Ladies Trip

Since Hannah wasn't in any pictures of the Graham trip, Bruce took this one of us before church yesterday. She's so sweet.


OK, now that I have a minute or two I can tell you about our trip to Graham! Don't forget to scroll down and look at the pictures from this trip!

We found out that you could burn five calories everytime you laugh. And since our trip up and back was filled with laughter I think we all lost at least five pounds each. Isn't that great?? I think I could stand a laugh diet. As a matter of fact, I feel lighter already.

We ate at the Olive Garden before checking in to our hotel. The Olive Garden is where we gained five pounds and that's why the weight loss wasn't noticeable this weekend. :) Anyway, after freshening up a bit at the hotel, we loaded the van for Bethel Baptist Church. Sis Janet checked us in at the meeting and was pleasantly surprised to see our very own Christy Key was helping to check people in. It was so good to see her!

The first speaker was Sister Barbara. She is one of Dr. Hutson's sisters. Her husband had left her with small children when she was in her twenties. She would not seek a divorce but stayed true to the Word and kept her faith in Christ to bring her comfort when she needed Him most. For 45 years she served the Lord with a happy, yet lonely heart. But her husband passed away and she was able to open her heart to finding companionship once again. She recently married Brother Roger Schultz and was actually on their honeymoon at the meeting after being married just two weeks. If you notice in the picture below, Sis Kay is tapping a glass vass. Well, at the wedding reception, everytime someone would tap a glass or vass, the newlyweds would have to kiss. So Sis Kay was tapping the glass vass and Uncle Roger was more than obliged to run the isle for that kiss. It was so sweet. They made a very cute couple.

Her message that night was on the Difference Between A Singing Christian And A Sour Christian. And that is the filling of the Holy Spirit. You can be a Christian and have the Holy Spirit, but are you filled up with Him? Here is the outline and you can look these verses up for yourself:

I. The Comparison - Eph 5:18 and Luke 1:15
II. The Command
III. The Conditions for being filled with the Holy Spirit
IV. The Consequences of being filled - and I'll list those for you,
A It strengthens us
B It leads us
C It helps us understand the Bible
D It improves our memory
E It hleps us in service
F It guides us in prayer

There were two of six workshops you could choose from. Hannah went to the ones on Soul Winning and Using your God given talents. I chose the marriage workshop and raising your children.
The workshops I attended were really wonderful and although I already knew most of what they were teaching, there were things brought up that I need to work on and things said that made me stop and really think. For instance, when Sister Sherry Camperson was teaching on raising the little ones she quoted a verse that, honestly, I did not realize was in the Bible. Ezekiel 16:44"...as is the mother, so is the daughter." Everyone tells me that Hannah is just like me and I wonder if that's a good thing and if God is pleased with her. Am I setting the example of a wife and mother and Christian woman that she needs? It's a huge responsibility raising up our daughters to be godly women. Of course, it's equally true of raising our sons, but my focus this weekend was my daughter. Her role in the Christian walk will be and is different than that of my sons. And so this verse made me stop and think about my example in her life. One thing Sister Sherry said was that we should mentor our children and not just monitor them. Be a Christian Heritage to them. A woman should build her home with words. Guide her home, for a child left to himself bringeth a mother to shame. Your children will be molded...make sure it is by YOU! And women should keep her home. Make the home first priority above all other things. Titus 2.
*It's not how much you accomplish in life, but how much others accomplish because of you.
*People take your actions more seriously than they take your advice.
*Believe in your children. Visualize great things in their life and they will become great.

On Marriage, Sister Donna Janney lead the workshop Dynamic Duet. It's a sensative subject, so I'll be careful with what I put on the blog, but basically, she was teaching the difference between men and women.
Women need from their husbands:
*affection
*for him to talk to her and with her
*to trust him totally--to talk openly and honestly
*financial support
*to be a good father and be family committed

Men need from their wives:
*"marital" fulfillment (Genesis 3:14 and I Corinthians 7:3-5)
*for her to be his playmate and recreational companion. In other words, take an interest in what he likes to do for fun even if it bores you to tears. (Genesis 2:18)
*a good looking wife...an attractive spouse! Take great pains to look like the woman he married. (I Peter 3:1-6)
*peace and quiet and domestic support (Proverbs 31:27)
*for her to be proud of him--ADMIRATION!! (Song of Solomon)
Read these verses. Ponder these verses. Put into practice making a dynamic duet with your husband.

Claire Dent, the violinist in one of the pictures below, had a great testimony. She was raised across the street from her Grandfather's Conservatory where he taught 60 children a week some musical instrument. She and her brothers took lessons three days a week on the piano and violin. By the time she was ready for college she decided to major in...MUSIC? No! PE and coaching. After years of not playing the violin she was playing a baseball game, slid into base and broke her thumb needing surgery. The doctor told her she would probably not play the violin again. She prayed and told the Lord that if he would heal her thumb she would pick up her violin and use it for him the rest of her life. She went in for her X-rays a few weeks later and the doctor was amazed proclaiming what a great healer she was. She said, "No, I'm not a great healer, but I have a God who is." She's been playing the violin ever since. She teamed up with a pianist and they started Heart String Ministries. What a blessing she was! Sis Janet bought some of her CD's. Maybe we can get her to play them over the loud speakers before church next week if we ask her nicely!! :)

This weekend was just what I needed and Hannah and I were so thrilled, honored and blessed to be a part of it. We're already looking forward to our next trip!