How To Include God in the Everyday Tasks of Writing & Business

We invite God into our writing, but what about the business side of things? If you've ever felt disconnected from Him when tackling the admin, marketing, or technical tasks of self-publishing—you're not alone.

In this episode, we're diving deep into how to include God in the everyday backend tasks of your writing business, so you can move from feeling drained and overwhelmed to seeing these moments as sacred acts of worship.

You’ll discover:

✅ Why we often separate faith from business (and how to shift this mindset)

✅ How even the most mundane tasks—like bookkeeping and marketing—are part of your calling

✅ Practical ways to invite God into every part of your author journey

✅ A powerful garden analogy that will completely change how you see your writing business

If God called you to write, He cares about ALL of it—not just the creative parts. So, let’s stop compartmentalizing our faith and start building an author business that thrives with Him at the center.

🎧 Hit play now and let’s dive in!

Background Music mentioned: Tammy Sorenson

Transcript

Okay, be honest. When's the last time you prayed before updating your website?

Or ask God for wisdom before sending a newsletter. We invite him in so easily when we're writing, but the moment we switch to business mode, things like marketing, bookkeeping, or setting up an email list, it's like we suddenly think we're on our own.

But what if I told you that even these mundane tasks could be an act of worship? That God actually cares about the back end work just as much as he cares about your book's message?

Today we're talking about how to include God in the everyday business side of writing.

Because if he called you to this, he's in all of it, not just the creative part. Grab your coffee and notebook and let's dive in. This is episode 18.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning author of Christian fiction. It wasn't that long ago that I wrote my first first novel on a bucket list whim. Setting the course for a spiritual journey that transformed my life.

But the journey through self publishing hasn't been easy as I soon found myself obsessing over book sales rankings and getting to the top of the shelves, all the while trying to stay rooted in Christ and live out my purpose.

But God has graciously been teaching me how to navigate the spiritual pitfalls of the Bristol book publishing industry. And now I'm sharing them with you. Welcome to the Anointed Scribe podcast, where each week I open my personal diary to share soul nourishing stories designed to inspire, uplift and equip you for your writing life.

If you're already a Christian author or one in the making trying to balance faith with business, you're in the right place. Because for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe.

Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome back to this week's episode of the Anointed Scribe podcast. How's your week been, friend? The season is changing and here in the UK, the bright yellow daffodils lining the streets everywhere are the first signs of warmer weather, which is great to see.

I don't think I was built for the cold, but we're living out our season here as God wills it, and so we are focusing on the blessings right?

Now, if you're a subscriber and a regular listener, I want to, as always, thank you for supporting the show by tuning in each week.

I've been getting such awesome emails and messages from you that my week has been filled with just praise and awe of the amazing, powerful God we serve. What a privilege we have to work for him in what I deem to be the most awesome job I've ever had.

And of course, if you're tuning in today for the first time, let me officially welcome you to the Anointed Scribe tribe. Honestly, it's my prayer that you will walk away from this episode today feeling encouraged and just inspired to embrace your purpose as a Christian writer and hopefully be one step closer to building a thriving business that fully honors God.

I want you to be equipped and empowered in your author business, but also I want your relationship with God to deepen and grow so that you experience the full abundance of his favor, grace and power in your business and in your everyday life.

Because who ever said you can't have both, right? You absolutely can have a successful writing business and have an amazing, deep and meaningful relationship with God. I'm living proof of it.

But it wasn't always the case. When I first started out, I ran my self publishing career in my own strength and with worldly wisdom. But I soon found myself burnt out and distant from God.

Striving, not thriving.

And that's when I realized I'd been going at this all wrong.

My faith and relationship with God wasn't what it should have been. And no matter how hard I tried to go deeper with God, I just couldn't bring my business practices and faith in alignment.

And by grace and divine insight, I eventually realized that I was trying to build a business with worldly practices and ambition, essentially without God.

Because here's the truth.

Our faith contradicts so many of these worldly practices, right? So of course I was out of alignment in both business and my faith.

