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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

Read An Excerpt: Chapter 1 & 2

How He Spoke at She Speaks

One of the things I love most about the days following She Speaks is reading all of the stories and blog posts describing how God met each woman there and spoke to her heart. This year it’s taken me several days to settle in at home and get to a point where I feel like I can take time away from my guys to visit my girlfriends and read their stories.

I am so looking forward to it. Every story is different and personal, powerful and beautiful. Even the simplest detail of God speaking to His daughters through a specific verse, conversation or unexpected gesture is breath-taking in my opinion.

Some stories are funny. Others are tear-jerkers. Many stories leaving me wishing I were invisible so I could’ve listened to words being shared, prayers being whispered.

Jesus met many of us in the Prayer room – kneeling on Holy ground as we read the names of God layed over our own – what an anointed place.

Hearts were stretched in speaker evaluation groups, I know. And many women surrendered their dreams and hearts before and after each publisher appointment.

My heart longs to read and thank God for the hundreds of stories that were written in our lives. I’d love to know what promise He gave you at the Cross on Sunday (there were 15 different ones printed on 600 different cards) and/or His name that was lying under your name in the prayer room.

If you or someone you know has posted their promise or a story on your blog, please leave a link in the comments box. If you don’t have a blog, I’d still love to hear your story. You could share it in my comments for me and others to read or email it to [email protected] and I’d like to share some of it here. I can’t wait to read and pray over each of you this weekend.

“I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do.” ~Psalm 73:28

Comments

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  4. Renee:

    So many things I could write about on my weekend at the 2009 She Speaks Conference. I have been carrying such a heavy load for the past 6 months with my job, my husband, my children, an exchange student now living with us in our home, my 77 year old grandmother whom I take care of and I just started a 2nd job to help our family meet the financial struggles and that does not even take into account my roles at church and the women's ministry. For weeks, I had been moaning and groaning to myself (and probably to others that did not really want to hear my grumbling) that I felt like I was everyone's "ROCK" and that I felt like I always had to be the "Strong One" and that just once I wish I had someone that I could lean on, someone that I could go to when I was burdened. Honestly, I was exhausted and on my way to "burn-out" fast if I didnt get a handle on it. After a long day of conferences on Friday, I went to the prayer room and I found my name on "El – the Strong One" and it was a great reminder that God is my Strength and that He is my Rock to lean on and that He will always be there for me. I spent a great deal of time that night in a "Come to Jesus" meeting of my own with the Lord and I laid down all of those burdens and God immediately gave me "rest". Saturday's session and Sunday's session seemed to scream "REST, REST, REST" to my soul and I got it! I have since returned home to face all of the same responsibilities and yet I feel rested because God has been my Strength, my Rock and He is the Strong One in my life. He is carrying the load for me and I am forever grateful. Every session I went to spoke to me greatly and I am so thankful for the weekend.
    Thanks for all of your hard work and for all of the P31 Women who sacrificed their weekend for His glory. May all of you be refreshed and find REST.

    Love from the Be Still Girl,

    Wendi Westmoreland

  6. Hi Renee! In the prayer room, my name was on Elohim! I so need him that this was just perfect. And, my card was matched your message…

    "Come to me, [when you] are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." – Matthew 11:28-29

    Not to mention that I've really been focused on resting in Him lately. Soooo…the way that these two things came together, the name matched to His character and the card with my name on it, that's God!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. Come back anytime!

    Blessings,
    Sanya

  7. Renee,
    I just wanted to let you know that I have been writing about She Speaks. I talked about the prayer room, and how God spoke to me there…

    But you wouldn't believe the verse that I picked up. I still haven't been able to write about that yet. I am just getting through Friday night still! 🙂

    I walked up to the front when you invited us to, and as I saw all the scripture cards, I leaned over to pick one up…. I closed my eyes as I did, and when I felt just one in my hand I got up and moved over to the wall to lean against it and read it before I sat back down.

    I picked up this one…
    "the Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, as stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Ps. 9:9-10

    Oh have I experienced the refuge and stronghold he is in the past few years. I know His name adn I will trust in him… but the biggest thing was that He will never forsake those who seek Him.
    no matter my feelings. no matter my circumstances… He won't leave me. Even when I felt abandoned, He didn't. Even when I am scared about what might come in the future, he won't. If I seek Him, He will NEVER forsake me.

    Oh as that verse has sunk in more and more… not only relating to my past, but my present and my future…. It has been a powerful promise.

    When I first read it, I read the first line, and could hardly read the rest, for all the tears. God did amazing things at She Speaks for me, and I never knew… never expected… I don't know how I am going to get it all into words, but I am going to try! I have 4 posts done, and i know there are going to be more. I am hoping it won't get too long, but who knows what God has in store… I sure don't know!
    I do know I came back from She Speaks with the courage and confirmation to tell a friend that yes, i would help on her committee to plan a women's retreat.

