The Week End!

What a wonderful week end I have had!

It started Thursday night when my children dropped me off at the Ontario airport around 2130. I boarded a plane headed to Chicago, Illinois. I arrived Friday morning sometime between 0800 and 0900. My friend and her husband picked me up and took me to their house. Mrs. Julie showed me to the guest room and told me to go to bed. I was glad to oblige.

Julie's home is actually in Lockport. Every thing you have seen on her blog about her home and grand son are absolutely true. When I arrived there was snow on the ground, but I would still describe the weather as pleasant. I was truly way over worried about how the weather would be and how I should dress for it. I mention this because, when I got up from my nap, Julie took me for a pedicure.

I still have the prettiest pink toenails. :) Now I told you there was snow on the ground and that I was concerned about the cold, right?! We walked from the store to the car with paper thin pedicure flip flops on, so that our pretty nails wouldn't be messed up. It was great! I didn't even feel the cold.

Once home we visited for a while and then had dinner with a few other wonderful ladies. Then Julie suggested I head back to bed while she and the others went to check on the final touches of the conference. I so wanted to go with them. However, my full tummy and heavy eye lids were grateful to slip between the covers.

Saturday we went to the Ladies Conference. This is what Julie had invited me to attend. The theme was: "The Good Life". The place was beautiful. There was a continental breakfast laid out. The fruit trays were too pretty to actually eat.

The guest speaker was Robin Ogle. If you ever get a chance to hear her speak, don't pass on the opportunity! Her testimony will have riveted to the seat. Speaking of testimonies, Julie had 4 of her own church members give their testimonies before each session. WOW! Julie and her husband Pastor Dave also spoke at the conference.

This is going to be a huge post but I do want to share the truths that I brought home with me:

Mrs. Julie brought truths from the very familiar Bible story of Naomi and Ruth. She contrast the daughter in law, Ruth with her mother in law, Naomi. We can choose the better life or the bitter life. Ruth chose the better. She left her gods and went with Naomi and allowed her people to be her people and Naomi's God to be her God. Naomi chose to be bitter. She felt she had left the land full and returned empty. Julie was good to point out the Naomi returned far from empty. She had Ruth, who was devoted to her. I know Julie will post this on her blog. I don't know how to do the linky thing but you can get to her site by clicking on her in my side bar. (A Day In The Life of a Preacher's Wife) The truth I personally got from the presentation is, I still have a vein of bitterness running through me.

In Robin Ogle's second talk she illustrated in a very comical way that God's equal is not our equal. The way she delivered this truth was incredibly effective. What we think is fair and equal doesn't even touch what God believes to be fair and equal!

All of the testimonies were wonderful. Real people willing to be transparent in what God has done for them; done in a way that brought glory to God. The one that resonated with me and still has me thinking was this one:
This Lady presented her relationship as that of employee and employer. God saved her and she worked for Him. Then she reached a point where she realized she needed more from God. God used the Sunday School lessons to show her what was missing. God invited her to be a part of the family of God. Then in her Bible reading Jesus showed her that it was a supernatural thing that happened, not some thing SHE could do for herself. I will ask Julie if she will also post or summarize better the testimony. In this Lady's testimony she shared the Bible reading that nailed this down for her. It was absolutely wonderful.

Then Pastor Dave spoke. This was good. What gets in the way of having The Good Life? Our appetites. Satan will use our appetites to draw us away from The Good Life God intended for us. How? Well, we have been provided for. We need to be happy with what we have. Sometimes we see what we could have and we want that. This isn't always a bad thing, however, it could help us grow to what could be. Unfortunately, what most often actually happens is we become apathetic. We become restless and not content with what we do have because of what we could have. So our Good Life, becomes just OK. Or, we sometimes take it even a step further. We want what we can't have! We are standing in what has been given to us and we are looking and thinking about what we can't have but really want. Yikers! That Good Life will start to circle the drain. If we don't recognize what is happening Satan will snatch it and take The Good Life right down the drain and to the sewer.

In between these powerful truths there was good fellowship and great food.

The end of the day came and I was feeling great. The day went fast and I had lots to think on. But the day wasn't over.

Next, we drove to Jeremy's ordination service. Jeremy is Sabrina's husband, Conner's Dad and Julie's son in law. What a wonderful service. Dr Scapp spoke a message on humility. God wants us humble. When we think we are humble, when we know we are doing every thing right, sometimes God will push us just a bit further. It is at this point we have a decision to make. Accept it as God's choice for us and stay in that humbled position waiting for what He ask of us next. Or, become bitter and angry. How hard it is to be down and hurting and be pushed down even further. This is something that I will NEvER understand. However, God is showing to me that it is a truth. like it or not. It is the trial and the testing of the faith. From what I understand, every one that has stayed the course has been tremendously blessed. Blessed in a way that allows every one to see Christ.

Oh, the teaching didn't stop. Sunday, we went to Sunday School and church. Pastor Dave loves his church! There was a genuine feel of family and belonging that coursed through the whole congregation. Then Pastor and Julie took me to eat at a fabulous restaurant. The food was divine. Then we went home and took a nap!! Evening church was full of testimonies and truths.

I have to be honest, when I got on the plane headed to Lockport, I was afraid I would be so ready to come home because of the business. When they dropped me off at the airport I was far from exhausted! I was full to the top with an abundance of Truths, love and encouragement.

I was challenged on some things. Mrs. Julie spent our spare time listening to me talk and talk and talk. I have come home with some commitments made to my Jesus. Usually, it is my nature to blab it all here. This time I'm keeping it between me and Jesus. You can hold me accountable with out knowing details. I want there to be changes in my life that Jesus makes in my heart; not that Robin makes. If it is Jesus, it will last.

I want to publicly thank Pastor Dave and Julie for opening their home to me. I know Chicago is a long way to go for a lot of us, however it is well worth the time if any of you feel led to attend the next conference. It is already scheduled for April 4th and the theme will be Redeeming the Time. A lot can happen in a year, but I would love to go back.