Writing Assignments for January Bloggers

Greetings WR Bloggers!

We would like to start you blogging before you enter the field so that you can learn discipline in regularly communicating your thoughts and experiences and help you refine the art of storytelling in your life. Blogging will be an essential part of your ministry to supporters, friends, and random people that will end up on your blog.

Pray for the impact that you have with these stories and always try to be sensitive to the random “seeker” who may end up on your site with no knowledge of who you are, what the WR is, or even who Christ really is. Keep these things in mind without stressing about them, and your blog will be a powerful ministry that complements what you do hands-on in the field.

Writing Assignments:

• Week One – This I Believe (400-600 words)
  
  
  
  • Write a short introduction to who you are, what your core beliefs are, and what has shaped those beliefs. This is taken from thisibelieve.org, so visit the site for more info.
    
  
  
  
  
  • This is not a soapbox for your personal testimony nor an opportunity to give a gospel presentation – this is a chance to talk about what really matters to you. Visit Purity is a Gift for an example of this.
    
  
  
  
  
  • The title of your blog post should read: “This I believe – [title of the essay]”. For example, if you’re writing on Transformers, write, “This I believe – Transformers Rock!” You get the picture.
    
  
  
  
  
  • Include this at the beginning of your essay (copy and paste):
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • We were asked to write an essay called “This I Believe” about what really matters to us, as preparation for this world missions adventure called the World Race. This is what I believe… (include hyperlinks, please – this will help others find
    the WR site)

• Week Two – Radical Adventure (300-500)
  
  
  
  • Write a short blog (all of these assignments should be concise, which means that you should choose your words wisely). Answer this question: “How were you called by God to do something radical?”
    
    
    
    • Give an example of when the Lord called you to do something dramatically different than your routine. This can be a mission trip, an exercise in listening prayer, etc. Be careful that you don’t use “Christianese” – break down the mysticism surrounding phrases like “God called me” and “the Lord spoke to me.” What really happened? What made you think it was God and not just your brain?
      
    • See Obedience to God Thru Listening Prayer for an example.
      
      
    • What did you learn from the experience? Take a moment to reflect and tell your audience why this story should matter to them.
    
    
  • The Title of your blog post should read: “Radical Adventure – [short description of story]”
    
  
  
• Week Three – World Missions (400-600)
  
  
  
  
  • Write one or two blogs (if it’s 700+ words, please just break down into two parts) answering the question, “Why are you going on the World Race?”
    
    
    
    • Feel free to include how you came to this decision or how God spoke to you, but make the meat of the blog about what you hope to gain or give from this experience.
    
    
    
    
    • Include a moment of reflection on why you think this is important for your audience. Should they do this, too? Is this a challenge, encouragement, inspiration? See Raging River for an example of a short story that turns into an allegory which becomes a challenge.
      
    
    
  • Include this at the beginning:
    
    
    
    • We were asked to share with you why we’re going on this world missions adventure called the World Race. I’m going around the world in 11 months, because…
      
    
    
  • The title of the blog post should read “World Missions – [add a creative little tagline onto this]”