HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to my hubby, Steve! I hope you have the best day ever.

He Spoke at She Speaks

I'm back and She Speaks was awesome. As I promised in my last post, today's post is going to be all about how God spoke at She Speaks to me.

For about a month before the conference I began to pray and fast. One word kept coming to the forefront of my time with God- Connections. My prayers centered on making connections at the conference. Connections for me, connections through me, connections with me, just simply asking God to make me aware of how my being at the conference would make a difference in this thing I'm doing called ministry. You see the last few months I had spent a lot of time writing a proposal to be pitched at She Speaks. Because I was somewhat clueless about the process, the isolation I felt while writing left me feeling lonely. And I am a people person!! And one of my most favorite things to do in life is to make connections! So here is a list; a long list of how my sweet Jesus showed off at She Speaks. Enjoy.

• Friday night I'm on the elevator by myself. It stops and on walks two ladies and I realize one of them (saw her name tag) was a friend of a friend from home. Earlier this summer my friend had asked me to keep an eye out for her. This may seem insignificant to you, but in a hotel filled to capacity, 600 women attending the conference, hotel staff and the size of the hotel…there's no way it is a coincidence that we found each other.
  
• Saturday morning we go down for breakfast and it's a crazy room packed full of women. As we begin to look for a place to sit, I spot someone I think I know. You have to understand that I've not had coffee and I don't see well in low lighting. So I throw caution to the wind, and call out her name (o-k… I yelled!) And sure enough, LJ was in the house…So much fun to see Lisa there. Again, only God can pull that off in a room so full and crazy.
  
• Saturday morning-I had to leave a few minutes before the end of a main session for a publisher appointment. The speaker was Wendy Pope and I so wanted to meet her. I have a Gather and Grow group and she is the coordinator. As I rounded a corner on my way to the appointment, Wendy comes out of the session. We met, we hugged and she encouraged me for my appointment like crazy! After my appointment, I'm headed down the hall way for my next session in a daze! Who's in the hallway? Wendy Pope and Amy Carroll. They were so excited for me when I shared that the publisher liked my proposal and took it!
  
• A publisher taking the proposal was huge for me. I've never written anything for a proposal and could not believe how gracious God was to me. This little girl from the middle of nowhere with no formal training was just riding on the wings of my sweet Jesus.
  
• I had a second publisher appointment that night. As I sat waiting, a beautiful young woman came and sat next to me. We began discussing our proposals and I was able to tell her about someone I met earlier this year who is looking for exactly what she was doing! Oh sweet Jesus, we ran out of time before we could exchange names. It was my time to go in and I quickly tossed my business card to her and said CONTACT ME! That sounds rude, but I know this was God. Her proposal is so unique and wanted by my contact. This was probably the sweetest moment I had at She Speaks, because it had nothing to do with me or my calling. Just connecting someone else to help them.
  
• My second publisher meeting was late in the afternoon and the meeting went well, but the outcome was a defining moment for me. They really liked my proposal, said it was solid, but they couldn't take it. They had just contracted someone else with a similar project. The meeting ended on a great note of encouragement, but I truly wanted to cry or throw up! When I went outside my sweet friend Dorilee was waiting for me. She sat with me and we talked for a second and then God opened my eyes to the possibilities. I felt the Holy Spirit began to say to my heart, if they're publishing something similar then there must be a need. Someone else will want it too. So I walked up to Sheila (she was coordinating the appointments) and asked her if she thought there was anyone left who would want to look at my proposal. She very graciously asked all the publishers and agents there. She was able to get me in to see one more agency. THEY TOOK MY PROPOSAL TOO! God was showing off in a big way and I could barely contain my emotions.
  
• Later that night I was standing in line to meet Jennifer Rothschild (oh my word) with some of my friends. We starting talking to the ladies behind us and one of them had self-published their book through an agency that we wanted to know more about. So while we stood in line, she shared her experience, gave us advice, answered our questions and just helped us understand that process so much better.
  
