June 27 - 29th was my first time away from Kate since she was born... and my first trip away from both kids. (I have spent a few weekends away from Alex before Kate was born) I met my best friend (of 31 YEARS!!) Susan in Atlanta at the Deeper Still conference featuring 3 of the top Bible teacher's in the country. I can't think of a better way to spend my first weekend away from the kids than growing in my faith and really recharging my batteries!!
First - THE FLIGHT... *sigh* It was so relaxing!! True, I had a middle seat BUT, it was in an emergency exit row AND I had NO ONE on my lap! Oh the space!!! I got to watch a movie (27 Dresses), read my magazine, go to the bathroom BY MYSELF, and have a margarita! Wahoo!! It was truly a vacation unto itself. I haven't flown without someone on my lap in 4 years!!
Friday evening Susan and I got great seats in the SOLD OUT Phillips Arena! Priscilla Shirer spoke on how sometimes the only way God can get us to LOOK UP (read: seek Him) is to put us flat on our backs and that these times in the "wilderness" set us up to experience God in a whole new way. "You are more protected IN the wilderness WITH God than OUT of the wilderness WITHOUT God."
Saturday, Kay Arthur was some kind of FIRED UP!! Her message sounded very political to start with but, after digesting it a bit this is what I got from Kay: It's not difficult to discern between what is right and what is wrong, where we stumble is discerning between what is right and what is almost right. Between what is right and what is not quite right... as an example she pulled out a copy of the very highly touted (by Oprah) book "A New Earth". She urged us to dig into the Bible and study God's word on our own so we would be well equipped to be able to discern "right" from the "trying to disguise itself as right".
Oh - and vote accordingly!
As Beth came onto the stage I leaned over to Susan and said, "What's that noise?" Susan listened intently for about a half a second and said, "Rain." I tried really hard to sit and listen to Beth - she was who I had been waiting for!! But, RAIN!!! Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer - I just HAD to SEE it!! So I ran out into the lobby and there it was: RAIN! Glorious Rain!! It was coming down in SHEETS! The stairs next to the Arena looked like a waterfall! It smelled so good and it THUNDERED!!!!! It really took all my self control not to run into it!!
First - THE FLIGHT... *sigh* It was so relaxing!! True, I had a middle seat BUT, it was in an emergency exit row AND I had NO ONE on my lap! Oh the space!!! I got to watch a movie (27 Dresses), read my magazine, go to the bathroom BY MYSELF, and have a margarita! Wahoo!! It was truly a vacation unto itself. I haven't flown without someone on my lap in 4 years!!
Friday evening Susan and I got great seats in the SOLD OUT Phillips Arena! Priscilla Shirer spoke on how sometimes the only way God can get us to LOOK UP (read: seek Him) is to put us flat on our backs and that these times in the "wilderness" set us up to experience God in a whole new way. "You are more protected IN the wilderness WITH God than OUT of the wilderness WITHOUT God."
Saturday, Kay Arthur was some kind of FIRED UP!! Her message sounded very political to start with but, after digesting it a bit this is what I got from Kay: It's not difficult to discern between what is right and what is wrong, where we stumble is discerning between what is right and what is almost right. Between what is right and what is not quite right... as an example she pulled out a copy of the very highly touted (by Oprah) book "A New Earth". She urged us to dig into the Bible and study God's word on our own so we would be well equipped to be able to discern "right" from the "trying to disguise itself as right".
Oh - and vote accordingly!
As Beth came onto the stage I leaned over to Susan and said, "What's that noise?" Susan listened intently for about a half a second and said, "Rain." I tried really hard to sit and listen to Beth - she was who I had been waiting for!! But, RAIN!!! Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer - I just HAD to SEE it!! So I ran out into the lobby and there it was: RAIN! Glorious Rain!! It was coming down in SHEETS! The stairs next to the Arena looked like a waterfall! It smelled so good and it THUNDERED!!!!! It really took all my self control not to run into it!!
It doesn't rain like that in Southern California (isn't that a song?)
O.k. Beth - her passion for God's word is so infectious and inspiring! The first thing I got from Beth was that we need to "settle the matter of Spiritual authority" every morning. She talked about how you need to be seeking God daily and getting fresh revelations from His word and if you aren't doing that - it is too easy to slide into legalism or just going through the motions. "Your testimony shouldn't be about 20 years ago - What's He doing in your life TODAY?"
