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It was an amazing time of worship & refreshment!

My six words that God spoke to me through the weekend: Study, seek, love, forgive with God.

It was so great to be hear that we are chosen by God for this calling and to live like it. We are not a minister’s wife by accident.

Words cannot express what these conferences mean to me. I love them and look forward to them. We felt so loved this weekend. Its such an incredible feeling to be in such a large group of ladies knowing they know how you feel. It was so refreshing. Travis and his team did such a wonderful job leading us into His presence. I always look forward to sitting under Beth’s teaching(she is so real,cracks me up!). As always, it was what we needed. It reminded me to let things go that I had picked back up and the 6 alternatives to the aggravations are things we can always come back to when things are difficult. God is so good! Thank you lifeway, for investing in us! A special thank you to B & H publishing for all the wonderful gifts!!

It was an incredible 18 hours. I wish I could have come for the earlier sessions on Thursday and Friday mornings. We were missionaries in Kenya, East Africa for 23 years. We had annual missionary wives’ retreats which are very precious memories to me. No event I have attended since we came back to the States could come close to those retreats. But this past weekend reminded me of those times (except for the number of women gathered—1250!) Thank you, thank you, Beth, Lifeway, Travis and the team, as well as all the behind the scenes people who make it possible. I WILL be there at the next one. Grace and peace, Diane Stephens P.S. My six words are Saved from Self; Saved by Grace.

Lifeway, Beth, Travis and all the teams hit a homerun with this event! I cannot begin to tell you the blessings I received! My heart is full to overflowing. For me it started with an 8 hour drive by myself, then checking into the Marriot by myself for the first time ever…alone on a trip. I sang for 16 hours…..

I sooooo needed this time with the Lord. The Between Us Event was perfect. Just the right speakers, the right number of ladies…all who spoke were speaking just to me! The sessions, perfect and in Gods perfect timing!

Beth was on a roll, she touched on so many issues in my heart, too many too list. A special time of invitation I will never forget! A special time of prayer for the pastors wife who’s husband was killed last weekend another special moment. We went through the book of Galatians in two days! Wham! Right to the heart of Ministry Wives!

Travis and his team…again incredible. We dont get to worship like that in our churches. We so desire it, that closesness to heaven, but its just not possible in smaller churches to have the resources, so you have to keep this up for “refueling.” You have to keep the events coming. We need them. We go home ready to charge hell with a water pistol, to be the help meet to our man, the ministry wife our churches need, the moms need to be, etc, etc etc…

LIFEWAY, thank you so much!!!!! Those words we all want to hear…..Well Done!

This weekend was all that I dreamed it would be. When my friend and I got into town of Friday we went to lunch and who should sit down beside us but Beth Moore. I mean could it get better than that? We hugged, talked and laughed. Such a great beginning to a wonderful weekend. She spoke from Galations. The thing I brought back was that when we repress we make ourselves sick. And when we rebel we make ourselves stupid. If that wasn’t a kick in my pants! Travis and the worship team were SOO GOOD! I have never jumped up and down to Victory in Jesus before, but I hope to again. Thanks to B&H for the gifts. I already love them! There are so many hurting ministers wives out there. Remember to pray for the wife of your minister when you pray for him.

Oh, I love reading these! And Julie, the jumping up and down to “Victory in Jesus” is totally understandable - Melanie and I did the same thing at Travis’ concert in Atlanta back in January. :-)

Beth, You will never know how much this past weekend meant to me. My husband was asked to leave the church we had been at for over 6 years. All this was the underminding of our associate pastor who is now the pastor. I had a deep root of bitterness. I am not saying the root is gone but it is not near as deep. The first session I went to on Thursday night was forgiveness. Wow What a great job Karen Alexander-Doyle did. She touched me deeply. Then Friday night Beth started out by say a few lines like if….then you need to be here. One of the lines was if you haven’t been in church in 3 months you need to be here. I thought..”how did she know”. Also her first point got me “Ministry by default/always a misfit”. She also nailed me there. Praise the Lord…”No longer misfit/accepted my calling. I love you Beth and hope to see you in Memphis 2009.MY Husband started an Interim position on Sunday. The Lords timinig is always on time!

