Hillam Happenings - November 2023: A Poem by David and More
In this month's newsletter, I feature a recent poem that David wrote, and share three new articles I wrote on Medium, plus other updates.
Hello everyone,
This month, David is finally making his presence known again with a poem he wrote about one of his childhood friends from England who passed away recently. Scroll down to read it now if you're not bothered hearing about what I'm doing on Medium.
In last month's newsletter, I explained that I was praying about and evaluating whether or not to continue with these monthly Hillam Happenings newsletters. I then asked that you do one of the following (I'm including them again in case you missed last month or didn't read to the end):
If you are no longer interested in hearing about my new adventure on Medium, you will NOT hurt my feelings if you unsubscribe. In fact, I ask that you please do. This will help, not hurt. I promise.
If you are mostly interested in keeping up with us personally rather than hearing me prattle on about what I’m doing on Medium, then can you please reply to this email or let me know via Facebook or text?
If you are happy to keep going as is, then PLEASE click at least one link, reply to this, leave a comment, send me a smoke signal, do SOMETHING, and let me know.
Thank you to everyone who responded. The consensus is: you want me to keep going as is. So, that's what I'm doing. And I'm happy to do it now that I know at least some of you are reading these emails and getting something out of them.
I’m Now a Writer for TEN Publications on Medium!
Yep! I've applied to and been accepted as a writer for five new pubs since last month. Why so many? It has to do with my vision and strategy as a Christian writer in mostly a non-Christian sea of readers and writers on Medium.
In short, my overarching vision as a writer is to share stories of God's involvement in my life, along with biblical truths and other articles — all written primarily for a Christian audience.
While that is my primary focus, I have other life experiences and knowledge that I plan to tap into and write about. And whenever I do, I expand my visibility and unique brand in the Medium community.
It's not about dollars — although my earnings have almost doubled in the last two months. It's about influence and opportunity.
Remember the blog post I published here in August? If you've not read it, now would be a good time to catch up.
And speaking of influence, take a look at how quickly the number of my followers has grown since August:
That wide door of opportunity that God has opened shows no signs of closing anytime soon! (And no one is more amazed at this than David and I are!)
Links to Articles on Medium Published in November
Because of Thanksgiving, I only published three articles in Medium this month. But they were all significant in their own way.
Article No. 1
Two Dreams and the Power of Praying God’s Word Meditatively | published in New Creation (publication) on November 4th. It's the story of what happened to me in 2021 (and beyond) regarding severe nose bleeds, ensuing fear, and how praying God's Word meditatively became my lifeline.
This is my most viewed and most important personal essay so far. And I couldn't be more thrilled. (For those of you who might be wondering about my prayer series, while things haven't developed the way I planned last April, I can safely say this post is all about the power of prayer!)
Article No. 2
How to Choose the Best Topic Tags for Your Medium Article or Story | self-published on November 10th. This is an example of how I am branching out to new audiences with different types of content.
Often, when people don't know who you are and see an article like this, they go to my About page — which links to my About Me story. My hope and prayer is that, beyond that, readers will be drawn to how I talk about my faith and stories of God regularly showing up in my everyday life — and perhaps be intrigued enough to keep reading. I'm praying, ya'll. I'm praying! 😊
Article No. 3
3 Helpful Things You Can Do If You Are Hurting | published on November 16th in Good Vibes Club. I wrote this in response to a dear friend who fainted in the early hours of the morning recently. She fell while in the bathroom and knocked out three teeth. This is an example of writing to a wider, cultural Christian (or even non-Christian) audience. And the response has been heart-warming.
As an example, I received the following comment (from someone I had not heard from before) shortly after the article was published:
He highlighted this from my article: "Even if you have little to no faith or the pain is so unbearable that you can hardly speak, lift your voice, and call out to God."
Then he wrote, "What a beautiful uplifting piece. Thank you so much for sharing this. I found some hope in it. Thank you."
THAT, my friends, is why I'm writing on Medium!
David's Poem
In Memory of My Friend, Mike
A memory of a childhood friend, playing until the day's end.
The days seemed long, not wanting to end with Mike, my childhood friend.
Friends at school always until the very last day.
Books put away, after years of school days,
We head into a new life, “The Work Day.”
Once we worked at the same place, making money in the rat race.
Families to feed, and bills to pay,
But still friends with things to say.
Years passed with no connect, then we met in town to reconnect.
“How’s things with you,” the conversation goes.
"Work, family, all that stuff — you know how it goes."
Many years passed, a new reconnect.
Much older, work days are over.
Although miles apart, just a phone call away.
Facebook has saved the day!
Families are grown, grandkids now.
Remembering the past, “What’s happening now?”
Mike has a dog, and a Brown Bess too!
Texas history, he’s looking into.
Mike, a childhood friend, became my lifelong friend.
Time and distance have no bounds —
Forever in my thoughts, his echo resounds.
Rest in peace, my forever friend. — David
Thanks for reading this month's Hillam Happenings newsletter.
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.
Until next time,
Blessings always — Sharon and David
Hi David and Sharon! Sharon that is wonderful that the Lord has opened doors for you to write in a wide range of publications. You're right we need more balanced and wise Christian voices in media to present an alternative view to the prevailing hedonistic and greed driven cultural view. David, I am sorry to hear of the loss of your life long friend. Thank you for sharing your poem. It was true and beautiful. Blessings to you both in Christ. - Bill Benninghoff