Freedom In Fear. Night #2

Me and Febe :)

Last Friday night was beyond incredible! Our "getting connected" pastor, Wendy, spoke. I was really excited about that because she is very passionate about dreams and getting people out of their comfort zones, and really that's what this conference is all about. She wants to help people reach their fullest potential, Even in the few more serious conversations we've had, she has immediately asked me what I want to do, and when I've told her some goals, she'd ask, "What's stopping you?" or something along those lines. I've gotten to know Pastor Wendy a lot better this year, and over the past couple years I watched from afar how she handles herself and how as soon as she walks into the room, you can just see confidence radiating from her. She is bold and extremely fierce; I love that she tells it like it is. But, she explained last night, that it wasn't always that way.

She talked about how on paper everything in her life seemed to fit perfectly, but inside she didn't necessarily feel "happy." Did that even exist? Was there another woman out there that fit what she felt she was missing? She knew she was meant for more in this life, but at the time, it all just felt meaningless. She had plenty of fears, and many that I have a fear of too. Fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, and several other things.

We can be confident because God is our creator. He loves us more than anything, and we shouldn't get stuck in the web of lies that Satan has us under most of the time. If we keep our eyes on God, He will lead us in the direction that He wants us to. Satan plots us against one another, but you know what? We are so much better together. Instead of eyeing each other up and down, we need to join forces. It should be us against him, not the other way around. Enough is enough. When we know these issues are going on within ourselves and others, we need to take a stand and put a stop to them, not just let them get worse. I for one am done hiding and feeling like I am not enough... because I am.

The entire time that Wendy was speaking, I just kept hearing, "You are a leader..." as a small little voice in my heart. I'm not exactly sure what it means quite yet, but I feel like I'm on the right track to start finding out. I am going to be a woman of vision, doing unimaginable things and dreaming big, rather than living this comfortable life. I was born to do way more than just exist, and so were you. I am tired of walking through life in a slumber, whether it's because of laziness or fear. I want to be prepared and on alert to do the things that God has called me to. I don't want to miss out on a thing.

I am limitless and infinite WITH God...and only through Him can I become what I was made to be.

Some of the ladies from church and a couple of the younger girls sang Katy Perry's "Who Am I Living For?" I was in tears. If you listen to that song, it has such a great spiritual message in there. Definitely a theme song for me at the moment.

After the conference, we walked out into the foyer to see my friends' group, Lonely Avenue. They were kicking off the "After Party", which I had totally forgotten about. There were bright lights set up, music was playing, and everyone was lining up in the coffeehouse to get dessert, mingling with one another. It was so much fun getting to see the women of our church cut loose a bit, singing along to some oldies and a few newer hits, dancing and having a great time with one another. It's great when we can have such a special time like this to really connect and start dreaming about the future again. I was also introduced to several new ladies at the church, which was great getting to know them. Febe and I hung out with her sister and a couple other friends, rocking out to the band, then watched as they started a dance contest of the different eras. That was quite entertaining, let me tell ya! After hanging out with everyone for a couple hours, I decided to head home, since it would be an early start the next morning.

Me and Makenzie

Such a fun time :)

That's all for now,
Shelby

Women's Conference: Freedom In Fear

Last night, was the first session of our very first women's conference at church! This year's theme is Freedom in Fear, which is something I know that not only can I relate to, but plenty of other girls and women can as well. It has been so cool hearing about all the ladies that were involved in putting this thing together, talking about all the plans, and seeing it all come together for the final production. It has been a long time coming for it, and it's proof that you dream outside of the box and think crazy, wild ideas. We have a radical God, and if it is in His plans, then it will happen, and we don't need to worry about "how" to get there.

I got to church around 6:15 and was in shock to see how they had transformed our church foyer into a gathering room, that almost looked like a swanky loft in New York City. Ladies were everywhere, mingling and registering, and I knew we were in for an exciting night. I caught up with a friend at the door, registered, then went in search for my friend, Febe. We caught up for quite awhile; I told her all about my trip to South Carolina, and she told me about some of the changes she's been making in her life, which is really exciting! We caught up with a few other friends, and were about to head into the sanctuary, when she ended up having to help out at a booth during the speaker, so we didn't get to sit together. I hung out with a couple other girls that I knew from Young Adults, and we went in to find seats.

The conference kicked off with our worship leader, Jim, and an all women's choir (assembled of wonderful ladies from our church) singing "Everything" by Lifehouse. It doesn't matter how many times I've heard that song, it brings tears to my eyes. It's such a powerful statement and testament to who God truly is. It gave me chills. Then, we went into a time of worship. It was such an incredible time. I never feel closer to God, than when we're singing our praises to Him. I think that's one of the reasons why music has always been such a big deal to me as well. Anyway, we had a guest speaker by the name of Amberly Neese, who is a comedian. But, through her comedy, she also spoke on some pretty heavy things, like the fact that we all have fears and worries inside. One of hers early on was that her husband would leave her when they first got married, like many people in her family had done to their spouses. She had that fear of being left behind. But, God will never leave us, and she emphasized the verse Joshua 1:9 multiple times. This became one of my favorite/theme verses this year.

As I've seen people walk out of my life, or drift away, I know that God always remains, and no matter how far away I go, He'll always be right there. I always have that in my heart and in the back of my mind. Like Amberly, and a lot of other women in the world, I have a ton of fears, and that holds me back. Hearing that reminder of no matter where I go or what circumstance I face, God is always going to be there, gives me rest. I don't always have to be two steps ahead of the game, trying to figure everything out. He's already there, and knows how to help me through. I just have to trust Him. That's all. It really isn't as hard as we make it out to be. It is our choice whether we want to worry about our fear, or let God take care of it. We put God in this box; limiting Him to what we think He can do, and He is so much more than our brains can comprehend.

Amberly went on to say how some of us are carrying yesterday's problems with us, and I know I have that problem. I have been a lot better with it, but I tend to carry regret with me or feel ashamed of things I've done, even if it is the tiniest thing. God is going in a new direction, one where there is a beautiful future waiting for us, and we need to follow Him to it. God wants us to be free...That's what His grace and mercy are all about. God is "MI-TAY" as she put it. And I couldn't have put it into better words myself.

When the conference ended, I talked with my friend, Makenzie for awhile. She told me about some of the changes getting ready to be made in the young adult department, and the Bible study they're into right now. It sounds like I need to get plugged back into a lot of things. I'm excited to see what is up ahead for all of us.

I choose to be present for the rest of this conference, so I can hear God loud and clear, and start making some changes. What I heard last night, and what I have been the past few months is, "let it go..." I encourage you to do the same. If it's something from the past or someone that you're holding on to, just let it go. Allow God to work in you through that situation and turn it around for the better. I'm going to be working on that as well.

I'm excited to see what happens the rest of this weekend.

That's all for now,
Shelby