TODAY IS THE DAY! LifeWay Women is going to celebrate the release of Kelly Minter's newest Bible study, Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break.
This morning morning at 11AM central, there will be a live webcast (with prizes!) over on the LifeWay Women Facebook page.
Can't wait to see y'all there!
Y'all.
The Abundance Contest was so much fun and we are so grateful for all of you that participated and sent in your cute videos. Thank you!
And now it's time to announce the winners. Just remember, if for any reason Miss America is unable to fulfill her duties, the first runner up will take her place.
Oh wait. This isn't a pageant. But I wish it was because SPARKLY TIARA.
Anyway, here are the winners!
The Grand Prize Winner is Deanna Collins
Here are the 4 runner-ups and their video links:
Lora Lovin Osburn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKfy3T-ZgTc&feature=related
Nick Sjolinder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW4f_vly0vE&feature=related
Nancy Davis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_-f1lY6gtI&feature=player_embedded
Leah Adams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C1QM2cLtls&feature=player_embedded
The Grand Prize Winner receives: Nehemiah Bible Study Kit, iPod Touch, 2 Abundance event tickets, $200 cash donation to a Samaritan's Purse Ministry
The 4 Runner Ups receive: Nehemiah Bible Study Member Book, 2 Abundance event tickets
Please contact Kris Seidenkranz at Kris.Seidenkranz@lifeway.com to redeem your prizes.
CONGRATULATIONS!
I don't know how many of you have participated in simulcasts in the past, but I'm guessing that, unless it was Secret Church, most of you had to go to a sanctuary or a fellowship hall to join in all the simulcast goodness.
Well.
LifeWay has made some big changes to the 2012 simulcasts, and one of those changes is that smaller groups can participate for very - VERY - affordable prices. Whether it's Living Proof Live, Going Beyond, Secret Church, or one of the other 2012 simulcast events, you'll find some really flexible options over on the LifeWay Simulcasts page. You can buy an individual pass to Going Beyond, for example, for FIFTEEN AMERICAN DOLLARS. I just think that's extraordinary.
Don't miss the great deals...and yay to technology for making such solid Biblical teaching available to so many!
Considering that the first Living Proof Live event of 2012 isn't until April, you might be wondering why in the world I'm sharing info about LPL, you know, now.
However, since I know that lots of folks plan trips to LPL with their churches and/or Bible study groups, I thought you might like a heads up about a great perk LifeWay Women is offering if you're attending an LPL with a large group.
If you buy tickets for 50 or more people at one time, you'll get $5 off each ticket price - plus you'll get reserved seating for the event.
RESERVED SEATING, PEOPLE. Plus a discount!
Check out the Living Proof Live event page to find the 2012 LPL that's closest to you.
Y'all.
We have had more fun watching all the fun videos that have come in for the Abundance video contest and just wanted to remind all of you to vote for your favorites! You can click here to see the entries and vote.
In the meantime, check out this fun video from Jennifer Rothschild. I can't remember the last time I was so impressed with an array of bags.
LifeWay Women has such a great opportunity for your local church right now. They will be simulcasting Priscilla Shirer's Going Beyond Event in Orlando on May 4-5 and your church can sign up to host it. What a great opportunity to reach women in your community!
Here's Priscilla to tell us more!
For more information, details and registration you can visit the Going Beyond Simulcast web page.
February 1, 2012 at 11 O'clock CST.
Another Facebook party and sweepstakes!
It will be an hour of fun with Kelly Minter and other guests. Don't miss it!
Click Nehemiah Facebook Launch Party to enter sweepstakes and SAVE THE DATE!
If y'all are like me you've started off the new year with a few goals and/or resolutions depending on your terminology and level of commitment. And one of my goals is to get rid of all the excess in my life. Excess weight, excess stuff in the playroom we don't need, excess clothes that I never wear but take up space in my closet.
Because don't we all have an abundance of something we probably don't need?
And that's why LifeWay women came up with a fun contest.
Here's Lisa Harper, who will emcee and speak on our new ABUNDANCE events in 2012, to tell you more about it:
My Abundance Video Contest! from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.
So, all of that to say, LifeWay Women is having a "My Abundance" Video Contest and we want you to send in a video of what you have (clothes, purses, books, commitments, etc.) too much of and tell us how you are going to lessen your load to make room for Christ in the New Year, as Lisa says, 'figuratively.' Just shoot a fun, creative, less than 90-second My Abundance video and follow the instructions on the link below under Phase 1.
Did we mention there are prizes? There are an Abundance of prizes! Grin. The Grand Prize winner receives an iPod Touch, (2) tickets to an Abundance event, a brand new Nehemiah Bible Study Kit by Kelly Minter, and a $200 donation to the Samaritan's Purse gift catalog item of your choice. (4) Runner-Up winners will each receive (2) tickets to an Abundance event, and a Nehemiah Member Book.
Phase 1 (Video submission) runs now until January 13th. Go to our contest page link to submit your video.
Phase 2 (Voting) runs from January 14th-January 20th. The public will select the finalists, and the finalist entries will be judged by a LifeWay Women panel on the basis of a creative and compelling message.
Phase 3 (Winner announcement) Grand Prize winner and 4 runner-up winners will be announced during our Abundance Live Web cast on January 24th (featuring Lisa Harper & some of our Abundance speakers) at 10am Central.
We can not wait to see your videos and we will be submitting ones of our own as examples so keep an eye out for those!
Y'all have fun! Can't wait to see your videos.
GALS!! Merry Christmas to you!
Its the time of year we want to 'let every heart prepare Him room' right? Well, what do you have an abundance of in your life that you could lessen to make room for Him? We at LifeWay Women want to have a little fun with this concept.
I know I have an abundance of scarves, and coffee mugs for starters. We all have an "abundance" of stuff, right?
Here is our gal Lisa Harper, who will emcee and speak on our new ABUNDANCE events in 2012, to tell you more about it:
My Abundance Video Contest! from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.
So, all of that to say, LifeWay Women is having a "My Abundance" Video Contest and we want you to send in a video of what you have (clothes, purses, books, commitments, etc.) too much of and tell us how you are going to lessen your load to make room for Christ in the New Year, as Lisa says, 'figuratively.' Just shoot a fun, creative, less than 90-second My Abundance video and follow the instructions on the link below under Phase 1.
Did we mention there are prizes? There are an Abundance of prizes! Grin. The Grand Prize winner receives an iPod Touch, (2) tickets to an Abundance event, a brand new Nehemiah Bible Study Kit by Kelly Minter, and a $200 donation to the Samaritan's Purse gift catalog item of your choice. (4) Runner-Up winners will each receive (2) tickets to an Abundance event, and a Nehemiah Member Book.
Phase 1 (Video submission) runs now until January 13th. Go to our contest page link to submit your video.
Phase 2 (Voting) runs from January 14th-January 20th. The public will select the finalists, and the finalist entries will be judged by a LifeWay Women panel on the basis of a creative and compelling message.
Phase 3 (Winner announcement) Grand Prize winner and 4 runner-up winners will be announced during our Abundance Live Web cast on January 24th (featuring Lisa Harper & some of our Abundance speakers) at 10am Central.
We can not wait to see your videos and we will be submitting ones of our own as examples so keep an eye out for those!
And now I have an abundance of wrapping to do, so I'd best get to it!
Merry Merry and more Christ this Christmas to you from LifeWay Women!
Paige
Did y'all know Christmas is just twelve days away? Because it is. TWELVE DAYS AWAY.
Right now that feels like a long time to me. Mainly because my Christmas tree is already dead and I'm afraid it isn't going to last twelve more days.
But if you haven't finished your Christmas shopping it may feel like it's coming faster than a speeding bullet.
Anyway, I was thinking that it might be fun to wish for tickets to a LifeWay event for Christmas this year. And I thought some of y'all might share that sentiment. So that's why I decided to present a comprehensive list of all the events LifeWay Women is offering in 2012. There is a PLETHORA to choose from.
For more information or to register for any of these, just click on the Event Title and it will take you straight to the official page for that specific event.
March 23-24 - Houston, TX
May 27-28 - Eden Prairie, MN
July 20-21 - Norcross, GA
Nov. 30- Dec. 1 - Simpsonville, SC
September 20-21 - Birmingham, AL
Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer
March 9-10 - Baton Rouge, LA
May 4-5 - Orlando, FL
June 1-2 - Tualatin, OR
August 24-25 - Lewisville, TX
October 19-20 - Grand Rapids, MI
November 9-10 - Amarillo, TX
Living Proof Live with Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell
April 13-14 - Kansas City, MO
May 18-19 - Boise, ID
June 8-9 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
June 29-30 - Colorado Springs, CO
July 13-14 - Cedar Park, TX
July 27-28 - Moline, IL
August 10-11 - Knoxville, TN
August 24-25 - North Charleston, SC
September 15 - Reading, PA
October 12-13 - Long Beach, CA
November 2-3 - Portland, ME
If you missed the James Facebook Launch Party, you can watch it here!
James Facebook Party
The last Living Proof Live event of the year was in Pensacola, FL this past weekend. Here's the recap video! Make sure you watch the last few minutes to see some funny moments!
As hard as it is to believe, the last Living Proof Live of the year is coming up this weekend, December 2-3, in Pensacola, Florida.
And listen. As chilly and gusty as it's been in our neck of the woods today, I'm pretty much convinced that scheduling a December LPL in sunny Florida was A STROKE OF GENIUS by the LifeWay Women event team. Well played, girls.
So, if you're going to be in Pensacola this weekend, we'd love it if you'd let us know in the comments. And if you weren't planning to be there but are starting to think that spending a couple of days listening to Beth Moore teach straight from Scripture might be right up your alley, you're not too late. Tickets for LPL Pensacola are still available, and the LifeWay folks would love to see you there!
By the way, if it's not possible for you to make it to Pensacola - but you're hoping to attend an LPL in the near future - be sure to check out the 2012 Living Proof Live event dates. Hopefully Beth, Travis and the gang will be traveling to a city somewhere near you!
I know it's Thanksgiving week and all. And I know - I KNOW - that right now you're probably making a grocery list and checking it twice and praying with everything in you that you can make it to the Publix or the Walmart or the Kroger before the amateurs hit the stores on Wednesday.
But before things get too hectic, I just wanted to make you aware that LifeWay has announced a mighty fine simulcast schedule for 2012, and if you're in the process of planning women's (or men's) events at your church for next year, I think you'll be delighted with the line-up.
So. That's my hot Thanksgiving tip for 2011. Check out the 2012 simulcasts.
And by all means get to the store before Wednesday.
But that probably goes without saying.
First of all, you should know that when I first saw this video on Priscilla's blog, it made me deeply, profoundly happy on a number of levels.
Second of all, I am tickled by the fact that Paige holds tightly to Jesus Calling throughout the video. She's like an old-school Baptist preacher with the King James version of the Bible.
Third of all (apparently I am enjoying transitions today), let the LifeWay folks know if you'd like to see a Going Beyond event at your church or in your area. You can do that by leaving a comment on this post or leaving a comment on Priscilla's blog.
Who knows? If there actually is a Going Beyond event in your town, we might could even persuade the GB girls (plus Paige) to sing a little song for you when they're there.
Quite frankly I don't know what greater incentive you could ask for.
Hope y'all are having a great week!
This weekend, Living Proof Live with Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell and his praise team will be in Wyoming. We'd love to hear from you if you plan on being there!
I, for one, am sad to miss this. I've never been to Wyoming but have always wanted to go. So I'm just going to live vicariously through everyone else that's headed that way.
Do you know what I heard the other day?
I heard that there are over 40,000 people who are participating in this Friday night's Secret Church.
FORTY THOUSAND PEOPLE.
And do you know what? There's still plenty of time for you to join the 40,000. If you're interested, you can sign up for the simulcast; you'll be able to download the study guides, so you don't have to worry about whether you'll be able to get the guides shipped to you or anything like that. Just download, print, and staple. Easy breezy.
The topic for this Secret Church is Family, Marriage, Sex and the Gospel, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that all six hours (and, honestly, it'll probably be a little closer to seven) will be chock-full-o-Truth. If this is going to be your first Secret Church, trust me: you are in for a treat.
Are any of y'all planning to participate?
Logically I know that time moves at the same pace that it always has. It takes just as long for 365 days to pass as it did when I was a little girl, and a day is still made up of 24 hours. I know these things in my head. But SWEET MERCY it feels like time just flies by these days. One minute it's January 1st, and the next it's the middle of October and I'm looking around and wondering WHERE IN THE WORLD ALL THE TIME WENT.
Seriously. Time crawled when I was 12. And now I feel like I can barely keep up.
Anyway, I was thinking about the whole time thing the other day when I realized that there are just two more Living Proof Live events this year. It seems like last week that everybody was gearing up for LPL Tacoma, and now we're only about six weeks away from the 2011 line-up being completely finished.
So, if you haven't attended an LPL yet this year - or maybe if you have but would love just one more weekend of some solid Bible teaching and God-honoring worship - you have two more chances: Casper, Wyoming and Pensacola, Florida.
The LifeWay Women folks would love to see y'all at either (or both) (both?!) (now that would be something) of these events.
Hope y'all are having a great week!
There's a great new LifeWay Women event coming up in 2012. It's called Abundance, and it'll feature the wonderful Lisa Harper as emcee/hostess and a rotating panel of speakers. The line-up will vary in each host city, but Vicki Courtney, Angela Thomas, Jennifer Rothschild, Angie Smith and Kelly Minter are some of the teachers, and worship will be led by either Anthony Evans, Travis Cottrell or Laura Story (check each event for details).
The very first Abundance will be in Houston, TX at Champion Forest Baptist Church, and it's sure to be a weekend of incredible Bible teaching and worship. If you live anywhere near Houston, Minneapolis, Atlanta or Greenville, SC, check out the Abundance dates and start making plans now!
Y'all, this weekend marks the end of an era. The last You and Your Girl Event featuring Vicki Courtney will be this Saturday, October 15th in Wylie, Texas.
You and Your Girl events began in 2006 and have been to 22 live locations and 68 simulcast locations. It's reached over 18,000 moms/daughters live and countless others through the modern marvel of simulcast.
I had the opportunity to take my daughter Caroline to a You and Your Girl Event almost three years ago. She was a little young at the time, but we loved the experience of spending an entire day together focused on Christ. It was inspiring for me, the mom of a young daughter, to look around and see a church sanctuary full of women with their daughters taking a Saturday to make their relationship stronger.
Vicki brought encouragement and wisdom from the platform. She is the first to admit that it's not always easy, but talked about the long-term rewards of hanging in there and protecting our daughters from the culture around them that wants to destroy them with lies. I know she has inspired so many women to seek Christ first as they raise their families and the You and Your Girl events will be missed.
It's not easy raising kids today, but Vicki has given us some much needed perspective and advice from a mom who has lived through it.
We'd love to hear from you today if you've ever had the opportunity to attend a You and Your Girl Event. And we owe a huge THANK YOU to Vicki for her dedication and commitment.
Have you ever thought, How can we reach out in love to our Muslim neighbors? How can we clearly present the gospel to Muslims without offending them? How can my church reach out to the Muslim community down the street? How can my student group reach out to Muslims on my campus? How can my women's Bible study group reach out?
If you happen to be anywhere close to Washington D.C. (Arlington, VA actually) on Nov. 3-5 you can attend the Oasis Conference and find answers to these questions. Find out more here: The Crescent Project
If you can't make it to D.C., you might want to check out these resources. Really good stuff. Click here:
Bridges: Christians Connecting with Muslims.
We'd love to hear your thoughts!
LPL Baltimore, MD from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
This past weekend I kept having .MOM flashbacks: this time last weekend Melanie and I were slightly petrified, this time last weekend I was listening to Angela Cottrell share some seriously wise parenting insight, this time last weekend I was enjoying some delicious hash brown casserole for supper.
Okay. So maybe not every moment was deeply spiritual. However, I do believe the Lord gave me a fresh appreciation for frozen hash browns through that casserole, so obviously it had some lasting eternal value.
More than anything, though, I keep thinking how grateful I am to have been there. And I'm not the only one. Just today I got an email from a friend who said that she didn't know when she had even been encouraged by an event so much, that looking around that room and seeing all the "likemindedness" was the greatest blessing she could have received.
I couldn't agree with her more.
Next year's .MOM is September 21-22 in Birmingham, and we would love to have you there. It really is an incredible time of filling up on the Word and addressing some areas in your parenting or in your marriage where you feel like you could benefit from someone else's wisdom.
It's a good thing. Because there's strength in numbers.
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!
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!
Well, I can't believe it's here.
I'm sitting in the Houston airport on my way to Birmingham for the first annual dotMom conference.
Are you going to be there?
Let us know in the comments. We'd love to see you!
So at this point we are just a couple of days away from the first-ever .MOM Conference, and we are mighty excited about that, oh yes we are. Tomorrow I'll pick up Melanie from the airport, and I'm sure we'll immediately set about the business of finding some mediocre Mexican food and talking our heads off. It's what we do best.
And one other thing that I'm sure we'll do? Look through the list of .MOM break-outs and plan our schedules accordingly. There will be such an abundance of resources at this conference, and I want to make the most of my time there, you know?
If you're going to be there this weekend and haven't yet settled on your break-out sessions, the list is attached below.
We can't wait to see y'all there!
Listen. I'm just as shocked as I can be that, in a little over a week, a whole bunch of women will converge on the Birmingham Civic Center Sheraton for the first-ever .MOM Conference.
It seems like it was just yesterday when we first mentioned the event to y'all, but the time has FLOWN, hasn't it? One day you're talking about something that seems like it's a lifetime down the road, and the next thing you know a year has passed and you can't pretend that the event is far away anymore and you're hit by the fear-inducing reality that you're going to have to stand on a stage and say actual words.
Or maybe that's just me. Perhaps I'm projecting my own personal issues.
YA THINK?
In all seriousness, Melanie and I can't wait to see y'all there, and we're so excited about sitting under some great teaching from Vicki Courtney, Priscilla Shirer, Angela Thomas and Angie Smith. The break-outs look absolutely incredible, and I know the whole team has been praying that the Lord will use the two days of .MOM to encourage and strengthen the women who are there. Anything that the Lord uses for our good will overflow into our families and impact them as well - and we pray that He will get great glory in and through that process.
So all that to say: we're just as tickled as we can be that we'll get to hang out with some of y'all in just a little over a week. And if you haven't gotten tickets for .MOM yet, it's not too late - we'd love to see you there!
Living Proof Live Simulcast Lubbock TX from David Lowe on Vimeo.
We had such an incredible time in Lubbock over the weekend and would love to hear from you if you were there or watched from a different location! Give us a shout out in the comments.
Also, if you LOVED Travis Cottrell's music, his new CD When The Stars Burn Down is available starting today for $9.99 on iTunes. Just click here to download it!
Okay. So technically what I'm about to tell you about isn't a women's event. But it is an event that will impact women. And husbands. And families. And the culture.
What is it, you wonder?
Well. This.
Simulcast registration is now open for the second Secret Church simulcast, and the topic is Family, Marriage, Sex & The Gospel. Here's the description:
Manhood. Womanhood. Marriage. Parenting. Singleness. Sex. Divorce. Homosexuality. Same-sex marriage. Polygamy. Pornography. Adoption. Abortion. Cultures around the world perceive each of these issues differently. So how does God's Word address them? During Secret Church on November 4, 2011, we will explore how the gospel uniquely affects our understanding of family, marriage, sex, and host of related (and controversial) issues that are ultimately foundational for the display of the glory of God in our lives, in the church, and in the world.
It's gonna be good, y'all.
You can watch the simulcast in your house, at a friend's apartment, in the fellowship hall at your church - it just depends on how many people are watching together and which simulcast package works best for you.
And just FYI: Early Bird simulcast pricing is available now through September 30th.
Are any of you planning to participate?
That's right.
This weekend is a BIG event. We'll be in Lubbock, Texas with over 9,000 women for Living Proof Live with Beth Moore. And, not only that, this event will be simulcast to over 180,000 attendee worldwide. As in ALL OVER THE WORLD. This includes 48 states, 11 countries, 4 military bases and 1 women's prison.
Y'all. That makes me want to cry. I mean, technology is something else and I LOVE it when I see it used to bring God glory. AMAZING.
We'd so appreciate all your prayers this weekend. Pray for hearts to be changed, for God to be lifted up in a powerful way and that we'd see Him move all over the world, and for all the fancy technology to not let us down.
Thanks so much! I'll be reporting live from Lubbock and will keep you posted on everything that's going on as I have time. And if you happen to be there, please come visit me at the Marketing booth. I'll have all manner of things to hand out!
Living Proof Live - Salt Lake City from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
Way back in May (Remember May? As in back before summer even began?) there was a great webcast about .Mom featuring Angie Smith, Priscilla Shirer, and Vicki Courtney. And I think some of you may have missed it.
So, here's the link for you to check it out.
It will give you a great idea of how much fun we're going to have in Birmingham this September 23 and 24th. Oh, and we'll learn a lot of things about being moms too.
Hope to see you there!
One day last week my husband picked up a few things for me at Costco, and when he got home he looked at me and said, "Well, you're not going to believe this."
"What?!?" I asked. I was a little alarmed by his tone, mainly because it sounded like he was about to tell me something just a wee bit terrifying. You know, something along the lines that Costco was no longer carrying those gigantor bags of Stacy's Pita Chips. Or that they'd quit setting up the sample stations. Or - worst case scenario - that they were discontinuing their apple pies.
Anyway, he went on to tell me that Costco had already put out some Christmas stuff. IN AUGUST. BEFORE LABOR DAY, EVEN.
Have you ever heard of such?
So given all that, I'm extra-sensitive to the timing of what I'm about to tell you, mainly because it has to do with 2012 - and we're not anywhere near finished with 2011 yet. But since going to any women's event often requires some advance planning in the way of budgets and travel and childcare and whathaveyou, I feel like it's always a good thing to be aware of what's down the road.
And in this case, it might be helpful to know what's coming up with Living Proof Live in 2012.
Here's the list of event cities:
Kansas City, MO
Boise, ID
Calgary, Alberta Canada
Colorado Springs, CO
Cedar Park, TX
Moline, IL
Knoxville, TN
North Charleston, SC
Reading, PA (simulcast)
If you'd like more specific information on dates, times, venues, etc., just click on over to the Living Proof Live events page. You'll see the 2012 sites listed after you scroll down the page a bit.
Have a great day, everybody!
In about three weeks the LifeWay Women team will land in Lubbock, Texas to get ready for this year's Living Proof Live simulcast. And while there will be an arena full of women on the Texas Tech campus on September 10, there will also be somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred thousand women from all over the world who join the Texas folks via simulcast.
It's all pretty fancy if you ask me.
If you don't have plans to be in Lubbock on September 10 (though there are still tickets available if you're interested) but would love to be a part of the worship and teaching at Living Proof Live, check out this state-by-state list of simulcast sites. Odds are that there's a church somewhere in your area that will be broadcasting the simulcast feed.
I can't think of a better way to spend an early September Saturday.
Seriously. dotMom is going to be here before we know it. It's September 23-24 in Birmingham, Alabama. And it's going to be so good.
Not only will there be general sessions featuring Priscilla Shirer, Angie Smith, Vicki Courtney and Angela Thomas, but so many different breakout sessions on such a variety of mom topics it will make your head spin.
Most importantly, it's a chance to come together with other mothers and share our experiences. None of us have this whole thing figured out and it's nice to hear from other women who have walked our road.
For more details and registration information, click on over to the official .Mom page.
LifeWay Women Presents: .mom Women's Event from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.
We'd love to see y'all there.
If you've attended a LifeWay Women event recently, you may have seen a sample of a new Bible study called Courageous Living. It ties in with the new movie from Sherwood Baptist, Courageous, and it's geared toward helping husbands and fathers be more effective leaders in their families.
But if you're thinking that you'd love for you and your husband to have a more personal, one-on-one encounter with some of the Biblical principles in Courageous as you work to strengthen your marriage, don't miss this year's Festivals of Marriage, where the theme is Courageous: Building Biblical Marriages.
The FOM conferences are in Ridgecrest, North Carolina and Glorieta, New Mexico. My husband and I attended FOM in Ridgecrest a couple of years ago, and it was such a sweet time for us. If you're interested, you can read more about our experience here.
It's so easy to think about all the ways we want to work at being a better parent and even a better friend, but sometimes we forget to be intentional about being a better spouse. A weekend at FOM is just the thing to help you and your husband re-prioritize, re-commit and re-connect. It's a wonderful way to spend an October weekend, and it's an investment in your marriage that you won't regret!
For more specific information, check out the Festivals of Marriage 2011 webpage.
The LifeWay Women marketing team always has a booth at women's events. Living Proof Live in Charlotte was 9,500 attendees strong, so in order to accommodate all the samples and freebies and whathaveyou that the marketing team wanted to share, there had to be a pretty big set-up.
And that's why this is what was waiting on Kris and me when we got to the arena Thursday afternoon.
I'm not gonna lie, y'all. Unpacking and setting up all of that stuff can be a daunting task. Every one of those boxes is CHOCK FULL of materials and samples, and they're heavy - to the point that you find yourself saying "Lift with your knees!" when you see the other person wrestling with the sixth box of HomeLife magazines.
But like anything else, you just try to stay steady with the work. And after a couple of hours, you start to see the light at the end of the unpacking tunnel.
That's Kris, putting the finishing touches on the booth. By that point I was ready to wrap a towel around my head - I was BURNING SLAP UP - but the end was in sight. And a shower wasn't far away. And when the booth has come together - well, you know that all the sweet women who will visit it aren't far away.
And that's the whole reason why you're there, you know?
Finally you get to the point where you can put away the pallets, tuck away the banner bags - then stand back and survey your work.
It's a good feeling.
Well, it's a good feeling until you knock over a rack of magazines about four minutes after the doors open on Friday night.
The good news is that those magazines were picked up and handed out in no time at all.
The bad news is that our time in Charlotte seemed way too short. We had such a blast there and loved getting to meet so many friendly faces.
Hope some of y'all will stop by the marketing booth in at LPL Columbus, Ohio in a couple of weeks!
If you've heard Travis Cottrell lead worship in the last few years, you've may have heard him sing "In The First Light." It's such a great song - one that's made even better by Travis' voice. And at Living Proof Live this year, "In The First Light" has an added element of worship thanks to Shela-Lyn, the sign language interpreter at most of the LPLs.
Isn't that just beautiful?
Hope y'all have a wonderful week!
I'm about to get some sleep after a great night at Living Proof Live Charlotte (9,400 strong), but I just had to share this video. I just saw it when I was getting tonight's pictures and videos off of my camera and onto my computer - and it so perfectly sums up the heart for worship that's shared by Travis and his praise team.
This is sweet Julie. And what I love - what I LOVE - is that it wouldn't have mattered if there were 9,000 or 900 or 9 or NO people in that arena. She wasn't performing; it wasn't even her turn to sing. But she was flat-out worshiping. For an audience of One.
"Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of [His] holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken." - 1 Chronicles 16:29-30, HCSB
If you're at Living Proof Live in Charlotte tonight, stop by the marketing tables before the event. We have some free resources and samples that we'd love to share with you.
Friday night is the prime time to hit the table - the magazines and samples go pretty fast, so don't miss out.
Be safe as you travel this afternoon/tonight. Y'all are in our prayers!
So I realize that I've mentioned .MOM two or twenty-six times over the last few months.
You might say that I'm a bit enthusiastic about it.
And that's why I'm extra excited about today's Friday giveaway: two free tickets to .MOM in Birmingham on September 23-24!
If you'd like to win, just leave a comment on this post. Make sure that your email address is accurate since that's how we'll contact you if you win - and then someone will follow up with a phone call to get you officially registered for the event. The email address is a mighty important link in the fulfillment process.
This giveaway will close Tuesday morning, and we'll use random.org to choose a winner.
Have a great weekend, y'all!
This giveaway is now closed.
The winner of our fun/kicky/impromptu Living Proof Live Charlotte giveaway is comment #9, which belongs to Deidre!
Congratulations, Deidre! If you'll come by the marketing table (which is across from the arena ticket booths) sometime before the event starts tonight, you can pick out the Bible study member book of your choice (Kris will ship it to you when she gets back to Nashville) as well as a Travis Cottrell CD.
Thanks so much, everybody, for your great response - can't wait to see y'all tonight at the Time Warner Cable Arena!
We're so happy to be here!
I love that the Charlotte airport has a beautiful statue outside. So Southern.
Anyway, we're about to get to work on some set-up stuff, but don't forget to enter the giveaway if you're going to be at this weekend's Living Proof Live.
Can't wait to see y'all there!
This weekend is Living Proof Live Charlotte, and I don't know about y'all, but I am 62 kinds of excited. Maybe even 63.
I'll be helping Kris at the marketing booth in Charlotte, and yesterday afternoon we decided to do something a little different for this event: A SPECIAL GIVEAWAY.
(You said "ooooooh" when you read that, didn't you?)
(I totally heard you.)
Anyway, if you're going to be at LPL Charlotte this weekend, leave a comment on this post. Friday morning I'll use random.org to draw for a winner from the comments, and that winner will receive a special prize at the event. The only condition is that you have to be willing to come by the marketing booth to pick it up.
And I would happily announce the prize right now, but I'm still not exactly sure what it is. However, IT WILL BE GOOD. :-) In all likelihood it will be a free member book for a Bible study, so you need not worry that you're going to show up to claim you're prize and we'll be all, "HEY! HERE'S YOUR FREE PAPER CLIP!"
Because that would just be mean.
And you know what? I'll throw in one of Travis Cottrell's worship CDs, too. That means you could win a Bible study workbook and some free music. It's just like Christmas, y'all.
