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.Mom - We'd love to hear from you

Melanie - September 29, 2011 - Comments (3)

I was just thinking about .Mom again this morning. There were so many moments that will stick with me for a long time. Like listening to Angela Cottrell speak some serious truth in the moms of children 13 and under panel. In particular, I will never forget her saying, "We have to trust God's sovereignty over our children's character".

Isn't that so true? But so hard?

And I'll never forget Angela Thomas's reminder that we are to be the light or BE THE SUNSHINE for our families. We need to show them what the love of Jesus looks like in the real world.

Or Angie Smith sharing her story and pushing me to a place where I'm not content to just raise a nice Christian kid in a nice Christian home, but to show our kids the adventure and risk as we follow Christ.

I loved Vicki Courtney's honesty as she talked about making our families our priority and being there for them.

And I was so encouraged by Priscilla Shirer's talk about our boats of disappointment and how it's okay to get out and wash our nets.

In fact, I think it's safe to say I loved the entire experience. It was just so powerful to be around that many women while they loved and encouraged each other to walk the path that Christ has given them and to be good stewards of our calls to motherhood.

I'd love to hear what you liked the best. Was there a particular piece of wisdom that stood out? Or a moment that inspired you?

Give a shout in the comments!

.MOM 2011 - Birmingham, AL

Sophie - September 27, 2011 - Comments (3)

Winners - Free Friday Giveaways

Melanie - - Comments (0)

Okay y'all.

We have two winners to announce today because I forgot to ever announce the winner of Five Conversations with Your Son.

So, our the winner of Mom to Mom is commenter #11 - Lisa.

Congratulations, Lisa! Please contact Kris Seidenkranz at Kris.Seidenkranz@lifeway.com to collect your prize.

And the winner of Five Conversations with Your Son is commenter #2 - Jennifer.

Congratulations, Jennifer! Please contact Kris Seidenkranz at Kris.Seidenkranz@lifeway.com to collect your prize.

Thanks for playing everyone! We'll have another giveaway this Friday!

Above all we could ask or imagine

Sophie - September 25, 2011 - Comments (1)

So.

The first-ever .MOM conference was this past weekend, and I have to say:

IT. WAS. FANTASTIC.

There was solid teaching from Angela Thomas, Angie Smith, Vicki Courtney and Priscilla Shirer. There were break-out sessions that offered helpful, practical, Biblical insight into different issues and struggles that moms face. There was God-honoring worship led by Melissa Greene. There was fellowship and laughter and support and encouragement.

(There was even a brief appearance by The Duggars.)

(But that's probably another story for another time.)

Honestly, I felt like I had a pretty good expectation of what .MOM could be when I sat down with some of the break-out leaders last winter for a HomeLife article. But I have to say that this past weekend far exceeded any expectation that I had. It was just special in a way that I don't think any of us could have anticipated. The Lord was so sweet to meet us there and do the work that only He can.

And on top of that, there really are no words to effectively express what a tremendous job Paige Greene, Melissa Wilson and the event team did not only this past weekend, but in the year and a half of planning that went into this brand new event. They worked so hard and so joyfully, and the word that has come to my mind over and over today is that their work was an offering. It really was.

If you were there this past weekend, I hope you know that your time at .MOM was absolutely covered in prayer. I also hope that you walked through your front door feeling a renewed sense of purpose and intention in your job as a mom. I keep thinking about what Priscilla said Saturday afternoon: we get back in that boat so that the Lord can join us and show His glory in the midst of our circumstances.

We loved every single second, y'all, and we hope you did, too. See you next year!