When I was growing up I had this childlike idea that ministers' wives somehow had it easier than "regular" wives. I don't know if I thought they had a more direct line to God or what, but I'm guessing it was in part because the pastors' wives in my home church were such sweet women. They were soft-spoken, humble, gentle, quick to encourage - and so at some point I decided that their days consisted of hugging people and praying. Maybe with a little cooking thrown in when the family night suppers rolled around.
I was a bit idealistic as a child. I'm not sure if you noticed.
Now that I'm older, of course, I know that there are few people who are in the flat-out trenches of ministry like ministers' wives. OH MY WORD. I have several close friends whose husbands are pastors, and while those ladies are just as humble and encouraging and all-around wonderful as the women I remember from my childhood, they deal with a whole lot more behind-the-scenes stuff than my eight year-old self could have ever imagined.
And the biggest thing that I know now that I never would have known back then is that being a pastor's wife? Is exhausting. Grueling, even. It's a special calling for special women - no doubt about it. It's incredibly hard - and selfless - work.
So I'm excited to tell you - or in some cases, to remind you - that there's a special Living Proof Live for Ministers' Wives in Nashville on March 13-14. It follows the Between Us Ministers' Wives Conference on March 12-13. I can't think of a better way for these women who serve so selflessly to recharge their batteries and fellowship with other people who experience similar joys and frustrations on a daily basis. It'll be a good time.
Maybe the ladies in your women's ministry would love to do something special for your pastor's wife this Christmas; or maybe your pastor has no idea what to give his wife and would benefit from a helpful hint. Regardless, this conference would be a wonderful gift - and oh have mercy, it would keep on giving in the days, weeks and months that follow.
More than anything, I hope we'll all remember to encourage our pastors' wives - not just at Christmas, but all year long.
What a time we have had this week in Nash-vegas for two big events...the National Women's Leadership Forum at LifeWay and that little event last night called the CMA awards. Those country icons don't have anything on our guy Travis who led us in some serious worship and even blessed us with a Christmas concert as he shared songs from his new album.
We had 500 incredible leaders from across the country like Liz from San Jose, CA and the sweet pastor's wife slash women's ministry leader who came by her self from the hills of New Mexico...and the girls right down the street from Mount Juliet, TN. We worshipped, shared ideas, had full breakouts and heard a great word from Kelly Minter and Angela Thomas yesterday. Basically we got together and told our stories...some hard stories, but all stories of God's faithfulness. I'm not just talking about women dealing with one hard thing...but how about the woman who found herself near bankruptcy, with a serious illness and a teenage son who's girlfriend got pregnant. She beamed as she told of God's faithfulness and how sweet her little grandchild is. Only GOD!
We have had a blast. Be safe going home girls. We hope to see you next year when we try our two Forums back to back! That's right. Pray for us! ;0) We won't think about that now. We'll just bask in the glow of having 500 women in the halls of LifeWay. Forum energizes us for the year to come. We love you so! Any sweet Forum stories to share?
I spent a pretty fair chunk of my teenage years at various and sundry church retreats. I actually accepted Christ at church camp when I was 13 (and in true teenage fashion, proceeded to rededicate my life at least four or twelve times in the years that followed). But once I hit college, the camps stopped, save for a trip to an adult retreat when I was around 22. Which means that before Festivals of Marriage (FOMMMMMM) this past weekend, I hadn't been in an overnight conference setting in, oh, about seventeen years.
As soon as my husband and I pulled into Ridgecrest, all those "camp memories" flooded my brain. I remembered the practical jokes, the camp food, the way our junior high camp always seemed to coincide with the first hint of fall. I remembered the Amy Grant songs I'd listen to on my Walkman (you know, the ones that played CASSETTES), and I marveled that my husband and I were actually together on so many of those junior high and high school trips (we were just buddies, mind you). It seemed exactly right that I'd make my inaugural trip to Ridgecrest with him by my side.
Now that the weekend is over and I've had a little time to process everything, I have to say that the structure of FOM is excellent - it's ideal, in fact, for people like us who don't necessarily like to be "locked in" to one session after another. There were optional individual classes throughout all three days (some of the topics were respect, sexuality, seasons of life, parenting, etc.), and then there was corporate teaching and worship on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday morning (Travis Cottrell led worship; Jena & Dale Forehand did the speaking) .
We enjoyed that corporate time so much...it was such a treat to go into the sanctuary with my husband and know that we didn't have any other commitments pulling at us. We also had some really, really good post-session discussions, and to be able to dig deep in conversation without any intrusions was such a blessing.
(sidenote: I bet most of us are probably good at remembering that we love our husbands, but sometimes it's also really fun to remember how much we like them, you know? I got to do that over and over again in North Carolina. And it was good.)
Just like church camp of yore, the most memorable part of the weekend was the fellowship - the time we spent with each other and with some of our sweet friends. In short, we had a blast. The weekend was a total treat for us. We came home without a bit of that typical post-retreat let-down. We were rested, recharged and more grateful than ever for the blessing of our marriage. I've often said that our marriage hasn't always been easy, but it's always been worth it.
And after this past weekend, I'm more certain of that than ever before.
Well, we made it to North Carolina (MY WORD the roads are twisty and turny - I had no idea) for FOM, and we are having a wonderful time here at Ridgecrest. I have to confess that at first the thought of being somewhere without a television in the room made me want to twitch just a little bit (HGTV is my friend, and I miss her when we're apart for too long), but I actually haven't missed the television at all.
Perhaps it's because I'm enjoying a strong Wifi connection at the moment.
OH, I kid.
Another confession: my mood for the last couple of days has been pretty rotten. I've been agitated, short with my hubby, out of sorts, you name it. I know in my head how these things work - it's the same as when you're trying to get your family out the door on Sunday mornings and find yourself saying something like, "I AM SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR SASSINESS, NOW LET'S GET IN THAT CAR AND GO PRAISE JESUS!"
See: author of distraction, etc.
But I'm happy to report that I'm all better now. It's impossible to look out on the majesty of these mountains and these trees - with the colors ranging from light gold to the deepest red you've ever seen - without remembering why we're here, without praising the One who made us.
So I'm soaking up the time with my husband, enjoying some mighty fine teaching, and laughing my head off with some sweet friends who are also here this weekend. In fact, last night around 10:30 you would've found the four of us riding down the road (in a MINIVAN, OH ROCK ON) singing love songs from the 80s at the top of our lungs. I felt like I was sixteen - only maybe a smidge wiser - and I loved every second of it.
After last weekend's wrap up of New England nights with Beth and Travis, I truly did not know if I was "coming or going". And I only traveled the last three days of the tour. I was joined by fellow LifeWay Women travel buddies, Paige Greene and Faith Whatley.
I can only imagine the emotional, physical and spriitual tired the team was feeling - yet by the time we caught up with the road crew in Deleware, they seemed energized and ready for what God had in mind for the next stop.
This image was photographed at the close of the event held at the University of Deleware. There was an amazing movement of the Holy Spirit and women filled the front area ... lining up in aisles to join the encouragers at the alter for prayer.
After a short night and a five-hour drive to Connecticut the next day, we wrapped up the tour with a special celebration. It was an intimate time with Beth, Travis and the praise team.
