Liebster Award Nomination

  
It’s always encouraging when someone appreciates what you’re doing, and sometimes that appreciation comes in a special form. I’m honoured to announce that fellow blogger Tammy from faithhopelovefood has nominated me for the Liebster Award. I have less than 3000 followers which makes me eligible for this award.

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to fellow bloggers in order to support and encourage them in their blogging. The guidelines for receiving the award varies, however, the general rules are as follows:

• Post your award to your blog in a blog post
• Answer the 10 questions that were given to you by the fellow blogger who nominated you
• Nominate 3-10 other bloggers you have discovered with less than 3,000 followers
• Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer

Here are my answers to the questions I was given:

1. Who has been most influential in your decision to write? It may sound clichéd but it has to be God. He just won’t let me off the hook. Even when writing feels too scary or too hard, he keeps gently nudging me to persevere. Encouragement from good friends and family that I have something worthwhile to say, also helps tremendously.
2. What led you to choose the focus of your blog? Reading John Ortberg’s book The Me I Want to Be. He writes about flourishing and that really resonated with me.
3. Where do you find your inspiration for your blog posts? It’s really a mixture of my own experiences and observations, thinking about something I’ve read or seen, and the occasional insight that’s like a light-bulb moment. Sometimes I have no idea what I’m going to say or what I think until I’ve written it. I’m learning to just keep writing, whether I’m feeling inspired or not.
4. Who is your favourite author? Tough question. Since I have to choose, I’ll say that it’s currently Emily P. Freeman. I’ve been reading her blog and books for several years now, and I appreciate her perspectives and insights. Sometimes it feels like she’s holding up a mirror in which I see myself.
5. What are your writing aspirations? To be a better, more consistent blogger for a start. To walk beside people as they explore their own faith journey. Whether my writing will extend beyond blogging is part of the journey of discovery.
6. What is your favourite scripture or quote? Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
7. What does a perfect day look like for you? Spending time enjoying nature, reading a good book, journaling in one of my favourite cafes, watching a good movie, getting a massage, enjoying good food with good friends and family. Hmm, I might need a week.
8. Coffee, tea or neither? I’m a hot chocolate girl. However I am partial to an iced coffee or an iced tea. Go figure.
9. Favourite childhood memory. There are many, but one is picking wild blackberries in summer. I’m sure we ate far more than we brought home.
10. Advice you would give to someone who wants to be a writer. Some good advice that was given to me: be prepared to keep working on your craft. Keep learning and improving your writing skills. On the flip side, don’t wait until your writing is perfect before you release it into the world, because that day will never come, and there are people waiting to read your words.

The blogs I’m nominating are:

Charis at Charis: Subject to Change
Alicia at Alicia’s Roses: Renewal, restoration, refreshment, rest
Judi at It’s not really about me…  …it’s about a creative journey of faith

And here are my questions for them:

1. What does writing / blogging mean to you?
2. What’s a significant lesson you’ve learned from life experience?
3. What’s your favourite way of being with God?
4. What are you thankful for?
5. In what ways has God blessed you this year?
6. What books, films or music have impacted you, and how?
7. What is you favourite place to just be?
8. What advice would you give to someone asking you how to flourish?
9. Do you have a favourite topic or theme that keeps showing up in your life or your writing?
10. How do you integrate rest into your rhythm of daily life, and what does that look like for you?

When replacing fly screen is the first step to writing

Have you ever noticed that the things you say you want to do are often the very things you seem to avoid?

I’ve been telling myself for over two years that I’m going to replace the fly screen on the sliding door (trust me, in Australia you need fly screens) because my darling (I use that term loosely in this context) cat Ebony has torn a hole big enough to walk through.

Two summers without fly ‘proof’ fly screen! What was I thinking?

The truth is that I didn’t know exactly how to go about replacing the fly screen. I’m great at procrastination; not so great at asking for help.

Rationalisation is easy. It’s not that important (which it’s not if you want to keep the glass door closed all year round!). I’ll get around to it. I’ll make sure I do it before next summer. There are other things I need to do right now …

But underneath all the rationalisation is a quiet, sneaky, lurking little liar.

Fear whispers that you don’t need to do anything. The status quo is okay, desirable even. There’s no need to change a thing. Whatever you want to do, it’s not that important.

Are you listening? You barely notice the whispers at first.

But what if you ignore the whispers? What if you keep moving towards whatever you want to do?

When pushed, fear pushes back. More direct, more aggressive this time. Don’t try that thing you’ve been dreaming about. Don’t risk humiliation or failure. You’re not good enough. You don’t have what it takes. You don’t have anything to offer. Who do you think you are?

Am I still talking about fly screen? Yes. And no.

Last week I measured the screen door (and a couple of windows that had suffered the same treatment). I went to the hardware store and bought pet ‘resistant’ fly screen and the appropriate tools for installing it. I asked my Dad for help, and by that afternoon we had replaced the old with the new.

Despite how long it took me, I have a ridiculous sense of satisfaction. Fear doesn’t have to get the last word.

This morning I woke to a post about National Blog Posting Month. Okay, it’s already the 2nd of November in Australia, but it feels like an invitation to kick sand in the face of fear and do something else I’ve been too scared to do until now. Write something every day for a month and launch it out into the blogosphere.

Join me in the journey. It could get interesting.