Weekend Continued

I know you've all been waiting to hear about Saturday at Women of Faith. So here it is.

Lisa Whelchel. Yes, Blair from "The Facts of Life." She is now an author and founder of MomTime Ministries. Her new book is called "Friendship for Grown-ups" and that is what she spoke about at the conference. She shared about how she had to learn to make friends as an adult since her childhood was spent working with on-screen "friends." The thing I took away from what she said was that to have good friends you have to be a good friend. Be a friend who gives, listens, and is gracious. Then those kind of friends will find you. Oh, yeah, I also learned that she got to kiss on George Clooney during his stint on her show. He seems like he'd be a good friend.

Sandi Patty. Well, Sandi Patty could just sing and not talk at all and I'd be happy. But what she says is almost as beautiful as how she sings. She talked about being on the edge of the divine. About how we can live in this life close to God and enjoy all His grace and goodness and love and mercy. And how she is learning to do just that. And I just have to say that if I could sing like this women I'd sing every word I ever spoke for the rest of my life.

Marilyn Meberg. Marilyn seems like the mom of all the ladies on the porch (even though a couple of them are older than she is.) She seems like the down to earth one. The one who could answer all of your deepest, darkest questions and love you along the way. She shared about being closer to God. And isn't that what Christianity is all about?

Debra Joy Winans. Debra Joy was the drama queen of the weekend. She performed several skits over the two days that touched the very heart of many of the women in the audience. She was a mom who literally wore so many hats that she had a hard time keeping track of who she was and who she was supposed to be. And she was a wife and mother who felt invisible in her life but realized that she was not invisible to God and that he saw, and appreciated, everything she did while serving her purpose in Him. The drama part of the weekend isn't usually a highlight for me, but this year Debra Joy made me think and I learned a lot from her performances.

Amy Grant. I've never been a huge Amy Grant fan. I couldn't even name one of her songs if I tried. But I really, really enjoyed her performance. It felt like we were in a small venue when we were in fact in a huge arena. She and her three-man band played several of her songs, both Christian and secular. She seemed very real and down to earth compared to the divaliciousness of Mandisa and the voice perfection of Sandi Patty. She just sang and told stories and was soft and sweet and authentic. I may just have to look her up on itunes and get to know her music. I think I'd like it...and her.

So there you have it. Once again Women of Faith gave me a weekend to remember. It really is a blessing and I'm already looking forward to next year.