Today we are going to hear from my dear friend Jackie Marciniak.
When I first heard there was going to be a women’s conference this past spring and made the decision to go, I must admit I really didn’t give it much thought. I didn’t even know what it was about or what a big event it would be. I just knew it might be a good thing for me to attend and learn something and to hang out with the girls from church. As always, God demonstrated His sovereignty while I was just plodding along.
The opening night of the conference I was fatigued both physically and emotionally as Britt and Tim had just endured Tim’s leukemia and hospitalization and my mom had emergency quadruple cardiac bypass surgery several days after Tim was released from the hospital. In fact, on the day we left for the conference, my mom was being transported back to the hospital for due to low blood pressure. (Thanks to Judy who encouraged me to just go anyways.)
So anyway, our group had strategically reserved seats toward the front of the conference center. Did I mention the place was amazing? There were 6,200 seats filled with women like us. The lights were dim and the music began. The Getty’s were the worship leaders and the music was spectacular all weekend; it was so good to hear such God-centered music sung by Kristyn’s angelic voice along with the voices of all the ladies in the conference center. My emotions were elevated, tears ran down my face, and I knew that the Lord was so good to bring us there for “for such a time as this” (part of the theme verse Esther 4:14).
John Piper was the main speaker the first night and he spoke of how wimpy theology makes wimpy women. He went on to explain how wimpy theology doesn’t make God big enough to handle life’s trials. I realized how easy it is to dwell on what is seen rather than what is unseen and forget that God is working in unimaginable ways that will bring about His will and display His glory in all of life’s trials. “In every situation God is always doing a thousand different things that you cannot see and cannot know.”
This is comfort to a soul. This is not something new to us, but always good to be brought back to the true knowledge of how big God is in every situation working things out for Himself. He asked at the end for us to answer this question for ourselves: how would my life change if I lived as if I believed? WOW, every time I seem to take a step forward it seems I go two steps back; sometimes in my faith I feel like a giant and others times like a dust mite. Lucky for me God remains the same.
Some other highlights for me were Nancy Leigh DeMoss speech called “What is a True Woman of God.” She spoke of how we serve a God that has inexhaustible, immeasurable wisdom. No matter how deep your problems, God is deeper and His riches are more than we need for our circumstances. God needs nothing or anyone outside of Himself and yet we owe Him everything, He is the source of our existence. If we resist our circumstances we are truly resisting God Himself.
There were many other great speakers. I especially liked Mary Kassian with her history of the women’s movement of the 1960’s. They had a conference in Chicago in 1968, a mere 40 yrs earlier and our society was changed forever. What seemed to be such a small event catapulted immeasurable change. She also did a great job in her “Girls Gone Wild” breakout session comparing the WILD vs. WISE woman (if you get a chance she said the 20 comparisons would be posted on her web sight).
In the constraints of time I must conclude this, although I feel there is so much more I could say.
Nancy spoke at the closing session about Esther and how God had worked so providentially through her. Thus our theme verse, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
The small women’s movement of the 60’s has radically changed our society although it began is living rooms. Who knows what God can do through 6,000 women pledging to God that we will be light in our world and speak unashamedly of goodness and the meaning of the “True Woman”? God has truly created us differently than men, although He values us both of the same. When we live obediently to God’s plan for us we have true joy in our lives. God has given us the picture of Christ and the church as a role model. When we submit to God’s headship we are bringing glory to Him as designed us to do.
PS. I would like to thank all who were involved in coordinating our plans, you did a great jobJ. I had a great time of fellowship with all of the ladies, especially Esme’s and my late night hot tub trip! I truly feel so blessed to have been able to take part in such an event and pray that God will us to impact our world for Him.
The opening night of the conference I was fatigued both physically and emotionally as Britt and Tim had just endured Tim’s leukemia and hospitalization and my mom had emergency quadruple cardiac bypass surgery several days after Tim was released from the hospital. In fact, on the day we left for the conference, my mom was being transported back to the hospital for due to low blood pressure. (Thanks to Judy who encouraged me to just go anyways.)
So anyway, our group had strategically reserved seats toward the front of the conference center. Did I mention the place was amazing? There were 6,200 seats filled with women like us. The lights were dim and the music began. The Getty’s were the worship leaders and the music was spectacular all weekend; it was so good to hear such God-centered music sung by Kristyn’s angelic voice along with the voices of all the ladies in the conference center. My emotions were elevated, tears ran down my face, and I knew that the Lord was so good to bring us there for “for such a time as this” (part of the theme verse Esther 4:14).
John Piper was the main speaker the first night and he spoke of how wimpy theology makes wimpy women. He went on to explain how wimpy theology doesn’t make God big enough to handle life’s trials. I realized how easy it is to dwell on what is seen rather than what is unseen and forget that God is working in unimaginable ways that will bring about His will and display His glory in all of life’s trials. “In every situation God is always doing a thousand different things that you cannot see and cannot know.”
This is comfort to a soul. This is not something new to us, but always good to be brought back to the true knowledge of how big God is in every situation working things out for Himself. He asked at the end for us to answer this question for ourselves: how would my life change if I lived as if I believed? WOW, every time I seem to take a step forward it seems I go two steps back; sometimes in my faith I feel like a giant and others times like a dust mite. Lucky for me God remains the same.
Some other highlights for me were Nancy Leigh DeMoss speech called “What is a True Woman of God.” She spoke of how we serve a God that has inexhaustible, immeasurable wisdom. No matter how deep your problems, God is deeper and His riches are more than we need for our circumstances. God needs nothing or anyone outside of Himself and yet we owe Him everything, He is the source of our existence. If we resist our circumstances we are truly resisting God Himself.
There were many other great speakers. I especially liked Mary Kassian with her history of the women’s movement of the 1960’s. They had a conference in Chicago in 1968, a mere 40 yrs earlier and our society was changed forever. What seemed to be such a small event catapulted immeasurable change. She also did a great job in her “Girls Gone Wild” breakout session comparing the WILD vs. WISE woman (if you get a chance she said the 20 comparisons would be posted on her web sight).
In the constraints of time I must conclude this, although I feel there is so much more I could say.
Nancy spoke at the closing session about Esther and how God had worked so providentially through her. Thus our theme verse, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
The small women’s movement of the 60’s has radically changed our society although it began is living rooms. Who knows what God can do through 6,000 women pledging to God that we will be light in our world and speak unashamedly of goodness and the meaning of the “True Woman”? God has truly created us differently than men, although He values us both of the same. When we live obediently to God’s plan for us we have true joy in our lives. God has given us the picture of Christ and the church as a role model. When we submit to God’s headship we are bringing glory to Him as designed us to do.
PS. I would like to thank all who were involved in coordinating our plans, you did a great jobJ. I had a great time of fellowship with all of the ladies, especially Esme’s and my late night hot tub trip! I truly feel so blessed to have been able to take part in such an event and pray that God will us to impact our world for Him.
Posts
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing Jackie! I too was extremely blessed by the conference and hope that God will use it to impact the world through the lives and prayers of the women that attended and were changed by it.
Post a Comment