Peacemaking Women Conference

 The best way to put our new peacemaking tools into practice, we thought, was to play a good, hard, serious game of volleyball together.  Well, maybe not good........and it wasn't particularly hard.........serious? Hah!  But we laughed a lot.  A LOT.  And that must signify something good and peaceful, right? ;)

(above) One of my favourite pics.  Why Laura is running full out in the wrong direction is beyond me.  But Robin obviously finds it funny :)

 Go Jo-anne!  She proved to be the secret weapon on that team with some killer serves that totally threw off our depth perception.........or something like that........

 Yah.  Sure Robin.  Like your one hand way out there is actually gonna return that ball ;)  This was one of the "funnest" volleyball games I've ever played.  And it could only be played with women.  In particular, women who would rather sink helplessly to the court b/c laughter is making them weak than have any semblance of a real game.  That would be us.

 The scenery was beautiful.  Friday saw lots of sun and warmth, ending with a spectacular display of lightning.

 Ladies.  Lots of ladies.  Which meant a lot of talking, sharing, laughing, crying, passion, discussion, agreement, disagreement.  But all with a really good spirit, ready to learn, willing to admit faults.  And that's the first step.  Well, after "How can I glorify God in this situation?"  Always glory first - to our Saviour.  Amazing how that can stop you in your tracks.  And make you realize that, even if  you're "in the right", you're still contributing to the problem with your attitude or your tone of voice or your lack of love.

 One analogy that keeps playing through my head is the mom yelling at her kids or husband and then the phone rings and she does a 360 turn-around and becomes all "Susy Spiritual" with a loving, kind voice and a big smile.  Then, hang up the phone, and the "other" mom/wife reappears.  The point?  We have choice.  Sin doesn't come upon us and leave us helpless victims.  God promises to never give us more than we can bear. Which means that we need grace for each step of every day.

Are you convinced that you are dearly loved by God?  Forgiven?  Given true peace?  Think of this verse - the first part of which we often pass over....... "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved...." (Col.3).  We pass over this part in order to get to the stuff that we can DO...."clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience."  But we need to remember who we ARE!  This is the difference between law and gospel.  We can have an unhealthy, unbalanced love for law.  We want to do stuff - earn God's love, feel good about ourselves - a little bit worthy of God's love.  And when we fail, we feel unloved.  This is a works righteousness and has no place in our lives!  Remember that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" - He didn't wait until we'd done something worthy of His love!  If we don't "get this", then we'll forever be extending grace to others in the same way we're perceiving it from God - we'll be waiting until others somehow "deserve" our grace!  NO!  We're all a mess.  We all need Jesus.  And when we see His perfection and trust in God's grace toward us in Christ b/c of our desperate PERSONAL need for forgiveness, we can then finally be real with each other.

He calls me His beloved b/c it brings Him delight!  Can you imagine!  Eph. 1: 3-8 - there's all the proof I need!  "In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will...."

As we grow in grace we see our sin more and we come to see the bigness of the cross and just how great His grace is.  We will also see that no one else's sins are somehow bigger than ours.  If I am not sinning a certain sin (one I erroneously find worse than other sins), it's not b/c I'm somehow better than someone else.  It's b/c of Christ.  Don't forget the cross when you look at others.  Be Christ-like......"The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." Ex.34

Was this not a familiar scene?  Marcia laughing up front there?  Fun times :)

So incredible to be able to put the noisiness of regular life aside for a while and just concentrate on learning from God's Word.

Does anyone remember where this owl was?  Did you notice it?  I'm not even sure why I took this pic........

A few minutes after this (above) pic was taken, these tables filled up - with women, cups of tea or coffee, handfuls of jelly beans, dark chocolate and chips.  And many pens at the ready.

Sweet fellowship.  And a wicked game of Speed Scrabble Friday night!  Complete with the ever present "silent X".  Thanks, Juliann, for bringing that along and getting us going.  By the end of that game we were laughing at everything and anything and knew it was time for bed.........before we did or said things we'd forever regret......

And a bit of........yoga.  Or something.......

Notice the "DECAF" is taped over :)  However, for those of us who needed decaf, it was eventually found.

Extend grace to others.  So often my area of need for sanctification rubs up against my sister/brother's area of need for sanctification.  So I need to be real about my own sin & need for forgiveness.  We are all living out of the same grace.  All undeserving.  Yet God's grace is all the more precious for that.

And what I've written here so far is all from my notes on the first few pages of the study guide.  So much to learn, to take in, to live out.  In every situation of conflict, remember: 1. How can I glorify God in this situation? 2. Get the log out of your own eye - deal with your own sin first. 3. Gently restore - learn how you can SERVE others by helping them take responsibility for their contribution to the conflict (when your bother/sister is hurting, NEVER run away from them - always towards them!) 4. Go and be reconciled.  We cannot force someone to confess or forgive - only God can bring true reconciliation.  But we can seek peace and pursue it, inasmuch as it depends on us.  And that's an action statement - never allows for, "Well, that's her problem, not mine".  It takes no exercise of faith to deny an issue or ignore an issue and run away.  "Indifference is a true indicator of hatred" Ed Welch.

One of the last things I have written down from the conference is drawing from Matt.5:3-24, about being reconciled with your brother before offering your gift at the altar.  Tara challenged us by asking what church would be life if there was an "unresolved conflict detector" at the church doors.  Would I be able to walk through and freely go to worship?  Or would the detector starting screaming?

"If you are struggling in a broken relationship or with bitterness, depression, or any other sorrow.....get help!  Seek counsel from a wise friend or reach out to a church leader.  You are not alone!  There is grace and help for you." Tara Barthel

Does this not describe all of us?  Let's be real in our relationships - let's be true friends to each other, touching each other in our problems and sorrows, not just letting the friendship be on the surface.  Let's dispense grace, being ready to extend it in love, whoever we're with.  "Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity" Ps. 133