I can't believe it's already been a week since everyone was in San Antonio, eating a multitude of flour tortillas and heading to the Alamodome. I've spent much of this week walking around in a bit of a preoccupied daze.
Of course, some may say that's not much different than any other day.
But this past week has been filled with sending my only child off to Kindergarten on the heels of a weekend where I felt God speak to so many of my fears and insecurities.
Beth taught on the theme of inheritance and everything was framed in the context that we are heirs of God.
She had me at the first point which was I am an heir of God, my life is not left to chance. The truth is that nothing happens by chance. God has a plan for my life and the people and things He brings into my life may seem random, but are God-ordained.
Beth said that Providence is the FACT that God works as powerfully in natural events as the miraculous. That hit home with me because when I look at my husband, my marriage, my friendships, and the path my life has taken, I realize that all those things are a series of natural events that add up to the miraculous. I was created for all those things and those things were created for me.
That's Divine Providence.
For a semi-reformed control freak, it's comforting for me to relax in the arms of God and know He has my life under control. It's not my job to figure everything out or have a plan, it's my job to listen and follow.
Beth had us draw a box that depicted our boundary lines. The four walls represented intimacy with God, our past, our life experiences, and our gifts. Faith was in the center as it should be.
She challenged us by asking if God was invading all of our boundary lines because if He isn't, then it means the devil has it. We may think we have it, but if it's not covered by God, then it's not covered.
I struggle with guilt over past failures and mistakes, I have some life experiences that I wish were different, I struggle sometimes to find intimacy with God, I often wish I had different gifts, but all of those things are what make me unique.
God wants to use my past, my present, my future to fulfill His purposes, but He can only do that if I get out of the way and let Him take over my boundary lines.
That spoke to me more deeply than anything else. Everything about me makes me who He created me to be. He knew all the days of my life before one of them came to be. He's not caught by surprise at my failings and weaknesses, He uses me in spite of them and sometimes because of them.
I've spent this week taking a closer look at my boundary lines and surrendering all that ground to Him. He's the only one that can make it into something beautiful.
Hey ya'll. Wanted to let you know about a podcast that Melanie and I did for women allaccess blog. We give a little inside scoop as to why and how we got this whole amazing thing started in the first place.
Also, I too had an incredible time at LPL San Antonio. Beth brought it as she always does: incredible biblical truth that set me on fire and I couldn't wait to tell someone about it when I got home. Fun times with Vicki Courtney, Melanie, Sophie and I - and all you other girls I met that night at dinner too. So great to meet you all. Nothing beats Mexican breakfast after a good dose of God's word!
Back in January I bought a CD called God Speaking by a guy named Ronnie Freeman. I loved the CD instantly, and even now, almost eight months later, it's still in constant rotation on my iPod. The CD is, in a word, excellent.
There's one song in particular that I thought might be of interest to those of y'all who were at Living Proof Live this past weekend. The song is called "My Inheritance," and as you can imagine, it fits in pretty nicely with the theme of Beth's teaching. You may have even heard it at the end of the Saturday session - it was playing loud and clear over the speakers. Made me smile.
If you'd like to listen to a clip of the song (or even buy it), you can find it here on iTunes or here on Amazon.
As an added bonus to the song? Christy Nockels also sings. And that may not matter to anyone else except for me, but that's okay, because OH, I DO ADORE HER.
I am not really a "women's conference" kind of person.
In fact, two years ago, I feel almost certain that I wouldn't have paid cash money to attend a women's event.
I find that pretty ironic considering that I have attended three different women's conferences in the last three months and still have more ahead of me.
But y'all know what? I've become a fan.
I think I was always held back by the thought of the crowds, the bathroom lines, and just the time commitment involved. Now I know I was missing out.
On Saturday in San Antonio, the event ended with 10,000 women singing "Shout to the Lord" acapella. I had tears rolling down my face because it was a glimpse of what heaven will sound like.
