Last week I missed my self-imposed blog publishing deadline of 12:15 PM every Friday. I was tired from heavy Spring yard work and felt that it didn’t matter all that much. Every once in a while, I get to feeling that this blog is a fruitless enterprise anyway. Most of the people I follow on WordPress write better than I do. Those who follow me are a great group of people, and I enjoy exchanging comments with them. But really, does it matter?
I did not set out to write for a living. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but rarely thought that it would lead to a paid, professional endeavor. Then, I was moved to write my memoir, “Aimless Life, Awesome God”, by an overwhelming desire to tell the story of how God saved a man like me; how He orchestrated the events of my life to save me and use me to serve others. (Of course I’ll admit, I had hopes that I’d sell enough copies to pay for the self-publishing fees. Spoiler alert, I did not.) Now, I have have not done anything great or noteworthy; I’m just a very ordinary guy trying to live a grateful Christian life.
This morning, my online friend, Dennis Peterson (https://dlpedit.wordpress.com/) published some statistics about book publishing that caused me to view my efforts in a more positive light. The average author sells less than 200 copies of a printed book, while the average self-published author sells fewer than five. My book sold less than two hundred copies, but more than five. Dennis is a skilled and accomplished writer and you should check him out.
Also this week, a couple of my followers commented on two or three of my previous posts. Normally, I only get comments on the current post.
I write because of my gratitude for God’s remarkable work in my life so far, all eight decades. I want to share these works with you so that you will see Him as he is; gracious, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love. God is active, not just in the big events of life, but in the ordinary, everyday stuff that we mostly take for granted.
I have had my doubts about the fruitfulness of these few words I spout once a week. Only God knows. SDG
My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Psalm 145:21
Robert Frohlich 
A couple of years ago I journaled about marketing, which I dislike thinking about. God’s nudge was to think of it as generosity, and now like a CPA would. That’s been a delight to adopt, opening unexpected doors. Our CPA rolls his eyes at my grin at maybe breaking even, but knows my goal is to have the Wilson family remembered. Last winter I offered all three books, ebook version, free for a week. Nearly 1000 were downloaded! I’ve watched as those books have been read through the weeks since then, realizing that they are learning about what one family endured during the war. (goosebumps) Maybe try it with your encouraging memoir!
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Thanks for the shout out, Robert. I, too, “have not done anything great or noteworthy; I’m just a very ordinary guy trying to live a grateful Christian life.” But who knows what God can do with us? Somewhere at some time, maybe even months after we’ve written some little, seemingly insignificant, thought, someone who needs it most might read it and be blessed. Let’s keep on writing and encouraging one another in spite of what the statistics say! If God has called us to write, He knows where our words are most needed, and, if our words are based on His Word, that Word won’t return void!
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I, for one, have greatly enjoyed your blog! I learn a lot from you. You write very inspirational essays. Your faith shines through and that is a beautiful thing. We never know who our words will touch, but we must trust that with God’s blessings, those words will touch someone’s heart. As the saying goes, ‘God works in mysterious ways.’ We do not have to understand the mystery and we do not have to try and solve it. We ask God to bless our time, our days, and our words to His glory. It is He who puts the pieces of our lives together and makes the puzzle complete. We trust The Master Craftsman with all things, and ultimately, that is the beauty of life.
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We can all relate to your writing Rob, be encouraged to continue for His glory.
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My soul has been super blessed by your writings: your book, your blog posts, and your comments on my blog. In my own writing I often tell myself that if my story helps just one other person, then it is worth the time, the thought, and the expense of writing.
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I think many of us can empathize with you, Robert. But the blogging community is worth hanging on to, in my opinion. Many blessings to you, my friend.
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