Gen X Giveaway Time

*Yikes, I come back here tonight and re-read what I wrote here and OH.MY.GOODNESS! I read that third paragraph and am sooo embarrassed. I don't know what in the world I was typing when I wrote about Angela being accomplished. I couldn't expect you to figure out what that was code for, so just in case you came by and clicked out shaking your head and tsk tsk tsk-ing, what I wanted to say was that Angela is an accomplished writer herself. She's out of town, so she may not even read this for awhile, much to my relief. It's the direct result of the lack of sleep I've been getting lately. Tonight, another very late night, I'm afraid, so I need to get gone! Oh, wait...I finally got that third column up, but haven't got the standard template replaced. The digi blog template is still in limbo, too. Next time I should wait until I have enough time to do things properly. Sigh.

All things must come to an end, and sometimes that's a good thing. A very good thing! Especially when the end refers to the drawing for the two very amazing GenX books by Tricia Goyer. I don't have the GenX Parenting book, but because I devoured the marriage book and honestly enjoyed it thoroughly, I'm going to order my own copy this week.

However, one very lucky reader doesn't need to do that, she's going to receive BOTH books because her number was the eXtra-special number. I did the random number generator early in the morning but didn't get it posted...in fact I'm on a very old decrepit laptop as I type this, my computer is disconnected for a good part of today, so I'm sorry I can't even access my GenX photos quickly and I have an appointment soon, so trying right now isn't an option for me!

Okay, as the screenshot below indicates, Angelawd, YOU won! I'm very happy for her--Angela is an accomplished was much as I did. If you've got some time, consider heading over there and telling her hello, she's got a great enthusiasm for life, she's a mom of teens (I love that!) and very inspiring. Angela, I'll email you for your contact information and send that onto Tricia's publicist for you, congrats!

Thanks for your hellos--I'm very sorry I didn't get around yesterday much, I had to work. I'll check in later--but now I need to get ready for my guests--actually just Chuck my pastor and Ethan the youth pastor, we're working on a PowerPoint I'll tell you all about soon (be excited, I know!). And given who they are, I need to shower and shove things under couches, in behind closed doors, you know, typical special company stuff!

For those who are asking about that third column, I'm sorry I misled you there...it's actually a third column on my digi scrap site. I thought I'd start there...most of my hits there are only there to grab the freebie, they might never notice! Check it out if you can, I'd love your input!

D2D and Ripples

My friend, Angela, wrote this the other day and it took my breath away. Especially the sentence I highlighted. She goes on to tell her story, how her journey began and touched on one of those ripples she made and how that ripple still expands. Angela gave me permission to put her words on my blog (thanks). I needed the reminder and thought maybe you might find it relevant to your life in some way:

Sometimes we are the ones planting a seed of spirituality in another person. At other times, we are the ones watering the seed someone else planted. And sometimes, we are the ones helping to harvest the flowering of a soul.

Each of these actions produces ripples in the world - a small wave of action that touches one life after another. We will never fully know, this side of heaven, how far these ripples reach.

A few weeks before my senior year of high school, my parents divorced and I moved with my mother and baby sister to Illinois. Unable to cope with the circumstances, my mother and I both fell apart. But my Uncle John, who had recently become a born again Christian, would pick me up when my mom could not deal with my depression, and take me to work with him. He was a night-time taxi driver and as we drove around all night, he would tell me all he knew and believed about the beauty and joy of a true relationship with God.

There's much more to her story, you can read it at Angelawd.

I think it's amazing how God works in our lives with such perfect timing. I also know it might seem He forgot someone, maybe it's you or someone you love. Believe me, I know the feeling. I still say to Him after losing my dad and my sister within four months of each other that while I know there's a plan I don't understand, I sure hope the explanation is a good one. Before you gasp at my audacity, let me explain. I think God and I are pretty tight by now, I also believe He kinda knows what I'm thinking anyway and there's nothing I can think that will take away His love for me and His gift of life in heaven forever and ever.

The pastor of this fabtabulistic church family I love so dearly put together an awesome study called D2D a few years back. D2D stands for Deep Calls To Deep. It's from Psalm 42:7:

7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

He went on in his writings to talk about many things, but what I remember the most was that he referenced the reference of water. We thirst for water and I believe we thirst for, can't live without it. And when circumstances seem soooooo deep that we feel we simply cannot come to surface, well that's when those ripples Angela referenced come into play so often. I believe those ripples sometimes come along when we're being crushed by the weight of the water and God reaches in with His amazing strength and pulls us to the surface. I hope if you're dealing with something seemingly too far gone to be salvaged you let Him pull you up.