It was such a great experience to visit with women sitting all around me who were experiencing the same thing. All day today I've had friends ask me how this weekend was and I can't even describe it. There is just no way to put it into words.
And what a cliche to say "You had to be there."
But you did. You had to be there.
The core scripture that Beth taught from this weekend was Psalm 16: 5-6.
"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, indeed. I have a beautiful inheritance."
We'll talk more about the specific points of the message as the week goes on, but as I sat in the Alamodome on Friday and Saturday, surrounded by all these amazing women, I couldn't help but praise Him for the beautiful boundary lines He's drawn over all of our lives and how, for two days, we were all connected.
I have so much to say about this past weekend. And I plan to say a whole bunch of it over the course of the next few days. But in short: WHAT A WEEKEND at Living Proof San Antonio.
Not to mention that that guy named Travis and his praise team? Can flat-out lead some worship.
Have mercy.
Sometimes I struggle when I try to put the crux of a particularly memorable message into words - because there's absolutely no way I can do it justice - but like Melanie said in her post (the one she wrote on the bathroom floor at 5:30 IN THE MORNING, WHEN THERE WAS STILL NO SUN), the main theme of the weekend was Inheritance. Beth gave us eight truths from Scripture that bear out the fact that we are heirs of God, and in doing that she showed us how inheritance always involves three elements:
1) Presence (Genesis 26:25, Joshua 1:9)
2) People (Genesis 12:3, Genesis 22:17-18, Deuteronomy 4:20, Psalm 16:3, Revelation 7:9)
3) Property (Numbers 26:52-56, Matthew 25:34 - and this has nothing to do with our earthly possessions, by the way)
So obviously we have a little bit of information to unpack over the next few days.
Mel and I thought it would be fun to do a Mr. Linky-type thing where y'all could share your summaries of the weekend, but I can't seem to get the code to work in this here bloggy template. I'm sure my lack of technical know-how is SHOCKING.
But here's what we can do: if you've written on your own blog about this past weekend in San Antonio, leave your link in the comments, and I'll add the links to this post throughout the day. That way we can click around and read each other's thoughts about what we learned in San Antonio - and hopefully it'll be a great way for us to encourage one another as we jump into Monday after such an incredible weekend.
And if you would, leave a link to your SPECIFIC POST - not just your general blog URL.
I am not even kidding that it is 5:46 a.m. on Saturday morning and I am sitting on the floor of the bathroom (with pillows and towels underneath me, of course) of the hotel writing a post.
Some might say I have a problem.
I'll partially blame it on the fact that I've had to take oral prednisone this week and I believe it has given me a touch of the insomnia, but really I think it's that my mind is so full of all the events of yesterday.
I was able to spend time with so many sweet friends that I've met through blogging. I can't believe I have friends that I met on the internet. Next thing you know I'll become a huge fan of science fiction.
We arrived at the Alamodome around 6:15 yesterday evening, found our seats, and waited for everything to start. There is just something about being at these events that blows my mind. To look around and see 10,000 other women praising God is an awesome thing.
I know Sophie and I will talk more about Beth's message over the next few days, but I'll tell y'all that the theme was INHERITANCE.
Inheritance, as in our inheritance in God and also the fact that WE are His inheritance.
That blows my mind.
And may be part of the reason that I'm sitting on a bathroom floor at 5:54 a.m. wide awake with a million thoughts running through my mind.
Sophie just woke up and came in here to make sure that I was okay. I can see how it would be troubling to realize your roommate has been in the bathroom for 45 minutes.
She may be more disturbed now that she knows I'm not terribly sick, I'm just on the computer.
Umm, yeah. I was having some technical difficulties posting yesterday. It seems that I was experiencing some sort of server error or some other such thing.
So, I went to bed with the best of intentions to check back in periodically to see if it would let me post. I checked back in at 9 a.m. with no luck and then I left my house for the day and didn't return home until after 6 p.m. at which time it seemed pointless to post.
