spiritual highlights fom my conference

I want to share with you some of the encouragement I received from this past weekend, but I truly do not even know where to begin.  Every single word was so inspired and SO good.  And so meant for my ears.  It always happens that way, doesn't it?

I primarily went to hear Max Lucado, as you all know.  While there, I learned that I am a big fan of Sheila Walsh.  She is hilarious.  And so wise.  Ken Davis was also there.  If you've never heard him speak, he is what you might refer to as the "comedian" of the group.  He was really funny, but then he wrapped up his segment with a few spiritual punches.  Again, all good.

Here are a few bulleted notes of mine:

• "We serve a God who is all powerful and all loving -  Storms show us what we ACTUALLY believe, not just what we claim to believe."  (Sheila Walsh) This spoke to me because it is so true!  We can profess faith all day long every day, but it is not until you are in the middle of a storm and your faith is tested that what you really believe floats to the surface.
• "...for the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” Luke 19:10  The word "lost" in this verse is derived from the Greek word meaning, "devastated, ruined, broken, beyond repair, etc."  In other words, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE JESUS CAME TO FIND AND RESTORE.  Praise God for that!! 
• "Sometimes it is hard to trust God when we've never been in a certain place.  God didn't say, 'let's walk out to the middle of the lake and drown.'  He promised to carry us to the other side!  If God is going to take us somewhere, He will be IN the boat with us!"  (Sheila Walsh)  This is comforting to me too.  Some days I feel completely lost at sea.  Instead of worrying about where my boat is heading, maybe I should find Jesus and just be still and sit with Him. 

CeeCee Winans was there as the entertainment.  OH. MY. GOSH.  Amazing.  She is beautiful and amazing.  There was a line in one of her songs that stuck with me.  " Give me less and less of all the rest - give me more and more of You, Jesus."   I need to get rid of SO much junk in my life.  I need to get rid of the "rest" she was referring to and focus more on Him, for sure. Wonder how much more smooth my life would be. 

(Sheila Walsh) "Often times, SILENT here means BUSY there where God is.  We cannot see the unseen, but rest assured that God is orchestrating something larger than what is in front of us!"  This is going to be my saving grace.  Because the majority of the time I cannot see what in the world He is doing with the mess I am in.

I seriously do not have the time tonight to even BEGIN sharing the notes I took from Max Lucado's sermon.  Wow.  It is a lot.  I do want to close with this one statement. 

"Lean on God's people ALWAYS.  Part of God's healing includes surrounding yourself with His people."  Max Lucado

 

This was the part of the morning when my heart began to ache the most.  Having walked through (and still walking through) some of the most painful times in my life, I cannot tell you how easy it would be to pull away from EVERYBODY.  And at times, I am ashamed to say that I have.  But I have learned, even prior to this weekend, that I cannot do this by myself.  It is too hard.  While there are VERY FEW people who know exactly how I feel, wrapping myself in the blanket of my family and friends has saved me from deep depression and anxiety. 

 

 "When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there" Matthew 18:18-20

 

 

How comforting.  One of my favorite motto's of Newspring Church is, "Don't do life alone!"  And I love that!  Today, I want to publicly thank my family and friends who are always there for me.  And you don't always have to get together to feel their presence.  That's what texting and face book are for! LOL  I love all of you.

 

That's all for now.  HAPPY TUESDAY, friends!