How many of you have seen the letters WOF in the last few days? What do those letters mean? Just what do they stand for? Well, I'll tell you. They stand for WOMEN OF FAITH. Women of Faith 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.
This is the first year since the conferences started, 16 years ago, that I've been able to attend. And I hope that its not only the first, but the first of MANY that I am able to attend. I saw the posters talking about it at church WEEKS ago and I wanted to go as soon as I saw the line up. I was all set to sign up to go and it turned out that I was not going to be able to swing going. I just couldn't do it financially b/c some various things came up. Seems like that always happens to me. I was very disappointed, but didn't dwell on it too long. And then a couple of weeks ago, while I was taking a lunch break at work, I found out that I had been given the chance to go anyway. That was a pure gift from the Lord! In fact, I told my husband and my parents that "God knows I NEED to go, and He's provided the way."
I was so excited about going. I'd heard several girls talking about Patsy Clairmont in the past and what an amazing and hilarious woman she was. OMG--I have not laughed quite so hard in so long. Thank you Jesus for the gift of laughter. I've heard its one of the best medicines there is. She has over come so much in her life, emotionally and its because of her faith in Christ. As I listened to her speak this weekend, there were several times that I thought to myself, "Im not alone. There really ARE people who understand."
Anxiety and depression--they are very real. They are not just made up. They are not issues that can just be turned off with a switch. They can be very very serious. I know--I've dealt with both, and still do to some extent. One comment she made this weekend was in regards to taking medication for it. She basically stated, that if you have to take medication to help you deal with these kinds of issues, and to help you get through your day, then do it! And dont let ANYONE make you feel badly for it--afterall, the good Lord is the one who gave someone else the ability and brains to become doctors to treat illness and diseases.
Brenda Warner: Talk about an awesome testimony. I was in awe of her as I listened to her. She gave her life to Christ when she was 12. She joined the Marine's when she was 18. She got married and had a baby boy. His name was Zack. When Zack was 3 1/2 months old, he had accidentally slipped from his birth father's hands and landed on his head in the bathtub. Brenda and her husband were told that the baby had suffered traumatic brain injuries and probably would not live through the night. And if Zack did live, Brenda was told, her son would be profoundly brain-damaged and most likely unable to live anything resembling a normal life. The little boy did live. And although his brain had been badly damaged--he is nearly blind and his motor skills are minimal--Zack is also a happy and loved child.
She said one day her mamma was trying to get her to get out of the house. She'd been avoiding it basically. She shared with us that, "I decided to tell God what it was that I wanted. After all, isn't that what we all do?" All of us women at the conference just laughed. She went on to tell the rest of the story with how she met her husband, NFL's own Kurt Warner. She met him one night and the very next day he showed up on her doorstep. He wanted to meet her kids. And that was it. Their love story goes on from there. He loved her kids immediately. She said it gain: "He loved and cared about my kids." Her story didn't stop with Kurt. She lost her parents to a tornado that destroyed their home. She was only 25 when that happened. She spoke about the phone call she recieved from her sister, letting her know about her folks. She went through SO much between the ages of 18-25--how can you not be in awe of someone's faith through so much? She never gave up. She never lost her faith in the Lord. Brenda and Kurt have 7 kids. And the Lord continues to bless them each and every day.
Lisa Welchel: LOVE her!! Loved the fact that she brought clips from The Facts Of Life with her to share with all of us at the conference. I've always thought she was SO pretty!! I kept thinking the entire weekend, 'wow, its Blair!!' However, it was not Blair Warner....it was Lisa Welchel. She became a Christian when she was 10. She knew that how easy it is and can be to go down the wrong path in life like many do, but she chose to go down the path that followed the Lord. I don't know about anyone else, but when I was a kid, I never really thought about 'people on tv' being Christians. It was humbling to me to watch her yesterday as we sang and praised our Heavenly Father. It was cool to sit and listen to her speak of her faith. She spoke about prayer, the importance of friendships and the power of prayer.
Sandy Patty: What I knew about her, was that my mother and sister have always loved to listen to her music. I knew she had an amazing singing voice, but I have never gotten to hear it in person until this weekend. She wanted to work at Disney Land, singing and dancing. She auditioned when she was 18. She got out there, sung her heart out and noticed that one of the judges dog-eared her papers. She said she thought to herself, that had to be a good sign. They told her they'd be calling to let her know something. She waited, and waited and waited. She finally decided to call and see what was going on. They told her they loved her voice and that her singing was fabulous. But that she hand't danced the way they had hoped she would. The next words that would be spoken, were crushing. "Im sorry, but your carrying a little bit too much weight." But she didn't let that stop her from pursuing her dreams of singing. She headed to Indiana and studied music there. She eventually started traveling with Bill and Gloria Gaither and her singing career took off from there. One thing she stated yesterday was that she can look back now at various things she's dealt with over the years and instead of seeing them as disappointments, she clearly sees the Lord's hand in everything.
Marilyn Meberg: When I first saw the poster at church for Women Of Faith, I'll admit that upon seeing her picture and even when we got to the arena yesterday, that I thought to myself, "She looks so serious. She'll be the 'boring' one to listen to." Quite the opposite. She was as fun and spunky as Patsy Clairmont. Its clear that she's a genuine dear friend to the rest of the girls on the Women Of Faith 'porch.' She's become like a mom to a couple of the girls. She reminds me of my grandma actually--probably because she's tall and thin. She's got a book called, What To Do When the Roof Caves In that talks about what to do emotioinally in tough hard times. I can't wait to get my hands on it to read. Oh...and she loves chocolate! :)
Who doesn't?
Mandisa: What a wonderful voice! I love to hear her sing. She's gone from singing in her bathroom using her curling iron as a microphone, to being a finalist on American Idol, and overcoming mountains, with the Lord's help. She's genuine and real and lets everyone know that you don't have to wear a mask. Just be yourself. Don't try to hide or cover anything up. Just because your a christian doesnt mean that you don't have problems. If your struggling, let someone know. If you need prayers, ask! Don't hide your feelings and emotions. If you need to cry, CRY. Don't keep it locked up inside. Whatever we are dealing with, God will bring us out of it and use it for His Glory.
And....Andy Andrews. I may be mentioning him last, but he is certainly not least. He's hailed as New York Times best selling author, a modern day Will Rogers, he has been asked to speak at the White House by 4 different US Presidents. He lost both of his parents when he was just 19. That in itself broke my heart to hear. He took that bad situation and made it worse, and he eventually became homeless. He asked himself the question, “Is life just a lottery ticket, or are there choices one can make to direct his future?” He headed to the library and began to read various biographies. The rest is history. His bio can be read here:
http://www.andyandrews.com/pages/about-andy-andrews/biography/
What do all of these people have in common, other than the fact that they were all at WOF? They are people. And they are human. Just like you, just like me, just like everyone. They have good days, and they have bad days. They go through trials and have mountains they must climb. They have triumphs and they have disappointments. And through each and every one of their lives, God has remained in the center.
Each of them has a testimony of what the Lord has done in their lives, and they shared those testimonies this weekend. All of us laughed and we cried, and we laughed some more.
Just because someone is famous, doesn't mean that they don't have a story to share. And it might be a story worth listening to, because it just might help someone else to know that they are never alone...because Jesus is ALWAYS there.
OH!! I almost forgot. We also had the privilige of hearing the fabulous Amy Grant! No, sorry, Vince didn't make an appearance with her. But she shared her heart through some wonderful songs.
