Over the Top!

This weekend I went to the Women of Faith "Over the Top" Conference in Dallas with my friend Becca. We had a great time. We weren't able to attend all of the sessions, but we really enjoyed the ones we were able to go to.

I will say this, I've never been in a place with SO many women at the same time before. It was a little overwhelming on Friday night. But a really sweet moment happened on Saturday morning. We were singing some praise songs with the worship team and I just got quiet for a minute and listened to all of the thousands around me raise their voices to the Lord. Gathering together in corporate worship, praising the same Lord was so beautiful. Our God is great! And I loved the opportunity to worship Him with fellow sisters in Christ from across the country. 

The first speaker that we heard was Lisa Whelchel on Friday night. She was in the show "The Facts of Life" back in the 1980s, which happened to be one of Becca's favorite shows ever. So, needless to say, she was pretty excited about it! Lisa shared a testimony about what she has learned about friendships and it was really touching. She shared stories from her life about struggles that she's had, and she was very open and vulnerable. I appreciated that about her. As she shared about struggles getting close to friends and maintaining strong friendships, I was reminded of some of the wonderful friends that I have been blessed with and was thankful for them as I sat and reflected. I truly think God blesses us with friends to share life with - to laugh with, to cry with, to be vulnerable with and to rely on. I really enjoyed Lisa's talk and the things I took away from it.

Then on Saturday morning, we got to hear Sandy Patti perform (she is a gifted artist!) and speak. Sandy shared about struggles in her life, with weight and other self-esteem issues and what it means to have new beginnings in your life. She has some great points to share and it was neat to see her in concert. She seems like a genuine, loving woman.

The highlight of the conference for me was seeing Amy Grant in concert that afternoon. I grew up listening to Amy, from the time I was a little girl. When I was in second grade, I entered the school talent show with my awesome dance to "Baby, Baby." Believe me when I say, I was a fan! So, when I saw her on stage, I reverted back to that little 6-year-old. Becca thought I was a little crazy, but I didn't care. I sang along to "El Shaddai," "It Takes a Little Time, Sometimes," "Lead Me on" and "My Father's Eyes." I loved it! This alone made the conference worth it.

There were also touching moments of testimony, moving dramatic pieces and more. I may have cried more than once. :)

While, I will admit, I felt a little young in the audience, I did enjoy the conference. It was a neat experience bonding with other women of faith as we laughed, cried and listened to how God is moving in the lives of others.