Spotlight on: Sting My Heart

Today is Thursday, so it is the perfect time to spotlight “Sting My Heart.”

Iris was born and raised in Germany, but lives in Arizona, which she describes as having two seasons: “Hot and hotter.” Her blog design is curious: An alien-looking creature is depicted as an animate pincushion. The title, “Sting My Heart,” apparently relates to the New Testament book of Ephesians 2:8-10, an excerpt from which, “saved by grace — through faith,” serves as her blog’s description. Make no mistake: Iris writes from a Christian viewpoint. Individual pages are devoted to describing what she believes and virtually all of the links displayed relate in one way or another to Christian topics.

What caught our attention, however, was “Thankful Thursday,” a weekly meme that Iris began hosting earlier this year. (She has been participating for about a year.) Previously, the program was hosted by Chrixean after the idea was conceived by Running2Ks. This meme has grown dramatically since “Sting My Heart” became the hub: Iris tells us that the number of participants has tripled over the course of the past four months from around 20 to more than 60 bloggers joining in each week.

Although Iris writes from a particular religious viewpoint, we could find no indication that the program is limited to folks who share her beliefs. On the contrary, Iris explains:

There are no rules for it, except to look around you and give thanks - for even the smallest things in your life. The two other things I am asking you: please visit all the other [bloggers] who leave their link here, and that you add the little graphic to the posts . . . Questions? Just let me know, okay? Oh, BTW - I always add some Scripture passages to my post, BUT that is not a requirement to participate — just something I like to do.

So if you are interested in giving thanks each Thursday, all you need to do is head over to Sting My Heart, let Iris know that you are playing and then post your entry!

Lastly, we commend Iris for her monthly “Encouragement Award” by which she acknowledges other bloggers who have inspired, supported, buoyed her. Not only does she write a special post about the particular blogger, she gifts them with a nifty little badge they can display on their blog and a permanent link in her sidebar. We think Iris’ idea is superb and most certainly in tune with our philosophy here in the Garden. Iris exemplifies our idea of a blogger who strives to make the world around her — especially the blog world — a better place. She offers a kind and encouraging word — indeed, a special award — to others, displays a generous spirit, and seeks to grasp meaning in the mundane, conceptualizing and giving context to her own life and the lives of those she interacts with.

Stop by “Sting My Heart” and get to know Iris. We think you’ll be glad you did!

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, The Random Yak, guerrilla radio, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, On the Horizon, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Conservative Cat, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.