So in July 2023 I finally threw my hands in the air in surrender and said, okay Lord, break down and build up. I give up. I. I want to know what you want.

I want to know how you want me to do this.

I spent the next six months completely stepping back from my writing and business and just seeking God and His purpose and plans for my life.

And God not only delivered me from that self reliance and strife and pride, God showed me an entirely new side of him and and my faith and relationship with God is deeper now than ever before.

And so this is what I want for you. A successful author business with God as your CEO only. I want you to not have to take the hard road I had to take to get there.

Right?

And so I share this today to tell you that I get it. I've experienced all the ups and downs of being a Christian authority and I'm here to take your hand and walk this journey with you.

And God, of course. So if ever you want to share your thoughts on any of the episodes or maybe you have a particular struggle you need my input on, then join the private Facebook group and I'll put the link in the in the show notes.

It's at Anointed Scribe Tribe and I want to because I want to create this safe space where Christian entrepreneurs like you and me can come together as a church to build strong faith led author businesses that are rooted in Biblical principles.

Because when our foundations are built on God our rock, we are equipped to fulfill our mission, right?

In fact, today's podcast is actually in response to a question that came up in one of the conversations we've been having in the Anointed Scribe Tribe Facebook group. And I'm so glad it came up because I think it's a question every Christian writer asks at some point.

Now, I was going to respond to this comment in the group, but there's just so much to unpack here that I thought I'd do today's episode on it instead.

Because I think you might also relate to this in one of the ways I'll be exploring here today. Because I remember a time when I did and so today we are asking how we can bring God into the business side of writing, how and why we should include him in the mundane task, and how to turn these into sacred moments where we feel connected to God in the same way we do when we are writing.

Because, let's be honest,

most of us didn't start writing because we had a passion for sales pages or bookkeeping, right? The creative part feels inspired,

the business part not so much. If you've ever sat staring at an Excel spreadsheet wondering how on earth numbers and business strategies fit into the call to write for God, I want you to know I hear you, friend.

Okay, so there are two verses that immediately came to mind when I read this question in the group, which I'd like to bring into today's discussion.

So the first verse is Colossians 3, verse 17 that says, and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

And the second verse is 1 Corinthians 10:31 that says this.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

And you'll see both these verses untangle. As I go through the episode, I also came up with five reasons why I think we don't feel as connected to God as we'd like when we do the everyday back end business tasks.

But before I get into them, I want to introduce a little analogy that I think will help you shift your perspective a little. I want you to picture a beautiful flower garden.

Your book, your words, your creative gift is the flower. It's what people see. It's the beautiful finished product of your calling.

But flowers don't grow in isolation.

They need good soil. They need watering. They need sunlight. And that's what the business side of writing is. It's the foundation.

Your website, that's the soil. It's where people come to find you and connect with your work.

Your email list, that's the watering. It's what keeps your readers engaged, nurtured and growing.

Your financial management, that's the sunlight.

It ensures that your writing ministry is sustainable for the long term.

So before you dismiss these as mundane business tasks as unnecessary burdens, I want you to realize that they're actually what makes the flowers bloom.

Now, in my opinion, there are a few reasons why we don't feel the same closeness or intimacy when God with God, when we do all these businessy things.

So these are what I've identified, and there might be some overlap here and there, because in essence, they all relate to one essential reason,

which I believe the Holy Spirit will point out to you as you listen. Because we are all on a different path and a different journey. So you'll know, you'll. You'll, you'll know when you hear it.

It'll just resonate with you.

So the first reason is that we don't even think to include God in the mundane. It just doesn't occur to us to seek God in the light.

We naturally associate him with moments of deep creativity, inspiration, or prayer. But when it comes to technical tasks, things like bookkeeping, website updates or email marketing, we tend to switch into work mode and rely on our own strength.

We assume these tasks are just things that have to be done, rather than seeing them as opportunities to invite him in.