This is why I need an iPhone. I should never be away from the internet for eight hours.
Anyway, my day yesterday was filled with a million errands, but the biggest moment was going to Meet the Teacher at Caroline's Kindergarten. I don't know if she was nervous, but I was. I felt like the new kid at school for the first time in many years. I've prayed so much about her new teacher and her new friends and I know it's going to be great, but it's a change. I'm not known for adapting well to change.
The rest of the day was spent picking up drycleaning, laundry, going to the pool. Basically trying to squeeze every last drop out of Summer.
And now, I'm ready for the Siesta Fiesta. I've been looking forward to this weekend for the last year and can't believe it's here. I'm picking Sophie up from the airport around noon and the fun will begin.
I can't tell you how excited I am to meet so many people in real life who I feel like I already know. The internet is amazing because it puts you in touch with people you would otherwise never meet, but then to actually get to meet them? It's the best.
Can't wait!
I just know we're going to have a great time. I know God is going to speak through Beth.
And I know we'll all head home blessed beyond measure.
We'll be checking in throughout the weekend with updates, so stay tuned!
Hello everyone! Kris here. I know, you haven't heard from me in so long and I am way convicted! I don't want to sound like a marketing strategist, but well, that's what I am and this bit of information is too good to not let you in on it! I just got this video today - hot off the press - straight from our amazing video production team.
Get ready girls. Esther, It's Tough Being a Woman will be available November 17th. Here's a message to you from Beth. Check it out. (First, you'll want to stop the video over there to your right)
Last week, my Bible study group finished week seven of A Heart Like His.
For those of you playing at home, you may be thinking that we finished week six about three weeks ago. And you would be right.
But summer is a time full of vacations and no schedules. We have embraced summer and are not getting bogged down in Bible study legalism.
And, sure, we may not be finished learning about David until Christmas, but whatever.
Anyway, week seven is entitled "The Wages of Sin".
You just know it's not going to be pretty.
Sure enough, day one kicks off with David seeing Bathsheba taking a bath and ends with her being pregnant with his child.
Not good.
As many times as I've heard this story, I kept reading it wishing and hoping it would end differently than it did the first 100 times. Especially after I've spent the last six weeks following David's incredible rise to the throne and the character, dignity and faith in God that guided him along the way.
How did this happen? How did David fall?
Well, first, he fell because he was human. All of us are going to fail which is why we need Jesus.
But there were a few other factors.
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had never noticed this before, but Beth points out in 2 Samuel 11:1 that we see David send Joab off to war instead of going himself. David stayed in Jerusalem when he should have been with his men.
When he walked up to the roof and saw Bathsheba bathing, he was in a place he shouldn't have been in the first place with too much time on his hands. That's a dangerous combination.
The sight of Bathsheba caused David to have thoughts he shouldn't have, which led to him sending for her, which led to the conception of a child.
I'll let y'all put all those pieces together.
The bottom line is that it was David's thoughts that began his journey down a bad road. If he had asked God to give him the strength to think on what is pure, what is lovely, what is holy as opposed to asking one of his men to go get Bathsheba, that would have been the end of the story.
Beth made it very clear how important it is that we safeguard ourselves from wrong actions by confessing the sins of our thoughts.
It's really made me think about my thought life. How many times do I let my mind go down a path it shouldn't go? How often do I get all judgy in my head about someone? How often do I dwell on something longer than I should?
I've spent the last week trying to remember to ask God to take those thoughts and forgive me for them before they turn into words or actions that could be hurtful.
I have a long way to go, but it's definitely made me think more about where I let my mind go and where it shouldn't go. Because how much better is it to stop something potentially hurtful in my head before it becomes a word or an action?
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
4. Kay reminds us over and over that God is a covenant-keeping God. He never breaks His promises to us. Our relationships with our husbands are covenants, and we should never take that covenant lightly.
