Restless.
I’ve felt it. Maybe you’ve felt it too. Restless that there MUST be more that I can do, be, gather, and join for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
And tired…tired of the minutiae that divides followers of Christ instead of the magnitude of a cross that joins us.
Excited too…because I feel a stirring within my spirit. A movement that is on the horizon. And revival brewing. THE Kingdom…full in power…rich in love…and overflowing with grace and mercy. A Kingdom that calls us heirs, and sons and daughters when we put our faith and trust in the One who sacrificed it all so that I might live. A Kingdom who’s greatest asset is the love that defines it, and allows us to join hands together.
A couple of months ago I was asked to join a group of women to gather and dream together and flesh out what it looks like to create and be a part of a raw and authentic movement of the body of Christ. Led by a vision given to Jennie Allen, and a team spearheaded by Lindsey Nobles, Jessica Taylor, Jen Hatmaker, Lauren Chandler, Melissa Greene, Esther Havens, Tara Jenkins, Rebekah Lyons, Bianca Olthoff, Angie Smith, and Ann Voskamp, the IF Gathering team has rounded up another 50 thinkers and leaders in our generation, buying in, ready to invest, ready to launch. Christine Caine, Debbie Eaton, and Shelley Giglio mentor and encourage this incredible team, and I am blessed to be a part of that group of 50. Pinching myself to be a part of a group that desires to gather, equip, and UNLEASH this generation of women for Christ.
So this fall when I meet with this group of phenomenal women who have been dreaming and praying and pushing rib issues aside to join hands for the sake of a strong spine named Jesus, we will pray and wrestle and unite to see the body of Christ move as it should…as one body.
And we invite you to join us all in February 7-8, 2014 in Austin, TX for the IF Gathering.
We exist to gather, equip
and unleash the next generation
of women to live out their purpose.
Here’s the vision:
if:lead
We are gathering and uniting a team of women, who already lead our generation, and unleashing them to lead in their spheres of influence. Together we will create a community and foster an ethos – connecting, encouraging and collaborating together.
if:grow
We are creating a blueprint for intentional equipping – reaching women with tools that are holistic, strategic and deep. By providing easy online access to a like-minded community and relevant resources, we will release women around the world to live out their purposes. // Online · 2014if:gathering
A fresh, deep, honest space for a new generation of women to wrestle with the essential question: IF God is real… THEN what? This 2-day conference brings women together and wrestles out how to live out the calling God has placed on our lives. // Austin, TX Feb. 7–8 2014
if:global
By partnering with organizations like Food for the Hungry, coming alongside women around the world, fostering relationships and utilizing our God-given gifts, our hope is that this movement will not only transforms hearts but leave a tangible impact on the world.
One of my favorite children’s books is called Stone Soup. It introduces the reader to a group of 3 weary soldiers on their way home from war. They stop in a town and need food and a place to rest. The villagers scramble to hide what they each have. The farmer puts his carrots under a pillow. The baker says there is no more bread. Another villager hides a bag of onions in his cellar. So the clever soldiers ask for a large pot with some water and a handful of smooth round stones to make “stone soup.” As the water boils, one soldier marvels how much better the soup would be with just an onion or two…and suddenly the villager with onions can spare his to add to the soup. Then they mention how much more delicious with just a few carrots…and the farmer is soon adding carrots to the pot. And on it goes…marveling how just a couple potatoes, or a small bit of meat would make the soup that much better. Before you know it, the entire village has gathered and thrown in a little bit of what they each have access too, and as a result the entire town enjoys a feast of a stew fit for kings.
And so goes the body of Christ. When we bring to the table what we each have to offer, and we toss it in the pot together, we create a stew so full with an aroma so lovely, it is fit for our King of Kings.
SO me….I have a sack of potatoes….and I’m all in.
Won’t you join us, and toss the lot you’ve been given in the soup too?
Join us for the IF Gathering. Let’s make soup…and move a generation… and change the world.
Read more today from :
Jennie Allen
Lindsey Nobles
Jen Hatmaker
Lore Ferguson
Rebekah Lyons
Sarah Markley
Kelly Stamps
Raechael Myers
Sarah Bessey
Elora Nicole
Jessica Honneger
Wow Logan–a lot has happened with you since we last spoke. That’s very honoring & plain neat that you get to be apart of this group. It’s a gathering I think I would want to be apart of:). I love & miss you friend.
I can’t wait to check out more about the conference- I’ve had a passion for sharing my story of finding Hope through our darkness, and am starting to realize that it’s really women that I have a heart to reach. With that, along with my background in event planning, I’m starting to pray over how and what to be involved in. Attending a conference like this would be great start.
This excites me. I have been following the IF Gathering closely. From the first tweet I read, I knew I had to be a part. How I wished I had known and we could have chatted about it at She Speaks. There is a desire for more…more authenticity, more of what we were able to do at She Speaks (& I am sure what you guys do at Allume) & that is the ability to live in community with other women. Drop the pretenses…leave the competitiveness behind & live life together. Ok, I could go on & on. 😉 Seriously awesome stuff!!