This photo includes Beth, Trav and the LifeWay Women's Events team, along with LifeWay leadership. Oh, what a special time it was to reflect together on the 10 years, 50 states and 100 Living Proof Live events (we were doing this around midnight, by the way)!
As we wrapped up the evening, Beth asked us to prayer for her. And her request was that she would continue to love Jesus more and more.
I believe I will also lift that up for the rest of us!
I've been a little reflective about marriage this week - I guess because we're going to the Festival of Marriage conference this weekend (sidenote: for some reason the word "festival" makes me think that there will be mimes, crafts and cotton candy, but I'm fairly certain that I'm dead wrong on all counts, and I'm not really sad about that because, well, mimes scare me).
I've mentioned before on my personal blog that while I know there are some couples for whom marriage is effortless and breezy, we are not one of those couples. Our marriage has endured some downright grueling seasons, and there have been a couple of times in the last eleven years when I thought that we were done. There have even been a couple of times in the last eleven years when I thought I wanted to be done. If you've ever walked through anything like that in your own marriage, you know how difficult it is. It's heartbreaking. And it's exhausting.
Sometimes I think back on our wedding day and marvel at how clueless the two of us were. Since our pre-marital counseling consisted of a pastor meeting with us for five minutes and saying, "Oh, I'm not worried, you two will be fine," we didn't dig deep into some topics we should have addressed before we were married. And it took all of four days of marriage for us to realize that UH-OH, WE HAVE US SOME ISH-AHS.
It took us another five years before we got to the heart of those issues, so for those of you keeping score at home, that's five years of dancing around the big stuff. Five years of hiding the pieces and parts of our hearts that we didn't want the other person to see.
It's not an approach to marriage that I can really, you know, recommend.
But now? I'm so grateful that we didn't give up in those first five years. I'm so grateful that in the midst of all our hurt and disappointment, we both believed that God was doing something in our midst, even though it hurt like crazy. I'm so grateful that we know firsthand the blessing - the JOY - of His restoration. He just flat-out does things that we, in all our humanness, cannot.
What about y'all? What are you most grateful for in your marriage?
We'll have us a Festival of Praise in the comments.
No kidding: at least three times during any given day the house will be relatively quiet and one of us will yell "FOMMMMMM" and then we will get very tickled and scream "FOMMMMMM" back and forth like we're nine and playing Marco Polo in the pool.
So as you can see, it's a mighty good thing we're going to the conference this weekend, because obviously we don't get out of the house nearly as much as we should.
This will be our first-ever marriage conference, a fact that delights me to no end. Because when we got married back in 1997, if there had been some sort of nationwide survey to identify Couples Least Likely To Attend a Christian Marriage Conference, we would have finished pretty dadgum close to the top of the list. Oh, we thought we had it all figured out, the marriage thing, and the fact that we were both walking around on eggshells for the first few years we were married was PERFECTLY NORMAL, REALLY, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS AT ALL.
We've been married for eleven years now, and thanks to the grace and healing of a sovereign, merciful God who has fixed us in places we didn't even want to admit were broken, our marriage is healthier than ever. However, I know there are still areas we need to work on, like, for example, my husband's tendency to ask four hundred and seventy two questions about whatever topic is at hand, and my tendency to respond to him by saying, "You know, I love you, but I feel that you have A LOT OF QUESTIONS FOR WHICH I DO NOT HAVE ANSWERS."
Oh, sweet marital bliss.
So what about y'all? Have you ever been to a marriage conference? What did you think? What did your husband think? What do I need to know about this whole marriage conference process?
Can't wait for y'all to teach me a thing or nine in the comments.
And p.s. - FOMMMMMMM.
p.p.s. - You're totally going to be saying that the rest of the day.
Most of y'all are probably aware that New England Nights marks a huge milestone for Beth, Travis, the praise team, Living Proof and the Lifeway team: ten years of ministry together, service in all fifty states, and - most importantly - countless lives changed by Christ.
It's a mighty big deal indeed.
So I thought it might be fun - and hopefully a little encouraging - if we took some time to thank them.
About eight years ago my best friend, Emma Kate, started talking every now and again about a woman named Beth. She talked about Beth's hair, Beth's clothes, Beth's daughters - but more than anything else she talked about Beth's love for Jesus, about Beth's gift for teaching God's Word. And while I had never read anything that this Beth person had written, I was tickled to death that Emma Kate had found a new pretend-BFF. In fact, I think Beth and Emma Kate have had some mighty fine pretend conversations over the years. And Emma Kate would tell you that she was hilarious in all of them.
Emma Kate's real-life influence eventually rubbed off on me, and I signed up for a Bible study Beth wrote called Believing God. Even though I've tried to write about the impact that particular Bible study has had on my life at least four different times, I always struggle with finding the right words. During that study God's Word penetrated my heart in a way it never had before, and it changed my life. I walked into Believing God with countless questions - and I walked out of it more certain than ever before that God's character is consistent, His Word is infallible, and His grace is limitless. I'll never get over it.
A year or so after Believing God I heard Travis and the praise team sing for the first time, and I'm telling you: within one minute of their opening notes I was blown away by not only their talent, but by the humility with which they led worship. I'm still blown away by those things. I'm blessed every single time I hear them.
So all that to say: thank you, sweet friends, for ministering to us. Thanks for serving in His strength and not your own. Thanks to all the behind-the-scenes people who have worked tirelessly to serve women (and a few very brave men) in all fifty states. Thanks for holding unswervingly to the faith you profess - not because you're all that and a bag of chips - but because He who promised is faithful. Thanks for spurring us on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:22-24). We are all the better for it.
If y'all want to leave your own thank yous (two words or two hundred words - it's totally your call) in the comments, we'll make sure to send the people on the event team the link to this post.
(And then we'll send them a follow-up quiz to make sure they read EVERY SINGLE WORD.)
As Sophie mentioned yesterday, this week is the long-awaited New England Nights bus tour with Beth Moore.
Obviously we aren't actually on the bus tour but yesterday I pulled up some pictures of fall foliage on the internet while I listened to Beth on an old episode of "Life Today" and pretended like I was there.
Oh, the New England air is crisp this time of year!
Fortunately, Travis sent us this picture that I thought I'd share with y'all.
That is our dear Beth pilfering some fall foliage off a tree. Please note that she was so serious that she actually set down her Starbucks.
To see more pictures and hear more about what's going on, you can go check out Travis's blog.
I have no idea how many residents of New England read this blog.
You should not be surprised by this fact since I really don't have any idea how many people read this blog, period.
I do, however, love every single one of you to pieces. We're totally BFFs.
So if you read this blog and happen to live in New England, you definitely need to know about something that's going on in your neck of the woods this week: New England Nights with Beth Moore.
Beth, Travis and the Lifeway event team were in Vermont Monday night, and they'll be in New Hampshire tonight, Delaware Thursday night and Connecticut Friday night. The Connecticut event is sold out, but there are still tickets available for New Hampshire and Delaware.
