Hey Women of Faith!

On September 23 and 24th, I attended the Women of Faith Imagine conference held here in uptown Charlotte.  I scored free tickets  from WOF just for agreeing to share my experiences via my blog and social media.  Savings for me!!  This was the first WOF event I had ever attended so I wasn't really sure what to expect.  As usual, there was an amazing list of speakers and musical guests, tickets included lunch for both Friday and Saturday, and the venue (Time Warner Cable Arena) is easily accessible and a nice place to watch an event.  Sheila Walsh was an excellent speaker and Dr. Henry Cloud was awesome.  Actually I enjoyed every speaker.  I quickly realized it wasn't a note taking experience as much as watch and listen experience.  What I appreciated was the transparency of the speakers as they each shared personal struggles from their own lives.  I found it easy to relate to each of them - especially the moms.  It was a joy to hear author Karen Kingsbury speak - she seemed normal like the rest of us non-famous people.  She read one of her books to us and the words brought everyone in the audience to their knees.  Let Me Hold You Longer is a book she wrote to her children and let me tell you it made me want to hold my boys and never let go.  A woman sitting behind me was sobbing uncontrollably by the end of the reading - my heart hurt for her wondering what it was that had touched her so much.  Had she lost a child?  Was she reliving regrets?  I will never know but I do know the book is powerful.  I enjoyed one of Nicole Johnson's sessions concerning anger and how it seems society does not allow women to be angry without being called the B word.  It is unreal how we are able to stuff so many feelings and emotions into ourselves, hiding true feelings, and fighting to always be in control of everything.  Thankfully God is in the business of healing - not just physical conditions but emotional as well.

If you get the opportunity to attend a WOF event, I would say go for it.  They have a pretty full calendar of events on their website.  This is a great opportunity to get together with the women in your life, church, and community to take a break from the mundane, sit in an arena surrounded by people worshiping the same God, and enjoy the life God has bless you with.