• One of my friends wanted to meet and speak with Van Walton. I knew what she looked like, but had not been able to find her. Sunday morning we are on a packed elevator headed down for breakfast. The elevator stopped on another floor and I hear the lady in the front say "Come on Van, we'll make room!" I peek around the corner and say to my friend, that's Van, that's her…go get her! So when the elevator stopped, she and Van connected. Van was so gracious and spent time answering her questions and giving her advice.
  

  
   

  There were 599 other women in attendance at She Speaks. This is only a small bit of what God did this past weekend…just my experience. But for what it's worth, there is no other place I would have rather been or no other way I would have wanted to spend the money. If you were there, I would love to hear about your experience. If you've never been, mark it on your calendar for 2010…July 30-August 1.
  

  
   

 

 

 

 

She Speaks

This weekend I'm off to the She Speaks Conference. You can read more about the conference here. Basically it's a Speaker/Writer/Women's Ministry Leader training conference and it is incredible. I had the great fortune to attend in 2007 and am going back this year.

Today I found myself getting excited to write about what God does...before it happens! Mentally I had a whole week of posts mapped out. So I thought I should take a moment or two to talk about what He's already done. Here's how God has already spoken before the weekend even begins:

• I had an overwhelming desire to go back to She Speaks and had no clue of where the money to register would come from. God did and He brought it.
• I felt like I should bring a proposal, but had no clue of where or how to begin. God did and He brought just the right people to help me out.
• I wanted to know people going this year (I knew no one in 2007!). Not only am I going with some fabulous friends, I'm going to meet some new ones face to face finally.
• I cried a lot during the writing process. Hard to admit, but there's a whole lot of reasons why writing is the last thing I feel called to. (Another post for another day..maybe.) God knew my fears and He brought me much comfort through the prayers of friends and even strangers.
• Lastly I almost gave up so many times out of fear, I can't even remember how many. But God used His Word to comfort me.

"I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces." Psalm 34:4,5 NLT

I am going to She Speaks in full confidence that God has called me to go, that God has sent me and that God will be faithful through this process. No matter what happens, we're gonna be talking next week about how HE SPEAKS at SHE SPEAKS!

In the meantime, I'd love to hear how God is speaking to you.

Times of Refreshing

Early this morning I awakened to rain falling against my window, thunder booming and lightning flashing. It was so refreshing, because we've not had a good summer thunderstorm in a while. Later I left the house and couldn't help but notice that the trees were standing taller and looking greener. My hydrangeas were all perked up and the blooms were so nice to see. Even though the sun was starting to come out and the temperature was rising, the rain had given everything a look of readiness.

 

It reminded me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,"

 

As I spend time with God every morning, repent of my sins and let His word wash over me, I too am refreshed. I can face the day a little taller, a little more prepared for life. When the traffic is bad, the kids are arguing, the phone want stop ringing, and there's more to do than I can possibly manage, my attitude is so much nicer. I'm very grateful for God's presence and His word in my daily life.

GPS

Recently our family headed out on a vacation. We were going to be driving so my husband put the GPS on the dashboard and off we went. After several hours of driving, we both needed some coffee so we pulled off the nearest exit with the good stuff. After our pit stop, the kids noticed that the GPS was doing some funny stuff. Here's the conversation that took place with both children talking very loudly with ear plugs in while watching a DVD!! (We're really techie on our road trips.)

Hannah-"Daddy, why are you going the wrong way? It says to turn right."

Joshua-"Moma do you know that Daddy is going the wrong way?" (He knows who'll ask for directions…LOL.)

Once we assured the kids we had just taken a detour for some coffee, we were back on track and the GPS was happy. As we enjoyed our coffee, I couldn't help but think about all the warning signs that had just been sent our way. Thankfully for us, this particular choice wasn't life altering. But too often this week, I've watched or heard about people who have made bad choices and are suffering the consequences. It's been hard to hear. I keep thinking the warning signs are everywhere, why don't they just stop. And before you think I'm on a soap box, I've asked myself the same question. Why don't I just stop? And here's how I think we stay on the right path:

¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

(Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT)

For me these verses mean that although as a believer I have set my course to be like Christ, I have a real enemy that wants to trip me up. To combat those attacks I have to daily suit up with God's armour. Put God's word in my life- it is the Truth and it always stands. I must know that God is in control and have Peace. And finally I must keep praying for the strength and wisdom to make good choices. Will the attacks stop? Doubtful. Will I be more aware of the warning signs? Absolutely.