And if you're like me and you can't be there to celebrate the fact that in the last ten years Living Proof has served in all 50 states, then you can certainly follow along on Beth's blog...she's already written two greatposts about her time in Vermont.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to singing "Weekend in New England," which has been on a constant loop in my brain while I've been writing this post. In fact, it's taking all the restraint I have not to quote it right now.
I mean, I feel the change comin'. I feel the wind blow. I feel brave and daring. I feel my blood flow.
I'm so sorry, y'all. I couldn't help it. It's a sickness.
...how would you finish that sentence? Building on Sophie's previous post, if you were to say, "I was devastated, but then God....' What would you say? What's your 'God is/was everything' to you story?
Has he just sliced through your life and met you recently? rescued you? made you stare at something in awe? Made you smile? Made you cry?
The cool things about our stories is that they are uniquely ours...but if we share them, you never know who can relate to it or be comforted by it. 2 Corinthians 1: 3-5 say:
'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so our comfort overflows through Christ.'
Story telling is the theme of LifeWay's National Women's Leadership Forum next month. Women sharing HIStory...or stories of how God has met them and been their 'everything' in the hard places is a simple yet profound way to reach women who are hurting.
What's your HIStory? I was devastated, and then God......?
I am so sorry I haven't filled y'all in on more behind the scenes DVD taping. I was suffering from a head cold and/or pneumonia while I was in Nashville that turned into full blown misery by the time I got home.
I even lost my voice at one point.
Which doesn't really explain why I couldn't write a post, since my husband would tell you I was able to write him plenty of notes telling him what I needed him to do.
Anyway, I'm back with a full report.
After last week I will never watch a DVD Bible study the same way. I had NO IDEA how much work goes into making sure the whole thing looks effortless and like a few women just gathered around a living room to have a nice visit.
When we pulled up to the house on Wednesday morning, there was a HUGE team of people doing all sorts of interesting things. Sheila was walking around making sure that the set looked good. She arranged books, pulled in furniture at different angles, and, best of all, gave a few of us brand new journals to write in during the shoot because, apparently, HOT PINK FLOWERS didn't send the message they were trying to convey.
That's my new journal. I got to take it home with me. SCORE.
While the camera crew and lighting people were making last minute adjustments, they told us to go to the RV across the street where the stylist was waiting to pick out our wardrobe. Am I in heaven?
Heather was the stylist and she was amazing. She picked from the things that each of the women had brought with them, but knew exactly how to coordinate all the various accessories. It was so interesting because she had a strategy as far as making us all seem color-coordinated, but not matchy-matchy.
I'll tell you this, it was a far cry from the faded yoga pants and "vintage" UCLA baseball t-shirt I normally wear to Bible study.
Here are a few more pictures.
This is Karen and Chris who were part of the study group.
This is me with Chris, after hair and makeup of course.
Here are the cameras that were focused on us.
This is Melissa, she was also part of the group.
Here is Vicki, ready to bring the Word.
This is sweet Julie. I don't think she was at all tired of me taking pictures.
Here we are at lunch. It was just like on a real movie set.
And this is where April took a self-portrait of us and totally cut out Vicki. Never mind that Vicki was the reason we were all there.
I'm really thinking that shot should be the cover of the "Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter" DVD.
And here is the whole group.
Here's what I loved about the whole thing and seeing everything that went on behind the scenes. With all the coordination of wardrobe, journals, and living room sets, once the camera started rolling it was just Vicki being Vicki and sharing the words that God had laid on her heart.
She shared so much wisdom with the group about the importance of sharing essential truths with our daughters and did it with such a genuine, heartfelt spirit. I honestly felt like I walked away with a better grasp on how to be the mother of a daughter.
I think the thing that is so frightening for those of us raising girls is that we are girls. We know all to well the challenges and insecurities they will face as they grow up. We know the mistakes they will make and be tempted to make. We just want to protect them for as long as we can.
Vicki's study is full of practical, Godly wisdom about how we can do just that. I can't wait until y'all can see it for yourselves.
So you know what helps when you're trying to blog about an event?
Being able to get on the internet.
I'm not sure why the wireless connections in Nashville don't love me, but they have all basically shut me out since I arrived. Needless to say, I'm hoping the twitch in my right eye will subside now that I am back in the comforting arms of internet access.
On Tuesday evening, we had dinner at the home where the taping is taking place which just happens to be the home of Kelly Minter ("No Other Gods") and April Dace (big time Bible study DVD producer).
I'm pretty sure somewhere she has a fancy office with lots of leather and mahogany.
This is April.
Don't let that serious demeanor fool you. It was a total pose as she demonstrated how to be a serious Bible teacher.
A serious Bible teacher who serves her guests raw chicken.
April and Kelly hosted a lovely dinner and all the ladies participating in the study had a chance to get to know each other. It was a great dinner right up to the point where April announced that some of the chicken wasn't fully cooked.
Chicken we had already eaten.
Awesome. My first non-starring film role and I'm going to end up with food poisoning.
In all honesty, the chicken was fine and appeared to be cooked but April worried all night that we were all going to be sick because everyone in the industry knows that nothing really kills a Bible study discussion like some E.Coli.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel. And, truly, God was with me because the hotel room came complete with 142 pillows and I was actually able to sleep.
Our "call" (see how I learned some industry lingo?) was at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning and they took us to our dressing room.
Otherwise known as a small space in the back of an RV. It was very glamorous and came complete with a mirror that allowed us to see only our stomachs. And isn't that really all that matters?
A few minutes later I was given the greatest gift a girl could ever get.
A professional makeup artist.
Her name is Jeannie and I asked her if she would like to come home to Texas with me to do my makeup every morning. Sadly, she declined. I think it had something to do with the fact that I frightened her with my overeagerness and, also, that I couldn't actually pay her anything.
Apparently, Jeannie is also a licensed therapist and a cattle rancher. That is someone who can meet just about all your needs.
And she hovered over us just like we were baby cows (calfs?) all day.
At one point I became concerned with my hair. I could just tell it felt flat, so Jeannie came over to work some magic. Did I mention she used to work on the set of "Hee-Haw"?
You just know anyone that spent any time on the set of "Hee-Haw" knows how to get a girl some big hair.
My hair achieved new heights.
So I spent the day with some fabulous women, learning about the conversations I need to have with my daughter, and how to tease my hair effectively.
There's so much more to tell y'all, but it's going to have to wait.
I'm leaving on an 11:15 flight to Nashville today and, as of this moment, this is what my bedroom looks like.
Please don't pay attention to that ugly blue and white comforter. I didn't make my bed.
Also, it might help if I actually put some of those clothes in a suitcase. It's not easy to make your way through the airport with your arms full of clothing.
I'll check back in from Nashville, but for now I should probably finish packing.
We would love y'alls prayers as we begin filming "Five Conversations You Should Have With Your Daughter" tomorrow. Please pray that God would guide Vicki in all that she shares and that this study would be exactly what He intends it to be.
I don't know how many Southern girls we have reading (hey, Southern girls!), but I did want to let y'all know that there are two great women's events coming up this weekend in the southern part of the US of A.
First, on September 27 Vicki Courtney will be in Spartanburg, South Carolina for one of her "You And Your Girl" events. If you're the mama of a tween or a teen, this will be a wonderful opportunity for you and your daughter to spend some time together and get some great, sound insight on the issues that face women of all ages in our culture.
