I also want to say how moved I was by the emails from others of you who said you weren’t writing for a copy of the book for yourself but to simply thank me for offering the book to those it might encourage and letting me know you were praying for those women who would be receiving copies.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again….you people are all that and then some!

Which obviously explains my first year in therapy.

Anyway, the other night while browsing through the Kindle store on my iPad (a shameless mention of my newest bright and shiny object), I downloaded the free sample of her book, “Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer,” and by the time I finished the freebie pages, she had me roped in. I’ve only read the first quarter of the book but I’m telling you, if the rest is anything like I’ve already read, it’s good.

How good? Let me tell you. I believe in time Chely Wright’s “Like Me” will stand shoulder to shoulder with Mel White’s “Stranger at the Gate: Being Gay and Christian in America” on the impact it will have on the lives of GLBTQ Christians. I would bet my entire change jar that most of you have read “Stranger at the Gate” and that it took nearly as many of you a step further in your personal journey to reconcile your faith and sexuality. I know of people who said reading White’s book saved their lives and one day, if not already, others will say the same thing about Wright’s book. While the specific details of her life are different from the many of us who’ve never had a number 1 hit on the Top 40 Country Chart, there are places in her story where it’s hard not to wonder if someone crawled inside your head and heart and wrote a chapter from your own life.

Dear God, please don’t let me be gay. I promise to be a good person. I promise not to lie. I promise not to steal. I promise to always believe in you. I promise to do all the things you ask me to do. Please take it away. In your name I pray. Amen.

Does Chely’s hidden prayer that began in her youth sound at all familiar to the secret prayer you prayed over and over again? Did you know you were somehow different from all the other girls in school but not know why? Was everything you knew about homosexuals limited to what you heard from the pulpit on Sunday morning and so you knew you couldn’t be one of them? Before coming out did you ever confront a Christian friend out of love when you learned they were gay? Did you date the opposite sex in an effort to do the right thing (or become a right person) then wonder what was wrong with you when you didn’t have any of the feelings you thought you were suppose to have? Did you ever feel so much despair and hopelessness living with your secret that you considered taking your life? Like I said, there are times when the stories and feelings she shares are so similar to mine (and possibly to yours) that we should band together and demand a percentage of the book royalties.

So here’s the giveaway. I’m going to give five new copies of “Like Me” to the first five people who email me at anita@sisterfriends-together.org but before you dash off an email, keep reading because I want to ask a favor. If you’re straight, don’t send an email. If you’re gay or lesbian and live in the assurance of who you are before God don’t send an email. If you can only read one language and that language happens to be Lithuanian don’t send an email.

Instead please let these five copies go to five people who right now are standing in that uncertain place where so many of us stood at one time and who need so much to be encouraged in their journey to truly know they are God’s beloved just as they are and fully as they are. So if you’re cool beans being a GLBTQ Christian then put the brakes on your send button and those of you who are in need of a little hope right now send me an email and be sure to include your name and mailing address. The first five emails I receive will be sent copies of the book. No questions asked.

And it’s good for us all to be reminded now and again that the power of story isn’t that it’s told by a celebrity or hardbound under a full-color glossy cover jacket. The power of story is in the story itself and just like White and Wright you have a story to tell…spoken across a table, written in an email, posted on a blog, told over the phone, shared with a friend, revealed to a stranger…and telling your story has everything it needs to save a life.

Maybe two or three.

Whatever you do, never underestimate the power of your story.

As you can tell in looking at the comments, Salt was the first to turn the right answer around and so congrats to you Oh Mighty Salty One! The retractable back scratcher (would I be revealing too much to say I have one and use it on a regular basis?) and the 50 dollar Target gift card will be whisking their way to your mailbox as soon as you send the necessary info to anita@sisterfriends-together.org.

I’ve had a blast putting the contests together for you and I hope the last seven days of play and prizes was equally fun for you. I especially loved the wishes and hopes that were contributed on Day Five and the wonderfully entertaining stories of Christmas gifts you’ve received on Day Six. Great stuff.

I’ll be back tomorrow with thoughts turned toward the true wonder of Christmas, but right now I have to hurry off and correct the typos because they’re driving me crazy!