5. At the end of session three, Kay points out that we have a responsibility to reset the standard our culture offers young girls. And she says that we can't just speak the truth; we have to model it in the way we behave and the way we dress. We shouldn't use our sexuality to manipulate, to look for approval, to find what we think is love - we need to remember that sexuality is a gift from God.
6. This could be a really neat study for moms to do with their (older) teenage daughters. As I listened to Kay in session three, I kept thinking about how well she articulates the WHY of purity, and if a young girl is spiritually mature enough, I think she would be so encouraged by Kay's teaching. There would have to be a high level of spiritual maturity, though. For sure.
I AM SO WAY BEYOND EXCITED ABOUT GOING TO LIVING PROOF LIVE THIS WEEKEND.
But I have a confession.
My hair's not going to be all that dreamed it would be. I'm at a critical in-between highlights juncture, so my color isn't going to be as fresh and, well, BLONDE as I prefer.
However, I'm going to press on despite this small hair-related hindrance.
So. What about the rest of you who are going to San Antonio? Anything about the weekend that has you a little bit nervous? Anything causing a few butterflies?
So I had every intention of being more consistent with posting (for many weeks! in a row!) about Kay Arthur's latest Bible study, Return to the Garden. But our group's summer schedules proved to be way more unpredictable than we anticipated, and it was hard to find times to meet when everybody was actually, you know, IN TOWN.
So instead of being finished with the study, I'm at the halfway mark. And I thought this might be a good time to fill you in on some of my thoughts and reactions at this stage in the Return to the Garden game.
Oh, this is terribly exciting.
And there again, I feel weird using the word "exciting" in relation to a Bible study about sex. Because I am twelve, apparently.
1. This is a study that's well-suited for a small (as in three or four people) group. And it would also be good if those three or four people are close friends - because the material goes a bit beyond polite "getting to know you" conversation. You need to feel really comfortable with your group.
2. There's a question somewhere in the first week of homework that continues to resonate with me. Kay asks, quite simply, "Is everything in His temple [your body] saying 'Holy to the Lord'?"
EVERYTHING?
I mean, in addition to the aspect of that question that relates to sex, think about health. Think about endurance. Think about rest.
Humbling, huh?
3. When Kay mentions that she went through a time of spiritual rebellion and fell pretty deep into sin, she says that one reason she was so susceptible to compromise was because "I had a religion, not a relationship." And I just thought that was profound. I've been in the same boat - and I've wondered how I fell so far so fast (different circumstances, different sin, but a pit just the same). After all, I was a "good girl" who grew up in church, and I should've known better. Kay's words really gave me some clarity.
All righty, girls - hopefully that'll be some good food for thought over the weekend. I'll post the second half of my first-half-of-study highlights on Tuesday.
I do hope that the anticipation won't keep you awake for the next four nights.
And seriously. Return to the Garden is a good word - for a whole host of reasons. It's not always comfortable, mind you, but it's good.
It seems like everywhere I turn lately I see something about Fireproof (our friend Pam actually wrote about it in one of the first allaccess posts). There's no doubt that this movie is going to have huge buzz by the time it hits theatres on September 26th.
Now I'll be honest with y'all. Even though I'm sure that Fireproof is an excellent film, it's not the kind of movie that would normally make me run to the theatre. Why, you ask? Because I'm weird. And I'm not typically a huge fan of movies about romance, the search for romance or the quest to reclaim romance gone awry.
Which means that I'm pretty much left with movies featuring talking animals or movies where things blow up.
You may have picked up on the fact that I have some movie romance issues.
But for several reasons, Fireproof has piqued my curiosity. First, I believe with my whole heart that we're supposed to fight for our marriages. Second, I'm oh-so-intrigued by this particular film's behind-the-scenes story (I mean, a church with a movie ministry? ROCK ON). And third, Mike Seaver, because I could sing the "Growing Pains" theme song from memory right this second, OH YES MA'AM.
