Several weeks ago I attended my first Women of Faith event.

I know… I’m a guy.

So what was I doing there?

I was invited by some very special friends who run, work for and are the heart of Women of Faith.

It was truly an awesome weekend and the result of building strong friendships through none other than Twitter and a little hang time in Downtown Franklin.

The theme for this year’s Women of Faith event is A Grand New Day. Hmmm… ok, So what does that mean.

As I sat through the event I heard these incredible talks. All moving, All inspiring. All by women who I admire so much. But something happen when I got back home and the weekend began to settle in.

I realized what A Grand New Day was all about.

I went back through each talk in my head and realized everyone who spoke had a story of real struggle. The kind of struggle that could easily do anyone in, but as I listened I heard strength, encouragement, determination, and faith.

I heard these women tell at a crowd of 16,000 women and 4 guys that they struggle in life but it’s ok… we can get through it and so can you. Why? Because everyday we wake up we have a choice to make. That choice is about what we are going to do with our day. More so… how are we going to react and tackle the struggle we have to deal with in our lives and celebrate the real joys and success we experience along the way.

You know what? Struggling through hard times isn’t easy. You know that. I’ve had them. You’ve had them. But I sit here today writing this thinking how fortunate I am to be who I am… scars and all. Good times and the bad times.

I’m thankful to be alive, to have my family and friends, to have the life I have and to be able to wake up everyday determined to take on the day… good OR bad.

With the tough time I went through, I was determined to not let it do me in. Life is way to short and I wanted to find a way I could get up in the morning, look at myself in the mirror (ew) and make a choice.

Am I going to go for it today and live life? Or am I going to lay down and let life pass me by…needless to say, I tend to go for it… even if i trip and fall in the process!

So…If you are a female and you want to go treat yourself to a spiritual spa… Go find a Women of Faith event. Experience the whole weekend and walk away knowing you too can have A Grand New Day. Not one time during the event will you ever be made to feel like your life is less than it should be or that you’ve been a complete mess up with ant struggle in your life. It truly is an experience that helps you celebrate life as it is and gives you the encouragement to keep going.

If you are a man reading this… Sorry… I’m not sure of many event’s like this one for men. However, if you are married then give your wife a weekend away from you (she probably needs it) and send her to Women of Faith. There’s one in Portland, OR this weekend!

It was Over The Top!
A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to host a giveaway for Thomas Nelson over on my review site Peanut Butter and Pickle Reviews . Since the giveaway was for the Revolve Tour….and well I don’t have teenagers…they gave me 4 tickets to Women of Faith . I took 3 of my favorite people and we headed down to Columbus for a girl’s weekend.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL!

The company was PERFECT…in fact this is our 2nd time going together!

During our time together, we laughed and we cried…..

danced, and we sang.

Mandisa Interview

This weekend I had the chance to spend the weekend with 16,000 other women!!! I went to the Women of Faith conference -A Grand New Day! It was SO much fun, and really inspirational!

The conference is a non-denominational Christian concert with music, and speakers just for women. We filled the American Airlines Center in Dallas to the brim! There were women everywhere, and I think given the Christian theme of the conference everyone was in an especially nice mood. Everyone was talking to each other, helping each other- handing one another tissues when needed. There was an unforgettable sense of sisterhood between sixteen thousand strangers!

(Part of the Dallas skyline from outside the convention center. Pretty day!)

( Night falls on the arena)

The speakers are an amazing group of women (and a couple men) who really wow’d the crowd with their honest stories about their lives, and how their faith got them through some of the toughest times. Some of the speakers talked about overcoming cancer, marriages falling apart, bankruptcy, and countless other issues that have caused them sadness or anger. And there many times during the weekend that you could hear sniffling going on around you. But you could also hear laughter and singing!

Speaking of singing- they have a great team that sings upbeat Christian music between all the speakers, and they would often have the whole crowd on their feet. I’m not usually one to wear my religion on my sleeve, I’m a bit on the private side. But even I was dancing, waving my arms, and singing along! It was like a rock concert about love! It was all inspiration and celebration, and catharsis and joy. Check out the short video clip above, it was taken during some of the praise music and although it’s dark I think you can get a small sense of how huge the arena was!

