Top Ten (OK, Thirteen) Take Aways From She Speaks 2015

I’ve been on the road this week after wrapping up time well spent learning at Proverbs Thirty One Ministries She Speaks Writers’ and Speakers’ Conference in Concord, North Carolina. I joined over 800 other women who LOVE words and want to learn how to use them wisely to point others to the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us. It was overwhelming to be with this many women who love words because there were a lot of deep conversations happening like rapid fire. My brave husband tagged along with me since we were heading on an extended road trip after this. He holed up in our room but surfaced every now and then to bring me a Coke or steal me away for a popcorn break. When we arrived, we both joked about how loud it was and how maybe the conference should actually be called, “Well, She Speaks…and She Speaks…oh and She Speaks…and She Speaks, Too.” Ha! Do you get a sense of how many women were excited to be there and marvel in their passions with each other? I was among so many other beautiful souls that share similar callings, dreams, hopes, and visions in their lives. Yet, each one was unique. When the Lord quieted my heart and helped me ease into the rooms marked by exuberant chattiness, I realized how pumped up I was to be sharpened by people further into their calling. It was a privilege to fellowship with people who share similar experiences of loneliness, fear, joy, passion, and hope in this unique community of women.

One of the most meaningful parts of this experience was worshiping with strangers, who were actually sisters to these lyrics to the song, “No Longer Slaves.” Maybe I’ve been under a rock, but these were new to me and hit me right in the heart where I needed to be hit:

You split the sea, so I could walk right through it
All my fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me, so I could stand and sing
I am a child of God

The word “conference” sounds stuffy when I try to describe what I participated in these two days in July. Community is a much better phrase for what I participated in this past weekend. I’ve collected some of the things I learned during this wonderful time of community. I hope you’ll be able to find some application for these profound thoughts in your own life. And wherever things about writing are mentioned, maybe switch that out with whatever your calling is in life. I think you’ll find some really great application there.

Community is something I’m learning about right now—both in my calling and in my life stage. I’m finding that in order for me to flourish, it is so very important for me to surround myself with people who will sharpen me in every way.

Wherever God has you for this season and wherever He is taking you in your calling, look for people who will help spur you on toward the best that God has for you.

Have you found community in your calling and for this season, friend?

  1. “Be with Him before being sent out by Him.” @LysaTereurst
  2. “Stay in alignment with His assignment.” @LysaTereurst
  3. “Don’t set into motion that which is supposed to be still.” @LysaTereurst
  4. “If you only have 1 hour a day to write, don’t spend it defeated, spend it writing.” @Lisa-JoBaker
  5. “He is writing the story in you and His word doesn’t return void. A story told in a book is no more important than a story told from a grandma to a granddaughter.” @Lisa-JoBaker
  6. “Am I called to do this? If yes, exercise your platform against those no’s.” @RachelWojo
  7. “Think as a poet thinks and write that way even though you’re writing prose.” @Dr.DennisHensley
  8. “To NOT write and to be called to write is to be disobedient.” @GlynnisWhitwer
  9. “You’re a writer not because you write, but because God has given you a message.” @GlynnisWhitwer
  10. “You can only go and tell if you’ve seen Him (The Lord). Have you heard Him say your name? Then you go and tell that you have seen the Lord!” @LizCurtisHiggs
  11. “Words are powerful and all start in the heart.” @KarenEhman
  12. “The Kingdom of God is a co-op, not a competition. He is the God of more than enough.” @Lisa-JoBaker
  13. “We feel like it’s mundane when we’re waiting on the magnificent, but every calling is magnificent when it comes from THE Magnificent.” @WhitneyCapps

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