SO. If you'll be at LPL Charlotte, let us know in the comments. We can't wait to hug the winner's neck at the marketing booth and hand over the fabulous prizes!
This giveaway is now closed.
Over the last year or so I feel like I've heard the word "mentor" in conversations more than ever before. Just last Sunday night at church, in fact, I listened to a couple of friends brainstorm about better ways to connect the women our church to ladies who are a step or two ahead: ways to connect 20-somethings with 30-somethings, ways to connect young moms with moms of elementary-aged kids, ways to connect moms of high school- or college-aged kids with women who have embarked on the adventure of grandparenting. I can't wait until they announce the specifics of it all this fall.
Because the whole connection thing? It's difficult. Mentoring relationships don't always develop organically, and it's easy to assume that we'll be bugging someone or pressuring them if we ask if they'd be willing to meet with us once a week or once a month or whatever our mentoring need happens to be. Sometimes we assume that the mentoring relationship should occur within our families - that our mom or an aunt will take us under their wing - but we don't realize that they might not think that they have anything to offer us. And so we sit back, and we don't say anything, and we wonder if there's a way to find a mentor without the whole situation just reeking of awkward.
(Granted, your church or Bible study may have a connection method that works beautifully for everyone.)
(And I'm pretty sure that if that's the case, there are lots of us who would love to read more about it.)
I'm so grateful that the women who have been planning the .MOM event for over a year now are well-aware of the need for mentoring. There are going to be lots of opportunities at. MOM to connect with a mom who's a little older and wiser - as well as opportunities to connect with women who are on the other side of a particularly difficult situation (infertility, divorce, illness, family struggles, etc.). The whole idea is that the mentor moms - or the Mighty Mom Squad as Paige Greene calls them - will be on hand to listen, to speak into and to pray over whatever needs the moms at .MOM might have.
Who knows? It just might be the beginning of a beautiful, long-lasting friendship.
There's strength in numbers, after all.
Last Thursday Melanie and I went to Nashville so that we could sit in on a pre-event planning meeting for .MOM (which, by the way, will be here before you know it). We'll be emceeing the .MOM festivities (just think of us as your personal court jesters), and fortunately the LifeWay people are far more organized than we are and actually have a plan and a schedule and lots of ideas. Mel and I were totally blown away by their creativity and attention to detail; they certainly put us at ease and made the prospect of, you know, talking in front of a big group of people a whole lot less intimidating.
During the meeting we also talked a good bit about a .MOM video that Melanie and I were going to be doing the next day. Resident LifeWay geniuses Seth and Jeff had come up with A SCRIPT AND EVERYTHING - they'd even listened to one of our podcasts to get a better feel for how we would talk to each other - and they explained what all we'd be doing on Friday and what the basic storyline of the script would be. I was borderline terrified because I typically don't enjoy any sort of acting and/or skit, but it ended up being such a blast.
Plus, Melanie and I got to spend almost all day Friday driving around in a sah-weet rented minivan with a big contraption on the hood.
Sometimes blogging leads you into the strangest situations, you know?
We'll be talking about .MOM even more in the days and weeks to come - we'd love to see y'all in Birmingham on September 23-24!
Remember last week, when I told y'all a little bit about Beth's "Knowing Better" message at Living Proof Live in Lincoln?
Well, this is the follow-up post.
I'm sure that y'all have been sitting right next to your computers for, oh, DAYS - just waiting for the second installment.
Oh, I kid. Kiddy McKidderson KId.
With all the kidding.
Anyway, I do want to elaborate on point two, mainly because I thought that it spoke to an issue that many women face but rarely talk about: feeling competitive with other women.
Like I mentioned last week, Beth pointed out that better is bitter when better is someone besides me, and she challenged us to remember Galatians 5:25-26: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." The Message translation of that passage will get in your business a little bit:
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
Even though we're all originals, even though God has given each of us a unique calling, competition and insecurity inevitably creep into our lives. We don't have to be controlled by those things, though, and Beth talked about how the cure for being threatened by people is the biggest irony of them all - and you can find the "vaccination" for comparison in Philippians 2:1-4:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Beth advised that we listen to the what the Lord says in Philippians 2, that we beat the enemy to the punch and consider the other person better from the start. That's the vaccination. If we get that mentality from the very beginning, Beth said, we won't fall under the threat of it. You esteem that person before the Lord, and you'll feel the blessing of it and the freedom of it.
(You have to really mean it, by the way.)
(Because God sort of knows when we're faking it.)
Beth went on to say that we need to quit looking over our shoulders, wondering if whoever is "behind" us is about to catch up. Instead, put that person in front. Bless that person. Die to any spirit of rivalry; agree with whatever the Lord is doing in the other person's life. There's no room for competition in the body of Christ.
Even our self-loathing can be a form of pride. It's the "vain conceit" mentioned in Philippians 2. Vain conceit is empty glory - and we need to get rid of it.
Beth closed by reminding us of a distinction between pride and humility:
When PRIDE thinks of others as better, better is bitter.
When HUMILITY thinks of others as better, better is better.
Hope this part of her message encourages y'all today!
This afternoon I ran across this video when I was looking through all of my pictures from Living Proof Live in Lincoln. As I watched it and thought about Travis' words, it occurred to me that this video is actually pretty perfect for July 4th; there's a shared theme of freedom, for sure.
And yes, I realize that this video also affords you a really good look at the back of Ron's head (Ron handles security at LPL events). But he's tall, people. And since others might have been slightly annoyed if I'd stood on my chair to get a better view for the video, I figured that the back of Ron's head wasn't too much of a hindrance.
Neither was the back of the city coordinator's head, for that matter. Especially considering the fact that she'd achieved some impressive volume in her crown area. Well done, ma'am.
And Happy 4th of July, everybody!
Beth Moore's lesson at Living Proof Live in Lincoln came out of a word study on "better." After looking at every instance of the word "better" in Scripture, Beth noticed a pattern that framed her message:
There is a "better" that is "bitter." And there is a "better" that is "better."
If you're like me, you've probably never thought of it that way. I tend to think that better is better is better is better. But Beth pointed out four different ways that better is actually bitter, then contrasted those points with five ways that better is better.
Stay with me. It gets really good.
I'm going to share all four "better is bitter" points today - and then I'm going to come back in a few days and elaborate on point number two. Because point number two? It read my mail.
1. Better is bitter when better is before (Exodus 14:12, Numbers 11:14, Numbers 14:3-4). This mentality creeps in when we decide that our best days are behind us. We think that job was better. Or that man was better. Or that time was better. We can't go forward because we keep looking back over our shoulders. Beth illustrated this point by examining the Israelites in Exodus 14: "it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness" (verse 12). If we're not careful, we stay trapped in the mentality of the past, failing to recognize that God has delivered us to a far better place.
2. Better is bitter when better is someone besides me (Esther 1:19, Galatians 5:25-26). We're going to constantly run into people who are better at whatever it is that we want to be good at, and we're threatened by that. We decide that so-and-so is better at parenting / parallel parking / leading Bible study / cooking / life-in-general, and bitterness takes root. It's like I heard Melanie say one time: we look at the blessings in another person's life and decide that it somehow takes away from what God is going to do in our lives. Beth used Philippians 2:7 to show that we need to empty ourselves of our vain conceit because it is EMPTY GLORY.
(I've got loads more to tell y'all about this point, so stay tuned.)
3. Better is bitter when better is the route I didn't take (Ecclesiastes, 1 Kings 19, Jonah). Some of us are living in constant regret, and our woe is me attitudes are killing us. Beth used the examples of Solomon, Elijah and Jonah to show how those regrets can affect us if we're not mindful to squelch them. Just because there have been disappointments in your life, you are not better off dead (see Jonah 4:8). Beth mentioned that if you really were better off dead, God would have already taken you home!
4. Better is bitter when better is what you should have known (Romans 7:24-8:3, Hebrews 12:18-24, 2 Corinthians 7:10). Sometimes we go one step further with regret (point #3) and move into "I should have known better, but..." or "I DID know better, but...." Beth spent a lot of time on this point, and the bottom line is that WE'VE GOT TO MOVE ON. We can't self-loathe for the rest of our lives. To be in the trap of "I knew better" is a body of death to us. At some point we have to decide if we're going to stand in front of Mt. Sinai or Mt. Zion. If there's a place in your life where you should have known better or did know better, God knows that you regret it. He knows. So let's move on from that thing. Psalm 30:5 says "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime," but we live like the the opposite is true. We're standing in front of Mt. Sinai when we need to move it on over to Mt. Zion.
I'll be back in a few days with more on point 2. In the meantime, do any of you know from personal experience that better is sometimes bitter? Anyone walking around in some of these places like I am?
Listen to the whole song here. I think it's one of the strongest worship songs I've ever heard, and it was a great way to close out Living Proof Live in Lincoln.
I'll be recapping Beth's message from LPL in the next few days; I've been thinking about it all week. So, so good!
Living Proof Live Lincoln NE from David Lowe on Vimeo.
One part of Living Proof Live that people might not think about is how much activity goes on once the event is over. This past Saturday was no exception. Once all the ladies (and a few men!) were out of the building, the crew moved in full-force and started to break down the stage and the equipment.
It's sort of surreal to watch, really. For two days that arena felt like a home away from home - a sanctuary, for sure - and by 12:30 on Saturday, it had been pulled apart like so many Legos.
Gigantic Legos, of course - but Legos just the same.
Meanwhile, the event team girls were packing up t-shirts to ship back to Nashville.
Aren't Carrie and Mickey just the cutest?
It was such a great weekend - filled to the brim with wonderful worship and teaching - and I'll be sharing more about it as the week goes on.
Thanks so much, Lincoln! We just loved you to pieces.
Tonight I was walking down to the bookstore at the arena when I saw this sign.
You'll be happy to know that the ladies steered clear of any sort of mosh pit activity at tonight's Living Proof Live.
But tomorrow? If there's body surfing? Well, you'll be the first to know.
And I'll most certainly post pictures.
:-)
When Melanie and I first started blogging from different women's events, we mainly just sat in our seats and tried to take really good notes and then re-capped the weekend's lesson once we got home.
Once we figured out that part of things, we started helping out a little bit behind-the-scenes. It really does take a lot of time to put signs on seats, get programs distributed, make sure that the majority of men's restrooms become women's restrooms, etc. Not to mention that while all of that stuff is going on, there's an entirely different crew of people setting up an on-site LifeWay bookstore. Plus, there's another crew who are setting up the platform, loading in praise team equipment, connecting all manner of fancy cables and wires and cords and whathaveyou.
Needless to say, Mel and I have never been allowed to work with the tech crew. That's probably because they prefer to avoid explosions and electrical fires before an event starts. Which is understandable.
The other on-site team is the marketing team, and Mel and I have been helping out with that end of things for the last year or so. This weekend is the first time I've worked at the marketing tables by myself, and I was a little nervous when I got to Lincoln because there is A LOT of stuff to set up and distribute. The fun part of working at the marketing tables is that you get to give out a lot of free samples, but all those samples have to be unpacked and placed and re-stocked throughout the event. The prospect of unpacking all that stuff by myself was a little daunting.
But as it turned out, my nerves were totally unnecessary. When I got to the Pershing Center yesterday afternoon, sweet Amy Cato and her event team had unloaded all the boxes, put up all the banners - and they were basically just waiting to see if there was any other way they could help. I was so touched by their kindness, but I wasn't surprised at all. Because let me tell you: the LifeWay event girls are HARD WORKERS. They're incredibly servant-hearted, and over the last three years I have seen them pitch in and help out however they can, whenever they can. You would be so impressed by the spirit with which they do their work if you saw them in action.
So, thanks to their help, my job was much less intimidating. They helped me place the banners, and then we started unpacking all of the samples and freebies. I love to arrange things, and thanks to what the event girls had done before I arrived, I had the freedom to really focus on that part of the set-up. After about an hour, the tables were ready for the 4,000 women who'll be at the Pershing Center tonight.
Normally some of the banners go on the tables, but we're in an older arena this weekend, and the ceilings are a little low. Kaye had the idea to set the banners on boxes to give them a little height, and now I'm pretty sure that she's a genius. NEVER would have occurred to me.
So if you're at LPL this weekend, stop by the marketing tables - they're at the main entrance. I can load you up with free issues of Home Life and free samples of Bible studies and free event catalogs and even a few free DVDs.
I can also hug you an annoying number of times, but I promise that I'll do my best not to invade your personal space.
Hope to see some of y'all there!
This weekend I'm in Lincoln, Nebraska for Living Proof Live. It's my first-ever visit to this part of the country (I think I may have already mentioned that about fourteen times), and I have been totally charmed by the friendliness of the people and the charm of the downtown area.
Everything here looks very neat and clean - they're missing that nice sheen of humidity that tends to make the scenery a little hazy in the South. And since there aren't any hills (a big change-o-pace for this Alabama girl), I feel like I'm driving around on a gigantic Lego creation. Flat streets, red brick buildings, lots of right angles. Efficient. No nonsense.
And for some reason that makes me so happy.
Even the Capitol building looks sturdy and sensible. At the top of the Capitol there's a dome with a statue (such an expected twist, that dome at the top of a tower), and the statue is a man sowing seed. Not a President or a dignitary or an eagle or some sort of fancy emblem - but a regular guy who's doing his part to make sure that the agricultural wheels keep turning.
You didn't know you were going to get a history lesson today, did you?
Neither did I. But I love all the little quirks and eccentricities and traditions that make a place unique. So I thought I'd share.
I'll be back in a little while with some more news from the event itself. Unless I run across some statues or monuments before then. In which case: HISTORY LESSON AHOY.
(Oh, I kid.)
(Sort of.)
Hope y'all are having a great Friday!
So last night I finally took the time to upload some pictures from Deeper Still Louisville. I have no idea why it took me so long but I'm going to lean heavily towards my ability to procrastinate with the combination of being on a summer schedule.
But I got it done.
Two weeks late, but who's counting?
I thought you might like to see a few photos from the event. Please keep in mind that I pride myself on my amateur photographic abilities.
First up, our gal, Paige Greene, rallied the troops with an inspirational message using the whiteboard in the locker room of Freedom Hall.
Actually, the message wasn't so much inspirational as it was a basic faux game plan using some semblance of basketball terms. We are easily amused.
Here's Darlene printing out signs for reserved seats.
And the team figuring out their next move. I have no idea what that is because they don't really tell me those things. I just stand around and try to look like I'm doing something.
Behold, the ABUNDANCE shuttle that Amy Cato drove in all the way from Nashville.
It's majestic, isn't it? I thought they were calling it the Abundance shuttle because it held an ABUNDANCE of people. But as it turns out, they called it the Abundance shuttle because there is a new LifeWay event on the horizon called Abundance and they used the shuttle to take the authors to and from the arena.
Yes. That makes more sense.
And speaking of the new Abundance event, here's Paige Greene interviewing some of the Abundance speakers on stage.
In case you can't tell from my stellar photography, that's Vicki Courtney, Angie Smith, Tammie Head, Kelly Minter and Angela Thomas.
They might be coming soon to an arena near you. We'll keep you posted on that.
And, lastly, here's a picture of the fearless worship team doing their thing.
Nobody does it better.
Believe it or not, we're still not done talking about Deeper Still. We'll recap Beth's message next week. It was one of my favorites EVER.
So I'm going to pick up where Sophie left off yesterday with Priscilla's message at Deeper Still.
I'll give you a minute to go back and read what she had to say if you didn't read it.
Now I'm assuming you're back.
After discussing our human inclination to overdo things, Priscilla gave us three simple principles to remember as we take our Sabbath. Or as it's called in Hebrew, a Shabbat.
1. Resist the urge to continue.
God provided manna for the children of Israel as they wandered in the desert. But he commanded them to use the seventh day as a day of rest. There would be no manna on the seventh day, yet he would provide by giving them a double portion on the sixth day.
Our provision isn't up to us. As Priscilla said, we don't need to waste time trying to be God when he's already there. He has given us many resources but he is the only source.
2. Remember what you used to be.
Take time to remember what it was like when you were still in slavery. What good is a free person who goes back to Egypt in his heart.
The point that I really took from this was that truly free people live generously in the security that God provides all things.
3. Recall what God has done on your behalf.
Deuteronomy 5:15 "The Lord your God brought you out with a mighty hand."
This is the margin/time of rest where we recall what God has done on our behalf and take comfort in knowing that what he has started, he will finish.
Priscilla talked about what a difference the world will see in us when we are secure enough to rest in his provision. He is our hope and our peace.
Ultimately, she challenged us with 14%. One day is 14% of the week. The challenge she issued was for all of us to take 14 minutes of every day to pause before God to remember and recall what he has done for us. 14 minutes to rest in his provision.
I'm taking the challenge. Will you?
When I was a little girl, my daddy was quite the fan of a road trip. He still is, in fact; as I'm typing this he's on a tour bus somewhere between Texas and Arizona, taking in the scenery of the wild west with his brother, his sister and about 30 other people from my home state of Mississippi.
Thanks to Daddy's love of the road trip, by the time I graduated from high school I had visited about 20 of the 50 states. And as an adult, I've added 10 or 15 more states to the mix (I seem to have inherited the love-of-travel gene from my daddy).
However, tomorrow marks a first for me: I'm going to Nebraska. I've never been there before, and I'm just as tickled as I can be that I'm getting to visit Lincoln for Living Proof Live.
I don't know if America's heartland is ready for my Southern accent, but I sure am ready for America's heartland (I'm also ready to try some onion rings from Runza, but that's another post for another day, I reckon). I can't wait to worship with Travis and the praise team, sit under Beth's teaching and hopefully get to meet some of y'all.
So, how about a roll call? Are any of you planning to be in Lincoln this weekend?
Last weekend at Deeper Still Louisville, Priscilla Shirer taught from Deuteronomy 5:12-15:
"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."
Priscilla pointed out that even when the Israelites were on the way to Canaan and had been freed from slavery to the Egyptians, they still had a slave mentality. They didn't trust the Lord's provision. She went on to say that, if we're honest, the same can be said of us.
We all have a tendency to "overdo" in certain parts of our lives. Priscilla mentioned that it might be work, food, accumulating stuff - and it could even be teaching Bible study or volunteering. It could be over-scheduling our children. It could be striving so hard to be a "perfect" wife and mother that we actually miss opportunities to hang out with our families.
We are a culture that values busy-ness more than we value rest, so we overcommit and overwork and overspend and overeat and over-all-sorts-of-other-things. The problem with that, as Priscilla said, is that anything outside of the context in which it was meant to be enjoyed can enslaveus.
And when something enslaves us? It becomes a counterfeit. It may look like a good thing on the outside, but when you dig deep into how that particular hobby or job or behavior pattern is affecting your life, it doesn't really bear any fruit.
It just becomes one more load to bear.
We'll pick up with part two of Priscilla's message tomorrow and share how Scripture instructs us to make room for margin in our lives, for Shabbat, but in the meantime, consider this question that Priscilla asked the people at Deeper Still:
What is it that you're overdoing in your life? Is there some good thing in your life that seems to have overtaken you?
To be continued...
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." - John 1:12-13
Some of y'all may remember when I posted last week about the K-LOVE contest to win a free trip to scenic LUBBOCK, TEXAS to attend Living Proof Live in September.
Well, K-LOVE has chosen a winner. Her name is Sheila and she is from Joplin, Missouri. I think we all can imagine what the last month of her life has been like.
Here's what Sheila shared with our gal, Paige Greene. During the tornado she hid in the bathroom but normally hides in her bedroom closet. Had she been in the closet, she likely would have been pulled from her home. Only the bathroom was intact. You can see this in the photo. She was not a home owner but a renter. She had renters insurance and is currently seeking a new place to live.
Sheila has already chosen the three friends she is planning to bring with her to Lubbock. They are:
1. Penny, who also lost her home and car in the tornado
2. Para, her friend who took her photo.
3. Jane, her friend who took her in to stay with her since the tornado
Her church, St. Paul's United Methodist Church, was also hit and the worship Center was destroyed. Since the 2012 simulcast for her church was part of her grand prize, they will be seeking another building to hold the event in.
How God spared her life and helped her get her car replaced quickly along with her winning this contest has made her realize that she is definitely not alone. That God sees her and is for her.
We are so thankful that we will get to minister to Sheila, her friends, and their church who lost so much in the tornado.
And LifeWay Women wants to give a huge SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to K-LOVE who made all this possible and worked so hard to promote it. THANK YOU!!
Sheila, we'll see you in Lubbock! Congratulations!
Yesterday on my flight back to Birmingham I thumbed through a magazine for about ten minutes before I leaned back against the head rest and took some time to think about everything that happened at Deeper Still Louisville.
And there were a few memories that popped to the front of my thoughts right away.
Margin. Timothy. Eunice. Lois. The Word of God Has Spoken. Generations. Legacy. Sabbath. Shabbat. Freedom. Laughter.
What about you? If you were at Deeper Still this past weekend, what are a few words that you'll take with you into this week?
Today I'll be packing and making sure all my ducks are in a row before I fly to Louisville tomorrow. I have the sweetest sense of anticipation about this final Deeper Still, and I can't wait to sit under the wisdom of Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer and Beth Moore this Friday and Saturday.
I've mentioned before that I attended my first Deeper Still in Nashville almost four years ago. That particular Deeper Still is a memorial stone for me; the Lord did so much in and through that weekend that I almost have to laugh about it to keep from crying. I remember so much of the teaching from that event, and the worship time has stuck with me, too. But do you know what surprised me the most? That caught me the most off guard? That proved to be a completely unexpected blessing?
THE LAUGHTER.
Oh, we did some mighty fine laughing at Deeper Still Nashville. And as I've traveled to other Deeper Stills over the last few years - Atlanta, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Birmingham - the laughter hasn't stopped.
So here's another one of my favorite Deeper Still funnies. This was in Las Vegas, I think - and I have my fingers crossed that we'll get a repeat performance this weekend.
Louisville is gonna be a good time, y'all. Hope you can be there with us.
Y'all.
This is so exciting. LifeWay has teamed up with K-LOVE to give you the chance to win a Beth Moore weekend.
Best of all, it's in Lubbock, Texas. Otherwise known as one of the true garden spots of majestic beauty. There might even be a tumbleweed or sandstorm while you're there!
But let's focus on how you enter:
Send K-LOVE a photo of yourself holding a sign that says, "I'm Living Proof of God's Love because _______________" and fill in the blank based on how God's Love has changed you.
Submit your photo to livingproof@klove.com
And what do they win, Alex? (I'm channeling my game show persona.)
The grand prize winner will receive:
A trip for 4 to the Living Proof Live event in Lubbock, TX on September 10, 2011 including travel, meals and lodging
Front row VIP seating for the Living Proof event
VIP backstage access for the Living Proof event
Photo with the event platform and LifeWay Women's team
Dinner with the LifeWay Women's event team & Praise Team backstage
Free Living Proof Live Simulcast event for your church in 2012.
The grand prize winner chosen from a random drawing of qualified entries and will be announced during the 5pm CST hour on Friday, June 10th.
All the details are right here on K-Love's website.
Why are you still here? Go make your sign and maybe I'll see you in Lubbock.
And we'll watch the winds go sweeping across the plains. Except I guess that's Oklahoma. But Lubbock is so flat, I think you can see Oklahoma from there.
(I can make a little fun of Lubbock because that's where my family is from. It's all in love.)
(And, actually, they're not even from Lubbock, but a small town outside of Lubbock called Floydada. I'm sure you've heard of it.)
I feel like I've been looking forward to this week's Deeper Still all year - and that's probably because I've been looking forward to this week's Deeper Still all year.
Funny how that works.
Melanie and I both leave for Louisville this Thursday, and there will no doubt be all sorts of special moments and great memories over the course of the three days that we're there. Being able to blog about that stuff and share as much as we can with y'all will be one of the highlights of our time at this final Deeper Still.
But regardless of how much anticipation I feel about what's going to happen in Louisville later this week, I can't help but reminisce about one of my all-time favorite Deeper Still memories.
Because oh, it is precious. And it tickles me to pieces every single time I watch it.
Have a great week, y'all - looking so forward to seeing lots of you in Louisville on Friday!
- Priscilla Shirer has written such a great post about some unlikely friendships that have come into her family's life. I totally related to it and imagine that many of you will, too.
- This week a group of Compassion Bloggers is in the Philippines. This post by Shaun Groves is so powerful. It's such a reminder about how numb we become to poverty in other countries - and how numb we become to the abundance in our own.
- If you've never read one of Beth Moore posts on the Living Proof blog, you are in for a treat. It's like sharing a cup of coffee with an old friend.
- Vicki Courtney posted the slideshow from her older son's recent rehearsal dinner - and oh, it made me weepy. Kids just grow up in the blink of an eye, don't they? It goes by so fast.
- Finally, don't forget to submit questions you'd like to ask Beth, Kay & Priscilla at next week's Deeper Still. The Q&A is always a blast - and they answer real questions from real people. So fire away!
Yesterday I was talking to my husband about summer plans and we were trying to coordinate our calendars and all that stuff that you do in attempts to synch schedules. Except the word synch makes it seem like we are very fancy and might do all these things electronically. I can assure you that nothing is further from the truth. We are all paper calendars, all the time at our house.
Anyway, I said, "I'll be in Louisville on June 10-12th for the last Deeper Still".
And our daughter came running in from the other room and said, "You're going to Whoville? I WANT TO GO WITH YOU!"
Yes, we read a lot of Dr. Suess at our house. Why do you ask?
But all the looking at calendars made me realize that we're only a week and a few days away from the very last Deeper Still. If you can get yourself to Louisville, KY on June 10-11 then we'd love to see you there.
Or maybe you'd rather go to Whoville and see the Whos. And that's okay too, but we won't be there. And neither will Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, or Kay Arthur.
For more information, click over to the Deeper Still Event page.
And don't forget to go visit the Deeper Still blog for all the up to date information.
LPL Minneapolis from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
I've known for a couple of months that I'm going to Deeper Still Louisville on June 10-12. But last week I actually looked up flights, made some concrete plans - and oh my lands, I CANNOT WAIT.
But let me be clear.
I think sometimes people have the perception that women get wrapped up in the emotion of events like Deeper Still, that women show up with the expectation of an "experience" and walk away with little more than a really happy feeling.
But as someone who has attended several Deeper Still events, I can tell you that the absolute core of Deeper Still is the Word of God. Scripture is the focus and the driving force. And while I always walk away from Deeper Still more encouraged than I was when I got there, I also walk away challenged. Convicted. Burdened, even - by the reality of my sin and the helpless state of a heart that's not surrendered to Him.
I am reminded, over and over again, that He is everything.
Deeper Still isn't a big pep rally for Jesus, though certainly it's a celebration of His love, His mercy and His saving grace. It's also a time of incredible, Biblical teaching from Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer and Beth Moore. It's a time for learning more, for worshipping freely, for digging deeper - all for the glory of God.
We hope so much that you'll be there with us!
First of all, I owe a big-time thank you to Melanie, who picked up on my stress level last Sunday night and very sweetly offered to pinch hit for me (and for THE WHOLE WEEK) on AllAccess. I was and am so grateful, and without boring you with the details, I'll just say that based on the way the rest of my week went, Mel's timing was PERFECTION. I love how God knows exactly what we need before we do.
ANYWAY.
I wanted to give y'all a little heads up about something that's happening tomorrow. There's a LifeWay Women webcast at noon central time, and it's going to be a .mom preview that'll no doubt be chock-full-o-fun. In addition to cute Melissa Wilson, who's the event coordinator, you'll get to hear from Priscilla Shirer, Vicki Courtney and Angie Smith. It's a delightful bunch, for sure.
If you'd like to participate, just click over to the LifeWay Women Live page a few minutes before noon central, and you'll see a link on the right side of the page that'll take you to the webcast. I'm going to try to hop in the webcast chat, so I hope to see some of y'all there.
Have a great week, everybody!
And just FYI: .mom early bird pricing is still up and running.
Hope to see y'all there!
This September Melanie and I are going to be a part of a great new LifeWay event called .mom (there's an article about .mom in the May issue of HomeLife - just FYI). We are so excited to see how the Lord uses moms from all ages and stages to minister to each other during this new conference in Birmingham.
The whole concept of .mom is a little different than other LifeWay events; I for one think that it's going to be le awesome. And on Tuesday, May 10th at noon (central time), there's going to be a .mom Sneak Peek webcast with Melissa Wilson (.mom event coordinator), along with platform speakers Angie Smith, Angela Thomas and Vicki Courtney.
Something tells me that the conversation is going to be LIVELY. Big fun in store - and we hope to see y'all there!
(At the webcast.)
(And in Birmingham.)
(Just in case you were wondering.)
Living Proof Live - Little Rock from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
Thanks, Rich!
Y'all.
This weekend is a huge weekend for LifeWay women.
I'll give you the bullet points:
- Beth Moore will be teaching about 9000 women at Living Proof Live in Little Rock, Arkansas
(There's still some room if you happen to be anywhere near Arkansas!)
- Priscilla Shirer will be in Lynchburg, VA with 2200 women at a Going Beyond Event.
(Go join them at Thomas Road Baptist Church if you get the chance.)
- There is a You lead preconference at First Baptist in Benton, AR with close to 100 women.
After having the opportunity to be on the event team for a few events in the last year, I can promise you that all these things could not happen without approximately 8.2 million parts moving furiously behind the scenes. After working at Deeper Still in Birmingham last December I felt like I'd had a glimpse of the wizard behind the curtain.
(And in that case, the wizard's name was Betsy Langmade along with her amazing team.)
