When I signed up to come to The Relevant Conference, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew all along I would come, from the moment I even knew my blogging pal Sarah Mae was thinking about developing the conference, I knew I was “in.” When pre-registration went up last Feb, I immediately signed up along with my friend Jolanthe. We got our tickets and booked our room and counted the months until it would be a reality. All the while having little clue what to expect or why God wanted us there.
There is now here. I am here.
{Laura from 10 Million Miles-who also used to write for Totally Tots, Jolanthe and me}
I am at Relevant, along with over 200 other like-minded, Christ following bloggers. It is so much more than I ever thought it could be. God is HERE in a BIG way. I am so honored to be a part of this and so honored that He had a plan for me to be here.
We still have another day ahead of us, but I am so filled already I could leave with a full heart filled with gratitude for what he has already given me. There is no way I could adequately put into words what it feels like to be here, to hear the words of wisdom being spoken from such humble and amazing women. I am not one to ooh and ahh over “famous” people, but I am an ooher and ahher over wise people. When I meet someone who I can see God shining through I am in awe and incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be around that person. That has happened here several times already. I will do my best to share a tidbit of what has filled my hear tin these past 2 days.
Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom, was the keynote speaker on the first night. I had no clue what to expect, but she is someone I have been reading for years as I used to be a CVSer! 😉 She is absolutely wonderful, very real, humble and adorable! Bits of wisdom I have taken away from the wisdom God brought through Crystal…
“If you don’t have time for God, you don’t have time to blog.”
“Not even Jesus healed everyone” {in reference to not being able to help everyone who comments, emails, etc}
“If you talk yourself out of ministering to someone in your own community {because you use blogging or online commitments as an excuse} your priorities are out of whack.”
“Don’t put guilt on yourself that is not from God.”
Today, Courtney from Women Living Well gave the morning devotion which was awesome, I simply adore her energy. Nuggets of wisdom God brought through Courtney…
Jeremiah 45:5 {a verse Elisabeth Elliot shared with Courtney when she was in college} “Seek great things for thyself, seek them NOT.”
“Give your blog to God instead of trying to manipulate it yourself.” {It’s never about ME…that’s what I took from that and am so thankful}
This morning I got to spend breakfast in a room just oozing with God’s wisdom and love, Sally Clarkson at the head of it all. I am blessed to have received 4 of her books which I am excited to read {2 are actually written by her children}. I love being in the company of woman who are further along in their faith journey than I am and soaking up knowledge. A bit of what I soaked up from Sally…
“The older you get the more you realize how sinful you are and how gracious you need to be.”
“Don’t allow someone else’s law to put you under guilt.”
“I love passion but I adore compassion.”
“God loves to take normal people to accomplish supernatural things.”
P…urpose {know God’s purpose for YOU}
E…xecpt criticism {be teachable but don’t take criticism to heart}
A…ccept your limitations {there is a cost to every commitment you make}
C…ultivate a heart to God’s message
E…nd well {rest in the Lord}
This morning’s session we got to sit in with a panel of 4 wise women and learned a lot about balancing it all from the 4 {Crystal, Bonita, Kimba and Jen}…
”We can’t be anybody else’s Holy Spirit” {Jen}
“Know the heart of your individual children as you figure out your balance.” {Jen}
“Always choose real life first“. {Kimba}
Tonight I was blessed beyond words to hear Angie Smith speak. I have cried many tears while reading her story on her blog, her loss is something I cannot even imagine. God is using her in a mighty way and to hear her was awesome. She was funny, humble, and very authentic. She shared many great things but this sums it up and makes me want to ask this to myself and to other blog readers as we evaluate our online lives {while reading other blogs specifically}…
“When you leave a blog, where do you want to run?” {Meaning, how does it make you feel, how does it pull at your heart? Does it leave you feeling horrible or inspired?}
There is SO much more, I could literally go on and on, but I won’t ;-). I still have another day ahead of me! In addition to the wonderful Relevant things going on, Jolanthe and I have had many wonderful hours tucked away quietly in our hotel room working on the 2011 plan for Totally Tots. We are so blessed to be going into our 3rd year with Totally Tots. God is so cool!!!!