Plus, Bethany Dillon and Lindsey Kane are leading worship, and THEY ARE SO GIFTED, MY WORD.
Next, Priscilla Shirer will be in Bossier City, Louisiana on September 26-27 for "Going Beyond." I don't know if you've had the privilege of hearing Priscilla speak or not, but she is an absolutely incredible teacher of God's Word. She's inspiring and funny and real - but more than anything else, she boldly proclaims Truth. I'm challenged every single time I hear her. You will be, too.
Finally - and we know we've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating - Travis Cottrell has a new Christmas CD, Ring the Bells, coming out in a little over two weeks. And I thought a clip of Travis and his friends recording the choir parts of "Jesus Saves" might be just the thing to put some pep in our steps on this fine Monday morning.
If you've been to a Deeper Still event, then you know that one of the highlights is when Beth, Kay and Priscilla get on stage and talk to each other as if they were in their own living rooms.
But they're not.
So we get to hear everything they have to say.
And, let me tell you, there is some serious wisdom being doled out.
Where else can you learn how to have a better quiet time and how to make your hair have more volume all in one sitting?
Here's a short clip from Las Vegas. Please forgive the less than stellar quality of the video. Apparently I had too much caffeine and am also kind of a moron.
Let's just say by the time it was all over, my stomach muscles had gotten the best work out of the year just from the laughter.
The best part is you can go see it for yourself in 2009. There will be a Deeper Still in Orlando on September 18-19 and one in Oklahoma City on December 4-5.
So start making your plans now because tickets will go fast.
We are loving all the captions for the picture of Miss Beth.
In fact, I think we've started a post-event tradition if for no other reason than the fact that Sophie and I have laughed and clapped our hands over the entries.
And speaking of events...
Donna at Way More Homemade asked in the comments the other day if we were worried that we'd ever grow complacent about attending different events and if it would start to seem stale.
Before I read that comment I hadn't been worried about it, but it made me start to think about it.
Right now, it's hard to imagine. The whole experience of being at a Deeper Still or Living Proof Live is just so incredible that I can't believe there would come a day that I'd sit in my seat and think, "Oh, there's Priscilla again" or "Seriously? Another song by Travis and the Praise Team?"
I would hate to ever get to the point where the only thing I looked forward to was the different concession stand offerings at various stadiums around the U.S.A.
Although do not underestimate the power of a good concession stand because, TRUE CONFESSION, the Thomas Mack Center only served Pepsi products, which caused me to wonder if the Holy Spirit could fall on a place so lacking in Diet Coke.
But, apparently, God doesn't discriminate between carbonated beverages. He loves them all equally.
Anyway, back to the original question.
Here's what I think. These events are so covered in prayer by everyone from the praise team, to the event team, to the speakers, that there is always a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. You can just feel God's presence.
And while I may grow tired of man, I never grow tired of the presence of God.
At Deeper Still Las Vegas, each of the women spoke on the same thing they had talked about at Deeper Still Atlanta, and even though I was at both events, I promise my notes look totally different. In the time span of just two months, God used the same messages to give me a fresh word.
And here's something cool that I've noticed. During these events, there are members of the Praise Team and LifeWay Team sitting around us and I know many of them have been to more of these things than they can remember, yet you can tell they are taking it all in like it's their first time.
That's my goal. To allow God to do a new thing every time I'm in His presence, whether it's at home during my quiet time or standing in an arena praising Him with 15,000 women.
I snapped this photo of Beth singing Saturday morning during praise and worship time at Deeper Still, and when I saw it again tonight, I decided that it pretty much begs for a caption:
I mean, Starbucks and some live praise music? Gold.
So, leave your best caption in the comments. We'll have two winners: one drawn randomly from all the comments, and one selected by Melanie and me as the best caption entry.
(BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!)
Both winners will receive a copy of Travis Cottrell's new Christmas CD, Ring The Bells, which hits the shelves on October 7th (am I supposed to say that a CD "drops"? I can't say "drops." It sounds all wrong coming from a mama in her late thirties).
By the way, I totally just made up this contest, and I haven't even asked Travis if he'll provide the prizes, but he certainly can't say "no" now, now can he? Because in the words of the old Michael W. Smith song, "Friends are friends forever when they blindside each other with requests for bloggy prizes."
Amen.
And in all seriousness, Mel and I have both heard (most of) Travis' new Christmas CD, and it is phenomenal. Instant classic. I just looked at my iTunes and saw that I've listened to it FOURTEEN TIMES since the Sunday before Labor Day, and that's not even counting how many times I've played it on my iPod. It's excellent, as evidenced by the fact that I'm enthusiastically listening to Christmas music in September.
Anyway.
We'll leave the contest open until Friday, September 12th, and we'll announce winners on Monday, September 15th.
Now caption away, my friends!
This contest is now closed. Thanks so much for all the great comments!
And if you're in Vegas for Deeper Still and not tied up at lunch today, Melanie and I would love it if we could get a picture of some allaccess readers. We'll hang out by the stage for the first fifteen or twenty minutes of lunch, and if you can swing by, we'd love to see you and take some pictures for the blog.
The crowd this weekend is lively in the best, most entertaining way - it's such a blast to hang out with women who are so obviously thrilled to be here. Can't wait to do it again this morning!
So I meant to post pictures from Living Proof Live in San Antonio as soon as I got home, but I accidentally left my camera at the Siesta Fiesta pajama party Saturday night, and oddly enough it is somewhat difficult to upload your pictures when you live in Alabama and your camera went home with a bloggy friend who lives in a different state (thanks, Kim, for finding it and sending it to me!).
There's no doubt that the weekend's teaching and worship were huge blessings for everyone there. And on top of that, there was a whole bunch of other great stuff.
Like sweet friends:
And a Q&A time with Beth, her daughters Amanda and Melissa, and the women who read The LPM Blog:
And last but not least - cute shoes:
So basically, you know, it was perfection.
Hope we get to see some of you in Las Vegas at Deeper Still this weekend - Melanie and I will be blogging as much as we can, so check in here and at the Deeper Still blog if you get a chance.
So, a confession: living in the moment - taking life day-by-day - can be a HUGE battle for me. There are times when I wrestle with fear and worry like nobody's business. And when I slip into that spiral, I can spend hours bogged down in mistakes I made when I was younger, grieving the extent to which I looked my depravity dead in the eyes and pretty much said, "OH, BRING IT" when I was in my early 20s.
And on top of that, I wear myself out thinking about what I could or should have done differently, thinking about how I should have known better. Worrying that somehow, someway, I let God down.
Last weekend, at Living Proof Live in San Antonio, Beth talked about what it means to be an heir of God. She talked about how differently we'd live our lives if we woke up in the morning and marveled at our inheritance. She talked about how our lives are not left to chance, how every single thing that is playing into our lives makes for a beautiful inheritance. There's no such thing as a chance encounter or a chance season. Fate has no power over us.
God is Sovereign.
