29 Pages

Yes - 29 pages.  That is the number of pages I filled in my journal last weekend while attending Women of Faith - The Imagine Conference.  I've attended Women of Faith numerous times.  I've never gone to the conference without returning better than I came.  Women of Faith is just that good.  However, this weekend was better than I imagined!  I don't know if it was the fact that I knew I would be blogging about this weekend for Book Sneeze who sent me to the conference, or if it was because I needed this weekend more than ever, but I couldn't get enough.  I hung on every single word from the speakers to the musicians. 

My sister and I traveled to Indy on Thursday night.  We checked into our luxurious hotel.  Yes, we stayed in a luxurious hotel.  This is not our usual custom.  We had used Priceline and I must say we landed an amazing deal.  God showed off all weekend by blessing us over and over again.  It started with the invitation to the conference and was followed by staying at the beautiful JW Marriot hotel.  I cannot speak enough about the excellent service we recieved. 

Thursday morning came and we grabbed a taxi to the Conseco Fieldhouse.  We took our seats just in time.  Within minutes the Women of Faith Worship Team took the stage.  I was blessed by them every single time they took the stage that weekend.  If you love Praise and Worship music (who doesn't) I suggest you pick up a copy of their newest CD Rejoice. 

The first speaker of the day was Sheila Walsh.  Sheila spoke about the woman from Mark 5:21-29.  Sheila reminded us that this woman lived each day under 603 rules and one of those rules sentenced her to a life of being unclean as long as she had this issue of blood.  No one touched her for 12 years.  Sheila told of the woman's risk at being stoned to death if it was realized that she had touched Jesus.  I had also never considered the next thing Sheila said.  When Jesus turned and asked who had touched him, he knew.  He risked being considered unclean by those around because of her touch.  Jesus gave the woman a bigger miracle than she asked for.  He freed her from the shame.  The heart of Sheila's message was summed up in her closing remark, "When the lies of the enemy come, resist them because you are loved by God."

The next speaker was Henry Cloud.  I had never heard Dr. Cloud speak before.  I have already ordered his book "The Law of Happiness: How Spiritual Wisdom and Modern Science Can Change Your Life" and I have "Necessary Endings" on my wish list.  If you ever get the chance to hear Dr. Henry Cloud speak, you must!  The heart of his message was that we should 1.  Be a giver.  2. Be connected. 3. Have goals.  He went into great depth explaining the necessary components of each of these things and how they are essential to our lives.  He spoke again after lunch and reminded us that "God mets you where you are and tells you of a different tomorrow."  Using the Biblical accout of the Israelites  leaving Egypt for the Promised Land, Dr. Cloud reminded us that:
1.  The boat can't set sail if it's still tied to the dock.
2.  You can't get to the Promised Land while dragging Sodom and Gomorrah along.
3.  Today may be the enemy of your tomorrow.
He also used the analogy of pruning roses to pruning the unnecessary things from our lives. 
I cannot tell you enough about how wonderful these messages were.  I am different because of these messages.  They were not only life changing, but life giving.  I feel as if I have new breath.  Thank you God for using Henry Cloud.  This message was followed by a Question and Answer session with Dr. Cloud and Sheila Walsh.

Sheila spoke again and reminded us that "Peace is not the absence of trouble, it is the presence of Christ" and "The bigger the trouble you are in, the quicker you should run home."

Lisa Harper spoke Friday evening.  I was excited to hear her speak after reviewing her new book for Book Sneeze a few weeks ago.  She did not disappoint.  She spoke about compassion.  It was a message I needed to hear.  She asked the question "Are you holding the rock of resentment in your hand judging those around you?"  This was a message I needed to hear.  There are situations that have occured in my life and I need to drop the rock and let them go.  Thank you Lisa. 

Saturday was full of great messages from the rest of the Porch Pals.

Sheila Walsh spoke Saturday morning about the Jesus our shepherd.  It was an excellent talk that drew me closer to my Shepherd. 

Nicole Johnson spoke about her life and reminded us that when we give God our broken peices, he puts it back together into something beautiful. 

Angie Smith brought me to tears with her testimony of suffering the loss of a child.  She reminded us to keep our eyes on the Lord in the midst of storms.  Her testimony is full of wisdom, humor, insight that touched me deeply. 

Luci Swindol, one of my favorite Women of Faith speakers, reminded us that we should live with joy and fill our lives with things that bring us true joy.  She also said that we improve the world by enjoying it.  Life is a gift!  Thank you Luci for that reminder.

The weekend was summed up by each of the speakers.  They did an amazing job of bringing closure and giving us a final nugget of wisdom for the road. 

We were also blessed by songs from Mary, Mary and Natalie Grant.  Both of them were excellent and their music was filled with messages of hope!

It was an amazing weekend.  I left rejuvinated and ready to tackle life knowing that I don't face it alone!  Thank you Book Sneeze and Women of Faith. 

Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont

Stained Glass Hearts is the newest book from one of my favorite Christian authors, Patsy Clairmont.  Patsy has always been one of my favorites!  I went to hear her speak at a church earlier this year.  I spent most of the day between fits of laughter and buckets of tears!  She has long been a favorite of Women of Faith attendees.  I have always felt a connection to Patsy.  That connection has deepened after reading Stained Glass Hearts.  This book is a mixture of devotional readings, art lessons, literature suggestions, and music appreciation.  Patsy has paired each chapter with songs, literature and music suggestions.  These suggestions especially appealed to my creative side and enhanced my reading and understanding of the chapters.  Being a stained glass artist also made this book quite appealing to me.  The subtitle of the book is seeing life from a broken perspective.  Patsy uses each chapter in this book to help us understand that while God didn’t intend for us to be “broken”, He does want to use it.  We must be ready and willing to be mended and molded by a father who loves his children.  In the book, Patsy uses a quote from Maya Angelou which states, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”  This book doesn’t have all of the answers, but it, like the song the bird sings can be enjoyed and can spur us on to a closer walk with the mender of stained glass lives.

Women of Faith

I cannot wait to blog about the incredible experience I have had at Women of Faith!  It has been fantastic and we still have all of Saturday left!