I spent Labor Day weekend on the shores of Lake Tahoe with a beautiful group of women. Christian Communicators has been on my radar for several years now, and I finally took the plunge. It was a wonderful experience. First of all, I got to wake up every morning to this:
Enjoying the beauty of God’s creation restores my soul. I didn’t realize how badly I needed it until I was there, reading my Bible next to the lake. Something about drinking in the view let my spirit breathe.
But more importantly, those days on the mountain were a powerful time of equipping, encouragement, and renewing my sense of my purpose and my call. I left the mountain energized and excited to see what God is going to do with what was sowed this week. Here are a few of my takeaways from the conference:
- Invest in your calling. The first time I checked out Christian Communicators, the price gave me sticker shock. I closed my eyes, squinted, and peeked at it again, hoping the price had changed. Still expensive. But having gone, I can absolutely say it was worth it. Our callings are worthy of investment. Too often we think the calling itself should qualify us. And it does. But we also have skills to learn. If you are called to write, there are things you need to know about how to structure your stories, write dialogue well, and create characters so real that your readers can experience the message God has given you to share. If God has called you to speak, you need to know something about the business of speaking, how to structure a talk, how to project and protect your voice, and how to hook your audience with humor so you can lead them to the cross. It’s okay to be a beginner. But our callings are worthy of doing well. Pursuing excellence requires us to invest in our callings. Read books. Talk to experts. Go to conferences. Invest in your calling and learn what you need to learn to serve with excellence.Your calling is worthy of investment.Click To Tweet
- Tribes are priceless. Christian Communicators sessions were powerful and practical, but some of the greatest benefits of this conference are the bonds formed between the beautiful women who attend. The conference is small–limited to only forty women–and the intimate size allows attendees to build relationships over the course of the week. We’re keeping in touch via our Facebook group, and I’m looking forward to seeing what God does through this amazing group of women. Finding your tribe multiplies your ministry.Finding your tribe multiples your ministry.Click To Tweet
- You have a story to tell. The women who attended Christian Communicators this year were from all parts of the country and all walks of life. Young and old, introverts, and extroverts–we were all represented. And every woman there had a story to tell. When we all got up on Saturday to give our five-minute video presentation–the part that had most of us shaking in our boots all week–it was wonderful to hear the Lord speaking through the diversity of his body. You have a story to tell. Don’t be afraid to share it.You have a story to tell. Don't be afraid to share it. #speaking #writing @CCCommunicatorsClick To Tweet
So stay tuned–my revamped speaker page and one sheet will be coming soon. (And the release of Renewed is just around the corner, so keep an eye out for the goodies I have in store for you!)
If you have that tug on your heart to do more for God, check out Christian Communicators. They’ll be announcing details of the 2018 conference soon. It’s a wonderful opportunity to discover what God wants to do through you.
Mail chimp form
11 comments
The conference sounds like a valuable experience for you. There are so many different types of conferences and events for Christian bloggers, writers, and speakers that it can feel a bit overwhelming to know what to become engaged in.
Leigh, This is so well written! It has been hard for me to find words for the experience. There is so much to say about the time we shared together! I love this statement you wrote of stewardship of the call of speaking (for Christ), “Learn how to project and protect your voice. It’s okay to be a beginner. But our callings are worthy of doing well”.
Our callings are worthy of doing well
“Our callings are worthy of investment.” I felt the same way when I went to a blogging conference, and to a Christian writers’ conference. It was so fun and refreshing to be among like-minded people!
These were all great things to take away and something that I’ve been praying over and over as I consider what the Lord wants me to do. Thank you for sharing. I haven’t had much time of refreshing or peace – it’s been chaos after chaos and I’m also praying for a moment of calm.
Honing the calling we have is very important. It must be practiced so we can step up to the challenges and opportunities ahead. It sounds like this was a great conference for you and could benefit many!
Sounds like an awesome conference and in such a beautiful location! I need to plan to attend an event like this.
Thank you Leigh–especially for the reminders to invest, and we have a calling. Sometimes the cost for a conference is prohibitive, but we can investigate different ways to develop our skills-a local critique group is helpful too.
Leigh, Sounds like an awesome conference and the location–WOW! It’s wonderful when we can get away plethora of responsibilities of parenting, work, domestic duties, etc. and have some “alone time” with God. I don’t think we realize how the grind of daily life can limit our creative expression. Hold on to that inspiration and encouragement you received at the conference. It’s easy to sink into the valley after a mountain top experience. Wishing you blessings on the journey. Katherine
I’m so glad you were able to attend this! I’m from CA and have been to Tahoe numerous times, so I could picture it well! I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of what we need to do as Christian communicators.
Oh, now I really want to go, especially if it’s in the same place!
What a great opportunity for you, Leigh, and thanks for sharing some of your “take-aways” with us.
Comments are closed.