So all that to say: I'm planning to see it. And if you'd like to know if the movie will be playing in your area, check out this section of the Fireproof website. You can even find contact information if you or your church would like to buy out a showtime.
And just in case you haven't watched it yet, here's the Fireproof trailer.
What do you think? Will you see this movie? And do you think this film will catch on with mainstream audiences?
p.s. That song you hear in the trailer? It's "Love Is Not A Fight" by Warren Barfield. And I love it a bunch. In case you were wondering.
I just thought I'd let y'all know that the event schedule for 2009 has been set, so you have plenty of time to plan ahead and see what events you can attend next year.
Also, don't forget that it's not to late to head out to Las Vegas on September 5-6 for Deeper Still. This will be your last chance to see Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer for a whole year.
Here is the 2009 Going Beyond schedule. Remember Priscilla has a new baby on the way, so her speaking engagements are very limited. I just admire her for getting out there at all considering I spent the first year after Caroline was born watching "Regis and Kelly" while wearing my pajamas.
They haven't posted the dates for the 2009 You and Your Girl events with Vicki Courtney, but I'm sure they'll be up soon. We'll keep you posted.
Check your calendars, call your girlfriends and plan on having a great weekend if one of these events is near you.
Personally, I'd like to attend the Living Proof Live event on August 14-15, 2009 in Fargo, North Dakota. My reasons are threefold:
1. It's being held in a building called the Fargodome.
2. I've never been to North Dakota, although I have seen the movie "Fargo".
3. Fargo, North Dakota in August is bound to be cooler than August in San Antonio.
One week from today, many of you will be arriving in San Antonio for Living Proof Live. I originally wrote this post for the Siesta Fiesta blog, but thought I would post it here for any of you that didn't see it.
I'd love to have you all over to my house, grill some burgers, eat some chips and queso, and play some Pictionary or whatever. But, you know, I don't live in a house that really accommodates 200 + people. Or really more than 20 people for that matter.
So, it's probably a no-go on the whole backyard barbecue thing. However, I can suggest some restaurants and activities that might make your visit complete.
Best of all, I don't have to cook or clean up.
Let's talk food first. Everyone knows when a bunch of women get together we like to eat. It's just the civilized way to do things. And when you're in San Antonio, you have to eat Mexican food. It's the law.
Not really, but it should be.
One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the world is Rosarios, which isn't on the Riverwalk but is not far from the Alamodome and all the downtown hotels. They have awesome guacamole and I wake up at night dreaming of their salsa. Seriously, it is so good.
Of course San Antonio is known for the Riverwalk so you'll probably cave to the pressure to eat on the river. And you won't be disappointed. In my opinion the best restaurants on the river are Boudros (a little pricey), Acenar (upscale Mexican food), Rio Rio (true Tex-Mex), and Paesanos (Italian food).
There are also several chain restaurants along the river, such as County Line BBQ, Salt Grass Steakhouse, and Landry's Seafood, if you'd rather play it safe with something you know.
If you're looking for convenience, there's a restaurant right across from the Alamodome called Aldaco's Mexican Restaurant. Just remember that 2500 other women may have the same idea.
Oh, and for a late night or breakfast option, Mi Tierra is awesome and open 24 hours a day.
And I think that pretty much sums up the restaurant situation.
Let's talk shopping.
If you have time to shop, then you have a few downtown options. Rivercenter Mall is located right on the River Walk and has just about every store you can imagine.
For a fun, unique San Antonio experience, I would head to Market Square. It's basically like being in Mexico but without anyone carrying around a whole pigs head in a clear plastic bag. (TRUE STORY!) El Mercado has restaurants, shops, and tons of local flavor.
And if you decide to venture outside of downtown, then I would suggest The Shops at La Cantera for some serious shopping or The Outlet Malls in San Marcos.
