Once again we are calling all authors to help us generate new content! We are always looking for well written, insightful articles and we are excited to read your submissions.  The coming months cover quite a wide array of topics.  Please go to our updated content calendar to view them all.  We are accepting August submissions for the following topics which must be received by July 10th, September submissions by August 10th:

AUGUST

• Traveling with kids
• Best gadgets on flights
• Sharing faith while traveling
• Security/safety airport
• Building/saving memories, investing in family
• Impact of tech and relationships (i.e. texting)
• Multi generational family homes
• Teaching the next generation about quality time with family
• Scheduling/time management
• Finding the calm/creating balance in life
• Community/moving

SEPTEMBER

• September 11
• Back to school
• Dorm living
• Letting go process for parents
• Mature students/Economic crisis effect on adults retraining in new profession
• Intentionally getting connected after moving: new church, small group, community activities
• Being intentional online vs. in person
• Unplanned pregnancies
• What to do when your life is falling apart
• Seeking counseling as a Christian
• Adoption of a child into your home
• Adoption as a child of God
• Dealing with anger
• Working through confrontation/conflicts
• Getting along with co-workers
• Why as Christians we need to respect others
• How to love the job you’ve got

What an opportunity you have to encourage others by the things God stirs in your own heart!  Peace is desperately needed these days. Anxiety rules in too many hearts, too much of the time. You can paint the word pictures that will help others reach for the peace they so desperately need today.

So where do you find peace when it feels elusive and anxiety nips at the heels of your own thoughts?  We have a resource to use and a choice to make as we prepare our hearts to encourage others.

Listen to the great wisdom God offers to us in Colossians 3: 15-17…
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Do you hear it?

God invites us to LET the peace of Christ RULE in our hearts. Its what we are called to… …and then He tells us how…..

1. Be thankful. Choose to look at your world with eyes filled with thanksgiving.

2. Keep God’s word close and ask God to speak to you as you read it.

3. Share what He teaches you and encourage one another with the wisdom from His word.

4. Keep gratitude singing in your heart.

5. Do your daily tasks, and choose your daily words with an attitude of doing it for Jesus.

6. Give thanks.

See how thankfulness and gratitude are mentioned 3 times!  We so often need the reminder!

Put that attitude of thankfulness along side the priority of listening to what God says in the Bible, and maintaining encouraging friends, and everything you do and say will be revolutionized!

Choose today to LET peace RULE in your heart… and be amazed at what will flow from your keyboard to encourage peace in the hearts of others.

Gail Rodgers

While telling stories to establish a personal connection with your reader is important, make sure you’re not building a road that leads nowhere!

Sometimes we receive submissions that are written well but merely tell stories with no point to them. What we’re actually looking for are articles that are interesting and personal, and also have practical application and life lessons.

We recently featured “Sand Castle Lives”. The author begins by telling a story about herself that her audience can relate to:

I used to watch my daughters as they built their little sand castles, working so hard and fervently, knowing all the while that it was only a matter of time before their hearts were going to break …

She then transitions into using this story as a jumping-off point for spiritual instruction:

I had to think, “Isn’t that a picture of how my life was?” Whether we recognize it or not, we all build our foundations on something. Some choose money as their foundation, while others might choose food, shopping, or their own self to put their trust and security in. For me it was the latter …

Always “keep the main thing the main thing”, and don’t let eloquent stories get in the way of imparting your wisdom to your reader!

My own use of unnecessary words was hammered home to me during my graduate studies. My professor returned one of my essays with red markings all over it. I realized that he crossed out the word “that” in dozens of sentences where I’d used it unnecessarily. Removing that word made my writing more stronger and more succinct.

Some common culprits to cut include: very, really, just, quite, perhaps, pretty much, and that. For example:
“Perhaps we really just need to admit that we’re very incapable of doing pretty much anything ourselves.”
becomes
“We need to admit we’re incapable of doing anything ourselves.”

Take a second look at your own writing today and see how many unnecessary words you can eliminate to make it even stronger!

Written by Darren Hewer, Editor, TruthMedia

Welcome to the new WriteClick Post format!  You may notice a few changes to your weekly post, but the information is all the same.  Any questions or comments, please write here or visit our writers area.

We are always searching for great new content from authors.  This summer is no different!  The TruthMedia Editorial Team is currently  looking for great new content on a variety of topics for the coming weeks. We will be accepting submissions for the following topics which must be received by June 1st  to be considered for July:

• Patriotism (Canada Day and Independence Day)
• Sun safety
• Advice for newlyweds
• Summer reading
• Release of latest Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and the Half Blooded Prince)
• Taking trips/Exploration
• Parent’s Day
• Dealing with hard living situations
• Media influence on parenting (i.e. celebrity parenting)
• Anniversary of moon landing

Please visit our Content Calendar which has been updated with our upcoming topic needs.

Be sure you know our submission requirements then submit all articles for consideration here.

At Truth Media authors are one of our most treasured assets.  We depend on writers such as you to keep those contributions coming. Content is the currency of the internet.  As we partner together we have a unique opportunity to be on the cutting edge of communication in our culture. As you bring insights from your particular perspective and from the nourishment God gives your own heart, you inspire and encourage others in their faith adventure. In return for your gift of writing Truth Media offers the exposure of your work to a vast audience that touches around the globe.  Be watching and listening for those nuggets that will seed the inspiration for a new article. Be very aware of the packaging of your insights as you share.

