Michelle DeRusha

I’ve mentioned before that I weep every time I read the acknowledgements section in my own book. If Brad sees me looking a little misty-eyed, he’ll ask, “Hey, have you been reading your own acknowledgements again?” And then we crack up, because it is a little lame to cry over your own book.

Writing and releasing a book is a lot like pregnancy and labor – a really, really, really long pregnancy and labor in my case. And you know when you have a baby how you get all weepy with gratitude for all the people who helped you along the way? Well that’s how I feel about this book. I am weepy with gratitude for all the dozens of people who helped birth Spiritual Misfit today.

Just keepin’ it real, people!

Thank you, Mom and Dad — Mom, for your example of unwavering faith and Dad for your partnership and companionship as we’ve wrestle-walked our way to God.

Thank you to my husband Brad, who always, always said I would find faith.

Thank you to my kids, Noah and Rowan, who show me the hand of God in everything from the call of a chickadee in the river birch tree to the gargantuan Great Plains grasshopper who scares the heck out of me.

Thank you to my late in-laws, Jon and Janice — Janice, for always knowing in your heart that this book would find a publisher; I know you are smiling down at this moment. And Jon, for rounding up every spare Barnes and Noble gift card in your house and wallet and handing them over to me so I could buy my very first Bible.

To my pastors Greg, Sara and Michael and to my church community at Southwood Lutheran Church. Thank you for helping me understand what the words “church family” mean.

To my person, Deidra Riggs, for cheering, cheering, cheering this whole long way.

And lastly, thank you to every single person who reads this blog – whether you just visited for the first time today or have been following along this journey for the last five years.

I told a group of women at a retreat this past weekend that I started blogging for one reason only: to build a platform to support a book I hoped to publish. I never expected to find such incredible gifts in this crazy blogosphere. Thank you for reading; for your encouraging comments and emails that have kept me putting fingers to keyboard all this time; for your friendship, compassion and empathy; and for showing me that God lives in the most unlikely places – even in cyberspace.

{Yeah, I’m weeping again}

If you read Spiritual Misfit and it resonates with you, please consider giving a copy to someone you think needs to read this story. I wrote the book for myself and for all those wrestling, wandering and questioning on the spiritual journey. It is my heart’s prayer that the person standing on the cusp of faith, wondering where and even how to start, will find the beginning of an answer in this book.

Giveaways

Okay, now the fun part! Let’s have a book baby shower!

I have a few sweet little gifts to offer you in celebration of Spiritual Misfit‘s birthday. If you order/purchase a book between today and next Monday, you’ll be entered into a random drawing to receive one of the five following gifts.

Simply send your online book purchase receipt or proof of purchase to michellederusha1@gmail.com for a chance to win.

One winner will receive this super-cute bird-on-a-wire necklace, six handmade bird-on-a-wire note cards and a personalized, signed copy of Spiritual Misfit. {which means you can give your purchased copy of the book to a friend}

Two winners will receive a selection of eight handmade note cards (made by yours truly) and a personalized, signed copy of Spiritual Misfit.

And two winners will receive a personalized, signed copy of Spiritual Misfit.

So today is the day! Order your own copy of Spiritual Misfit at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ChristianBook.com. If you’re local in Lincoln, it should be on the shelves soon, if not already, at Indigo Bridge Books in the Haymarket and at both Barnes and Noble locations.

And…pop around and visit some of these lovely bloggers who have SO very graciously written reviews, conducted Q&A interviews with me and have been cheering heartily for this day for weeks now. These posts are written by the Spiritual Misfit book launch team, led by the uber-talented Lindsey Hartz, and let me tell you straight-up, I don’t think I could have made it through the promotional stage of this book launch without these folks!

Yahoo!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Singing these words at the top of my lungs today: “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad and be glad!” (Psalm 118)

Spiritual Misfit reviews and interviews, link up here: