Spring Cleaning 2009

This past weekend we had a women's conference in Paris. Our speaker was Elizabeth Luter (far left) from New Orleans whose husband, Fred, is the pastor of Seventh Avenue Baptist Church. I have had the privilege of hearing him preach at the Southern Baptist Convention a few times, but have never been blessed to meet or hear Elizabeth. She is so genuine and real...it was so nice to listen to her share real experiences that I can relate to and to hear her share about the challenges and struggles brought by Hurricane Katrina and God's faithfulness in the midst of all that!

Six months ago, a group of ministers wives (pictured above with Elizabeth) were meeting together and God laid on our hearts to hold this conference. It was such a blessing for me to be a part of this wonderful adventure! Friday evening, all the ministers wives in our area were invited to meet for dinner and a time of fellowship with Elizabeth, and then Saturday the conference was from 10-2. It was such a refreshing time of encouragement! Our theme verse was, "Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me!" Psalm 51:10. This is where our theme came from. What a timely message! It is my prayer that God will cleanse my heart in order that He might be clearly reflected in my life!

I want to say a special thank you to the ladies at Maplewood who worked so hard to help decorate (Becky, Carol, DeDe and Deanna), clean up after the conference, and make desserts...they were delicious! As a pastors wife, it is such a blessing to have a church family who you can depend on and know that whatever is asked will be willingly and graciously done for God's glory! I can't imagine being part of a more generous and loving church family than Maplewood! Love you all!