Beth challenged us during the second session of the weekend to realize that our brokenness is no accident; our brokenness is our assignment. Hearing those words was a profound moment for me; I tend to think of the "bad stuff" as something that embarrasses God, as my own personal laundry list of all the things I've done to disappoint Him.
But the reality is that my failures are part of who I am. He has allowed those things to happen so that I can boldly testify to His healing and His power. By God's grace, I'm not who I was at 24. I'm not who I was at 30, even. He has given me victory in areas of my life that could have destroyed me, and my struggles have deepened my faith and strengthened my walk with Him in ways I could have never imagined. As Beth said Saturday morning: "Even dirt can become good soil for a seed."
Our brokenness is a testimony to the fact that no one besides Him could have shattered those bad habits; no one besides Him could have demolished those strongholds; no ones besides Him could have restored what was beyond man's repair.
No one.
And I don't know about you, but I think that's cause for some serious praise.
I can't believe it's already been a week since everyone was in San Antonio, eating a multitude of flour tortillas and heading to the Alamodome. I've spent much of this week walking around in a bit of a preoccupied daze.
Of course, some may say that's not much different than any other day.
But this past week has been filled with sending my only child off to Kindergarten on the heels of a weekend where I felt God speak to so many of my fears and insecurities.
Beth taught on the theme of inheritance and everything was framed in the context that we are heirs of God.
She had me at the first point which was I am an heir of God, my life is not left to chance. The truth is that nothing happens by chance. God has a plan for my life and the people and things He brings into my life may seem random, but are God-ordained.
Beth said that Providence is the FACT that God works as powerfully in natural events as the miraculous. That hit home with me because when I look at my husband, my marriage, my friendships, and the path my life has taken, I realize that all those things are a series of natural events that add up to the miraculous. I was created for all those things and those things were created for me.
That's Divine Providence.
For a semi-reformed control freak, it's comforting for me to relax in the arms of God and know He has my life under control. It's not my job to figure everything out or have a plan, it's my job to listen and follow.
Beth had us draw a box that depicted our boundary lines. The four walls represented intimacy with God, our past, our life experiences, and our gifts. Faith was in the center as it should be.
She challenged us by asking if God was invading all of our boundary lines because if He isn't, then it means the devil has it. We may think we have it, but if it's not covered by God, then it's not covered.
I struggle with guilt over past failures and mistakes, I have some life experiences that I wish were different, I struggle sometimes to find intimacy with God, I often wish I had different gifts, but all of those things are what make me unique.
God wants to use my past, my present, my future to fulfill His purposes, but He can only do that if I get out of the way and let Him take over my boundary lines.
That spoke to me more deeply than anything else. Everything about me makes me who He created me to be. He knew all the days of my life before one of them came to be. He's not caught by surprise at my failings and weaknesses, He uses me in spite of them and sometimes because of them.
I've spent this week taking a closer look at my boundary lines and surrendering all that ground to Him. He's the only one that can make it into something beautiful.
Hey ya'll. Wanted to let you know about a podcast that Melanie and I did for women allaccess blog. We give a little inside scoop as to why and how we got this whole amazing thing started in the first place.
Also, I too had an incredible time at LPL San Antonio. Beth brought it as she always does: incredible biblical truth that set me on fire and I couldn't wait to tell someone about it when I got home. Fun times with Vicki Courtney, Melanie, Sophie and I - and all you other girls I met that night at dinner too. So great to meet you all. Nothing beats Mexican breakfast after a good dose of God's word!
I am not really a "women's conference" kind of person.
In fact, two years ago, I feel almost certain that I wouldn't have paid cash money to attend a women's event.
I find that pretty ironic considering that I have attended three different women's conferences in the last three months and still have more ahead of me.
But y'all know what? I've become a fan.
I think I was always held back by the thought of the crowds, the bathroom lines, and just the time commitment involved. Now I know I was missing out.
On Saturday in San Antonio, the event ended with 10,000 women singing "Shout to the Lord" acapella. I had tears rolling down my face because it was a glimpse of what heaven will sound like.
It was such a great experience to visit with women sitting all around me who were experiencing the same thing. All day today I've had friends ask me how this weekend was and I can't even describe it. There is just no way to put it into words.
And what a cliche to say "You had to be there."
But you did. You had to be there.
The core scripture that Beth taught from this weekend was Psalm 16: 5-6.
"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, indeed. I have a beautiful inheritance."
We'll talk more about the specific points of the message as the week goes on, but as I sat in the Alamodome on Friday and Saturday, surrounded by all these amazing women, I couldn't help but praise Him for the beautiful boundary lines He's drawn over all of our lives and how, for two days, we were all connected.
I have so much to say about this past weekend. And I plan to say a whole bunch of it over the course of the next few days. But in short: WHAT A WEEKEND at Living Proof San Antonio.
Not to mention that that guy named Travis and his praise team? Can flat-out lead some worship.
Have mercy.
Sometimes I struggle when I try to put the crux of a particularly memorable message into words - because there's absolutely no way I can do it justice - but like Melanie said in her post (the one she wrote on the bathroom floor at 5:30 IN THE MORNING, WHEN THERE WAS STILL NO SUN), the main theme of the weekend was Inheritance. Beth gave us eight truths from Scripture that bear out the fact that we are heirs of God, and in doing that she showed us how inheritance always involves three elements:
1) Presence (Genesis 26:25, Joshua 1:9)
2) People (Genesis 12:3, Genesis 22:17-18, Deuteronomy 4:20, Psalm 16:3, Revelation 7:9)
3) Property (Numbers 26:52-56, Matthew 25:34 - and this has nothing to do with our earthly possessions, by the way)
So obviously we have a little bit of information to unpack over the next few days.
Mel and I thought it would be fun to do a Mr. Linky-type thing where y'all could share your summaries of the weekend, but I can't seem to get the code to work in this here bloggy template. I'm sure my lack of technical know-how is SHOCKING.
But here's what we can do: if you've written on your own blog about this past weekend in San Antonio, leave your link in the comments, and I'll add the links to this post throughout the day. That way we can click around and read each other's thoughts about what we learned in San Antonio - and hopefully it'll be a great way for us to encourage one another as we jump into Monday after such an incredible weekend.
And if you would, leave a link to your SPECIFIC POST - not just your general blog URL.
I am not even kidding that it is 5:46 a.m. on Saturday morning and I am sitting on the floor of the bathroom (with pillows and towels underneath me, of course) of the hotel writing a post.
Some might say I have a problem.
I'll partially blame it on the fact that I've had to take oral prednisone this week and I believe it has given me a touch of the insomnia, but really I think it's that my mind is so full of all the events of yesterday.
I was able to spend time with so many sweet friends that I've met through blogging. I can't believe I have friends that I met on the internet. Next thing you know I'll become a huge fan of science fiction.
We arrived at the Alamodome around 6:15 yesterday evening, found our seats, and waited for everything to start. There is just something about being at these events that blows my mind. To look around and see 10,000 other women praising God is an awesome thing.
I know Sophie and I will talk more about Beth's message over the next few days, but I'll tell y'all that the theme was INHERITANCE.
Inheritance, as in our inheritance in God and also the fact that WE are His inheritance.
That blows my mind.
