RESTORER STANDINGS AS OF 11/29/09

Katie G =2500 points

Nathan R Petrie = 2500 points

abbie = 2000 points

Barie-ah Hue-en-la =1500 points

Chris = 1500 points

IJD= 1000 points

MillardtheMK = 1000 points

E-mail me with questions about your standings! And keep checking back!

Restorer Sharon Hinck NEW CHALLENGE AND UPDATES

Two days only, today (November 26th) and tomorrow (November 27th) each person who posts a list of things that they are thankful for here, will receive 500 points in the Restorer Signed Copy challenge. The list must be AT LEAST ten items long, and NO LONGER than fifty. :-D Length doesn't factor into the points either. If you list ten things you're grateful for, you get 500 points. If you list 50 things you're grateful for, you get 500 points.

To get your points, make a list and then POST it here in the COMMENT section.

Tonight or tomorrow I should have the standings posted though each of you who have done quests and other things in this contest probably all ready know. There hasn't been anyone who has done something and been disqualified, though there is at least one person with only partial credit for a quest!

So, have fun with family and friends, draw close to Christ, and remember that I am very thankful for each and every one of my internet buddies!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Scribe

Picking a Favorite is So Hard-Restorer CHALLENGE #2

But not impossible. 

Your NEXT challenge in the Restorer Signed Copy give away is to follow this link and then scroll down and follow the directions for the voting.

IMPORTANT

Do not vote FOR Sharon Hinck's nominated title UNLESS YOU HAVE READ IT.

The whole point of the voting is for the one that is actually the most popular to stand up head and shoulders above the rest. I didn't vote for her, I voted for George Bryan Polivka's book. Why? Because in my heart of hearts I believe, Bryan's book is better. That book of his, verses that book of hers. If the Restorer had been up there, I would have cried and probably not voted, because I wouldn't have been able to pick. Thankfully, you can nominate up to three titles for consideration. Remember, I don't want you to skew the voting for Sharon--I just want you to vote. Vote for whomever you like best. And if you haven't read the books DO NOT VOTE.

Here's what you need to do (this is also important or you're not going to get credit, just the knowledge that you voted):

1) Go to the linked site
2) Click on the voting tab
3) Fill out the information
4) HIT THE PRINT SCREEN KEY ON YOUR COMPUTER KEYBOARD OR WHATEVER KEY COMMAND WILL TAKE A PICTURE OF THE SCREEN.
5.) Go into MS paint or whatever equivalent you have and paste the image of the voting screen that you've filled out there. Save it as a .bmp or .jpg
6.) Finish voting
7.) Email me the screen capture of your voting in the pole
8.) Receive 1,000 points


All e-mails must be received no later than Sunday November 22nd for full credit. Partial credit will be given up to  November 24th.
Di

Operation Christmas Child PICTURES!

The van is packed with 251 shoe boxes. Not a single box more would fit. 251 shoe boxes.

There aren't any other passengers :-D Just my Mom, my Dad, and 251 shoe boxes that we sent down to Ellicott City.

This is Jessie, who works in Ellicott City (the lovely young lady in the blue jeans) and one of our volunteers up in the bed of the tractor trailer truck. The brown cartons behind them are the crates that have to be packed with the shoe boxes (those are done) and they're merrily stacking shoe boxes for crating on the side of the truck.  Thankfully it's been warm, but it's going to get down into the 30's tonight.

All those prayers, toys, and blessings waiting to be shipped around the world. Pretty amazing really!

Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Count 11/16/09

Well archers, thanks for the prayers today, and please, as you have time continue to put bolt to bow string. Today in Eldersburg we took in 688 shoe boxes.

Last year at this time we had a grand total of 270 shoe boxes.

For those crunching the numbers in their heads like my friend Andy does, I'll give you a moment to finish.
*Hums Jeopardy Theme Song* 

Ding da ding ding ding bam bom!

Time's up!

We took in 418 MORE shoe boxes than we did last year on this same day (the first day of collections) and so far, the churches have been very careful to tabulate what the cost to ship each one is and to add it to their shoe boxes. So the prayers for provision are being answered!

However this is only the first day, and we have seven days to go.  I am very sore, and very tired, and can't really think of how I'm going to get 418 shoe boxes down to Ellicott City tomorrow.

Archers, Now I Need Your Bows

First off, Christopher and Wayne are working over hard to meet the soon coming deadline they are facing and that as we all know can be as much fun as getting your face caught in a hand-cranked workbench vice. So, please, pray for rest, for inspiration, for peace. If you don't have a lot of time to pray for the dangerous duo, just ask Jesus to hang out with them in a tangible way for the next seven days. :-D

He'll know what they need and when.


And second, archers, I need your prayers this week. His Way Christian Bookstore partners with Operation Christmas Child (A division of Samaritan's Purse) every year for one week. This year it's November 16th through November 23rd.

