Wellspring Recap!

Well, I am going to be honest with you--- I am tired! The last two weekends have been intense. Between She Speaks and Wellspring, I have been very busy!

I am pleased to report that Wellspring, a State-wide Women's Conference hosted by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, went well! I had the honor of delivering the three theme interpretations for the event. I met so many wonderful women and God's Word challenged us to live an "Unhindered" life in Christ.

I will be honest with you and say that the Friday night session was a little rough. The truths were there and straight out of scripture--- deal with sin, run one race, fix your eyes on Jesus. But half-way through my session, I realized that I was trying to pack too much information into a short amount of time. (Have you ever been there?) So, I did my best to cut to the chase and conclude the night quickly. Thankfully, the Lord had given me a great analogy to use at the end of my session. I presented the analogy and it really communicated everything that I was trying to say. I know I was glad when I finally said, "Amen" and I am sure all the ladies were glad too!

Saturday was a different story. When I woke up, I knew the Spirit of God was going to move. I looked over my material and fell on my face before the Lord. I asked Him to change our lives and I believe He did!

The Lord had clearly told me to teach the Saturday morning session on who God is and how He longs for us to view Him in our daily lives. We looked at the truths that God is our Creator, Sustainer, Protector, and Provider. As we recognize these foundational truths, we heed Jesus' words of knowing the truth and allowing the truth to set us free. The outcome--- "What can man or this world do to me???" The answer, "Nothing!" Now that is freedom!

In the afternoon session, the Lord challenged me to teach Exodus 14. This was my first time to teach this passage. Not my favorite idea, but as I taught the passage, I saw God's hand of direction. The bottom line from this session--- God is going to lead us through our greatest obstacles. And as He does, others will see Him, instead of us! When they see Him, we have the chance to share the difference Jesus makes in our lives. What a powerful word from the Word!

If you were at Wellspring, I want to invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Did God challenge you to Realize, Reflect, or Radiate? Whatever challenge God gave you, embrace it and resolve to make spiritual progress in your life. I am praying for you!!

Love!

Andrea@TVM

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

Big Picture Living!

Today's blog post is an article that I wrote last month for Women's Inc. This article was written and submitted long before I knew that a family in my church would find themselves thrust into the valley of the shadow of death. My friends, Larry and Sheryl Mulberry, lost two sons in a car accident. Keith was 18 and Jacob was 16.

It has been one week since the accident and my church family and community continues to grieve the profound loss of Keith and Jake. Keith and Jake were full of life and love. Both boys loved and served Jesus. As you might guess, Keith and Jake touched many lives. Yesterday at the service, I watched Larry and Sheryl celebrate the life their boys lived. Without a doubt, Larry and Sheryl have displayed big-picture-living as they have accepted God's plan for Keith and Jake. A moving moment during the service occurred as the congregation sang, It is Well With My Soul. Both Larry and Sheryl sang with hands lifted high in praise to God.

I dedicate this article to Larry, Sheryl, and Bobbie Mulberry. Thank you for embracing the call to big-picture-living. You have set a Christ-like example for all of us! May God grant you His strength and peace as you continue to lean on Him!


Embrace a big-picture perspective with faith!


My boys recently brought home their art projects from school. I love it when the boys bring artwork home. Seeing Jake and Andrew creatively express their ideas on paper brings joy to this non-creative mom’s heart. However, the most recent art project that one brought home left me scratching my head. As I looked at the project, I had no idea what to say. I wanted to find something positive and uplifting to say about the work, but, honestly, I was at a loss for words. I had no idea what the picture represented. I asked my son a few prompting questions and soon learned that the picture was a vase with flowers. “Mom, can’t you tell?” was my son's defeated response. “Of course, honey, now I see it,” came my reassuring reply.
 
Sometimes we see our lives much like I saw my son's art project. We know something is there but we have no idea what kind of picture God is attempting to create. As a result, we may go to the Lord with a few prompting questions.
• “Lord, what is this obstacle I face?”
• “Lord, how can I figure out what You are calling me to do?”
• “Lord, when will I understand your plan for my life?”
 
Thankfully, God knows exactly the picture He is creating with our lives. He sees the big picture. This means that God sees and knows every detail going on in our lives-- past, present, and future. Not only does God see and know every detail going on in our lives, God uses every detail in our lives to draw us closer to Him. I can think of no greater reassurance of truth in my life than this: God sees, God knows, and God cares.  
 
Each day you have the chance to live your life with a big-picture perspective. Big-picture-living requires that you recognize that there is more going on around you than you can see or know. One mark of a mature believer in Jesus Christ is displayed in big-picture-living. At the very heart of big-picture-living resides the truth that God is in control of your life even when your life seems out of control.    

