The “About” Page for Petals from the Basket begins with the following paragraph:

The baskets of our lives are filled with petals from work, family, special events, hobbies, and much more! I believe that each petal—even the wilted ones—can represent blessings that God gives us through each season of life. My desire is that as I open my heart and transparently share ideas and resources for everyday Christian living, I will be able to point to the fact that the baskets of our lives are lovingly woven with the Weaver’s touch! Thank you for joining me on this journey!

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Oh wait…I did say that! It applies here as well, though, because I truly want to thank you for an amazing first year at Petals from the Basket. The best way for me to conclude the three-day anniversary celebration for this blog is to share three important truths that I have learned this past year:

1. What I thought would be a detour of doubt became a journey of joy as I learned firsthand that God keeps His promises. One of the first verses God gave me on this new promise-paved path was Exodus 14:14 (NLT), “The LORD himself will fight for you. You won’t have to lift a finger in your defense!” He did; I didn’t; and it’s been amazing!

2. Complete perfection is impossible; transparency brings freedom; grace is everything. I didn’t want to start another blog, because I’m not perfect. I sin. I mess up—often. But when I decided that I would focus on God’s perfection and not my feeble attempts, I could be transparent about what He was doing in my life, because it’s all about His grace. I don’t deserve one stinkin’ thing, yet God gives me His grace—daily and freely! Wow–it’s never too late, and don’t let anyone tell you it is!

3. Faith and prayer are not about my faith and my prayers; they are about believing heart and soul in the One Who actually listens when I avail myself of the privilege He has given me of coming to Him with my requests and my praise. It’s this incredible cycle: He gives me grace; I praise Him; therefore, I learn more of Him; and I trust Him more…thereby increasing my faith—because of His grace; so, I praise Him, and, well, you get the idea! He is faithful to His Word, so why do I not claim and cling to every word? My three favorite words right now are “He. is. able!” (Read Jeremiah 32:17!)

After learning those three things in year one (among many, many other important lessons), I can’t wait to see all He lets me learn of Him in year two! So, I’ll close this section with one more heartfelt thank you for taking time to read Petals from the Basket. To God be the glory!

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The winners of the Anniversary Day comment post are:

*Cheryl H.

*Darcy F.

I’ll be contacting you within the next 7-10 days so that you can select your cards from the Ed G Biv Etsy site! Congratulations!

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In closing, I promised to share some exciting news, so here it is (it’s exciting to me, anyhow):

Last year, I wrote the “skeleton” set of material for my Bible Study book entitled The ABCs of T2:3—Integrating the Names and Character Qualities of God with the Principles Taught in Titus 2:3-5.

When I completed it, I made it available only on this site, but I will confess that there was very little of my heart in it. (In fact, I feel so bad that people paid money for that version that they will receive a free copy of the new one!) So, yes, that’s the announcement.

I am greatly revising The ABCs of T2:3, and it will be available by late June 2013. My precious friend Dee is going through each chapter as I complete it, and then a “study group” will go through it. Then, after one final phase, it will be available as a 14-lesson study for women. It will contain five days of lessons for each week of study. The emphasis on this revision is no longer on facts and material; it is on the importance of living our faith and applying what we learn from studying God’s Word. I’m super excited, and I can hardly wait to share it with you. For starters, it will only be available via this website, and you will be able to purchase either a downloadable copy or a printed copy! But more about that in the months to come!

In a few weeks, I will make a FREE sample chapter available to let you have a glimpse into the style, purpose, and contents of the study. I would sincerely be honored if you would please pray with me that this will be a tool used of God to teach all of us more of Him so that we might live more like Him!

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I love surprise blessings, so please check back on Saturday (no post tomorrow because of Good Friday observances) to find out about one more little fun giveaway for the anniversary celebration!