If shopping and eating aren't your thing then I don't know that we'll have much in common other than our love for hearing Beth Moore speak. However, I will offer up a few alternate activities.
It's always fun to take a Riverboat cruise down the Riverwalk. I think the only prerequisite is that you wear a camera around your neck. Not really, but you'll see a lot of that. It's a tourist thing, but it's so fun.
Also, little known fact, San Antonio is home to a little piece of history called The Alamo. And, in all honesty, if you haven't ever seen it then you're missing out. Of course if you're from Wisconsin it may not mean as much to you as it does to those of us that are proud Texans.
And don't judge it by that horrendous Alamo movie that came out a few years ago. The real story is better than that. Plus, you can buy a coonskin hat for your kids in the gift shop, just like Sam Houston did when he was there.
One other option is La Villita. It's located downtown and is a historical art village filled with shops and a few restaurants.
I'm assuming most of y'all will just be with girlfriends, but if you're turning it into a family vacation then I suggest a visit to SeaWorld, the San Antonio Zoo, Fiesta Texas or Schlitterbahn Water Park. You can't go wrong with any of them.
One last note, when parking at the Alamodome you should know that even the closest parking isn't that close. If you can take a shuttle from your hotel, you will definitely want to do that. And if you have to drive and park, then you will want to make sure you have on comfortable shoes.
The other thing is that when you're waiting to get in the Alamodome for seats, you will be outside in the heat with little to no shade. So dress cool and bring a sweater for inside because it does get cool in the dome. You may also want to bring some bottles of water to drink while you wait!
And, seriously, if you have any questions about San Antonio, leave them in the comments and I'll answer them in another post.
This past weekend my husband cleaned out my car, oh God bless him. Because while I realize that there are probably many of you who keep immaculately maintained vehicles with nary a curly French fry in sight, I confess to you right here and now that I struggle in this area. The car cleanliness thing tends to get away from me.
However, the up side is that if you're ever looking for a Coke-stained notepad, a small piece of a Happy Meal toy or an assortment of gently-worn Starbucks napkins, I can HOOK YOU UP.
You're welcome.
And here's even more good news: when my hubby and my little boy cleaned out my car, they discovered one flat-out treasure: my notes from a Living Proof Live in Knoxville in 2005.
Honestly, I can't remember why the notebook was even in my car - I think I threw it in there a few weeks ago to take to a meeting. Regardless, I was beyond tickled to sit down at my kitchen table yesterday afternoon and read through those notes. I'll be doggone if I didn't get me a good word AGAIN - three years after the event.
The focus of that weekend was Loving Well - the idea that we'll never be able to love others well until we let God love us well. And after a little interweb searching, I found out that the teaching from that conference is available as a weekend retreat in a box, and it's called - YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS - Loving Well.
What a crazy coincidence.
I remembered yesterday that what resonated so deeply with me that weekend was how sacrificially we have to love the people in our lives who, for whatever reason, are difficult to love (and for the sake of our discussion, we're talking about people who are ornery, bitter, manipulative, etc.). Beth used four different passages from Scripture to illustrate how we're called to love those "testy" people, and here's what just jumped off the page at me as I re-read my notes yesterday:
"The people who drive us crazy have been assigned to us, positioned for us. They bring out the worst in us because God designed them to bring the worst [in us] up and OUT."
My tendency sometimes is to try to "escape" difficult people - to avoid them, to push them away, to distance myself from them because I so dislike the feelings they bring out in me. But Beth reminded us that "God pours His perfect love into my imperfect heart," and our calling is to extend that love to others. Period. 1 John 4:19-21 is pretty clear on this matter: "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."
So what about you? How do you handle this issue in your own life? How do you deal with people who are difficult to love? Have you ever experienced restoration in one of those relationships? Do you have any wisdom you'd like to share with the rest of us? Any encouragement you can offer?
If you missed the interview that Steven Curtis Chapman and his family did with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America then you are missing out.