And may be part of the reason that I'm sitting on a bathroom floor at 5:54 a.m. wide awake with a million thoughts running through my mind.
Sophie just woke up and came in here to make sure that I was okay. I can see how it would be troubling to realize your roommate has been in the bathroom for 45 minutes.
She may be more disturbed now that she knows I'm not terribly sick, I'm just on the computer.
Umm, yeah. I was having some technical difficulties posting yesterday. It seems that I was experiencing some sort of server error or some other such thing.
So, I went to bed with the best of intentions to check back in periodically to see if it would let me post. I checked back in at 9 a.m. with no luck and then I left my house for the day and didn't return home until after 6 p.m. at which time it seemed pointless to post.
This is why I need an iPhone. I should never be away from the internet for eight hours.
Anyway, my day yesterday was filled with a million errands, but the biggest moment was going to Meet the Teacher at Caroline's Kindergarten. I don't know if she was nervous, but I was. I felt like the new kid at school for the first time in many years. I've prayed so much about her new teacher and her new friends and I know it's going to be great, but it's a change. I'm not known for adapting well to change.
The rest of the day was spent picking up drycleaning, laundry, going to the pool. Basically trying to squeeze every last drop out of Summer.
And now, I'm ready for the Siesta Fiesta. I've been looking forward to this weekend for the last year and can't believe it's here. I'm picking Sophie up from the airport around noon and the fun will begin.
I can't tell you how excited I am to meet so many people in real life who I feel like I already know. The internet is amazing because it puts you in touch with people you would otherwise never meet, but then to actually get to meet them? It's the best.
Can't wait!
I just know we're going to have a great time. I know God is going to speak through Beth.
And I know we'll all head home blessed beyond measure.
We'll be checking in throughout the weekend with updates, so stay tuned!
I just thought I'd let y'all know that the event schedule for 2009 has been set, so you have plenty of time to plan ahead and see what events you can attend next year.
Also, don't forget that it's not to late to head out to Las Vegas on September 5-6 for Deeper Still. This will be your last chance to see Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer for a whole year.
Here is the 2009 Going Beyond schedule. Remember Priscilla has a new baby on the way, so her speaking engagements are very limited. I just admire her for getting out there at all considering I spent the first year after Caroline was born watching "Regis and Kelly" while wearing my pajamas.
They haven't posted the dates for the 2009 You and Your Girl events with Vicki Courtney, but I'm sure they'll be up soon. We'll keep you posted.
Check your calendars, call your girlfriends and plan on having a great weekend if one of these events is near you.
Personally, I'd like to attend the Living Proof Live event on August 14-15, 2009 in Fargo, North Dakota. My reasons are threefold:
1. It's being held in a building called the Fargodome.
2. I've never been to North Dakota, although I have seen the movie "Fargo".
3. Fargo, North Dakota in August is bound to be cooler than August in San Antonio.
One week from today, many of you will be arriving in San Antonio for Living Proof Live. I originally wrote this post for the Siesta Fiesta blog, but thought I would post it here for any of you that didn't see it.
I'd love to have you all over to my house, grill some burgers, eat some chips and queso, and play some Pictionary or whatever. But, you know, I don't live in a house that really accommodates 200 + people. Or really more than 20 people for that matter.
So, it's probably a no-go on the whole backyard barbecue thing. However, I can suggest some restaurants and activities that might make your visit complete.
Best of all, I don't have to cook or clean up.
Let's talk food first. Everyone knows when a bunch of women get together we like to eat. It's just the civilized way to do things. And when you're in San Antonio, you have to eat Mexican food. It's the law.
Not really, but it should be.
One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the world is Rosarios, which isn't on the Riverwalk but is not far from the Alamodome and all the downtown hotels. They have awesome guacamole and I wake up at night dreaming of their salsa. Seriously, it is so good.
Of course San Antonio is known for the Riverwalk so you'll probably cave to the pressure to eat on the river. And you won't be disappointed. In my opinion the best restaurants on the river are Boudros (a little pricey), Acenar (upscale Mexican food), Rio Rio (true Tex-Mex), and Paesanos (Italian food).
There are also several chain restaurants along the river, such as County Line BBQ, Salt Grass Steakhouse, and Landry's Seafood, if you'd rather play it safe with something you know.
If you're looking for convenience, there's a restaurant right across from the Alamodome called Aldaco's Mexican Restaurant. Just remember that 2500 other women may have the same idea.
Oh, and for a late night or breakfast option, Mi Tierra is awesome and open 24 hours a day.
And I think that pretty much sums up the restaurant situation.
Let's talk shopping.
If you have time to shop, then you have a few downtown options. Rivercenter Mall is located right on the River Walk and has just about every store you can imagine.
For a fun, unique San Antonio experience, I would head to Market Square. It's basically like being in Mexico but without anyone carrying around a whole pigs head in a clear plastic bag. (TRUE STORY!) El Mercado has restaurants, shops, and tons of local flavor.
And if you decide to venture outside of downtown, then I would suggest The Shops at La Cantera for some serious shopping or The Outlet Malls in San Marcos.
If shopping and eating aren't your thing then I don't know that we'll have much in common other than our love for hearing Beth Moore speak. However, I will offer up a few alternate activities.
It's always fun to take a Riverboat cruise down the Riverwalk. I think the only prerequisite is that you wear a camera around your neck. Not really, but you'll see a lot of that. It's a tourist thing, but it's so fun.
Also, little known fact, San Antonio is home to a little piece of history called The Alamo. And, in all honesty, if you haven't ever seen it then you're missing out. Of course if you're from Wisconsin it may not mean as much to you as it does to those of us that are proud Texans.
And don't judge it by that horrendous Alamo movie that came out a few years ago. The real story is better than that. Plus, you can buy a coonskin hat for your kids in the gift shop, just like Sam Houston did when he was there.
One other option is La Villita. It's located downtown and is a historical art village filled with shops and a few restaurants.
I'm assuming most of y'all will just be with girlfriends, but if you're turning it into a family vacation then I suggest a visit to SeaWorld, the San Antonio Zoo, Fiesta Texas or Schlitterbahn Water Park. You can't go wrong with any of them.
One last note, when parking at the Alamodome you should know that even the closest parking isn't that close. If you can take a shuttle from your hotel, you will definitely want to do that. And if you have to drive and park, then you will want to make sure you have on comfortable shoes.
The other thing is that when you're waiting to get in the Alamodome for seats, you will be outside in the heat with little to no shade. So dress cool and bring a sweater for inside because it does get cool in the dome. You may also want to bring some bottles of water to drink while you wait!
And, seriously, if you have any questions about San Antonio, leave them in the comments and I'll answer them in another post.
Except for maybe eating a pan of warm brownies, but that is another topic for another time.
Anyway, I've been trying to follow Melanie's lead and write a post that shares a little bit of my testimony, but when I was up to about 600 words and hadn't even hit my early 20s yet, I decided I'd better edit it. So that you can, you know, finish reading it by the end of the year.
By the way, I asked my husband to read my first draft, and he cautioned me that I might be oversharing just a smidge. So I'm trying to rewrite it without rambling so much. Because I'm guessing that you probably don't care about that time when I was so overwrought about not having a date for Homecoming that I DROVE HOME FROM COLLEGE in a not-at-all-overly-dramatic-fashion.