I know the event teams for each of these events would love your prayers that all goes seamlessly and smoothly from flight arrivals to equipment shipments to the t-shirt tables. And I know Beth and Priscilla would so appreciate your prayers that God would use them in a powerful way to minister to the thousands of women they will serve this weekend.
Thanks, y'all!
The fact that the very first Secret Church simulcast is this Friday has had me thinking a lot about our church and our pastor and the fact that when he announced the first Secret Church a few years ago, I anticipated that maybe 16 or 57 people would show up to listen to him teach from the Bible for six hours.
As I've mentioned before, I'm not very accurate with predictions.
Ever since Radical came out, people who know where I go to church have been a lot more curious about what it's like to have David Platt as our pastor. And my answer is pretty simple: it's great to have David Platt as our pastor. It's always a good thing when a humble, servant-hearted, Gospel-centered, Truth-teaching preacher is in the pulpit. Many of y'all have similar leadership in your own churches, so you know what a blessing it is.
And now, thanks to the wonder of technology, I have a great new way to answer people when they ask me what it's like when David Platt is your pastor: this video. Because it's perfect.
Secret Church Promo from LifeWay Productions on Vimeo.
I'd say that pretty much sums it up.
:-)
Have a great week, y'all!
Things are JAM-PACKED for the LifeWay Women event team right about now. This past weekend they were getting ready for the first-ever You and Your Girl simulcast in Nashville, and now they're gearing up for not one, not two, but THREE events that are coming up this week.
(They're just a wee bit busy.)
(But something tells me that they love every single second.)
The first event that's coming up this week is You Lead in Benton, Arkansas. This event is for women's ministry leaders, and I love the description on the webpage: "Come as a woman who is seeking how God would want to use her to lead women in the church, or bring your women's ministry team for leading-edge training in spiritual growth, discipleship, evangelism, missions, and prayer."
If you can't make the You Lead in Benton but know you would benefit from the kind of training it offers, check out the You Lead event page for the dates of the four additional You Lead conferences that are taking place this year. I know with everything in me that you'll be blessed, encouraged and equipped by the wisdom and leadership of sweet Chris Adams and her gifted team of facilitators.
Let us know if you're planning to be there - or if you have any questions. Have a great week, y'all!
Living Proof Live- Fresno by David Lowe from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
Girls.
I want to remind y'all about the LifeWay Women Live Webcast that's happening today, April 5th, from 12-1 central time. The topic today is Women Reaching Women in Crisis. Here's the summary:
"Life is unpredictable. Sometimes life difficulties build up and escalate to crisis points over time. Other times the crisis comes in the form of an unexpected phone call, a diagnosis, or an accident. No matter how they arrive, crisis moments are guaranteed to intersect with our story. In those moments it matters greatly how we, as an extension of God's heart and hands, handle the situation. Join us as we discuss the tools we need to minister effectively during times of crisis - when it matters most."
You don't want to miss it. Just click right here to find out more about it and to view the live stream.
For most of this week it's been cloudy and dreary and gray here in Birmingham. We've had to turn on the heat at night - a rarity for late March in this neck of the woods - and if not for the pollen that's all around us and the fresh leaves on the trees, we might think we were trapped in January forevermore.
And yes, I'm well aware that in about two months I will think back on this week and long for the cool air. Oh, my silly human-ness is a fickle creature, is it?
Anyway, since this week has been so damp and bleak-looking, I feel an extra measure of happiness when I think about the Living Proof Live team heading to Fresno, California this weekend. It's going to be 80 degrees and sunny tomorrow, and I am only slightly green with envy. Only slightly.
But in addition to the sunshine this Friday and Saturday, the folks in Fresno are also in for some Son-shine (oh yes. I totally went there. I did. I embraced the pun.) and a mighty fine time of teaching and worship. Beth, Travis and the worship team will be on the platform, and there will be a host of sweet people working behind the scenes. If you're planning to attend, you can rest assured that there's a blessing in store.
Will any of you be there? We'd love to hear from you!
I don't know if y'all are aware of this or not, but this year marks the last Deeper Still Event featuring Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer.
The dates are June 10-11 and it will be in Louisville, KY.
I don't know about y'all, but between hosting the last Deeper Still and making it to the Final Four, I think Kentucky might be God's favorite right now.
Can you tell I've become a little consumed with March Madness?
Anyway, if you can make it to Kentucky, you will not want to miss the chance to see these three amazing Bible teachers on the same stage. They will make you laugh and cry and see God in ways that you've never imagined.
They will challenge you and inspire you and probably give you some good hair tips before it's all over.
We hope to see you there!
I have a feeling that this week is going to be filled with anticipation for Priscilla Shirer and her team as they prepare for the first-ever Going Beyond simulcast. Hundreds of churches will be participating in this event (say it with me: technology is a wonder), and I for one can't wait to hear what God does through Priscilla's teaching on the life of Jonah.
A few weeks ago we mentioned to y'all that there was going to be a LifeWay Women Live simulcast with Priscilla, and I was just as tickled as I could be when I saw that the video from that simulcast is now available. So if you have a little break in your morning (or afternoon), fix yourself a big ole Diet Coke (or water. or sweet tea. or whatever you prefer - I certainly don't want to impose my personal beverage preferences on you.), sit back and listen to a great discussion between Paige, Pam and Priscilla.
(And just so you know: when I typed their three names, I started singing "We Three Kings" in my head, only I changed it to "We Three Ps.)
(WHY AM I SO WEIRD?)
Enjoy, y'all!
LifeWay Women Allaccess with Pam Case and Paige Greene from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.
Living Proof Live Tacoma 2011 from David Lowe on Vimeo.
I've been a little out of pocket this past weekend, so even though the folks at Living Proof Live - Tacoma have been on my heart and my mind like crazy, I haven't been online to see any updates from the event.
But that all changed a few minutes ago when I saw these tweets from Paige:
Over $66,000 to Samaritan's Purse.
Isn't that absolutely amazing?
And isn't that such an encouraging demonstration of the love of Christ in action?
Thanks, LPL Tacoma ladies, for your sacrificial response to the tragedy in Japan.
Let's all continue to hold the people of Japan close in our prayers.
by Sissy Goff
Intensity.
That word seems to describe one of the primary differences between the lives of today's kids and when you or I were growing up. We didn't have travel teams. We didn't have cell phones or facebook or AP classes or half of the activities and technologies that are vying for the attention of girls today. But they do. And we are thankful to get to be on the journey with you in helping navigate these issues in the lives of girls. Life doesn't have to be quite so intense, even in 2011. We believe in vintage values. In fact, we are a part of a counseling ministry built around this very idea...
Imagine a warm summer day. You're sitting outside drinking iced tea. Your children are in the yard laughing and playing, seemingly without a care in the world. They've got umbrellas out and they're dancing in the water falling from the sprinkler. You can barely hear the strains of BJ Thomas singing "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." What year do you think this is?
As much as it sounds like the summer of 1970, you're almost 40 years off. These kids were at Camp Hopetown, the summer camp that we run for kids involved in our counseling ministry. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are two counselors who work with kids and have been doing so for a combined experience of over sixty years (although most of those are Melissa's. My name is Sissy, and I was barely born when BJ was crooning about the falling raindrops).
We are a part of a counseling ministry called Daystar. Our office is housed in a little yellow house with a big front porch. One seven-year old boy called it, "the little yellow house that helps people." Our dogs, Lucy the Havanese and Blueberry, the Old English Sheepdog help us counsel the kids and families who come to Daystar. Our offices house eight counselors and see over 200 kids per week, between individual and group counseling. We offer summer camps and parenting classes both in the community and beyond. We believe in offering hope to families in any situation...and we believe in vintage values in this modern world.
Actually, we just like the whole idea of vintage in general. On most days, we have spiced tea brewing in our lobby. There is a checkers table in one of the waiting rooms, with typically two or three kids gathered around it. At our camps, the kids play chess, learn to waterski (not just wakeboard) and help cook the meals. We sing old timey hymns along with worship choruses and talk about the rich meaning behind the words. We even have Christmas at camp and take the kids to a town made up of one row of antique stores. They have three dollars to buy a gift for the person whose name they drew. The gifts are symbolic, like a boy who gave a counselor an old walking stick because he said she helped people stand who were struggling. We like vintage, and believe it brings out good in the lives of kids.
You and Your Girl is an opportunity to expose your daughter to many of those vintage values. As she plays with new friends and listens to captivating speakers, she will discover truths about who she is and the vastness of God's great love for her. And it will be a day for you to become even more grounded in the timelessness of God's Word and who He has called you to be as a parent.
What if I let her text and she sends someone an inappropriate picture? What if I let her spend the night out and his friend's parents don't watch him like I do? How do I shelter her and keep her from harm? Why is she acting like this?
This event will be a day where you will learn more about your child and more about yourself. The introduction to our book Modern Parents, Vintage Values ends with words that echo the same experience we believe you'll find in You and Your Girl: "We hope that you will be reminded of truth and inspired to parent with more life and more freedom. Basically, our hope is that you'll find hope--for who God is creating your child to be. And that you'll close this book knowing a little more of the ultimate truth of God's love in the life of your family."
Join us for the You and Your Girl simulcast on April 9th!
Sissy Goff, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP spends most of her days talking with girls and their families, with the help of her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Since 1993, she has worked as the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee. She is also the author of five books, including The Back Door to Your Teen's Heart, Raising Girls, and Modern Parents, Vintage Values, as well as Mirrors and Maps (for 11-14 year-old girls) and Growing Up Without Getting Lost (for 15-19 year-old girls). In October of 2011, her first video parenting curriculum will be released by LifeWay: Raising Boys and Girls.
So the first LPL event of the year kicks off this coming weekend in Tacoma, Washington.
Are you going to be there? Give us a shout out in the comments if you're going to be there!
Before I tell y'all about the weekend in San Antonio, here are a few quick pictures.
Darlene and Lanae working the merch table.
Nobody works a merch table like the two of them.
Here's Paige with some cute gals.
And here's Priscilla with the same group.
This is me with Priscilla.
You can't tell in that picture but I was totally coveting the top she was wearing. Can I say that on the LifeWay blog?
It was a great time of ministry and the crowd was one of the best we've ever had at an event. You could tell they were a group of women who couldn't wait to worship with Anthony and get into the Word with Priscilla.
Priscilla taught from Judges 6 about Gideon and the Midianites and there were so many great takeaways, but two things really stuck out in my mind.
The first was that God used crisis in the life of Gideon to make him into the warrior God knew He could be. If not for the crisis of invasion by the Midianites, Gideon wouldn't have been hiding in a winepress. And the winepress is where he came face to face with an angel of the Lord who called him "Mighty Warrior".
The second thing that really spoke to me was when Priscilla said that we can't let our circumstances define us. We find our identity in Christ, not our circumstances. She used an example of a small, blue tassel. The tassel had been given to her by a friend as a starting point to decorate her new office. But she realized that the tassel was too small of a thing to let it determine the decor of her entire office.
That's what we do with our circumstances sometimes. We let one small thing define us, while God is wanting us to move past that one thing because it's just a blue tassel. We can't determine our potential by the tassel. It's made me start to examine things in my life that I let become blue tassels.
The best part is if you missed last weekend in San Antonio, you still have the chance to hear Priscilla this year. Check out the Going Beyond simulcast page to find out how you can be a part of the Going Beyond event on April 1-2. I promise you will be blessed.
Going Beyond Simulcast from Going Beyond on Vimeo.
What: Going Beyond Simulcast
When: April 1-2, 2011
Where: Panama City, FL - and maybe your church, too!
Need more info? Check out the Going Beyond Simulcast page - you can find details about how to become a host church OR find out if there's a simulcast site near you!
Y'all.
The Going Beyond event in San Antonio this weekend was amazing. And I have some truly amateur video and pictures to share with y'all.
Priscilla was amazing and totally brought the Word to life. I don't think there was a woman who walked out those doors who didn't hear something from God this weekend.
Before I talk about the event here, I thought y'all might want to check out Priscilla's blog today.
So rumor has it that this past weekend's Going Beyond in San Antonio was an absolutely incredible event.
And when I say "rumor has it," what I really mean is "Melanie told me so on the phone yesterday afternoon."
I have a feeling that Melanie will be telling you all about it over the course of this week.
And in a little less than two weeks, Tacoma, Washington will host the very first Living Proof Live of 2011.
Oh, Tacoma. You are in for a treat and a blessing.
So are any of you Pacific Northwest folks planning to attend? Anybody chomping at the bit to slap on that wristband and find your seat in the Tacoma Dome and get you a word?
Let us know if you'll be there - and if you don't have tickets but would like to go, here's all the LPL ticket info you need!
Gals!
Just wanted to remind y'all that this weekend, February 25-26th, is the first Going Beyond event of the year. Priscilla will be in San Antonio at Alamo City Christian Church and you don't want to miss it if you happen to be nearby.
To find out more information, click on over to the Event Page.
Hope to see y'all there. Cowboy boots are optional.
Once the last LifeWay women's event of any given year is over, it always feels like spring - and the next event - is just miles and miles away.
But somehow Christmas and New Year's always manage to fly by, and winter doesn't last forever (even if this current one seems intent on sticking around awhile). Next thing you know it's February - which means that the event calendar is about to get really, really lively.
It occurred to me this afternoon that this is the perfect time of year for us to remind you who's going to be where in 2011, and Living Proof Live with Beth Moore seems like a might fine place to start. If you need more detailed information on any of the LPLs, just click on over to the event page and find the link for your particular city.
Do any of y'all already have plans to attend? We'd love to know!
So yesterday I read Melanie's post about setting up a Sandra McCracken station on Pandora, and I was immediately intrigued because until that very moment I had never heard of Sandra McCracken. Or if I had I didn't remember it.
Please don't judge me. My brain is very crowded with all manner of insignificant trivia, so sometimes it's hard for me to remember the things that actually matter.
Anyway, I kept thinking about Melanie's recommendation because I love me some Pandora, but midway through the morning I went to a performance by a local church's ballet company and as a result I completely forgot to set up my Sandra McCracken station.
But hold on. You'll never believe what happened next. Or maybe you will, but where's the narrative suspense if I say something like, "But hold on - you'll totally believe what happened next"?
Before the ballet started I kept thinking about how Melanie, Paige Greene and I were kidding around last week on Twitter. Specifically, Melanie decided that she was going to open .MOM with a dramatic reading while I performed an interpretive dance (WITH STREAMERS!) in the background. But then Melanie said my dancing might cause her to get too choked up to read, and really, that is understandable because, well, my arabesques have in fact been known to make people weep.
As it turned out, today's ballet performance (no streamers) was absolutely beautiful, and the song for the last number was so gorgeous that it made me teary-eyed. Afterwards I asked about six different people if they happened to know the name of the song, and lo and behold, one of them actually did.
It was "Thy Mercy, My God." By - GET THIS - Sandra McCracken.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
(Don't answer that. This is a LifeWay blog. WE DO NOT DISCUSS ODDS AND/OR WAGERING OF ANY SORT.)
(Oh, I kid.)
So if you've never heard of Sandra McCracken, either, have a listen. Gorgeous lyrics. Lovely voice.
Happy Wednesday, y'all.
It was almost a year ago when Paige Green mentioned the .MOM conference to me for the first time. I very specifically remember our conversation because I was circling the Walmart parking lot looking for a space while we talked. And I guess the detail about Walmart doesn't really add great meaning to this post, but I'm all about telling you way more than you need or care to know. I like to think that it's one of my spiritual gifts.
Anyway, when Paige explained the concept of .MOM, I was intrigued, mainly because I'm such a believer in cross-generational discipleship. We may get comfort from being in a room of people who are the same age as we are (and there is definitely value in that), but I'm at a point in my life where what I crave more than anything is wisdom. It's so important that all of us reach out to the generations ahead of us and behind us so that we can encourage each other and strengthen the body of Christ for His glory.
Last week, as part of an article that I'm writing for HomeLife, I was privileged and blessed to get a small preview of what .MOM will be like. I got to eat breakfast, hang out and talk with four precious women who are leading breakouts at .MOM - Esther Burroughs, Jean Castille, Dedra Herod and Heather Platt. All of us are in different stages of life: Esther is a mom of two and grandmother of five; Jean is a mom of six and grandmother of one; Dedra is an almost-empty nester mom of three teenagers; I'm the mama of a first grader; and Heather is the mom of two pre-schoolers. Truth be told, I was a little concerned beforehand about how well all the ages and stages would mesh, but oh my goodness - I need not have worried.
Because it was seriously one of my absolute favorite days ever. EVER.
I don't know when I've ever been a part of a group where the Holy Spirit enabled us to share our hearts so quickly and so openly. There was a transparency and a candor that only the Lord could have orchestrated, and our conversations were honest and heartwarming and convicting and helpful and healing. It blessed Heather and me so much to soak up wisdom from women who are a little bit farther down the wife and mama road than we are. It blessed Dedra to be able to voice her concerns about a whole new phase of life - and be met with encouragement. It blessed Jean and Esther to be able to share with us what, by God's grace, they've learned along the way.
I walked away from our time together with a renewed commitment to be intentional about the kind of wife I am to my husband and the kind of mama I am to our little boy. To stay grounded in the Word. To be faithful in prayer. And to laugh and live well through it all.
My morning with those four women was just a small glimpse of what .MOM will be. Just a teeny, tiny glimpse. And y'all, I am so excited about what's going to happen here in Birmingham on September 23-24. Because when you put women in a place where they have the freedom to share their hearts - and when you combine that freedom with God's Word and real-life wisdom - well, you get real community. Honest community.
It's gonna be so good.
Hope you'll be there with us!
*WARNING: This video is not for those who get motion sickness due to the shakey camera moves. I won't name names.
CLARIFICATION: While we love and esteem Lisa Harper, she will NOT be at the Going Beyond event in San Antonio next month. We wish, but other Bible teaching calls.
The ALAMO: No we did not go in, but we had a moment out front.
WHY: Lisa and I were scurrying around down town San Antonio last October when I accompanied her on one of her Women of Faith fun weekends. (She was awesome by the way). Loved that event and getting to meet the amazing women of faith themselves.
I'LL BE BACK: Not to the Alamo, (well maybe) but definitely at Alamo City Church on Feb 25 and 26 for our FIRST Going Beyond, Priscilla Shirer event of 2011! Anthony Evans will be leading worship. AND Melanie has promised to take me for fabulous, authentic Tex Mex.
An Ala-Moment! from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
- Priscilla Shirer has a great discussion going on at her blog about what holds women back from giving the best of their time and talents in their lives.
- It's time for the second memory verse of the year for the LPL Siesta Scripture Memory Team. If you haven't joined the fun yet, it's not too late!
- Don't forget about registering for .MOM, which will be in Birmingham on September 23-24 - that weekend be here before you know it! We'll have more info soon about break-out sessions, and while everybody else is ironing out al the serious details, Melanie and I will be working on a special clogging routine for the .MOM festivities. We feel that we can add something really special to the platform by showing off some of our sah-weet dance moves. Don't tell her I told you, but I have it on pretty good authority that Mel has a mean wagon wheel at her disposal.
(And I just made all of that up, of course.)
(But now that I think about it, the whole clogging idea might just have some promise.)
(Giddy up, y'all.)
I know!
It's a lot of exclamation points!
But today is the day! It's the webcast!
Today, Tuesday, January 18th from 12-1p.m. central time, Chris Adams, Paige Greene, and Pam Case will be moderating a live webcast featuring Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Vicki Courtney, Angie Smith, and Angela Thomas.
There will be fun surprises and lots of news about everything coming up in the new year. Make sure you don't miss it!
For more information, just click over to the LifeWay Women Live page.
And check out the gals during rehearsal yesterday.
Rumor has it that it will be some kind of a good time today.
Well, I was all geared up to tell you about the first-ever You and Your Girl simulcast, and when I clicked over to Vicki Courtney's blog to make sure I hadn't left anything out of the link, I scrolled down and saw that Vicki has all sorts of great simulcast information. Which stands to reason since she's the one who'll be on the platform at the event.
Funny how that works.
So for all sorts of You and Your Girl simulcast information, click on over to Vicki's blog post about it. And if you're the mom of a daughter, don't forget to put April 9th on your calendar!
A webcast.
Isn't it weird to think that not that long ago a webcast would have sounded like a fancy term for what a spider does and not something that involves technology? Or is that just me?
Anyway, just wanted to make sure you all knew about LifeWay Women Live. It's a chance to participate in a free webcast once a month throughout the year to keep up with everything that's going on with LifeWay women.
Next week, on Tuesday, January 18th from 12-1p.m. central time, Chris Adams, Paige Greene, and Pam Case will be moderating a live webcast featuring Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Vicki Courtney, Angie Smith, and Angela Thomas.
There will be fun surprises and lots of news about everything coming up in the new year. Make sure you don't miss it!
For more information, just click over to the LifeWay Women Live page.
Last month at Deeper Still I spent some time helping out at the .MOM table, and I was sort of blown away (and tickled! oh-so-tickled!) by the great response. I mean, I expected that women would want some information, but I never expected that so many people would sign up right then and there.
I actually talked to our LifeWay buddy Paige this afternoon about some of the .MOM plans, and it's going to be a really special event, y'all. There will be wisdom on the platform, specified information and guidance in the break-out sessions, and lots of time to talk and laugh with women from all ages and stages.
Melissa Greene .MOM from LifeWay Productions on Vimeo.
We would absolutely love it if you can be there to join us. Here's all the .MOM registration information you'll ever need.
And remember, you can follow .MOM on Facebook - and Twitter, too!
I've spent the last few days watching live video stream of the Passion Conference that's going on right now in Atlanta. For those of you who may not know, Passion is a huge gathering for 18-25 year olds that was started by Louie Giglio and has grown beyond imagination over the last ten years or so. In fact, there are 22,000 college students in attendance this year.
And the best part is that those young people are able to hear some real wisdom from a platform of speakers that include Beth Moore, John Piper, Francis Chan and Andy Stanley. I don't know that there is anything that moves me more than seeing seasoned veterans of the Christian faith pour themselves into raising up the next generation. As Beth said in her talk on Sunday morning, there is a good chance that some of the greatest Christian minds of the next generation are sitting in that very conference right now making the decision to live all out for Christ.
To check it out or to listen to some of the sermons, click on over to the Passion site. It's enough to make me wonder if I can disguise myself as a twenty-something and attend the next one.
I've been holding onto the notes from Beth's lesson at Deeper Still because it's so applicable to the Christmas season. Using Luke 2 as her primary text, Beth focused on The Lost Art of Treasure. She started by saying that God gives all of us treasures, but the enemy tries to convince us that the treasure is null and void - or even that it's mistake.
But Beth encouraged us to resist the temptation to be dismissive about what God is up to in our lives; we need to, as Beth said, "keep the matter in mind" and actively reflect on what He's doing. We should follow Mary's lead in Luke 2:19 by treasuring up all these things and pondering them in our hearts. And in keeping with this theme, Beth offered six keys to reclaiming The Lost Art of Treasure.
1. There are treasures out there. - It's so easy for us to fall into a pattern of thinking that there's nothing in our lives for us to treasure, but that's just not true. However, there's a big difference between being amazed by something and treasuring it (the root of the phrase "treasured up" is "syntereo," which means "to guard, keep, to protect"). We need to hold on to our treasure - not just settle for temporary amazement.
2. They're not my treasures until they make it past my defenses. - Everything we treasure is wrapped up in emotion, and sometimes it's hard to see the treasure in a tough situation. We have to let our guards down enough to recognize that there are even treasures in and through our pain.
3. Treasures strung together can bring healing. - If we consciously hold tight to the treasures that God has ordained in our lives, we will start to see the pieces of His plan come together. We will start to notice how he's working (my addition: if you've ever done the Believing God study, you know how powerful this process can be). If we never learn to treasure, we are left only with the obvious.
4. Our treasure gets lost in the same trash as our time. - It takes time to treasure. Is there any room in your life for God to work outside the norm? Is there any margin? We can't do 1,000 things to the glory of God. Is there room and time for reflection? For study? For prayer? For seeing Him at work?
5. We'll miss our most expensive treasure if we look past the hardship and pain. - Treasure is not a really great time. There may even be treasure in unlikely places - like the barren fields in our lives. If we can get past our bitterness, we may just see that God did something precious in the midst of our pain. We store up so many offenses that we have no room in our storage units. The enemy will use bitterness and fear to steal our treasures, but he has no business trying to take them.
6. When you feel like you've lost the treasure, look for Jesus. - If you feel uncertain about what the Lord is doing in your life, rest in the peace of knowing that He's holding all the puzzle pieces. Things may seem disjointed now, but everything will come together. He's working all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He's got it.
What are you treasuring today?
Post by Pat Layton
If my "Prayer Chair" could talk it might tell you some pretty soapy secrets about my life. It's true isn't it? If you are like me, a look back at my prayer journal reveals the real condition of my heart on any given day, during any given season. Psalms 139 says that God knows everything about us anyway. He not only knows the heart condition, He even knows the overflow of the heart--the words we are going to speak before we speak them. God knows our secrets and He sometimes calls us to share them for the life of another.
Sharing my most shameful life secret is part of the ministry of "testimony" God has called me into through my Lifeway Bible Study "Surrendering the Secret". Over the past 3 years God has opened doors for me to share with hundreds of churches across the US and thousands of women who carry the heartbreak of a past abortion.
I was recently asked to help verify a few of the often-quoted statistics about abortion:
43% of American women of childbearing age have experienced an abortion
Nearly ½ of all pregnancies are "unplanned" and 4 out of 10 end in abortion.
Since abortion was legalized and estimated 55 million lives have been lost.
The statistics are difficult to prove since the main organizations following abortion are those whose goal is to justify it's legality.
A few mornings ago I read Genesis 18 and 19 where Abraham is pleading before God for the protection of the few righteous men and women living in Sodom and Gomorrah, specifically his own family. I was reminded of my search and my prayers asking God to reveal the truth about how many women, and men, are being held in bondage over this devastating lie about freedom and choice.
Are you aware of how many family and friends around you who are hiding the secret heartbreak and shame of a past abortion?
Are there a Hundred? Fifty? Twenty? Ten? One?
Regardless of statistics, my question is much like Abraham's...Does it really matter if there are millions, which I fully believe there are, or would it be worth our ministry and prayers, if it was just one? One woman who on one very tragic day, made one very tragic decision to have her own son or daughter ripped from her life thereby stepping into a dark pit of secrecy and shame that she would always feel she deserved until someone came along to tell her about God's immeasurable grace and unfailing love.
Would you do it for one?
If so, I will be offering a Post Abortion Recovery Leadership Training January 22, 2011 in Eagle River, AK. I would love to tell you how.
Contact me about how you can come for free!
patlayton@mac.com
We are currently establishing our Surrendering the Secret Certified Leader Training schedule for 2011 as well as "Imagine Me, Set Free" Women's Conference Dates.
www.surrenderingthesecret.com
COMING SOON: FREE Webcast
LifeWay Women Live: Surrendering the Secret
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
@ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Central Time)
...these two sweet souls spoke louder to me than anyone else at Deeper Still.
How great is our God.
I don't know if I've mentioned it here yet, but I spent the weekend at Deeper Still working as part of the event team. And I can guarantee you that I haven't worked that hard in a long time, but I had such a great time.
Since I was so busy with the merch table and helping volunteers hand out listening guides and the like, I didn't get to hear all the messages this weekend, but I did manage to get in just in time to hear Travis sing In the First Light and to hear most of Priscilla's message.
And I pretty much cried my way through both of those things.
Priscilla's message was about living in our faith place. The place between where our abilities end and where God can take us.
She said that there are thousands of promises in the Word that He doesn't place in our hand, but in our reach.
He has great plans for all of us, but has purposely brought us to a place of dependence on Him. A place where we are not enough so that we (and those around us) can watch God pull it off.
She illustrated her point with a passage from 2 Kings 13 where Elisha was visited by Jehoash, king of Israel. Elisha told the king to get a bow and some arrows. The king shot one of the arrows and Elisha declared it the arrow of victory of Aram.
Then he told the king to take the arrows and strike the ground. But the king only struck the ground three times. Elisha was angry with him and said he should have struck the ground five or six times because then he would have completely defeated Aram, but now he would only defeat it three times.
Priscilla used this story to show that God wants us to trust Him enough to use all our arrows. The king held some back, but God wants us to take everything we've got and lay it all out for Him. We are called to invest it all and believe that in our weakness, He is strong.
We let ourselves be held back by our fears and insecurities and doubts, but He who has called us is faithful.
He will fill the gap between what we are and what He has called us to be.
And I don't know about y'all, but I want to reach out and grab what He has for me.
Kay Arthur taught the first session at Deeper Still Birmingham. If you have ever heard her teach, you know that she is absolutely remarkable, and no one will ever - EVER - accuse her of mincing words. She's direct, uncompromising and challenging - and there is a deep and genuine love for the Word of God and the people of God that permeates every single thing that she says.
This past weekend's lesson was from the book of Matthew, and Kay started by citing some statistics from Barna: NIne out of ten people in this country claim to believe in God. Three-quarters of the people in America claim to be Christian. THREE-QUARTERS. However, only 7% say that they're evangelical. The largest concentration of people who claim to be Christian is in - you guessed it - the Deep South. In fact, 98% of the people in Shreveport claim to be Christian, and Birmingham rolls in at a solid 96%.
But then Kay asked a few pointed questions that I've actually heard my pastor ask before: if so many people claim to be Christian, why doesn't our culture look any different? Why has marriage been so devalued? Why is immorality rampant all over this country? Why are so many people chasing after materialism? Why do so many people feel that their lives are empty?