I can't even imagine what they are going through, but what an incredible testimony of the power of hope in an Almighty God even in the midst of tragedy.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
Except for maybe eating a pan of warm brownies, but that is another topic for another time.
Anyway, I've been trying to follow Melanie's lead and write a post that shares a little bit of my testimony, but when I was up to about 600 words and hadn't even hit my early 20s yet, I decided I'd better edit it. So that you can, you know, finish reading it by the end of the year.
By the way, I asked my husband to read my first draft, and he cautioned me that I might be oversharing just a smidge. So I'm trying to rewrite it without rambling so much. Because I'm guessing that you probably don't care about that time when I was so overwrought about not having a date for Homecoming that I DROVE HOME FROM COLLEGE in a not-at-all-overly-dramatic-fashion.
And do you know what happened when I got to my parents' house?
A guy called and asked me to Homecoming.
It was all eerily reminiscent of a John Hughes movie except that there was no one named Ducky or Blaine involved.
But anyhoo.
Here are the two things that I have communicated not-at-all quickly:
1) There are still tickets available for Living Proof Live in San Antonio on August 22-23. I actually couldn't believe it when I saw that you could still register - especially since I have missed a couple of Living Proof events because I couldn't find tickets.
But then Melanie reminded me that the Alamodome seats around 65,000 people, so it stands to reason that there's still room for a few more pairs of capri pants. We'd love to see you there.
2) If you are attending Living Proof in San Antonio and have also registered to attend the Siesta Fiesta gathering, Patty and Kim have some important information for you over on the Siesta Fiesta blog. I can't wait to hug those two and thank them in person for all the hard work they've done. Such servants' hearts.
Okay. I believe that's all.
And next time I'll try to do better with the whole "quick" thing.
I think it would be safe to say that I'm a people person.
And what I mean by that is that when I meet people, if I have time, I love to look for common denominators: shared friends, shared backgrounds, shared interests, shared favorite colors, shared favorite song in the summer of 1989, etc. and so forth and so on amen.
Not too long after I started blogging, I joined an online group study of Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of The Spirit with about fifteen other women. Every week, after we completed our homework, we'd post about what we'd learned. And while the Word was always, always central, I thought that one of the neatest things about walking through that particular study was the opportunity to read about each participant's life experiences in relation to each week's lesson.
You might say that I'm a smidge relational. And I mention that to (hopefully) explain why I think what I'm about to tell you about is OH-SO-COOL, MY WORD.
Priscilla Shirer is working on a new Bible study called Going Beyond, and there's something called Open Access that enables you to be a part of the study throughout the writing and editing process. Participants won't just go through the study before its made available to the general public; they'll also influence the content by contributing their own illustrations, examples, feedback, and more.
Open Access is a whole new way of writing and publishing a Bible study - and if you'd like to hear more about why Lifeway is taking this approach, you can click over to the Open Access blog and watch a mighty informative video. And get this: you can even follow the development of this project on Twitter. It's Lifeway 2.0, y'all.
Back when I did the LBY study online, we thought we were pretty tech-savvy with our chart-o-participants in our respective blog sidebars. This Open Access deal is a whole new level technology-wise - it's Scripture-centered, forward-thinking and community-driven. Love that.
If you decide to join the study, leave us a comment and let us know. We'd love for you to keep us posted about the Open Access experience.
Oh, it warms me to the core of my overly relational heart.
You know, the part of my heart that cannot resist the temptation to tell you that my favorite song of 1989 was "Love Shack."
A few of you left comments on Paige's post about the simulcast this weekend and, from what I can gather, it sounds like it was incredible.
I am so excited, and not at all jealous, that so many of you (70,000!) were able to experience such an awesome weekend through the marvel of modern technology.
Well, maybe 98% excited and 2% jealous.
Okay, let's just say I'm 50/50.
