Over The Top Part III

The following review is from my friend Carrie that went to the conference with me.  Since she loves to write and loves to be heard, we decided it would be fun to include her thoughts since she used the extra ticket that was given to me for the review.  I know you'll enjoy her review.....so read on!

Have you ever been in a place in life where you needed something but didn’t know what? One of my favorite movies is “Fools Rush In”. It is completely immoral, but I still love the story, and you know there are several we all have that could fall into that category! (Even “The Little Mermaid”!) ANYWAY…….In the film, Matthew Perry tells Salma Heyak, “You are everything I never knew I always wanted.” It has always stuck with me, isn’t that how so many of us feel about God?
I have found myself at this huge crossroad in life and I have been desperate for a little guidance from God. One of my oldest and closest friends from High School, that I have not really spent time with in far too long was looking for someone to go to the Women of Faith conference with at the Key Arena in Seattle. I thought for sure she would have found someone, so I didn’t even bother to say anything. I know, totally Eyore of me right? Finally, I spoke up and told her I would love to go. I can say, with total confidence, that God had planned just that all along.
Danielle and I picked up right where we left off, as if ____ years had never gone by. I leave the number blank because it scares me to even put it on paper. I honestly had the best time before we even found our seats.
Then the conference began. They kicked it off with a bit of worship and it was beautiful. It was a perfect blend of melody and harmony, accompanied by the Presence of The King of Kings. Then, this little firecracker named, Patsy Clairmont, gets up and begins to share. Being the people watcher that I am, I will say she should stick to blonde and ditch the red hair, but hey, at least she is enjoying it! She tells it exactly like it is and packs a punch! She has such a great God Story, you know the story of what God saved you from? She conquered crippling fear in her life that is very inspiring. To go from being Agoraphobic to speaking on stages across the country is a serious testimony in and of itself.
Then ADHD stepped on stage. He goes by the name Andy Andrews and in Q & A he informed us that his mother did not name him Andrew Andrews. He is an author and once you get past the craziness, he is incredible. He made me nervous, I hate when people even pace, so his speaking style was hard for me. But he had so much to say that spoke to me.
The way that they did lunch was total chaos and the food was not at all worth the wait and frustration. But all in all, the day session was exactly what I never knew I wanted or needed even. Patsy said something that day that is still ringing in my ears. “God gave us a will that is stronger than our emotions. Our emotions don’t have brain cells because they weren’t meant to think.” Remember the crossroad that I referred to? I am still chewing on that one and trying to figure it all out, but now I have peace about it all.
The evening started off with a bang after an overly long break of…. FOREVER! Mandisa rocked the house and Mr. Andy Andrews closed it out with a great, and surprisingly focused message. I really want to read all of his books and have my eye on The Traveler’s Gift to start with. His perspective on everything is so simple, yet profound and everyone could benefit from reading one of his books.
Danielle and I had an old fashioned sleep over at her dad’s house and honestly there was very little sleeping. As exhausted as I was the next day, it was totally worth it and so long overdue! I think that so many women lose sight of how vital friendship is. We were not meant to do life alone and even in the privacy of our own home and family life we can feel alone. There is nothing greater than having a great friend. In today’s society we have slipped into this “facebook friends” interaction between friends. We used to get together for a cup of coffee or talk on the phone to catch up, now we post something on the other’s wall, and we lose touch with the people we care about. As sad as it is, I have totally fallen into that routine. This weekend and conference got me away from just that and it was so refreshing in every way possible.
The next day was awesome! It was a beautiful clear day in Seattle, which everyone knows is something to be cherished. I laughed and cried at the conference on Saturday so much as cliché as that even sounds. Everything said seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear. You know that feeling in church where you swear the Pastor has been reading your mail? Yeah, all weekend. It was poignant and meaningful and thought provoking.

I left the morning session feeling revived and then let’s just say Danielle and I decided to skip the provided lunch. She opted for the over salted and over priced pretzel at the Key Arena and I went to the Food Court for my cold over priced slice of pizza. I am not normally a complainer, especially about food. I worked in the food industry for many years and I am very sympathetic to problems and whatnot in that field. However, if I am going to give an honest review, than I guess I better be honest! We spent the rest of our break walking around and taking some random, abstract photos of Seattle and it’s inhabitants. The Science Center grounds were filled with 20 plus food trucks and I desperately wished I had brought more money. Well, if I am wishing, I am actually wishing I HAD more money to bring! Back to the point though, we had a great time with our conversation and our cameras, taking a look at a beautiful city through a different lens.
The latter part of the day was back to the Arena for more worship, Godly wisdom and a lot more tears and laughter. Selah performed for the second time, I am only mentioning it now, because they didn’t feel noteworthy the first go-round for me. I now am addicted to their song “Unredeemed”. It is precisely where I find myself. It talks about, in my humble opinion, the darkest moments of our lives. Those times when we feel so alone, and afraid. The, “in the midst of the storm” kind of moments. Those are, “the places where grace is soon to be so amazing”……….I cannot get enough of that lyric. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for a grace from God that I am so unworthy of. Andy said something to go along with just that about us not wanting to get what we really deserve. God is just so good, isn’t He? His love is overwhelming and His grace………. That is a sentence that I may never complete.
God showed up for me in a very personal way this weekend. Really, He was always there, I just became very aware of his presence. It was, “everything I never knew I always wanted.” I needed to be filled up with fresh wisdom and worship and insight…..and laughter with a great friend.


Isn't that the truth?  Carrie hit on something there really deep when she brought up our relationships with our friends.  We both needed that time together.  God knew more than we did how much we needed that time.  I love U2 Carrie!