Kay believes that there are a whole lot of people in this country who have exposure to religion - but they don't have a relationship with God. She said that people want to add Jesus to their life, but He's not something that you just sort of sprinkle around to add flavor. True repentance involves understanding Truth, embracing it, and making necessary adjustments to live a life that's fully surrendered to Jesus.
Here's an excerpt:
Using the book of Matthew as her primary text, Kay expounded on four main points that she hoped would encourage believers to face the future with confidence. Here's a brief summary from my notes.
1. The Christ & His Call - Jesus is not an accessory. He is the Son of God. He is the One who saves. He calls us to repentance, to a true turning away from the things of this world. He is not "seasoning." He is life.
2. The Cost of the Cross - Considering what Jesus has done for us on the Cross, we owe him no less than our everything. We need to practice righteousness before Him. Not publicly - BEFORE HIM.
3. The Gain or the Loss in Our Lives - Do we really know what it means to die to ourselves? Do we really believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain? Are we willing to give up everything for Him? It's impossible to serve God and wealth. We must choose one or the other.
4. The Commission - Are we willing to be hated for the sake of Jesus Christ? He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. We must serve Him by going out and sharing the Gospel without reservation and without hesitation.
Kay closed with a statement that was really convicting (at least to me): When I embrace the culture over the Word of God, I have bowed down to the culture.
May we all remember that this culture is not worthy of our worship.
It is not worthy of our worship.
Only Jesus.
Now granted, we dealt with a multitude of serious topics at this past weekend's Deeper Still in Birmingham. Beth reminded us about the lost art of treasure. Priscilla encouraged us to empty our quivers. Kay taught the entire book of Matthew.
And in the midst of all that great teaching, there was also a whole bunch of fun.
Case in point: Deeper Still Cupcake Wars 2010.
It was the stuff of legends, my friends. Epic, in fact. I'll let the video tell the tale of our little impromptu contest.
After I turned off the camera, Jerry admitted that it was very, very close between the two strawberry cupcakes. He thought the Dreamcakes version was incredible - but gave a slight edge to the icing from Cupcake Collection. And because I am a Very Mature Individual, I can certainly respect his decision - even if I was secretly hoping that he'd pick the cupcakes from my friend Jan at Dreamcakes.
But here's what I know deep down in my heart: if Jerry had tried the Caramel Sea Salt Mocha cupcakes from Dreamcakes? Oh, it would've been all over. Not even a contest. There is no cupcake on the planet that can match its excellence.
At least that's what I tell myself when I feel the lingering sting of a close cupcake-related competition that didn't go Birmingham's way. Not this time, at least.
I call for a re-match at Deeper Still Louisville in 2011.
Happy Monday, y'all!
What's the weather supposed to be like in Birmingham this weekend?
Sunny and highs in the low 60s. No rain in the forecast. And remember: people tend to get to the arena early and then wait outside for the doors to open. If you're planning to do this, don't forget a jacket. Might be a little chilly outside.
Are there any restaurants or coffee shops right by the arena?
Not really. The Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center is in a little world of its own right off the interstate. With the exception of the Sheraton, which is next door, finding a restaurant or a coffee shop before the event will require some walking. So if you want to pick up breakfast Saturday morning, I'd suggest stopping somewhere close to your hotel before you head over to the BJCC. There will be food and drinks inside the arena, though, at the concession stands.
I'll be in town around noon on Friday. My hotel is downtown. Are there any good lunch places?
Oh my word. YES. A million times yes. Some might require a little driving (if you're going into Homewood or Mountain Brook Village), so be sure to map the restaurant and see if it's close to where you're staying.
Here are a few local favorites: Urban Standard, O'Carr's (best chicken salad in three states), Chez Lulu, Bottega, Newk's (reasonable prices and delicious diet Coke), Cantina, Mellow Mushroom, Silvertron (I could write poems about their fried cheese) and Bellota. And if you decide to venture to The Summit (I-459 and Hwy. 280), you'll have Chuy's, FLIP Burger, PF Chang's, The Cheesecake Factory, plus lots of others.
So. Traffic. What's it like on Friday afternoons?
I'm not gonna lie, y'all. The traffic can be horrendous. Hwy. 280 is notorious for traffic jams, and I think I-65 is just as bad if not worse, especially during rush hour. Same for Hwy. 31. Give yourself an AMPLE window of time to get wherever you need to go. If you're staying downtown and driving to the arena, you still need to give yourself plenty of time. There are lots of one-way streets and lots of cars in the downtown area since UAB is in that neck of the woods.
All that being said, Saturday morning should be a breeze traffic-wise. Hopefully that will make up for whatever you endure Friday afternoon.
Let me know if you have any other questions - we can't wait to see y'all!
So you just need to know this week is going to be all about Deeper Still Birmingham because that's pretty much all any of us are thinking about right now. I've had it on my calendar since before I even had a calendar for 2010.
Which means it was on my mental calendar.
But I want to know who all is going to be there with us! Give us a shout out in the comments if we're going to see you this weekend!
Only four more days!
You know how you can look forward to something for a sweet forever - to the point that you almost feel like that "something" will never get here?
That's how I've felt for the last year about Deeper Still - Birmingham. I don't know when I've ever had a weekend circled more prominently on my calendar, and I can't believe - CANNOT BELIEVE - that, at long last, it's only four days away.
YIPPEE!
Over the next few days we'll be doing a little roll call and providing some local info, but before we jump in with that stuff, I wanted to make sure to point out one critical piece of information:
There are still a few Deeper Still tickets available.
Get 'em while the gettin's good. :-)
We can't wait to see y'all this weekend!
I've been hearing some wonderful things about last week's National Women's Leadership Forum. In fact, yesterday afternoon one of the LifeWay folks posted on Facebook that the women's ministry team was "full as we remember all that God did at our National Women's Leadership Forum. It was wild and wonderful and wore us out but we LOVED every minute."
So I'm wondering: were any of you there?
And if you were, what were one or two things that really impacted you?
So, Melanie and I aren't in North Carolina at the National Women's Leadership Forum this week, but we'll definitely be keeping up with what's going on at Ridgecrest via Twitter.
Because, you see, we're nosy like that.
And you can be nosy, too!
It's super-easy to follow along via Twitter, and it's a great way to keep up with all the behind-the-scenes wacky hijinks. There will probably be some serious stuff, too, but I'll go ahead and tell you that as far as Twitter is concerned, I am drawn to the silly. Because I'm Deeply Mature.
Here's a very incomplete list - but I'd be willing to bet that these five folks are the most likely to keep the tweets coming while they're at the Forum.
@paigegreene
@cottrelltravis
@bethmooreLPM
@pamcase
@lifewaywomen
Twitter - it's the next best thing to being there.
At least that's what I'm telling myself.
:-)
And p.s. - In the not-wasting-any-time department, the LifeWay folks have already opened up registration for the 2011 Forum. Giddyup, girls!
We'd love to hear from you if you happened to be at LPL Spokane this past weekend!
LPL - Spokane WA from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
Todd grew up on the mission field in Africa. He's having some fun with a few women at Relevant!
Todd from Selah sings with Relevant Women-African Style! from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
Last week I had the privilege of attending The Relevant Conference in Hershey, PA with 250 women bloggers who love Jesus. One of the highlights (aside from 1. hanging out with his amazing wife, Angie Smith, her editor, Jennifer Lyell, and Pam Case & 2. eating Hershey chocolate!) was listening to Todd Smith of Selah sing this amazing song.
Todd Smith from Selah_It is Well from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
If you're anywhere near Covington, Louisiana this weekend, you and your daughter(s) should seriously consider a trip to First Baptist Church in Covington to hear Vicki Courtney speak and participate in the You and Your Girl conference.
This is a one-day event - Saturday only - and I have no doubt that all of you moms and your daughters will walk away enlightened and encouraged. Click on over to the You and Your Girl event details if you'd like more information.
Have a great week, everybody!
Speaking of Priscilla Shirer (and we totally were even though it was yesterday), I'd love to hear back from any of you who had the chance to hear her speak at Going Beyond in South Carolina this past weekend. I know it was a huge blessing to all that were there.
Holler in the comments if you were in attendance!
This past weekend I got to hang out with some of my closest friends in Houston, and at some point we got on the subject of Bible studies. Priscilla Shirer's name came up in our conversation, and my friend Tracey said, "OH MY GOODNESS - I just finished one of her studies, and I LOVED IT."
Melanie and I just sat there and nodded our heads like crazy. Because like we've said over and over again, Priscilla is an absolutely phenomenal teacher. And this weekend - October 8-9 - Columbia, South Carolina is in for a treat.
Seriously. If you're within driving distance, you should totally go. You won't regret it.
And if you need more information, you can find it on LifeWay Women's Going Beyond page.
Hope some of you will be there!
Is it just me or do you have that song stuck in your head now?
Or do you just have no idea what I'm talking about? Am I the only one who loves me some adult contemporary classics?
Anyway, Beth, Travis and the Praise Team are all headed to Boston this weekend for a Living Proof Live event. You can find all the details over on the event page.
Meanwhile, I'll just be at home in South Texas trying not to be completely consumed with jealousy that they are somewhere with a high temperature of 71 degrees.
This is the cutest video featuring women that attended the simulcast at locations all over the world. How fun is it to think of all these women praising God from coast to coast?
One of the most memorable parts of the Living Proof Live events is the commissioning at the end. Even f you haven't been to an LPL in awhile, you probably still remember it; attendees get in groups of two or three and speak words of encouragement over each other. Beth writes the commissioning, then leads the group in repeating it. It's such an uplifting way to bring LPL to a close.
If you were at the Simulcast this weekend, you probably participated in the Commissioning. And just in case you're interested, you can find a copy of what you said over on Beth's blog. I was so grateful to be able to read the words that over 100,000 women spoke to each other!
And just FYI: you're going to have to navigate through some pictures of the Moore dogs and the Moore family to get to the actual commissioning. But it's there. Promise. Right at the end of the post.
Have a great Wednesday, y'all!
LPL Simulcast Chicago from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
All righty, girls.
I know that lots of you participated in the Living Proof Live Simulcast this past weekend.
So if you wouldn't mind, how about sharing one or two of your take-aways from your time in the Word with Beth?
Can't wait to hear what God impressed upon your hearts!
...TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!
The Day is finally here. Its a day when, Lord willing, Isaiah 55:11 will happen....
The Word of God will go forth from the Living Proof Live 2010 Simulcast with Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell this coming Saturday. And It will go forth to:
596 Host sites
46 states
27 churches in Canada
11 different countries
5 military bases
1 College.
Outside of North America, we will broadcast in: New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Guam, Australia, Bahamas, Malaysia, Turkey, Singapore, and South Africa.
...and it will not return void!
There will be nearly 600 separate events. Each one has been planned on and prayed for for MONTHS! And each one will be as unique as each church is. Churches across the country and world will be full of Women seeking, worshiping and hearing from our God.
Here are highlights from the 2009 event. If your socks are on...prepare for them to be knocked off:
So if you are attending an event at one of the 600 sites or if you are hosting, please give a shout out (and a prayer request) in the comments here.
Based on stats from attendance last year, we estimate to have some 125,000 attendees! Each one important to God, each one invited by Him, He knows every name. If you want to attend check this list for a church near you click here.
Wednesday at noon we will have our prayer Web cast with Beth, Trav and our host sites. Please join us in praying this week for all of the sites, for all of the attendees, for Beth and Travis and our technical team and those in the churches. As we like to say (and are thankful to say). Its a God-sized event. We pray it will be a God-filled event.
We love you and we are praying for you too!
Paige
My mama and I were talking on the phone a couple of weeks ago when she shared some news I wasn't expecting:
"Well, do you know what? Beth Moore is going to be here in Meridian in September!"
"Ma'am?"
"She is! She's going to be here. At First Baptist. And so is Travis!"
"Mama, are you sure? I mean, I don't know their schedules backward and forward or anything, but I think I'd have noticed if they were going to be in your neck of the woods."
"I'm sure! I saw it in the paper! And the church is even serving lunch!"
Then it dawned on me: it's the Living Proof simulcast. So I giggled and said, "Um, Mama? You're right. They will be there. Just on a really big screen. And you should absolutely go."
So Mama's going. And while she may not get to hug Beth's neck and present Travis with a pound cake, there's not a doubt in my mind that the teaching and the worship that she sees on that big screen are going to encourage her like crazy and bless her heart.
Sometimes I just want to give technology a big ole hug, don't you?
What about y'all? Are any of y'all attending the simulcast this weekend?
And just FYI: if you're wondering whether or not there's a simulcast site in your area, here's an updated list of LPL simulcast host churches.
Okay, so today is probably a good day to finish my recap of LPL Richmond. Even though I'm not even sure how to bring it all together. I'm just going to hit a few of the highlights for me.
I'm even going to use bullet points because there is no way this is going to take the form of cohesive paragraphs.
1. Beth made the comment that the Word of God never bothers to prove that God exists. It's just a fact. God exists. The burden of proof that He doesn't exist is on the atheist.
I love that.
2. In Isaiah 55:11, God says, "so is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." It's a literal personification of what God promised in Isaiah 55:11.
3. We were meant to be as contagious as a virus. People should see something in us that they want for themselves. Are we living that way?
4. If we want to know theology, know Jesus.
5. Our lives are full of truths. We are mothers, we are wives, we are single, we are struggling with this or that. But ultimately all our truths are eclipsed by The Truth. Until we believe this, we cannot walk in the abundance God intends for us.
A truth doesn't become THE TRUTH until its got His Word on it.
The Truth takes a truth and makes it a testimony.
6. He doesn't just want us to be healed, but to know our healer. Jesus is the gift.
7. We have to go back to Middle C to get to our future. We have to recapture the wonder of who Christ is and what He has done for us.
And if that doesn't give you something to think about this morning, you're a better person than me.
Hope y'all have a great day.
I was planning to finish my recap of LPL Richmond today, but then I saw that Pam Case twittered that it's not too late for your church to sign up for the Beth Moore Simulcast on September 18th.
You can find out all the details by clicking over to the simulcast page.
I attended my first simulcast event last spring and was amazed at how it felt like I was really there. The worship was amazing and the teaching was incredible! This would be a great opportunity to bring Beth Moore right to your home church.
So I was going to wait until I really had my thoughts together before I gave you a brief summary of Beth's message from LPL Richmond last weekend. But then I realized I'll probably never get my thoughts together and then a month later you might be all "Whatever happened to that summary you promised?" or you might be as scattered as me and forget all about it. Even so, better a summary that may ramble than no summary at all.
Just pretend like that's true.
Beth taught out of John 1. She began her message by having the women in the coliseum raise their hand if they'd been raised in church. The majority of hands went up. And then she had them raise their hands if they currently served in some way at the church. Again, the majority of hands went up. She challenged us to look beyond what has become so familiar to so many of us and return to the wonder of Christ.
The wonder of Christ.
I'll go ahead and confess right now that it was the third time in a week I'd heard that I needed to return to the wonder of who Christ is and what He did for me. I'm assuming it's because it hasn't been lost on God that I'd lost my sense of wonder and become very complacent. He's smart like that.
Beth shared that many commentaries refer to John1 as an octave. And if it's an octave, then Jesus is the Middle C. In fact, He is the middle C of our lives and we all have to return to the middle C, if we want to hit high C.
In the first chapter of John, Jesus is referred to by eight names just like there are eight keys in an octave.
The Word
The Life
The Light
The Only Begotten Son
The Lamb
The Messiah
The King
The Son of Man
When we become too familiar and complacent about who Christ is, then we can get flat or sharp. We have to remember to return to middle C. It's about Jesus. It's about His wonder.
I'll share a little bit more tomorrow.
Maybe I'll have all my thoughts together by then.
But probably not.
Sometime last year I decided it was kind of fun to take a lot of random video at events and piece it together into some sort of amateur production. The sheer lack of quality is enough to make Steven Spielberg weep.
So excuse the poor audio. And the fact that I never manage to get a good shot of anything.
Let's pretend it just adds to the charm.
LPL Richmond - The Amateur Version from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
It makes me feel pretty certain that I should leave the video and photography to Rich.
Have I mentioned I'm going to LPL in Richmond, Virginia this weekend? Because I am. I totally am. And I'm so excited about it because this will be my first LPL in almost a year. I've missed hearing Beth teach and I've missed hearing Travis and the team lead worship.
I can't wait to get there.
If you're going to be there, I'd love to meet you. I'll be helping the lovely Amy Jacobs work the LifeWay booth and handing out Homelife magazines as fast as my little hands will allow. I'd love it if you'd stop by and say hi!
It dawned on me yesterday that we're just a couple of weeks away from Going Beyond in Hattiesburg, MS on September 10-11. As Melanie and I may have mentioned four or four hundred times, Priscilla Shirer is an absolutely incredible teacher and communicator, and sitting under her teaching is time well-spent. You won't regret it.
Anyway, I keep thinking that if any of you folks in Jackson, Meridian, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mobile, etc. (apparently I'm making my way down I-59 and then across I-10 in my head - I guess that's one of the perks of growing up in central Mississippi) haven't attended a Going Beyond event before, NOW'S YOUR CHANCE.
Seriously. You will be encouraged, convicted and edified when you leave.
Here's the source for Going Beyond Hattiesburg tickets.
Grab a friend or nine and make some plans to be there.
You'll be so glad you did.
I'm always excited about Deeper Still events. I love the cross-generational teaching, I love worship with Travis and the praise team, and I love how all three women (four, counting Kelly Minter!) share what the Lord has been showing them through and in Scripture. It really is an event like no other.
But whatever my normal level of DS excitement might be under normal circumstances, you can pretty much triple that for the upcoming Deeper Still in my beloved hometown of Birmingham. Like so many people who live here, I LOVE THIS PLACE, and the relational side of me is just flat-out giddy at the thought of being able to share it - even indirectly - with the women who'll be in town December 3-4. I bet all you other Birminghamians are feeling the same way.
So, in the spirit of unbridled enthusiasm and expectancy, I thought I'd offer a little Birmingham tutorial on places to eat and shop on your way into town or on your way out of town. As most of you know, the event schedule doesn't leave a very big window for getting out and about, but if you're here early enough for lunch on Friday or late enough for supper on Saturday, this info might help. I hope it does.
1) The Summit - Highway 280 & I-459 - There's something for everybody there food-wise (The Cheesecake Factory, a brand-spankin' new Chuy's, Flip Burger, PF Chang's, etc.) and you can shop all day long and still not make it into every store. If you have a daughter or friend who loves Anthropologie, then I believe The Summit will be something akin to a mother ship calling her home.
2) 18th Street South in Homewood - Highway 31 & Red Mountain Expressway - This is one of my absolute favorite places to shop, and it has a local feel that the malls just can't touch. If it's not too cold, park your car on the street and take yourself a little walking tour of the area. You'll feel right at home. And if there's any way you can arrange it, go to O'Carr's for the chicken salad and fruit plate. It should be a requirement for every Birmingham visitor.
3) Mountain Brook Village - Highway 280 and Hollywood Boulevard - I can't describe it. You just have to go. Make sure you stop by Smith's Variety (so fun to browse there) and then walk over to Gilchrist's for a limeade. The zoo and the (lovely) Botanical Gardens are in that same area, but since it's probably going to be a smidge on the cool side, retail establishments might be a little more practical.
4) Brookwood Mall - Highway 280 and Lakeshore Drive - This is an old mall that's been completely renovated, and the result is an indoor mall with plenty of outside dining options (Five Guys, anyone?), great parking, and enough stores to keep you occupied but not so many that it's overwhelming. I feel like it's a great little local secret, and did I mention that there's a Five Guys?
5) Any BBQ establishment - We have a ton of barbecue places in Birmngham, and you really can't go wrong with any of them. There's Full Moon, Golden Rule, Jim and Nick's, Johnny Ray's, Miss Myra's, Saw's - I could go on and on. In Alabama we like our barbecue sauce thick, we like it sweet, and we even like to put a little slaw on top of our meat when we eat a pulled pork sandwich. It'll bless your heart. Figuratively speaking, of course.
If y'all have any Birmingham-related questions, just let me know in the comments. I may not know the answer, but I'll find someone who does - and we can't wait to see y'all in December!
Remember how I told you about .MOM a few weeks ago?
And remember how I told you to stay tuned for more info?
Well, consider this update number one.
Only you really don't have to number the updates, of course. It's entirely your personal preference. I'm just a little on the obsessive side when it comes to keeping track of things, but if you would rather keep track of the updates in a willy-nilly non-numerical fashion, then by all means feel free to exercise that Christian liberty.
Anyway.
You wanna know who's going to be speaking at .MOM? Who's going to be sharing what God has revealed to them about motherhood, whether that's as working moms or single moms or stay-at-home-moms or home schooling moms or almost-empty nesters (among other things)?
Well, the platform line-up has been posted. And it is really, really good.
So go ahead and make plans to join Priscilla, Vicki, Angela, Angie and Melissa at .MOM in Birmingham on September 23-24, 2011. And Melanie and me, too. Because from what I understand, we're going to be helping with some hostessing / emceeing duties.
Basically that means that if somebody gives us microphones, we're either going to 1) serenade you with power ballads from the 80s 2) stage an impromptu trivia contest with an emphasis on season one of Friday Night Lights or 3) experience mind-numbing stage fright and mumble uncontrollably.
You don't want to miss it!
And seriously, we can't wait to see y'all there.
Now I know that over the course of the last two years Melanie and I have mentioned the Living Proof Live simulcast approximately three or fifty times.
But did you know that there's a new simulcast on the horizon? One with a very wise woman by the name of Priscilla Shirer?
I KNOW!
The Going Beyond simulcast will be April 1-2, 2011. And if you're thinking, "Aren't you sort of jumping the gun by talking about something that's approximately 7 1/2 months away?" - well, maybe I am.
But I actually have a very good reason for mentioning the simulcast so early. Because if your church signs up to be a part of the simulcast between now and January 10th, the hosting fee is almost half of what it will be next spring.
This is such an incredible opportunity to share the Gospel with women (and men) in your community who might not have room in their budgets for a ticket to an event at an arena or a large church. I'm a little bit of a dreamer, and I think it would be awesome if churches would really get creative in terms of thinking of ways to use these simulcasts as bridges to reach communities outside of a church's immediate vicinity.
It's just a thought. And please forgive my rambling. Sometimes my enthusiasm takes control of my senses.
We'll have more info on the Going Beyond simulcast in the days and weeks to come - so stay tuned!
I wish I had a way to make that title more relevant, but I don't.
I also wish that I'd the chance to be at the LPL event in Kentucky this past weekend, but I wasn't.
But I'm thinking some of you out there might have been and I'd love to hear about it. I've heard through the grapevine that Beth's message was powerful.
Share in the comments if you get a chance!
If you're a person who likes to plan things in advance - like, waaaaaay in advance - well, I'm about to make your whole day.
LifeWay Women has a brand-new event coming up in September 2011, and it's going to be incredible. It's called .MOM (pronounce it "dotMOM"), and you're going to hear (read?) us talking about it a lot over the course of the next few months.
I should tell you that I thought .MOM was launching this year - even had it on my 2010 calendar - so I got very tickled when I was in the middle of a conversation with Paige, asking all sorts of event-related questions pertaining to 2010, and she finally said, "Oh no, honey - .MOM is NEXT year."
It's a good thing we cleared up that miscommunication. I'd have been very lonely at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center if I'd showed up looking for the LifeWay folks on September 23rd of this year.
ANYWAY, the event is in Birmingham (Alabama, not England - just FYI), and there's all sorts of good .MOM information - including early bird pricing - that you can peruse at your leisure.
That sounded sort of British, didn't it? Maybe the event really is in England.
Oh, I kid. And I also josh.
Stay tuned for more info!
Thanks so much to all the gals who played along on the 2nd Annual 2011 LifeWay Women's Events Clue Fest Contest. We had so much fun clue-ing it up on Facebook and Twitter. Many of you guessed the right cities but the real trick was matching the right city to the event. The three ladies below did a great job at that. Here are our winners:
Grand Prize winner!......
DONNA DEAR - Donna was almost 100% right. Wow! Congrats Donna
Our two runners up were:
KIM UDEN and RACHEL HINTON!
Girls we will contact you about your prizes. Donna wins two free tickets to the LifeWay Women's LIve event of her choice and Kim and Rachel each win Priscilla Shirer's new Bible Study JONAH kit!
My favorite wrong guesses need a shout out and a ...we wish. Note, these are NOT where these events are but we wish!
1. Girls' Ministry Forum in Pebble Beach, California. We'll pray about that for next year.
2.You Lead in Whyomissing, PA. I didn't know there was such a place but am a little sad we are 'missing' it. Great guess though!
3. Travis Cottrell guessed Boone, NC. He wishes. But he doesn't get to play anyway.
4. Hawaii! Great guess and another I wish!
So here is where we are going:
.MOM Conference with Priscilla Shirer, Angela Thomas, Vicki Courtney, Angie Smith and much more!
Birmingham, AL - Sept 23-24
Living Proof Live with Beth Moore:
Seattle, WA - March 11-12 (w/ You Lead)
Fresno, CA - April 1-2 (w/You Lead)
Little Rock, AR - April 15-16
Minneapolis, MN - May 20-21 (Eden Prairie)
Lincoln, NE - June 24-25 (w/You Lead)
Charlotte, NC - July 22-23 (w/You Lead)
Columbus, OH - August 12-13 (w/You Lead)
Salt Lake City, UT - August 26-27
Lubbock, TX - September 10 (SIMULCAST)
Baltimore, MD - Sept 30-Oct 1
Casper, WY - Nov 4-5
Pensacola, FL - Dec 2-3 (w/You Lead)
Deeper Still - with Priscilla Shirer, Kay Arthur and Beth Moore
Louisville, Ky - June 10-11
Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer
San Antonio, TX - Feb 25-26
Atlanta, GA - April 1-2 (Life Interrupted SIMULCAST)
Lynchburg, VA - Arpril 15-16
Southaven, MS - July 29-30 (Memphis)
Jacksonville, FL - Aug 26-27
Sacramento, CA - Oct 28-29
You and Your Girl with Vicki Courtney
Hendersonville, TN - April 9 = (Nashville)
Dallas, TX - October TBD - SIMULCAST
Women's National Leadership Forum
Nashville, TN - November 10-12
Girls Ministry Forum:
Nashville, TN - February 25-26
That's it girls! Thanks so much for playing! We hope to see you somewhere out on the road next year!
About eight months ago I was in Oklahoma City for Deeper Still, and I saw some sweet friends who live nearby. They were all a-flutter at the prospect of a Going Beyond event that was headed their way in August - which seemed a lifetime away in the midst the bitterly cold winds that nearly swept us away that weekend.
For the record, I'm sure that wind has been colder than that before and will be colder than that again. I'm just not so sure that I've experienced it firsthand. Not to mention that I was extraordinarily ill-prepared since I left my winter coat in Birmingham. But I digress.
Anyway - lo and behold - that Going Beyond event is almost here. It's coming up this weekend - August 6th and 7th - at The Church at Battle Creek in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
I know that Melanie and I have probably said this 50 times a piece, but if you have never sat under the teaching of Priscilla Shirer, GO. If Broken Arrow isn't close to you, then check out the upcoming Going Beyond events.
And just out of curiosity: will any of you be in Broken Arrow this weekend?
Just wanted to remind y'all about the contest going on right now!
Here's what you need to know:
- First prize is 2 tickets to a 2011 LifeWay Women's event of your choice
- Two runner up guessers will receive a copy of Priscilla Shirer's new Jonah Bible Study Kit.
So how do I find clues, you may ask? Well, there will be hints all week long on this blog, on the LifeWay Women Facebook page and on Twitter. If you aren't on Twitter and you want to win, then you my want to join and follow: @LIfeWayWomen, @pamcase, @paigegreene, @chrisadams4, @krisseidenkranz, @amycato and @gpwgirl. We will all be dropping hints all week long before Sunday's deadline, and then Monday the event list will be online.
So here is what you are looking for:
6 Going Beyond Events with Priscilla Shirer
12 LIving Proof LIves with Beth Moore
2 You and Your Girl events with Vicki Courtney
1 Deeper Still event with Priscilla, Beth and Kay Arthur
3 Live Simulcast internet broadcasts of three of the above events
8 You Lead Training events
1 Women's Leadership Forum
1 Girls' Ministry Forum
and last but not least, our new event: .MOM (pronounced "dotMom")
Try to match the city with the event. The ones who get the whole list the closest win! So here we go! Happy Clue Hunting. If you have questions, please post them as comments and we'll answer them!
We are so excited to announce the 2011 schedule to you! Maybe we are coming to your town!
That's right, gals! It's time for the 2nd annual 2011 Events Clue (fest) contest. We will pitch out clues all week long about the cities where we will host our LifeWay Women events in 2011. Registration opens August 2! So as you collect clues all week and add to your list, you can submit your best guesses to Womensevents@lifeway.com on Sunday, August 1. The guesser with the most correct cities of the 2011 calendar will win:
- First prize is 2 tickets to a 2011 LifeWay Women's event of your choice
- Two runner up guessers will receive a copy of Priscilla Shirer's new Jonah Bible Study Kit.
So how do I find clues, you may ask? Well, there will be hints all week long on this blog, on the LifeWay Women Facebook page and on Twitter. If you aren't on Twitter and you want to win, then you my want to join and follow: @LIfeWayWomen, @pamcase, @paigegreene, @chrisadams4, @krisseidenkranz, @amycato and @gpwgirl. We will all be dropping hints all week long before Sunday's deadline, and then Monday the event list will be online.
