Women of Joy 2018

Last weekend I attended the Women of Joy conference in Pigeon Forge, TN.  That is the first time I've been to a Women of Joy gathering.  'Back in the day' (as the saying goes) I did attend at least one, if not two Women of Faith conferences.

Side note:  When I went to the Women of Faith Conference, a few things I remember-- LOTS of women, getting to hang out with my childhood friend from 6th grade and her friend from NC (it was in NC), lots of music, all bathrooms were for women.  What do I remember most?  Lisa Harper coming into the space from the rafters on ropes.  Now, THAT was an entrance.

Fast forward many years.  Some things were similar; some were not. For example , there were 10,000 women this past weekend.  MANY more than the Women of Faith I attended (which was probably more like 500, but I really have no idea.)  All bathrooms were for women, there was lots of music, Lisa Harper was there, but there was no grand entrance.

I was blessed to attend with a group of women from Flintstone United Methodist Church, who were also part of the First Baptist Fort Oglethorpe First Baptist Church.  There were women from Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and many other states for the weekend.

The theme was "rescued".  But what got my attention most was that the speakers were authentic and vulnerable from the get-go.  They spoke about brokenness and living out of that brokenness instead of hiding it.  Even the comedian, Sylvia Haney, got into some serious life stories about pain and brokenness, showing that there it is possible for those things to be a part of our story, yet not determine the path of it.  What I mean by that is when you hear some of the things folks have been through, yet you see that they are able to use the pain for healing and growth rather than the pain destroying their lives and causing them to become bitter, there is hope.

There is also hope when leaders don't pretend that everything is easy, that there is no brokenness, that they are truthful about the difficulties in life.  That was a very refreshing theme to hear from throughout the weekend.  It hasn't always been that way.

I didn't take many notes during the weekend.  I sat back and listened and was present.  But there were a few things that stuck in my mind from a few of the speakers and the song leader, Charles Billingsley.

The first speaker was from California.  She preceded the comedian I already mentioned.  Shelene Bryan has a ministry called Skip1.org to help provide food and clean water to children in America and around the world.  She said quite a few things that were spot on, but what got my attention the most was when she said: 'you've got to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.'  That fully resonated within me and it's a place from which I've been living for a while now.  Because of that, I responded verbally in agreement.  Outloud.  Whether I said "yeah" or "woop", I don't remember. In a room of 10,000 women, I think I may have been the only one who was excited about that statement.  It took me back to the 5 Day Academy in 2010 when Johnny Sears had explained to the group that the next 2 Year Academy was going to be bilingual, Spanish and English.  My immediate response because that resonated deep within me was one that could be heard throughout the room, though it was only breathing.  Maybe I had been holding my breath and that news caused me to exhale.  Whatever it was, it was audible.  Or if it was an inhale gasp, it was still audible.  The news took my breath away because it resonated.

Much like the statement that we need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.  It is time to live outside our comfort zones.  Agreed.  And, it resonated.

I don't fully live it, but I try.  I try to listen to the Holy Spirit and get outside my comfort zone.  I try to live, love, and lead like Jesus.  If I'm not going to live and love like Jesus, then I can't lead like Jesus.  If I'm not willing to get uncomfortable, to get out into the world, to have courageous conversations, etc., then I can't expect those with whom I'm walking or those I'm leading to do the same.  That is why the statement resonated with me-- I have been living it now for years on many different levels.

There was another take-away moment from another speaker that I had.  I forget it right now.  I found it.  It was from day 2 and Lysa TerKeurst (I think).  The phrase: "wounded warriors win".  That's all.  A very short phrase that resonated with me.  Jesus was a wounded warrior, a wounded healer.

I took the most notes at the last session, using the "note" feature on my phone.  These are some of my notes from what Lisa Harper shared: (some are direct quotes, or to the best of my notes)

"Brokenness leads to divine wholeness."

"Running hard towards Jesus isn't always comfortable."

"Offend for the sake of the gospel."

"Step all over propriety."

"Forfeit rights to have answers in order to be in the presence of Jesus."

"Tell God about anger, disappointments, hurt, doubt."


Besides being encouraged by the authenticity and vulnerability of the speakers, I was blessed by the fellowship of the group, both the Flintstone group and the Fort Oglethorpe group.

I'm glad I got to go to Women of Joy last weekend.

May the seeds that were planted within continue to grow!

Blessings on your journey!

Debra

This year's shirt from the Fort Oglethorpegroup and the 2018 Scripture:

Here are some pictures from around Pigeon Forge: