Local Women's Conference

The Miracle of You Conference on October 25-27 at Warrenville Revival Center's Family Life Center (16 Polatty Street, Warrenville, SC) is designed to unmask deceptions and release strong holds by using the biblical record to confirm who we are, what's at stake, and how we can be free and lead others to freedom. It is offered by Wellspring on Williamsburg Ministries in partnership with Christ Central Ministries. The conference is free and runs from 5:30 PM (registration and reception; orientation begins at 7:00) on Thursday, 8:30-5:30 on Friday, and 8:30-11:45 on Saturday.

Daily Devotionals Delivered to your Inbox

Take advantage of all that the internet offers and sign up for a daily or weekly devotional thought. I've been a fan of Prime Time with God for quite a few months now. The written prayers are powerful and scripture laden, while the message is quite challenging and thought-provoking. You can sign up at:

http://www.churchgrowthmail.org/web/pageid/30781/pages.asp

Another I just started getting is called Girlfriends in God (seems appropriate, huh?!). One of the authors, Sharon Jaynes, wrote a really great book called Building an Effective Women's Ministry that my team has read and use as a reference.

http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/Devotions/TodaysDevotion/tabid/97/Default.aspx

What IS so amazing about grace?

I think God is taking me to school. I was given a book a couple of weeks by Christian contemporary artist, Steven Curtis Chapman and his pastor, Scotty Smith, called Speechless: Living in Awe of God's Disruptive Grace. They gave it to me to share a section with my brother, but I got taken in by it. It's a compelling collection of two ministry leaders and their struggles with how God works grace out in their lives. Right before I started reading it, we were told that our church was going to spend 10 weeks on grace in our services. I could not imagine how they could come up with 10 weeks of material. That book has primed the pump for me to see how little I understand about grace. I believe God has a great deal to teach me. Funny how you can be a Christian for so many years and not have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of your faith, nor the awe-inspiring appreciation for what God has done for you.

Notebook and pen in hand...

Diving into the Pool

Heard a great illustration from Bill Hybels during the 2005 Willow Creek Leadership Summit. He spoke of us finding the place God designed us to serve in like diving into a pool. First of all, we have to jump somewhere. Hopefully it will be an area of service that strikes some positive chord in you. It might take several tries, however, to find just the "right spot". The important thing is that we keep trying.

What interested me most, and what I suspect might be happening to me, is when he said that God says, "Here's a new pool." I find myself being a little disconcerted, because I thought I knew where I was going. However, God's been posing the question to me, "Do you really want to serve me, or do you just want to do what you want to do?" Ouch. I find myself clinging to the top of the ladder, not wanting to venture to the end of the board. I guess I need the courage to move to the end and take a leap, knowing that God is waiting to catch me.