Debrief

It's Sunday night and with the  the Femina Conference, the Grace Agenda Conference, Sabbath dinner, two worship services, and a huge church picnic and psalm sing now behind us, I must thank the Lord for crowding us with so many kindnesses these past few days. Tired? Yes. Blessed? Very much!

Highlight of it all was meeting Mark and Grace Driscoll. Mark  addressed us twice, and he nailed it both times. We so appreciate them making the trip over. Grace looks like a much-loved woman, which made Mark's ministry to us all the sweeter. (And she's fun!)

Now for a few highlights:

From Pastor Mark: Are you more disposed to sin being religious or sin being rebellious? Good questions and easy to get nailed in that talk.  He used the prodigal son story for that one, and he pointed out that there is a perfect Third Son who is neither religious or rebellious. He gave a talk on masculinity, the need for men to be tough and tender. Tough to outsiders who would harm the wife, the home, the kids. Tender to the people inside the home.

Doug interviewed Mark, and I couldn't help but feel like those two have a lot in common. Rachel summed it up when she said that Mark feels like a cousin or something. Familiar and almost family.

Nate reminded us to keep our eyes open to the wonder all around us and not to grow numb to all the glory in this fantasy world of ours. Ben spoke to us on how to pray, bringing all our desires to God just like He told us to do. Pestering Him about those things just like the neighbor in the parable who needs some bread.  Doug reminded us that we become like what we worship, which explains why our culture is so confused. When you refuse to acknowledge your Creator, and want to shape your own identity according to your own whims, you end up blurring every distinction. And God loves distinctions: male and female, heaven and earth, moon and sun, etc.

Heather spoke to the unmarried women about using their time wisely and the importance of connecting to community. My favorite point of hers was that when Nate made it clear to her that he was going to be living in Idaho, not near the ocean, she thought about all the best books she'd read and about the main characters she admired most in them. What would they do? So she did the same thing. The courageous thing!

Bekah urged the married women to think about what kinds of things their husbands would like them to do, or not do, that they have ignored. Rachel emphasized the role of the mother in making the home all about good fellowship with one another.

Hats off to Tora Whitling and her team who made the Femina conference attendees a beautiful and delicious lunch, and to Donna Foucachon who was such a lovely m.c. for our Femina conference.

Thanks to all of you who came! What a blessing you all were to us. And thanks to those who told us you were praying for us. We are so very grateful!