Have you seen this little banner floating around Bloggityville? I've visited quite a few new blogs because of this award...and now I've become the recipient! Lyric at Chrysalis Song and Kate at Just Another Day in Paradise both nominated me for the Thinking Blogger award, and, only because I do admit to thinking from time to time, I humbly accept :-) Thank you, ladies! Their blogs are two of my faves and so I'm honored to have them recognize Granny's House.

The instructions to the recipients of the award are thus:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

So, after some reflection I hereby "pay it forward" with the following nominations. Prepare to think:

Dutch, Reformed. Brandon and Susie Dutcher write a very thoughtful blog and one I enjoy visiting often. It's a lovely blend of home thoughts, education, politics, sports (okay, they live in Oklahoma and they're disgustingly proud of it!) and social observation. I love the look of their blog as well...very nicely done!

Home Ec 101. Want to know how to make gravy like Granny made? How to get rid of a wasp's nest? How to change the belt on your dryer and save a bunch of money? Homemaking may sometimes feel like a thankless task, but it's certainly not a "think"less task! Don't let the 50's feel of this blog fool you: it's an invaluable compendium of how to keep house in THIS millennium! Heather and Ivy have a great "think" going here. They describe their blog as "what you wish your mama taught you", but even if you learned a lot of this stuff from your mama, you'll love keeping up with this blog!

Reformed Baptist Thinker. Not sure how I found this one, but what a treasure! I only thought I was thinking until I encountered this one! John is getting his MDiv at Southern Seminary in Louisville; he's also a former Mormon and so he writes prolifically and often about issues related to Mormonism. But he's certainly not one-dimensional. Even a glance at his categories and labels makes me salivate: The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, The Spurgeon Archives, Centers for Apologetics, The Emerging Church and Postmodernism, Puritans, AND YES, FOLKS, "Weird Al" Yankovic! I mean, what's not to like??

And in a different vein, I want to honor the blogs of two young women who both, in their own ways, cause me to think:

Less like scars. CJ, my 20 year old daughter, is living a life that 20 year olds should not have to: one of chronic pain and multiple medical challenges. Her writing reveals a mind and heart that are shaped not only by the fires she is walking through but by the God who has promised to be with her in that fire. Posts like this have kept us all going more than once when despair has threatened to set in. Her love of hymns is another thing that comes through clearly as we see lines from the lyrics that have ministered to her through her struggles. She's a remarkable young woman, even if I do say so myself.

Broken...but here. Johanna is a twenty-something single mother who writes poignantly of the excruciating joys of raising her son, always honestly--and sometimes with downright heartbreaking honesty. She's passionate about being a mother even in circumstances that drive her to the edges of her own brokenness...hence the name of her blog. You can't visit Johanna without seeing that she's also passionate about photography, and she has an amazing ability to capture ordinary moments in extraordinary ways. If you want to be challenged to think by looking at the world through the eyes of a single mom, this is the place to do it.

So...there are my picks for thinking blogs. Please visit them and let them know you've been there...that's such an encouragement to those of us who love to write!

Labels: Blogstuff