The larger locations, Ellicott City &Glenburnie, are actually Operation Christmas Child collection centers where they have tractor trailer trucks leave the cargo portions of the truck behind the store to be filled with shoe boxes.

Eldersburg, is a Operation Christmas Child relay center where we take the shoe boxes in and then have to transport them 30 minutes down to Ellicott City where the truck is waiting.

The praise all ready is that churches and individuals are calling and letting us know how many boxes they are bringing! This is inordinately helpful because we know to make certain there is space in the back room.

Monday November 16th Eldersburg will be getting 300+ boxes which have to be logged, counted, stored, then packed into my parent's van, and taken to Ellicott City.

Our biggest obstacle so far is that in Eldersburg, I only have the one volunteer, my mom, to run the boxes. Now staff will take some when we move from EB to EC but the bulk of the moving last year fell on my parents and it is a lot of work. So this year, we desperately need more volunteers. Ellicott City and Glenburnie desperately need volunteers too, to help crate the shoe boxes and pack the trucks.  It's the beginning of the week and everyone at the stores is feeling excited and swamped at the same time.

Last year we took in over 11,000 shoe boxes and this year the store's goal is 12,000+.

The employees are going to be exhausted from working on the trucks and taking in the boxes as well as doing their normal stuff and tempers get short when people are tired, backs and arms ache from being used, and spirits get deflated when the seemingly insurmountable wall of shoe boxes grows every hour. Everyone at the stores will be under stress to serve our customers AND Operation Christmas Child to our fullest capacity.  Here are some specific things that you can aim for as you put arrows on string for us:

1) His PRESENCE

We need Jesus be with each staff member every moment of every day during this week, at the store and at home and every place along the way. It is  hard to be Christ-like during normal days for us (yeah, His Way's full of a whole bunch of forgiven sinners, just like the church ;) )  and with the added stress I know our flesh-nature is going to be hissing and spitting and struggling to get out and be UGLY. So pray that Christ be in us, and for us, behind us and a head of us.

We know that the enemy of our souls isn't going to be happy about this, because of the great opportunities for the Gospel that are attached to these little boxes full of love and hope. Which leads to request #2.

2) His PROTECTION

There are so many ways that people can get hurt getting on and off the truck, carrying too many boxes, being out in the cold, and driving from location to location. Every year it seems we have minor injuries and once or twice there's been a major catastrophe for someone who is working on the truck. So pray for wisdom in how to do what we need to do, and protection from accidents both for the staff and for the amazing volunteers that have pledged to come and help us out.

3) His PROVISION

Every year, families either forget to put the $7.00 needed to pay for the shoebox shipping, or can't afford the shipping and leave it out. Every year so far, we've had other people come and leave checks for shipping or for Samaritan's Purse and every year it evens itself out. However, this year is harder than the years before have been on everyone and all ready there are signs that we may end up sending boxes unpaid for to the Sorting Centers. This isn't a world shattering thing, but it does mean that Samaritan's Purse winds up using money that could go somewhere else to send shoe boxes. So pray that the Lord impress on people's hearts to give what they can afford to give, and that our 12,000+ boxes go down all paid up and ready to ship!

Keep checking back here, I'll have photos during the week and hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll have the Restorer Standings posted and a new assignment up!

Scribe~

Rules, Regs, and Other Annoying Things

Right, well I should have posted this earlier, but I was a wee bit under the weather and am still fighting to come out of the aforementioned illnesses. So, any and all participants that have started the contest are "grandfathered" (doesn't apply to them) when it comes to the DISTANCE stated below. But since there are others who have expressed interest, here are the boring bits that should have been posted yesterday and weren't.

1.)If you are under 18 years old, get your parents permission before starting this contest.

2.) You must also be a legal resident of the United States or Canada to participate. (sorry guys, I can't afford to send it over seas)---this does not apply to those who have posted assignments as of 11/10/09

3.) I ( Michelle Black) am in no way affiliated with Sharon Hinck or Nav Press

4.) I (Michelle Black) am in no way responsible for lost, misdirected mail, or for damage in shipping of the prize to your house.

Signed Copy of the Restorer Give Away First Challenge! 11/10/09-11/14/09

The sound of metal against metal, the cries of the archers on the upper reaches of the castle and the twangs from their bows,  the shrill scream of horses near the gate and the deadlier rumble and thud of missile from a catapult all ran together in a mighty din. Llana sucked in a trembling breath and then jerked hard and bit her lips to keep from screaming  as a metal arrow tip pierced the deep grain of her chamber door. 

There was no doubt that her father's holding was under siege. 

Ever felt like that?  You wake in the morning and find yourself  all of a sudden mired in a war that hadn't been there when you went to sleep the night before? Well in The Restorer  there are several people who feel that way, that they've gone to sleep in peace and awakened  in the middle of battle.

Only the enemy they're facing has weapons that are far more damaging than swords and catapults, and these weapons are as subtle as a whisper and as dangerous as a flaming arrow.

