Joie de Vivre is over and it was amazing! 
I think this is, by far, my favorite year. And, I think I say that after every year. 
It just keeps flourishing! 
God is moving on the hearts of women, not only in our little city, but all over the world. 
I feel a constant challenge to be the change that this world needs. I think of a time when women had no rights and our hands were tied to do much of anything. Thanks to many incredible women who stood up and said, “NO. I won’t sit on my hands while people are hurting and dying. I WILL be the change! I WILL do something, no matter how small I think it is. I CAN do something.”
Since then, a community of women have rallied together to be Jesus to a lost and dying world by clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, taking care of the orphans, sheltering those who need a home, and the list goes on.
It makes me so proud to be a woman! Women are truly beginning to live out their calling. God has given us all the tools we need to change the world. It’s up to us to put them to use. God created women with this unique ability to nurture and take care of things; then he made compassion a huge part of our make-up. That’s why we feel the call of God so strongly to do something when we see and hear about the travesties that are happening in the world.
So, as I sit back and reflect on the weekend, I am even more challenged to live out my calling to be the change and I hope other women are feeling the same urge. We are becoming a powerful force and voice in this world!
Now, let’s get real … there were moments this past week, where I sobbed. Sobbed, people. Like a baby. Why? I’m not sure. God was doing something inside me. I still have some unanswered questions like all of us do about my own calling. Also, exhaustion seems to turn me into a blubbering child. And, I definitely felt exhaustion start to hit me by Saturday.
I preached a message on Saturday morning about comparison. The whole message came out of incidents that happened in my own life right before the conference. Don’t you just love how that happens? I figured if I was struggling with comparison, so are so many other people.
The message was almost not preached due to a meltdown I had about 20 minutes before service started. Exhaustion plus a massive headache and feelings of “I don’t want to” caused me to question whether or not I should even speak. Then a lovely friend pulled me aside and prayed with me. And, I just preached it anyway.
God is constantly showing me how to just be me. It’s OK. He likes me that way and if other people don’t, well … c’est la vie! No big deal. We’ve all gotta get over trying to make everyone happy and just be true to who we are. I’m learning that. Yep. I have nothing to prove to anyone but God.
When we feel OK about ourselves, we can breathe a lot easier. We can rest and relax. That’s where I’m trying to live right now and I like it!
So … now I take a breather, reflecting and re-focusing on what’s ahead.
(photos of conference to come soon!)