So I may have briefly mentioned it before, but I am super stoked to be diving headfirst into the 31 Days series with the Nester which starts today!
Now I could have made this fit into my topic, are you intrigued yet as to what I am writing about? ;)
But I wanted it to be separate as it totally fits in with today as I am home from our retreat, and feeling incredible despite the teary mess that happened last week over not being able to attend the Influence Conference this year.
See what I wasn't expecting was that the Lord in His amazing goodness, would sort of allow me to do both. I was able to be fully present and serve over 300 students at a camp this weekend, and still follow the conference through instagram and twitter. At first I found it really hard to be on there as I could see all the things I was missing out on. But then on Friday I felt the urge to pray for the conference instead when I suddenly had 45 mins to sit while the baby I care for fell asleep in the grocery store parking lot. So I prayed, friends I stormed that throne room all weekend for both the conference and the students at the retreat we were at. I prayed with leaders at the retreat who needed encouragement with the students they were working with, opportunities to be more involved in this ministry.
I prayed for all you beautiful ladies who spoke at the conference and followed along as the Lord moved hearts in your sessions & workshops. I prayed for those of you I so desperately wanted to meet, that you would be so blessed by the women you came into contact with! I prayed for those of you who were feeling lonely, that a sweet sister in Christ would find you and spend time with you. And the Lord worked in my hearts friends, rather than feeling sad about not being there. I felt SO privileged to be able to pray for all of you and to see firsthand through social media how the Lord was at work. I was SO blessed by all your tweets and instagrams.
Some of my favorite tweets:
the gospel should be infused into everything we do. @thetinytwig #influenceconf
Strategy and the Gospel are linked. And the Gospel applies to all areas of our lives. @thetinytwig #InfluenceConf
You can live in wholeness. And it only comes in Jesus. @thetinytwig #InfluenceConf
We go astray when we add something else to the equation other than Jesus. @thetinytwig #influenceconf
"Christ is in us, & that's the most humbling & empowering thing at the same time." -@thetinytwig #influenceconf
When I feel myself strive, all I have to do is lock arms with Jesus and walk forward with him. @thetinytwig #influenceconf
I came to #influenceconf for a lot of things, but God is giving me what I didn't even know I needed.
"My plan didn't work out - but God is STILL good." @SweetnessItself #influenceconf
“I don’t want to stand before God at the end of my days and say: It sounded so scary—so I didn’t.” @sniequist #InfluenceConf
"God doesn't want to heal you to use you. He wants to heal you because He loves you." @naptimediaries #influenceconf
Don't believe the lie that nobody is on your team. @naptimediaries #InfluenceConf
"(the Proverbs 31 woman) doesn't live in a bubble. She lets The Lord mess her up." - @naptimediaries #influenceconf
"influence comes from humble service" @nicksconnolly #influenceconf
I am so so thankful to all of you sweet friends for sharing these pearls of wisdom while you were at the conference, to those of us who were unable to be there! Thankyou from the bottom of our hearts!!!
I am so thankful for so many beautiful reminders! This weekend was incredibly powerful for me in healing my understanding of my completeness in Jesus Christ alone! To remember that He DOES have a plan and it is PERFECT!
I didn't even expect to take away anything but heartache at being unable to attend friends! But I got to be present through social media & the privilege of camping out before the Lord on your behalf! It is SO true, follow Him even when it hurts to not attend something!!
Praying that next year, part of following Him will involve attending the Conference again!
I want to hear how your experience of Influence was??
All Instagram Images belong to those mentioned above. No Copyright intended =)
Love this. So glad you got to attend without attending. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne! I was SO thankful for social media over the weekend =)
DeleteI love love this post! Thankful for your heart and also your obedience to influence right where you are supposed to be that moment. xo.
ReplyDeleteSweet friend! I was so blessed by you this weekend!!! =) I was right where I was supposed to be, but God was SO gracious to me in allowing me to feel present in Indy at the same time!! =)
DeleteI was following along via Instagram and Twitter too! So thankful we could glean so much wisdom from afar :)
ReplyDeleteStopping by from Life Lately!
Absolutely!! Such a HUGE blessing friend!! =) I felt the Lord speak truth into my life even though I couldn't physically be present with all those beautiful ladies and their amazing hearts! =) Thanks for stopping by! Much Love! =)
DeleteI read this and I almost felt guilty for feeling sad and jealous over it...but i love your heart <3
ReplyDeleteYou are precious friend! So thankful for your friendship! =) And totally didn't want you to feel guilty! =( I missed being able to see you and give you a hug (totally your thing I know ;) haha! )
DeleteI have yet to go to a blogging conference, but I'm thinking it's about that time. I would LOVE to go to a good one. Do you have any suggestions for the best ones? I'm thinking maybe Springtime 2014....
ReplyDeleteHey Mary Beth! I feel so special everytime you comment here or on my instagram =) =)
DeleteHmm well in the Spring Hope Spoken will be happening? I was hoping to go to that & am about to take a leap of faith and buy a ticket I think =)
Would be amazing to meet you!!! =) Much Love!!
http://hopespoken.org/
That's how I felt last year, I was not there, but so being filled with His goodness. I loved it so much. So many emotions, still processing it all. And writing multiple blog posts on it.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read them all sweet friend!! =) SO sad I didn't get to hug you and spend time with you =)
DeleteI couldn't attend this year, but boy did God speak to me through all the posts from twitter and instagram!
ReplyDeleteFound you through Annapolis & Company. :)
www.caitlinmfrost.wordpress.com
Same here friend! Wasn't it SO encouraging??? =)
DeleteOh I'm so glad, I just love Mary Beth =) =)
I'm so humbled by your heart, L. Thank you so much for all your prayers. (And if you were serving with HP's YA a part of me was so sad I couldn't be there too! So thankful for your ministry with YA and for those precious students.)
ReplyDeleteThanks Annie!! =) Was definitely praying all weekend =)
Deletelove this Elle. What a great way to experience the pieces of the conference God had for you and being obedient in His call for you to minister to the teens. Love it. And you were most definitely missed.
ReplyDeleteAww thanks friend!! I SO missed being able to see you!! =(
DeleteAre you going to Hope Spoken? I'm so thankful you ladies have been sharing everything that happened at the conference,
its been great to see how the Lord was at work =)
WOW! This is so neat. God is so good - He let you be there in spirit via the very thing (the internet) that brings us all together in the mission we share as women of influence!!! Please come next year so I can HUG YA, sista!!!! T H A N K Y O U for praying for us. That's huge. I know that those prayers were felt! XO
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DeleteOh I was SO thankful friend!! YES!! I totally want to come next year, will be praying about it! SO hoping the Lord will open the door next year =) =) Much Love!!!
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