And because of that, we unconsciously compartmentalize our faith, reserving God for the spiritual aspect of our calling, prayer, writing, ministry, and leaving the practical or technical parts up to ourselves.

It's almost as if we put God in a box, right? Calling on him when we feel inspired, but forgetting that he is just as present, just as involved, and just as eager to help us in the ordinary and administrative tasks, as he is in the creative and the sacred.

But consider this.

If we truly believe that God is the source of wisdom, James 1:5,

our provider, Philippians 4:19,

and the one who directs our steps, why wouldn't we involve him in every single part of our writing journey, including the business side?

The reality is he is not only willing to walk with us through the mundane,

but he desires to. He cares about every detail of our calling, not just the parts that feel meaningful to us, but also the hidden, less glamorous parts that are vital to sustaining the mission he has given us.

The Bible is full, full of reminders that God is with us in everything, but we have to acknowledge him, right?

Proverbs 3:6 says, in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Not just in your writing, not just in the moments when you feel inspired in all your ways.

Even in creating a budget, learning a new marketing or software tool, or responding to business emails.

What would happen if we paused before tackling these tasks and simply acknowledged God? If instead of gritting our teeth and pushing through, we whispered, lord, I know this task isn't my favourite, but I invite you into it.

Give me clarity. Help me do this with excellence. Show me what I need to learn.

Imagine how different our approach would be if we truly saw every business task not as a distraction from our calling, but as an extension of it. If we stopped seeing these things as necessary hassles and instead as holy stewardship done for the glory of God.

Can you imagine?

So maybe the real issue isn't that God isn't in the mundane,

it's that we haven't made room for him there. But the moment we do, everything changes, friend. Our stress turns into surrender, our exhaustion turns into endurance, and the tasks we once dreaded become part of the sacred work he has called us to do.

The second reason I came up with is that we think God isn't interested in the day to day technical or administrative parts of the business.

That God's only concerned about the mission path, our calling, and whether we've nailed the content or the message in our books, right?

Perhaps we subconsciously think it's trivial or not important.

Building a website or uploading your book to Amazon and all the other online platforms are merely administrative steps in the process. Tasks that have to be checked off a long list of to dos, right?

And if we're honest, we might even think why would God care about something as boring as tracking my expenses or writing a newsletter?

But the truth is he does Care. Because everything we do is put part of stewarding the calling he's given us.

Why wouldn't he care?

Wasn't God the one who called you to write in the first place? Isn't it his business to start with?

We are the vessels chosen, appointed and equipped by God alone to fulfill a mission for his kingdom and his purpose.

Of course he's going to care about every detail of our business. He's our partner.

When we recognize that even these seemingly small tasks are essential to the mission he's entrusted to us, we can start to see them in a different light.

And this is where our perspective needs a shift. Because when we believe that God is only concerned with a big picture, but not the details,

we unintentionally diminish his involvement in our work. And so subconsciously, we allow ourselves to believe. It's a hassle, right?

But the Bible paints a very different picture of God. He is a God of details. He designed the universe with such precision that the stars move in perfect order. That's Psalm 147:4.

The seasons change at his command.

Genesis 8:22. And even the number of hairs on your head are accounted for. Luke 12:7.

If he cares about the sparrows that fall to the ground,

wouldn't he also care about the work required to sustain this calling he has placed on our lives?

See, I think the issue isn't that God is uninterested.

It's that we have labeled certain tasks as spiritual and others as secular, deciding in our own minds which ones deserve his attention.

But that's not how he operates. To God, everything matters because everything is part of his plan, right?

Think about Noah.

God didn't just tell him to go build an ark and then leave him to figure out the details on his own.

No, he gave precise instruction. I mean exact measurements, specific materials, even details on how to seal the wood. You can go read in Genesis 6, 14 through 16.

He cared about every nail, every plank, every step of the process. And why? Because the ark wasn't just a boat. It was the vessel that would preserve. Preserve the future.

Your website, your emails, your financial spreadsheets. They may feel like routine administrative work, but they are the vessels that sustain your calling.

