She Speaks 2007

My friend and I just returned from attending the She Speaks 2007 conference in Charlotte, North Carolina! This conference is for women with a calling to enter ministry: Leadership, Speaking, Writing, or general Women's Ministry. There is also a track for young ladies ages 12-17 called the Next Generation. The conference is sponsored by Proverbs 31 Ministries out of Matthews, North Carolina.

We signed up for the Writers Track but did not know what to expect, this being our first year. P31 Ministries does not use traditional advertising for the conference -- they advertise on their website and mention the conference in interviews ... last year, approximately 250 women attended -- this year there were 420 women in attendance -- a couple from Canada and Australia, even!! Praise the Lord --- He is on the move!

The conference was broken up into workshops based on the track you chose. Editors, Publishers, and agents were also in attendance. Some ladies left with speaking engagements and book deals; most received constructive criticism from the professionals. All for the Lord's Glory.

I went to see what writing conferences are like -- I've been to many screenwriting workshops in Los Angeles, but nothing quite like this -- I wasn't expecting to pick-up any mechanics ... I just didn't know what I would find. I came away with a clear, clear "go ahead" from God that I am expected to write for His Glory. I haven't figured out how and when, but I know He will open the doors and lead me to where I should be.

Saturday night was amazing and scary. It was our final night together and the president of She Speaks, Lysa, gave her testimony. It's amazing how God works ... her testimony shared similarities to mine. She then expressed the importance that each person entering a ministry "clean their closet" -- to confess anything that might be in our past that might impede God from moving us to the next level in our ministry. She gave each of us an opportunity to bring our prayers to the Cross ... that was the first time in over 20 years that I have committed my secret sin to paper, a particular prayer and request for forgiveness that I had locked away in my heart -- I walked up and laid my card down at the Cross ... and I cried and cried and cried. Funny, how deep the inner cry of the Holy Spirit is -- no other cry is quite as powerful as the mourning the spirit has. Your head hurts afterwards -- it's clogged for hours. But I did certainly sleep soundly that night, for I was healed, I had been forgiven, I am made new!

Just before leaving the conference, we were given the opportunity to be a part of P31 Ministries -- to take part in Gather and Grow -- running a Bible Study out of our homes or churches for a year. Both my friend and I climbed on board for that one. I've been given a big, beautiful house provided by God to use for this very thing!!

Attending She Speaks 2007 was such a great experience and I cannot wait to go next year.


~A~

The "Why" for this blog

For decades I've felt God's urging to use my writing for His glory; however, I didn't feel prepared to take steps towards this path until just recently. I attended She Speaks 2007, a Christian Women's Conference, which counsels women entering the ministry in writing, leadership, speaking, or general women's ministry. I came back from that conference a changed woman. I realized that the risks that have kept me back were just vapor -- empty fears (risk of embarrassment, risk of rejection, etc.). The longer a person is in ministry, the less important the risks become. There is no condemnation with those for a heart of Jesus.

~A~