Two weeks ago, God lavished me with the gift of attending The Relevant Conference – the first Christian blogging conference in the nation.
I’ve been quietly processing, processing, processing… and wanted to share some of the highlights with you.
First, consider this:
The two most popular presences on the Internet are pornography, and moms.
Do you notice what those two groups have in common?
You’re right: Women!
Yet, each group influences others in distinctly different ways.
It made sense, then, why God would gather 200+ blogging women, who reach thousands upon thousands of readers, in one room to talk to them – not so much about blogging as about integrity and ministry.
He reminded us that, when it comes to blogging, we must flourish in our relationship with Him first. We must love and care for our husbands, children, and real-life-friends first. We need to pray for our readers, and love them (that’s YOU!). We need to be bold in sharing our stories about God’s grace, generous in sharing our encouragement and wisdom, and transparent in sharing our humanity.
I love day-dreaming about the transformation that He began at Relevant 10 and anticipate a brilliant second-story at Relevant 11. (Psst… Ticket sales are already getting underway, with a Black Friday special!)
I love day-dreaming about the far-reaching influence of thousands of blogging women – who are full of the Holy Spirit, enriched by Scripture, and unified with their families. (Can you imagine?!)Today, it’s my pleasure to share 3 of those women with you:
If you have time this week, please take some time to read through Sally Clarkson’s blog and look into her incredible books. Sally was a keynote speaker at the conference, and we all snuggled right up to her, and soaked in her encouraging words. She’s the kind of woman who doesn’t speak to you about what you should be doing, but rather what you could be doing. I love her for that. God uses her as a continual breath of fresh air for motherhood, which, as many of you know, needs fresh air every day. If you would like to see her in person (you’ll just love her), look into her upcoming Mom Heart Conferences.
Regardless, do consider saving up for the books she has written. I highly recommend:
Educating the Whole-Hearted Child
The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child’s Heart For Eternity
The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ’s Example in Reaching the Heart’s of Our Children
Another inspiring woman I’d love for you to get to know is Courtney of Women Living Well. At the conference, Courtney shared a devotional that deeply encouraged me to see my blog as a ministry; and to surrender my work to God Himself. She is dynamic, amiable, and committed. Courtney is one of those people who you’re sure you’ve known for years, because you trust her sincerity, passion, and insights. She’ll get you pumped up about reading Scripture every day, fine-tuning your daily schedule, and lovin’ your man well. And she represented us “1950s women” on the Rachael Ray show! She made it totally clear that we are not 60-years out-of-date, but rather happy, hard-working, real women. She was awesome. You’ll be able to see it all on her blog.
Finally, I couldn’t wait to tell you about Shelly Ballestero, author of Beauty By God: Inside Out Secrets for Every Woman. She proclaims a stunning story of redemption; God has transformed her into an abundantly generous, compassionate soul. After we exchanged a heart-to-heart conversation in the hallway, she loaded me down with gifts of her natural beauty products line. (Let me just say that I already keep the chapstick with me at all times. It’s scrumptious!) I just have a feeling that you’ll love connecting with her and appreciating her powerful work.
Please enjoy meeting these wonderful women; I’m sure they’ll inspire you as much as they inspire me.
Also, don’t forget to spread the word about the chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to The Vintage Pearl!
The contest closes on Friday morning, so get your comments in!
(Oh, please do subscribe OR follow along…)