They are what allow your books to reach readers, your words to make an impact, and your ministry to function long term. And if God was invested in the construction of an ark, how much more is he invested in the foundation of the work he's called you to do?

The problem isn't that these tasks don't matter.

It's that we've convinced ourselves that they aren't spiritual enough to invite God into.

But when we shift our mindset and see them as an act of obedience, as a crucial part of the mission, we stop resenting them and start embracing them, right?

So perhaps next time you sit down to update your website, instead of thinking this is just busy work, try asking, lord, how can I do this? In a way that honors you when you sit through the tedious process of editing your book, instead of grumbling through all your editor's red pen and suggestions, pray, Father, I dedicate this process to you. Thank you for my editor's input. Let this book reach the people who need it most.

Suddenly the mundane becomes meaningful, right?

Suddenly the work becomes worship.

Suddenly you're not just checking off a to do list, you're partnering with God in building something that last.

The third reason I got or came up with is that we often don't want to include God in these tasks because they feel tedious and uninspiring. And so because we don't enjoy doing some of these tasks, like marketing, for example, which is the one thing most creatives dread,

we either move it to the bottom of the priority list or try to just get it done as quickly as we can, grumbling our way through it.

But of course, it just ends up leaving us exhausted and hating it altogether, pushing through until we eventually pay someone else to do it for us, right?

But 1 Corinthians 10:31 says whatever we do, that word, whatever, is important.

It means that every single action, every email we send, every website we update, every moment spent figuring out where to get our ISBNs or which keywords best describe our books, all of it can be done for the glory of God as worship.

Now, that's a hard perspective shift, isn't it? Because if we're honest, most of us don't look at marketing, bookkeeping, or setting up an email automation and think, what a beautiful act of worship.

No, we think, ugh, let's just get this over with.

But what if this, the exhaustion, this dread, and the frustration aren't actually about the task itself?

What if they come from our attitude toward the task?

Think about it. When we love something, we give it our time, our energy, and our best effort, right?

We pour ourselves into it. And even if it's hard, we do it joyfully because we see the value in it.

Writing a book, we'll spend hours, days, months, years, perfecting every word, reworking sentences, cutting and adding and reshaping because we believe in what we are creating. We don't resent that process because we know it matters.

But when it comes to things we don't enjoy, we approach them with a different hard posture. Instead of valuing the task, we see it as an obligation.

Instead of doing it with care, we rush through it instead of embracing it as part of our mission, we treat it like an unwelcome burden. And yet, whatever we do, we are called to do it for the glory of God.

That means even marketing, even finances and taxes, even learning new software and advertising.

Even the tasks we would rather push aside or hand off to someone else.

Here's the truth.

Many of the things that sustain our calling aren't always enjoyable.

But that doesn't mean they aren't essential.

And it certainly doesn't mean they can't be sacred.

Take Jesus, for example.

When we think about his earthly ministry, we often picture the miracles, the powerful teachings, the moments when the heavens opened, right?

But have you ever thought about how much of his life was spent in the ordinary?

He worked as a carpenter for years before his public ministry even began.

He walked dusty roads, ate meals, did daily tasks. And yet, in all of it, he lived with purpose.

His life shows us that worship isn't just in the big moments. It's in the daily faithfulness. It's in how we show up and in the things we don't particularly enjoy.

So what if, instead of approaching these necessary but tedious tasks with resentment, we approach them with reverence?

What if, instead of grumbling through them, we asked, lord, help me do this with joy. Teach me to see the purpose in this. Give me the endurance to steward this well, even when I don't feel like it.

And here's the beautiful thing, friend. When we shift our perspective, the burden lifts.

The task itself might not change, but we do.

Instead of being drained by it, we start to see it as part of this bigger picture, a necessary piece of the foundation God is building in and through us.

Because in the end, it's not about whether we love doing every little thing. It's about how we choose to do it.

Not with reluctance, but with willingness.

Not with dread, but with devotion.

Not with resentment, but with respect. Reverence. That, my friend, is true worship.