But first, let’s put our hands together and give a hearty dose of applause magic to Susan, yesterday’s lucky draw contest winner. Susan, I can see it now. You at Starbucks with your venti mocha extra-hot half-caf/decaf latte in one hand and a wad of purple silly putty in the other. Does life get any sweeter than that? I think not either. So congratulations to you! Now hurry up and send off your mailing address to anita@sisterfriends-together.org and in a couple days the miracle of java world domination will be yours. [And Lisa, I'm still waiting to hear from you. Your box is packed and ready for shipping!]

And just to prove I actually mean it when I say I’m writing your names on scraps of paper and pulling them out of a hat, here you go….Scraps of paper. Your names. A hat. I don’t make this stuff up people! “But I don’t see my name! You didn’t put my name in the hat! That’s not fair!” Oh. Calm. Down. Your name was in the hat this morning when the official drawing was conducted, witnessed, and deemed valid by me. I merely staged the photo last night with the names that had come in at that point since Sunday morning tends to notoriously be a little whack in getting out of the door in time to get to church before the opening prayer and call of “Play ball!” and photo-taking would have had me missing the opening swing of the bat. So let’s summarize. Legit drawing. Staged photo. Only believe.

Today’s Contest: Oh my pretties, this is a good one. You need to find the Mystery Word. Here’s how to do it. There is at least one typo in each of the recent posts on the Christmas Contest, Day One through Day Six. (Can I even tell you how painful it was for me to make intentional typos?!) There are a total of eight typos. Each typo has a missing letter. Your task is to find the missing letters from the eight typos and arrange them into an order that reveals the Mystery Word. Post what you believe the Mystery Word is along with the list of the eight words that were missing the letters you used to solve the puzzle. The first person to submit the correct answer will win a retractable back scratcher and a 50.00 Target gift card. I know these are great prizes but please, don’t even consider skipping church to get the jump on everyone! A lump of coal for you if you do.

Okay, there you have it. Now go find it!

And the winner of 100 temporary tattoos and 50 Target buckarooni’s is commenter number 17, Lisa! Lisa, your timing was perfection so congratulations dear girl! Now get your mailing address off to me at anita@sisterfriends-together.org so you can begin the new year bedecked in some significantly cool tats.

Today’s Contest: It’s the Saturday before Christmas and a whole lot of folks are out there rushing around today like crazy monkeys finishing up the last of their shopping but not you and me. Nope, not us. Here we are with all the time in the world to make up games and play them. What a life, eh? Well, it seems the least we can do is join in solitary with the frenzy of hurried holiday shoppers and post the funniest (or most fun) Christmas present we ever received whether as a child or adult. Tomorrow morning I’ll take all the entries received, write each name on a scrap of paper and randomly pull one out and the name of the person drawn will be the happy little elf who wins a container of Silly Putty and a 20.00 Starbucks gift card.

Ready. Set. Post.

Spread the Word!

]]> http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/christmas-contest-day-six/feed/ 14 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/christmas-contest-day-five/ http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/christmas-contest-day-five/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:49:13 +0000 anita http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=4481 Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! Winner found yesterday’s hidden Christmas image (Click on the WordPress logo located at the bottom right hand corner of the site) in record time and as a result will be sporting a snappy pair of Bug-Eye Glasses and jewelry from Beads for Life this Christmas. And Winner, you might want to consider having a photo taken of you in those fancy schmancy spectacles for next year’s Christmas card. Just a thought.

Today’s Game: So for those of you who couldn’t handle the toil and stress of searching for yesterday’s clue, today’s contest is all the easier and today’s prize all the more tantalizing. First for the contest. Below in the sealed envelope is a single number. In the next 24 hours post a comment offering a Christmas wish, thought, or prayer for all your SisterFriends and BrotherBuddies and Saturday morning I’ll reveal the number and the person who was that numbered position in order of comments will win (Only one comment per person will be counted but you can post as many times as your inching fingers desire).

And the prize? Hold onto your shorts my Holly Jollies. Our duet of prizes begins with a bucket of 100 temporary tattoos. Think about it! Amaze your friends! Terrify your parents! The possibilities are endless! And the second prize is a 50 dollar Target gift certificate. That’s right. A little extra spending money can come in mighty handy this time of year.