In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon gave the following instruction. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, New International Version)

This passage of scripture provides the basic building blocks for big-picture-living. First, we must trust the Lord. For me, one of the hardest times to trust the Lord is when I have no idea what He is doing in my life. Placing my trust in the Lord during confusing times displays a heart that believes that God sees and knows every detail going on in my life. Second, we must forsake an earthly perspective on our situations. Oh, how challenging this point can be! Solomon made this point clear when he said, “lean not on your own understanding.” Forsaking my perspective in confusing situations shows that I understand that my view is limited. Instead of leaning on my understanding, I am called to do one thing--- acknowledge the Lord. 
  
Today you can know that God is creating an eternal picture with your life. The best way to view and understand this picture occurs as you embrace an eternal or big-picture perspective. This type of perspective allows you to trust the Lord with all your heart no matter how confusing your life may seem. As you embrace a big-picture perspective, you will discover something very amazing. The areas of your life that once seemed confusing will slowly come into focus as you trust God and know this reassuring truth--- God sees, God knows, and God cares for you.

Peace in the midst of a crazy storm!

Oh, where to begin?? It has been one of those crazy weeks. Things started out amazing. On Sunday, I had the chance to join my pastor during the sermon in order to help unpack the topic: Women in Ministry. What a blessing to share my journey in regards to this important issue. I planned to blog about this topic but the Lord had other plans for my week. Lord willing, I will blog about this topic next week. You can listen to the service at www.2BC.tv. Click on the message link and then select "Women in Ministry."

Monday came along and I spent the day doing laundry (5 loads--- washed, folded, and put away!) I also took time to finish up my handouts for this weekend's retreat. I am so thankful the Lord prompted me to finish the handouts on Monday because Tuesday hit with a pronounced thud! Tuesday morning I went to Little Rock to have lunch with my good friends, Jimmie and Annette Sheffield. Following lunch, I received a phone call from my dad stating that he was taking my mom to the hospital because she needed a pacemaker ASAP! I was surprised about the call because I had spent the previous weekend with my parents and my mom seemed fine to me.

Sidebar--- perhaps you remember a few years ago when my dad was in a similar situation. Dad was experiencing a heart attack and was taken to the hospital for urgent care. My response to my dad's situation was pitiful at best. To be honest, I fell apart. There is no other way to describe my response. I could not think. I could not talk. I literally felt myself shutting down. In light of my response to my dad's health crisis, I praise the good Lord that I am able to report to you, that God has taught me so much in the last two years. Our sweet Lord has developed my faith. This development was demonstrated in my response to my mom's health crisis. When I received the call about my mom, the first thing I did was pray and give my mom to the Lord. I can't tell you what a relief this brought to my heart. I was reassured by the truth that God loves my mom even more than I love her. As I prayed, my heart clung to right theology--- God knows the number of days my mom will spend on this earth and everything that will happen to my mom while she is on this earth. As a result, I was able to present my request to the Lord for my mom's healing and then surrender my will to His will. Can I just share that I love spiritual FREEDOM! I will sing it from the roof top, there is nothing like living your life with an eternal perspective. Living for eternity rather than this world really takes our circumstances out of the drivers seat and puts God and His sovereign will clearly in the forefront of our minds. This is not to say that I did not have my moments, but praise God, I did not fall apart. Trust me--- God gets all the glory for that because I know my tendency and it ain't pretty! :)

Ok, back to my week in review--- Mom did not receiver her pacemaker on Tuesday. The doctor decided to wait until Wednesday. I left Conway on Wednesday at noon and drove to NWA to be with mom and dad. I arrived at mom's hospital at 2:30 in the afternoon. The surgery was scheduled for 3:00. LONG, LONG, LONG story short, my mom finally received the pacemaker at 1:30am the next morning. Praise Jesus, mom is recovering well and is on the road to a full recovery.

In the midst of mom's health crisis, my husband leaves in the morning for an overseas mission trip. Jay is leading a team of 9 people to the other side of the world to share the love of Jesus with men, women, and children who need to know that Jesus is the ONLY way to eternal life. Please pray for Jay and the team as they seek to share Jesus and set up a medical mission clinic. We are asking God to do BIG things that only He can receive the credit and glory for!

As not to under pack our weekend, I will be leading a women's conference this weekend at FBC Manila, AR. I love this sweet church. I have spoken at FBC Manila numerous times. I know the ladies and I love them. The women's ministry team at FBC is so supportive of True Vine Ministry. This is such a blessing to me and my family. FBC knows how to take care of a family in ministry. I count it an honor to serve this church and community. This weekend we will examine the topic Free To Thrive! Saturday will be jammed packed with the Word and I know the women will come with a ready heart. My prayer, "Lord show Your power!"

The boys will be in Harrison for the weekend. Jay's parents are picking them up tomorrow and I am so thankful! God is good and always provides everything we need to be obedient to Him. Aren't you glad He does not leave us on our own? He is with us! Today, I am taking this promise to the spiritual bank and making a personal deposit! I hope you do too!

Peace and Love!
Andrea@TVM

A Sacred Trust

Well, I meant to write this post last week but got sidetracked with life. (Can you relate?) Even now, there are several things I need to do--- laundry, toilets, dishes, etc! My "to do'" list is long but it will have to wait. I simply have to share something with you. It is a passage of scripture that God is using to rock my world!

