This weekend the Women of Faith conference in Columbus was full of great music, lots of laughter, challenging and encouraging messages and time with friends. It was a great way to spend two days and I’m ever so glad I was able to go.
Aside from the thought-provoking lessons in Nicole Johnson’s dramas, the bravery of Mary Beth Chapman, the energy of Andy Andrews, the top-notch praise and worship team, the joy that spilled out of Mandisa and the transparency of each speaker as they shared their heart with us, I also had some ‘girlfriend’ time that was refreshing and totally enjoyable. I love weekends like that.
So many things spoke to my heart during those few hours. Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman shared the same stage for the first time ever. Steven was fantastic as usual as he sang and ministered and although Mary Beth was nervous about her role and how God is changing her direction, she was great at sharing her story and her heart. She’s an Ohio girl so she started off with a hearty O-H..I-O which we loved!
It hasn’t been quite two years since the loss of their youngest daughter and their family is still adjusting much as we are. Each of them said something I identified with. Steven said there are points when it’s just hard, still just very hard and then there are times when you say, “God, I’m doing this and it’s easy. How can this be easy? How can that be?” Grief is such a dichotomy of emotions and thoughts. One moment you are fine and the next you are blubbering all over yourself. One day everything you do is hard and the next you sail through things and wonder how.
Mary Beth said, of their tragedy, “Surely Satan was out to stop the Chapman family. But he didn’t win.” She is so right. Tragedy, death, disappointment isn’t just a plan of the enemy to stop the one who is targeted. His plan is to take out more than one. He wants a whole family and perhaps, in our case, a whole church. He wants to rip open our heart and cause us to be full of doubt and unbelief because those things paralyze us spiritually. He hasn’t won with the Chapman family and he hasn’t won with the VanBuskirk/Church Triumphant family either.
All weekend there were messages about not quitting, reminders that God has a plan and when we stay yielded to Him, we win. The Chapman’s can’t wait to dance with their little ‘Cinderella’ again someday and I can’t wait to feel Handsome’s arms around me one more time. Because of Jesus those things will be a reality for us.
Mandisa shared a song on Friday night that she wrote after a lady she prayed with lost her first baby only a few weeks short of full-term. I would like to share it with you. It’s only an audio file, but the song is a beautiful reminder that those already in Heaven would not want to come back, no matter how much they loved us. They are fine and experiencing more than we can even imagine. I’m jealous.
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4 (New International Version)
JEV 