This is Me!
Hi! I’m Christi and this is a little about me, and behind the scenes at How to Start a Christian Blog.
I’m a one-woman show over here! I do all of my own tricks, with the exception of a few automation tools that I have enlisted. Of course, even though they are automated, they still need my help every now and then. Ha!
Who is Christi?
First of all, I love Jesus! I have been a Christian since I was 12 but probably didn’t start getting to know who God really is until my early 20’s when I came faced a very difficult pregnancy, and ultimately the loss of my firstborn son. You can read more about that on my first blog, Sincerely Christi.
I’m a wife to the love of my life for over 25 years, and a mom of 3 on the planet, and 1 in Heaven. I love reading, decorating, movies, board games, traveling, and hanging out with my family and friends.
I’m typically more introverted and need my quiet time, although I do LOOOVE talking to others too. If you know me, you know this is solid truth!! I can talk for hours about all kinds of life stuff. Literally. Hours.
I tend to think. A lot. I mean … A LOT. My husband says I think too much. Ha! Well, that’s me. You might as well embrace it.
I’ve been this way a looooong time! Ha!
What about education?
I felt God’s call to help others as a teenager. I was that friend that everyone came to with all of their problems. After having my kids, being a stay-at-home mom for 14 years, and my youngest (at the time) was in the 5th grade, I decided it was time to go back to school.
After 6 years of a grueling schedule, I completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Science and a Master’s degree in Family Therapy. By the way, we also added another daughter to our crew in my Junior year of college. Ha! God has a sense of humor!
With a passion to help people through all different challenges, as an intern and then full-time therapist, I worked at a counseling center that was attached to my church. I love counseling and the mental health field but I also saw a lot of struggles with people being unable to afford the services that they desperately needed.
As time moved on, God began stirring my heart to go back home so I could be more available for my family. I had missed so much with late work nights and I needed them as much as they needed me.
I knew that it was time to make the decision to leap outside of my box… and I do mean WAAAY outside of my box.
I kind of like the quietness of my box. Haha!
In a day where people seem to live their lives online, I began to see an opportunity for me to share my journey and hopefully be an encouragement and give validation.
This led me to open an online life and relationship coaching business, and in addition to starting Sincerely Christi, I also began Resurrecting Marriage, devoted solely to helping wives in struggling marriages.
As for my education in the blogging world, I have taken my fair share of free and paid-for courses. I found it to be the easiest way so that I could get the basics a little at a time.
My first course purchase was Blog By Number by Suzi Whitford at Start a Mom Blog. This course is under $100 and will get your blog up and running in hours! It was a great introduction since I knew NOTHING when I started.
My second big course purchase was actually not expensive at all for what I got out of it! Ultimate Bundles has several bundled kits of resources, but in the Fall every year they have one called the Genious Bloggers Toolkit.
Where did How to Start a Christian Blog come from?
Soooo, after a LOT of trial and error in creating and running my other 2 blogs, and recognizing the lack of Christian-based blogging resources available, I made the decision to start How to Start a Christian Blog as a faith-based resource for beginner bloggers.
Over the last several years, I have taken numerous courses (both paid and free) and have learned a lot. I’m not all-knowing by any stretch of the imagination BUT there are a lot of things that I do know now that I didn’t know when I started. I know that if I had the resources back then, my blogs would have grown much faster than they did.
How to Start a Christian Blog was born out of my own personal struggles in getting started blogging, gaining followers, and monetizing.
If you are sitting in that space now, I want to encourage you and help you succeed.
A Few Examples of what Ultimate Bundles offers:
These are all offered throughout the year, but they go on sale once a year. Then they have a couple of bundles, like the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit that can only be purchased 1 week in the Fall. It is usually under $100 and well worth every penny I spent. I still use and refer to the many ebooks, courses, and tools that came in this bundle from previous years.
What are the goals?
Life hasn’t always been cupcakes and unicorns for me, and it certainly isn’t now. However, I can say that as I look back over my lifetime, I can see where God has been faithful in keeping His promises, even in the moments that it didn’t appear He was. I have faith that this time will be no different.
The goals I have set for How to Start a Christian Blog are as follows:
- Provide an Ultimate Resource Catalog for beginners that is continually growing and expanding.
- Provide help in getting organized so that you can get more done rather than feel like your chasing rabbits and spinning your wheels in the mud. Been there! Not a good feeling at all.
- Help you find your peeps, your tribe, and your biggest cheerleaders so you can keep cranking out whatever God is compelling you to write.
- I want to pray for you, as my peeps and provide you with helpful tools like unique journals so you can grow.
- If making money or monetizing your blog is a goal of yours, then I want to help you meet that goal. I’ve got a few resources to share in that category too.
- I want to provide a Facebook Group (or community) for you to share your blogging struggles, and get feedback, prayer, and encouragement,
The bottom line is that I want to help you win!
