Back To School, Back in Time & Giveaway with Christa Black

September 4, 2012 By 3 Comments
 
From August 27th through September 10th, various authors will be stopping by my blog here at Lori's Reading Corner and over at my friend Jen's site Crazy-For-Books to share a guest post highlighting their best (and sometimes worst!) first-day-of-school experiences. Along with the post, the authors have graciously agreed to give away at least one copy of their latest releases! On some days an author will write a post for both both featuring both a best and worst first day of school experience. On other days, we will each feature a different author with different giveaways, so be sure to check out both of our blogs every day! We will also be sure to link  to each other's blog every day so you don't forget!
 
The participating authors have provided up with at least one copy of their books to give away. When an author is posting on both blogs, the giveaway entry form will be the same for the contest. You may enter on one blog, or you can double your changes and enter on both blogs. Check the bottom of this post for a full list of the authors that will be sharing their school experiences during our Back To School, Back in Time feature!
 
Make sure to visit Crazy-For-Books to see what Christa has to say about her worst first day of school.
 
Switching schools in the 4th grade would be some kids' worst nightmare, but not mine.  I couldn't sleep from excitement the night before, dreaming about my new opportunity to finally earn a ticket to the cool kid club.  
 
You know what club I'm talking about—the one where you have to be pretty, rich, or talented enough to join.  I didn't think I had pretty, and I definitely didn't have rich.  But talent might get me in this time.
 
I put on my navy and white checkered uniform, sprayed my permed bangs extra high, and almost skipped into my new classroom.  Everyone seemed to know one another, but being the new girl, I figured I’d have a novelty factor that might earn a few brownie points.  
 
Catching the eye of the cutest boy in class with white-blond hair, I smiled apprehensively.  Maybe he would break my rejection streak and like me.  Maybe he would pass me a note confessing his undying love.  Maybe we'd get married in a castle and live happily ever after.  
 
I watched, heart racing, as he cast his fateful verdict, knowing the rest of the class would follow his lead.  Pushing his nose up like a pig snout, he exclaimed loud enough for the entire class to hear, "Wow, guys.  Check out the the new girl and her pig nose.  Oink, oink, oink!"
 
With every 'oink' the gavel fell, sealing my social status fate.  
 
For decades I believed that boy and his amateur opinion.  I believed it so much, it became my Bible, etched permanently on my heart.  Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw my reflection through the jagged lens of his words, hating myself with each glance.  And because I believed his cruelty, along with an ocean of other bad experiences, I lived under the weight of every negative word.  
 
And we all behave according to what we believe.
 
I lived for decades as someone ugly, regardless of what I looked like.  But allowing the unconditional love of G-d into the wounds of my past healed me in a way that no earthly medicine ever could.  The sickness of my soul needed a doctor, and there was only one doctor up for the task.  As I continue to receive the truth of His love, displacing the lies with the truth, everything about me transforms.
 
I’m finally living each day according to what I see.  
 
And every day, I see more beauty.
Christa Black is a popular blogger, speaker, and singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by multi-platinum-selling artists Jordin Sparks and Michael W. Smith. She has toured with The Jonas Brothers, Michael W. Smith, and Jennifer Knapp. After years of battling depression, addiction, and a chronically broken spirit, Christa was radically shaken by a G-d who truly loves ugly. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and son. G-D LOVES UGLY is her first book and corresponds with her CD, G-d Loves Ugly.
 
 
Visit Christa's website
Follow Christa on Twitter
Like G-d Loves Ugly on Facebook
Like Christa on Facebook
Become a fan on Goodreads

Publisher: FaithWords (September 4, 2012)
Genre: Memoir
ISBN-10: 1455516597
Buy: Amazon, Kindle, IndieBound, The Book Depository

god-loves-ugly
 

Whenever Christa Black looked in the mirror, she was waging a war with herself. Her hatred of her face and body drove her, as a young woman, into frantic overachievement, addiction, and an eating disorder that landed her in rehab. A preacher's kid, she'd grown up imagining G-d as a "thou shalt not" tyrant. It was only when she miraculously discovered G-d's unconditional love for her–physical imperfections, moral failings, and all–that she finally began to accept herself. As she tells her story, Christa shares the tools she uses to combat the self-rejection that harms so many people's lives.

In this raw testimony, Christa Black takes women on a step-by-step journey of faith and positive belief to reveal that if G-d loves ugly, then we can too.

Thanks to the publisher, Jen and I have five (5) copies of G-d Loves Ugly to give away.

Giveaway open to residents of the US & Canada only.
Giveaway ends September 18th.

 

Winner will have 48 hours, from the time of notification to confirm their win, or another winner will be chosen.

Don't forget to hop on over to Crazy-For-Books to double your chances of winning!

 

Participating Authors:

August 27th – Carla Stewart
August 28th – Spencer Quinn & Kaye George
August 29th – Krista Davis & Matthew Dicks
August 30th – Sheryn MacMunn
August 31st – Jane Myers Perrine & Charles Martin
September 3rd – Denise Swanson
September 4th – Christa Black
September 5th – Joanna Campbell Slan & Josie Brown
September 6th – Reyna Grande & Nancy M. Griffis
September 7th – Cathy Lamb & D.E. Johnson
September 8th – Cleo Coyle
September 9th – Kristina McMorris
September 10th – J.T. Ellison

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Comments

  1. Jake says:
    September 4, 2012 at 9:41 AM

    Ugly is a tough issue for most people at some point. Glad you were able to over come negativity.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Back-to-School, Back-in-Time with Christa Black (w/ Giveaway) says:
    September 4, 2012 at 12:03 PM

    [...] to Enter: Enter your name and e-mail address in the form below! Then head on over to Lori’s Reading Corner to enter for another chance to win (the same guest post will be featured on both of our blogs [...]

    Reply
  2. Back-to-School, Back-in-Time with Josie Brown (w/ Giveaway) says:
    September 5, 2012 at 1:02 AM

    [...] to Enter: Enter your name and e-mail address in the form below! Then head on over to Lori’s Reading Corner to read a guest post from Joanna Campbell Slan and enter to win a copy of her [...]

    Reply

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