MAMA GOT A BREAK

So apparently Blogger has changed up their posting format and I'm trying to get used to it, so the pics from my trip won't be in the order I want them but oh, well... :)

So, I got the wonderful opportunity to get away from the house and kids and spend a weekend with some lovely ladies and my Spiritual Dad.

In a nut-shell, results are...filled with Grace and the Holy Spirit, refreshed, rested, joy restored, equipped to be back on the 'battlefield'.  

Below are some re-caps of some great moments and some of the things God spoke to my heart.  

There are too many to remember, as every time my ears were opened He spoke.

I truly needed this weekend and am so glad I took the opportunity to go.

 Chris Tomlin was in concert with Christy Nockels, which is one of my favorite female Christian artists...

After the show I got to meet her!

I talked with her, hugged her, got her autograph of course, and my pic.  Such a sweet personality.

(Group pic with Christy Nockels)

 So we arrived before the other group of girls, so we checked us all in.  Could not pass up the opportunity to prank their room!  

So we took some pillows...

all of them to be exact, I was pretty excited to have 24 pillows...dream land

 ....and the kids you ask?  

Matt had all 4 kids by himself for the first time....

and they all survived!

They built their own bird houses/feeders with daddy.

I really missed these rug-rats while I was gone!

 Hiding amongst all the pillows :)

CHRISTY NOCKELS!!!!

 Telling her things she already knows...

Her songs are such an encouragement,

and she always brings me to the sweetest

place of worship!

 So I noticed our elevator had a name...

OTIS

He was so kind to take us up and down from the 5th floor all weekend!  Never had a discouraging thing to say!...Such a servants heart! :)

This was our Sunday service speaker, 

Angela Thomas.

She was such a cute little lady, 

North Carolina girl.

She encouraged us to 'be the sonshine'.

But what I loved the most was her message from Genesis about Haggar, and how God found her in the desert when she thought she was invisible to everyone.

I think that's an emotion that all ladies feel, and being reminded of this story was so encouraging to see how God found her, brought her back, and blessed her.

"Lahai Roi" God sees me...

(the name she gives God after being found by Him)

She spoke words, that I felt were coming directly from God speaking straight to my heart.

Her words in her prayer at the end were like an arrow shot through my heart, "help us to love our kids, and not get bogged down by all the little things, because the days are short....they are so short!"

Lysa TerKurst

This one kind of floored me.

She was the first speaker, and wow is she funny.

She spoke a message out of 2 Chronicles 20:3

During the middle of the message she shared about her adoption journey and her two boys she adopted from LIBERIA!  So crazy!

Her message was about giving thanks and praising God in your battles.

Some of her thoughts I took away were....

1. There's power in Jesus' name, 

(just speaking His name can bring power)

2. Our job is to follow and obey God, His job is results.

3. Remember who's you are

(this is actually the phrase my dad would use every time we left the house in high school.)

4. "Don't let your happy get bumped" :)

Anita Renfro

She was the comedian that made us laugh until our heads hurt and tears flowed :)

So funny and refreshing!

She's very funny when you meet her in person as well!

We all found a new purpose for the shamwow...

(only for those who God blessed immensely, I'll just keep it at that!)LOL

The other speaker of the weekend was Sheri Rose Shepherd.

She had many thoughts I walked away with as well...

1. Disappointments may be Divine Intervention

2. Do not put a period where God puts a comma.

3. We can make the 'invisible God' visible, by coming out of hiding and sharing God's love.

4. Holding the camera up high when you take your picture helps make your photo very forgiving :) haha

What a great weekend!