Blog Your Blessings Sunday: Blogger Awards

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I was very surprised, deeply humbled and mightily blessed when I signed on a few days ago to find that Tami at The Next Step had honored me with the Thoughtful Blogger Award.

Today, it is my privilege to bestow blogging awards upon some of my favorite writers in accordance with the rules established by Christy at Writer’s Reviews:

Award Rules

1) If you have received an award simply choose either the dark or light background image and save it to your files, then post it proudly on your blog!

2) Pass the award on to five other people, you can choose any of the awards from the series, you do not have to pass out the exact award you received. Choose whichever of the awards below that you’d like to give out. You can give out one of each or five of the same one, whatever you prefer.

3) You can change the size and color of awards to suit your blog, that’s up to you, it’s your blog, just leave the titles the same.

4) Please link back to this post so that people can read these rules and so that the meanings of the awards will not be lost.

5) If you feel that you or a friend are deserving of an award and no one has given one to you yet then email me at sayhitochristy(at)hotmail.com and tell me about your website.

So here are the five writers whose work is a blessing in my life and to whom, with deep gratitude, I am passing on Blogger Awards:

Mert — Almost Somewhat Positive

“For those bloggers who are battling or have battled with physical and mental illness, those who are survivors of abuse, poverty, or who have overcome other challenges in life. Those who serve in the military or work/volunteer in dangerous situations in order to provide a service or to help others. This award is for the strong, the brave, and the courageous.”

Mert writes in such an open, honest fashion that her articles are sometimes shocking and emotionally difficult to read. Recently, she described how, along with her brother and sister, she got a tattoo. The description of the process and accompanying pictures assure that you will never find me within 500 paces of a tattoo parlor.

But when you read about why she ended up enduring the painful process of getting a tattoo — and it is a beautiful work of art — you will see exactly why I am giving Mert this award and be inspired to read more of her writing. She does ramble on sometimes, but she would be the first to admit it. That raw emotion that shines through in her writing is definitely what makes it so compelling and allows her readers to overlook the occasional stream of consciousness-like tone. Her writing is most thought-provoking and engaging when she talks about her background, as in “I’ve got a dirty little secret, and my dilemma.”

Explaining why, as a thirty-something mother of two, she wanted to get her first tattoo, she wrote about the various marks on her body:

These marks were not my choosing. I didn’t want any of them, and yet here they are. I’ve had a life time of marks placed on my body, and my life - I hope- is far from over.

After thinking for a night on what image I would want on my body forever- despite knowing that my husband was still very angry about the whole thing- the lotus flower kept coming to my mind. I told my brother and sister about the symbolism behind it and they both love the idea:

In modern times the meaning of a lotus flower tattoo ties into it’s religious symbolism and meaning. Most tattoo enthusiast feel that the a lotus tattoo represent life in general. As the lotus flower grows up from the mud into a object of great beauty people also grow and change into something more beautiful . So the symbol represents the struggle of life at its most basic form.

Lotus flower tattoos are also popular for people who have gone through a hard time and are now coming out of it. Like the flower they have been at the bottom in the muddy, yucky dirty bottom of the pond but have risen above this to display an object of beauty or a life of beauty as the case might be. Thus a lotus flower tattoo or blossom can also represent a hard time in life that has been overcome.

In an earlier article, she shared the origins of some of the marks:

If you are curious why I might jump from a car going 40 mph . . . I ran away from home. When my mother found me, she forced me into my brother’s car. While I was getting in, I noticed a sawed-off broom handle in the back of the car. She then proceeded to beat me, mostly by grabbing my hair and beating me around the front of the car. I was pretty sure she had plans for that broom stick, and I was certain that she would kill me when we got home . . . so as soon as she let go of my hair for a moment, I opened the door and jumped. It was as if all I could hear was my own breathing, and a calmness came over me, and I just jumped from the car — onto a freshly graveled road. To this day, I still have rocks embedded in my left elbow, and luckily the scars from my torn-up hips are now covered with stretch marks.

You really have to experience her writing in its entirety yourself, so I won’t spoil that experience for you by sharing any more of her articles here. Pay Mert a visit, congratulate her on being a Thoughtful Blogger and subscribe to her feed. Her writing will inspire you.

Sandy Carlson — Writing in Faith

“For those who bring unique and creative elements to their blogs. For those who incorporate art, music, creative writing, photo’s, and other beautiful visual effects into their website. For those who put a unique spin on things and come up with new ideas. This award is for the artsy, the funky, the inventor, and even the rebel. This award is for those creative individuals who stand out from the crowd.”

Sandy is a professional writer with a unique view of the world, her faith and, especially, the mundane who has served as a Guest Blogger here. She will make you look at the simplest item or concept in a new way, often punctuating her writing with beautiful anecdotes about her life with her young daughter. Sandy infuses her writing with art, music and poetry. She will make you see anew the beauty in something simple or complex.

One of the ways she does that is her love of graffiti. She has certainly made me look at the tagging on the side of a building in a new way. In Explore Grafitti and Learn How Blue is the Sky, How Green is the Grass she ponders whether the act of creating graffiti is right or wrong:

The truth of the matter is that right or wrong is not a worthwhile question because it pressures us to take sides, and side-taking never accomplishes anything good, creative, or even mildly interesting. Over the past several years as I have photographed graffiti, I have let the questions go. I just look and let it be and follow the lines and colors wherever they lead. The effect is that I take a close look at the world around me–in cities and suburbs, under highways and bridges, and into all the little spaces in between.

Graffiti is about the close look. It is about the temporary suspension of disbelief, the negative capability that defines pure freedom. Suspend the questions and the judgments, the preconceived notions, and live in awareness of the walls around you and you can’t help noticing how blue is the sky, green the grass, still the water.

