Have you had good unexpected interruptions?
Often my unexpected interruptions have been the other sort – issues with children, family, health, others’ needs, financial issues, etc. that interrupt ‘my plans’ for the day, or week, or longer.
Last weekend I had a sometimes pleasant and sometimes painful, but all in all a very personal and precious unexpected interruption in Indianapolis, IN.
I’ve been to women’s conferences before and been blessed and taught and inspired to a closer walk with God. But boy oh boy (funny I should use that expression) the True Woman conference was far more than I’d expected.
Expected: Good spiritually-based music
Unexpected: every one of the Getty’s performances were understandable. Imagine – worshipful and fun music that includes understandable words and wasn’t so loud it hurt.
Expected: Prayer
Unexpected: The personal connection of the woman prisoners who prayed for each of us individually, the challenge to pray personally and honestly with not only friends but strangers, and the growing burden to pray for revival in our country
Expected: Testimonies
Unexpected: Personal videos of women’s stories showing the devastating effects of unforgiveness, bitterness, fierceness (living out Eve’s curse of a desire to dominate the spouse), and lack of repentance. Personal testimony from their spouses and family members recounting the life-changing relationships when God was put first. Incredibly powerful.
Expected: Women with hair and clothes and figures that I would long for.
Unexpected: Atmosphere so charged with worship, prayer and modesty, that I honestly cannot recall any of my usual tendency to gawk or wish for whatever I don’t have
Well Known Female Speakers: Joni Tada, Janet Parshall, Nancy Lee DeMoss, Priscella Schirer, Mary Kassian and more.
Unexpected: Every speaker focused on aspects of God’s divine plan and design for womanhood
Unexpected: Byron Paulus of One Cry – with a tender, thought provoking, and powerful illustrative message that all revival begins with repentance, and the circle story of Gypsy Smith, the English evangelist, was once asked the secret of revival. His reply: “Go home. Take a piece of chalk. Draw a circle around yourself. Then pray, ‘O Lord, revive everything inside this circle.’” In other words, let it begin with me.
One Cry – A Nationwide call for Revival and Spiritual Awakening
Seeking Him – Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival – by Nancy Leigh DeMoss at Amazon.com
Expected: To be blessed
Unexpected: To be validated and empowered as a woman. Being humbled, affirmed, and encouraged by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to know that I have been blessed to be created a woman, called of God and enabled by God to live out the calling of a True Woman without diminishing my husband, thereby enabling him to also fulfill his God-given role.
Unexpected: Follow-up resources to encourage and enable accountability in fulfilling spiritual and other commitments
What’s Next? – Resources and links whether or not you were one of the 8000+ women who attended the conference in person or via live-stream
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Stories of Faith in Action 
It was good to hear of how God blessed you at the conference. He blessed me via the live-streaming of Joni Tada’s interview with Nancy Lee DeMoss. I hadn’t planned it, but God did! I watched it from my bed. I had gotten my power wheelchair earlier in the week and had gouged my kitchen cabinets, stainless steel d/w, the woodwork of my pocket bedroom door and moulding the very first day! I had to be at doctor’s appointments, PT, etc. the next 2 days, so I used my walker but had terrible shoulder pain from it. We rented a portable chair for car trips, which is powered by my Sweetie. I had determined the night before that I was going to master the power chair. Then the Lord put me in front of my computer watching Joni Tada Friday morning. Being a quadraplegic, with splints on both her arms to make them usable, one of her girlfriends set her chair in a certain spot for her. Then I watched her maneuver her power chair backwards and forward, moving it into just the right spot behind the coffee table so she could comfortably talk with Nancy Leigh Demoss. Even before a word came out of her mouth, I was convicted by God of my selfish attitude and pity party! I had complained to family and friends that the chair sounded better in theory than actual use, and the problem was that you can’t DO anything from the chair…my kitchen counters were still crunchy, I kept having to stand to reach dishes, glasses, food from the refrigerator, etc. I decided then and there that if Joni could handle her power chair like that, certainly the LORD could help me to do the same! I have been tooling around in it ever since, getting all sorts of things done in my house, being able to share time with the grandkids outside on the driveway patio and even taking a walk with my youngest granddaughter Holly. And oh yes, I was challenged and encouraged by the wonderful message that Joni shared…but God had already worked a miracle in my heart before she even spoke. Praise His holy name! 🙂 Bonnie K. Eck
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Thanks for sharing Bonnie. I love how unexpected revelations like that stay with us long term. Reminds me of the verse 2Cor. 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
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I just used part of that verse in a thank you letter to a friend who provided a meal to us last week. God’s Word is so applicable to our daily lives, especially during these “light affliction” times! 🙂
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