Queens of the Deck

I’ve been out of pocket for about a week. I was taking care of my mother who had to quickly have surgery. Thankfully, everything is turning out great.

I’m still trying to catch up. Hopefully I can put some laments down from the past week but I definitely wanted to get back here and write to you guys first.

I want to do a brief introduction of the three women behind SPS.

SPS started off as an idea I had to do an art project with Erin. But Erin was so enthusiastic about the idea that she couldn’t keep it to herself. The first SPS was done by a group of 8 from different parts of the country.

After the first SPS was so successful, Erin decided to share it with our friend Sandi. Her enthusiasm matched Erin’s and her talents complimented ours so well that Sandi joined us and we became the three queens of the SPS deck.
Simply put, SPS is being shared with all of you because of the potential Erin saw in it. Shuffle the Deck, Ice Breakers, and Thought Provokers were Erin’s idea and they are what define SPS. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. degree in Studio Art. Her main concentration was in drawing, but she rounded out her interests with courses in art history, ceramics, sculpture, painting and design.

You can see Erin’s gifts in many aspects of SPS. Her creative ideas seem endless when coming up with Ice Breakers and Shuffle the Deck. She is a captivating writer and has a maturity for explaining God’s word in everyday situations. She is always sensitive about communicating SPS so that it’s easy to understand and fun to do. She is also a great promoter. For Erin, the more the merrier!

Sandi is a treasure and we are so lucky to have her. She has a desire to find effective tools to reach and communicate the Good News and she saw SPS as one of those tools. She is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, where she teaches. She also edits the school’s award-winning magazine, Kindred Spirit.

Being a successful and accomplished writer and scholar, Sandi was able to fill-in the final piece of the SPS structure by writing a bible study for it (what we call Deal the Cards and Play Your Hand) . Her knowledge and experience in the publishing world have opened doors we wouldn’t have otherwise had access to. Those of you who have had the honor know she is a great speaker and teacher. You also soon discover Sandi’s compassion for women’s and family issues and her sincere encouragement.

And there’s me. In innocence (and ignorance) SPS originated with me. Although my intentions were to enrich my relationship with my friend, SPS was meant for a bigger audience. My talents lie in graphic design and programming and in every way it is undeniable that I am a geek. I got a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and in Mathematics from Western Kentucky University.

I designed the web site and the SPS logo. I got the idea of using playing cards from the round robin art projects I read about in my art magazines. I love using technology and multi-media to communicate and share ideas in the clearest and simplest way. I’m also an information junky and spend a lot of time reading and researching technology and our culture.

But even with the three of us, Diamonds, Spades and Hearts, the deck is not complete. The author and master of SPS is the King of Clubs, Yahweh, and we give Him the glory.