    This week I have dealt with depression as i finally came out of some of the exhaustion from the conference. But i know that God is good and He is leading me through even this. That depression has been a constant companion for longer than I would like to admit… but God has been doing some major healing, and i have been getting better at realizing when the enemy is using it to take me out… And better at combating it.

    Thank you so much for She Speaks. Thank you for your talk on Sunday…. I still have to blog about that too! 🙂

    God bless and feel free to visit my blog…

    http://hkudlaontheroad.blogspot.com/

    …and read a few of the stories I have up there.
    Love,
    Heather

  8. Renee,

    I just wanted to say thanks for your message on Sunday and all of the hard work that went into the event. May the Lord bless each one of you in a very special way. God was sure speaking to my heart last weekend. I love it when that happens. Hope you are having a very RESTFUL Sunday!

    I posted about two of the many ways God spoke to me on my blog.
    http://www.happyheart.blogspot.com

  14. Hello Renee….I have been overwhelmed with all that I am still processing from the conference. God is always faithful, but this time He just blew me away! To find my name on 'El' was deeply meaningful to me…the God who is mighty and strong, something I cling to desperately in Him. Because I am fearful, I know that I can draw from His strength.

  15. Hi Renee,

    It was so good to hug your neck, and to listen to God speak through you at She Speaks.

    What an AMAZING conference. God MET me in a mighty way in the prayer room. (I wrote a post about it on my blog.) He confirmed His will for my life over the entire weekend. It's not always what I want to hear, but I'm SO grateful that HE SPEAKS at She Speaks!

    Love you, girl!

  16. Hey Renee – I always devour the stories that come from my events – I can't imagine all the God moments at something like she speaks. I have started posting about what I learned and heard at

    shelleygallamore.typepad.com

  17. Renee, While I am still not completely sure why God had me at She Speaks, I know that He spoke to me last weekend. I have not had a chance to blog about She Speaks, and am not sure if I will…God spoke to me about some things and directions I am not quite ready to share yet. But, my aww moment of the weekend was when I called home to talk to my hubbie and was telling him about the prayer room and the names of God. I shared with Him that my name was missing all day Saturday…one of my girlfriends that was there with me was concerned so she spoke to a couple of P31 ladies. Luann ask my girlfriend if I was going through anything tough right now and Heather answered “yes, why?” Luann then said someone on the team must have felt that and picked my name up to pray for me. The definition for the name of God said that He was sovereign and I could trust Him. When I talked to my husband he said, “no way…God keeps telling me that He is sovereign!” It was just really cool. So we are trusting Him with the big decisions we are facing!

    This week back has been loaded with sick children, to-do lists and a house that is way behind on being clean…but, God keep taking me back to the scriptures you shared and reminding me to rest! Rest in Him!

    Thank you for your heart Renee! You are so precious!

    God Bless, Leanne

  20. Renee, I have to agree with everyone – there are no words to truly sum up the weekend. God was there!! I have a post in my head title He Speaks, but just not there yet. I have posted twice – one includes some reflective poems after some quiet time with Him in the early morning hours on Sunday after an amazing day on Saturday!! It was great to meet you and I told all the Rise and Shine girls, we will be truly blessed when God brings you to Iowa!!! Thanks for sharing your heart and touching my life!
    Blessings,
    Jill

    Here's the link to the poems – http://titus24u.blogspot.com/2009/08/more-than-words.html

  22. Hi Renee,&heart;

    I was so relieved to see your comment on my blog tonight. I was afraid you might think I was a stalker at the conference. : )

    It meant so much to me to be able to say hi. We were heading to our shuttle, and I was telling my friends, "You know, God did so many miracles for me. I got to meet every person I hoped to meet this weekend except Renee Swope. I would have really loved to have met her."

    Then my friend laughed and said, "Well there she is right now!"

    They bullied me into interrupting you. Thank you for being so gracious to me.

    I loved the conference more than I can put in words. It was a weekend of miracles. I just added another story tonight.

    Thank you for all of the prayer cover and work you all put into it. I'm still in awe of everything.

    Love,
    Becky

  23. Hi Renee,

    I want to tell you one of the highlights of my weekend was talking all things adoption with you Friday night. Thank you for showing me the beautiful pictures of your little Aster. I can't wait to hear about the day you get to hold her in your arms. And thank you for taking the time out of your very busy weekend to connect with me. It means more to me than you know.

    I love you,
    Sandy

  24. Hey Renee… I think it's going to take me a good while to post all that I want to share about She Speaks. There was so much good stuff that I'm still trying to take it all in. I'm just beginning to go back over my notes. And, I have about 7 CD's coming from the conference of sessions I missed. I can't wait for those!

    I have begun posting… there are three on my blog. This is the link to it. Sojourner

    Thanks for all you do and how you inspire!