I LOVE Women of Faith. I’ve gone almost every year for the past 8 years, and some how I’m not sick of it yet. Sure, like every conference, there are parts I like more than others and parts I could do without. But overall, I LOVE Women of Faith. There are a lot of things to love about it. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out on some of the most incredible (and hilarious) speakers ever.
The first year I went I was a freshman in high school. I was pretty involved in youth group at the time, and the only conferences I had been to were things like Dare to Share or Acquire the Fire. You know, where you walk into the arena and the music is blasting so loud that you can feel your stomach vibrate; where the speakers are all young and relatable and have spiked hair and skater shoes; where the band members have more combined piercings than there are Nalgenes in the audience (but barely). When I walked into the Pepsi Center for Women of Faith my first year and saw this line-up of speakers…
(Ok, so some of them have spiked hair...but I'm willing to bet none of them have peircings.) I’m not going to lie, I thought I was in for a long weekend. Fortunately, I was proven utterly wrong. These women have such incredible hearts, and they share them with more energy than I could ever hope to have.
As great as all the messages are- and the skits, and the worship, and the fellowship- there’s one thing that always strikes me at Women of Faith more than anything else. It always struck me at Dare to Share and Acquire the Fire, too. I’m always in complete awe when I find myself in the middle of an arena that holds 20,000 people that is full to the capacity with followers of Christ. It leaves me speechless really. Women of Faith brings only a fraction of the Body of Christ to one place- this is only a handful of female believers in the Colorado area. But it’s enough to make me feel tiny sitting among them. Imagine just how staggering it would be to have the entire Body of Christ before you. There are so many of us, even though it doesn’t always feel like it.
This picture gives me chills for two reasons really. The first thing it usually brings to mind is the fact that this is how we will spend eternity. I’ve always read the verse and heard the idea of “all the saints” before Jesus on that day. But I never really wrapped my mind around what that would really be like. Obviously even in the middle of the Pepsi Center I have yet to wrap my mind around it, but it sure gets me one step closer to realizing the enormity of it. It will be mind-blowing, to say the least. I, for one, can’t wait.
The other shock that sets in each year is the thought of what this many people could accomplish together. What if each and every person there was constantly serving and giving of themselves? What if each one of us was jumping in with dangerous abandon and living a life of outward service and selflessness? I know that we are a broken people, and the thought of all of us being right on the mark at the same time is an unrealistic “what if”… but it’s a pretty amazing one to daydream about.
Anyway, with that said… I’m off! I’ll be back after I’ve had my much needed fill of Patsy Clairmont :)
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1 comment:
I wonder what would happen if we all did that too...if we all loved and served as much as we could...what a difference that would make. Kind of overwhelming to think of. Thanks for sharing! I hope you had a marvelous spiritual feast!
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