A Read Your Way to Superstardom Giveaway

Many thoughts are swirling around in my heart and mind today. The week of prayer and fasting mixed with the IF:Gathering mixed with Chad's message Sunday night make me feel like I've consumed five energy drinks while carrying a loaded semi up the hill. Energized, heavy, and a little crazy...that's me.

I can't really make sense of it all today. Some of those blog posts will come out in the days to come. There were three specific burdens rekindled through the above mentioned experiences. One of them is to blog more because I actually enjoy it. Another one was to stick to my clearly defined boundaries in other areas of ministry which, incidentally, will afford me to opportunities to blog more. Do you see that little circle of convenience? If I don't meet with all the people in one week then I can blog and do some other things I love. By the way, this is not a commentary on any of you. The problem/awesomeness is I love to meet, invest in, and talk with women. I have to be the one that says, "I would love to get together, but I can't this week because my schedule is full." That isn't your job. It's mine. I own my issue of boundary ignoring.

An area of atrophy in my life since my stroke is reading. You know I've already lamented on my blog about the difficulty of reading. My broken brain just wouldn't cooperate. It usually left me sad, frustrated, and exhausted. The fantastic, wonderful, fabulous news is that my brain continues to get better and better and stronger and stronger. My ability to read longer and retain what I've read is a tangible example of healing.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't have the super power of reading like some of my friends do. (I'm looking at you John W., Steph K, Alisa W.) Some people can blow through a book in a minute or two, but that's not true for me. I would love to classify myself as an avid reader, but it would be a lie. However, I do aspire to be a disciplined reader.

A few years ago I read a quote by Harry S. Truman. "Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers." It deeply resonated with my desire to grow in leadership. It fortified a disciplined determination to read.

found on pinterest

Whenever people tell me they don't read because they just don't like it, I'm left a little shocked. Guess what? I don't like it either. I like baking and sipping iced tea, but if all I do is bake cookies and drink tea I'm going to be a fat old lady with brown teeth. Reading will make me stronger, smarter, more influential. If you don't want to influence anyone, then fine. Don't read. As for me, I'm going to will myself into turning as many pages as my brain will allow and after a good rest, I plan to turn some more.

To just blab on about reading, but not help anyone in their journey is lame. Therefore, to encourage the beauty of reading, I'm hosting my first blog give away. You are about to have the chance to win not one, but two prizes.

I don't want to just tell you to read, I want to help you, so the big prize is a $30 gift card to Amazon. You can pick out some books that have been on your wish list. Side note, if you don't have books on your Amazon wish list, change that today. It is an easy way to keep a running list of books you hope to read in the future, even if you don't purchase them from Amazon. Of course I realize someone could take the $30 and buy this or this or this, but I'm hoping you won't.

The second part of the prize is Shauna Niequist's book Bread & Wine.  Many of you in my circle of friendship that hope to win have already read the book. If you win, give the book to someone who will enjoy it as much as you did. I love the way Shauna tells the story of her life. She weaves her words beautifully. I feel calm and inspired when I read her books. That, my friends, is a good combination of feelings.

To enter I'm getting a little fancy pants on you. I honestly couldn't figure out a more fair way to do this thing. Excuse me while I feel a little awkward about it. The first time I taught a step aerobic class I felt quite silly, especially since I was wearing awesome hot pink leg warmers (not really.) There will be no leg warmers for this, but a rafflecopter is about to make its appearance and I'm going to ask you to do things like "follow this blog" and "share on Facebook and/or Twitter." Feels an awful lot like my first step class as an instructor. In that class and in this give away I may feel a little like this:

source

Anywho, you can enter to win by leaving a comment about what book you are reading or want to read. You can leave a comment with a verse you are memorizing because you all know how that makes my heart sing. You can click on the little follow this blog button on the side for an extra entry. If you already follow it counts as an entry. Finally, you can share this give away on Facebook or Twitter. You can enter six times. There ya have it!

I will do the whole post the winner and stuff on Tuesday the 18th. One week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I'm looking forward to reading your comments already!