Shine 2010

I attended an awesome Women’s conference at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL last  week. Shine 2010 was such a life-changing three days. I was stirred up to have courage, be an encourager, and to stand up and make a change in my life so that I can help others!

The line-up of speakers that God used to speak to me and thousands of other women was amazing: Lisa Young, Julie Hadden, Christine Caine, Jentzen Franklin, Stovall Weems and Kerri Weems (conference host), and DeLynn Rizzo.

I took pages and pages of notes that I still need to type up but here are some highlights:

Lisa Young spoke on night one about being reflective tools for the generosity of God. She encouraged us to use our God-given gifts now and not to save them for a later date. One quote that stuck out to me was “God doesn’t look at the better, he looks at the obedience”
Kerri Weems spoke to us about having the courage to fight! She said our place of safety can turn into a place of containment if we resist the call of God. She said we need to stand up to the bullies in our lives (worry, doubt, discouragement, depression etc.)

Her three main points:
1. Keep Showing up Despite the Bullies
2. Stir up passion  (stir up the gift within you)
3. Learn to love the fight

Jentzen Franklin spoke on nigh two. His topic of choice- The amazing discernment of women. His sermon was so powerful!

A quote that sticks out to me from his night was “You either carry an embalming spirit of an anointing spirit” This means we either give up and let hope and faith die in our lives or we have faith and live our lives with an anointing spirit and not give up! We have to keep fighting and praying for our families. We can change the atmosphere in our households by our faith. I wish everyone could have heard this sermon. It was that powerful!

Julie Hadden spoke on day three. She was the first runner up on one of the seasons of the Biggest Loser. She spoke about how God uses “the outcasts, the rejects and the unchosen” to bring him glory.
She said that God sees “the person in us that has a purpose not the person we see”. She reminded us that God’s plans for us are perfect and complete.
Her story of faith and her weight loss journey were very inspiring!

DeLynn Rizzo spoke about embracing change.  She spoke about the different seasons in our lives and how we need to embrace them. She said that God sees our potential and not our comfort. Sometimes we get too comfortable and we don’t allow God to make changes in our lives.

Pastor Stovall spoke about Rahab and the wall of Jericho. What a great story about a woman standing in the gap (literally and physically!) If you have a chance to read the story it’s in Joshua 2:1-21.

He spoke about how Rahab heard the word of God but did not see the miracles for herself. That she had faith from hearing and not seeing.

One point he made that resonated with me was that we are to “walk in the revelation God gives you and eventually your husband will turn around” It’s all about standing in the gap for our families and praying for them and showing them the God that lives in us!

He also spoke about how we all have the Proverbs 31 woman inside of us no matter what kind of lives we lived in the past (Rahab was a prostitute but she had faith in God) He said Rahab was an an example that the blood of Jesus covers all of us.

There was so much more to what Pastor Stovall preached that day! But I hope I gave you a good summary :)

Christine Caine spoke on night three.  She spoke about us waking up and hearing the alarm. She said we need to be a light to the lost and broken generation. She has a great organization The A21 Campaign against human trafficking. I am going to devote a post about this organization and a few others that were highlighted during the conference.

I can go on and on about what all the speakers said but you really had to be there to experience it! I hope that some of you can attend Shine in 2011. Lisa Bevere and Priscilla Shirer will be the featured speakers! You can preregister today!

O Me of Little Faith-Book Review

A recently read O Me of Little Faith by Jason Boyett as part of a blog tour hosted by The Blog Tour Spot. A review copy of the book was provided by the publisher.

This was an interesting read. The author is a Christian but writes about his struggle with doubt. There were many points in the book I agreed with but other points that I questioned. I feel that the book is very relevant because despite the author’s doubt he understands the importance in faith.

The tagline on the cover of the book says “True confessions of a spiritual weakling”, but I do not see the author as a spiritual weakling. I see him as a man who recognizes that our faith is built on our struggles and our doubts.

If you are interested please check out the author’s website, www.jasonboyett.com.

Here is some more information about Jason Boyett:

O Me of Little Faith by Jason Boyett.

In O Me of Little Faith, author Jason Boyett brings you a transparent and personal account of his own of struggles with doubts and unbelief in living out his faith. With humor and frankness, Boyett uses personal anecdotes and a fresh look at Scripture to explore the realities of pursuing Christ through a field of doubt.

After three decades of knowing God, understanding Christianity, and living a Christian life, Boyett has come to the place where he can voice the tough questions and travel the road of uncertainty with blinders off, candor on.

The message along the way is one of encouragement: Relax. Rely on the grace of a merciful God, a kind father who realizes that his finite creatures must have doubts, should have questions, and will have trouble making sense of an infinite Creator. Ultimately, Boyett concludes that doubt and faith are not polar opposites, but actually work together, existing side-by-side.

Uplifting, entertaining, hopeful, O Me of Little Faith will strike a chord with you and any Christian who’s dealing with the uncertainties of living life in pursuit of a God who occasionally seems to disappear.

About the Author:
Jason Boyett is a writer, speaker, marketing professional, and the author of Pocket Guide to the Afterlife, Pocket Guide to the Bible, and several other books. He has appeared on the History Channel and National Geographic Channel and written for a variety of publications. He lives in Texas with his wife, Aimee, and their two children.

Learn more about Jason at http://www.jasonboyett.com.

O Me of Little Faith
Release: May 2010
Soft cover, 224 pp.
ISBN: 0310289491

 

Also check out some of the other participants in this blog tour:

A room without books is empty
Amy Storms
Be Your Best Mom
Bell Whistle Moon
Blog Tour Spot
Book Hooked
Book Nook Club
Captain’s Blog
Catholic View
Deus E Fiel
Dinner with Jennifer
Drive Home Productions
God Restores
Hurdling Hurdles
i don’t believe in grammar
Joyful Scribe
Life on the Wild Side
Marci Seither
Musings
Musings by Lynn
My Alabaster Box
Ponderings by Andrea
Ragamuffin Scrap Craft
Sprightly Amy Anne
Sunflower Faith
Tasra Mar
Tattered Couch
The Friendly Book Nook
The Scroll
Walking Daily