part of the marketing overhaul for this year is to use the website as it was intended; to bring in business.
Where’s All the Christian Content Going?
Never fear, I will still be cranking out inspired posts, they’ll just be posted on the new website. 
We’re working furiously on the design as you read this, but it’s not ready just yet. We’ll provide a huge party with cookies and wine and the whole nine yards for the big unveiling when it’s ready. So keep reading for more information.
What Will I Find on the New Blue Duck Blog?
The Blue Duck blog will contiunue to post interesting content on topics such as promoting your ebooks, writing tips, SEO, SEM, content creation, communication skills, psychology, blogging, and small business management. If you manage a website, write a blog, write for a living, or make money on the net, you’ll find something of value.
When Will the Change Take Place?
The changes won’t take place for several more weeks, maybe not until the beginning of March. So if you are planning on cancelling your Blue Duck subscription, you might want to hang in there for a few more weeks.
I realize that this may alienate many, if not most, of my regular readers. That saddens me, but let me encourage you to stick it out. I will keep writing, just the posts you are used to reading will now appear under a different header. The posts that will show up here on Blue Duck will be my own mix of faith and practicality for business owners struggling to make a mark in cyberspace. I am not changing -only the focus of the Blue Duck blog is changing. 
On that note, I have a couple of follow up posts planned for you this week to help you in your quest to get real. We’ll take a look at defense mechanisms and what scritpure has to say about the concept of getting real. So pull up a chair by the fire and let me pour you a cup of coffee. We’re going to get real together.
Protected: It Begins
January 22, 2009
Real: Up Close and Personal
January 21, 2009
photo credit: preciouskhyatt
When the concept of surrendering and getting real began to surface in my life, I had mixed feelings. Mostly fear and excitement, but some anxiety and wariness as well.
When the excitement hit, I started envisioning a blog post. It was based on the fact that Christians are to confess our sins to each other, and failure to do so creates physical, emotional, and spiritual sickness in our lives. [Truth be told, over half of the sickness treated by the medical community today has a spiritual root, such as the failure to confess sins. (I would venture to say it is probably closer to 80-90%.)]
I began to think of how we are all afraid to reveal our weakness and failures, despite the fact that we each have them. How powerful would it be if someone were to take that first step and say, “This is me, the real me. I fail, I hurt those I love, I do bad things when no one is looking. I struggle, I stumble, I think more of myself than I do of others. I lie, I cheat, I am the master of denial. I try hard, do better for awhile, then fail miserably. I am broken. I am human. I am a Christian.”?
If I could interview someone who was willing to be real, maybe others could see their faults are similar, and that it’s ok to be real with each other. But then the voice of reason chimed in and asked me where I would find such a person willing to submit themselves to public scrutiny- nowhere, that’s where.
Then, I got an email. Several emails in fact, from Lance at Jungle of Life. We were discussing surrender and getting real and I gave him the link to listen to my pastor’s sermon. He listened, and it hit him like it was hitting me. I never told him about my desire to do a “real interview”. I asked him to write out his thoughts on the sermon and see if we were both hearing the same thing. We were. And this is what Lance sent me:
Real.
What is that, anyway?
I am a Christian, a faithful servant seeking peace and love in this world we’re in.
Is that real? Is that how I live my life?
Or is it a little uglier than that?
I can get up on a Sunday morning and spend a couple of hours praising God. It will be all about showing love for Jesus. What happens, though, when I leave that moment I’ve had? What about the other 166 hours during the week? Am I continuing to show my love for God? Am I acting like the Christian I claim to be – one of love and mercy? Or perhaps, do I wear a different mask, one that fits the image I think society expects of me? And, if I’m doing this – wearing a mask over my true convictions – what does this say for being real?
Or maybe “real” is something altogether different.
What kind of barriers am I putting up every hour of every day? Barriers to protect the “who I really am”. Barriers to not let my guard down, to not let out any secrets that might not “fit” with the image others expect to see. I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, and I don’t want to lose parts of that because I don’t match the standard people are expecting. How often have I “changed” just to protect an image. And how “real” is that?
Lies.
What about God in all of this? God loves us just the way we are. Are we perfect? Hardly. I’m a sinner (there, I said it!). I believe in a God who sent His son, Jesus, our Christ, to die for us. For these sins I’m committing. Yet, I hide behind walls to protect myself. What am I protecting? Am I concerned about what other might think? If they only knew…
- I’ve yelled at my kids for no reason at all
- I’ve shunned my wife because of my own selfish pride
- I’ve belittled others for no reason at all
- I’ve put on the face of a happy marriage, on days when things have been ugly
- I’ve shouted obscenities to the driver in the lane beside me
…and surely worse. Does this change your view of me? …because I haven’t shown these characteristics before? It’s easy, here at computer and keyboard – to become who we desire to be. Is that real, though? Or is this just another way to put up walls. To protect that image of what we want to be known for? Secrets hidden, for a life we want to believe is us.
We are “real”, all of us. Yet, we hide that “real” all too often. It’s time to let the “real” you out, and trust that there are people out there who will encourage you, support you, trust you, and love you. Your life is meant to be lived, and that’s about being real and being authentic.
