Being Real

Hello all! Well I am certainly doing a terrible job of keeping up with this blog! We have just gotten back from our Her True Identity Conference in Defiance, Ohio. It was such an amazing time! What a wonderful company of women we spent the weekend with. I loved every second of it!

When first arrived I got to meet all my "Exceptional Women" bible study gals. Over 25 women from this church had just finished my new 10 week bible study I had written and God really touched their lives. It was so much fun to meet so many of them. Kyle kept laughing and saying "they think you are famous or something". I kept saying "no...it's just they know me well because I told so much about myself in the study!"

We had the honor of staying with an amazing gentlemen who housed all of the speakers. He had a home that was huge and included an indoor pool and hot tub! It was awesome! And so much fun for all of us that are only together at conferences to get to spend the whole weekend together.

At the conference God really touched hearts. The overwhelming statement that was made so many times was "thank you for being so real and down to earth". As I have thought about that I just get a little confused. Why is it so rare for people to just be "real". Especially Christian leaders? I have realized that people...especially women...can relate so much better when we let them know that we go through the same struggles that they do. We don't have to pretend we have it all together...we just have to let them know that God is the one that holds us together. I love that God has taken every bit of my stained past and now uses it for his glory.

So I hope it reminds me to continue to be real.... To be transparent so that when women see me on a platform with a mic they don't get mislead to believe that my life is any different than theirs. I laugh, I cry, I get sick, I get tired, I get frustrated, I bicker with my husband, I run out of money at the end of the month (sometimes at the beginning), I go a few days without reading my bible, I get annoyed....I am real.... That's why I need Jesus!