I'm just consoling myself by knowing that in just three short weeks, I'll be hearing Beth and Travis and the Praise Team live and in person in San Antonio.
But, for now, I want to live vicariously through you. If you were in Louisville or participated in the simulcast at a local church, tell us about it in the comments.
What did Beth talk about? What songs did Travis sing? How was the technology? Was it incredible to know that you were worshiping along with 70,000 other women around the world? How did Beth's hair look? Did she have on a darling outfit?
Prosper, TX? Manhattan, MT? Red Deer County, AB, Canada? Anyone, Anywhere?
Here we go is no joke! As Pam mentioned earlier this week, a God-sized event is upon us in LIfeWay Women's Events! It is very quiet up here on my floor of the building I work in here at LIfeWay. Too quiet for me, especially today! It is like the calm before the big God-storm.
We are praying for no real storms in hundreds of towns across the country (and the world) where 715 churches holding some 70,000+ attendees (no pressure Beth and Travis) will simultaneously, worship, hear the Word of God and probably giggle some together as the Living Proof Live Simulcast event, live from Louisville hits the airwaves!
Its kind of like air travel...I don't understand how planes fly...but I trust that they do and I get on there and go.
That's how i feel today. I don't know how it all works but we are going and going and going, everywhere from Ponca City, Oklahoma, to Mexico City, Mexico to Petal, Mississippi to Manahawkin, NJ and so many other cool places. There are some interesting names of these towns and churches.
Are you hosting in your church or are you going to the simulcast at a church? If so, tell us where you are and what you hope to hear from God this weekend!
Joshua 1:9 tells us 'He is with us whereEVER we go!' (emphasis mine). So where are you going tonight?
Thanks be to God for you and for technology! Where ever you are today, please pray for God to move mightily through His big event!
It dawned on me the other day that there may be some of you who read this blog who don't read my personal blog. Which is totally fine. It's not a requirement or anything.
Anyway, I thought I should tell you a little more about me than what is contained in that ever so brief bio in the top corner. I originally wrote this for my blog about two years ago, but thought I would share it here so we can get to know each other better.
And if you feel like it, I'd love to hear a little bit about your own personal story in the comments.
I grew up in church, so I can't remember the first time I heard the story of the Prodigal Son. It was just another Bible story like Noah and the ark, Joseph and the coat of many colors, or Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. I never gave it much thought.
As a teenager, I slowly turned away from the Christian foundation I had been given as a child. I had always been just on the fringe of being really popular because I didn't drink and go to all the parties, and by my junior year I was sick of it. I jumped in with both feet and pretty quickly found myself dating one of the most popular boys in school, going to all the good parties (you know the ones that involved parents being out of town and kegs of beer), and rebelling from all I knew to be right.
My downward spiral continued throughout high school and well into college. I knew what was right, but I was so stubborn. As I became more and more unhappy with the choices I was making, I started looking for answers. Finally, one night during my senior year in college, I picked up a book called "No Wonder They Call Him the Savior" by Max Lucado.
His account of the prodigal son rocked me to my core. I had never before understood how much God loved me, how much He wanted me and how His grace completely covered every mistake I had made.
The next week I started attending a Bible study called Breakaway. I walked into the room feeling a little intimidated. A guy named Chris Tomlin (maybe y'all have heard of him?) started leading worship and sang a song called "Grace Flows Down".
I cried like a baby, not just a few tears but a full on ugly cry.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
Amazing Love, now flowing down
from hands and feet that were nailed to a tree
Your Grace flows down and covers me
and covers me
and covers me
and covers me
I knew that I was desperately in need of that grace.
I didn't care how I looked, I didn't care who was watching, and I didn't care what it cost me because, for the first time I realized that it had cost Him everything and He did it for me. And like the prodigal son, I went running home and the best part...my Father came running to meet me.
Melanie
Melanie
Sophie
Sophie
Pam
Pam
Paige
Paige
Kris
Kris