When I woke up monday, it was just like any other day. I had a cuppa coffee, read my bible, snuggled, wait… More like wrestled in my bed with my kids, ate breakfast, and then took my babes off to school in the snow. Yes, in this outfit…. To Jesse’s absolute disgust! I was cold, so I put pants on, and a hoodie over my night gown and voila! I look like a million bucks! I am handing out fashion tips right now (I mean it is the end of fashion week) and that one was for free…
Sometimes I think he’s a teenager trapped in a 6 year olds body. He looked up at me with his face all crinkled and said…
“Mom, whos taking us to school?” Desperately hoping I’d say his father.
“Well… I am.” I said with a big cheesy grin just waiting for him to give it to me…
“Are you wearing that?”
“Um, YEAH. I thought your friends might think I was really cool.” Of course after saying this line, I followed it up with a very awesome dance move to display the beauty of my outfit. I just can’t help it.
In the greatest teenager voice he could conjure up, shaking his head with great disgust; “No mom. No.”
“Well, I am going to wear it (awkward silence), but don’t worry… My coat’s long enough to cover it all up.”
“Oh, good.” Relief set in, and my other kids rolled their eyes with smiles on their faces, and then we were happily off to school. Is it just me, or is it just so fun to embarrass them!?!? Or at least pretend I’m going to.
I came hope, played with my Sammy boy, showered, finished packing and got ready to go to West Palm Beach Florida to have a meeting of a lifetime with a woman I’ve looked up to since I gave my life to Jesus. I was preparing to sit in a room with 30 other women from around the USA who would gather and ask Joyce Meyer questions about how she has lived such a breathtaking life thus far. Chris Cain, (her amazingness), organized the whole thing because Joyce is her “Spiritual Momma”, and invited each of us to be invested into by her personally. It truly was building up to be a day I’d never forget.
I brought the beautiful Janelle with me who is just a breath of fresh air to be around.
We jumped on the plane ready to go, and it was your average plane ride. Nothing to report is always a good report when it comes to flights.
Once we landed, we taxied it to our hotel. The moment we arrived, we dropped our stuff, took off our boots and winter gear, put on our flip flops, and ran to the beach just in time to see the sun set.
That night I went to a dinner with some of the other women that were there to meet with Joyce the following day. I am amazed at what God is knitting together amongst his women in this nation, and on the earth. We live in amazing days… Days that those that went before us dreamt of… And now it’s our turn.
The next morning I was up early and ready to go… Janelle and I had breakfast with some of the girls. It was eggs benedict for me and coffee. One must always have coffee to start the day.
Then into the room with Joyce. Oh my goodness… I pinched myself and it hurt. Officially not dreaming.
To be honest, I’ll never be able to describe how I felt, or what took place. I was just grateful to be there, to have a moment in my life that never in my wildest dreams could I have thought would happen. She did however start with the most hilarious quote, which is worth sharing. She only found out last week what a ‘selfie” was, and to this she said:
Too funny! Ironic really with my ugly reality selfie up above… (Thanks for making the quote look pretty Rebekah Lyons, stole if from your Instagram feed.)
Every word she spoke was dripping with wisdom and the fruit of a life lived connected to The Father. They are words that I will hold dear and close to my heart all the days of my life. I am still processing the fact that every line she spoke was like a “proverb from Joyce”. Not a word was wasted. It was so simple, and so profound all in one moment. She is a woman who truly lives what it’s all about.
Six Hours with Joyce, and then it was done. Six Hours that have impacted me and changed me forever. Six hours that I’m determined will bring fruit in my life and not be wasted. Six hours that I am forever grateful for.
Within those six hours I sat sandwiched between two woman that I fell in love with. Rebekah Lyons who lives in New York, (yes!!!), goes to Trinity Grace Church Tribeca, wrote an amazing book called “Freefall to Fly” and was just a part of the first ever IF:Gathering. And Havilah Cunnington, the flipping passionate prophet woman of the earth, lover of all people, from Bethel Redding. I’d have to write a whole article devoted to sitting between those two… Needless to say, divine appointment.
Dinner that night was again filled with wonderful, purposeful conversation with two of my fav ladies Oneka McLellen and Margurite Reeve. Legends… absolute legends. And Chris…Well thanks crazy lady who knows everyone on the planet and just loves bringing us together so we can keep on changing the world. Yeah… Thank you. Sheesh! That night I slept hard, fast, and peacefully. It was a day I will never forget.
Janelle and I were up early the next morning to catch the sunrise and have a quiet time before we were off to the airport and back to the snow. His glory truly did appear before us as the sun came up. Wow. Just wow.
Back to the airport with delays and cute old people everywhere. We could have written a sitcom with everything we experienced at that airport. And then back home to the prize…. My husband, my kids, my church family, and my city to go and live out everything that was imparted.
There’s a few conclusions I came to sitting in that room with all those phenomenal women and traveling with the one and only beautiful in every way Janelle. Women – we need each other. Men – thank you for loving us and believing in us… We will continue to make you proud and honor you along the journey. God is doing something so powerful with his women… It’s explosive, it’s catching fire. The walls are falling down, we are uniting as one, girded in Jesus, with one cause. The women are rising up. The women have found their voice. The women are free.
And of course the best part of the trip… Coming home to this.