And do you know what happened when I got to my parents' house?
A guy called and asked me to Homecoming.
It was all eerily reminiscent of a John Hughes movie except that there was no one named Ducky or Blaine involved.
But anyhoo.
Here are the two things that I have communicated not-at-all quickly:
1) There are still tickets available for Living Proof Live in San Antonio on August 22-23. I actually couldn't believe it when I saw that you could still register - especially since I have missed a couple of Living Proof events because I couldn't find tickets.
But then Melanie reminded me that the Alamodome seats around 65,000 people, so it stands to reason that there's still room for a few more pairs of capri pants. We'd love to see you there.
2) If you are attending Living Proof in San Antonio and have also registered to attend the Siesta Fiesta gathering, Patty and Kim have some important information for you over on the Siesta Fiesta blog. I can't wait to hug those two and thank them in person for all the hard work they've done. Such servants' hearts.
Okay. I believe that's all.
And next time I'll try to do better with the whole "quick" thing.
A few of you left comments on Paige's post about the simulcast this weekend and, from what I can gather, it sounds like it was incredible.
I am so excited, and not at all jealous, that so many of you (70,000!) were able to experience such an awesome weekend through the marvel of modern technology.
Well, maybe 98% excited and 2% jealous.
Okay, let's just say I'm 50/50.
I'm just consoling myself by knowing that in just three short weeks, I'll be hearing Beth and Travis and the Praise Team live and in person in San Antonio.
But, for now, I want to live vicariously through you. If you were in Louisville or participated in the simulcast at a local church, tell us about it in the comments.
What did Beth talk about? What songs did Travis sing? How was the technology? Was it incredible to know that you were worshiping along with 70,000 other women around the world? How did Beth's hair look? Did she have on a darling outfit?
Prosper, TX? Manhattan, MT? Red Deer County, AB, Canada? Anyone, Anywhere?
Here we go is no joke! As Pam mentioned earlier this week, a God-sized event is upon us in LIfeWay Women's Events! It is very quiet up here on my floor of the building I work in here at LIfeWay. Too quiet for me, especially today! It is like the calm before the big God-storm.
We are praying for no real storms in hundreds of towns across the country (and the world) where 715 churches holding some 70,000+ attendees (no pressure Beth and Travis) will simultaneously, worship, hear the Word of God and probably giggle some together as the Living Proof Live Simulcast event, live from Louisville hits the airwaves!
Its kind of like air travel...I don't understand how planes fly...but I trust that they do and I get on there and go.
That's how i feel today. I don't know how it all works but we are going and going and going, everywhere from Ponca City, Oklahoma, to Mexico City, Mexico to Petal, Mississippi to Manahawkin, NJ and so many other cool places. There are some interesting names of these towns and churches.
Are you hosting in your church or are you going to the simulcast at a church? If so, tell us where you are and what you hope to hear from God this weekend!
Joshua 1:9 tells us 'He is with us whereEVER we go!' (emphasis mine). So where are you going tonight?
Thanks be to God for you and for technology! Where ever you are today, please pray for God to move mightily through His big event!
This, at the time of this writing, is actually a "live post" while I am listening to a nationwide conference call with Beth Moore, Travis Cottrell and participating simulcast churches across this nation.
This weekend, LifeWay Women is hosting one of the most amazing women's events of the year. It's called Living Proof Live with Beth Moore: The Simulcast. It will be broadcast LIVE from Louisville, KY into over 700 churches across our land, including four additional countries.
Right now, this very moment, we are gathered together by phone to update churches on last minute "nuts and bolts" about hosting the broadcast this weekend. BUT, most of all, we are gathered today to pray!! This is so amazing.
I truly am having a hard time describing how awesome this really is ... listening to simulcast church coordinators lifting up prayer needs related to the broadcast this weekend.
It's so awesome to hear Travis Cottrell say that while "we feel so inadequate" (I know I feel that way every day), God has called us for this very time to serve Him in this ministry through technology and this live broadcast coming up Friday and Saturday.
Travis just announced that he and the praise team will be leaving Nashville early Friday morning to drive to the simulcast church in Louisville. And, WOW! He is telling us as they drive north, they will call out loud the name of EVERY HOST CHURCH, lifting up in prayer those churches who have opened their doors in their communities for this event.
I have tears in my eyes at my desk here at LifeWay as I listen to close to 400 simulcast coordinators across this country attempting to all say "hello Beth" at one time as she joined our conference call today. I'm telling you, the Holy Spirit is already moving as we anticipate what God has in store for women on August 1 and 2.
Beth just shared she is still listening to the Lord about what He would have her to share this weekend. I love that! She told us today that we are part of something that we cannot do ... not without God. Only He could come up with this event and it is through Him that all of this will be accomplished.
These women have brought us so many concerns going on in their lives today. Yet God has given us technology like a satellite broadcast where He can "do His thing" in many places through a single event. Beth just talked with us about obedience and that we need to simply lift Him up ... then allow God to do what he does, drawing women unto Himself.
It won't be by what we do in our own strength, but we are asking God to just place us where He needs us to be to reach out to make the name of Jesus famous.
Ladies, there are SO many involved in this one event - literally hundreds and hundreds of people serving to pour into women who will come from the four corners of this country and beyond.
Beth prayed and shared, then bowing down before our Lord saying "this broadcast is Yours ... It's Your Kingdom. And we will not be concerned or worried about all the technicalities of this broadcast. We just won't get distracted by the technicalities. We are now focused on Jesus doing His thing."
LifeWay Women's Events Director Paige Greene said it all today when she said "This is a God-sized event".
Today, we the LifeWay team, truly realized we can no longer manage this event. Beth was so right when she asked God to take over and anoint August 1 & 2 and all the churches participating.
And guess what? It is not too late for YOU to participate. You may locate a church here, and simply register at the door at a church near you!
Grab up a friend or relative or two and celebrate what God has for you in this life!
Again, we'll all do what needs to be done to get ready for Living Proof Live: The Simulcast. But it is not about us, is it? It is ALL about our Lord Jesus.
Let us know if you decided today to join us! We'd love to hear from you!
And if you cannot attend, we would ask that you'd commmit to praying for God's mighty movement this weekend! I cannot wait to hear the testimonies come Monday ... can you?!!
And since I tend to err on the side of obsessively relational, I thought that meeting bloggy friends in person sounded like more fun than a bucket of fried chicken. I talked to my husband, decided to make the trip, and then I hopped on the computer (OH, NOT LITERALLY, SILLY) and bought me a Living Proof ticket, oh yes I did.
Even though I live in Alabama. And the event is, you know, in Texas.
At the time I had no idea how I was going to get to San Antonio or where I was going to stay, but I knew that I wanted to be there. And in the months since I bought that ticket, God has provided some mighty unexpected solutions to all those pesky travel details. Now I have a plane ticket, a hotel room, and a tour guide extraordinaire in the form of my sweet friend Melanie. I cannot WAIT.
Because, you see, I picture San Antonio as a magical place where complimentary tortilla chips are available on every street corner and a never-ending stream of queso dip flows from the city's fountains.
