I think this is a great topic and once again, another timely one. I believe it comes down to a balance from listening to the voice of the Spirit. For instance, I am trying to make the most of my upcoming signings and in the process of handing out flyers for them, I encountered a woman who had a genuine interest in what the book was about. PERFECT opportunity to testify and instead I found myself promoting the "event" instead of promoting God. Thankfully by His grace I got convicted and I hope not the make the same mistake again as I re-dedicate this work to Him. Thanks again MaryAnn for this forum.

Money is a very touchy subject in the Christian realm. Yes, it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil.

But the misunderstanding of money can be just as bad.

I've found that many Christians expect sisters and brothers to work for free simply because they are Christians and often in the name of "ministry." There is a time to give freely and a time to be paid for services rendered.

A Christian man still needs to pay bills and support his family.

But a Christian man also needs to depend on God, who knows what we need.

It's a fine line, and Mary Ann is right. It depends on the heart.

Thanks, MaryAnn for the timely reminder! I've always believed that we are all in full time ministry no matter what we do. We are witnesses wherever we go - we may be the only example of Jesus someone gets to see on a particular day. As you said, if our hearts are right, our lives and countenance will reflect that.

Great topic. I think the Christian publishing world has realized that pay needs to be more reasonable for writers. For example, I notice fewer markets identifying themselves as "tithing" markets -- meaning they don't pay, that writing for them is part of your tithe. I also believe many writers kid themselves when they think the secular market pays better. Sometimes it does, but that is not the rule.

Hi MaryAnn...
I started out writing just as a ministry and did not worry about money. I still don't worry about getting paid, but I do enjoy receiving money for my devotions and poems on a regular basis. I scan Sally Stuart's Market Guide and select publications that are looking for what I write, either paying or non-paying. For those of you who write devotions, Daily Devotions for the Deaf is a non-paying market but it is a worthy cause to minister to the deaf. They accept reprints so I recycle some of my published devotions there, Don't be surprised if the editor changes somes of your words. I learned that the vocabulary of the deaf is more limited than ours. There are many other non-paying markets that I submit my reperints to. It's a good way to get more mileage out of your writing. There are also paying markets that accept reprints. Give them a try.

This was very timely for me as I go through doing line edits for my novel, which I finished just recently. I already know my target market. What I think of when I consider the money/ministry controversy is St. Paul's admonition to the churches when they were complaining about having to support ministers. He quoted the law of Moses where it says not to muzzle the oxen that tread out the grain, and adds, "Is God just talking about the cattle?" Then he talks about the workman being worthy of his hire. I realize there will always be people who think we ought to work for free, but then how will we support ourselves? If writing is our job, then we deserve to be paid for it. Out of that will come our tithes and offerings to the Lord, and we will use that to further the Kingdom in addition to our words. Thank you for this timely musing!