There’s this conference put on by Carol Kent and her team up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A dear friend mentioned she was preparing to go to this conference and asked if I was going. Uh, why?
She said, “You have a voice. You have a story to share.”
And that’s exactly what Speak Up Conference is about–learning how best to glorify God with the skill set He’s given us. But that’s not it.
No one could ever have told me or described to me just what Speak Up is, because it is so much more. I don’t know the count of people there, but it was small. All the participant’s binders, they fit on two tables. That’s small.
The low numbers provided opportunities for real connections to be made. Divine meetings.
In fact, I had the honor of meeting women with the same mindset and goals. Women I met and prayed with as if we were the prayer team (so fun!). The ladies I met during our editing intensive. The publishers and agents. That group of ladies from Detroit, I just love your enthusiasm for wanting to take women deeper in God’s Word. Wait a minute, it sure seemed like everyone I met had the same desires– To go deeper. To take women deeper in the Word.
We all were of like-mindsets.
I felt intimidated walking into that room the first night. And you know what? Quickly, that fear was erased, because everyone, I mean everyone was a champion for each other.
I’ve never been around so many women and just felt at ease and comfortable, and supported.
It was an amazing experience that truly held God as the Director, Creator, and Leader.
Forever changed.
Forever empowered.
