I hope the weather is as nice where you are than what it has been here.  Spring has arrived..PTL!!  I love hearing the birds in the early morning.  The beauty of God’s creation is breathtaking! 

I wanted to share with you a wonderful learning opportunity.  Proverbs 31 Ministries offers “She Speaks.”  This is a writers, speakers, and women’s ministry conference.  I read about it last year and began praying about going.  Well, now I really desire to go.  Let me explain why. 

Ever since Natalie’s injury I have had a few consistent people tell me that I need to speak.  Not because I am eloquent with words or have amazing bible knowledge but because they see something in me.  Well, I wasn’t sure what they saw  until recently.  They saw a hope in Jesus even when life handed me devastation and terrible heartache.  When my daughter suffered and life as my family knew it radically changed,  I  praised Jesus!!  I turned to Christ and his word to lead and guide me.  Choices…we all have them, it is what we do with them that matters.  I choose to praise God! 

God has done incredible things in my life the past 3-4 months.  He is so faithful and I adore HIM.  I have come to know truths that are so incredible I am still in awe over it.  I am learning to be BOLD IN Christ a whole new way.  I am learning to realize who I am IN Christ. 

I recently spoke at our morning bible study.  The topic was “adjusting your life to God.”  When I accepted, within days, I decided that I was going to back out. I am not equipped to prepare a lesson.   I prayed and talked with friends about it.  I spoke to our women’s ministry leader and she said that she was glad to hear that I was so nervous and felt ill-equipped.  That means that it will all be Christ!  That spoke volumes to me…I was going about this the wrong way, my way.  So I set out on my journey.  I came up with one outline after another.  I felt God telling my soul that they were good, but not the one.  Until…I had a huge personal breakthrough.  One that is too deep to go into here on the blog but can I just say that it was BIG, HUGE and provided tons of growth in the Lord.  So God gave me the words for the lesson, I walked up on that platform, and spoke truth and hopefully shined for Jesus.  I made it through with minimal tears, which was a God thing because our families story was woven throughout the entire lesson.  

So now this conference has been placed before me again.  I want to go to learn how to be prepared, how to form outlines for speaking,  how to come up with topics that move individuals into a deeper relationship with Jesus and the do’s and don’ts.   Lysa Terkeurst is giving away a scholarship for the conference.  If you don’t follow her blog, link up to it.  She is fun, witty and loves Jesus.  Her newest book was such a  fun read and very real.

Here is a link to the She Speaks Conference.  It is July 31-Aug. 1 2010.   Check it out, maybe you will want to go.  I am praying that if I am meant to go, God will make a way.   He is faithful!! 

Have a great weekend and many spring blessings!!

Well, I had a fantastic weekend.  I attended the Hearts at Home conference.  It was a blast.  There in nothing like getting together with girlfriends for a fun filled weekend of food, fellowship, prayer, worship and praising to our awesome Jesus!  Hearts at Home puts on a great, reasonably priced conference.  The thing I love most is that you get the opportunity to meet Christian authors and musicians.  We always go up and chat with Jill Savage, the founder of Hearts at Home.  She is so sweet and loves women in all stages of life.  In the past we have met, Crimson Bridge, Go Fish, Julie Barnhill, Sandy Buake, Lysa TerKeurst, Mary Beth Whalen, and T. Susie Eller to name a few.  We stay at the same hotel, I think this is our 3rd year there.  Every year we have  eaten  dinner on the way home at good old Cracker Barrel, ah down home cooking, great traditions!

This year’s theme was “MOMS THE WORD”   It was about the words we say to our children and how they impact them.  Very deep, very real, spoke truth.  The worship was awesome this year.  Christy Nockels was the worship leader.  First, she is adorable, second, when you watch her worship you can tell that it is totally between her and God.  She was fun! 

I took great classes but my favorite speaker was Susie Larson.  Whoa, you talk about a passion for Christ.  This gal has it.  She was enthusiastic, fun, real and spoke TRUTH!  I bought two of her books and had some time to chat with her.  She shines for Jesus and is such a wonderful gal.    Nicole Johnson was also there with her comedic take on motherhood and her insight on having a “Fresh Brewed Life.” 

Needless to say we laughed, praised, laughed some more, cried and just has plain old good time fun!  We go a long time not seeing Carol, she moved to Indiana.  We communicate through emails or phone calls and when we get together it seems like we pick up where we left off.  Blessed!!  I am so thankful for the friends that I have and the realness of our relationships.  We always come away growing deeper in love with Jesus and desiring to know Him more. I know that I am itching to look over my notes, dig into some of the books I bought and pray about things God spoke to my heart this weekend.   Here are some pictures from the weekend.  If you can plan to attend next year’s Hearts at Home conference, you’ll be glad you did! 

Karla and Carol

Jennifer and Tricia

Jill Savage and Tricia

Christy Nockels and Tricia

Christy Nockels and Jennifer

L to R, Carol, Karla, Tricia and Jennifer

Carol, Tricia, Jill Savage, Karla and Jennifer

Susie Larson and Tricia