Women of Faith

"Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace."
- Proverbs 3:17

What do you get when you put over 18,000 women in one space? Two days packed full of worship time, inspiring and encouraging speakers.... plus laughter, tears, and fellowship.

“God loves us more than we know. He gives us more than we can ask or dream. He's unrestrained ... excessive ... outrageous ... Over the Top” ... that is the theme for the Women of Faith Conference which will be held the next two days in downtown Denver.

In case you’ve never heard of Women of Faith, it is a faith-based women’s organization encouraging women of all ages and stages in life to grow in faith and spiritual maturity through a relationship with Jesus Christ and an understanding of God’s love and grace. Each conference offers an amazing schedule of special guest speakers, and musical guests.

I will be attending the conference with a group of my “Sisters in Christ” from church, and we are so excited because the line up for the weekend includes: Amy Grant, Mandisa, Sandi Patty, Patsy Clairmont, Marilyn Meberg, Lisa Whelchel, Brenda Warner, Katharine Everett, and my favorite Christian fiction writer, Karen Kingsbury. What an amazing group of women ... lovin’ the Lord and sharing their faith!

This week I was reading an article and came across the following question, “Can you imagine your name being listed along with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, and Moses in God’s list of the faithful?” 
I thought to myself, “What about Sarah, Rahab, Deborah, Mary and Martha?”

Despite the customs of biblical times, Jesus frequently surprised his followers by the way he ministered to women. They were real people to Jesus.

God expects both men and women to be faithful, to be in relationship with Him, and to live according to His word.  Colossians 2:7 tells us, "Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith."

What does being a “woman of faith” mean to you? I’m not going to answer that question today, but be sure to check back next week for my “after conference” blog ... including photos and updates from this weekend’s event.

It’s Friday, Let’s Sparkle ... action required ... Why not find a few minutes this weekend to share your faith with other women? Here are a few suggestions to get you started...

• Gather some women together and listen to some of your favorite Christian music.

• Meet at a coffee shop to discuss your favorite scripture verses.

• Invite some friends over for lunch and share how God is working in your lives.

• Organize a prayer walk with other women from your neighborhood.

I’d love to hear other creative ideas that you come up with to share your faith with other women.

By the way, don’t forget that Courageous opens in theaters today. From the creators of Fireproof.... another amazing movie!

HONOR BEGINS AT HOME ... Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. Law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson, and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

Hope you have an unrestrained, excessive and outrageous weekend.

God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

Walk the Walk of Faith- author unkown

Kidz Topic: STUDY

This is a new segment of my blog where I will be sharing a variety of thoughts, scripture verses, and “sparkle” ideas just for kids.  Feel free to pass them on to your children, grandchildren, or any other young people that God has put in your life.  

KIDZ ☮ PEACE ...No matter what your age or grade, learning new things is part of our everyday life.  Whether we are learning to tie our shoes, learning to drive a car, or learning a new job, we are faced with tasks that we have never done before.

I graduated from high school many (many) years ago, got a job, and never went to college.  Two years ago I decided that I wanted to get my college degree.  The challenges of learning never stop - even for someone my age.  One of the hardest things for me has been finding good study habits that work around my job and other activities.  It has been found that too often students do poorly in school because they lack good study habits.  Thank goodness, if we learn good study habits at a young age, we never forget.  It's like riding a bike - once you learn "how," you can do it even if you haven't done it for a long time. 

1.  Good study habits:

• Pay attention and take good notes in class

• Have one special place to write down your assignments (it will help keep you organized)
• Choose a good location for studying (a desk or work table away from interruptions, good lighting), and set a regular time to study
• Have the necessary supplies in your study space (box of pencils, pens, markers, ruler, scissors, stapler, paper, etc)
• Be sure to study ahead of time for tests (don’t wait until the night before)
• Plan ahead for projects and set aside enough time to complete (be organized and break the project down in to small goals)
• Ask for help if you need it (parents, teachers, counselors, older brothers and sisters)
• Getting a good night sleep is important for effective studying (set a regular bedtime)

2.  What does God's Word tell us?

When we go to God in prayer and read His word we find instruction on many different topics. Scripture also tells us about the importance of learning, "Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God” -1 Chronicles 22:19.  Check out these verses: Proverbs 9:9, Proverbs 1:5, Ecclesiastes 1:13.

3. Spiritual study habits:

Every Christian young or old needs to get to know God better. We need to be consistent... in order to make our spiritual studies a “habit.” To do this, we need to set up a schedule that works around our other activities and seek God every day. Spiritual study includes:

• Devotional “quiet” time
• Prayer time
• Bible study (reading God’s word)
• Memorizing scripture
• Fellowship with other believers (weekly Sunday school, youth group, Christian concerts)

Kidz Thought for the Week: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” - from Walt Disney

Keeping you in my prayers. 'til next week ... study hard and always do your best!
God's Peace, Donna