(Some of the praise music- these girls had AMAZING voices)

( The crowd swaying to the music)

The Women of Faith conference is stilling moving around the country- and if it comes to your neck of the woods I highly recommend you go if you can! It really is a sensation like no other to look around and as far as your eye can see, a sea of women who are all celebrating what God has done in their lives. And they all have smiles, and you have the sense that you are all walking different paths, on the same journey.

It was a super weekend, and I came home really filled up with a new sense of purpose, and joy about all that God has given me. Perhaps the biggest blessing of my life is the wonderful husband God picked out for me! I especially want to thank my husband for buying my ticket, AND taking care of wee Molly while I was gone!

I am a lucky girl!

From Messy Purse Girls:

I went to the Women of Faith conference in Tampa, FL over the weekend. This is what I expected: a bunch of whining women on stage talking about their lives. They didn’t whine though; they really spoke about unexpected aspects to their faith. I was particularly taken by the musical guests. I thought they would be there for entertainment purposes only. Steven Curtis Chapman and Mandisa gave two totally different performances than one would assume.

Steven Curtis Chapman recently lost one of his children, a 5 year old girl whom he had adopted, to a tragic accident. He shared about not how bitter and angry he was, but rather how serene he was knowing Jesus had her. With complete gusto, he sang a song written before her death, that shared his love about his daughters. I found myself crying way, way too much. I was surprised by my reaction. I am not one that really enjoys crying in public, nor do I find watching others cry comfortable. Thank goodness I grabbed a hefty wad of toilet paper from the bathroom just before his performance. It almost became a huge mess as I kept using and reusing the same minute squares of paper. Compared to the number of tears he and his wife shed, it was a spec in the ocean.

Public emotion makes me very uncomfortable. I am not sure why. I don’t become empathetic. I become sort of embarrassed. Lisa Welchel spoke at the same conference about how some women have a disconnect with their emotions. She shared how she was made to build a wall of protection around herself as a child. She even insisted that God help her build it. The problem was that God didn’t want her to keep it up forever. She couldn’t take it down effectively and share herself with her husband and children. The wall of sin and shame that had developed over the years was easier for her to hide behind instead of allowing the people she loved to see her vulnerable. This scary process of letting others see her weaknesses was only possible through the Holy Spirit.

Once my emotional spill came out on Friday in a clump of saturated tissues, I was ready to receive. I did feel lighter. The music sounded just a little bit peppier; the arena felt a little less crowded. Easing into this process of attending to the speakers and letting their messages write on my heart filled me up. They didn’t whine. In fact, they really proclaimed some good honest gritty truth. They spoke about realistic circumstances that I could relate to and I felt their positive energy quite radically. Being in a place with 10,000 other women around me resonated peace and harmony to my soul. The tangible support I felt was so loving and strong.

On a different wave length, Mandisa sang and danced on the stage with no shoes on. She was barefoot and loving it. Her voice shook the whole place. I swear she was just singing for me. I could not help but to move. I think she would have jumped off the stage and grabbed my hand if I let her. I do not believe in reincarnation, but I do fantasize about coming back to Earth as a tall, stout black woman who can sing well. That is who I feel like inside. Why can’t I just be that way? I’m sure Mandisa won’t mind if threw my shoes off and danced in the background. I know Jesus won’t care. He is the reason for the crazy courage I feel.

So, if at the next Women of Faith conference you see a barefoot, blubbering, dancing crazy woman in the stands, just look at me and excuse my embarrassing display of joy.

My best friend Donna was able to acquire tickets to the conference in Boston in 2008, at the last minute, when her friend could not attend. It was the first conference we had attended and it was unbelievable. A few weeks later she was notified that she won tickets for 2009, which would be in Hartford this year. Her daughter works part time for the Marriott and was able to get a great discount for the weekend.

I have never traveled anywhere with anyone, except my son as a child or my parents. It was an experience beyond description. We had looked forward to having time together, as her very busy life as a nurse and caregiver of her grandchildren leaves us little time together. We had no need to talk–just to be.
In January of 2006, I was injured at work and have had 2 rotator cuff surgeries and need a reverse shoulder replacement surgery. I realized that we were sitting in the middle of a row, as we had no choice at the time when the tickets were won. (The fact that out of all the people in Boston she won is amazing in itself.) We got there Friday evening and the section we were in was where chairs were brought in, and we were in the front row. The chairs were connected in two or three together, and (are you ready?) there was a space in between my seat and the one next to me―perfect for the needs of my right arm.

