So I have a new contest idea. While reading for my audiobook last week, I was pleasantly re-introduced to one of my favorite sentences from the upcoming book. I smiled when I read it, and I remembered that one of my early readers (my sister, who has just started blogging and it’s about freaking time) had marked it with a happy face on an early draft. So I thought I’d post the sentence here…only Mad Lib style.

That’s right: I’ll give you the parts of speech, and your job is to fill in the blanks.

The most creative entry will win a two-book prize: a copy of Picking Dandelions (the great new title from Sarah Cunningham) and a signed copy of my own Pocket Guide to the Bible.

Here’s the Mad Lib sentence, with a little context to help you out:

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The practice of praying in my head — of lining up stray thoughts to present them to God in an official, well-reasoned and coherent manner — is like (verb ending in -ing) (plural noun) with a (noun) on a/an (place) (noun).

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Sample entry #1: …is like plucking eyebrows with a cherrypicker on a restroom countertop.

Sample entry #2: …is like hammering nails with a screwdriver on a Texas highway.

To be clear, I’m not judging based on how close you come to my original sentence, which I’m sure won’t be nearly as entertaining as these submissions. Nor am I judging by whether or not your entry makes sense, or matches the context, or helps me overcome my prayer challenges, or anything else. I’m only judging by creativity.

Because creativity is good. And good writing is good. Especially when you’re writing about the difficulties of prayer.

Have fun. Entries will be closed at 9 am tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 23).