August 2024 recap + is being a Christian Influencer an oxymoron?

Life lately and eavesdrop on a recent conversation we had about Christian influencers

Welcome! APL is a newsletter for the woman desiring to build a strong marriage, purposeful life and an enduring family legacy.

August was a full month as we

• Enjoyed so many gorgeous zinnias and sunflowers + delicious corn from our garden (we’ve literally had fresh bouquets in every room of our house + gave lots of flowers to neighbors and friends all month long!)

• Celebrated my birthday and my husband’s birthday

• Traveled up to Chicago for my sister in law’s wedding

• Kept building up our family business (including launching a deer food plot seed brand!)

• Enjoyed lots of family quality time: evenings at the lake (perks of living 20 minutes from a lake!), days spent outside and in our garden, reading books with the boys, dinners on the back porch, my husband playing the guitar again, and dreaming big dreams together.

This season is so full with raising littles and building up a family business while also homesteading and working full time, but I just keep thinking how these are the good days we’ll look back on someday and remember so fondly.

This newsletter is quickly becoming a transcript of conversations between my husband and I, but I can’t help it - I love our conversations. It’s what attracted us to each other in the first place, and we keep saying we need to start a podcast to let y’all listen in on our conversations too!

So, here’s what we talked about a couple days ago that I’d love to get your input on:

// can Christians be Influencers?

We live in the age of the influencer and online creator. They’re everywhere, even in our churches as you see more and more influencers use the church or their faith to grow their personal brand.

And I’m not talking about influence in the old-fashioned way, where we all have influence somewhere, somehow. I’m talking about Influencer with a capital i where it’s a job (aka, you make money by influencing someone to buy something from you or through you).

Now, full disclaimer: using that definition, I am an influencer. I am also a Christian. My husband and I write and publish resources for Christian singles and couples. It’s a passion of ours and something we feel God is calling us to do using our spiritual gifts.

So, can you separate the two? Can you be a Christian and an influencer? Or does being both make you a Christian influencer with no separation of “church and state”?

Elisabeth Elliot once said, “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.”

What if we substituted “influencer” into that quote? It captures the goal for Christians in the influencing space spot on:

“The fact that I am an Influencer does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of Influencer.”

But not all Christians are able to live this out. Generally, in my observation, there are two types of Christian influencers:

1. The Christians who do change once they become influencers (aka, the fact that they are influencers does make them a different kind of Christian as they shift their beliefs to fit their brand and to get more views/likes/follows/attention)

2. The Christians who do not not change as they become influencers (aka, their beliefs and their values shape their “influencing,” not vise versa)

Because when you get into the heart of it, the question that separates the two is simple:

Whose kingdom are you building with your influence? His or yours?

My husband and I come back to this question all the time when we’re talking about the dreams and goals we have for our family.

We ask ourselves the “why”: why do we want this? Does this move the needle on our big vision? Does this align with our values and priorities?

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” —Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬-‭27‬

We have this verse framed in our house because we need this reminder daily! (well, we did before the move - I’m still unpacking some straggler boxes so have to find this print and hang it up).

When you are committed to your values and clear on your life vision, you build an unwavering foundation.

It’s why my husband and I are so passionate about helping couples get on the same page when it comes to vision and values and design an enduring family legacy based on what matters most to you as a couple. It’s our favorite type of Influencing 😊

With a strong foundation, it doesn’t matter how many likes you get, how many followers you have or how much money is in your bank account. Because your identity isn’t in the influencing for your own gain.

With a strong foundation, you don’t “influence” from a place of scarcity, but from a place of rest. You share out of the abundance in your heart - it pours out of you, because He’s poured His mercy, love, joy, wisdom into you.

At least, that’s my goal in any type of “influencing” I do.

Anytime I shift into a “desperate” mode where I start to become too focused on vanity metrics or wanting to grow a personal brand or whatever else that tells me to build up my own “kingdom,” I step away from posting on social media and prayerfully re-adjust what I’m filling my mind with and the posture of my heart.

Once I feel His anointing to share again, I do. The words pour out of me and I can’t hold them in - they convict and encourage me, but I know they’re not only meant for me. They’re meant to be poured out, shared, multiplied - not for my glory, but for His.

“But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” -Jeremiah 20:8-9

Because God doesn’t work in our lives for us to keep quiet. Yes, there is an appropriate time to share - many times, it is the wise thing to live it out, process it and then share / testify of what God has done (few of us can share openly from the deepest parts of our pain when we are in that valley or wilderness).

But the Bible tells us that God comforts us in all our trouble, so that we can then go and comfort others with which we ourselves are comforted by God (1 Corinthians 1:4).

“You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” -Matthew 5:14-16

As Christians, we cannot help but “influence” - not for our own glory, but for His.

For true believers, we cannot hide the Light. It’s bigger than us.

And if that’s not the case - if the influencing stems from a “look at me,” instead of “look at Him” - then cease influencing and get right with God (and stop following influencers who promote a “look at me and my accomplishments” messaging).

Two takeaways:

1. Don’t hide your light. Let your deeds be seen. Be filled by Him, walk with Him and then pour out what’s been poured into you for the comfort and edification of other believers (1 Peter 4:10) and to share His glory with those who are not believers.

2. Consider the Influencers you’re following / imitating: are they pointing you to Christ or themselves? Is the message / products they’re promoting in line with Christian or wordly values? Is the content you’re consuming edifying or wordly?

What do you think? Can Christians be Influencers? How do we Influence without losing our souls?

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? -Matthew 16:26

Until next time,

YPS

Whenever you’re ready, here are four ways I can help you:

1. If you want to cultivate unity in your marriage & build a thriving life based on what matters most to you, check out our Family Legacy Guide and the Dreaming Together Guide.

2. If you work in tax, accounting, law or finance, come join the Women in Tax community!

3. If you want to elevate your career, get promoted & make more money while still staying true to your values and prioritizing what’s important to you, check out my Elevate Blueprint course.

4. If you’re not yet married, subscribe to Seek in Faith, featuring encouraging notes to navigate singleness, dating & preparing for marriage. We’ve also developed a Dating Guide to help Christian couples vet a future spouse for compatibility!