A conference speaker recently suggested that the cultural paradigm shifts on an average of every eight years. Think of it. By time a 14 year old is entering high school the cultural values, music, movies and ideas that his parents taught him at the kindergarten level have shifted considerably. Eight classes of graduates have come and gone along with the coming and going of many foundational blocks in our culture.

Stop for a minute and consider where you were eight to ten years ago.

It is my observation that the paradigm we found ourselves in at about age 25 – 30 is the paradigm that will dictate most of our responses over the remainder of our lives. Think about yourself and those you know.  Are you able to look at the culture and see where changes are needed as things move forward? Things rarely go back to the way they were.  The foundational principles of life and faith that we have come to know and trust must remain the same; yet the way we express them, the examples we use and the language we communicate with must speak to the culture of today.

Are you looking for fresh ways to share your faith and values with a new generation? Mine out those nuggets of wisdom and truth that you have been shaped by. Be inspired to write about them. Ask the Lord to help you as you express the things you want to share.

Then read and re-read your article. Ask yourself if it would make any sense at all to your young neighbor if you asked him/her to proof read it for you.

Then write it again with that very person in mind. Imagine yourself chatting about the substance of the article over lemonade in the back yard. What descriptive words, examples or thoughts might you re-craft to speak to that person in a way they will understand?

Content IS the currency of the internet. Without good content a viewer quickly clicks off to another site. Online you have less than 30 seconds for readers to glance at your first line or two. Will you capture their interest?

Your nuggets are worth sharing. Your wisdom is to be passed on to the next generation. Consider how you are packaging the things you wish to share. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you re-pack it and re-craft it so that a whole new generation of readers will take the time to listen to what you have to say.

You are a gift to Truth Media! You have a gift to share with this audience! Package it well and know that you are appreciated, valued and prayed for as you craft your words to reach the world!

Gail Rodgers

As we mentioned last week, one of the very best ways to connect with your audience is by telling a story. When the story you’re telling is your own, wonderful things can happen.

Some of our most popular articles are from authors who have told one of the stories of God at work in their life. For the experience audience, this is a fantastic opportunity to talk about the things God has taught you.
If you’re writing for our discover audience, telling your own story gives you the perfect opportunity to talk about how God made a difference in your situation, how He walked with you through your story. Someone may question God, they may question the Bible, but it is very hard for them to argue with your own experience.

In the spotlight this month we have Heather’s article, “Re-learning the Promises of God”. With all the focus on Mother’s Day, we wanted to include an article from the other side of motherhood. Heather writes about her twin daughters Sophie and Avery who went to be with Jesus before she was able to bring them home.

Heather writes with honesty and compassion and does an admirable job of looking back at the time and the specific lessons she learned. She writes,

“ I know now that when my heart cries out in unendurable pain, the sound of it does not drive Him away. He pulls in close and whispers the promises I have read so many times but am only beginning to truly understand. He loves me in ways I haven’t even dreamed of yet and He will never leave me. As my husband an I walk our journey of grief a year and a half after the loss of our girls, I continue to see that God is walking every step along with us.”

If you have a story of God at work, we’d love to hear it. As always, you can see our latest topics online and can submit completed articles through the submissions system. Please be sure to read our Writing for the Web article before submitting. I look forward to reading your work!

Which sounds more interesting to you: Hearing someone preach at you, or hearing someone tell a story? Think back to engaging speakers you’ve heard, and you’ll probably notice that they often tell stories or give examples to get their point across.

There are many reasons that stories are effective. They catch the listener’s attention.  They are more personable.  They are more easily remembered.  Stories can often cause people who would normally be closed off to hearing truth to hear it in an indirect way and really be convicted by it.

Jesus himself spent a lot of his time telling parables, which are stories intended to teach an important truth or moral lesson. If you’d like to explore how Jesus used parables to communicate powerful truths with his audiences, take some time to explore Matthew or Luke’s gospel and take a lesson on communicating effectively from the master communicator!

Next time you’re writing, consider using stories to powerfully connect with your readers! Return to Main Submissions Page

It’s always easy to find great content for Mother’s Day, but when June rolls around and it’s time to honor Dads the submissions thin out. I’ll often get an article or two on gift ideas but not much beyond that. We seem to be much better at praising our Moms than we are at praising our Dads.

Maybe it’s because we know our own Dad might be embarrassed by such praise, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t need to hear it. Now is the perfect time of year to write an article for Father’s Day.

How has your Dad affected your life? Are there lessons you still remember? Is there a special memory that taught you something about being a parent? If you have an article about Dads, we’d love to see it. As always, you can submit your work online.

This June let’s honor our Dads with all the fanfare and attention we bestow on Mothers in May. I look forward to hearing from you.

Return to Submissions Main Page

Summer is fast approaching, and the TruthMedia Editorial Team is looking for fresh new content on a variety of topics.  We will be accepting submissions for the following topics which must be received by May 1st  to be considered for June:

• Father’s Day
• Driving Safety
• The Great Outdoors
• Home Safety
• Weddings: attire/gift ideas
• Summer books/Summer reading
• Summer sports
• Keeping kids entertained during summer break

To view all of our topics and focuses please visit our Content Calendar which has been updated with our upcoming topic needs.

Be sure you know our submissions requirements then submit all articles for consideration here.