Blumer Editorial: Celebrating Our Fifth Anniversary as a Full-time Business

Happy fifth anniversary, Blumer Editorial! This home-based business would never have happened without God's leading and grace, and to Him be all glory for what He has done.

That's right. I don't just write novels. I work from home as a freelance writer and editor.

But what did God do? you may wonder. How did this business come to be? Maybe you don't know the story behind this edit-from-home gig I've been doing for more than five years. Well, I'm happy to share the story because it reveals (better than I could ever describe in a novel) how our sovereign and all-wise God works and orchestrates in His time.

On January 13, 2006, I was an editor at Northland Baptist Bible College (now Northland International University [Dunbar, WI]), where I'd been serving for more than a decade, when I was given the pink slip. The college was going through cutbacks, and I had to say auf wiedersehen by the end of May (for more details about my layoff, see this article). I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that that last semester at the college was a very tumultuous time for me because I didn't know what I was going to do, but God was quietly working behind the scenes. Within a few months a few interested parties asked me to consider doing editing work for them from home. By the time May rolled around, I took the big step of working from home part time, but I also did some early-morning package handling for FedEx to help pay the bills.

Summer 2006 was one of the most difficult summers of my life. Gone were the years of receiving a steady paycheck every two weeks. I was on a true journey of faith. I had no idea if this business would work; I dreaded the thought of selling our house (which we love) and moving somewhere to work for strangers. Somehow I worked FedEx and edited projects from home, and God provided. Meanwhile, my parents and in-laws joined forces to help us build a literal office into the basement of our house. Thank you, Mom and Dad Blumer and Mom and Dad Melzer! I wouldn't have this awesome office to work in every day if it hadn't been for your hard work and support during that hot, crazy summer.

In January 2007, I had enough work to say good-bye to FedEx early-morning package handling (no offense to this elite group) and stay home to edit full time. So I've been doing this editing business full time for five years—that's what I'm celebrating today. As you can see, this change in vocation was no confident move on my part. It was a bona fide step of faith. God pushed me out of a stable job at the college because He had something else in mind. He even opened the door for me to publish novels (the fulfillment of a lifelong dream).When I weigh the pros and cons of working at home, I'd pick working at home in a heartbeat. I save lots of money on gas, and I get to see my wife and daughters throughout the day. The isolation can be difficult at times, I'll admit, but being home has so many benefits.

I'd be a liar if I said the last five years have been nothing but big paychecks and steady work. Ha! I rarely, if ever, get "big paychecks," and the work is often less than consistent. It's often "feast or famine" in this business. Some months are crazy busy, and I take on extra work to try to make up for the month when I have barely anything to do. In the headline, I wrote "our" because my wife, Kim, has played a major role in making this edit-from-home thing work, too. In addition to homeschooling our daughters, she works a part-time job from home to help relieve some of the financial pressure I carry. So I say, "Thank you, dear wife."

And thank You, God, for how You lead and provide.

Here's to five years of experiencing Your provision and faithfulness.

Will this business survive another five years? Who knows? Sometimes I frankly feel like chucking it. Finding steady clients can be difficult, and this economy makes getting adequate income to provide for the four of us even more of a challenge. But I'll trust God to lead day by day. And if I ever have to close the doors, then God has something better for me to do. Praise His name!