I also imagine that the salsa there is so good that it will make me weep - and not just because of some potent habanero peppers, mind you.
All that to say: I really want to encourage you to join us in San Antonio if you can. Tickets are still available, and I can promise you that after God moves through Travis' praise and worship and Beth's teaching, your heart will be nineteen kinds of full when the event is over Saturday afternoon.
Odds are that your belly will be full, too - but for entirely different reasons (see: aforementioned tortilla chips and fountains-o-queso).
So if you're planning to be in San Antonio for LPL, will you let us know in the comments? Melanie and I would love to meet you and hug your neck in person.
That is all.
Except that I'm totally craving some Mexican food now.
So when we were in Atlanta for Deeper Still, Melanie and I got to meet a really sweet woman named Emmy. Emmy is a friend of our friend JMom, and if you're starting to feel like you're entangled in some sort of Southern web-o-friendship, well, guess what, you are.
In fact, I realized long ago that there's no such thing as six degrees of separation in the South. It's more like three degrees. Two if the people are from your homestate.
And if you're from Mississippi like I am, you can pretty much assume that anyone who's also from Mississippi is, at the very least, a cousin.
But I digress. Imagine that.
Anyway, Emmy emailed to say that she has two tickets for Beth Moore'sLiving Proof Live in Louisville, KY on August 1-2 that she'd like to give away. LPL Louisville is sold out, and it's an extra special event because it's being simulcast all across the nation.
So if you know for sure that you can be in Louisville the first weekend in August - and you know for sure that you can use both of these tickets - please leave a comment and let us know. If there's more than one person who wants the tickets, we'll close comments at 10PM central tomorrow (Saturday) night and select the recipient randomly.
Okay, so clearly we enjoyed Deeper Still immensely. I believe that is evident from almost two weeks worth of writing on every aspect of it.
Anyway, I thought today I'd share the other LifeWay Events that are going on around the country through September. If there is one near you (or even a road trip or an airline flight away) I'd encourage you to go.
You will not be disappointed.
Well, unless you get there and thought you had purchased tickets for the Journey Reunion Tour. Beth Moore is awesome but as far as I know she can't sing "Don't Stop Believin'" like Journey can.
Although she might. Maybe she'll try it at one of the upcoming events.
They were going to send Sophie and me to this event, but were afraid they'd have to send us with interpreters so that the Minnesota natives could understand our Southern accents. It just wasn't cost effective.
Plus, do y'all know how hard it is to find a translator that speaks good Southern? Harder than tryin' to find a rabbit in a pear patch.
This is a really cool training event for women who are either involved in women's ministry at their church or who would just like to be.
It's going to be at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio before the Living Proof Live event and Travis Cottrell and Kelly Minter are going to be leading worship while Margaret Kennedy is the special guest speaker.
If you have a daughter then you don't want to miss this event. Vicki has so much wisdom to share when it comes to protecting our girls from all the things that are out to steal who God intended them to be.
And that's the schedule between now and the end of September.
Are you planning on going to any of these events? Holla back in the comments if you are, I'd love to know.
Last night I went to dinner with about ten other bloggers. We all live in the same town, and we decided a couple of months ago - after reading each other's blogs for awhile - that it might be fun to get together and hang out in person. Face-to-face. Without computer monitors in between us.
And do you know what? We had the best time. I so enjoyed getting to meet everybody live and in person, and I feel like I have a new little community-o-bloggy-buddies right here where I live. I hope so much that we'll get together again. I have a feeling that we will.
Now for the record, I would just like to state that if you had told me in the early- to mid-nineties that I would be making friends on the computer, I would have told you to put down the science fiction novels and get out in the real world with those of us who were engaging in deeply meaningful activities like watching "The Arsenio Hall Show" and talking on our bag phones.
But the fact of the matter is that over the last two and a half years I've met some amazing women through blogging. Melanie and I laugh all the time that we met ON THE INTERNET, and yet she is now such a huge part of my life that it feels like we've known each other forever. I don't know what I'd do without her.
And that reminds me.
When Mel and I were at Deeper Still a couple of weeks ago I noticed a group of women sitting to our left. They wore matching brown t-shirts, and I just assumed that they were from the same church group or Bible study. But a few days ago someone sent me a link to this post, and I read the story of the girls in the brown t-shirts. Then I cried like a baby.
(Go ahead and click on that link. Really. It's a must-read. I'll wait right here for you. No rush.)
There's no question that the internet has its issues. OH MERCY does it have its issues. But one of the most amazing benefits it offers - at least in my opinion - is the opportunity to fellowship with other women, to engage in community with people who are walking the same road - whether that road is lined with demanding careers, tight budgets, three children under the age of five or hurts so deeply profound that you're not even sure if you can get out of the bed most mornings.
I think what touches me the most about the story of the women in the brown shirts is just the simple fact that they found each other. It would have been practically impossible for those women to connect even ten years ago, but thanks to the internet, they found each other.
And as a result of finding each other, they've prayed with each other. Ministered to each other. Worshipped with each other.
The interweb is a marvel, y'all.
So what about you? Have you met any "blogging buddies" in real life? Have you found any unexpected friendships along the way?
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Thanks to Beth Moore and an afternoon at Deeper Still, this verse is forever committed to my memory. It was the basis for her entire talk and, by the time it was all over, she had the entire arena reciting the verse complete with hand motions.
And can I just say for the record that I actually did the hand motions? I even got so enthusiastic that I knocked over my water bottle and spilled it all over my purse.
This is very uncharacteristic of me.
In fact, in my former life as a pharmaceutical sales rep, I would attend these large meetings where the CEO would try to fire us all up to go out and sell some allergy medicine. They would invariably close the meeting by having us all stand up to do some sort of cheer or something.
And there I would sit, pushing back my cuticles. While yawning and wishing for a hole to open up beneath my chair and swallow me whole.
So, the fact that I was standing up, yelling "THE WORD" is a real testament to the awesomeness of Deeper Still, Beth Moore, and especially God.
Beth divided up John 1:14 into seven phrases, so I'll break it down.
Not literally "break it down" because, there again, that would be completely out of character for me.
Phrase 1 - The WORD
Christ is the Word.
Beth shared Amos 8:11 which talks about a famine across the land of hearing the words of the Lord. (By the way, I have never heard the book of Amos quoted as much as it was that weekend. Note to self: do not underestimate book of Amos.)
She talked about the importance of getting a fresh word from God. We need to know what Jesus is doing today. Between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Pharisees quit looking for a Messiah and comforted themselves with legalism.
We don't want to get legalistic and miss out on the love of Christ, but we have to want to be delivered from our legalism. Like the Pharisees, we sometimes find comfort in it.
Psalm 40:8 says, "I delight to do the will of God." Only God can change our desires because, no matter how hard we try to change, we can't sustain it without him.
This really challenged me to ask God to show me the desires of my heart that don't line up with his plan and will. I don't want to get so consumed by what I think I want that I miss what he has for me.
2. Phrase 2 - became flesh
This is the basis of our entire belief as Christians. Beth cited I John 4: 1-3, "Every spirit th
