Full of meat and potatoes!!!

I'm just going to jump right in... We left for JV's Fall Conference in Czech on Monday and I was expecting good things. However, I was not expecting GREAT things and that is just what I received from the Lord! The Lord spoke in some powerful ways through several people this week!

The theme was Passing the Baton! Which is really JV's mission, making disciples, who make disciples! And just to state the obvious... I am not making disciples, the Holy Spirit does that! We are not called to make disciples of ourselves but of Jesus. So how do we do that? We point them to HIM always and never ourselves!! So they used the analogy of running all week, which is pretty ironic since I am trying to train for a half marathon and was a littly unsure if I would really do it because I am training by myself! Needless to say, I am doing it, so long as my ROLLED ANKLE will heal quickly :) (Thats a story for later)

I won't be able to write all the things God taught me or that I feel convicted of, or excited about, or motivated about, BUT I will try to give a few highlights of this week!

I'll start with my favorite, which was a clinic called Extreme Exposure to the Word by Greg Carlson! He is a very funny, passionate man of the Lord and I feel so blessed by what he shared with us! He gave us an article by Ron Frost about reading the Bible! When one man was asked how he gained all his biblical knowledge, he laughed and just said, I just read my Bible. Then he was asked well, 'how much reading- how do you approach it?' And he said, he tries to read through it 2-3 times a year! Needless to say, the article was SO challenging to me and I do feel like the Lord has given me a hunger for His Word and so Brooke and I are going to do a read though by the time I leave Slovenia, which is less then 3 months away! I am sooooo excited!!! And as sad as it is... this will be my first time to read the Bible ALL the way through! I have attempted many times and always failed! SO, I am ready, with the help of the Lord, to hear the Word of God and watch it transform my life!!!! I need accountability if anyone wants to check up on me these next few months!

I also went to an awesome clinic called Leading Disciples to Freedom and it was for yourself and/or for your disciples! So it spoke a lot to me! Amy Ellenwood did this clinic and did a great job! It was a lot about being in tune with the Holy Spirit in order to be set free by Jesus! The only ONE that can heal our heart is the ONE who made it! Once the lies we have believed about ourselves or others or God, and sins are exposed, by the Spirit, to the light, the power it had in our life is BROKEN! So it was really encouraging! I feel like this is somethign that I experienced at the beginning of the summer when Johnny and Brooke prayed with me... The sin was exposed and brough into the light and Jesus has been able to heal and continues to heal me! Praise God!

The last but certainly NOT LEAST, was a clinic called Discipling Girls by Connie Patty. It was a very practical clinic, which was so nice! We MUST rely fully on the Spirit, make yourself available to Him and He will use you! If you have any questions about this I would love to give you some tips that Connie gave us! But the biggest thing that stuck out to me that applies to ALL discipleship is that it is sacrifical. Jesus payed paid the biggest price by sacrificing his life and I believe that is what He calls us to as well, to give our life! Sounds easier then it is :)

These were just 3 of 13 clinics. Then there were 9 main seminars which included, The Finish Line, Mapping the Course, The First Lap, Good Shoes, Clearing the Hurdles, Training on the Run, Making the Handoff, Strength Training, and The Long Run. Talk about overload of good stuff!! Some serious meat and potatoes, if you will!

Ok... I'll leave ya this, my eyes full of tears...

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that YOU will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:2-3

Amen!