Grace Notes

It was an honor and a privilege to be able to attend the Women of Faith Imagine Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend.  Hearing these godly women (and man) speak and sing was truly a blessing.  Next year I hope to go again, and take a lot of friends and family with me!  Next year's theme is Celebrate!  based on Joel 2:21 NCV  "… Be happy and full of joy, because the Lord has done a wonderful thing. "   More than 8,000 women attended the Atlanta event, representing Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Illinois (seriously!) and New York City.  It was incredible hearing these women break into spontaneous song on several occasions, rising in the air as a beautiful sound, praising and worshipping our Lord.  Before I leave them out, let me tell you that Women of Faith has an incredible worship team!  Full of life, energy, joy and praise to our Savior. I would like to share with you some of my personal high points from thi

I arrived at the Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta, Georgia this morning, without a ticket to the event I intended to attend -- the Women of Faith Imagine conference.  As a blogger and as a member of Booksneeze and sponsored by Thomas Nelson Publishers (which is the organization that produces Women of Faith), I was invited to attend the conference and blog about my experience.  Since I had been to a Women of Faith conference about ten years ago, I was more than happy to attend. The tickets were supposed to be mailed one to two weeks prior to the conference, but they never showed up!  I kept checking my mailbox, and the closer it got to the date of the conference the more anxious I got.  Finally, yesterday afternoon I could stand it no more.  I e-mailed my contact from Thomas Nelson Live Events and was graciously assured there was a place for me at the conference, and that I could pick up my tickets at the Will Call office at the arena.  I was excited, but also had a little bit of trep

This year's Atlanta conference theme centers around the word "imagine" taken from Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)   "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." I cannot begin to tell you how much I have been blessed so far at the Women of Faith Imagine Conference here in Atlanta, Georgia.  Let me just say that so far I have laughed and cried and been instructed by the first two speakers, Sheila Walsh and Stever Arterburn.  Mrs. Walsh finished off her morning and afternoon sessions by singing " Amazing Grace " and " You Raise Me Up ". I'll post more later tonight or tomorrow.  There is another session this evening from 7:00 until 10:00, and then an all day session tomorrow.  Like I have said before, if you ever get a chance to go to a Women of Faith Conference -- GO! Reese

Just a few more days until the Women of Faith Imagine Conference in Atlanta!  If you live nearby and get a chance to go, GO!   You will not be sorry.  You will be truly blessed. The dates of the conferene are August 12 - 13, 2011.  Here's the link http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/2011-events/atlanta/ Reese

Thunder Dog The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero By:  Michael Hingson with Susy Flory Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers Copyright 2011 This year marks the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and so I anxiously awaited the book Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson / Susy Flory, the story of a dog who rescued not only her handler, but many others that fateful day of September 11, 2001 by her calm courage and performance of her duty.  I mistakenly thought the book was about the dog Roselle, but it is more about her handler, Mr. Hingson and his reactions to the tragedy and his life experiences.  I have a friend who is blind, so reading this book opened my eyes to some of the situations my friend faces every day.  Thunder Dog not only tells the story of what happened to Mr. Hingson and his dog Roselle on September 11, but takes a lot of time explaining how Mr. Hingson's life prior to September 11 influenced hi

Have you ever been outside at night where sources of light are scarce, and looked up at the sky?  What a vast profusion of stars can be seen on a clear night!  It is completely amazing!  This past Friday night several of us from my Sunday school class drove from Prattville, Alabama to Milton, Florida for a night of camping and then canoeing on Saturday.  We arrived at the State park after dark, setting up our tents by flashlight (I was glad the one I borrowed from my co-worker was a pop-up tent!).  Tall pines towered above us and between the pines you could see the night sky.  It seemed to me that every space available in the sky was covered with stars!  I couldn't stop looking, putting myself in danger of a serious crick in my neck.   Me in tent, Travis in background  We went to bed, but I couldn't sleep.  Whether it was the excitement of the coming day or sleeping on the ground, I don't know. But around one in the morning I woke fr