Okay, so on to reason number four, which is that whatever task we are facing is one we aren't knowledgeable on. So it frustrates us, right? Because we're out of our comfort zone and we don't know what or how to do something.

And if we're being completely honest, frustration often leads to avoidance.

Instead of embracing the challenge, we push it aside.

Instead of seeking help or learning, we let overwhelm take over.

Instead of inviting God into our confusion, we allow discouragement to settle in.

But here's something I want you to think about.

When has God ever called someone to do something they were already fully equipped foot to handle?

Moses didn't know how to lead an entire nation.

Gideon had never fought a battle like the one God called him to fight. David wasn't trained to be a king when Samuel anointed him Time and time again, God calls his people into tasks and roles that feel beyond them.

Not because he wants them to struggle or want wants to trip you up, but because he wants them to depend on Him.

The same applies to us as writers. There will always be parts of this journey that stretch us. Maybe you've never built a website before and now you're starting at tutorials and domain options with no clue where to start.

Maybe marketing feels like a foreign language and the thought of running ads or cross crafting a sales funnel makes you want to shut your laptop and run away.

Here's the truth. God is not intimidated by what you don't know.

James 1:5 tells us, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to them.

God doesn't expect expect us to have it all figured out, friend. He never called us to do this journey alone either. He is not watching us struggle and thinking, well, they'll have to figure it out somehow.

No, he's saying, come to me, let me help you. Let me teach you.

But in order to receive that help, we have to shift our mindset.

Instead of saying I don't know how to do this, say lord, teach me, give me wisdom. Guide me to the right resources, the right people, the right next step.

Instead of feeling discouraged by what we don't know, we can choose to see it as an invitation, an opportunity to lean into God's provision, His wisdom and his guidance.

He's like the partner who knows everything, guys.

And practically speaking, it's okay to learn as you go. You don't have to master everything at once. You don't have to be an expert on marketing, finance or tech overnight.

God grows us in stages just like he does in every other area of our faith.

So the next time you are facing a task that feels overwhelming, instead of letting frustration win, pause, take a breath and remember, you don't have to go at it on your own. God is with you in the learning curve. He is for you in the struggle, and he will equip you with everything you need to walk out the calling he has placed on your life.

And then finally, reason number 45 is that I think sometimes we also put God in this place of inaccessibility, like he has a closed office door. Maybe you've had a boss like that in the past where you hesitated before knocking, afraid of being seen as incompetent or even bothersome.

And I think sometimes we do that with God. We assume he cares about the big things, our call to write, our ministry, our books, and the message we send out into the world, but assume he's not concerned with whether we figure out the back end of our business or how to choose the best keywords and categories when we upload our books. But this couldn't be further from the truth frame.

God wants us to knock. He wants us to come to him with everything.

Not just the fun, creative, inspiring parts, but the dull, administrative, mechanical and technical ones too.

In fact, if you read those two verses carefully again and listen, I do want you to always go back to the Bible with everything I try to teach you and pray about it.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how it applies to where you are in your business. Always. Okay? So go to the Word after you're done listening to this episode and Read both Colossians 3:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Read it again, because you'll see in both these verses that God is actually commanding us to invite him into all these things.

All things admin, all things mundane, all things boring and frustrating and unfamiliar.

You see, friend, the problem isn't the task itself. The problem is our attitude towards and I say that with so much grace because I have been there. I used to hate spreadsheets.

I really did. My eyes still glaze over when I see numbers and keeping track of ad spend expenses and marketing analytics. Not my idea of a good time. But you know what?

It's necessary. Why? Because if I don't track my finances, if I don't budget for and plan out promotions, I'm not stewarding what God has given me well. And if I'm not stewarding well, I can't sustain the mission he's entrusted to me.

Now, I'm sure by now you might be thinking, but I just don't enjoy these tasks. I just want to write. I hear you. I really do. There was a time when I went around saying that very thing almost every day.

But stewardship isn't about enjoyment. It's about responsibility.

