Sometimes We’ve Just Got to Go It ALONE!
…because God has said, "Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b
…because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b
I had never
traveled anywhere alone and stayed alone for several days. I’m a girlfriends’
girlfriend. I love traveling with a pack. I love having one of my birth or God
sisters with me at times like this. I mean how much fun to prepare and plan,
board the plane with breathless anticipation. To set down in a lovely foreign
land (well from NJ to NC…it was new territory to me!) wide-eyed and bushy
tailed ready to experience together a living, learning adventure. Then to
return each night to our cozy little hotel room, giddy with fun and fellowship
to share.
Well, my first She Speaks Conference wasn’t
exactly like this, since I was…ALONE!
As it
happened, I had been trying to get to the She Speaks Conference for a couple of
years with a couple of interested gal pals. In fact, for my 50th birthday, my
beloved friends, knowing the desire of my heart was to attend this conference,
collected money to help send me on my way. I was just waiting till one of my
friends could come along. But it had been two years and I was itching to go!
So, with great trepidation and nerves akimbo,
I registered myself for She
Speaks.
Yes, terror
mixed with the excitement of actually doing this very big thing…ALONE!
I felt
certain I was to go. And so off I went. The flight (I have some fear of flying)
was smooth sailing. The shuttle was awaiting and quickly filled up with a
spirited bunch of women, most of whom were exhausted from the pressures of
leaving family behind and pulling it all together on the home front. We were
mostly new to the conference. All of us were just silly with eagerness,
chatting, exchanging stories, hopes, and plans, and getting to know one another
in our moving bubble.
And then we
arrived! It was actually one night before the Pre-Conference began; a great
opportunity to relax and catch my breath before the opening of She Speaks.
I had already made a fast friend…
And so we
agreed to grab a quick bite and go for a pool walk. Yes, we donned our bathing
suits, jumped in the pool, and began walking laps as we shared like old friends
do…though we had just met each other. For me, my new buddy was a sign that I
was going to be just fine and this conference was going to be a girlfriend
getaway and so much more, even though I was there…ALONE!
The next morning, I checked in to the
Pre-Conference Session.
I was
outfitted with my new conference tote and an awesome book by Renee Swope, A Confident Heart .
I felt the book was a gift from God, since there was one of several book
choices included in each bag, and this seemed perfectly chosen for me.
The journey
of learning, connecting, worshipping, sharing, laughing, crying continued for
three days. I was in the right place at the right time, meeting all kinds of
amazing women I wouldn’t have met had I been traveling with others. The worship
was rich. The keynotes were moving and left lasting impact.
I remember
Lysa TerKeurst’s (keynote was Let God Chisel).Karen Ehman put
on a hysterical skit on comparison (so relatable for comparison queens like
me).Renee Swope’s testimony was powerful and
moving. Oh and it was there that I first encountered Ann Voskamp, author of the life-changing One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to
Live Fully Right Where You Are . I met the engaging and delightful Amy Carroll and signed up for some continuing ed, so to
speak, through the equipping Next Step Speakers Services . I’ve since
enjoyed Message Development coaching through Next Step from Karen Ehman and a
recent eye-opening Group Service conference call, Writing a Bang-Up Book Proposal, also with Karen.
There were
excellent workshops on marketing, writing, speaking, publishing, platform, and
more. I was part of a Speakers Coaching Group (very intimidating, but I’m glad
I did it!). And I even met with a couple of publishers to share my book
proposal.
From beginning
to end, I was so delighted to be at She Speaks. The friends I met, words
spoken, lessons learned, challenges met…well it was all beyond what I could’ve
asked or imagined.
If you want
to sharpen your writing skills and hone your speaking message, enjoy lots of
good girlfriend time (even if you’re alone!), be refreshed, equipped, and
inspired, I’d say She Speaks is for you. Find out more here http://shespeaksconference.com/shespeaks/ .
And if you
decide to go, please let me know. I’m doing my best to make my way there again
this summer…this time with Circles of Faith Co-Founder, Managing Editor, and
Friend Kimberly Amici. Hope to see you there!
Date: July 25-27, 2013
Registration: Open now and filling up fast!
We’ve had a few posts here on Circles Of Faith from the awesome women of Proverbs 31 Ministries, including Karen Ehman, Tracie Miles, Lynn Cowell, and just in the past few days, Amy Carroll. So I figured it was time to share just one of the fabulous opportunities Proverbs 31 provides. It’s their informative, instructional, applicable, inspiring annual She Speaks, Speakers and Writers Conference.
I love how God met you as you bravely stepped out! I am a writer and am new to blogging (you left a sweet comment at my blog, Gift After Gift...thank you!). Just last night, my husband surprised me with a registration to Allume. I am hoping to attend SheSpeaks next summer (I live in CA, so these two conferences in one year would be a bit much!). I am hopeful that by next year I will be more settled into blogging and writing and will even have a proposal and some chapters written of that book that is on my heart. We'll see! Grateful for your example and encouragement today!!
ReplyDeleteSo awesome Amy! What a sweet husband. I have signed up for both conferences in faith. I'd love to meet you!
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