Yesterday I was extremely blessed! I have felt incredibly blessed this year with the opportunity to go to the Worship God Conference which I already wrote about. Yesterday I was able to attend an all day Women's Conference and it was exactly what I needed...refreshing!
Jill Briscoe spoke and I'm sure everyone walked away with something a little bit different. When she walked on stage I have to admit I judged the book by it's cover. I really didn't think I would laugh that much. How pathetic Stacie. This 78 year old woman got up with more energy than I have and she made the whole room burst into laughter and into tears. She was an incredibly gifted speaker and she is living an incredibly gifted life for Christ.
She spoke of stories that are foreign to us here in the North American Church. She has been to countries where being a Christian is punishable by death. She has been in small rooms meeting secretly to encourage other women of faith...our sisters in Christ to press on! She has evangelized on the streets, traveled to Cambodia to witness the killing field yet also witnessed a young girl whose whole family was buried at the killing field give an incredible testimony and share her "theology on suffering".
I think that was one of the many things that really stuck with me. What is a theology of suffering? This Cambodian girl who was thrown into the killing with her family, just for being an educated family, survived. They gathered her mom, dad and sibling and her at night and took them there. Thinking they killed them all they were to come back in the morning to finish anyone off...she survived. She explained how in America when we suffer we pray to God to take it away. We expect to remain healthy and to remain without struggles. This girl said when we suffer we pray that God will strengthen our backs to bare more for his name. What an incredible strength. What an incredible faith. We are truly blind here.
Jill centered her conference around Jeremiah and the many many things he suffered through. Her main point was having our roots in the river. This river? Jesus Christ! If we have our roots deep in the river we have fruit, we have green leaves and we have life! If we don't have our roots in the river we are like tumbleweed. Wander aimlessly, searching for a place to put our roots.
Another point that stuck with me hugely is that at end of our life no one else is responsible for our spiritual state but ourselves. I know there are those out there who have been burned by the church. I know there are those who have been rejected...hurt...outcast. Whose family has abandoned them, whose husband has physically, emotionally or verbally beaten then, whose spouse stopped loving them, whose children have turned their backs on them. But we have to stop putting that blame on everyone else. We have to stop making excuses for not "sitting on the steps of our souls" and having a personal close relationship with Jesus Christ. We all have an eternity...heaven or hell...and it is up to us which one we choose. Even I have to stop making excuses. I have a husband who didn't grow up with a spiritual leader...so naturally he struggles with leading our family (to my expectations). How dumb of me to expect so highly of him...he is a leader for our family because everyday he demonstrates love towards me, he demonstrates patience towards our kids, he loves his neighbors more than himself and he sure does love God. So what if he doesn't do what I think a spiritual leader should do...I'm responsible for me and we together are responsible for these kids we are blessed to raise together!
I am so incredibly grateful for a God of many chances. Because I have had my roots planted deep into the river and i have had them barely hanging on. How amazing is it that we have a God that will always bring us back. He may let us wander aimlessly but he never fails to bring us back!
We are not what we should be
We haven't sought what we should seek
We've seen your glory Lord but looked away
Our hearts are bent our eyes dim
Our finest works are stained with sin
And emptiness has shadowed all our ways
Jesus Christ shine into our night!
Drive our dark away, until your glory fills our eyes
Jesus Christ shine into our night!
Bind us to your cross, where we find life!
STill we often go astray!
We chase the world forget your grace
But you have never failed to bring us back!
Reveal the depths of what you've done
The death you died, the victory won
You've made a way for us to know your love!
Jesus Christ shine into our night!
Drive our dark away, until your glory fills our eyes
Jesus Christ, shine into our night
Bind us to your cross, where we find life!
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