In this episode, I talk with author Elise Tegegne about how spiritual disciplines not only help us grow in our walk with Jesus, but they also benefit us as writers. Elise explains some of the disciplines she has found helpful and sometimes challenging. You’ll come away with practical ways to refresh your walk with God and your writing!

Mama, editor, and writer Elise Tegegne has published articles at Risen Motherhood, Christian Parenting, and (in)courage, among others. Her first book In Praise of Houseflies: Meditations on the Gifts in Everyday Quandaries is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Calla Press, In addition to serving as the Director of Communications for missions organization Synergie Francophone, she also writes a monthly blog, which inspires readers to cultivate eyes for the divine in their own daily difficulties. After teaching at a mission school for four years in Ethiopia, she now lives stateside with her husband and energetic four-year-old. Read more of her words at elisetegegne.com or reach out on Instagram @elisetegegne.

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

Disclaimer: I believe in and approach life (and writing) from a distinctly evangelical Christian perspective, but some of my guests may not. When I interview a guest on a specifically spiritual topic, I do my best to know in advance that I can support their theological stances on the topics that relate to our interview. When the topic is not particularly spiritual, our theological views may differ. My interviewing of guests and providing links to their work does not necessarily indicate a complete theological endorsement of all their written work.

Welcome to the fall 2025 season of the podcast! From now through Thanksgiving, we’ll be covering the topic of rhythms and routines surrounding our writing.

In this episode, I share some personal life updates, and I also ask for your input.

* In this world of AI, what types of writing help from an actual, knowledgeable human would you find helpful?

* What types of formats do you like to get that help—online courses? Articles? Coaching sessions? A live group webinar?

Drop your response in the comments or send me an email!

Also, we look at how writing can be a spiritual discipline in itself. The things we learn through writing, if we don’t give up, are part of our broader sanctification journey as followers of Jesus.

I’ve created a new resource called The Christian Writer’s Mindset Makeover to help you identify faulty mindsets surrounding your writing and replace them with truth from God’s Word. You can download that for free at www.amylynnsimon.com/makeover.

As always, if you benefit from the podcast, please tell someone about it!

The Purposeful Pen is a weekly podcast for Christian writers designed to help you build a writing life with eternal impact. Each week, you’ll hear practical tips and Biblical truth on topics such as improving your writing, honing your message, and managing your time. I always respond to listener emails, and I’d love to hear from you! Amysimon@amylynnsimon.com

This is the last episode of the summer 2025 season, talking about how to refine our reader and message.

In this brief episode, I give you a basic round-up of the episodes and topics from this season. I’ll be off for the month of August, but new episodes will launch starting September 2.

If you’d like to dive deeper into uncovering your ideal reader and message, you can purchase my 30-page digital workbook, A Path to Purposeful Writing. Between now and September 2, you can use the code podcast20 to get 20% off. You can find the workbook here.

The theme for September-November 2025 will be rhythms and routines. We’ll look at creating a sustainable writing routine, how spiritual disciplines play a role in our writing, and the overlap between writing and spiritual formation.

My weekly Pen Points email will still go out during August. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here.

Happy listening, and I’ll see you again in September!