Girls Day Out!

Woo hoo...I just spent the day out with my favorite girl, Hannah!

We got a pedicure, had some lunch and then went to see the Hannah Montana Movie. It was fantastic! I loved that it was a good, clean, family movie with a great message.

"Life's a climb; but the view is great!"

And no girls day out would be complete without some shopping, so we headed off and spent a little money...just a little.

Thanks Hannah for hanging with your Mom today...I had a blast.

You always make me laugh.

Perseverance

Last week at our swim meet, Joshua was swimming really late in a Free Style Relay. He kept asking me if he could skip it. It was late and he was tired. But I put my coach's hat on, and explained how much the team needed him, it was just Free Style and he was first. He'd swim down the pool in less than a minute and be sitting back in his chair in no time. It was a little chaotic with all the 7 & 8 year old girls and boys getting ready for their relays, but we went over and got in our lane.

The coach starts going through the line-up and mistakenly sends us to the other side of the pool. There are a couple of boys named Joshua in this age bracket, so it's confusing. I thought this was an error but we took off, because the race in front of us was coming to an end! (If you've ever been at a swim meet, this happens..it's crazy, it's hot and it's quick!) We get settled in our lane on the other side, we're ready to go and then I hear someone yelling "Joshua Turner, Joshua Turner"! You guessed it…we were supposed to start at the other end. So off we go again running back to where we started. Funny moment here- Joshua didn't know the lady calling his name, so he hesitated before taking off with her back around the pool. As we're running, I'm yelling it's o-k…just go! I was glad to see him hesitate to go with a complete stranger.

For those of you still here, Joshua is 7, he's tired and we've lapped the pool once and haven't even hit the water yet. We get in line, then the coach says, "I need Joshua to swim the last leg of this relay also." At this point Joshua's adrenaline has kicked in from all the running, so I say what the heck, he'll do it. Joshua has never swam two legs of a relay, so I told him to just sit on the side of the pool when he finished the first lap and I would tell him when to go again. The relay starts and he takes off. I run through the crowd back to the other end of the pool to meet him.

As I'm making my way, he finishes, the second boy jumps in and takes off. I can see that Joshua is looking for me and starting to hop out. So I yell his name and in a weird twisted moment, all goes crazy. A little neighbor friend (about 10 years old) sees me coming and she's standing in front of Joshua. She begins to scream, "GO, GO JOSH, GO!" "YOU GOTTA GO BACK, GO, GO!" So he turns around and takes off back down the pool. To this day I have no idea of what she was thinking, but I was mad. Really mad. (Insert out-of body experience here. Not pretty, not good to share.)

Myself and two other adults tried to call him back. But he was off like a bullet, swimming faster than I've ever seen him swim. I could not move. I could not speak. I think I stopped breathing. I watched as he got out at the other end and the coaches tell him to run back to me. (Yes, we've lapped the pool so many times now, I can't keep count!) I hear the coaches yelling, "make room, let him through!" I start to realize he's gonna swim the last leg too, but he's getting lost in the crowd. So I do what any good, competitive, crazy Mom would do. I go get him, and basically throw him in as the third leg is finishing. And then I went nuts (or nuttier)…I'm thinking if we're doing this, we're doing it BIG! I began to make my way all the way down the side of the pool, cheering him on, yelling for him to go fast, telling him not to give up! He didn't, not even for a second. He swam like a crazy boy. The coaches are cheering, people in the crowd are cheering. It's an awesome moment. And here's how the "JOSH MAN" finished:

1^ST PLACE! Blue is a great color on him…don't you think? Good job, Josh.