On Saturday, I had had a little too much fun with my right shoulder area and had to bring and wear my cryo-cuff to keep the pain to a minimum. I was devastated, as I had to be “different”. The person in the seat to my right, Kathleen from New York, who had also been in Boston, insisted on helping me with my cryo-cuff, when it needed cold water replaced. I felt like a problem and she said it was great with her, didn’t bother her at all. I said “Well, it bothers me,” to which she responded, “Don’t mess with my blessing!”

It truly was a grand new day for my friend and I, as for many others I am sure. I am praying for the opportunity to again be able to attend a Women of Faith Conference in the future, and in the meantime will pray, as you asked, for your upcoming conferences that all who attend will have their needs met as, I did.

By the way, Mandisa and Luci, I have lost 90 pounds, but am finding keeping it off to be VERY difficult the past few months. As I find myself slipping back to food, I will try to focus on your continuing forward and pray that we can all be successful together.

May God Bless you ALL!!!!!!!!!!!
Valerie W.

I had really been looking forward to the conference in Ft. Lauderdale, but after working early voting, and preparing for early elections I was spent emotionally, and physically. The week prior to the conference, I found that my husband had to have by-pass surgery. The last thing I wanted to do was go to the conference, but was persuaded to go by my BFF.

The torment was terrible. I could not sing or enjoy what was going on. All I could do was pray, cry and whine. Then Marilyn came on. She started to break that wall down and as I sat there crying I heard the words that Mary heard, “Fear Not!” God spoke to me. He let me know that he was in charge and every time I started to slip, He gave me those words. As I sit here today, I feel the hand of Jesus on my shoulder reassuring me. God has promised never to leave me or forsake me. He loved me enough to give me that promise 365 days a year. All I have to do is claim it. Thanks ladies. See you in Ft. Lauderdale.

Love you and God Bless
Mary Ann E.

WOW! I just got home last night from Rochester from my very first WOF conference and am still flying high this morning. I have known Christ my entire life and had a personal relationship with him and to be honest was not quite sure what to expect as I have never been to a conference of what I figured to be “High Caliber” meaning lots of “popular” Christian speakers and singers. To be absolutely honest I thought it might be “showy” or maybe lack “the genuine” side of things.

I apologize for even thinking it now but quite honestly having grown up as a Christian I have seen that before. I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY with the presence of God in the most genuine way; I felt very ashamed for my thoughts going into it. From the speakers to the singers down to the emcees, etc., I have never seen more vulnerable people share their stories like that before. No one was afraid to share their very real lives with their very real circumstances that they have faced in their life and some of them are still in the midst of it, too. I felt so connected to what I thought were the higher profile people in the Christian Circle.

Whether we have written a book, recorded a song, spoken to thousands and millions of people for a living or work a “regular” job, do daycare, or “JUST” stay at home raising our kids, everyone on that platform connected to the people in the audience. WE ALL HAVE A SONG TO SING and I sang it proudly this morning as I made my PB & J lunches for my kids. I still have loads of laundry to do even though it was caught up (for once in my life) before I left this weekend, but I will do it today with a new attitude.

There are so many people to still reach in this world especially since it is just a world we live in so temporarily. The ultimate eternity with Christ is yet to come and I now have renewed purpose in making sure I take as many people with me. I know that the trials here may not be over and new ones may arise BUT I walked away KNOWING that Christ will Deliver Us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for a super weekend!

Love from a NEW WOMAN OF FAITH,
Lisa G.

That is how we are doing it in our family and it seems to work. Hearing that from such a Godly women and one that has made mistakes but God is still using her was such an inspiration. Thank you for allowing those question and answer sessions. The questions are always good ones and the seakers really answer them from their heart.

Thank you Sandi for sharing your life with us.

-Sally G.

~Bye for now.

http://bcs2004blessings.blogspot.com/2008/11/women-of-faith-infinite-grace.html