Excellence

What is excellence? Is it something that we strive for on a regular basis, or is it something we "stumble" upon through daily living? Honestly, I think it is something that as Christians, we are constantly striving for. Something we work hard for, and are proud of. And really, who doesn't want to be surrounded by excellence? In fact, scripture encourages us to surround ourselves with excellence, doesn't it?

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

So many times, I have come across either a blog, a post, or a particular "effort or instance" that has left me thinking ... "Wow! That was excellent! Others should know about this!" And sometimes, a simple comment in the comments section just isn't strong enough to express how impressed I am with either the blog or the particular post.

So, the wheels in my mind started turning (that can be a dangerous thing) ... and ... an idea was started. I thought to my self ... "Self, there should be an award for these instances of excellence. One that would encourage others, and motivate them. Sort of like ... an award for excellence, or something like that..." And then, the question of what excellence really means kept playing over in my head ...

Wow! So, I was on the right track ... COOL! And with that ... The Award of Excellence was born.


Now, I don't consider myself the "expert of excellence" ... but "where two or three bloggers are gathered ... there excellence shall be found" (sorry to take scripture and run with it!). So, I turn to you, my fellow bloggers, and invite you to participate by nominating blogs, posts, or efforts that you find to be EXCELLENT.

This is not a weekly, monthly or annual award. No. This is an award that will be given out whenever merited. Therefore, you can make nominations whenever you want! And, really ... the key about your participation is that 1) the award will be given out to a broader spectrum than the small circle of blogs (close to 80 now) that I read, 2) the award process will generate more traffic to the winners site, hence, sharing their excellence, and 3) the award will encourage on-going excellence.

So, if you should happen to stumble across a particular blog, post, or instance of excellence that is award worthy, please ... email me right away with the link to either the post, or the blog, and include a brief paragraph describing why you feel that person is worthy of receiving the Award of Excellence! I will then review the nomination, a final decision will be made by me, the person will be notified of their award via email, and they will receive the code for the button so that it may be proudly displayed on their blog (if they so choose).

So, without further delay, I will present the FIRST Award of Excellence winners:

1) Momrn2 from My Quiet Corner:

Sometimes, we are faced with emergencies in our life, and we are left wondering how to work through them. Well, recently, Momrn2's daughter was faced with a life-threatening emergency. Many people rallied around her in prayer, and she journaled regularly to keep us up to date on her daughter's progress. She also journaled about The Most Difficult Prayer that she and her husband have ever prayed. This post was probably one of the most difficult, but excellent posts I have read, and if you missed it, I highly encourage you to go back and read it. It will touch you deeply.

So Momrn2, because of your excellent journaling skills about your daughter, and because of your heart's desire to encourage other parents faced with similar difficulties, you are hereby presented with The Award of Excellence.

2) Lauren from Created For His Glory

In a world full of foul language, negativity, and strong content, sometimes, we just need one person to step up to the plate and say ... "Enough is enough!" And Lauren has done just that. She has single-handedly created and coordinated a blogroll specifically for Family-Friendly Blogs. At the time of this post, the blogroll has approximately 122 members, and continues to grow.

So Lauren, because of your desire to see Family-Friendly excellence maintained in the blogworld, and for the skills of excellence you have displayed in coordinating and maintaining the Family-Friendly Blogroll, you are hereby presented with The Award of Excellence.

3) BooMama from BooMama

It's amazing how friendships develop over the bloglines across the world, but sometimes, we just need to get to know one another on a more intimate level then simply leaving comments on each other's blogs ... and that can be accomplished generally by going to each other's homes for a cup of coffee, tea, or a diet coke, and some scrumptious dessert. But sometimes, that just isn't practical, or even possible, because you can't jump on a plane or train each time you want to have dessert with a friend that lives across country (or in another country), you know what I mean?!

Well, BooMama was approached by some fellow bloggers about hosting a simple but special Tour of Homes. After careful consideration, she agreed, thinking she might only have a handful of participants. Well, what started of as "simple" but "special" ended up being HUGE! In fact, it was bigger than any true southerner would care to imagine, because, low and behold, she had (and I'm sure she was SHOCKED) 241 people participating in the Tour of Homes!

So, BooMama, because of your excellent attitude towards something that started of small, and spiraled into epic proportions, and because of your excellent, and newly acquired Mr. Linky skills, and for your desire and willingness to enable other bloggers to foster new friendships despite experiencing a painful and low time in your own life, you are hereby presented with The Award of Excellence.

4) Faith from Faithful Mommy and Child of Mine -- The Adoption Blog

There are so many beautiful children in our country that are alone, hurting, and in need of a loving family, yet lost in the foster care system. Many of these beautiful children even have life-threatening medical needs, making it even more difficult to place them in an adopted home. On the other hand, there are many families whose arms and hearts are aching to adopt a child, but don't know where to start. Faith has opened her life, her heart, and her blog to us to share her experiences, her difficulties, and her joys. You can see many of her stories by clicking here, and recently, she has started a new blog that is geared just for adoption.

One story in particular, grabbed at my heart and made me want to open my home to as many children as I could, but I promise that if you begin reading either of Faith's blogs, and get to know the story about her little man, you will understand quickly why she is being given The Award of Excellence.

So Faith, for your excellence in bringing adoption to the forefront, and for your transparency and honesty on transracial adoptions, and for your excellence in guidance and wisdom for those interested in adoption, and for your willingness to begin a new blog where families that have adopted can share their personal stories and experiences, you are hereby presented with The Award of Excellence.

5) Shannon from Rocks in my Dryer

I have saved Shannon for last, because she has had a very special role in making the Award of Excellence even possible! She created the banner and the button for me. Shannon, a deeply southern and genteel woman, offered one day ... months ago to create a banner for me, because she wanted to practice using a new software. At the time, I didn't need one. But when this award started rolling around in my brain, I suddenly found a need for a banner. Oh, and did I mention a need for a button, too? Well, Shannon, who is always offering to help, rolled her sleeves up, and created a beautiful banner and button for me. And I must say, I am not always an easy person to work with, because I have SET ideas in my mind. But Shannon was a trooper. She took my scripture, and a request for something with a "Southern Living" elegance, and ran with it, creating a beautiful award that can be proudly displayed on many a blog!

So Shannon, because of your excellent and selfless attitude, and because of your excellent desire and willingness to help, and because of your eye for beauty and desire to share with others, you are hereby presented with The Award of Excellence.

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REMEMBER:

If you come across a blog, a post, or an instance of excellence, please email me (see email link in my side bar) to nominate them for an award!

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