{"id":1186,"date":"2017-09-18T12:24:07","date_gmt":"2017-09-18T17:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2017.dfw.wordcamp.org\/?p=1186"},"modified":"2017-09-18T13:55:36","modified_gmt":"2017-09-18T18:55:36","slug":"my-wordpress-story-preaching-through-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/my-wordpress-story-preaching-through-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"My WordPress Story: Preaching Through WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Christopher Harris is the Speaker Wrangler for this year\u2019s WordCamp DFW.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>My journey with WordPress began in 2005 when I set up a blog for my mother. I found WordPress easy to use and install. It was perfect platform on which for my mother to learn to blog. I was a seminary student at that time studying to become a Pastor.<\/p>\n<p>I concluded my seminary studies in 2008 just after Facebook opened to users beyond those with a .edu email address. I&#8217;ve always been doing the tech thing along with ministry. When I came out of seminary, I was really was like, &#8220;I don&#8217;t really feel called to work with one congregation right now. I feel called to help the church learn how to use digital communication tools for ministry.&#8221; So I started a ministry organization called, <a href=\"https:\/\/faithgrowth.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Faith Growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>At Faith Growth we are digital ministry consultants. Our goal is to make digital easy for church leaders. We have been at this just over five years and just now feel like I know what I am doing. I would not be here today if it where not for the WordPress community. I have learned the ins and outs of WordPress from the community via user groups, online tutorials, and from kind strangers answering my questions on forums. I also have learned how to run my business from project management to writing proposals from other WordPRess consultants that shared with me their experienced.<\/p>\n<p>WordPress is great CMS and is perfect for most projects, but WordPress is also strengthened by the community. I am thankful everyday for this great community!<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/2017.dfw.wordcamp.org\/tickets\/\">Tickets are now on sale<\/a>\u00a0for this year\u2019s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 11-12. There are also plenty of opportunities to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/2017.dfw.wordcamp.org\/call-for-sponsors\/\">sponsor the event<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/2017.dfw.wordcamp.org\/call-for-speakers\/\">speak at the event<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/2017.dfw.wordcamp.org\/call-for-volunteers\/\">help run it<\/a>. We hope to see you there!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christopher Harris is the Speaker Wrangler for this year\u2019s WordCamp DFW. My journey with WordPress began in 2005 when I set up a blog for my mother. I found WordPress easy to use and install. It was perfect platform on which for my mother to learn to blog. I was a seminary student at that &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/my-wordpress-story-preaching-through-wordpress\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;My WordPress Story: Preaching Through WordPress&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8005857,"featured_media":1190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"My WordPress Story: Preaching Through WordPress","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1140999],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wordpress-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/chris-harris-story.jpg?fit=2000%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pheMWK-j8","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1003,"url":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/my-wordpress-story-journalist-turned-wordpress-developer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1186,"position":0},"title":"My WordPress Story: Journalist Turned WordPress Developer","author":"Jacob Martella","date":"September 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Jacob Martella is the PR and Social Media Wrangler for this year\u2019s WordCamp DFW. I never thought I would be a WordPress developer. For the vast majority of my life, I wanted to be a journalist. A sports journalist to be more specific. I grew up loving to play sports\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WordPress Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WordPress Stories","link":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/category\/wordpress-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/jacob-martella-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/jacob-martella-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/jacob-martella-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/jacob-martella-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/jacob-martella-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1722,"url":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wcdfw-speaker-spotlight-tanner-moushey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1186,"position":1},"title":"WCDFW Speaker Spotlight: Tanner Moushey","author":"Jacob Martella","date":"October 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Topic:\u00a0Javascript - Beyond jQuery Tanner is a web developer and entrepreneur located in the small town of Granite Falls, Wa. He\u2019s passionate about using technology to promote community. When he\u2019s not tracking down new leads or coding, he loves playing music and spending time with his wife and 5 kids.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WordCamp DFW Speakers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WordCamp DFW Speakers","link":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/category\/wordcamp-dfw-speakers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/10\/tanner-moushey.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/10\/tanner-moushey.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/10\/tanner-moushey.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/10\/tanner-moushey.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/10\/tanner-moushey.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1161,"url":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/my-wordpress-story-sharing-the-power-of-wordpress\/","url_meta":{"origin":1186,"position":2},"title":"My WordPress Story: Sharing the Power of WordPress","author":"Jacob Martella","date":"September 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Kay Kinser is the volunteer wrangler for this year\u2019s WordCamp DFW. My love for technology started in 1981 when I began operating an ECRM 7600 computer and providing user support. From there I managed and trained operators on a Hewlett-Packard 3000 and an IBM 4341. I was operating an IBM\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WordPress Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WordPress Stories","link":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/category\/wordpress-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/kay-kinser-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/kay-kinser-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/kay-kinser-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/kay-kinser-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/kay-kinser-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1812,"url":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wcdfw-keynote-speaker-spotlight-sheryle-gillihan\/","url_meta":{"origin":1186,"position":3},"title":"WCDFW Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Sheryle Gillihan","author":"Jacob Martella","date":"October 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"When Sheryle Gillihan re-entered the business world, she wanted a job that gave her a purpose. Gillihan joined the U.S. Army while she was in college. After boot camp, she trained for over a year as an Arabic translator for the military. But with her first child on the way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WordCamp DFW Speakers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WordCamp DFW Speakers","link":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/category\/wordcamp-dfw-speakers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/sheryle-gillihan-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/sheryle-gillihan-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/sheryle-gillihan-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/sheryle-gillihan-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/sheryle-gillihan-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1332,"url":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wcdfw-speaker-spotlight-ani-king\/","url_meta":{"origin":1186,"position":4},"title":"WCDFW Speaker Spotlight: Ani King","author":"Jacob Martella","date":"September 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Topic:\u00a0Herding Cats: How Project Management can Help Build Your Best Customer Experience (and then Make it Better) Ani King is Liquid Web\u2019s Managed WordPress project director, with ten years of experience building customer-centric support teams. A STE(A)M enthusiast, Ani works with school-aged girls to promote the use of technology and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WordCamp DFW Speakers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WordCamp DFW Speakers","link":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/category\/wordcamp-dfw-speakers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/ani-king.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/ani-king.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/ani-king.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/ani-king.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/ani-king.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1007,"url":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/my-wordpress-story-the-winding-road-to-wordpress\/","url_meta":{"origin":1186,"position":5},"title":"My WordPress Story: The Winding Road to WordPress","author":"Jacob Martella","date":"September 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Stefanie A. Newton is the design and website wrangler for this year\u2019s WordCamp DFW. WordPress has enabled me to combine my technical and creative sides into a business that allows me to build comprehensive website solutions, due largely to the vast amount of available knowledge and assistance generously provided by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;WordPress Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"WordPress Stories","link":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/category\/wordpress-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/stefanie-newton-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/stefanie-newton-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/stefanie-newton-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/stefanie-newton-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/files\/2017\/09\/stefanie-newton-story.jpg?fit=1200%2C720&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8005857"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1186"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1194,"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186\/revisions\/1194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfw.wordcamp.org\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}