She taught on John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father full of Grace and truth." She broke this simple verse down - just amazing! How many times have I read that verse and she opens it up like a gift I have never even seen before! The one thing that jumped out at me though was when she said, "How wonderful to be in a loving relationship with someone who is 'full'. Just to give you something to compare it to - have you ever been in a relationship with someone who is empty?" It sounded like a few of the 19,000 women in the SOLD OUT arena had indeed been in a relationship with someone who was empty...
Jesus will NEVER be out of Grace for me!!
"But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure."
1 John 1:9
Saturday Nite after the event (are you still reading??) Susan and I had dinner with an old friend Danny. Susan, Danny, and I were camp counselors at Pine Camp when we were in high school and some 20 years (gulp) later we all have kids that will be 4 this summer! How cool is that?
Sunday... Ah, Sunday... don't mean to brag but Susan and I slept in til 12:30PM! That is AFTER NOON people! It was amazing! Then Susan took me to a place for brunch (what was the name of it again? this is where I find out if Susan is still reading...) where I had - get this - grits pancakes! The grits had three cheeses and herbs then were made into little pancakes... Insane. They really shouldn't even be legal but I am so glad they were!!
Then, the flight home... a window seat, in the emergency exit row - (ah, the space) with no one on my lap, pulling on my clothes and my hair... I studied my notes from the conference, read a magazine and listened to my ipod...
It was an amazing weekend and Susan and I have decided we must do it at least once a year! I'm looking forward to it!
But, boy, it was beyond great to see Tom and my babies at the airport Sunday afternoon!!
O.k. Beth - her passion for God's word is so infectious and inspiring! The first thing I got from Beth was that we need to "settle the matter of Spiritual authority" every morning. She talked about how you need to be seeking God daily and getting fresh revelations from His word and if you aren't doing that - it is too easy to slide into legalism or just going through the motions. "Your testimony shouldn't be about 20 years ago - What's He doing in your life TODAY?"
She taught on John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father full of Grace and truth." She broke this simple verse down - just amazing! How many times have I read that verse and she opens it up like a gift I have never even seen before! The one thing that jumped out at me though was when she said, "How wonderful to be in a loving relationship with someone who is 'full'. Just to give you something to compare it to - have you ever been in a relationship with someone who is empty?" It sounded like a few of the 19,000 women in the SOLD OUT arena had indeed been in a relationship with someone who was empty...
Jesus will NEVER be out of Grace for me!!
"But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure."
1 John 1:9
Saturday Nite after the event (are you still reading??) Susan and I had dinner with an old friend Danny. Susan, Danny, and I were camp counselors at Pine Camp when we were in high school and some 20 years (gulp) later we all have kids that will be 4 this summer! How cool is that?
Sunday... Ah, Sunday... don't mean to brag but Susan and I slept in til 12:30PM! That is AFTER NOON people! It was amazing! Then Susan took me to a place for brunch (what was the name of it again? this is where I find out if Susan is still reading...) where I had - get this - grits pancakes! The grits had three cheeses and herbs then were made into little pancakes... Insane. They really shouldn't even be legal but I am so glad they were!!
Then, the flight home... a window seat, in the emergency exit row - (ah, the space) with no one on my lap, pulling on my clothes and my hair... I studied my notes from the conference, read a magazine and listened to my ipod...
It was an amazing weekend and Susan and I have decided we must do it at least once a year! I'm looking forward to it!
But, boy, it was beyond great to see Tom and my babies at the airport Sunday afternoon!!
3 comments:
crescent moon cafe in decatur is where we ate. yum!! there is usually an insane wait time but if you sleep as late as tracey and i did then you can easily get a seat for breakfast (at 2 pm).
I'm jealous! 12:30?!?! I'm so jealous. I won't even go into the jealousy about you guys seeing Beth Moore and that I was even invited and that I turned that invite down. I'm glad you guys had a fabulous time!! And, Trace, you described it wonderfully...you could be a writer!
What a beautiful family you have! I found you from Heather's blog. :) Glad to see you are doing well!
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