Artists are not moral arbiters but seekers. For artists, creators, poets, people who live here and now in a this world, the question is not what’s wrong or right but what makes it beautiful. Take a look: Strange Attractions: Exploring Graffiti.

Viola Jaynes — Spiritual Things Matter

“For those bloggers who inspire others through their words and actions. With a positive attitude, and an uplifting spirit these bloggers make the blogosphere a better place, and encourage others to do the same. This award is for bloggers who rise up to set an example but continue to reach out and support others.”

Viola explains her spiritual philosophy and journey:

I want to embrace all people and therefore I will not limit my writing here to any religious beliefs or quotations of scriptures. That is a journey each will have to make for themselves. I simply want to share that in and through pain, a full life is still possible. It has been for me.

Because of this view point that I have adopted, I am not so much interested in one particular religion, as I am about true spiritual development and growth. When one is dedicated to God and truth, many schools of thought present themselves. It is interesting to look at a broad spectrum of mankind’s spiritual hunger and search for truth. It is also wise to allow various view points to be considered and to listen with the heart what some of our greatest spiritual teachers have taught us. Buddha and others taught enlightenment and many great spiritual principles. Jesus Christ, however, was the only one who descended from heaven as the Saviour to mankind. The ultimate search brings all of us to God - this pathway is a revelation of His Love and Peace.

Viola’s words stay with you long after you close the browser window. Her thoughts, revelations and experiences shared are uniquely hers but she writes about them in a way that makes you understand how interconnected we all are. For instance, she wrote about a brief encounter with a young pregnant woman that reminded her of her feelings about becoming a mother and the trepidation she felt because she grew up motherless in an orphanage. Upon the birth of her son, however, she was provided, by grace, with the tools she needed to parent. Her poignant conclusion:

This beautiful young woman today, whose shoulders I barely brushed, reminded me that grace is sufficient in every area of our lives. Each of us has been given a measure of grace and none of us could stand if it were not so. Perhaps this will help us to be gentler and kinder with those with whom we come in contact. And perhaps, if we look deeply enough, we will recognize that we too can extend the gift of grace - to others and to many of our circumstances. Grace is transforming by its very nature. When you’ve been touched by grace, it is impossible to stay the same.

If you read nothing else at Spiritual Things Matter, you must read Viola’s beautiful poem, In the Stillness of the Night. I’m confident that once you visit, you’ll want to read much more of her eloquent and inspiring writing.

Katiejen — Emerging Grace

I knew the moment I saw KatieJen’s posters for the emerging church in A More Generous View that she was a blogger with whom I could relate. This is an example:

She’s not afraid of writing about what matters to her and her eight-part series on Spiritual Abuse resonates with me because of my own experiences that sent me running out of the “sanctuary” of organized religion, determined never to look back. Only someone who has been through a similar ordeal could write about the misuse of power within the patriarchal, traditional church in such an authentic and authoritative manner:

Intentional, malicious action against me by a church leader blew me away. The unwillingness of others involved to challenge the leader’s actions, but instead look the other way in denial, preserving their positions, shattered my trust in church leadership.

The tendency of those who have not experienced spiritual abuse is to minimize the experience. Honestly, it is something you do not truly understand unless you have experienced it.

Those who leave churches are often portrayed as overly sensitive, embittered, and difficult to get along with. While they may be reactionary immediately following their abuse, most recover and grow beyond that.

Their experience is a contributing factor in forming different expectations of what the church should be. However, their views should not be invalidated by the fact that they were born out of a time of pain.

I urge you to read the entire series of articles even if you are fortunate enough never to have been subjected to spiritual abuse because 1) you might be in the future and her writing will help arm you to recognize and survive the experience; and 2) those of us who are survivors seek understanding and support from our fellow Christians. Only through compassionate wisdom can you be a support system for us.

As someone who has no “conversion” story to tell since I was born into and remained in the church until this past January, I appreciate this refreshing and helpful approach to Christians who insist we must all experience an earth-shaking, Jesus-accepting moment:

Our testimony is not our conversion story, our testimony is our understanding of who God is, testifying of how we have personally known God, who He is to us. Can I prove that I know God? My only proof is experiential, although to me it is more real than our current reality.

Those are just a couple brief examples of the riches to be found at Emerging Grace, a site that inspires and enlightens me. You will be enriched by a visit, as well.

Angel Mama — Pearls of Wisdom

“For those who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home on their blogs. For the people who take others feelings into consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also for all of those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping others bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others.”

If you know Angel Mama, it comes as no surprise that I would bestow this award upon her. Hers is that one sweet voice that rises above the cacophony, offering validation, support, and utterly unconditional love and friendship. Her comments are the ones that brighten my day and lift my spirits. When she isn’t spreading cheer around the Internet, she is off spreading it in her community and to her family. She writes about her service to others in a casual but never callous way that sends a clear message to her readers: It just comes naturally to her. To find an example, you have to look no further than her most recent article:

We never know why God has us cross paths with the people that he does, or how we might effect their lives or they ours until sometimes much later. As a member of Gods precious children it is our honor to help others, minister to their needs, give grace and share our faith as others will with us.

Being prayer warriors for others, looking to God and not the problem and being a true friend are the keys to a joyous life in the Lord. Jesus has given us such a gift of love it is so wonderful to pass it on in his name.

I have had the joy this past few weeks to share my faith with a new friend to Christ and help her set up her prayer journal which was such an honor. I love doing my daily devotions and prayer journal and going back through the pages later and seeing how God has been there for me everyday of my journey with him.

I always feel refreshed, uplifted and hopeful after visiting Angel Mama’s site. If you haven’t experienced her warmth yet, you must visit. You will see precisely why she is so beloved among bloggers.

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