I was so thankful that I found out about this conference and made plans to go. I was also able to attend the Minister’s Wives conference in Chattanooga a few years ago. I went to Nashville with a heavy heart, my husband and I had both been hurt by friends in the church. It’s hard to pick each other up when you’re both hurting. The beginning songs on Saturday hit me hard, secular, yes but God used them to reach out to me.

I am constantly amazed at how our God ministers to us through others. Thank you Beth, Travis and all the others. You were right—the conference was a “safe” place. Sometimes it’s good to just cry your heart out and let someone pray over you. I had come to the place that I knew I wouldn’t ever have close friends again, but as Beth pointed out—women were made for relationships. I think I’ll try again…

Thanks again for everything—

P. S. I especially like the music video “Maybe He’ll Think Next Time Before He Speaks”.

Thanks again and I’ll be praying that God blesses your ministries.

Sophie - Paige - Betsy L. - Chris A.:

This conference absolutely ranks as one of the best events I have ever attended! It was SO wonderfully organized and the fact that the “target group” was all ministers’ wives brought such comfort and safety. You could just tell that much prayer had covered every detail! Bless you all.

Beth’s messages were right-on, and Travis and the Praise Team and Band were so wonderful. I especially loved the hymn-sing on Saturday morning and how Travis let us sing accapella so often. I loved his comment that he could tell we had “been to choir practice.” As the wife of a Minister of Music, I sure have - for the past 32 years… :)

I cannot thank you all enough for your servant hearts and sweet ways - but I know the One who can and Who will!

Also, will you please thank whomever is responsible for the gifts we received? We were like little girls at Christmas time!

The Women’s Ministry team from Two Rivers was so cordial - everything - and I mean everything was just wonderful.

I was especially humbled when Beth asked me to voice the prayer for the widow of Rev. Fred Winters. I don’t know that my heart could have taken much more. Hearing all 1,200 ministers’ wives praying for Cindy Winters together will be with me for a long time.

Thank you from the bottom of my very-blessed heart.

I also have posted to my blog: http://granjansjoy.blogspot.com

Much love, Georgia Jan

I have been trying to write my thoughts down ever since I came home Saturday night, but I just didn’t have the words to express it. God sought me out to be there and here from Him and boy did I ever. I thought I was in Ministry by default because my husband was not a pastor when we married 10 years ago. Now I know that He intended this long before I was born. He has a task for me and it is a blessing not a burden.

And I have to say that we pastor’s wives can SING. I promise you we broke out into 4 parts on “How Great Thou Art”

When can we do it again???

Thank you Lifeway. Thank you so much. I’ve tried to write some highlights, but you’ll never know (on this side of eternity anyway!) how much this experience meant to me.

http://thehintonhome.blogspot.com/2009/03/becky-and-rachels-grand-adventure-part_15.html

Thank you.

Hard to add anything else to what has already been said…but I have to say THANK YOU to everyone involved in making this weekend happen! I went to Chattanooga three years ago as well; every time you are blessed to attend a LP Live Event, they just get better and better and better and you think that is impossible! I have prayed over Beth, Travis and all involved in blessing us (gifts were an amazing surprise)time and time again since last weekend, may all feel the power of prayer and be more blessed than ever for taking the time to bless us as they did! My six words prior to the weekend: Motherless and Fatherless to Child of the King! During the weekend God spoke these to me: ‘I still do, will you too?’ It was His reminder to me to love and serve unconditionally as He does…what an unforgettable closing Beth gave us as she reminded us of who we work for! Unforgettable forever! Bless you all!

Oh My! I can’t express how this weekend has spoke to my heart. I keep going over it and being reminded that I am more than just a pastor’s wife, I am a child of The King! He has called me, chosen me, and loves me. As I have refreshed muself on the lessons we had, I have 6 words that keep coming back to me—starve to die—feed to live! I want to begin afresh on this concept. Can’t wait til next year. Thanks to all who helped put this together for us weary souls. Words of blessings on ya!