Real.
What is that, anyway?
Error on Line 155
January 19, 2009
Ok, if you haven’t noticed, and you might not have, I broke the blog over the weekend. I wrote a seemingly harmless piece of html for a linked graphic and tried to place it in the sidebar as a widget. It immediately sent strips of error messages about arrays and headers across every page of the website and my WordPress panel. Cool, but bad cool.
Remember that steaming hot cup of coffee you got with the email subscription button? Gone. My favorite books list? Gone, too.
It seems I broke the executable php widget somehow. And yes, I tried uninstalling it from my server and reinstalling a fresh copy, but I still get error messages. Alas, I must be php widget free for awhile until some coding night in shining armor comes to slay the “error on line 155″ dragon and sets the Blue Duck free.
I emailed Harry and he found a double “http” in my code (can you say DUH?), and was very patient and helpful with all my squawking. (Thank you Mr. McLeod. Your generosity is not unrecognized.) I saw James on Twitter and told him I broke the blog, and he wasn’t the least bit surprised. I think he was amazed it took me so long. Well, Sir James, I fully intent to restore the Duck to its original splendor, and I promise to experiment only on my other blogs from now on. The Blue Duck and it’s amazing Men with Pens design will remain pristine.
I guess my days of poking it with a stick before I read the owner’s manual are over. It’s time for a crash course in coding.
This led me to a string of useless ponderings. I was wondering why coders can’t use regular words in their script? Words that actually can be edited for error by the average person? All those abbreviations just beg for typos! Writing a page of code must be exhausting!
They should make a special keyboard for coders with little “http//:” and “a href=” buttons! It would make a coder’s life easier and keep people (like me) from breaking things with simple typos.
So, your Coming Soon sequel is delayed by technical difficulties today. (Plus, I am waiting on a little surprise in my inbox to go with it.)
As an aside to this rambling useless post, I just received a New Year’s pile of SEO goodies to pour over. Once I have digested the contents, I’ll begin a new SEO series for all you serious website owners.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. everyone. I’m off to Circuit City, or what remains of it, to find out where to take my Toshiba for repairs since the blasted Circuit City people are bankrupt! (I feel the need to insert an “I have a dream” pun here, but that seems tasteless, and I have more respect for Dr, King than that.)
So have a cup of coffee, and head over to Everyday Thoughts from Life for a little storytelling fun for today compliments of Sal and Jess.
Coming Soon
January 15, 2009
Well folks, it’s cold. School is canceled, the hubby is home for the next three days, and there’s snow piled high against the doors. So why haven’t I been been blogging my heart out? I’ve been busy. 
A small group of us have been hard at work setting up a new website for Christ followers. The target audience is women- single moms, old married women, those with a boat-load of babies, those with clean quiet households, those with messy cluttered rooms, single women, struggling women, hurting women. Women just like you. (And men who know and love those women.) We’re writing for those who are looking for faith, hope, and love for the real world.
Faith, hope, and love for the real world. That’s what’s at the heart of this project.
Our pastor gave a tremendous sermon on being a Real Christian last week, and it’s sparked quite an email discussion between myself and Lance. Neither of us can seem to shake the message. It haunts our thoughts and keeps showing up in the strangest of places. Actually, the concept had been in my consciousness for the last couple of weeks, building like a thunderstorm in the back of my mind. God at work.
This is big. HUGE. Life-changing.
I’m going to talk about becoming a real, messy, Christian. Casting off plastic faces, social facades, defense mechanisms, and all those layers you hide behind so no one sees the real you.
Are you ready?
The Unlimited Freelancer: the Book and the Dream
January 12, 2009
Click here to visit FreelanceFolder.com website!
One of my all-time favorite people has penned a book for freelancers. James Chartrand and Mason Hipp have collaborated to create a guide to help you release your freelance potential, and I couldn’t be more excited. Not just because this book has two fantastic authors, either. This project has heart.
The Unlimited Freelancer: The Book and the Dream
According to the promo page,The Unlimited Freelancer is a how-to guide for anyone who has experienced that point where your dreams of freelance freedom meet the hard reality of a freelance life. Hipp and Chartrand walk you through how to make more money, avoid common freelancing mistakes, and how to save time by working smarter, not harder.
This advice comes from two of the best freelancers in the writing business, written by two who know what a roller coaster freelancing can be. The words are flung directly from the trenches of the freelance writing desk to the pages of The Unlimited Freelancer. James and Mason know what you’re struggling with; they’ve been there themselves, building a successful business with a shoestring, a dream, and a prayer.
The book releases January 14th, in both e-format first and a print edition later. You can sign up now to receive advanced notification of The Unlimited Freelancer news and get a free copy of “Why Some Freelancers Thrive and Others Barely Survive” to keep you busy until your copy arrives.
A big Blue Duck Congrats goes out to both Mason and James on creating such a timely, constructive, and heartfelt guide for those with the guts to chase down their dreams. The Unlimited Freelancer just pushed its way to the top of my required reading list week. Thanks guys for sharing your cookies with the rest of us.