So here is what you are looking for:
6 Going Beyond Events with Priscilla Shirer
12 LIving Proof LIves with Beth Moore
2 You and Your Girl events with Vicki Courtney
1 Deeper Still event with Priscilla, Beth and Kay Arthur
3 Live Simulcast internet broadcasts of three of the above events
8 You Lead Training events
1 Women's Leadership Forum
1 Girls' Ministry Forum
and last but not least, our new event: .MOM (pronounced "dotMom")
Try to match the city with the event. The ones who get the whole list the closest win! So here we go! Happy Clue Hunting. If you have questions, please post them as comments and we'll answer them!
We are so excited to announce the 2011 schedule to you! Maybe we are coming to your town!
Wow. Does it seem like this summer has flown by to anyone else? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was stocking up on sunscreen and now it's time to buy school supplies. Which I have to admit makes the inner nerd in me very excited because NEW PENCILS! SHARP CRAYONS! NOTEBOOKS!
Maybe I'll even buy a Trapper Keeper for myself.
But that might be weird.
Anyway, I just wanted to remind you of a few upcoming events:
August 6-7th - Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer in Broken Arrow, OK
August 13-14th - Living Proof Live with Beth Moore in Lexington, KY
August 27-28th - Living Proof Live with Beth Moore in Richmond, VA
And don't forget that it's not too late for your church to be a part of the Living Proof Live Simulcast on September 18th! Live from Chicago, it's Beth Moore!
You can find out more about upcoming events, by clicking over to the Events page.
Last week Pam and Paige were special guests on a webcast with Chris Adams, LifeWay's Women's Enrichment Ministry / Ministers' Wives Specialist.
They shared all sorts of exciting news about what's coming up in 2011 - including a brand-spankin' new event that's going to be taking place in Birmingham.
(Yay, Birmingham! I love Birmingham!)
(I live in Birmingham.)
(So that probably explains my enthusiasm.)
Anyway, if you missed the webcast, you can still listen to all the news - and it's only a click away!
AllAccess: LifeWay Women's Resource Update
Enjoy, everybody - and have a great week!
This past weekend at Living Proof Live in St. Louis, Beth shared a message about the image of God: Imago Dei. It was complex and layered and deep, and Saturday's sessions especially stomped all over my toes in the best possible ways.
After the Saturday morning break, Beth shared a story about a woman named Teri (apologies to Teri if I'm misspelling her name) who was supposed to be at LPL in Springfield, Illinois last November. Since Teri was at the St. Louis event, Beth called her to the platform - and you can see the rest right here.
(Please excuse the video quality.)
(I was taping from one of the screens so that you could see the ladies clearly.)
(But apparently I'd had a little too much caffeine.)
Sweet Moment - LPL St. Louis from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
And do you know what Teri said in Beth's ear at the end?
"He's the Potter. I'm just the clay."
Isn't that incredible? And so encouraging?
There's no question that recapping events is one of my most favorite parts about blogging for AllAccess. As somebody who is just way past grateful for what I've learned from some really gifted teachers at different women's events over the last six or seven years, it makes me all kinds of happy to be able to share bits and pieces what goes on at Living Proof or Going Beyond or Deeper Still with blog readers who weren't able to be there.
But.
One of the things Melanie and I try to be really careful about is that we don't unintentionally elevate the people who speak or lead worship on the platform to some sort of "untouchable" status. A culture of celebrity or even competition has NO PLACE in the body of Christ. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the people who are on that platform wouldn't want us to see them as anything other than servants. They take their callings and their responsibilities very seriously, and they love the people that they have the privilege to serve so deeply and so sincerely.
They want all of us to follow hard after Jesus - not to follow hard after them.
Sunday night at church our pastor said something that resonated with me so deeply that I wrote it on the back of my worship guide: "It's tempting in our culture to put an unhealthy dependence on a personality instead of a healthy dependence on the Word of God."
Isn't that a good word? Because yes, it's fun to talk about Beth's hair or Priscilla's shoes or Vicki's jeans because that's just the kind of stuff that we love to discuss with our girlfriends. But at the end of that day, none of that stuff can save us. None of those women can save us.
So all that to say: as much fun as the events are - and as much as we treasure the people who lead us while we're there are - it's all meaningless if we're somehow worshipping the event or the people on the platform instead of the one true and living God.
I think it's good and healthy for all of us to remember that. And it just seemed fitting to mention it before we dig a little deeper into our LPL St. Louis recaps.
Love y'all!
It's been two years since Melanie and I started blogging for AllAccess, and while we only travel to a few women's events a year, I can tell you that there's one aspect of the event-related travel that we caught on to pretty quickly - and that surprised us a little bit.
Ready?
Here it is.
There's really no time to see the city where the event is. I mean, you see the airport, and you see the hotel, and goodness gracious you see the inside of the arena. But the city? Not so much.
So on the odd occasion when there's a little pocket of time to explore the area around the hotel, it really is such a treat. It's definitely not something that you take for granted - and if you're anything like me, it might even make you dance a jig.
I just try to be sure that I dance my jig in private. I'M BAPTIST, you know.
Oh, I kid.
In St. Louis our hotel was right across the street from the Arch, and I was tickled - TICKLED, I say verily unto you - when I got to spend a couple of hours wandering around the Arch this past Thursday afternoon. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and my time outside confirmed that I really do love me a city that's nestled up against a river - because sweet mercy at the pretty.
Thanks, St. Louis.
We just loved you to pieces.
And guess what, Irvine?
LPL St. Louis - Call To Worship from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
What a great night it's been - see y'all tomorrow!
...and you see this display
or this table
please stop by and say "hi"! I'll be there tonight and tomorrow morning helping a precious woman named Phyllis, and we would love to meet you.
We would also love to talk about how much we love diet Coke and how we accidentally wound up in Illinois when we were driving to the arena this morning, but we'll try not to subject you to our rambling. We will, however, subject you to a big ole hug.
Hope to see some of y'all tonight - we can't wait!
I've been so encouraged by reading Holly's posts about Deeper Still, and they've made me that much more excited that this weekend I get to go to Living Proof Live in St. Louis.
So - just out of curiosity - is anyone else planning to be there? Or if you're not planning to be there, do you have suggestions for any must-sees / must-dos / must-eats in St. Louis?
Can't wait to hear from y'all!
This is the third and final part of Holly's recap from Deeper Still Denver. Thanks, Holly!
Finally, Beth Moore, my sister, friend and mentor came to speak. She has thrown me the life-preserver more than 100 times, at least, in my journey. Kay prayed these words over her, "She (Beth) is observing to do all that You (God) have commanded her." And she is! And it is hard, but she does it to honor and bring glory to her Lord Jesus. She does the hard thing and if we heed and obey and walk, as she does, we could be lifeguards, too!
Beth spoke from Matthew 5 and caused us to see the scene on that hillside--people with seizures, demon possession, severe pain, diseased, paralyzed and ill came to Jesus in mass pandemonium and the disciples discovered first-hand that ministry is HARD. She said the truth of God's Word washes our minds, so that we are freed up to love and serve Him with our whole hearts. We need the one, who blesses in us. We need the blessing of the Blessor, Jesus Christ. His words in this text shifted from they and them to you. And because the Blessor came to bless the ones that others saw as cursed (uwe are included in that crowd of the cursed), we are GLAD--not just glad as a condition, but also glad as an emotion. For Jesus has GOOD NEWS for us. This world is out to wreck our lives and call us cursed, but Jesus came to call us B-L-ESSED!
Beth said, "If you have a woman with a past, you have a threat to the enemy--powerful threat, because that one has been to Hell and back. And in that context, Jesus says BLESSED. The definition of blessed come from the lexical Greek, Makarios--Biblically, one is pronounced blessed when God is present and involved in his life. The hand of God is at work directing all his affairs for a Divine purpose, and thus in a sense, such a person lives Coram Deo--before the face of God." So if you NEED Jesus, you ARE blessed.
Now let me interject here, the Holy Spirit redirected Beth mid-course, so that she shared much of her testimony in various parts of her life. I know that she shared this, because of the great amount of hurt in that room--me included. My eyes poured tears continually, as she spoke. So even though she did not complete her notes, she carried out exactly what God directed for the purpose of showing each of us, that we were all Coram Deo and BLESSED. And I tell you, we left that room changed. I did. I know the ones with me did.
Beth said, "Everybody has something--what if we could be seen before Jesus in this room with what is truly bothering us? What if we could be before Him today and had no other comfort for which to run? What if we just came as we are with all the inside stuff laid out? Well then, we would be at the place where we would say, 'I need You, Jesus, more than I need my next breath. His Spirit in us changes us." We need to come to terms with how sick we have been. We need to take personally what little things God is doing in our lives and live Coram Deo--before the face of God. The trade off is seeing a glimpse of God. And here I wrote this: "He will be faithful to you, Holly." And y'all? He has been. He is. And there is no reason for me to act as if He will not be in the future.
At the end, Beth shared words that Keith had left on her phone message, "I love you, Darling. Come Home to me." And one day, my sisters, you will hear the voice of Jesus saying JUST THAT to you. Can you hear it? "I love you, Darling. Come Home to me." So rejoice and be glad. Jesus is anxiously awaiting THAT DAY.
So then, my sisters, strengthen what remains. He has a Word for you and me--and it all comes down to thing, "What you have received and heard, obey it and repent. Don't just act alive, sisters, BE alive."
This is the 2nd part of our friend Holly's reactions to and thoughts from Deeper Still Denver; we'll post part 3 tomorrow. Good stuff!
Priscilla Shirer is a servant of God, plain and simple. She loves her family, honors her husband and she struggles, just like me, to keep in-balance with all that she has to do. The words for this weekend were words she struggled with herself and had been wrestling with God over. I'm so glad she shared what she felt was incomplete because the Holy Spirit covered the chasm of what she could not. It was a message that was for me--a message of walking forward in faith.
Ever since college in Campus Crusade for Christ, I've spouted the words, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." But what about when that plan goes left and there is nothing of wonderful that you can see. What about the dreams in your heart and the few resources in your hands? How can God take you from point A to point B when there is such a cavernous gulf between you and your dream?
Priscilla said (my paraphrase), "We pray for miracles, but we are often unwilling to go to that place, to step forward with the resources we have, and experience the miracle." From 2 Kings chapter 13, we learned that we need to get to The Faith Place and discover the God-Margin, which only the power of the Living God can carry out. God has given you resources, like the arrows in a quiver, and when he tells us where to use them, do we expend them all or do we hold some back, just in case. We shoot our arrows and we put our hand on God's hand and we await His next instructions. If our way is blocked by obstacles, we pray for Jesus to remove them.
And if we think we have covered all ground in protecting ourselves, we need to look to the places where we assume we are safe and we need to put up our guard in those places. For the enemy of our souls is often ready to attack us and bring us down in that place. "Yes," I thought, "I have been brought down to discouragement in the very place I trusted that I was safe, because I lacked good boundaries."
Then Priscilla quoted a challenge: "Faith is acting like it is so, when it is NOT so, so that it might BE so." You might ask this question, "What if you step out in faith and you are wrong?" Well, she said that she asked that question of Henry Blackaby: how did he know when to step forth in faith? He replied that he often didn't know until he looked back and saw it. Plain and simple, you cannot see or know, but you can know God and grip His hand in trust.
I wrote myself two notes: "Holly, rest, girl! Just because you don't see how or understand how with your little resources, God does and God can!" Then I wrote, based on the idea that sometimes I hold back and protect (horde) my resources, even my children are arrows in my quiver: "It is the Lord's arrow, Holly." And what parent would shoot one arrow, one child, and not another. I want to be the one who shoots the arrows in my quiver to the place God directs and I want to fully trust Him with them--whatever resources are at my command. For to accomplish all that God has ordained for this time and place on the calendar, I want God's best.
I want God's all.
When Melanie and I found out that our sweet friend Holly was going to be at Deeper Still Denver, we agreed that she would be a perfect person to write a recap. I think you'll be touched by her tender heart and her love for the Lord. We're so grateful that she took the time to write this post, and we hope it encourages you! We'll post part two in a couple of days. -Sophie
Lately I've been feeling like the lemonade cooler at the end of a fourth of July party--used up and left with a few unpressed pieces of lemon pulp at the bottom still bursting with juice. As a wife, mom of four, daughter, friend and neighbor who has recently started working from home to help our family financially, I have felt pressed by life, perplexed without answers, crushed by time schedules and persecuted by my own guilty conscience for not being more or doing better or finally getting a handle on it all for goodness' sake. But I have not been destroyed, crushed, abandoned or left to despair. Honestly, I think the Lord just wanted to get my attention--and yours--to strengthen what remains. (Revelation 3:1-3) He has a Word for you and me--and it all comes down to thing, "What you have received and heard, obey it and repent. Don't just act alive, sisters, BE alive."
This past weekend, as I drove out of my driveway (the third time, for I forgot things the first and second times) and drove to Denver to meet some friends and attend the Deeper Still conference, I felt exhilarated, free, hopeful and excited to hear from God without distraction--and I looked forward to the unpacking of all we learned with my friends who are dear sisters. From the ones speaking and leading in worship over the event to each individual who made it happen, I found myself thanking everyone I saw--for without their diligence, I wouldn't have heard from the Lord as I did. They were the hands and feet of Christ to me. And I was not disappointed in what God came to say to me and to you, dear sisters.
Arriving at the arena, I settled my spirit and focused wholly on my Jesus. I felt His palpable Presence. In worship, Travis Cottrell and his team led us as we sang many hymns that I have known since I was a little girl seeking Jesus on my own. When we got to "It is Well" and sang all five stanzas, tears coursed down my cheeks as I confessed to the Lord then and there that really, it had not been well with my soul. Then and there I chose to say, "It is well and I am done, Lord, with my excuse-making. It is well." I felt the pressing of the Lord, which He used to press out all the last dregs of my lemonade cooler and refill me with a new spirit--Himself. He empties. He replenishes. We are still and let Him--all the while, He whispers peace to our soul.
Kay Arthur began her time reminding all 49 million of us (Travis spoke of the number we would impact, I think, right Trav?) of the lasting and eternal dividends we have in knowing and studying the Word of God. Like broken pieces of pottery, we are surrounded by the sharpened shards of our lives all around us in a world that is unsteady, hard and difficult. She said we cannot just settle for "Bible light," as in weightiness, not the miniature night-light you may use to read at dark. Then Kay posed some questions that I think you should let settle into your marrow: "Are you prepared? Can you live through shattered dreams when life is not what you've expected? Hurt runs deep when dreams are shattered."
Kay taught me that knowledge of my steadfast, immovable and always abounding God is the key to abundant life that pours out and lets Him replenish when I've grown dry and useless. I always write notes to myself when I listen to any message, and when Kay spoke, I felt God whisper, "Your labor is not in vain, Holly." Then as Kay walked around, she looked directly in my eye and spoke these words, "You are a valiant warrior." I took that personally, as a word straight from the mouth of God to my soul. And I smiled last night as I remembered the words to Twila Paris' song, The Warrior is a Child: " They don't know that I go running home when I fall down. They don't know who picks me up when no one is around. I drop my sword and and cry for just a while, 'cause deep inside this armor the warrior is a child." For my little while of crying has been over a year now. The fight in me has been waning. The Lord was telling me and is telling you, too, my sisters, "Get up, child. Know my Word. Know Me. Pick up your sword and Fight."
Kelly Minter spoke and sang Saturday morning (actually her new CD sang me home and I LOVE it!). Kelly described getting a call right after she'd finished several days of writing and during the Nashville flood. A woman named Carla had just moved to Nashville from New York and she had no connections. The doors were literally gone from her house, as Kelly walked in calling her name, "Carla? Carla?" Carla walked through the rubble and sitting water, looking completely undone and devastated. Wearing the discouragement of brokenness, Carla needed a God who would come and rebuilt the walls of her broken life (Nehemiah 4:10). Kelly and her church are rebuilding Carla's home. And God is rebuilding Carla's life. Anyone can build something, but only God can come and rebuild something lasting.
I thought of the rubble in my own life lately--financial ruin, extended family discord and brokenness, disappointment in the church, sadness over the death of a friend, desperation for a God who I need more than I need my next breath--and I prayed then and there, "Lord, rebuild my rubble. Make my walls strong again. What remains is Yours to use. I am Yours. Pour me out as you will and refill and do what only you can do."
We'll continue with part two in a couple of days, but in the meantime, we'd love to hear your reactions to Deeper Still Denver in the comments. How was your time there? What did you learn?
Two years of going Deeper Still, by Michelle Hicks
Almost two years ago several moms connected through the Deeper Still blog and decided to meet face-to-face at Deeper Still: The Event in Atlanta. It was a unique story that brought these eight women together.
The common denominator, in addition to their love for Christ, they all had lost babies in the previous year. Most of them actually lost a baby in the three or four months prior to Deeper Still in Atlanta 2008 to Trisomy 18. You have to get into genetics to even begin to understand all of this, but unlike Down syndrome with its varying degrees of severity, Trisomy 18 is usually fatal. They knew before their babies were born that they most likely would not have them in this life for long. Yet, they opened their hearts and loved them with everything they had for as long as they could physically.
All of these sweet mommies carried their babies and then returned them into God's hands within hours or days after birth. For one of these mommies, the weekend of Deeper Still Atlanta 2008 was only four weeks after she had physically let go of her little one. For another it was exactly one year after the loss of her baby. The longest any of these young women had her baby on this earth was 138 days.
My heart was broken by their stories. I still can't begin to know the loss they feel. But I was also so encouraged by their dependence and passion for our great God. To watch them worship was amazing. And I can't begin to express the impression they made upon my life through a few blog comments and a short gathering at Deeper Still to talk and pray and hug.
We hope by revisiting their story of God's love and grace, you will be encouraged regardless of what you may be facing. You never know how God will move and work in your life during a two-year time period...they didn't and look how far God brought them as they chose to trust Him and go deeper still with Him each day...and for every breath.
This is is their story told by one of them. It is a VERY long, but worthy read:
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Deeper Still: A Divine Appointment Indeed
By the time I pulled into the dark parking lot of the hotel at nearly 1:00 a.m., I was spent. I had been trying to get there for what seemed like forever. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing as I handed my keys to the man at the valet desk and made my way to Room 112. Heavier than either the bag on my shoulder or the box of t-shirts in my arms was the need to look into the eyes that were awaiting me, to fall into the arms it had taken me so long to reach. I wondered if I would cry. I thought I might laugh. But when the door slowly opened, I did neither. There, in that little room, were six of the best friends I will ever have. As I hugged them one by one, I began to wonder if that is what Heaven might be like. Our babies are already there, after all, so we have each spent a great deal of time trying to imagine how our eternal home will be. There in that simple hotel room in Atlanta, in the middle of that June night, I believe we were given just a glimpse.
We stayed awake, chatting in our pajamas like old friends instead of women who had just met until our eyes finally closed. Sweet Kenzie fell asleep before the rest of us, as her body is working hard as the Lord knits her third child together in her womb. What a blessed little girl that will be to have one big brother in the world and one big brother in Heaven. Sweet Maddox was born in January and opened his eyes to gaze upon his earthly father just before he closed them and saw his Heavenly One. In a moment, he changed more lives than most people do in many years. We slept in the next morning, and then made our way down to Starbucks to continue our conversations over the very comfort foods (and beverages, of course) that have helped to sustain our broken hearts this year. Just to sit all together at one table instead of in separate drive-thru's scattered all across the country was a miracle and a joy to behold!
That afternoon, we pulled the brown t-shirts I had carried in the night before over our heads and everything changed. Like soldiers dressed for battle, we headed to the airport to gather one more sister before we went to worship together at Deeper Still: The Event. Just four weeks before Karen stepped off that plane, her precious baby boy Jacob Ryan had left his earthly father's arms for his Heavenly Father's hands. Her third son, he had lived a miraculous 138 days in this world as a Trisomy 18 miracle. It was only fitting that Yvette was waiting there to meet her, too. Her third son, Tristan Asher, was the only other one of the babies represented that weekend who had made it home from the hospital. He, too, was a Trisomy 18 miracle and spent an incredible 56 days under our sun before he, too, found complete healing at home in Heaven. When we rejoined our group, I had the privilege of introducing my sweet new friend to every one in the group and one more special grieving mother, our friend Kirsten. By God's divine intervention, that California girl was also in Atlanta and she needed to look into eyes and be embraced by arms who understand just as much as any of us. Her first baby girl, Chloe Faith, was born into the arms of Jesus in April and changed her life forever. Meeting for the first time was such an unnecessary charade. We knew each other by heart.
Kim and I share the bond of being Kentucky girls. Atlanta wasn't our first meeting. I met her for the first time just days after she was given the incredible honor of holding her third daughter, the beautiful Mary Grace, for seven sacred hours. As long as I live, I will never forget how it felt to see that tiny white casket covered in roses resting silently at the front of all those pews. I knew I was standing on holy ground. It had only been six months since my husband and I had endured that impossible task. It was an unspeakable honor to finally embrace the woman I had prayed so fervently for. It broke my heart to know that she, too, understood the pain of standing with an empty, still womb before a tiny casket that held the treasure she had cherished for so long. And yet, even then, she and I knew that the Lord was working. His plan was bigger than we knew. As we exchanged glances and laughter over that lunch table with seven other women who knew the same secret in Atlanta, we believed it more than ever.
I never dreamed when I held my sweet Miller Grace and sang to her until the angels carried her home on the morning of June 28 last year that I would even be standing one year later, much less standing and worshiping our Maker with the mothers of her best friends in Heaven! The two days we spent together with our arms raised high in praise to our Lord, with the names and life spans of our babies written on our backs, were simply too sacred for words. Try as I might, I could never capture the sanctity of such a divine appointment. We shared everything from snacks to tears as Priscilla reminded us that even the Israelites endured a time of wilderness before they were able to stand on the mountain of God. We wept as we watched her throw her elbow in the air, portraying to us how a mother eagle will offer a wing to her little ones when she realizes they cannot fly on their own. We swallowed hard and nodded when she said the Lord will do the same for us. We sat still while our hearts were absolutely moved as Kay Arthur challenged us to open our eyes and see the state of our nation for what it is. We took it to heart when she called us to action. When we sat on the sidewalk to eat our boxed lunches together, we were more determined than ever to make the most of the moments we are given in this world.
We held our breaths as Beth Moore took the stage. She has played such a crucial role in so many of our lives during this season. When she said she felt moved to offer a time of prayer before she spoke, we needed it more than anyone. When we found the strength and the joy we needed to return to our seats, we were thirsty for a Word and she did not disappoint. Grief has a way of making a girl desperate for relief and sweet Beth reminded us that Jesus is the One and Only Deliverer. By the time the praise band took the stage again, our group of eight from all walks of life and all corners of the nation couldn't help but lock hands in the air. I think I will always count those moments I spent with my left hand in Karen's and my right hand in my dear friend Chrissy's among the sweetest I have known. Chrissy and I share the special bond of having held little dark haired girls for five days before they breathed their last against our chests. There is not a doubt in my mind that Eva Janette, Miller Grace, and all their precious friends were worshipping right alongside us that day.
As the event came to a close, our adventure reached its climax. We filed into a small vacant room backstage, and absolutely could not believe it when Beth Moore and her own baby girl followed us in. I can speak for all of us when I say we would give just about anything to have video footage of those moments to watch over and over again on hard days. With all the intensity of a woman on fire for God and all the love of a mother with a heart broken for us, she called us to our knees. As she, her daughter Amanda, and our dear new friend Michelle walked around us and laid their beautiful hands on us, Beth offered up the most beautiful prayer to our Lord that my ears have ever heard. She was undaunted as the sound of our sobbing and the presence of our Lord filled the room. She continued to petition God on our behalf, to ask Him to be glorified in our lives, to make Satan sorry he ever messed with us, to bring healing here and to transform our ashes into beauty. Though I doubt she knew it, Beth Moore instilled in us that day a courage to pray boldly to our Lord, a hope that beauty is indeed on its way even when ashes are all we can see, and a peace that comes only in knowing that His plan is still to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future.
I will never forget standing there with one of my hands on the back of Beth Moore and my eyes on the seven women who held my heart, there on the very day on the calendar that my girl finally received healing one year before. June 28th is a day of redemption indeed. I will forever be moved to envision in my mind, again and again and again, how Beth embraced our sweet friend Kristy that day. She is perhaps the most faithful of us all, as she is the mother of two little boys in Heaven. Kristy and I share the bond of being mothers to little ones whose neurological conditions cannot be named or explained, while the rest of our friends' little ones share the commonality of having been diagnosed with Trisomy 18 prior to birth or soon thereafter. Kristy's second son, Isaac Matthew, would be three this year and Asher Joseph, her fourth son, joined his brother just four months ago. To listen as she told Beth her one prayer request in all of this is that the Lord would be glorified somehow spoke volumes to our broken hearts. Only God.
Overwhelmed by His goodness, resting in His grace, we did what all smart women do: we went to the Mexican restaurant! It was then that I finally had the chance to really talk with Angie, the mother of precious Poppy Joy. Her blog was the first one I had dared to read during those first months after Miller Grace left us. I will never forget praying for that beautiful baby girl while she was in Angie's womb, then marveling over her beauty and the joy that filled her pictures that day in December. When I read of her arrival, the beautiful three hours she spent with her family, and her gentle passing all in one post, I realized for the first time that I was not alone. And I began to suspect the Lord was up to something wonderful. As we sat there, changed women knitted together by sorrow and grace, that Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, it was confirmed. He is absolutely on the move.
The Lord does not always work in ways we expect and sometimes, He works in ways that break our hearts. But He is still good and He is still worthy of our praise. No matter the heartache, the joy will always outweigh the sorrow in the end. The weeping may last for a night - or a year - but the joy is on its way. We may be wandering in the wilderness tonight, but we can rest assured that we are on our way to the Promised Land. We cannot afford to waste a single moment that we are given. Little babies that lived six days, five days, three hours, seven hours, one moment, fifty-six days, thirty-five minutes, five days, and one hundred thirty-eight days came to remind us to live each breath to its fullest. Their tiny footprints are big shoes to fill we know, but it is our heart cry and our sincerest prayer that the Lord might use their little legacies and our lives to challenge you to do the same.
Emily
January 18, 2010
What Happened to Those Mamas in the Brown Shirts?
We became known by the color of our t-shirts, but we had more in common than that. We had each said goodbye to one of our babies in the last year. But we had more in common than that, too. Heartbroken and confused, we were clear about one thing and one thing alone: we wanted to see His glory.
It was in the praying for, the holding tight, and the letting go of our little ones that we found out who our Savior really was and is and is to come. He is mighty. He is meek. He is quiet. He is loud. He is strong. He is gentle. He weeps with us. He rejoices with us, too. He listens closely and answers clearly. He heals. He holds when healing doesn't come. He makes sense when nothing does. His breath is warm. His arms are strong. He is real. He is present. He is God.
It had been exactly one year since my daughter's death. It had been four weeks since Karen's son had died. In the time between, Angie, Yvette, Kim, Kenzie, Kristy, and Chrissy had all said goodbye to their babies, too. For Kristy, it was her second son to release to the Lord. By the grace of God, we converged on Atlanta for a weekend that would change us forever.
Deeper Still: The Event was sacred to us. We were able - for the first time in a long time - to feel somewhat normal and understood as we sat together, prayed together, learned together, and worshiped together. Our eyes and the tears that flowed from them, our hands and the way they couldn't stay down any longer, our voices and the way they quivered as we sang His praises seemed to say it all.
It has been a year and a half since we have seen each other's faces and held each other's hands. As long as I live, I will never forget how it felt to take Karen's sweet face in my hands just before she climbed out of my car and onto her plane, as I promised her that her God was still going to be good a year from then. I remembered wondering how I would make it through a day, when my grief was fresh and my heart was raw, and it was my heart cry to prove to her that our God was more than able to carry her through, too.
I think all eight of us would agree today that God is indeed good and He has indeed carried us further than we ever dreamed He might. God was doing a work in our hearts before our babies ever came or our suitcases arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, and He will be working long after our new babies are grown and gone. That's right. Every single one of us has been blessed with a brand new life in her home. If you had asked us that weekend in Atlanta where we would be in a year and a half, I am quite certain none of us would dared to dream we could possibly be right where we are now.
Poppy Joy Luce was the first of our babies in Heaven to gain the Big Sister status when her parents and big sister brought the beautiful Adrienne Christine home in May, 2008, and made Adrienne's adoption official on Poppy's 1st Birthday that December. Tristan Asher Hostetter's parents were blessed with the opportunity to bring a sweet baby girl (born on Tristan's mommy Yvette's birthday, no less) home from the hospital in October, 2008, making him a Big Brother, just like his own two big brothers at home.
Maddox Donald Stanfield soon earned his Big Brother status when his stunning baby sister, Faith Clare, was born in November, 2008. Judging from his own Big Brother's smile, I imagine Maddox was a happy boy that day, too. Eva Janette's mommy learned she was expecting her new blessing - Eva's adorable baby brother Dante, born in February, 2009 - the very weekend we were all together in Atlanta. Many of us watched Chrissy's elation and wondered if that would ever be ours again. Oh, how God must have been smiling then!
Kim and I, both Kentucky natives and moms of three girls, were roommates that weekend. We could never have dreamed what God in store for us. The following April, our newest baby girls were born a week apart. Miller Grace became a Big Sister to my dear Abigail Joy on April 2nd. Mary Grace became a Big Sister to the precious AnnaGrace Pearl on April 9th. How awesome.
But, God wasn't done!
After four boys, Kristy welcomed an amazing baby girl, Hope Amelia, on the first day of June. I can only imagine how proud Isaac Matthew and Asher Joseph had to have been of their family that day. True to form, our dear friend Karen was the last to join our joyful chaos. Jacob Ryan became the third Big Brother in his family when Karen delivered her fourth gorgeous boy, Jeremiah Gabriel, this past August.
