Sweet friends,
Since 2001, I have been writing and speaking and it has been one of the biggest sources of joy in my life. Each time I write, I feel a thrill. And each time I speak, I thank God that he lets me use my pain and life experience to encourage women in their walks with him. The life I lead is truly a gift and I am one really grateful girl on a constant basis.
However, I am finding myself at an interesting place. Up to this point, writing and speaking have been more of a hobby/ministry than a self-sustaining career, and that needs to change. I either need to lay all of this down, all that I love, and get what our culture would consider a quote-unquote real job; or I need to take some steps toward becoming a self-sustained writer and speaker.
I have been working with a leadership coach and am in the process of setting forth some goals to pursue my dream, which is to help as many women as I can through my writing and speaking, while being able to take care of myself and my children financially. I have decided to pursue this until I sense God leading otherwise.
I’ve spent five years blogging, becoming more consistent in the past year, posting original content three times a week. I hear great feedback from readers in the comments section, on Facebook and over email, and I am so grateful that what I write seems to not only resonate with so many women but also – it’s hard for me to even believe – helps them as well. Helps them in their hard, hard marriages; helps them as they separate and divorce; helps them come back to life a little bit as they heal; and even helps church leaders to hopefully shift their thinking regarding domestic abuse. I am continually so humbled and honored, seriously.
However, a majority of what I do under my mission of reaching out to hurting women – leading small groups in my home, meeting one-on-one, going to divorce court for support, speaking at domestic violence conferences, and writing online and for my blog – yield no monetary results. I’ve been fine with that for a very long time because I always felt I was helping someone; but the bottomline is that ministry costs money, my time is valuable, and I am a single mom who needs to support herself and her children.
Why am I telling you this? Because I am asking for your help.
One of the ways I am moving forward is by joining Patreon, a website that connects artists with their patrons/supporters.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, I am asking you to simply consider supporting me through Patreon. For those who do support me, there will be incentives of things like bonus content that only you’d get to see, sneak peeks of upcoming projects, and the occasional private webcast or Google chat.
I realize this is a shift in thinking for many of you…it was for me as well. But just like everyone else, I need to earn a living for my work. We pay for the books and magazines we read, we pay for someone to paint our nails and make us a latte, we pay for most things.
This is a no-pressure request. I will continue to keep writing for my blog as I have been. Please keep reading and sharing it. But I simply ask that you pray about whether you would consider supporting me in this, and if you decide to, go here.
Thank you, sweet ones.
Elisabeth elisabeth@elisabethklein.com
Why women have chosen to support me through Patreon:
Your writing opens my eyes to the pain I’m in, so healing can begin. Carry on! -Angelina
Your ministry, the honest way you tackle the reality of a failed Christian marriage, has been a breath of fresh air to this woman. God led me to you, and the honest sharing of your pain, along with your love and devotion to Jesus as a healing balm are the reasons I decided to start supporting you. You have bravely taken on a difficult ministry. It’s an honor to be involved with you. -Pat
Finding your ministry was 17 years’ worth of prayers. In His own timing, as always, He led me to you. I’m very proud to be able to support you. -Kelly
The reason why I chose to support you is because this group has been a life raft for me. -Julie
Basically—-women need this ministry. I’m not sure what God has in mind but this is a very unique service he’s assigned you to. I’m praying God opens doors for you to reach more and more women. -Angie
I believe in the ministry God has given you, and supporting that belief monetarily is the right thing to do. I plan to give more as soon as I am able. -Krikit
You have helped me survive the past five months’ through your book, Unraveling, your blog and the Facebook page. I really don’t know how I could have done it without you. –Ellen
Your work is a beautiful collision of fully seeing my pain and yet always and only gently pointing me straight back to Jesus as the ultimate Healer of my brokenness. -Julie
I share your blogs all the time because I want other women in similar situations to know there is help and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I know I have said it before but you are my mentor and my hero and I feel I owe so much to you! -Jerilyn