In  The Restorer, enemy agents have the ability to put dark thoughts into the minds of those that are standing against them. These thoughts latch and begin to slowly bring despair, despondency, numbness, and incapacitate the mightiest among them.

Sound familiar?

The Enemy of our soul works in the same way, planting doubts as to who we are and to whom we belong.

In The Restorer  the antidote to mind poisoning is rather interesting, and something that Sharon Hinck worked into the plot in a marvelous way.  I'm not going to tell you what it is however, you're going to have to read the book to find out.

However, it does tie-in with your assignment, and with some thought you sharp minded tale binders will likely figure out the connection. 

In the comments below each contestant needs to write/list 10  Bible verses (you can use book, chapter, verse references rather than writing whole thing out ie John 3:16 rather than "For God so loved....") that fall into ONE these categories:

1)  Scriptures that tell us what the Lord is like
2)  Scripture that tell us who the Lord says we (His rescued children, Christians) are.
3)  Scriptures that tell us what to do with our thoughts.

So you can have two scriptures  that fall into category 1,  five  that fall into category 3,  and three that fall into category 2 and there are your ten scriptures. Any combination is acceptable, they don't have to all be in one category or some in each. Just ten scriptures that fall into those categories.

This assignment (ten verses posted here) is worth 1,000 points. 

To keep the temptation of cheating away (and to make it slightly harder) I'm going to say no repeats.

That means if someone posts a scripture, someone else can't post that same scripture.

But there are literally thousands of scriptures that fall into the categories above and Bible Gateway can be used if you get stuck!

This assignment starts today (11/10/09) and runs through Saturday (11/14/09)

Questions?

Don't post them here--comment section is for posting of the assignment only. E-mail me at everlastingscribe(at)hotmail(com)

Scribe's Been Sick--sorry about the delay! :-D

I've had the stomach flu and then on top of it, allergies that have been making me dizzy and congested.  They are each, the opposite of fun.

Look for the contest for The Restorer to officially start on  November 10, 2009 (why Tuesday and not Monday? Well because NEW RELEASES always hit store shelves on Tuesdays and part of this contest is going to be about doing things OUT OF ORDER  like starting a contest for a book going out of print on a day when traditionally books are introduced to the public) and be prepared for some unusual and hopefully fun assignments!

Sneezing Scribe--AAAAhhhhCHHHoooo

Restorer Series Going Out Of Print-Contest Announcement!

That's right, sad news for all of us who are fans of Sharon Hinck's The Restorer, The Restorers Son, and The Restorer's Journey.

However, over at Sharon Hinck's blog the lovely scribe herself isn't wallowing in woe-is-meisms but is choosing instead to celebrate the run of this usual, cross over series.

Recently I came across a copy of The Restorer by Sharon Hinck that I had bought and low and behold, this copy is SIGNED. Uh-huh, I'm sure I bought it for someone's birthday or Christmas gift some time ago but I can't remember for the life of me who that might have been.

However, Scribe's faulty memory is YOUR blessing.

I was going to do a COTSK give-away in November (I've all ready bought the book ;) so have no fear) but instead I'm going to be giving away the signed copy of The Restorer by Sharon Hinck.

If you are interested in taking part in this contest--just sign up in the comments below. I'll post more about it this evening.

Don't know who Sharon is? Go here!
Don't know anything about the book? Go here!

I first met Sharon when His Way hosted the Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour, and here are some of my favorite pictures of her from the event! You might recognize some rapscallions in the pictures beside her. Ignore them ;)

The green banner is the one that I made for Sharon, some OTHER AUTHOR has the blue one in the back ground there.  You get bragging points if you can guess author/book it is suppose to represent.

There's Sharon, goofing off with some rapscallions. It was a real blessing to be on hand and see Sharon meeting fans and ministering to those with wounded hearts from all over.  There  was a price for this selfless act however, the fellows she hung out with corrupted her vocabulary with words like DUDE and COOL. :-D

And more proof that the lady can handle steel and goof off with fans at the same time! One of my favorite pictures of Sharon, with my two "little brothers" rented for the day, Christian in red and Kirk well, emphasizing Sharon's skill with steel.

Archers this is not The End

Did you really think that I'd come back after the events and tell you guys "Well done, now go oil your bows and wrap them in fine linen and hide them away."

Piffle.

Now that you know you have this skill, and I know that you know, and you know that I know that you know, I'm going to be calling on you more often.  Don't make that face. 

Right now, I know that Christopher and his family would love some prayer for restored health, for rest, and for refreshment.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Wayne and his family would welcome prayers for that too. 


And you could pray for the staff of the Borders  too, where they had a sell-out situation and ran out of books.
Ooh, that could sting the organizer badly. Hopefully not, but praying for the clerks and staff at the store would be nice, it's not good to run out of product.

Product=Sales. Sales are good. People who come to buy stuff at a store that advertised it and the store doesn't have it when they get there are prone to be angry, and angry people are not the kind of customers that any store wants.