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#JustONEconf Day 1

About a month ago I stumbled across this website that was promoting a conference for pastor's wives & women in ministry. It's called the JustONE Conference. If you're married to a pastor or are in ministry yourself, I would really encourage you to check it out here. http://bit.ly/4D6owY

Anyway, today was the first day of a 4 week conference. The idea is genius. We're all busy, we all have different schedules. This is an online virtual conference that streams twice a day, Monday & Tuesday for 4 weeks. Each week there will be different speakers, and tonight I got to hear from several really gifted women I had never even heard of before.

After just an hour I am fired up! So, I thought I would post some thoughts each week about what I've heard. You can also follow me on Twitter for more of my insight!

Probably the thing I related most to tonight while watching came from Jessica Cornelius from Texas. She was talking about the "voices" that we listen to in ministry. One thing she said was so convicting for me.  She said the voice(s) that you don't want to listen to are the ones that are so negative, constantly saying what a sacrifice it is to be in ministry.  Confession. I've been battling that type of attitude lately about my part in my husband's ministry and my own ministry. I've actually gone as far as to seek out other women in similar positions as mine, which is not a bad thing at all. It's a great thing to get around people in ministry for love and support. The problem with my intentions is that I think I've been looking for someone to nurse my wounds, feel sorry for me, or listen to my rants filled with resentment to the Church. I started thinking about the calling God has placed on my life and what that really looks like. I thought about my favorite speaker, Lisa Bevere, and how she's talked about what got her started in her ministry. She said years ago, women would look to her for support of their men-bashing tendencies, and how that was impossible for her considering she had 4 sons! No, she would be a voice for women but not from a platform of negative, bitter, resenting, ultra feminists. Immediately, I started thinking how God didn't get me a voice and a platform to whine and moan about the sacrifices a pastor's wife makes. He gave me a voice to speak for others who have come from situations like mine. He gave me a voice to speak about His love and the privilege it is to serve Him. He gave me a voice to bring others to Him. I am so humbled by the words Jessica shared tonight. I'm in need of a major attitude adjustment (which is another topic covered in day 1).

Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

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