It all began last week. One morning before school, Jake (my ten year old) and I were working on memorizing a passage of scripture. Jake is involved in Bible drill at church. I am so proud of Jake! He is memorizing 25 verses of scripture and 10 key passages. Jake is really working hard on this task. Recently, we started working on memorizing 1 Corinthians 4:2. "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." Jake and I went over the passage several times and then I asked Jake, "What do you think 1 Corinthians 4:2 means?" Jake blew me away with his response. Jake stated, "There are responsibilities that come along with being a Christian." I asked Jake, "What are the responsibilities?" Jake said, "The number one responsibility is to love God more than I love anything else." Can I say, "Wow!" Out of the mouth of my ten year old son, flowed life-changing truth. As a believer in Jesus Christ, it is my responsibility to guard my life from loving anything or anyone more than I love Christ.

Following my conversation with Jake, I dropped Jake and Andrew off at school. Then I rushed home and opened my Bible to 1 Corinthians. I wanted to examine the context of 1 Corinthians 4. As I did, I was reminded that the believers in Corinth, the original recipients of Paul's letter, were arguing over the person they chose to follow. Some said, "I follow Paul." While others stated, "I follow Apollos." Paul set the record straight by saying, "What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe..." (1 Corinthians 3:5)

As I processed this passage of scripture, I had to smile. I thought about the fact that things really do have a way of remaining the same. Even today you find loyal followers of preachers, teachers, and leaders who make it their passion to follow their guy or gal. I hope this statement does not come across as judgmental. Please know that my desire is to lift up and encourage the body of Christ! With out a doubt, I have a list of leaders that I pray for and follow on a regular basis. We all should. The point I attempting to make is that our passion to follow an individual must not supersede our passion to follow Christ! I know everyone reading this blog will agree with me in theory, but what about practice? A good way to measure your heart on this important issue is by asking this question, "Do I spend more time listening to a spiritual leader than I do in one-on-one time with my Lord?"

I will be honest with you. This message hits close to home. As many of you know, some exciting things are going on at True Vine Ministry. I am thankful, humbled and amazed. At the same time, I find myself fighting a near trap. During these days it would be easy for me to think that I need to create a successful ministry by gathering a large following of women, thus making a statement about the validity of TVM to the Christian world. In essence, striving to be the kind of leader that women are drawn to follow. While this sounds good and "dead on" when it comes to marketing your ministry or profession, it teeters near a very dangerous line in ministry that I simply cannot cross. The focus of TVM should never be on people following me. Rather, the focus of TVM must be on directing others attention towards Christ. I have been given this trust and I must prove faithful in it.

In your life, you have been given a trust as well. This trust involves loving "no one" or "no thing" more than you love Christ. Additionally, your trust requires that you make a choice to forsake a path in your life that might cause someone else to love you more than they love Christ. This is your trust. How will you respond?


ReFocused!
Andrea@TVM

The Secret Place

This morning I had to go to a place that I have been avoiding. A place that brings me pain and healing, dread and relief, sorrow and joy. This morning I had to go to the secret place. The secret place is a place where I am alone before God. I love the secret place because going there results in much needed restoration for my weary soul. At the same time, I dread the secret place because it forces me to see the holiness of God and to feel the weight of sin in my heart.

To be honest, I knew this morning was coming. Last night I spent time doing research on Psalm 38, 39, and 40. During this time, the Lord began convicting my heart about the way I respond to sin in my life. Not that I had stopped confessing my sin, I had not. However, I had fallen into the trap of confessing my sin much like I read my grocery list.

As I read the words David penned in response to the sin in his life, I wondered how I had become so callous to sin in my walk with the Lord. The following verses brought this truth home to me. Psalm 38:4-8"My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart." Talk about the feeling of pain, dread, and sorrow, David's words flowed with the brokenness he experienced as a result of sin in his life. Today, I can relate. I too am broken over the haphazard approach to sin that I so easily display.

Praise the Lord that going to the secret place does not leave me with a feeling of dread! You see, at the very heart of the secret place resides great hope in knowing that God is greater than any sin that so easily entangles my life. Again, I offer David's words. Psalm 40: 1-3- "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out o the slimy pit, out of the mud and more; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." The song that God often puts in my mouth as a result of encountering Him in the secret place, is a song of praise to my God for His saving grace in my life. I am reminded that God has delivered me from a number of slimy pits and He will continue to deliver me. Today, my response to the truth is to get real about the pits that I am currently in and to surrender to the truth that the road leading to those pits was paved with sin. No doubt, I got into those slimy pits by compromising the holiness of God in my daily life. The path that leads out of the slimy pit is paved with righteousness. I live a right life before the Lord when I recognize His holiness and strive to live that holiness out in my life.

Today are you avoiding a much needed encounter with God in your secret place? If so, run my friend and find healing for your weary soul.

Humbled and Grateful!
Andrea @ TVM