We are just eight women. If you passed any of us in the grocery store, you likely would not give us a second glance. (Unless, of course, one of our children threw an orange at you or something.) We are ordinary in every way. We come from farms and big cities alike. Some of us are working moms and some of us stay at home. Some of us home school and some of us do not. Some of us are nursing mothers and some of us are not. While it is true that some of us have urns on our mantels and others of us buy silk flowers instead of toys when special occasions roll around, you would never know that by looking at us.
Our story is one of God's power. By no other means could we, as ordinary women who love our children with all we are, have survived the storm we have come through. By no other means could our scarred hearts have healed so much. By no other means could our families have known peace and joy again. Our hope is not in our children in Heaven any more than it is in the children in our arms. Our hope comes in knowing where our true treasure lies, fixing our eyes on what is not seen, but unseen; on what is not temporary, but eternal.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)
In Christ alone,
Emily
On behalf of LifeWay Women everywhere, we thank Emily and all of these moms for sharing their stories with us. To God be the glory.
We pray for God to move again in the lives of women at Deeper Still Denver this weekend. This is why we go.
Paige
I realized tonight that Deeper Still Denver is only a couple of weeks away. And as I was thinking Get ready, Denver - you are in for a TREAT, something unexpected came to mind.
It's easy to think about going to a great women's event like Deeper Still and immediately start organizing a group of friends who might also want to attend. We sort of naturally assume that we'll go with a group. And that's a great option - it really is. There are few things as fun as having a relaxing, edifying, encouraging time with girlfriends. I am all about it.
But.
If you've ever felt like you couldn't go to a women's event because it might not be nearly as fun if you're alone, or you don't know a single soul who's going and you might not have anyone to talk to, or you don't want to have to figure out how to get to the arena and park the car and find a seat all by yourself, then I just want to encourage you with two very simple words: go anyway.
Seriously.
Go anyway.
It's been my experience that you'll have a wonderful time even if you don't have a buddy or five with you. You'll have plenty of people to talk to if you're feeling a little chatty. Don't get me wrong: I love being part of a group. I love hanging out with my friends. I love talking about what I'm learning as a weekend unfolds. But every once in awhile, it's good - VERY GOOD - to get away with God. Just you and Him. He's mighty fine company, you know.
So if the prospect of being by yourself is the only thing that's keeping you from attending Deeper Still or Going Beyond or something at your own church - well, go anyway.
Go anyway.
I think you'll be glad you did.
Living Proof Live - Grand Rapids from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
In the midst of last week's craziness, we completely forgot to do a roll call for Living Proof Live in Grand Rapids. I thought about it on Friday night, but at that point the attendees were probably well into their third song and polishing off the popcorn and Skittles that they bought for dinner once they arrived at the arena.
Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything. Of course.
Anyway, if you were at LPL in Grand Rapids, would you let us know in the comments? Travis tweeted that it was "one of the best ever," so I'm excited to hear more about what happened. What did God teach you this past weekend? What were your "take aways" when it was all said and done?
See y'all in the comments!
When I was about 17 years old I went to a church retreat over Christmas break and heard someone read Ephesians 3:20 during one of the sessions I attended. I don't know why, but that verse really resonated with me, and I underlined it in my Bible. When I went to college I looked back at that verse from time to time, and I clung to it in more situations than I can tell you. It was such a comfort to me, such a reminder that I didn't have to control every single thing because God was working to do something far greater than I could ask or imagine.
Then my early 20s hit. They hit hard. I didn't do much to resist them, honestly. And that verse pretty much fell by the wayside in my thoughts. Things were ug-ly for me from 21-25, mainly because I wasn't terribly concerned with anything other than what I wanted. l was prideful and miserable and dishonest and manipulative. Believe me: if I could somehow go back in time and meet up with my former, early 20s self, I don't think I'd like her very much. That much selfishness isn't very becoming in a person.
When I was 25 I decided that I needed to get my act together, grow up and be responsible. I didn't do those things perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, but I really wanted to do better. At 27 I got a job in a Christian school (who'd have thunk it?), and a few months later I sat in the almost-back row in a little Methodist church in Baton Rouge and just wept at the fresh realization of God's faithfulness in my life.
I had tried my best to run away from Him.
He didn't let me.
And that verse - Ephesians 3:20 - meant more to me than ever before.
This past December I went to Oklahoma City for Deeper Still. Melanie had been to Deeper Still Orlando a few months before, so I knew that Priscilla Shirer's message was on Ephesians 3:20-21. I was excited that she was teaching on that passage, especially since it's been such a life verse for me, but honestly, I never, ever expected how deeply her message would move me. It marked me, in fact. It was humbling and encouraging and convicting and challenging.
I tell you all of that because Priscilla's teaching on Ephesians 3:20 is the "Abundant" part of the Faithful, Abundant, True Bible study. And if you're a person like me who sometimes battles with regret, who oftentimes just flat-out marvels at God's grace, who maybe wonders a little bit what in the world God is up to in your life, who struggles from time to time with trusting where He's taking you even though you know in your heart of hearts that it's going to be good and worth it in the end - well, Priscilla has a word for you.
He really can do beyond our beyond.
And I'm so grateful to Priscilla for the reminder.
I'm not sure why I had to write it twice in the title, but if felt right so I'm going with it.
Many of you may have had the chance to be a part of last weekend's "So Long, Insecurity" simulcast event or may have even been there.
But in case you missed it OR in case you loved it so much that you want to participate in another one before the year is over, I wanted to make sure that you knew there will be a Living Proof Live simulcast event on September 18th.
You don't want to miss it! After taking part in my first simulcast experience this past weekend, I can say that it's just as good as being there live and in person.
To find out more, click on this link to find out how your church can sign up to be part of the Living Proof Live simulcast.
So, this past weekend there were two different events going on. Beth Moore, Travis Cottrell and the Praise Team were down in Tampa, Florida for Living Proof Live and Vicki Courtney was in Dallas for a You and Your Girl Conference.
We'd love to hear from you if you were at either of these events. What spoke to you? What were your thoughts? Did God reveal something to you this past weekend?
Living Proof Live - Tampa from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
In a few days we'll be talking about this weekend's Living Proof Live in Lutz, Florida, but what you may not know is that there's another really great event going on the Thursday night before LPL.
It's called You Lead, and it's a wonderful opportunity for women's ministry leaders to sit under some timely, inspirational training. Here's the official run-down from the You Lead webpage:
"YOULEAD Pre-conference is a training event designed to help you effectively reach and disciple women for Christ. The focus is life-changing discipleship that leads women into a life that reflects Christ... through their thoughts, words, and actions. Come as a woman who is seeking how God would want to use her to lead women in the church, or bring your women's ministry team for leading-edge training in spiritual growth, discipleship, evangelism, missions, and prayer."
Sounds pretty good, huh?
The You Lead schedule and speaker line-up look absolutely incredible. If you're planning to be there, be sure to leave a comment so the LifeWay Women folks can be on the look-out for you. They love to hug some necks, you know.
Have a great week, everybody!
You may have noticed that Melanie and I often mention the fact that technology is a wonder. But it really is, y'all. I mean, I remember the days of rotary phones and typewriters and UHF, and while those things may make me feel a smidge nostalgic, I'm really glad that we now have things like cell phones and email and internet. Especially when I'm doing something like typing a blog post. Because, well, if I were composing this post on a typewriter, I'd have started over about sixteen times already. My accuracy leaves a little something to be desired.
Anyway, I know many of you have attended the annual Living Proof Live Simulcast, and it's making a big technological leap this year. Host churches no longer have to have satellite equipment to host the simulcast - they just need internet. That's it. Just internet. This is huge, really, because it makes becoming a simulcast site so much more feasible for so many more churches.
And granted, the LPL Simulcast isn't until September, but churches need to sign up as host sites by July 1st. Just FYI.
If you have any questions about becoming a simulcast site, let us know in the comments (or check out the info page), and we'll make sure that your questions get directed to people who know the answers.
Hope y'all have a great week!
Living Proof Live - Tucson AZ from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
We'd love to hear about it in the comments if you happened to be there!
A few weeks ago, through my work here at LifeWay Women, I tagged along to one of our events called "Going Beyond". This event was led by one of the most amazing bible teachers on platform today, Priscilla Shirer.
What made it so amazing?
The focus on prayer. That's right. Prayer.
Now granted, the worship led by Priscilla's VERY talented and gifted brother, Anthony Evans, was nothing short of amazing. Oh, how God used him to lead women dead center before the Throne. And Priscilla's teaching? Gracious me. She drew us in with her authentic love for God's Word. He used her to make Scripture real, right before our very eyes.
But again, it was the focus on prayer during that event where God just "got me"!
You see, as part of any Going Beyond event, we pray. A lot. Face down, hands stretched to the sky, prostrate on the floor, at the alter, in the balcony, in the hall. Quietly, openly, With tears. With smiles. It is a precious time with the Lord. And I feel pretty certain there is nothing out there quite like it.
And oh how God moved.
At the Going Beyond event in Ft. Worth, like at all the GB events, the participants were asked to fill out prayer cards. During the evening session, the cards were brought to the alter. Priscilla then led in a prayer over the cards and for the women who poured their hearts and souls into them.
And hear me when I say, the prayer needs were all over the map.
Some prayed for health issues, some their own, some for others. Many asked for prayer for their marriages. For their lost spouse. For their lost children. Some were grieving so, that it was ONLY by the power of the Holy Spirit that they were able to make it past the threshold of the church to attend the event. The needs went far. The needs went deep.
After the Friday evening portion of the event, Priscilla returned to her hotel room. With her, hundreds and hundreds of 3X5 cards that began with the words "My Prayer Is ...".
Priscilla read every one of them. I tell you the truth. EVERY single one of them. Many nights, according to her husband Jerry, Priscilla loses hours of much-needed sleep, as she prays and cries and asks God to intervene in each and every situation.
Saturday morning brought an optional prayer experience for the participants where Priscilla continued to lift up the needs of each woman there, with attentive prayer to those who left cards on the alter the night before. And to say that God moved mightily during that time is simply an understatement.
As the event closed Saturday, understand that the cards were NOT left in a pile in the corner. They were NOT thrown in file 13. They were NOT dismissed as some "part of the program" that will be replaced with a new set of cards at the next event.
The cards were divided among those who attended and those of us who worked the event. We then committed to praying daily for the needs listed on the card. And even if we'd never hear the "end of the story" this side of Glory, we committed to pray. So we pray.
This is my card.
I don't know the author. I don't need to know. What I DO know, is this woman had a heavy heart when she laid it at the cross that weekend. I've carried this prayer card with me since the day I left Ft Worth, and I will continue to do so until there's nothing left of it. Clearly, the tattered card has already been through a lot since that February weekend.
Today, I share it with you, as I believe the anonymous writer of this card would be honored to know you were praying for her. This is how her precious card read:
"My prayer is ... that God will save Freddy. Heal my heart from this our broken marriage. Save my children that they may have a personal relationship with Christ. Deliver me from all ungodly relationships and make plain my spiritual gift and that I may begin my walk in it today"
This is where the rubber hits the road, my friends. Whether you are an infant in your relationship with Christ, or a mature believer of many years, a small group leader, Sunday School teacher or a pastor's wife. We are called to pray. And it is no coincidence that you landed here today.
I'm believing, along with Priscilla and other sisters who attended Going Beyond with me in February, that God is going to do an amazing work in the lives of those who asked Him to move in these requests.
That is my prayer today. Would you join me and make it yours?
This is a blog entry from Pam Case's personal blog called "Livin' Out Loud: Journey of a Pastor's Wife" www.livinoutloud.me
Even though I am currently in the throes of some severe SEC basketball tournament post-traumatic stress disorder (my beloved Bulldogs lost to Kentucky in the final seconds of the championship game and then got snubbed by the NCAA tourney, but I won't talk about that here since this is supposed to be A HAPPY PLACE), I wanted to tell you about an upcoming LifeWay Women event that won't make you worry about things like foul trouble and three-point shots that won't fall and last-minute lay-ups that crush your dreams of championship trophies.
REALLY, I'M FINE. I PROMISE.
And my basketball-related angst is not the point of this post. There's far more important business at hand.
On March 27th Vicki Courtney's You and Your Girl event will be at Longview Heights Baptist Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Vicki tackles many of our most common parenting challenges head-on, and if you've ever heard her speak, you know that she has wisdom for days. You and Your Girl also offers break-out sessions for the girls in attendance, so it's a wonderful way for mamas and daughters to spend the day together and gain some practical, Biblically-based insight for whatever issues different age groups might be facing.
And do you know what else I love about Vicki? Besides the fact that she's a great teacher and all?
She's an avid college sports fan, so she won't mind that I've written about her event and also somehow managed to work in a little bit of a rant about a basketball tournament.
In other words, she understands my particular brand of crazy.
Anyway, remember: You and Your Girl. March 27th. Olive Branch, Mississippi.
Don't miss it!
Since this weekend is the very first Living Proof Live event of the year, I've been thinking about the LPL's I've been to over the past two years. Each one comes with its own set of memories and copious notes in my hot pink journal. And each one has taught me something about God that I didn't know before or maybe just hadn't really settled into reality for me before that moment.
So, what I would love to know today is if there is a Living Proof Live moment that stands out in your memory? It can be anything from a sweet time with the friends that were there with you to something that Beth said that rocked your world. Or maybe it's a song that Travis and the Praise Team sang.
Or maybe it was that time when you ate a delicious plate of barbecued shrimp at that Cajun restaurant in New Orleans. Wait, that might just be me.
And now I'm wondering what kind of food they have in Canada. I'm sure if Sophie and I were going to be there we would manage to locate the only Mexican food restaurant in a 1,000 mile radius and then act surprised that the food wasn't that good.
So now I have two questions: 1. What is your favorite LPL memory? and 2. What is the regional fare of Canada?
Thank you in advance for helping me out.
Yesterday afternoon I was on the phone with a friend who's on the Living Proof Live event team, and my friend mentioned that Rich - the gifted photographer who takes wonderful pictures at events and who faithfully puts together the slide show recaps - won't be in Toronto this weekend. Rich's wife had their first baby, a beautiful girl, a couple of days ago, so needless to say Rich is going to stay home in Tennessee with his girls.
So my friend and I talked about the baby for a second, and then I said, "Ooooh! I know! Maybe I can be the event photographer!" And we both got very tickled because, well, just look at some samples of the stunning photography I've done at previous events.
Just look at the composition of each frame...the sharpness of each image...really, they take your breath away, don't they? In a help-me-I-can't-breathe-so-well-MY-EYES-MY-EYES sort of way?
Yeah. I know.
Something tells me that there's really no need to start packing my bags for Toronto.
I guess I'll just stay home this weekend and hone my craft.
I'm nipping at your photographic heels, Rich.
I'm nipping at your heels.
Now I don't know about y'all, but this winter stuff is officially ON MY NERVES. I'm ready for some blue skies, some sunshine and some longer days. I also need a little bit of a break from soups and stews. I know it probably sounds silly, but by the end of February they're sort of on my nerves, too. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I just wouldn't mind a good, ripe tomato with a little salt and pepper on it.
Perhaps I digress.
Anyway, if there is any lingering doubt that spring is on the way, this weekend will cast all of it aside - because the very first Living Proof Life of 2010 will be held in Toronto.
Canada, you have no idea how much I envy you right now.
I mean, first you get to claim Candice Olson as your very own. Then you won all of those gold medals in the Olympics. And now you get a weekend with Beth?
BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE, you are.
All of you Canucks (did you see how I did that? how I used "Canucks" in a sentence? even though I'm a girl in Alabama who has never even visited Canada? clearly I have watched more than my share of HGTV) who are going to Living Proof Live this weekend are in for such a treat. So if you're feeling crazy, leave us a comment and let us know you'll be there.
You don't even have to write a whole sentence. You can just say, "Eh."
And then I'll answer by saying, "Y'all."
(You say "eh," I say "y'all," EH! Y'ALL! EH! Y'ALL!)
(Perhaps I have just a touch of cabin fever, seeing as how I'm apparently trying to turn the AllAccess blog into some sort of multi-cultural exchange.)
Have a great week, everybody!
One of the things that women always mention is how much they wish a Living Proof Live event was coming to a city near them.
Well, you're in luck. Because while Beth Moore may not be coming to your city, you have the chance to bring Beth Moore to your church through the miracle that is modern technology.
This is the third year in a row that LifeWay has offered a simulcast opportunity for the local church. It's an awesome opportunity to reach out to the women in your community.
Click here to find out more about the Simulcast event on September 18-19th and how you can make it happen at your church! It's easier than you think.
Last year I really, really wanted to go to Living Proof Live for Ministers' Wives.
One problem: I am not a minister's wife.
So I missed the event, but people said wonderful things about it. And when I heard a little summary of Beth Moore's teaching that weekend, I was intrigued - but since I wasn't there (I don't know if I mentioned that or not), I figured I'd just have to remain intrigued for the rest of my earthly days.
What with the not being a minister's wife and all.
Anyway, I was thrilled to death (not literally, of course, because if that were the case then I would not be typing this blog entry) yesterday afternoon when I ran across this little image during some web surfing:
Living Proof Live for Ministers' Wives. Available for download.
And you can watch it whether you're a minister's wife or not.
You can imagine my joy.
(Post by Chris Adams)
As a women's leader, do you struggle to figure out what will reach and motivate all women? Have you discovered that what works for one generation, probably WON'T work for another one? How do we connect all ages of women for spiritual growth and ministry? Next week, we will host a live web cast and discuss this further. Join us for a panel discussion of leadership women as we share what we have experienced in training and as we together discover ways to reach and connect each generation from preteen girls to senior women.
February 16, 2010(12:00 pm, CST): Generations ...The Unbroken Chain: Ministry Through the Ages with Chris Adams, Lead Women's Ministry Specialist, Pam Gibbs, Girls' Ministry Specialist & Betsy Langmade, Women's Event Coordinator
Sophie mentioned last week that Beth Moore has written a new book called "So Long, Insecurity". And since I have struggled with this issue for the better part of my thirty-eight years on earth, I can't wait to read it.
The best part is that you can take part in an online discussion group going on at The Living Proof Ministries blog. Just click here for more information and to add your name to the list if you're interested.
Last week I wrote this post about the Scripture Memory Event that I attended in Houston.
Several of you asked if I would share the rest of the points that Beth made in her discussion of Psalm 119, so who am I to hold back?
Please realize this is a quick summation of what she said because I really don't want to write the longest post in the history of the Allaccess blog, although I probably already hold that distinction because I love the wordy.
Psalm 119 has 176 verses that are an alphabetical acrostic. Basically, it's life from A to Z; sadness, joy, tears and laughter.
Here are the eight parts of the sentence that describe its message:
1. I'm a resident alien...
v. 19 "I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me" - We're filled with a longing for something we can't find on earth.
2. ...seeking direction
v. 105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." - God really does have a direction for us. When it's time to move, He will show us the time and the direction. It's up to us to obey.
3. ...in deep want of wonder
v. 18 "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." - We have a soul craving for wonder. Have we lost our sense of wonder regarding God?
4. ...in peril and need
v. 25 "I am laid low in the dust"
v. 28 "my soul is weary"
There are 70 different prayer requests in Psalm 119. If it's in God's word, then we can ask it for ourselves.
5. ...we are troubled by humanity
v. 81-88 "When will you punish my persecutors?" - We want to see God act, but Ezekiel 33:10 says, "the Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked."
6. ...especially my own
v. 133 "let no sin rule over me." - Biblical blamelessness is not perfection. It is to be free of willful sin.
7. ...knowing that to follow is the only free road
v. 30-32 "you have set my heart free" - Prayer should relieve burdens. If we still feel weighted down, then we're trying to play God.
8. ...for a stray sheep longing to be found.
v. 176 "I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands."
Christ came looking for me. Christ came looking for you.
I don't know about you, but that last part makes me want to put my head down and bawl my eyes out.
Morning everyone!
I'm having quite the cozy morning today as the kids are out of school and I'm sitting here working in front of the fireplace with my two dogs on each side of me, and my husband just served me coffee Life is good! If you haven't heard, Nashville's expected to get some serious snow! We're all waiting for the big moment.
For those of you in driving distance to Franklin TN, I wanted to let you all know that Beth Moore is coming to the Franklin LifeWay Christian Store on Thursday, February 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. You'll be able to meet Beth, purchase a copy of Beth's new book, So Long, Insecurity, for only $16.99 and have her sign it! I understand that in order to accommodate the most people possible, she will only be able to sign copies of this book that is purchased at the LifeWay Store. Although, as you can imagine, things will be moving along quickly, they're supposed to have a quick photo opportunity as people go through the line. Chick-fil-a will be there too.
So let us know if you'll be able to make it. I'll be there and so will Pam Case. We'd love to see ya'll and maybe meet you for the first time.
December and January are pretty slow months from a women's event perspective - maybe because, for most of us, our "women's events" during those two months involve getting ready for Christmas, cooking about sixteen large meals during the Christmas season, cleaning up after Christmas, and then finding our way back to normal in the post-Christmas weeks.
And I don't know about y'all, but based on the way December and January usually pan out in our house, nobody would really want to buy a ticket for that. Not exactly what you would call riveting women's event material.
But February. Oh, February. February is a different story. Because February is the kick-off for what promises to be some wonderful women's events in 2010.
Here are the first two - and if you have heard Priscilla Shirer speak, then you know what a treat these events will be.
Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer - McKinney Church, Ft. Worth, TX - 2/19-2/20
Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer - McLean Bible Church - Vienna, VA - 2/26-2/27
It's gonna be a great year, y'all!
So every once in awhile I like to spend some time clicking around the LifeWay site. Just because I'm curious. And because I like to learn things.
Knowledge is power, my friends.
Anyway, I ran across a little something tonight that I hadn't seen before, and when I saw it, I thought, Well clearly that is brilliant. And then I thought, People need to know about this.
And that, that is where a blog comes in handy. Because it's a place where you can tell people things.
This year there are going to be two women's events called Between Us Ministers' Wives: Called, Equipped and Encouraged. I know many of you attended and were incredibly blessed by last year's Living Proof Live for Ministers' Wives, and while Between Us isn't a Beth Moore event, it does take place prior to the Living Proof Live events in Irvine, California and Richmond, Virginia.
That's what you call a powerful 1-2 punch.
Let us know if you have questions about any of these events - I know they're several months away, but if your calendar is anything like mine, things start to fill up pretty quickly when you're planning the summer months.
Have a great week, y'all!
We're so grateful that the Lord allowed us to share 2009 with each one of you.
We love y'all!
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1
music: "Your Word Is Life" - Travis Cottrell
Yesterday I went shopping because, HOORAY AFTER CHRISTMAS SALES, and while I was out I bought a new calendar for 2010. For the last few months I thought this might be the year that I decide to go all electronic and high-tech with my daily planner, but then I remembered a little quirk I have about forgetting to check any calendar that isn't out in plain sight.
It doesn't matter that it's on my phone and my computer. If I haven't written it down with actual pen or pencil, then the event doesn't exist in my mind.
Plus a new blank calendar just waiting to be written in makes me so happy. It doesn't take much, honestly.
So I started to merrily write a few items down for 2010 and made a little trip over to the LifeWay Womens' Events page to see all the big happenings that are coming up in the next 12 months. And, let me tell you, there is A LOT planned for 2010.
In fact, I made several notes on my calendar about possible travel dates. I don't know if I'll actually be able to attend everything I marked, but a girl with a new calendar is a girl with a dream.
Anyway, you can click over to the Events page to see what's going to be near you this year. It's going to be a good one!
A couple of days ago I had a discussion about marriage with a friend of mine. Anyone who's been married longer than, oh, A WEEK knows that marriage is filled with mountains and valleys. I really do think that knowing how to navigate the valleys - and recognizing that they're temporary - is probably the toughest part of the whole deal.
(Another key bit-o-marriage-knowledge? Realizing that everybody - EVERYBODY - walks through those valleys in their marriages. People who say that they don't are clearly in deep denial.)
(Or perhaps they're robots.)
Anyway, tonight I was looking back through some pictures and videos from Deeper Still Oklahoma City, and I found this little video treasure. There is some SERIOUS wisdom from Beth and Kay - and no matter how long you've been married, you'll be so encouraged by watching what these ladies have to say.
Deeper Still Panel - Marriage from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
Have a great week, y'all!
When I found out that Beth Moore was teaching on discernment at last weekend's Deeper Still, my ears perked up a little bit. Because I'll be honest: discernment, especially in relationships, is one of those things that's been sort of tough for me in the past. I do not like confrontation EVEN A LITTLE BIT, so there have been lots of times when I've ignored a flag in my spirit for the sake of keeping the peace.
So, a lesson on discernment? Yes, please. Bring it on.
Beth began her session with 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, and she said that if we as believers are going to learn to "mind our spiritual gut," so to speak, we desperately need divine revelation in our human encounters. But before we can have confidence in that spiritual gut, we need to know whether or not we can trust what we sense.
This is where a how-to list would be super helpful, wouldn't it?
Well, I am so happy to provide one.
Beth said that there are four questions we need to be able to say "no" to before we say "yes" to our spiritual gut in a given situation.
Remember: 4 NOs = 1 YES.
Here are the four questions:
1. Am I a critical or suspicious person by nature?
2. Am I jealous or do I feel threatened?
3. Do I have anything selfish to gain from this?
4. Are my emotions clouding my discernment?
Beth reminded us that discernment is NOT a critical spirit. A critical spirit is carnality, but discernment operates within the fruit of the Spirit. She also said that we're not called to love blindly; we need to remember that "being entangled with somebody is not the same thing as being in fellowship with them."
Oh, that's a good word.
Anyway, if you answer "NO" to all four questions, and if you know that you know that you know that the flag in your "spiritual gut" is legitimate, what do you do?
Well, according to Beth, when you truly discern that something is off in a situation, you pray and listen for one of four instructions:
1. Run (2 Timothy 3:5). Have nothing to do with them. Obviously if this applies to a situation in a marriage where someone is in physical danger and needs to leave, that person should also seek Godly counsel about what the next step should be once he or she is in a safe place. But if it's the sort of deal where you sense an emotional danger with a friend or acquaintance - or if, heaven forbid, you find yourself thinking about doing things you know you shouldn't do - then SKEDADDLE. Get out of there.
2. Take a step back (Proverbs 4:23). Watch. Listen. Pay attention to what's going on. The flag may be so you don't move too quickly in a situation or in a relationship.
3. Ask questions. If the answers don't add up, ask God if you are to lovingly confront. But do not - DO NOT - do this over the phone. Loving confrontation should always be done face to face. (I missed the Scripture reference here - sorry!)
4. Learn to love with eyes wide open (Obadiah 1:3).
Beth closed by saying that we should be careful not to be cynical (Psalm 116:11), and we must always remember Philippians 1:9-10: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."
That's some mighty good wisdom, isn't it, girls?
When I was a new blogger, way back in ye olden days of early 2006, I joined an online blogger Bible study. About 15 of us worked through Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself, and through that study I made some of my very first bloggy friends.
One of those friends was a girl named Robin, and I was thrilled to pieces that I got to see Robin again last weekend at Deeper Still in Oklahoma City. We hadn't seen each other in about 3 1/2 years, so when I spied her walking across the arena floor, I'm pretty sure that I squealed. Or maybe I yelped.
Robin was with Cindy, another bloggy friend of mine. Both of them are married to men who are on staff at Life Church outside of OKC, and Robin and Cindy have actually gotten to know Pam and Paige (over there in the right-hand corner) through their ministry connections. Not to mention Twitter.
Confused yet?
ANYWAY, because of all those connections, the Nashville LifeWay girls (Pam, Paige, Kris & Teresa) and the Life Church girls ended up at a post-Deeper Still dinner Saturday night. I was tickled to tag along, and I had the best time catching up with Robin and Cindy. And as an added bonus, I got to yell occasionally at the Alabama/Florida football game that was playing on TVs in the restaurant. It was a DELIGHTFUL evening.
We even took a picture.
That's Kris, Pam, Priscilla, Cindy, Robin, me, Paige and Teresa.
Good food. Good friends.
Really good times.
Listen. I was not at Deeper Still this past weekend and couldn't be more sad about it. I mean, in all fairness, I was at the one in Orlando but I still had that feeling all weekend long like I was totally missing out.
However, I did get to attend my daughter's Brownie Troop Christmas party and we made gingerbread men and three little girls nearly knocked over a Christmas tree that probably costs more than my car, so it wasn't a total loss as far as entertainment and excitement are concerned. Those Brownies know how to throw a good party. They even had punch which is almost as good as getting to hear Kay, Beth and Priscilla speak, except not at all.
Anyway, I was so happy when I visited Priscilla's blog and found several fun videos from the weekend. My personal favorite is the one where she and Beth discuss their hair, but there are other treasures to be found including Kay making sure she puts on her vest before going on camera for an amateur video and Paige singing a delightful version of Ebony and Ivory.
Trust me, you do not want to miss it.
Even if you have a super fun Brownie Christmas party to attend.
One of the highlights of any Deeper Still is the panel Q&A on Saturday afternoon.
Kay, Beth and Priscilla sit back, relax and answer questions, and at every single Deeper Still I've attended, I have laughed until I cried.
This past Saturday was no exception.
At one point Priscilla read a question about marriage, and as Kay was answering, she mentioned that in this economic climate, when lots of men are out of work, it's very important that wives make a conscious effort not to let intimacy suffer. Kay cited several verses of Scripture, and she went on to say that it when a husband isn't working and isn't getting that reinforcement of worth that most men get from their jobs, then he needs to be reminded that he matters. And for a wife, that may mean upping the intimacy ante - making a conscious effort to let her man know that he's very much still a man.
