Speaker Spotlight: Patsy Clairmont

I know, it’s been a while since I attended the Women of Faith conference, but I feel like there was so much goodness wrapped into 2 days that I need to focus on as many speakers as I can in individual posts.  And, with all that goodness, I needed time to soak it all in!

Patsy

Ok, so back to Patsy.  I LOVED this feisty woman.  I totally wanted to have lunch and coffee with her...to spend one on one time with her and gain more wisdom from her life experiences.  I never had a Christian grandmother, so if I had the opportunity to choose one, yup, she'd be the winner!   God speaking through her touched my soul in a way that words cannot express.  She was a breath of fresh air in the land of mommy hood, where life can sometimes be taken too seriously.  The tools she presented I will continue to use for sanity in daily life.

Quotable quotes:

I’m not weird, I’m a limited edition

Pop your pills in Jesus name.

(for those who haven't heard her speak, I'll explain this later)

Life is messy

People are textured

God is mysterious

People come in and out of your life for a purpose.  Rejoice in what you learn from them.
Change can be good

Tools I took away from a weekend of hearing from Patsy:

*Since fear loves to show up when we least expect it: refuse, replace, repeat.  Refuse impure thoughts (aka anxiety, negative self talk, etc). Replace with a better thought and look to God.  Memorize scripture and internalize.

1.     
*  Say yes every morning

Patsy said she isn’t a morning person and doesn’t wake up with a cheery disposition like those who wake up ready for the day.  Learning to say yes to God even in those early mornings when you just wanna stay a grump can be difficult.  However, it will start the day off right. And, believe me, I’m no morning person! Definitely something I need to work on...

*   Learn to say no.  No is a complete sentence.

Setting boundaries is good for us, which in many cases, means saying no.  Many of us feel we need to say no with an explanation.  Sometimes less is more.  No one needs to know your life story when you are just saying no and setting boundaries for yourself.

Now, to explain: Pop your pills in Jesus name.  She is referring to getting help if you are dealing with depression, anxiety or any type of mental illness.  We should be thankful we live in a day and age in which we have medicine to help with chemical imbalances.  Basically get help if you are stuck!

Thanks Patsy, many of the things you shared confirmed what God has been teaching me since becoming a mom!  I'm forever grateful! 

Speaker Spotlight: Marilyn Meberg

Oh, Marilyn, you touched on a topic that God has made more than evident to me this past year.  Amazing how He does things like that isn't it!!??!

She discussed cravings and yearnings in our daily lives.  When we are children we are yearning for the next stage of life.  We are always craving something beyond what we have.  When we get to the stage we've been so excited about, most of the time we think:  "This is it?!"

We want more of something good.  We want to feel something.  People sky dive, drive fast cars, zip line, bungee jump, all for the adrenaline rush.  Those things make us feel something.

Are you ever truly satisfied? Most of us would say no.  Her point was that God can meet all our longings, yearnings and cravings.  God created us to want more, but none of those longings and cravings will be fulfilled until we are in heaven.  Everything long lasting will be in eternity.

I feel like this quick summary doesn't do this speaker justice.  She was funny and insightful all at the same time.  I truly would like to know what fast car she drove at 120 mph?????

My reflections:   Throughout this past year God has made it more than evident to me that He is my true fulfillment.  No relationship on this earth will be that fulfillment for me.  I may lose loved ones but I know I will be okay as long as I have my true focus on God.  It doesn't mean life is easy.  But, through the pain of life, my true joy comes from God.  The peace that He gives me amidst my trials is what I can cling to knowing that someday I will be with him in heaven.

WOF: Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God...? Romans 11:33 (MSG)

The above scripture was the theme scripture for Women of Faith.

So thankful for this opportunity to blog about a GREAT event! This was my first time attending Women of Faith. WOW!!! How do I even begin to describe my experience at Women of Faith?!! I'll start by saying it confirmed and reinforced what God has been teaching me this past year about life in general as a woman seeking God and His plan for my life.

They had an amazing line up of speakers: Patsy Clairmont, Andy Andrews, Brenda Warner, Lisa Whelchel (Facts of Life), and Marylin Meberg. Then, also amazing music by Mandisa, Sandi Patty, Amy Grant,  and can't forget the worship team! Deborah Joy Winans isn't to be forgotten either with her wonderful dramatic performances about balancing motherhood.  And, yes, Cece Winans is her aunt.

What do I say about Patsy?  You can't help but fall in love with this 5 foot, petite, feisty woman who suffered from agoraphobia. She's quick to get you laughing, but quick to get you crying too.  I truly learned that God has been leading me on the right path this year in setting boundaries, focusing on good thoughts rather than impure thoughts, and accepting myself for the person God made me.  Patsy is sincere in sharing from her heart and life experiences.  She doesn't sugar coat anything and somehow finds humor in the toughest of circumstances. Patsy is Andy Andrews favorite "tiny" person and it was a blast watching their interactions on stage.

Now, on to Andy Andrews.  OK, so he is a high energy individual.  Can I say that again?!!  He is a high energy individual who I thought looked like a ping pong ball on and off the stage when he first began speaking.  His unpredictability made you wonder what he was going to do next and what audience member he was going to use as an example to get his point across.  He was pretty hilarious too, but he could quickly get down to business and share the heart of his story.  During Q and A time someone asked him if he'd ever considered drinking decaf...LOL!


Brenda Warner, Lisa Whelchel, and Marilyn Meberg were great women also. Brenda can do the splits being a 40 something mother of 7 and she has an amazing testimony. Lisa Welchel was Blair on the Facts of Life and gave us great wisdom about friendships.  Marilyn Meberg has a need for speed and has found herself going 120 mph! By the way, I'd love to know what fast car she has at the moment?  She is a shrink and discussed the cravings and desires in our lives.  I think she'd be a pretty cool grandmother too!

Mandisa, Sandi Patty and Amy Grant performed for us and it was AWESOME!  Sandy Patty and Amy Grants voices haven't changed since I was a kid.  And, ya know, this was the first time I've seen either of  them in concert.  A childhood dream of mine has been to see Amy grant in concert...dream accomplished :)

I still feel that words cannot express how thankful I am for the opportunity to blog about this Over the Top conference.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I'll leave you with some words of wisdom from the conference:

Change can be good

Prayer and people matter

Actively choose to be grateful

Look for God's grace no matter the circumstance

Imperfect people make real friends

In the days and weeks to come I will do some speaker spotlights to share what I learned at this conference because it was just THAT good! So, stay tuned for more!

Women of Faith can I be your traveling blogger?  ;)

And, don't forget to enter my book giveaway HERE.  The author, Nicole Johnson, is commonly an author on the agenda of the Women of Faith weekends.  Although, she didn't make a guest appearance at the event I attended.

This is one of my favorite pictures from women of faith!  More pictures to come with my recap of the weekend.