Stepping Out--- Moving On!

I made it--- I survived!

This past weekend I spent three days in Concord, NC attending She Speaks, a speaker/writer conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministry. What an amazing experience! I met so many wonderful women who love the Lord and seek to serve Him by investing in the lives of women.

The weekend was packed with lots of opportunities. I had the chance to take part in a speaker evaluation group. I pitched Reflecting His Glory to Zondervan as well as two literary agents. All of these opportunities stretched me! In fact, I found myself fighting the urge to call a taxi cab so I could rush home to my safe haven of Arkansas. Thankfully, the Lord gave me strength and I pushed through the fear in order to step out in faith.

Saturday was the most intense day. I woke up with a sense of dread. I knew the day was going to be long and way outside my comfort zone. I arrived at my first meeting. I waited for forty minutes and heard the words, "She is ready to see you." I walked in and started to talk. You all know how fast I talk when I am nervous. I talked and talked and talked! I kept repeating myself. By the time I made it to the end of my pitch, I knew I had last her attention. I tried to figure some way to redeem the meeting, but I could not. It was a "no go." I thanked her for the time and left. As I walked down the hall I thought, "One rejection down, two more to go." For a moment I strongly considered canceling my other meetings. "They are all going to say the same thing," I told myself. Thankfully, my resolve to finish the day well, forced me to carry on. I came to my second meeting and waited for thirty minutes. Once again I heard, "She is ready to see you." I walked in and immediately knew that God was granting me boldness. I presented the book and my ministry with passion, energy, and clarity. And, the response was very positive! I left the meeting with tangible things that I need to do to grow the ministry. It was now time to face the third meeting. This was going to be the most challenging meeting of all. Are you surprised to know that I thought about canceling? Yep, always running from uncomfortable situations! Thankfully, I did not. I waited for twenty minutes and heard the words, "She is ready to see you." I walked in and went through the pitch. Praise the Lord, the response was very positive for me and TVM. The agent felt like Reflecting His Glory is not a "break into the market" study so she sent me home with the challenge to keep on writing. I gladly took the challenge and left the meeting feeling thankful for the agents openness, honesty, and suggestions. Next on my plate was my speaker evaluation group. I walked down the hall and into a room where I stood in front of 12 people, who do the same thing that I do, and presented a five minute mini-lesson. As I taught, the ladies took notes on every aspect of my presentation. At this point, I was too tired to be nervous. Thankfully the presentation went well and the feedback was great. No surprise that I was encouraged to slow down just a bit!

On the flight home, I thought about the weekend. I thought about the fact that I told several people how much I enjoyed my time at She Speaks and the wonderful experiences it provided me. Funny, at the time, nothing about Saturday felt enjoyable. In fact, I felt pretty miserable! This fact taught me an important truth. Sometimes we have to get to the other side of an experience before we can fully appreciate the value it brings into our lives. This was the case for me and my She Speaks weekend. Now that I am safely home with my husband and kids, I think the weekend went great!

Today, you may be going through an experience that is challenging. Like me, you may feel uncomfortable and fighting the urge to run to a "safe" place. If so, dig in and determine to step out in faith so that you can move on in your walk with the Lord! I promise that when you get to the other side of your experience, you will be glad you did! In the mean time, find a passage of scripture and claim it over your circumstances. The passage that meant the most to me this weekend was Psalm 138.

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands." Psalm 138:1-8

Stepping Out---Moving On!
Andrea@TVM

FBC Nashville and Wellspring!

Hey my sweet sisters!

I hope that your summer is going great! Can you believe that August will be here soon? I am already thinking about back to school shopping and having a 5th grader and a 2nd grader. Time is going by too fast!

Things are busy, busy, busy at TVM. Here is a quick update:

Last night I spoke at Ladies Nite Out for First Baptist Church in Nashville, Ar. What a huge success! 600 women attended the event! It was a power-packed night and God's Word was so alive as we talked about how to reflect the glory of Jesus Christ in our every day life. Psalm 25:15 was our key verse--- "My eyes are ever on the Lord for only He will release my feet from the snare." My take home thought was that the people closest to me should see that Jesus makes a difference in me! If they do not see the difference Jesus makes, chances are I am reflecting myself, not Him! If you were at the event, I would love to hear from you! What was your take home thought?

Real quick, I want to look ahead to next weekend and tell you about a State-wide event hosted by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention called "Wellspring." "Wellspring" is a women's conference that is open to all women in Arkansas who love to study God's Word and hear about mission work around the world. I will be the keynote speaker. It is going to be a great weekend! There will be wonderful times of fellowship, worship, networking, Bible study, mission projects, and so much more! I want to personally invite you to attend. I really believe that God is going to meet with us and change our lives! The theme for “Wellspring” is "Unhindered." I love this theme because it reminds me of a crucial biblical truth--- Jesus died and rose again so that I can live my life free in Him! Freedom! Just the thought of it should cause us to stop and ask this question, “Does my life reflect a free life in Jesus Christ?" For every believer, the answer to this question should be a resounding, “YES!” The reason why is simple. We were created to live free or unhindered lives in Jesus Christ.

At “Wellspring” we will explore the topic of "Unhindered" by unpacking the following truths:
Realize--- We live from a position of freedom!
Reflect--- On the truth found in the Word of God!
Radiate---Our love for Jesus to a lost world!

Join me and your Arkansas sisters at “Wellspring,” July 29-30. I know you will be challenged by God's Word, encouraged by fellow believers, and equipped for God's work! Registration, hotel and conference information can be found at www.absc.org/women.

Much Love!
Andrea@TVM