Photo By Denise Krebs via StockPholio.com

As you’re staring at your screen, I hope it’s obvious what I’m into these days: a blog redesign.

Why the change, and why now? Well, three reasons, the first more urgent than the others: my beloved “Scrappy” theme had aged into old-technology and therefore was not mobile-responsive–meaning (as many of you had no doubt discovered), it did not adapt to fit mobile and tablet screens. Conservative soul that I am, even I knew that was serving neither of us well and needed to be addressed. So here we are.

The other two reasons? Well, I’d kept the same look for three years. Heck, I don’t keep the same hairstyle for that long, why should my blog? Time for an update. And finally, this year I hope to get a finished novel or two in your hands, and while I still have no announcement as to when or how that’s going to happen, my blog needs to better reflect my identity as a writer.

Now, about the blog.

As I see my children stretching so quickly toward adulthood and myself speeding through these years known as middle age, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what it means to make a world of difference. To live a life that matters. What does that look like, exactly? Today, in the here and now?

Well, I believe it takes on different form for each of us, but it also shares a common foundation. Difference-making is prompted by faith, which fuels hope. Hope in turn fuels action, which is how we change the world for good.

[Tweet “On the power of *story* to make a world of difference @KatherineSJones”]

I see lots of women like me asking similar questions and reaching similar conclusions via different routes. For instance, Krista Gilbert, author of Reclaiming Home, says: “We are the difference makers. We impact those we raise, and the ripples reach far beyond our grasp, stretching into generations. We are the most important leaders, our influence setting our families on a course for good. The daily actions that seem so small, add up to mountains of deposits that build the very foundation on which children stand forever….Let’s change the world by impacting our homes.”

And Jamie Lapeyrolerie, blogger at Books & Beverages and She Laughs with Dignity and founder of The Shoppe!, says, “I daily strive to live my life guided by love and Jesus. Both of those things compel me to live a life dedicated to helping others and making a difference.” Which is just one reason why she blogs about books, people, and issues that matter, and why every purchase from her online shop translates into a donation to a world-changing cause.

Then there’s Addie Zierman, blogger at How to Talk Evangelical and author of When We Were on Fire. She also blogs for World Vision, a difference-making organization I stand with as well. Addie blogged: “I want to change the world…but I’m up to my eyeballs in shoulds in my own regular life. I’m overwhelmed, already, by my daily failures as a parent and a person.” She appealed to her readers, who responded in sympathy. “We found that so many of us felt that way — overwhelmed by the pain of the world, debilitated by our own feelings of inadequacy.” So she invited her readers to share small, doable changes that they were making in their lives. And that’s when the magic happened. “Because I found that when I figured out that I could actually do one small thing, I felt empowered to do other small things…and that in the end, this is how the world is changed. Regular people doing small, regular things.”

Yes. Eternally yes and amen. It reminds me of something the Africans say: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito.”

Wise folks, those Africans. They say something else too: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

That’s why I’m here, friends–and I suspect maybe why you’re here too.

While no one can do everything to solve the world’s problems, everyone can do one thing. Together, those changes add up to a big difference.

That is what this blog is about: making a world of difference…one story at a time.

Why the focus on *story*? One of my favorite truths is that stories provide a powerful way in. *Story* is a key that opens minds and hearts. Most of us cannot physically go to the places where the world hurts the most. But many of us would be willing to read a story about the people who do. The storyteller’s role, then, becomes truth-telling under imagined circumstances. To write informed stories that give real information, packaged in a human story we can all relate to. This creates awareness, and awareness leads to conversation–critical first steps toward implementing change.

What will you find here in the months ahead? Still lots about books, because that’s where the stories are, and because that’s what we both love. Including:

• Non-fiction that feeds the soul and equips us for change
• Memoirs and films that inspire and engage
• Fiction that inspires…and sometimes simply entertains

But also:

• First-hand stories about real people and products that change lives

Of course, this all remains a work in progress, and if something doesn’t work for you–or does–I hope you will let me know.

As I wrap this longer-than-usual post, I leave you with the now-famous words of the late, great Alan Rickman: “A film, a piece of theatre, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.”

So that’s it for me. What are you into these days?