(Did y'all like how I danced around all the touchy terminology in that last paragraph?)
(You can rest assured, however, that I am beet red just from typing this.)
Anyway, a couple of minutes after Kay encouraged the women in the audience to be mindful of the physical needs of our husbands - and to be especially mindful if our husbands are going through a tough time professionally - Priscilla's husband Jerry, who works with his wife every single day in their ministry, stood up on the front row and held up a sign.
I know it's blurry - we were laughing SO HARD - but can you see what his sign says?
UNEMPLOYED.
I think, based on Kay's challenge, Jerry may have just fired himself.
There are usually a few men at any LifeWay Women event. And usually - at least this is what I imagine - the topics at hand are pretty universal. The approach may be a little woman-centric, of course, but by and large I don't think that men are uncomfortable sitting in an arena with thousands of women.
But then there was this afternoon at Deeper Still.
Because y'all, we weren't two minutes into the Q&A when Priscilla asked Kay and Beth what they wished someone had told them about their current age. And while I won't go into all the whys and wherefores of the responses, I will say that this is what Priscilla's husband Jerry looked like when Kay was answering the question.
Oh, bless him. And all the other men in attendance, for that matter.
Because the word "bladder" may have been mentioned.
I'm just sayin'.
Deeper Still OKC - Saturday AM from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
One of the most beloved team members at Deeper Still is Ron. Ron does an incredible job handling security at some of the women's events, and he's as low-key and humble as can be. The folks at LifeWay just love him to pieces.
Well, Friday was Ron's birthday, so it only seemed fitting for him to be the recipient of a special tribute at supper Friday night.
You should very afraid if this is the person in charge of your special tribute.
He's pointing out the ministry of the mashed potatoes, by the way. They had an extra measure of anointing.
And in all seriousness, Travis wrote some hilarious lyrics to the tune of "Da Do Run Run" to commemorate Ron's birthday. Except he called the song "Da Do Ron Ron." Because he's punny like that.
Tirelessly. He worked tirelessly.
And once the masterpiece was finished, the praise team serenaded Ron.
And Paige let him know how very loved he is.
And Betsy gave him a very thoughtful gift.
And then everybody ate cake.
Or, you know, some more potatoes.
Happy Birthday, Ron!
I'm about to head over to the convention center for Deeper Still, but I wanted to share two things that have absolutely delighted me this afternoon.
Y'all wouldn't believe how happy I was when I saw that can of spray starch in my hotel room closet. It's something that I always wish I could pack, but unfortunately airport security personnel aren't terribly fond of large cans of aerosol in a carry-on.
So now that I have a whole can of starch at my disposal - well, my ironing sky has no limit. In fact, right this very second I am fighting the urge to starch sweater coats and socks. Not because they need it, mind you - but because I can.
I need to get out more, don't I?
Up next: a post about hotel notepads!
(Oh, I kid.)
(The next post will probably feature some beautiful singing.)
(And for that I imagine we're all very thankful.)
So I got to the airport in Birmingham about 6:30 this morning. I was completely bright-eyed and bushy-tailed because those three and a half hours of slept I got last night left me TOTALLY refreshed.
I mean, I'm not saying that I had a hard time waking up this morning, but the word "stupor" definitely comes to mind.
But y'all. Just look what the Lord did.
It's a little thing I like to call THE MOST DELIGHTFUL EXIT ROW SEAT EVER.
Do you see all that room? Do you see? I could've danced in all that space if I'd wanted. Except that people probably would've stared. And also the bulkhead would've prevented me from standing up straight.
But IF I HAD WANTED TO, I could've hunched over and busted a move. And that is all that matters.
Also, a woman sitting here at the gate just sneezed about six times in a row, and I am not kidding: I thought it was a small dog barking. I could not be more fascinated.
That's it for this installment of Silly Travel Adventures, but I'll check in with y'all when I get to Oklahoma City for Deeper Still. Hope y'all are having a wonderful Friday!
Thanks to my musical theater back ground, (and Travis's) we can't say the word Oklahoma without breaking into the show tune, you know the one, sing it with me
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOK-lahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain...."
I've been doing that all week, my team LOVES it.
Yes, Deeper Still Oklahoma, our third and final (last but not least) Deeper Still of the year, AND our final LifeWay Women's event is here. What a year we have had. Early this year God gave me Jeremiah 17:7-8 as a promise verse for the whole year. It reads:
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is indeed the Lord. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn't fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green, It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit." HCSB
Girls, God has challenged me to trust Him continually in this year of drought in our economy. And he has proven faithful to bring the fruit. Big God fruit of changed lives as I call it. And we are expecting more in Oklahoma City this weekend.
I love that the theme verse for Deeper Still is very similar to the Jeremiah verse. It is Psalm 1:3 which begins with...'He is like a tree planted beside streams of water...." That will be us this weekend. Digging our roots down deep into God's word. And we'll have fun doing it.
I don't know if you are in a season of drought or a season of plenty, but if you are digging your roots down deep to his living waters, whatever your season is, you will bear fruit.
If you will be at Deeper Still, what are you looking forward to most this weekend?
I'm looking forward to it all, especially the fellowship of so many women, and maybe hearing a little Christmas music from our guy Trav. (See previous post). I promise we won't sing Oklahoma, well maybe not.
If you can't be there, please join us in praying for our attendees, for Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore, and of course our guy, Travis Cottrell and our team.
We hope you had a great year too!
Full on fruit!
Paige
Well.
Thanksgiving 2009 is over, and I have to confess that I was a little sad to see it go. We had such a fun time with friends and family over the course of the long weekend; in fact, my husband told me yesterday that he thought this year's T'giving was pretty much perfect. I am prone to agree.
Like so many of you, I'm trying to wade my way into Monday - all the real-life stuff that I put off for a few days is breathing down my neck a little bit - but I'm tickled that I have a very fun something on the horizon in just a few days: Deeper Still Oklahoma City.
I know I'm probably not supposed to have favorites - because every LifeWay Women event I've attended has been wonderful - but Deeper Still is extra special to me. God did some incredible things in my heart and in my life through Deeper Still Nashville back in 2007 - it was a real watershed moment for me in my walk with Him. So to be able to go to OKC and sit under the teaching of Kay, Beth and Priscilla all over again - well, it makes my heart smile. And it makes me really, really excited for the women (and men) who may be attending Deeper Still for the first time this weekend. They are going to be blessed beyond measure.
And we're going to do our best to chronicle some of those blessings for you right here at AllAccess.
Have a great week, everybody!
Melanie and I are back at our hotel after full and fun day at the National Women's Leadership Forum. Oh my word we just enjoyed ourselves to pieces, and we'll be writing more over the next few days about what we saw and heard and learned.
In the meantime, we wanted to share a few pictures that our friend Rich took today (thanks, Rich)! And yes, I know this post is going to be a little short on words, but look! Five pictures!
That's like FIVE THOUSAND WORDS.
Hope y'all have a great weekend!
Today is the day for the live feed of the LifeWay Women's Forum and you do not want to miss it! Sophie and I got here last night in time to hear a message from Chris Adams and enjoy some great worship with Travis Cottrell and his praise team.
I'd love to show you a picture that I took but my iPhone is no longer speaking to my computer and I can't get the photo to load. It's just a reminder that good communication is the key to any functional relationship.
Anyway, here's all the scoop for today. It's all taking place from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Here is the link (please feel free to tweet and retweet the link):
http://www.lifeway.com/lifewaywomenlive/ the hash tag for twitter is #LWNLF
If you are tweeting here is the shortened url. http://bit.ly/lwlive
Friday's Live Forum Stream Schedule! (along with twitter addresses in case you want to tweet)
9:00 Travis Cottrell - Live worship @cottrelltravis
9:15 - Paige Greene - devotional @PaigeGreene
9:30 - Priscilla Shirer - Live main session @PriscillaShirer
10:30 - Backstage Banter - Travis Cottrell
11:00 - Backstage Banter - Priscilla Shirer
11:30 - 1:00 - lunch break
1:00 -Backstage banter - Mary Kassian @MaryKassian
1:30 -Backstage Marriage Moments - Mark Satterfield @LifewayMarriage
2:00 -Backstage Banter - Rachel Lovingood @RachelLovingood and Jennifer Landrith @JenLandrith and Chris Adams, @Chrisadams4
2:30 -Backstage banter - Kelly Minter, Big Mama and Boo Mama @Kelly_Minter @BigMama @BooMama
3:00 Backstage Banter - Big Mama, Boo Mama and Forum attendees
3:30 Backstage Banter with Michelle Hicks & Girls Ministry Megan!
4:00 Mary Kassian - Live Main Session
5 - 7:00 Dinner break
7:00 - Chris - Backstage banter - Pat Layton @PatriciaLayton
7:30 - Kelly Minter - Concert & message of Ruth: Loss, Love and LegacyYOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS! Its the launch of RUTH!
Hope you'll join us for all the BIG FUN!
Gals! In case you've missed all the tweeting and blog mentions, the Women's National Leadership Forum is HERE!
And if you can't be with us in person in Nashville at LifeWay headquarters, then you can join us online tomorrow via live stream and chat. We have a full day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. of messages and music from Priscilla Shirer, Travis Cottrell, Mary Kassian, Kelly Minter and lots of backstage banter and visits. See the schedule and link below for how to join us!
Here is a 'who can talk faster' contest from me and Pam talking more about it:
LifeWay Women Backstage with Pam and Paige from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
Here is the link (please feel free to tweet and retweet the link to your gals):
http://www.lifeway.com/lifewaywomenlive/ the hash tag for twitter is #LWNLF
If you are tweeting here is the shortened url. http://bit.ly/lwlive
Friday's Live Forum Stream Schedule! (along with twitter addresses in case you want to tweet)
9:00 Travis Cottrell - Live worship @cottrelltravis
9:15 - Paige Greene - devotional @PaigeGreene
9:30 - Priscilla Shirer - Live main session @PriscillaShirer
10:30 - Backstage Banter - Travis Cottrell
11:00 - Backstage Banter - Priscilla Shirer
11:30 - 1:00 - lunch break
1:00 -Backstage banter - Mary Kassian @MaryKassian
1:30 -Backstage Marriage Moments - Mark Satterfield @LifewayMarriage
2:00 -Backstage Banter - Rachel Lovingood @RachelLovingood and Jennifer Landrith @JenLandrith and Chris Adams, @Chrisadams4
2:30 -Backstage banter - Kelly Minter, Big Mama and Boo Mama @Kelly_Minter @BigMama @BooMama
3:00 Backstage Banter - Big Mama, Boo Mama and Forum attendees
3:30 Backstage Banter with Michelle Hicks & Girls Ministry Megan!
4:00 Mary Kassian - Live Main Session
5 - 7:00 Dinner break
7:00 - Chris - Backstage banter - Pat Layton @PatriciaLayton
7:30 - Kelly Minter - Concert & message of Ruth: Loss, Love and LegacyYOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS! Its the launch of RUTH!
Gals, it all starts tomorrow. 600 women will descend on Nashville, not for the CMAs, but for the Women's National Leadership Forum!!! It is my fave event of the year because it has everything, teaching, worship, leadership training, fun, fellowship, food, and of course the two C's, coffee and candy.
The event goes through Saturday at noon. If you aren't able to make it, you can still join us for FREE cause we are going to stream the event live online ALL DAY Friday so you'll get to see Priscilla Shirer, Mary Kassian, Travis Cottrell, and Kelly Minter. Then Pam and I, since we can't keep our mouths shut, will be having 'Behind the scenes' Banter in between the main sessions with all of the above people and more. We'll shoot a schedule up here tomorrow. And watch the twitter hash tag #LWNLF for updates and just plain fun tweets!
Yesterday the roving camera caught some backstage set up action AND a tiny stalker.
Riveting LifeWay Women's National Leadership Forum backstage video from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
Okay gals! Keep watching for more backstage fun and news. Hope you will join us!
Paige Greene
Living Proof Live - Springfield IL from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
This is a big (huge. HUGE!) week for LifeWay Women - because in case you missed the news, this Thursday marks the start of the National Women's Leadership Forum. I have such a sense of anticipation about what's in store for all of us.
And while I guess it's possible that my sense of anticipation is heightened because I know I'm going to pass the exit for Henpeck Market on my way into Nashville and HELLO, STRAWBERRY CAKE, I HAVE MISSED YOU TERRIBLY, I really am so excited to see what God's going to do at the Forum. Can't wait.
I mentioned last week that there's going to be a live stream from the Forum on Friday, and you can watch it right here: http://www.lifeway.com/lifewaywomenlive. You can also pop over here to AllAccess and watch it in the top right-hand corner.
And if you're a Twitter or a Facebook person and would like to help us spread the world about the live stream, here's an abbreivated link you can use: http://bit.ly/lwlive.
(Is it weird that I think that link is cute?)
(Yes?)
(Okay. I'll just be leaving now.)
Have a great Monday, everybody!
Next week Melanie and I are going to Nashville for LifeWay's National Women's Leadership Forum. We're going to teach a couple of classes on blogging, and we're also hoping to eat a meal or two where we don't have to cut up somebody else's food.
Our dreams are big. Our hearts are filled with expectation.
Anyway, the LifeWay folks are going to be doing a really cool thing on Friday, November 13th. And that really cool thing is a day-long webcast that you can watch right here on AllAccess. You see that video of Pam and Paige over to the right? Well, next Friday it won't be there. But what WILL be there is the live feed from the Leadership Forum - from 8:30 in the AM until 9:30 in the PM.
Isn't that the neatest? You can sit on your couch in your pajamas and eat fried chicken and listen to Travis Cottrell and Priscilla Shirer and Kelly Minter and Mary Kassian and a whole host of other wonderful people. Paige and Pam will be doing interviews throughout the day, and Melanie and I might show up to perform an uplifting duet or maybe even a lyrical ballet routine to "On The Wings of Love."
We're still ironing out some of the details, not to mention our choreography. So really, there's not a bit of telling.
We'll be talking more about the live feed - and even asking for your input - over the next week. We're so excited that even if you're not with us in Nashville, you can still be with us in Nashville, and yes, that TOTALLY makes sense.
The interwebs are magic, you know.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, y'all.
When I was about four, I went to Oklahoma City on a family vacation. I don't remember much about the trip, of course, but I do have a picture of me sitting on the steps of the State Capitol and scowling.
Because do you know what four year-olds typically don't enjoy? GUIDED TOURS.
When I was twelve I went back to OKC because my daddy was attending a convention there. I remember that we stayed in a beautiful old hotel downtown, and I remember that my mama let me order orange juice every morning from room service.
So there you have it. The extent of my OKC memories.
But something tells me that in about five weeks - when Deeper Still rolls into Oklahoma for the first time - I'm going to make all sorts of new OKC memories - memories that involve neither sulking nor orange juice. In fact, since I've been to a couple of Deeper Still events before, I feel mighty confident that the new memories will be jam-packed with wonderful worship, rock-solid teaching and loads of laughter. Big fun indeed.
So, bloggy friends, if you're planning to attend Deeper Still OKC, will you let us know in the comments? Maybe we can plan a time to get together and exchange some hugs. Or some chocolate. Whatever it takes.
We can't wait to see y'all there!
Over the course of LPL Memphis, I compiled a little video footage. I like to believe that what it lacks in quality (which is A LOT) it makes up for in quantity.
LPL Memphis Video from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
A few notes:
1. I know it's blurry. I don't know if it's the equipment as much as it is operator error.
2. Please don't miss Sophie saying "Argyle, argyle" during the part where Travis has on a sporty argyle vest.
3. You may notice it's in black and white. That's because I thought it might look more artsy. I don't know if it actually worked but I couldn't figure out how to change it back.
4. All the various styles of speed walking make me happy. You have the fast walk, you have the flat out run and you have the run/walk/skip combo.
5. There is no five but it seemed wrong to stop at four.
The beautiful post that Melanie wrote yesterday reminded me of some video I took (took? shot? filmed? I have no idea what the correct terminology is - SHOCKING, I know) last weekend at Living Proof Live in Memphis.
Lion of Judah from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
Puts a little spring in your step, doesn't it?
Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!
Living Proof Live - Memphis from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
Thanks Rich!
What do you get when you combine Living Proof Live, Corky's BBQ, around 35 AllAccess readers / Twitter friends / blogging buddies - not to mention Pam, Paige & Kris from LifeWay Women?
A WHOLE HEAPIN' BUNCH OF FUN, THAT'S WHAT.
Oh my word, y'all. It was just a delight.
Even better? It was Pam's 50th birthday, so we got to eat cake!
And even better than that? When Melanie picked up the cake from the bakery, it said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PUM!"
IT MADE ME SO HAPPY.
So thanks, girls, for meeting us for lunch and being so stinkin' fun and making us smile and pretty much being the perfect way to end an incredible Saturday morning. Y'all are the best.
And my mother-in-law wants y'all to know that you are all DARLIN', JUST DARLIN', and she thinks every single one of you is perfectly beautiful, and if she hopes that if she doesn't get to see you again until heaven that she'll be wearing a really cute white jacket when y'all run into each other.
I'm not even kidding about that last part.
We love y'all!
I just woke up from a big ole Sunday afternoon nap, so I'm pretty sure that I won't be going to sleep tonight until approximately 4 in the morning. But three nights in a row of lots of late-night talking and very little sleeping will take a toll on a girl.
On the drive home today I had a chance to really think about and process some of what we studied this past weekend at Living Proof Live in Memphis. I always leave events impacted and changed, but as a friend of mine said yesterday, there was something about this one - and I'm still figuring out exactly what it was - that felt very much like a wrecking ball. Maybe it's because I just celebrated the big 4-0; maybe it's because of some personal junk that I'm working through right now. But regardless: WRECKING BALL.
Yesterday in Memphis Beth mentioned something she's been struggling with this year, and she said that for the first time in her life, God has entrusted her with that particular challenge. Her choice of words made a huge impression on me as we sat in the arena, but as I made my way down highway 78 this morning, they really settled into my heart and started to take root.
Entrusted.
There have been certainly been times in my life when I have walked through a difficult season and thought about how God must have allowed a particular trial for my benefit and for His glory. But I don't think I've ever looked at a trial as something that God has entrusted to me, as something that He has put into my care.
And I'll tell you what: when I was driving down the highway today and started to think about hardships from that particular perspective, it took all of about two minutes before I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.
Because that illness? That grief? That thing you feel like you can't tell a soul? That relationship that breaks your heart? That physical difficulty? That shame from a long time ago? That whatever-it-is that's weighing heavy on you right now?
He hasn't just allowed it. He has entrusted us with it. We are responsible for what we do with it. There is purpose in that thing.
And I don't know about you, but that has rocked my world all day long.
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Hey everybody!
This is the first of what will no doubt be an embarrassing amount of posts about Living Proof Live in Memphis, but Melanie and I just wanted to check in and tell you that we are sort of annoyingly excited about getting to see so many blog friends tonight.
All morning long we have been talking! Very loudly! And enthusiastically! With multiple exclamation points!!!
Anyway, we're about to head to lunch and then down to the arena, and we'll have all sorts of bloggy goodness throughout the weekend.
And as a brief prayer request: if you wouldn't mind, please lift our hair up before the Lord. It's pouring down rain here - with about 243% humidity - and there are about 12,000 women who are going to have a VERY difficult time achieving their hair goals this weekend apart from a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
I'm sure you understand our concern.
Also - I just accidentally typed "Holdy Spirit." And yes. With my FrizzEase Moisture Barrier Firm-Hold hair spray doused liberally upon my head, you may rest assured that the Holdy Spirit will be also be at work today.
Glory.
Can't wait to see y'all!
Can y'all believe it? It's finally the week of Living Proof Live in Memphis! And I don't know about you, but I am READY. I am craving some time with friends, not to mention some concentrated time in worship and in the Word. Can't wait.
I absolutely loved your suggestions for how to prepare my mother-in-law for her first LPL event, and I mentioned some of them to her on the phone a couple of days ago. She is still so excited - still referring to the weekend in Memphis as "the trip of a lifetime" - but last night something occurred to me that I hadn't thought of before.
Martha has been a member of the same church - the church where I grew up, in fact - her whole life. And while there is a contemporary worship service there, Martha goes to the more traditional service. I love that service because it's where I learned all the old hymns that mean so much to me now, but last night I wondered if Martha doesn't have a little "worship shock" in store - since, as y'all know, worship with at an LPL event can get a little, um, lively.
Oh, I adore lively.
However, I recognize that lively can be a smidge overwhelming if you're not used to a contemporary worship style. I mean, I know that after my first experience with contemporary worship back in the 90s, I went home, sat down next to my husband, looked at him and said, "Well. They had a guitar AND drums. And PEOPLE RAISED THEIR HANDS."
I know that God is the one who bridges the gaps in our worship preferences, and I trust that He will do just that this weekend. Plus, I think Travis and his team do an absolutely phenomenal job of creating an environment (through the power of the Holy Spirit, of course) where people from all denominational backgrounds are comfortable. But still. I just wonder how Martha will respond to, you know, something like this:
Have y'all ever been in a similar situation? Where you know you're going to spend the first five or ten minutes of worship looking out of the corner of your eye to see how the person sitting beside you is responding?
And have you maybe felt just a teensy tiny bit anxious about it? Even though you can't imagine that the person sitting next to you won't be completely blessed by what she hears?
Or am I the only one?
I just got back from my church this morning where I'm participating in a womens' Bible study. In the past I've always done a Bible study with a group of my friends, but our schedules are all so different these days and it just wasn't going to work out for us to all meet together.
But I'm excited about meeting with a new group of women because I love studying God's word with different people and hearing their thoughts and insights. Plus, they serve food at the meetings. So, total score.
Anyway, I loved our meeting this morning. We're doing "Anointed, Transformed and Redeemed" which is the study from Deeper Still Nashville '07. It rocked my world today.
And it made me curious to know what other studies y'all are doing right now. What are you studying and do you love it? What are you learning? Inquiring minds want to know.
Yes, I'm nosy. I own it.
We're still working on the details of our little AllAccess get-together at Living Proof Live in Memphis (I'm hoping to email y'all all the details by Monday at the latest), but in the meantime I wanted to share some very exciting LPL Memphis-related news.
However, I should probably add the disclaimer that if you've never read my personal blog, the next paragraph probably won't make any sense to you at all. So just feel free to stare blankly into space when you read it. Or, if you're like me, you can squeal and clap your hands and pretend like you understand. That's how I react to about 60% of my life, by the way.
Anyway. The news is that I'm going to have a very special travel companion with me in Memphis (besides Melanie, of course). And that very special travel companion is none other than Martha / Mother / "Martie." My mother-in-law.
I KNOW.
Martha has never been to any sort of LifeWay event. She's only seen one video of Beth Moore teaching, but when she saw it she thought Beth was "darlin'! just darlin'! and SMART AS A WHIP!" Martha is beyond excited about going to Memphis - she keeps referring to it as "the trip of a lifetime" - but I also know that she has absolutely no idea what to expect.
And I say this because last night she asked me what sort of jacket I was planning to wear Friday night, and when I said, "I don't know if I'll wear a jacket," she said, "Well, don't you think it'll be a little cold when we're sitting outside?"
"Sitting outside?"
"Well, aren't we going to be in something like a football stadium?"
And at that point I realized that she thought that LPL was something akin to a Billy Graham crusade in the 70s.
I explained to her that we would in fact be indoors, and she said, "Well I didn't know! I didn't know! I know there are a lot of people and I just assumed, I mean I just assumed that we'd be outside! But I'm so glad we'll be inside! That will be perfectly wonderful!"
And now I'm thinking that I probably need to do a better job of getting Martha up-to-speed on what she can expect next weekend.
So. I know lots of you are veterans of LifeWay women's events, and I'm sure you have all sorts of wisdom to offer. What do you think are the top three things Martha needs to know before she gets to LPL? What would you tell someone who has never been to a LifeWay event before? What information do I need to make sure to share with her on our drive from Birmingham to Memphis?
Can't wait to read your comments!
So obviously I still haven't finished talking about Deeper Still Orlando. Part of the reason is that I'm still processing the whole thing. It's just so hard to convey how powerful it is and I find myself telling people "You just had to be there".
Which, seriously, is there a more annoying statement on Earth?
But the great thing about hearing three different teachers share three different messages is there is something for everyone. After it was over I talked to some friends who were there and the things they got out of it were totally different than some of the things I got from it, yet we were listening to the same thing. That's totally God at work.
On Saturday morning, Priscilla Shirer spoke from Ephesians 3:20.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!"
Priscilla took this verse and basically dissected it. As she said, it's ultimately the foundation of our faith. Either we believe that God can do more than we ask or imagine or we don't and what we ask of God or expect from God stems from what we believe.
She referred to it as His ability to go beyond our beyond. And since then, I can't tell you how many times I've stopped to ask myself if I believe that God can go beyond my beyond. To be honest, the answer isn't always yes.
I get frustrated, I feel tired, I think a situation feels hopeless, but then I remind myself that we serve the Creator of All Things. The I Am. He knows me better than I know myself and knows what beyond my beyond looks like while I'm busy looking at problems through my limited vision and understanding.
He can do beyond my beyond.
And He can do beyond your beyond.
It's just a little over two weeks until Living Proof Live in Memphis (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?), and for a whole host of reasons, I cannot WAIT.
(Is it bad that one of those reasons is that I love Corky's barbecue with everything in me?)
(Because if loving their barbecue nachos is wrong, I don't want to be right.)
Anyway, Melanie and I have been emailing back and forth with some of the LifeWay girls, and we all thought it would be very big fun indeed if we could have a little get-together with the AllAccess readers who are at LPL Memphis. Real-life fellowship is a mighty fine thing, you know. However, before we can plan said get-together, we need to find out who all is going to be in Memphis.
So.
(I bet you can guess what I'm about to ask you to do.)
(Y'all are nothing if not savvy.)
If you would leave a comment and let us know that you're going to be in Memphis, we're going to send you a top secret email about the whys and wheres and how-tos of our little get-together.
Except that it isn't very top secret at all.
But still. We would love - LOVE - to see you there!
p.s. - Seriously. It won't be the same without you.
p.p.s. - We're not kidding about that p.s. business.
While I was in Orlando this weekend, I decided to make a little video of some of the highlights. As you will see, I didn't let a little thing like skill or ability hold me back from my dream.
Deeper Still Orlando from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
Now that you've watched, here are a few thoughts:
1. I love how delighted the whole Praise Team looks while Angela Cruz hits notes that shouldn't be humanly possible.
2. I think Travis actually hit a note that made the audio on my high-quality camera malfunction.
3. Angela Cottrell's top? PRECIOUS.
4. Note to self: Find out what kind of vitamins Kay Arthur takes because seriously? That's a lot of energy for 75 years old.
5. I'm so glad to know that even Beth Moore has a lisp when being recorded with my camera. It validates me.
6. Too bad there aren't more talented people on this whole team. HAVE MERCY.
7. Just to clarify, Kay went on to describe how the internet can be a source of temptation for our husbands, but the initial look on Beth and Priscilla's faces is PRICELESS.
Y'all have a great Monday. I'll be home just going through the 84 pages of notes I took and trying to digest all the wisdom.
I know it seems like a total Disney World cliche'. And it is. But at some point during the weekend you know the mouse ears had to make an appearance.
Next Deeper Still stop: Oklahoma City on December 4-5.
This week I'll let you know all the reasons you won't want to miss it.
Of course there probably won't be any mouse ears.
I worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep for over ten years of my life. I like to refer to it as the decade of dollars and desperation.
About five times a year there would be some meeting I'd have to attend that would require all sorts of painful things like role-playing various sales scenarios or eating dinner with people I didn't know, but the thing I dreaded most was the trip itself. The hassle of early morning flights, mediocre airport-variety Starbucks, and sitting in a metal tube for two or three hours while it flew through the air.
But the funny thing is that since I started blogging for LifeWay and attending four to five conferences a year, the travel doesn't bother me. I mean, sure, I'm still not a fan of getting up at an hour that roosters would deem early, but I'm excited about my destination.
Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about this morning as I'm waiting to board my flight to Orlando. Yes, it's early. Yes, the Starbucks is average. But I'm happy to take the trip because I know what's waiting for me on the other side.
I think there's a lesson in there somewhere.
I'll be checking in with Deeper Still reports throughout the weekend!
Apparently I've been thinking about Deeper Still a lot this week, because last night I dreamed that Melanie and I were both going to Orlando (in real life she's going, but I'm not). Anyway, we had to navigate some sort of obstacle course involving large bales of hay in order to get to the arena, and afterwards we helped Beth staple some hand-outs that she was putting together for her portion of the teaching.
Interesting tidbit: in my dream there were thousands of hand-outs, and Beth had all of them stacked neatly on a rolling cart.
Another interesting tidbit: in my dream Beth was also wearing a nametag that said, "Hi. My Name Is BETH." And she was introducing herself to all the girls who were there for Deeper Still and saying she hoped they would stick around for her part of the event.
Something tells me that stapling hand-outs and wearing a nametag and asking people to stick around aren't really REAL-LIFE issues that Beth faces.
Anyway, the combination of my crazy dream and thinking so much about Deeper Still reminded me of this video from last year's DS Atlanta. We've posted it here before, but it never gets old. Because oh, it is a treasure.
You're welcome. And have a wonderful Thursday, y'all!
Thanks Trav for this profound offering! We can't wait to worship the KING!
Deeper Still is almost here
So glad, I might just shed a tear
No time to blog, but this I'll say:
Can hardly wait 'till this Friday.
Kay, Priscilla, Bethie too
Will bring a Word for me, for you
It will be strong, it will be good
We'll laugh, we'll cry,
And both we should.