If we neglect these foundational things, it's like planting a beautiful flower and never watering it. It might bloom for a little while, but it won't last.

And your calling, your message, it's too, too important to let it wither because we don't feel like doing the behind the scenes work or we don't see God in the how to part of figuring stuff out.

Because you see, for you to get your books out there, for you to send this message God has placed on your heart out into the world for all to hear, you have to do the business stuff and you have to do it well.

It's how you're going to get your books in the hands of your readers.

And when we begin to intentionally invite God into these moments, our attitude shifts. Instead of feeling disconnected, we find peace. Instead of feeling drained, we experience grace.

And instead of feeling like these tasks are burdens, we start to see them as an essential part of of the bigger picture of what he's called us to do.

You see, if you have a hard posture seeing stewardship as worship as per Romans 12:1, your mind will shift from thinking I have to do this to I get to do this as an act of worship marketing.

That's not self promotion. That's making sure the words God gave you is gets into the get into the right hands.

Finances. That's not just bookkeeping. That's stewarding the blessings he provides. Admin work. That's not just logistics. That's creating a sustainable ministry for the long term.

And I get it. It's so easy to separate the two, right? The creative from the technical, the sacred from the seemingly mundane.

Here's the truth.

God is in it all. There is no sacred and secular divide when we build a business with God. The same God who inspired our words is the same God who delights in order, in structure planning, in spreadsheets, in taxes, in uploading your books, and in all the other behind the scene admin work that comes with being a self published author.

The same God who gives you the creativity to write is the same God who equips you to run a business with wisdom and excellence.

God is just as present in the mundane as he is in the inspired. If you let him hear that. If you want to invite God into your office, you'll come in, you'll be there.

God is in the big things, but he's in the little things too.

God isn't just in the creative flow. He's in the details. He's in the planning. He's in the spreadsheets, he's in the obedience of tending to all the things that sustain your mission.

And if you ask, he will answer on the how, the whole, the what, the when.

And so there's a simple answer to how we can invite God into these business tasks. And that's simply in the same way you would when you are sitting down to write.

Try playing instrumental worship music while you work. An artist I love listening to is Tammy Sorensen or Sorenson, I think you pronounce it. Who plays intercessory music.

And another thing I do is I have a bergamot and eucalyptus essential oil blend that I use to refresh and focus when I do my admin tasks.

Little things like this make all the difference.

In short, approach these work sessions in the same way you would when you are sitting down to write your books. Start each session with a simple prayer. Lord, this task might not be my favorite, but I offer it to you.

Help me steward it well, O Lord, I have no idea how to do X, Y, Z, or Z. If you're an American.

Help me find the resources, teach me, lead me to the people who will help me. Show me the books on the shelves that will give me insight.

Jesus embraced his daily work with purpose, knowing that even the unseen moments were part of the bigger picture. And you can too.

So the next time you sit down to tackle a business task, take a deep breath,

say a prayer, and remind yourself.

Even this can be an act of worship. Even this is where God can help me. And he will if you ask Him.

Even in the admin. God is with you, friend. I hope this episode encouraged you. Do let me know by leaving a review. And if you feel led to help me get this podcast into the ears of other authors who might also benefit from it, I'd be so grateful if you share it with an author friend.

The invitation to join this Facebook group stands. So if you want to continue this conversation in there, please do come and hop on over to the Facebook group and just search for Anointed Scribe Tribe request to join.

Answer the questions and I'll see you there. Until next time, stay rooted, keep writing, and know that if God brings you to it, he will bring you through it.

Thanks for listening to today's episode of the Anointed Scribe Podcast. I hope you're leaving feeling inspired, encouraged, and on fire to step boldly into your calling as a writer chosen and set apart to fulfill a unique purpose in God's plan.

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There's also a link where you can shoot me a message or ask a question. Or if there's a specific topic you'd like me to talk about in a future episode, you can use the message link for that too.

I look forward to our next episode together, and remember, for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe.

I'll see you next time.