Why Write a Newsletter

 Why Write a Newsletter?

I recently had a conversation on the topic of newsletters. This person mentioned that they dislike doing newsletters because for them it felt like a service for their supporters, so they could have a feel good justification to support. Taking pictures and advertising what they were doing also made them very uncomfortable. 

Our conversation ended quite blandly but I continued thinking about it into the night. I am seeking to make helping missionaries make newsletter my profession; so, this was quite disturbing for me. What other oppositions will I encounter and what can I possibly say to maybe change their minds. As I was going to bed that night the holy spirit reveled to me the following.

Imagine that you are treading on a path. This is YOUR path; you are making it, and it follows you wherever you go. In order for you to receive support from others, they need to make contact with your path.

This path is very important for you, it is your responsibility to maintain it. You have to ensure that it is visible, that dangers have been shooed away, that it is accessible, and so on... If you do not take care of it, it will become difficult to find, uncomfortable to walk on, others will consider it risky, and you will find that many will have no desire to bring support that is bigger than the path you are offering them. Similarly, if you over expand it, others will find that it is lonely, some will consider their meager support unworthy of the road, and even with just a little neglect you will find potholes everywhere making the road difficult to navigate.

What many fail to consider is that the treasury of heaven is well managed and is already budgeted. The newsletter's main goal is not to demand support from others but is instead meant to maintain access to what God has already set aside for you. But beautifully, a road goes both ways.

Just as you are inviting others onto your path and journey, through the connecting paths you can also access their journeys. Just as you are being affected by the work God has led you towards, those supporting you are also invited to be affected and blessed by it too. Not as a "Feel Good" emotion, but in a way that will change how they view the world, themselves and God. Like stepping into someone else's shoes.

Now, this is also not to say that everybody will stay on the journey with you from start to finish, but all things have their seasons. 

So why write a newsletter?

Newsletters are one of the ways that God allows us to keep doors open. They are a way to communicate God's goodness to those who are on a different path from us. They are a way to intersect with others and invite them to help keep the path behind you well walked so those who follow further behind do not find themselves lost. 

And if certain parts of the process make you uncomfortable, there are creative ways to get around it. At the beginning of this post one of the issues brought up was the discomfort of photos. So, I have not used any photos here, instead I put together simple images that equally express what is being conveyed (If not better!). We have a creative God, so let's consider creative solutions.

May God bless you all and may you find prosperity in your lives.

This has been Lillyana Walking with God.