TIME WELL SPENT

It's hard to believe it's been a month since I last posted a blog. Time really flies. I'm busy but I know most of y'all are way busier than me with work, spouses and children. I don't see how you do it all. Being busy is one of the greatest tricks of Satan. If we stay so busy, chances are we're not spending time with God. Well, maybe we're rushing through a daily devotional or daily Bible reading but most of us don't really spend true, quality time with God.

Last weekend I had the good sense to go to Just Give Me Jesus with Ann Graham Lotz. It was awesome. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'd been to see Beth Moore when she was last here but I've never really been to a Women's conference, unless you want to count our annual Women's Retreats at church. This was time well spent. Ann began Friday evening telling the story of Jesus. It was so thorough and complete. Her words painted the picture and took you right there. When the invitation was given, many went down and accepted Christ.

Saturday was very unique. Ann had the first and third session. They were both so rich and full of wonderful examples and information concerning studying God's Word, and I took quite a few notes. For me, the highlight of the day was Jill Briscoe. We spent over an hour in prayer with thanksgiving, confession and intercession for needs both in our own lives and in the lives of others. She calls them thank you prayers, sorry prayers and please prayers. I like that...very simple and easy for me to remember. A lot of the time I spend mostly in please prayers. I have been reminded how to have a "well-balanced" prayer life. That the structure of this conference would include such a significant time spent on prayer was amazing to me. The fact that this conference was "free" and depends on offerings and contributions taken during the conference, as well as other sponsorships, was also amazing. But as Leslie Lewis said, since Billy Graham is her father, she certainly has had the best example.

So I said all of this to say...I know it's a huge commitment to go to a conference like this, Friday evening 7-9 pm and Saturday 8:30-5pm. But it is so well worth it. Make time to learn and grow in your relationship with God. I don't care if you are a new Christian or have been saved for years, we need times like this to refresh, refocus and recommit. I've never read any of Ann's books but she is an accomplished author. All I can say is if she writes anything like she spoke and told the story of Jesus Friday evening, reading her books will also be time well spent. I will not soon forget Just Give Me Jesus!!!