The Man Journal…Reflections on Relevant ’11

WOW am I tired.

Seriously, like the kind of tired where I almost wore my sunglasses INSIDE of Wal-mart today.  And… I think wearing sunglasses inside is almost like wearing sunglasses at night.  Maybe even worse!

See, I spent from Thursday through yesterday evening surrounded by a group of some of the most amazing women I’d ever met at The Relevant Conference in Harrisburg, PA.  Turned out that I got to spend even more time there too… when the sky opened up and dropped inches and inches of snow on us causing loads of canceled and severely delayed flights. I have a million thoughts from this conference swirling around in my head, and honestly it’s going to take me awhile to sort through it all…but I thought I’d share a few things I came away with…

* Friends…I came away with lots and lots of new friends.  Heart friends too.  The kinds where there is an instant connection, you get one another on so many levels, you laugh, you cry, you pray, you worship…and in this case for the most part, you all blog too!  It was amazing.  I’m a people lover anyways,  and I don’t know how many times I found myself with a sort of social ADD because of the sheer quantity of amazing women around me.  I truly cherished every minute with each person I met… even if I hardly took any pictures with them since my camera was being a temperamental cry baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Wise words….with speakers like Ann Voskamp, Joy Forney, Sally Clarkson, and Courtney Joseph to name just a few, my heart came away full of truths to chew on and digest. And these words were just from the speakers…don’t even get me started on just the wise words from conference attendees too!  A few nuggets of wisdom that I actually even wrote down….

• The only platform Jesus came and stood on was the cross he came to die on – Ann Voskamp
• Hardship can make us bitter…or it can make us better – Shelley Noonan
• God’s will is not something hidden that needs to be found, it’s something revealed that waits to be done. – Sally Clarkson
• When I am in my “element” (where skills and passion meet)  I find God’s pleasure on me. – Tsh Oxenrider
• Who we are at home is who we really are. – Courtney Joseph
• Right is always right, even if noone is doing it.  Wrong is always wrong, even if everyone is doing it. – Sally Clarkson
• God appoints people who do disappoint, to point to the God who doesn’t disappoint.” – Ann Voskamp’s husband

*Some awesome books and music!  There were several really gifted authors and musicians at the conference too!  And I can’t wait to chow into Emily P Freeman’s “Grace for the Good Girl”, Angie Smith’s “What Women Fear”, and Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel.  I snatched up a few CD’s from some of the talented musicians we were privileged to hear…Shaun Groves, Christa Wells, Aaron Shust,   Nicole Witt, and David Nevue.

*I came away with Perspective…on blogging, and balance…on faith and on family.  Words of speakers and other amazing women were balm to the soul of this regular mom who just wants to make a difference in the lives of my family and of others.

*Information and opportunities to affiliate with some incredible companies who already are making a difference in the world.  Companies like OneVerse and The Seed Company, who are enabling Bible translation in places where no Bible has ever been recorded in the language.  Compassion International, a consistently excellent organizations with amazing opportunities to partner and sponsor needy children all over the world.  Mercy House Kenya, providing a safe place, work opportunities, and an alternative to abortion for pregnant women in Kenya.  There were more than that…but those were a few that really stood out to me.

*Great tips for the business and social media side of things.  And for a girl who still doesn’t entirely understand what a plug-in is or does, it was nice to at least learn a few extra things to keep me from being totally ignorant!

* The “Man” Journal.  There was a prayer room at the conference set up for women to find a quiet place to read, journal, and pray. One of the sponsor companies provided journals for each conference attendee.  They were so pretty…aqua padded journals with a silvery graphic on the front.  One for each woman… that had been prayed over and written in.  Our names were on cards in each book and we had the opportunity throughout the entire conference to write words of encouragement, prayers, notes, whatever in the journals of the other women at the conference.  At the end we each went by to pick up our journal to bring home.  I kept looking for mine and then suddenly said out loud … “Um, anyone know why Shaun Groves and I have the same journal?”  Someone next to me started laughing and said she bet that since Logan has become such a popular boy name, the company assumed that I was a man.  Hilarious.  Seriously.  I laughed so hard and honestly I think I might love my man journal even more now.  I do love a good laugh, a good story…and apparently also a manly looking journal.

* A Subway Breakfast Sandwich coupon… On the last evening at dinner, the company Blessings Unlimited ,which sells really beautiful inspirational home decor, provided the loveliest table decorations.  They wanted to bless some attendees, so they told us to all look under our chairs and 3 people from each table of 10 would find a coupon stuck there to indicate each recipient had won the different parts of the table decor.  Imagine my delight to reach under my chair and pull off a taped card!  I had WON!  YAY….HOORAY….What the heck?!  This is what I found.

Obviously this whole “under the chair prize plan” had been done at another conference before.  Oh well…even if I didn’t win the hurricane glasses, or the letter blocks, I could at least walk off with a breakfast sandwich from Johnny Professional’s Lame Corporate America Work Conference.  Oh wait….never mind.  Apparently said work conference happened awhile back, because this subway sandwich expired in JUNE!  Bummer.  Seriously…bummer.  Hilariously….bummer.  And I introduce you to…the story of my life.  This is the kind of hilarity that happens to me…often!

I’m home safe and sound now though from it all.  Refreshed. Renewed. Tired as all get out though! Oh…and my sinus infection from a couple of weeks ago, apparently it was a beast that 10 days of Augmentin couldn’t even fend off, so it’s back!  Went to the doc today and will start some new meds.  And yes I did make breakfast for dinner tonight…love me some quick cooking eggs! I’m off to bed.  Will resume my more regular blogging schedule hopefully this week!

And super fun news is that this week I’m installing the secret nursery I told ya’ll about HERE, so I’ll get to share about that later on!  I did another surprise room makeover this weekend as well…in about 90 minutes (shopping trip to installation) that I’ll reveal more about later too!

Nighty night all!