sharing-via-blogsMany Latter-day Saints have accepted the challenge to share the gospel online. You may find that sharing uplifting messages is rewarding and easy.

Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true. You can download videos from Church and other appropriate sites…and send them to your friends” (“Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet,” Ensign, July 2008).

In the October 2010 general conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson shared the following success story about sharing the gospel online: “Now in this day of the Internet, there are new and exciting ways you can do missionary work. You can invite friends and neighbors to visit the new mormon.org website. If you have blogs and online social networks, you could link your sites to mormon.org. And there you can create your own personal profile. Each profile includes an expression of belief, an experience and a testimony. Because this is a new feature, most of these profiles are available in English. Profiles in other languages will follow.

“These profiles can have a profound influence for good. Two months ago a young man named Zac — a freshman in college — saw an ad for mormon.org on television in Baton Rouge, La. He connected with the website and was intrigued by the profiles of Church members. At our website he found the link that informed him where he could attend church. The next Sunday, dressed in a white shirt and tie, he attended church, was introduced to members of the ward, and enjoyed all three hours of meetings. He was invited to a member’s home for dinner, followed by his first missionary lesson. In less than two weeks, he was baptized and confirmed as a member of the Church. Welcome, Zac! (He is listening.)”

The  following are excerpts from the article “How to create your own gospel-centered blog on the Internet:”

LDS blogger Brian Mickelson is a seminary teacher, husband, father and part-time photographer. He created his own blog to share his beliefs as a Latter-day Saint with friends and family online. “I would suggest that new bloggers set a reasonable schedule of writing; maybe once or twice a week. I also try to avoid controversy; there is enough of that online. I suggest that people write about what they know and are familiar with: their lives and how the gospel is blessing them.”

By running your own blog, you have a tremendous opportunity to share your beliefs. LDS.org suggests that bloggers should, “Talk about your day-to-day life. Remember that some who read your blog may not understand traditional ‘Mormon jargon’; be careful to be clear in your writing. Share what you learn when you go to Church. Share your family home evening experiences. Share how the Lord has blessed you. Bear your testimony where appropriate, and if you are prompted by the Spirit.”

Brother Mickelson felt inspired to write the posts of his own blog about the gospel after studying the words of Church leaders. He said, “I’ve always blogged about my life, family and items I find interesting, but when I began studying what the General Authorities of the Church were asking us to do to ‘hasten the work,’ I decided that I could share more gospel-oriented things on my blog since the gospel is such a central part of my life.

“I think I share all kinds of gospel-oriented items. I try to write about some basic gospel truths and aspects of the Church so that my friends of other faiths can become more familiar with the basics. I also find myself writing about items that can be a little confusing to Mormons. I share connections between the truths found in the scriptures and possible situations that most people find themselves in. Most of all, I try to help people see the hopeful, encouraging power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in their daily lives. I hope my blog is encouraging, above all.”

You may also want to consider a blog about a specific topic. My blog LDS Media Talk, for example, focuses on new LDS resources and how we can use them for good. Other people have blogs about specific gospel topics, such as missionary work, family history, teaching, or Church history.

It’s easy to start a blog. There are free websites that help people create blogs and publish them to the Internet, such as Blogger.com and WordPress.com.

Share your success stories in the comments below.

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