01 Aug Grab Your Cup, We’re Officially Live!

I can hardly believe that I have finally launched a project that has been on my heart for more than a year. I find it somewhat entertaining that every time I tried to put the thought out of my mind, something would happen in my life that would encourage me to pursue this space even more and now, it’s finally here.

If I am being honest, I knew that if I put off launching Cup of Faith any longer, I would likely continue to find excuses not to. A busy day at work, kids who always need something, trying to find some balance and maybe sneak in time to rest, where was I meant to find time to build a website and pursue all the big ideas I have?

What scared me the most about Cup of Faith is that for the first time in a long time, I am not entirely sure of how I am going to do it. Over the years of blogging, I have become somewhat confident in my abilities to run a blog but Cup of Faith is so much more than that to me. I’d find myself worrying about all the things I need to figure out; how do I record a podcast? How do I publish it? Where would I find contributors? Why would anyone want to contribute to Cup of Faith? Is this really going to be what I envision it to become?

As I hit publish on Cup of Faith, I can confirm that I only know about half of the answers to those questions, but this process has taught me to fully trust God and His work. He has not only provided me with all the skills and resources I needed to build and launch this website, but He introduced me to the most beautiful, diverse and talented women who you will soon come to know as our contributors, in addition, He continues to guide me through this process and every time I feel like I am hitting a brick wall and unsure of what to do next, I feel His hand on my shoulder, inching me closer, and guiding me through every step of this new adventure.

Slowly, I have learnt to accept that I don’t need all the answers, I just need to start.

If you’d like to know more about Cup of Faith and the year that has led me to finally launching this space, then do give my podcast a listen. In this episode, I reflect on the last year and share how my biggest hardships became my greatest blessings and tell you about my vision and inspiration for Cup of Faith.

So, what is a Cup of Faith?

Go ahead and browse the website; I have tried to launch with as many of the ideas as possible but there’s still a whole lot more to come. As I mentioned, I have finally gone ahead and launched my own Podcast which you can currently find here and on Spotify. It will also be launching on Google Podcasts and iTunes very soon (as well as all popular podcast apps). For now, I will only be posting every second week but in time, I hope to make it more regular as I become more confident with the platform.

Having blogged for the last 6-years on a platform that was centred around my family, likes, dislikes and life, I really wanted to change the narrative and offer our members content from women from all walks of life. In my mind, I had pictured women of all ages from all over the world at different stages of their life, but I wasn’t at all sure how I was going to pull that off. Unsurprisingly, God delivered and while loading our contributors (more to come) to the website, I was blown away and SO proud of the diversity. I have opened the platform to any Christian women who have a story to tell – whether you’d like to contribute once-off, anonymously, or consistently, you can apply to be a contributor or submit your story.

I wanted to create a virtual book club of sorts. Each month, our community (that’s you!) will vote for this month’s read. Throughout the month, you’ll be able to share your reviews on the website, tag us on socials and take part in the discussion about this month’s book. If you’re a book worm and want to share your favourite Christian reads with the rest of our community, you can also submit any reviews which will be added to the website and shared on our social platforms. My hope is that this space will grow and give us the opportunity to invite faith-based authors to do features, interviews and more with our community and maybe lead to partnerships with brands so that our community members can review the latest books as part of our book club.

I have chosen to launch the website with a section to request a prayer. In my darkest hour, I was strengthened knowing that others were keeping me in their prayers, so I wanted to create a prayer chain so that whenever our community members needed someone to pray for them; no matter what it is for, they can easily submit a prayer request.

Each Friday (starting tomorrow), I will be launching new content that is free to download. You can expect free printables, devotionals, verse cards, poems, bible journaling stationery, bookmarks and more. I hope to eventually partner with Bible Journalling designers to bring you exclusive collections and more.

Cup of Faith has been built with community in mind. It’s the reason why I have invited such a diverse and beautiful group of women to contribute to this online space and why I continue to put so much focus on community-driven content. In a couple of months, I will be introducing our member’s section featuring exclusive content, access to a community chat, the option to create your own profile, add friends, and private message other members. This addition will open the door to fun opportunities like giveaways, featured discussions, the option to submit your Spotify Playlist to be shared as our worship playlist of the week and so much more.

I also hope to launch an online store that will feature faith-inspired merchandise including t-shirts, stationery, exclusive printables and more. The funds from these sales will go back into developing the platform and will cover our expenses and the additional features I have in mind.

But for now, this is Cup of Faith. If I am being quite frank, I would have loved to have launched with a lot more, but time was short and I knew if I didn’t get started and put a date on it, I probably never would have pushed myself to ever sharing this with you. At least now I have a place to grow from and a space to work on. There’s no more putting it off or hiding from this big dream; it’s right here, it’s happening, and I am beyond proud of it.

Megan Kelly Botha

I’m a coffee-wielding mood reader and romance book collector who may or may not have a slight addiction to buying books. I read a variety of sub-genres within romance, including rom-coms, dark romance, and fantasy. I love sharing my thoughts on books, whether it’s through book reviews, quotes, or recommendations inspired by my current reads. Through my romance book blog, Literary Inspired, I aim to provide in-depth book reviews, curated reading recommendations, and exclusive author promotions. I’m passionate about supporting indie authors and sharing my latest book discoveries with others. When I’m not reading, you can find me cheering on my favorite football team and F1 drivers, crafting, baking with my kids or playing with my pets.

literaryinspired.com/