And even if you don’t win, playing won’t be a loss for anyone because in playing you’ll be sharing and receiving words of hope, encouragement, and faith with one another, and words of kindness can come in mighty handy this time of year.

And the song was, despite it’s non-inclusive title, was and as of this morning when I was humming it once again is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” If I’ve sung it once over the past week I’ve sung it a 100 times, which is about 87 times more than my beloved wishes were the case.

Huh. The song, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. The winner by luck of the draw, Kevin. It seems as though it was meant to be.

Today’s Game: Yes, it’s that time. It’s time for “Find the Hidden Picture!”, a repeat of a game from last year that nearly drove a few of you to drink….egg nog, that is. So here’s how this game goes. Somewhere on this website is a hidden link that will open up an image that tells what the prize is for today’s winner. The first person who finds the image and submits the text of EXACTLY what it says is the winner. So have at it my merry band of treasure hunters!

In terms of accuracy, Amy not only spelled out in detail everything others mentioned, but she also provided two items that even I hadn’t noticed in the photo, that being the Christmas cloth on the lamp table between the two chairs and the small ornament hanging from a corner of the television set. By the way, the hanging ornament is a wooden gingerbread man I painted one Christmas with my mom when I was about eight years old and it hangs there year round. So Amy, while you said you weren’t officially entering but wanted to have the personal satisfaction of knowing you won, then Girlfriend, it’s your moment to rival in your victory!

[Update: As I was preparing this post Meg and Jessie submitted their entries and also spotted the ornament hanging on the television too and even identified what it was! Hawk Eyes those girls!]

So with Amy being the “unofficial” winner that would mean that the official winner and recipient of Wooly Willy, Hair-Do Harriet and a 20.00 gift certificate from Starbucks is JessieJ! JessieJ mentioned the most items with the most detail and at the end of the watch no less. Congratulations JessieJ! Send your mailing address to anita@sisterfriends-together.org so you can have your hairstyle fashionista ways with Willy and Harriet!

As an aside, there’s one item everyone missed that totally surprised me. Hanging on the mantle just above the nativity set is an original painting by  Richard Caemmerer of the nativity which I highlighted in a recent post. Most of you spotted the snowman painting on the wall behind the chair but you missed the Baby Jesus. Hmmmm.

Today’s Game: Winning today’s contest requires nothing more than a fast entry and bum luck. Be the first to guess the Christmas song I found myself humming all day yesterday. I’m not giving any clues. Just flip a coin. Take a shot in the dark. And be quick about it because the prizes at stake include one of my most favorite toys from childhood….an Original SuperBall by Wham-O (I spent one summer trying to get it to bounce over our house like in the commercial with no luck!) and a 20.00 gift certificate to Uncommon Goods.

So get snapping and submit your entry now. One entry per person.

.

Today’s Game: Name as many Christmas-related objects as you see in the photo below. The first person who names them all will win an original Wooly Willy and Hair-do Harriet and a 20.00 gift certificate from Starbucks. Imagine the fun you can have coiffing a mullet for Harriet or just playing for hours on end with your magic magnetic hairstyling wand while hyped on caffeine! The fun never stops but it always starts here! So have at it already my little prize hungry horde.

Added Note: I won’t be posting comments until the end of the contest so none of you cheater pants take the easy route and use someone else’s list as a check list.

Today’s Game: Below is a bowl of ornaments we have in our home. Okay fine. So I took the easy way out on decorating. I admit it so we can all move on. Anyway, whoever guesses closest to the actual number in the bowl (seen and unseen) without going over will win their very own….Sea Monkeys Ocean Zoo and a 20.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com. You’re probably saying, “Oh Anita, I’ve always wanted my own sea monkeys but always thought it was a dream that could never come true!” Well, my friend, the dream looms just out of your grasp so hazard a guess and the aquatic wonders of the sea monkey may be yours at long last. See contest rules at the bottom of this post.

How to Play:

*Post your entry in the comment section of this blog.
No entries will be received through email.
The contest winner will be announced the next day.
You can play everyday but you can only win once.
Anyone can play but prizes will only be sent to U.S. AND Canadian addresses.

*You may play anonymously by entering a pseudo name.
Your email address will not be made public!

Spread the Word!

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