None of those, sadly, are true statements.
However, one of those mentioned has caressed my face.
And her name is Jen Hatmaker.
If you have spent any time with on this blog, on my social media pages, or in person... you know I love Jen. She's funny, she's smart, and she speaks Truth in a way that so many people "get"... she's just fantastic.
The short version of my love of this "celebrity" (she hates that term, btw) is this: in 2008, 4 of my not-yet-but-soon-to-be-best-friends and I decided to get together to do a Bible Study. We knew-ish each other, but thought because of our similar places in life, maybe we'd have a connection. (Side note: I highly recommend this method of finding your people. Pick people that you might like, pick something to do together, and give it a season. It might work. It might not. I've been in groups that will never let go of each other and groups that enjoyed the season and moved on.) Two of those in our group went to our local Christian Book Store, sat on the floor, and looked through studies. We stumbled upon one written by Jen, bought it because it looked cute, and started living life together with Jen as our unspoken 6th Group Member.
It wasn't long until I friended her on Facebook. Because back in 2008, I thought it might make this sweet pastor's wife feel good to hear from little ol' me that her words had made a difference.
Ahem. Yep. Cause she needed a fan.
Shortly after she started writing big things... like Interrupted... which did just that and interrupted our lives. Several of you will say that "Seven" was your favorite Jen book... mine was and will likely always be "Interrupted" because it changed us for the better. Permanently.
I began to share her books with friends- putting them in the hands of ones I loved hoping they would love Jen back.
Then she had this moment where she made us all say "amen"... and the World At Large fell in love with my Fake Bestie.
Her life went along at lightening speeds... HGTV found her and did a show about her amazing house. People started mentioning her to me asking if I'd ever heard of her. I started to feel a little territorial of her for a while (she was my fake bestie first!) then realized how beyond childish that was and embraced that people loved my Love... and it's so good.
Yesterday, her newest book hit the shelves. I was fortunate enough to be able to read an advanced copy with 499 strangers who have banded together on Facebook. I have learned more about them than I know of some of you- and I'm excited (and terrified) to meet them all in Austin in a few weeks. I watched "Launch Day" blow up my Newsfeed yesterday and sat back feeling a bit like I hadn't turned in my homework... I had failed to alert you all about how her book was now AVAILABLE and how YOU NEEDED TO RUN OUT AND IMMEDIATELY BUY IT.
So, in true Becky Fashion... here we are "A Day Late and A Dollar Short". Y'all want this book? Fine. Let's do this.
In the spirit of Love and Doing Good, I'm sponsoring a bloggy contest. I'd love for you to enter.
Here's how to get "entered":
* Like this post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram= one entry (per each site!)
* Share this post= two entries
* Tell me how you are Doing Good (privately or publicly)= 5 entries
And here is what you will win...
* A copy of Jen's Book, For The Love, which is both hysterical and uplifting
* The world's best pen
* Your very own "Do Good" coffee mug
* Your choice of a "Do Good" T-shirt or Tote Bag
* A gift card to my super favorite place in Winston-Salem, Camino Bakery (Not local? No problem. I'll send you a Starbucks card and gift the Camino one to someone local.)
Not enough reason for you to enter? How about some more cute pictures of me with Jen?
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| The Six of Us. Laurie had just moved to Phoenix, so she was there as Flat Laurie. |
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| Did you want to see a better picture of when I first met her? Sorry, this will have to do. "Someone" kinda forgot to take a picture while I was busy making sure she had her own with Jen. If you'd like to see *that* picture, you might want to ask my friend Michelle... oh, whoops... I see what I did there. |
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| Besties... |
Need more? Here's a link to what I wrote about my first meeting with Jen. Sigh.
Now get to sharing/posting/entering. FOR THE LOVE, people!
6 comments:
What post should I be "liking" on FB? How do I find you? I've searched several things, to no avail!
I'm on all three as Beckyheel. Thanks!
Liked it on FB, IG and Twitter. Sharing on FB. I am doing good by feeding our neighbors once a week. And trying not to permanently damage my children and keep them in therapy. Sometimes "doing good" looks like cutting myself some slack. :)
First off Christy told me about your obsession of Jen Hatmaker and I want to know how I never met you before I moved out to Colorado. Jen's book "Interrupted"has changed the way we need to parent our children. Doing Good has looked like many different things for me this summer....Loving my kids and husband gracefully while I was in the hospital 5 different times secondary to a genetic liver condition (which meant humbling my selfish issues by calling my mom in as back up), it also includes not screaming a residents in a teaching hospital in July as they "practiced medicine" and by returning to being a physical therapist for massive brain injured patients and strokes while I wait for a new liver. Realizing how much more my patient's teach me than I can ever teach them.
You make me smile, Beckyheel!!! Yes, yes you do!!! xoxoxoxo I'm going to do all those things you said we had to do to win. :)
"Do Good"... God has put me in a very UNfamiliar place to do good, to spread the love and in so doing, I have a feeling I am going to get back much more than I give. :)
My doing good right now looks like not expecting perfection. When mama relaxes, so does everyone else. And then sweet things happen (like my kids wanting to give 10% of a monetary gift they each received) and I'm reminded that we are doing ok. And my kids are learning to do good. So I guess my doing good also looks a little like teaching, too.
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