Sophie, Thanks for asking…Six of us went north from central florida for a time of fun and Jesus. We got both. Our group consisted of wives of different ministries in our church, but what we heard could have been applied to any woman sharing her life, husband, family and heart. Beth was real. I mean REAL…she shared things some us feel like we could never admit. I loved her more for it. We were well taken care of at Two Rivers and we found some YUMMY places to eat in Nashville. Sophie you and Melinda would have camped outside this certain Mexican restaurant…it was INCREDIBLE! For yucky drizzly weather, we were delighted with all the blooming branford pear trees all over town. Oh, don’t even let me forget to give a BIG OL shout out to Travis and his band. They were so awesome too. Ang sang with him…and what a smile. Okay, so it was awesome…we had a blast and heard some truths about Galatians that I had not seen that way before…and we learned what repressing and rebelling does to us….live in truth, its the best.

Ok. Here’s some good stuff from the weekend.

1. Hymn sing in 37 part harmony. And Travis, “I can tell these ladies have been in a choir practice or 2 in their lifetimes.”

2. “Is ‘jacked up’ a bad word?”

3. “That definitely won’t make the tape.”

4. The amazing gifts (Thanks, B&H!)

5. Standing in line at 6:15 AM on Saturday in the 40 degree rain.

6. Jan’s prayer for Cindy Lee in Maryville, IL. Still have chills from it.

7. Our lives in 6 words.

8. The responses from the blog Ministers’ Wives that were put on the screen. Oh, they were GOOD.

9. Galatians 5:15. STOP BITING EACH OTHER!

10. Victory in Jesus a la Rock-n-Roll.

Awesome.

Thank you so much to Lifeway and the whole Women’s Ministry Group. The weekend for Minister’s Wives was incredible to say the least. It felt so good to be reminded that we are not alone in ministry, but that there are many others out there experiencing the same things, good and bad. I truly believe this was a God-ordained time for each of us to be participants in a revealing, uplifting time just for us. We definitely are underseige from the enemy who is not only after our pastor husband, but our entire family.
I am even more determined to be offensive in prayer and memorizing the Word to help build up that hedge of protection around my family. Again thank you to everyone who planned, prepared and most of all prayed for this special time for Minister’s Wives. I can’t wait for the next one!

This past weekend truly changed my life. I have been grieving the loss of my son last November (and truthfully the loss of my daughter 17 years ago) while trying to continue to be a “positive” minister’s wife and women’s Sunday school teacher. It wasn’t until this conference that I realized that I needed to lay down my pride and anger, releasing it all to Jesus. Travis’ worship time combined with Beth’s words moved me to this point in my life. I will never be the same. Thank you. I wrote about my encounter with Beth Moore that was so ordained by God…..I still can’t believe it happened. I am forever thankful to God for the gift He has given me.

http://tammynischan.blogspot.com/

My goodness! What an incredible time we had at the Ministers’ Wives Event! I’m so glad I was able to go to the pre-event sessions, too. What an incredible job the ladies did in ministering to our needs. Knowing that they had lived it really made an impact. Thank you so much! I attended “If Momma Ain’t Happy…” with Becky, “Balancing Act” with Rachel and “Armed and Dangerous” with Leighann - You ladies rock!! Of course you are standing on THE ROCK! Thank you for sharing your hearts. The worship was wonderful, one word that Travis said at the beginning started the tears flowing and that was “vulnerable” oh my that was all it took! How difficult that can be when you are expected to hold it all together! Well, I didn’t have to there! Praise the Lord! And our dear sister Beth, what timely words she shared. I’ve come away with my six words “Cleared out voices, heard God speak” Thank you again for an absolutely wonderful, refreshing time with our Lord. Thank you Lifeway, Two Rivers Baptist Church, Living Proof Ministries, and Travis Cottrell Ministries for being there for us with such encouragement and love. With a thankful heart, Natalie PS Can’t wait to do this again… has it been scheduled yet????