But what will be the greatest thing
This very weekend soon will bring?
The presence of the King of Kings:
Redeemer, Savior, Everything.
His word will pierce, His face will shine.
His mercy will restore, refine.
We'll have such fun, but this please know:
The King of Love will steal the show.
SEE YOU THERE!!!
Travis
Yesterday I received an email from Betsy Langmade who is the event coordinator for Deeper Still Orlando. She sent us a list of some interesting facts about the approximately 11,000 attendees for the upcoming Deeper Still. I asked her if I could share them with y'all because I am a lover of trivia and found it fascinating.
Here is an excerpt from her email:
"WHERE ARE THEY ALL COMING FROM??
30+ States
3 Canadian Provinces
2 Foreign Countries - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Funniest City on the registration list? Sopchoppy, Florida :)
HOW MANY DENOMINATIONS WILL BE UNITED IN THE AMWAY ARENA??
At least 20 including Baptist, United Methodist, Community, Vineyard, Covenant, Calvary (Chapel), Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God, Episcopal, Church of God, Methodist, Lutheran, Mennonite, Church of the Nazarene, World Outreach, Foursquare, Missionary Baptist, Alliance, Seventh Day Adventist, Catholic. It's going to an amazing time of Worship!
Interesting church names - wouldn't you guys like to go to a church called Fishhook Fellowship - not joking, I loved the one named Church on the Rock!
DO WE HAVE ANY LARGE GROUPS COMING???
Of course, we do. Because that's what women do, right? "
It's exactly what women do and I can't wait to see each and every one of these women worshiping together next Friday night. If you can make it to Orlando, it will be the place to be.
And don't forget to leave your question for Priscilla, Beth and Kay in the comments on yesterday's post!
Its true! Deeper Still ORLANDO (or Deeper World...like Disney World) as we call it, is next weekend, September 18-19, 2009! I don't know about you but our team is ready to get ourselves down to Florida.
Here are two things you can do to help us prepare if you are attending and one fun question:
1. Send us your panel questions for Kay, Beth and Priscilla! Its a fun and sweet time when we get to hear words of wisdom and words of well, cosmetics, from these three gals! So whatcha got? Send us your questions back on the comments of this post.
2. We just want a roll call shout out!! If you are attending, tell us where you are traveling in from and who's with you?
3. Just for fun, who is also planning to hit Disney or MGM with your girls as part of Deeper Still/World!? I don't know how you'd have energy for both but I know some of you are just that crazy and will drink enough Starbucks to be able to endure all of that fun!
I can tell you, Deeper World will be enough excitement for me and my team.
Whatcha got? Can't WAIT to be with you!! And if you hadn't planned to come! Change your mind. :0)
We are praying for you! See you soon!
Paige
If you are going to be anywhere near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma this coming weekend and are the mother of a daughter, then you do not want to miss Vicki Courtney's You and Your Girl event.
She will be at First Baptist Church in Broken Arrow on Saturday, September 12th.
I had the opportunity to attend a You and Your Girl conference back in March of this year and it was a great experience. Vicki shares so much practical wisdom about mothering a daughter and she does it with a real perspective of the world we live in and a good dose of humor.
And if you have no idea where Broken Arrow, OK is, then check out this link to see where else you might be able to attend You and Your Girl in 2009-2010. You don't want to miss it.
For more information about the event and about Vicki, check out her personal blog called Virtue Alert.
You know how the Living Proof Live Simulcast was last weekend?
Well, here are some photographs of women at simulcast locations all over the country.
I just think it's the coolest thing.
LPL Simulcast Locations from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. - Psalm 40:5
LifeWay Simulcast Contest Winners from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.
Living Proof Live - Simulcast - Green Bay WI from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.
And if you're looking for a copy of the commission that Beth gave at the end, you can find it at the Living Proof blog.
Hey y'all.
I have LOVED reading everyone's thoughts on the simulcast. I love that we have a God who is big enough to surpass all our expectations and dreams.
Just a reminder that today is the day of the webcast and you won't want to miss it. It begins at noon central time and you can go to this page for all the information you need to join in.
So after an incredible weekend of simulcast goodness (were you there? did you love it? did you learn something? tell us all about your experience in the comments!), LifeWay Women's Pam Case and Paige Greene are hitting the ground running this week, and I thought some of y'all might be interested in one of the things they have going on in the next few days.
Tomorrow, September 1st, Pam and Paige will be a part of a LifeWay Women webcast. The webcast is at noon central, and it'll be a great opportunity for you to get updates on upcoming Bible studies, women's events, leadership and ministers' wives training and all sorts of new downloads that will be available here on the LifeWay site.
And knowing Pam and Paige, I can say with great confidence that the webcast will also be a great opportunity for you to laugh. Because oh my word, I don't think those two have ever found a situation where they couldn't find the funny.
If you're interested in being a part this neat online event, you can just click on over to sign up for the webcast. I know Pam and Paige would love to see some of y'all there!
As I type this there are approximately 90,000 women from eight different countries listening to Beth Moore speak via the marvel that is modern technology. It really is unbelievable if you think about it!
I'd love for any of you who attended tonight or are attending tomorrow to leave your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to know where you watched the simulcast and what you thought about it.
Give us a shout out in the comments!
I don't know if we've mentioned it or not, but the Living Proof Live Simulcast is this weekend.
I mean, on some level you have to appreciate that we have blogged about it in four of the last five posts. Nobody has ever accused the AllAccess bloggers of falling short in the area of totally over-the-top enthusiasm for, well, EVERYTHING.
But as I've been thinking this week about the sheer volume of details that go into the simulcast - all the crates that have to arrive, all the set-up that's involved, all the hotel rooms that have to be ready, all the technology that has to work properly, all the MIND-NUMBING LOGISTICS THAT WOULD MAKE MY HEAD EXPLODE - I've thought over and over again that this event would be impossible if God weren't in it.
I mean, think about it: it's not like all the people involved in the LPL Simulcast ride up to Wisconsin together on a bus and then get dropped off at the arena. There are DOZENS of flights that have to take off and land on time in order for all of the event personnel to be where they need to be when they need to be there.
Last night I was clicking around on Twitter when I saw this airport update from sweet Paige Greene:
I think anybody involved with a LifeWay event would tell you that God just DOES THE THING. He gets all up in the middle of the seemingly overwhelming details, and He is so faithful to help people like Paige and Beth and Travis and Rich and Ron - and so many others - carry out the tasks that He has called them to do.
This weekend He's called the LifeWay event team to Green Bay, Wisconsin, so that they can minster to women all over the world. Let's lift all of them up in prayer as they travel today and prepare to carry out that calling in such a way that He will get all the glory.
"All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God." - Psalm 86:9-10
This afternoon I was in the car with my family when I suddenly thought, "Oh! It's simulcast week!" And I felt just a wee bit giddy inside because I know that so many churches are getting ready to throw open their doors to thousands of women this weekend. It's going to be incredible to see how God uses Beth, Travis & the praise team and the selfless hearts of people serving in churches all across this nation for His glory.
And do y'all know what else? After the simulcast is over, there are only two more Living Proof Live events this year. (How can that be? It seems like it was just a couple of weeks ago when we were all talking about LPL for Ministers' Wives. You know, back in February.)
Anyway, if you would like to make the trip to an LPL in the fall, you should definitely check out LPL Memphis on October 9-10 (Melanie and I will both be there - we are beyond excited) or LPL Springfield, IL on November 6-7.
Just think: after Springfield it'll pretty much be Christmas. And before you know it, it'll be August again. And I'll be writing another post about how it feels like I was just in Memphis way back in October.
I am nothing if not completely and utterly predictable.
Hope y'all have a great week!
And p.s. - If you're going to be at the simulcast, in Memphis OR in Springfield, let us know in the comments! The LifeWay team loves to be on the lookout for y'all!
Since it's Friday I thought it might be a good idea to write a list 'o things that you don't want to miss.
Actually, I didn't really think about it that much. I just got on here, saw the blinking cursor on the blank screen and decided that a list would be the best way to convey several pieces of information.
Because I am a planner.
Here you go.
1. If you are anywhere near Louisville this weekend, then you do not want to miss Priscilla Shirer at Going Beyond at Southeast Christian Church.
I had the chance to see Priscilla back in June and she was amazing.
2. Speaking of Priscilla, she has taken the leap to Twitter. If you're a fan of Twitter and/or Priscilla, You can also follow her brother and worship leader Anthony Evans.
3. And while we're on the subject of the Twitter, there are a few others you may want to follow. Kay Arthur, Vicki Courtney, and Patricia Layton are all tweeting these days.
4. Seriously, tweeting?
If someone had told me five years ago that there would be a cultural phenomenon that would sweep the nation and it involved people letting you know that they were brushing their teeth or washing dishes in 140 characters or less, I would have said that was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard of.
Clearly I cannot forecast trends.
5. If you'd like to attend a Living Proof Simulcast event but have no idea where to find one in your area, then click over to this list with a drop-down box for every state and location.
6. Have a great weekend!
I think at this point Sophie and I have both mentioned that Miss Kay basically taught the entire book of Hebrews at Deeper Still-Greensboro. And, while we are prone to exaggeration on occasion, we are not really kidding about this. By the end of the night my fingers were tired from all the flipping back and forth between Hebrews 1 and Hebrews 11 and Hebrews 3 and 4.
What I'm saying is that Hebrews and I got a workout.
I also got more than a little convicted. Like my friend Annie turned to me and said, "It's never a good sign when you hear someone reference 'Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me' twice in one day." I may be a little slow but I know when God might be telling me it's time to get my eyes off myself and on Him.
And I think that's why it hit me so hard when Miss Kay made this statement, "REST is the activity of faith".
Think about that for a minute.
If I believe God is who he says he is and he can do what he says he can do, then why do I spend so much time trying to control everything? Why do I spend so much time worrying?
What if I really believed Romans 8:28 and that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose? What if I lived Hebrews 10:23 and held unswervingly to the hope I profess because he who has promised is faithful?
That's the kind of faith that can change the world. That's the kind of faith that would allow us to rest in Him.
Last Friday afternoon - while we were at a conference in Charlotte - Melanie and I formulated a plan. We were going to listen to our buddy Lysa speak at 4, walk out of our hotel around 5:30, hop in the car with our friend Annie, make the trek to Greensboro and then pull up at the Deeper Still arena around 6:45. Since DS didn't start until 7, we thought our plan was mighty fine indeed.
But there was one thing we didn't take into consideration: the fact that I-85 would be more clogged than a Walmart parking lot the day before Christmas. It took us about 45 minutes to travel 3 miles, and while I am typically not a person who sits around and longs for ye olden days, I would've LOVED to have a horse and buggy around 5:45 last Friday afternoon. Because let me tell you: compared to crawling along the interstate at two miles an hour in Annie's car, that horse and buggy would have made us feel like we were breaking the sound barrier.
Clearly the NCDOT had no idea that WE WERE IN NEED OF A WORD FROM MISS KAY.
We finally made it to the arena around 7:30, and while we missed worship with Travis and the praise team, we didn't miss a second of Kay Arthur's teaching. And y'all, I have said it before and I'll say it again: if you ever have the opportunity to hear her teach, GO. Don't even think about it. GO. What God does through her is absolutely remarkable. I mean, she taught THE WHOLE BOOK OF HEBREWS last Friday night. Such wisdom.
This past week I've found myself going back to Hebrews during my quiet time. Honestly, Kay pointed out a whole bunch of stuff that I had never picked up on before (I'm a work in progress, people). And while I know that Kay's Covenant study is DEFINITELY going to be in my future, I've also found myself wishing that I could tap into a little bit of her wisdom in the here and now.
And do you know what I found out a couple of days ago? Miss Kay has a podcast, y'all.
Glory.
Hope y'all have a great weekend!
Gals,
We at LifeWay Women are so excited to announce the 2010 events list. We are coming to some wonderful cities and towns next year across the U.S. and Canada next year. Each one we believe is chosen by God for such a time as He would have us come.
There is everything from You and Your Girl with Vicki Courtney for Mom's and daughters to events for individual women and church groups. There are events for leaders called YOU Lead that are in front of many of our Living Proof Live events. Priscilla will be back in her Going Beyond event and at Deeper Still.
We have prayed long and hard on this list and we can't wait to see you next year. What a privilege! Web registration is open for LIving Proof Live and Going Beyond. Deeper Still and You and Your Girl will open very soon and we'll keep you posted on that:
GOING BEYOND: With Priscilla Shirer and Anthony Evans:
February 19-20 - Ft. Worth, TX - McKinney Church
February 26-27 - McLean, VA (D.C. Area) - McLean Bible Church
August 6-7 - Tulsa, OK - The Church at Battle Creek
September 10-11 - Hattiesburg, MS - Temple Baptist Church
October 8-9 - Columbia, SC - Shandon Baptist Church
Living Proof Live with Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell:
March 12-13 - Toronto, Canada - Toronto Congress Centre
March 26-27 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Convention Center
April 16-17 - Tampa, FL - Idlewild Baptist Church
May 21-22 - Grand Rapids, MI - VanAndel Arena
June 25-26 - St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena at SLU
July 9-10 - Irvine, CA - Mariner's church
August 13-14 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena
August 27-28 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Coliseum
September 18 - Chicago, IL (one day event) Rosemont Theatre
October 1-2 - Boston, MA Tsongas Arena
October 29-30 - Spokane, WA Star Theatre at Spokane Arena
November 19-20 - Rapid City, SD - Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Don Barnett Arena
Deeper Still with Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer and Travis Cottrell:
June 11-12, Denver, CO - Magness Arena at Denver Universtiy
December 3-4 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC
You and Your Girl with Vicki Courtney and the SonFlowerz
March 27 - Olive Branch, MS - Longview Heights Baptist Church
April 17- Carrollton, TX - First Baptist Church Carrollton
September 11 - Syracuse, NY - North Syracuse Baptist Church
October 23 - Covington, LA - First Baptist Church Covington
YOU Lead Pre-Conference training events will be before events in:
Tucson, AZ, Tampa, FL, Grand Rapids, MI, St. Louis, MO, Boston, MA, Spokane, WA, and Birmingham, AL (Deeper Still)
Between Us Pre-Conference for Minister's Wives will be before events in:
Irvine, CA and Richmond, VA
Other Leadership Training Opportunities:
National Girl's Ministry Leadership Forum - February 26-27 - Nashville, TN
National Women's Ministry Leadership Forum - November 9-11 - Ridgecrest, NC
*note - Registration for the 2010 National Women's Leadership Forum will open during the 2009 Women's Forum.
That's it girls! We will see you very soon. In the mean time we are working and praying towards our upcoming evens including Going Beyond Louisville, KY at Southeast Christian, LIving Proof Live in Fargo, ND, Deeper Still in Orlando and You and Your Girl in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma!
We can't wait to see your sweet faces this year and next!
With thanksgiving,
Paige
Last Friday was the first Deeper Still event of the year and it was in Greensboro, North Carolina. Sophie and I just happened to be at another conference in Charlotte and decided it would be fun to make the hour and a half drive to hear Travis lead some worship and listen to Kay Arthur speak.
That was before we realized that the North Carolina Department of Transportation had decided that Friday evening would be a great time to shut I-85 down to one lane. We were already worried we were going to be late, but once we sat in that traffic for over an hour it was inevitable.
Here are Sophie and our friend Annie sitting in the front seat as we made our way to Deeper Still. I was in the back experiencing vicarious road rage and a touch of the carsickness.
Sure enough, we totally managed to miss worship but made it just in time to walk into a huge round of applause as Beth, Kay, and Priscilla appeared on stage. It didn't feel awkward at all to be walking right in front of the front row when that happened. And by not awkward, I mean I wanted to the auditorium floor to swallow me up.
A few minutes later though, Miss Kay started reading from Hebrews 1 and I was so grateful that we'd endured the traffic and that the auditorium floor didn't swallow me. She was absolutely amazing. Listening to a seventy-five year old woman who has walked with God long enough to gain some serious wisdom is just a delight to every fiber of my soul. It challenges me, encourages me, and inspires me.
It also helped that she basically taught us the entire book of Hebrews in the course of two hours.
Okay gals, a couple more clues cause tomorrow (today) is the big day. Please e-mail your best guesses on where we'll be with our 23 events in 2010. This may help you a little bit.
We will have!
12 Living Proof LIves with Beth and Travis
2 Deeper Stills with Priscilla, Beth, Kay and Trav
5 Going Beyond with Priscilla and Anthony
and 5 You and Your Girls with Vicki Courtney and the SonFlowerz
So email me your best guesses by noon, July 31 at paige.greene@lifeway.com and guess as much as you'd like. Don't post it here or you'll give away your best ideas. Will send a few more clues out tonight and early in the morning on twitter.
Here are a couple more clues. I'll be blunt and say its one of the Dakotas! and for that matter, there's one in one of the Carolinas too! Hmm, I hope you've seen the hints on Twitter from me, Amy and Pam. You can follow us at @pamcase, @paigegreene and @amycato for a few final hints in the a.m.! You can do it.
There's one place we are going where they say it never rains...okay, that's it for tonight. Maybe, just maybe, we are coming to your town! Probably not, but you never know!
Night gals! Tomorrow....DEEPER STILL!! whoo hoo. I love being back in the motherland!
p.s. the entire 2010 list is IN the Deeper Still listening guide! :0)
Paige
This weekend Melanie and I are going to a conference in Charlotte to lead a couple of sessions on blogging, and since we've been committed to the conference for a pretty long time, we figured that going to Deeper Still Greensboro wasn't going to be an option for us.
But then we, you know, LOOKED AT A MAP.
I'll tell you what. Maps are handy.
Anyway, once we realized that Charlotte and Greensboro are only about an hour apart, we checked our conference schedule, realized that Friday night was free and clear and GLORY, HALLELUJAH a quick little road trip was born.
It'll be just like college - only without the acid-washed jeans and the teased bangs that defy all nature.
We'll only be at Deeper Still Friday night - we'll have to drive back to Charlotte after the event so that we can be up and at 'em for our conference sessions on Saturday - but we cannot wait. And if any of y'all are there, we would love to meet you. We'll be sitting somewhere on the floor (well, not actually on the floor, mind you - no criss-cross-applesauce will be required because we'll be in actual seats on the floor), and we're usually in the general vicinity of the praise team. If you're not in a mad rush once the event is over Friday night, come find us so we can hug your neck.
Unless hugging makes you uncomfortable. In which case we'll be happy to just shake your hand. But just FYI: Melanie and I are certified huggers. Consider yourself warned.
Hope to see some of y'all there!
I feel like there's been a lot going on here this week, but maybe it's just because I'm easily overwhelmed by anything new and different.
So, in case you've missed anything, I feel like we need a recap or reminders or whatever.
Two quick reminders to end the week:
1. Don't forget about the "Where in the world is Womens' Events?" contest. Paige Greene has left a clue in the comments of that post and you can also find hints daily by following LifeWayWomen on Twitter.
If you're not already on Twitter, you now have a reason to get on there ASAP.
2. Don't forget to leave a comment with any questions you have for Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer to answer at Deeper Still-Greensboro.
Y'all have a great weekend!
Did you ever play "Where in the World is Waldo?" when you were a kid?
Our team has a "Where in the World..." game for you.
Can you guess where in the United States our women's events are going in 2010?
We've put out several hints already and many of you may know 2-3 locations, but can you name all 23 women's events locations for 2010?
At the end of two weeks, the person who has the most locations correct will receive 2 tickets to any women's event of their choice, a t-shirt from each of our events and a tote bag. (All LifeWay employees, family members and anyone else that has had the accidental foreknowledge of learning the locations for 2010 are exempt!!)
So, let's start.
The Rules:
1. Name as many of the 23 locations (city/state) for LifeWay's Women's Events 2010 Calendar.
2. You must designate what event it is:
Living Proof Live with Beth Moore
Deeper Still with Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer
Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer
You and Your Girl with Vicki Courtney
3. You will continue to receive a set of clues to help you. You may also be creative on your own to find clues that we don't tell you about (hint...the speakers are bloggers themselves and sometimes let things slip on their own blogs/websites).
4. On Friday, July 31, we will release all of the 2010 dates and locations at Deeper Still Greensboro, NC. Make plans to attend today and be among the first group to find out our future dates and locations. We will release the dates and locations to the rest of you on Monday, August 3 and determine who our winner is!
Let the games begin!
Hello Greensboro!
Can I be honest? I've been looking forward to Deeper Still since January! I can't believe that it is actually July (where has the year gone?) and that our time in God's Word and worshipping at His feet together is almost here. Just one more weekend away.
Jerry, the boys and I have been having a blast this summer. We've been swimming, horse back riding, playing in the back yard, and trying to survive this Texas heat! It's hard to believe my boys are already 6 (Jackson), 5 (JC), and 8 months (Jude). And, girlfriend, I AM TIRED! I need next weekend. I need Deeper Still. I need to sit with you and soak in God's presence and power in my life.
I am eager to see how the Lord is going to speak to each of us next weekend. Would you begin to ask the Lord how He wants you to prepare for our time together? I'm in complete anticipation that He is going to show up and blow our minds. Would you already plan to walk in obedience in whatever He may ask of you? Miss Kay, Miss Beth and I are expecting a fun, life-giving time with you next weekend.
I've become more and more excited about the message I believe He wants me to share with you. Every time I read the passage that I'm going to go over with you, chills go down my spine because I get overwhelmed at its implications. So, go ahead and take a peak at Ephe sians 3:20-21 and see how God might speak to you even before we get to the Greensboro Coliseum
One of my favorite parts of Deeper Still comes at the end. If you are familiar at all with the event, you know that at the end of the conference there is a "panel discussion" where Miss Kay, Miss Beth and I answer questions that you all have about anything and everything. I normally do most of the "asking" so that I can let Miss Beth and Miss Kay do most of the "answering". Like you, I want to sit and glean from their immense wisdom. In the past we've answered personal questions and theological ones. Silly ones and serious ones. And, as you can imagine, it gets rather interesting! One time, Miss Beth and I actually ended up laughing so hard that we fell to the floor!
What we need from you is to reply to this post and leave a comment with ANY question that you want us to answer at the event. We will read through all of your questions and select some to answer next weekend. I know you have questions. Don't be scared. Ask away....
Can't wait to see you next weekend!
Priscilla
A couple of weeks ago after I posted about Beth's message at Living Proof Live in Pittsburgh, several of y'all mentioned that you'd like to read more about it. I could never, ever do justice to her three hours of teaching in a single blog post, but I do want to share the seven points she made about Acts 27 and "the perfect storm."
Also, the last couple of points touch on Acts 28, so if you want to study the Scriptures with these notes as a guide, make sure you read all of 27 and 28.
All righty. Here are seven lessons from the storm.
1) Sometimes we're in the exact spot where several storms collide. - We have to realize that there is a point to the storm; it is for us and not against us.
2) The question of fault always arises in a furious storm. - Even Paul said I TOLD YOU we shouldn't have set sail. But we're in the storm for a reason - fault is not the issue.
3) The titanic temptation in a storm is to give way. - Don't let your storm blow you back into old habits and addictions. Giving way will take us to a place that was never, ever on our map.
4) To make it through the storm, sometimes we have to cut the ropes. - We may need to cut loose from things we've previously been involved in so that we can do the thing with Jesus.
5) Our one life can invite the favor of God to many in the storm. - You're throwing a fit in your storm, and God may want to use you to throw some favor. The way you respond to your crisis could very well minister to someone who's watching you go through it.
6) On the other side of a perfect storm, the serpent is all bite and no venom. - Once you've learned the lesson(s) from the storm, whatever the devil had planned will be broken to pieces.
7) The point of every perfect storm is to see the work of God through us unhindered. - No more bondage. No more strongholds. COMPLETELY unhindered.
And all God's people said amen.
Hope y'all have a wonderful week!
GALS!!! Deeper Still Greensboro is two weeks and a few hours from right now!!
I can't believe its been almost a YEAR since our last Deeper Still event in Las Vegas. Priscilla was 8 months pregnant (see in the rap video?) then and now that sweet Jude is 8-months-old!
Its time for the Deeper Still Greensboro Roll call! Where are you coming from? and who's coming with you? Whatcha got?
Travis and I are both from North Carolina and I've already done a shout out for NC peeps on my Facebook. Perhaps we'll give a Deeper Still T-shirt to the person(s) coming from the farthest distance!! I think we will.
Let the Roll Call begin! p.s. Watch for this upcoming Deeper Still Tuesday blog feature with a blog entry from Priscilla.
Have a great weekend gals!
This is Kay - Arthur that is - the third and oldest one of the teaching trio for Deeper Still. The three of us are truly so very excited about our time with you in Greensboro. We are on our knees praying that God will move powerfully by His spirit through His word and that as a result the nation and the kingdom will be greatly impacted because we have heard from God and ordered our lives accordingly - no matter how radically He commands. We are also standing on tiptoe in anticipation of God working through the whole event synchronizing all His glory alone.
I am currently at a precious friend's house which she loaned to Jack and myself for 3 weeks at Lake Burton. I am writing a new book: When the Hurt Runs Deep. Would so love your partnership in prayer. Am also reveling in times of fun and fellowship with friends who go all the way back to the beginning days of ministry. They are praying with me.
Pray as each of us prepares our messages. We all so love our God and His living word. As I sit in the beauty of His creation I am awed by the so great a love God has for us and our so great a salvation. "Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth." (Psalms 73:25). Oh may it be.
Love you and eager to be with you for Him.
Kay
There's so much going on with LifeWay Women that it's probably inevitable that various little bits of bloggy news and/or notes will get lost in the shuffle. So today I thought I'd quickly revisit something that we told you about a few months ago, because quite frankly I tend to err on the side of obsessive and what if you missed it the first time, WHAT IF YOU MISSED IT, CLEARLY THAT WOULD BE HORRIBLE.
As most of y'all know, Beth Moore is doing a Living Proof Live Simulcast in Green Bay, Wisconsin on August 28-29. If your church is participating in the simulcast, you can register to be a part of a conference call with Travis Cottrell on July 15.
But what you may not know is that if your church registers as a simulcast host, you'll be entered into a drawing for an all-expense paid trip for two to the event in Green Bay.
That is VERY fancy, y'all.
Plus, there are Bible study giveaways for the host churches every month - you don't want to miss out!
There.
I feel better.
Hope y'all have a great Monday!
Is it hard for anyone else to believe that summer is almost half over? I'm not sure where the days have gone, but I'm pretty sure I've spent most of them trying to survive the heat and find various forms of entertainment that don't involve going outside for longer than it takes to get in the car and drive somewhere with a pool or some serious air-conditioning.
But there are still a few things coming up before the summer winds down and I thought I'd remind y'all about them so you can check out anything that might be in your area.
Living Proof Live in Albuquerque, NM - July 10-11 (that's this weekend!)
Deeper Still in Greensboro, NC - July 31-August 1
Living Proof Live in Fargo, ND - August 14-15
Going Beyond in Louisville, KY - August 21-22
Living Proof Live and Simulcast from Green Bay, WI - August 28-29
We'd love to see there!
A little more than a year ago, Sophie and I went to Nashville to meet with the Womens' Ministry team. We talked about all sorts of ministry-related things and also some non-ministry related things because sometimes when a group of women get together what they really need to know is "What color lipstick is that? I LOVE IT."
Anyway, in the course of all this discussion, Paige Greene, the director of womens' events, mentioned Priscilla Shirer and the Going Beyond events. Specifically, she mentioned they hand out note cards for women to write down prayer requests.
So I shouldn't have been surprised when I opened my program at Going Beyond and a hot pink note card fell out. And not just your mediocre 3 x 5 notecard, but a good-sized note card. A note card that could hold some seriously lengthy requests, which is good because women are generally not known for their ability to be concise.
Not that I know anything about that. It's just a theory.
After Anthony finished leading worship (Did I mention how much I loved Anthony? Love him. But I'm not a stalker.) Priscilla got up on stage and pointed us to the note cards. She explained that anyone with a prayer request should write it on the card and come place it at the front of the church.
Well, the pens came flying out as women began to write their requests and carry their cards down to the front.
After all the requests had been placed, Priscilla said that she was going to gather them up, take them back to her hotel room and pray over every single one. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.
Did I mention that Priscilla has an 8 month old baby who was with her that weekend? And do you remember that when you have an 8 month old baby that sleep is precious, especially after speaking to 1,000 women?
Not that I ever spoke to 1,000 women, well, ever. But I can imagine.
And not only did she take those cards back to her hotel room, but she brought them back to the church at 7:30 the next morning (an hour and a half before the event began) and invited anyone who wanted to, to join her in praying for these women and their needs.
That is dedication. That is a servant's heart. That is being the hands and feet of Jesus.
And it's just one of the million reasons I love Priscilla Shirer and her heart to serve Christ.
She's the real deal.
A couple of weeks ago I told y'all about how Beth Moore got a new iPhone and was so proud of it that she was carrying it around in a Ziploc bag so that nothing would happen to it.
Well, Melanie and I have often said that Beth and Priscilla can turn anything into a teachable moment, and Beth's Ziploc iPhone case was no exception.
Friday night Beth showed her phone-in-a-baggie to the women at Living Proof Live Pittsburgh, and she talked about how she didn't want anything to happen to it. No smudges. No nicks. No cracks. And she said that we often want to do the same thing in our lives. We want everything to be perfect, and not only that - we want it to stay perfect.
I immediately thought of my little boy and how much I want to protect him. I was just starting to make a list in my head of all the ways that I try to shield him from "the big bad world" when Beth said something that made me sit straight up in my seat:
"We can't put our lives in a baggie. We'd smother."
That's a good word, girls.
So I'm curious. How do you encourage your kids to be in the world but not of it without smother