Stepping out in faith and into the beautiful deep

This past weekend was my first time to attend the DeclareConference.  It turned out being about so much more than blogging and faith; it was a retreat for my soul.  My spirit needed this, it needed renewal. God intended for me to meet those women, hear their words, pray and worship with them.

All of my friends know I am an introvert and I love the comfort of my shell. I stepped way out of my comfort zone this weekend and my shell was cracked wide open. Normally I get all kinds of anxiety meeting new people, but this time He was with me. I felt His presence and felt brave instead of anxious.

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. Psalm 138:3 ESV

I learned these women who I follow online are just like me. We don’t all have the same story but we are have one thing in common, GOD. He is the common thread in our lives.

 

All of the speakers were inspiring. These are some of the words that spoke to me.

"The world is always telling us who we are not. God is telling us who we are."- Janelle Knox

 

 "To swim in the beautiful deep you have to have a destination."-Kat Lee

 

 "Praise God for the way you are made."- Kristen Lemus 

"We need to stop trying to be "in" the in-crowd and focus on being in Christ."- Heather MacFadyen

 

“Let God come in and open those closets in your heart and let him conform them.”- Jan Greenwood 

“Let God sow the seeds of faithfulness in your life.”-Cari Trotter

The music and worship from Macy and her brother was incredible. The song "Satisfy" has been on repeat in my car.  Each night on the way home I would listen to this song with tears running down my face.  All of my friends know I am not a crier but this song moved me. You can check out their music here on itunes.

The three words I would use to describe my experience would be - Rebirth.Renewal.Refresh. I left there with a full heart, ready to move out of the shallow waters and into the beautiful deep.

If you were at Declare this weekend, I would love to hear your experience.

Linking up with Katie M. Reid