going Deeper Still.........

Well, sweet friends, I'm back in town....for today, that is. :) I have been so excited to post about this past weekend and am just now getting the time to do it. Myself and my precious homies below were in the presence of Jehovah (and Priscilla Shirer, Kay Arthur, and Beth Moore) this past weekend at Deeper Still Atlanta and let me tell you, we heard a WORD!!!


We were also in the presence of 19,000 other women.....and if you haven't read Big Mama's post for today about the Stadium Gal, it's definitely worth checking out. I won't expand on that too much because I've got much more important matters to discuss than the horrendous bathroom lines and being packed into the concourse like sardines, but Big Mama definitely tells it a little better than I would.



One of the great things about the weekend was the music. Travis Cottrell and the Praise Team BROUGHT IT!!! Unfortunately, for some crazy reason I didn't get a picture of them. I think it was because my hands were raised most of the time, so my camera was the last thing on my mind. :) But, Mandisa, what a blessing! She sang my favorite song of hers, "God Speaking" and several other songs and gave her testimony about American Idol. What a sweet thing!!

So, here are three of the most awesome women of God I know! It was such a honor to be able to hear them speak in person. They are so real, and SO FUNNY and it was just great to hear about their fashion tips, quiet time tips, nutrition tips, hair tips (you know who gave those!) etc. all rolled into one spiritual event!

But, I'm gonna have to say that this 'precious one' was the treat of the weekend for me. I had never heard Kay Arthur speak and have never done one of her studies (although now a few of us are doing Return to the Garden, and it's amazing, simply amazing). I am going to post more about the weekend later, but one point she made that REALLY struck home with me was that we should always be reading the Bible daily and not letting a Bible Study guide or Christian books, novels, or devotionals take the place of that. His Word should be our first love and first priority. She (and Beth) made the point that even when you're doing an organized Bible study, that should still not take the place of your quiet time. We (myself definitely included) need to have a time for the Lord to speak specifically to us about Scripture. I am SO guilty of letting a Bible study be my quiet time while I'm doing one. But this weekend I was really convicted about the need to MEMORIZE Scripture, so I can be ready with a Scriptural response when one is needed. Anyhow, I'll post more later....hopefully not a month later.....but I can't wait to share all the ways the Lord worked this past weekend.

And any of you that have ever done one of Beth's studies will recognize this little pose...so glad I was able to get a picture of it. Seems like she always does that when she's making a point about Scripture and I just love it. Shows off her perfectly manicured nails!

One last tip....if you plan to ride the MARTA (the Atlanta subway) into South Atlanta after 9 pm, be sure and pack your pepper spray and numchucks in your purse. They might come in handy.