Sometimes It's Just About Making The Space {an (in)RL Recap}

Because sometimes it is just making the space in our lives, the space to gather, that makes a place to share our stories.

I've spent a year wondering who God would bring to me for (in)RL this year. When I sat on my couch solo last year I didn't know a soul in this community past those we were working with in ministry. All I can say is that when you get off your porch you better prepare for God to cross your paths with unexpected friendships.

What I thought that meant is that this year all my new friends would gather in my home to watch this year's (in)RL conference. Turns out that the last weekend of April is crazy busy with birthday parties, 5k runs, and other women's ministry events.

My small group of six attendees dwindled to a gathering of three- including myself! I could have cancelled. I was in the middle of a(nother) move and to be quite honest life has thrown a few dozen curve balls at us these past week few weeks. One of the ladies that attended even said she was surprised that I didn't cancel. It sincerely never crossed my mind.

That isn't super spirituality. I crave community and all I could think was if I have one or one hundred it doesn't matter because I have the promise of God's presence. If God is willing to show up in my little then why wouldn't I be? So I rolled out my version of a red carpet- that mostly means lots of chocolate- in a house that we're only going to be living in for a month and is decorated like a funeral home- God bless em'.

The two women that came into my pieced together life for a few hours last Saturday were strangers to me. My home wasn't filled with the now familiar faces of a year of friendship as I'd hoped for. I have those friends. I'm grateful for those women. But God decided to keep widening the circle and reminding me that there are more stories out there to be heard and embraced, even in a small town.

It's in the act of loving that God shows up. The real work of community building happens in the middle of our messy when we put down the ideals and the envisioned and we let God work through us. I struggle with that truth, but I see the fruit of it when I let go of my expectations.

Our time together was a shy mix of getting to know you, sharing the messy, laughing at it all, and eating (because of course). God reminded me that He connects His daughters. I don't know that I would have ever crossed paths with these women otherwise.

No, the circle of friends that God has given me this past year wasn't in attendance, but He made a way for that circle to widen and in the midst of it all He showed up.

(in)RL is the women's conference that comes to you from (in)courage! In case you missed it copies of this year's conference videos are available. You can also enjoy some of the other amazingness like these gorgeous conference postcards (to frame or send) and another listen of the conference theme song by Christa Wells!

Get Off Your Porch

Mid-September in North Carolina is a perfect time for porch sitting- a favorite Southern pastime. A glass of sweet tea and a good rocking chair and there you will find bliss.

I was nearing my third trimester and we had just moved to our new(est) rental house. It was a 1970s Ranch style house with "gorgeous" dark wood paneling and "stunning" wallpaper. For us it was an oasis, wood paneling and all, after a wild ride of life in West Africa.

On a sun soaked fall day we took to the yard to wash our car and trim up the low lying trees- a bit of American normalcy. I waddled myself around the front yard pruning as our new neighbors across the street sat and stared at me.

They sat and stared.

They didn't get up and come over to introduce themselves. They just sat and stared as I hauled my burgeoning belly and a  pair of clippers from limb to limb uncomfortably aware of their gaze.

We lived in that house for eighteen months and our only interaction with those neighbors was at our mailbox which was next to their own and on their side of the street. Even then it was always from across a chain link fence.

We were wearied by life right down to the bone and that little house on Blacksnake road held us through an uncertain time of life. God held us and He used people to carry us along through new parenthood and all our questions about calling and place.

We were in desperate need of community that got off the porch and moved toward us.

I'm getting up off my porch to share a bit of my story and you can read the rest of the story over at (in)courage today.  

Maybe you've heard me or other folks talking about the (in)RL conference. The women's conference that comes to you. There is still time to find out more and join in on April 25-26th. I'm getting up off my porch to share my story with you as one of the conference speakers (GULP) and it would be almost like sipping a mason jar of sweet iced tea with you if you were on the other side of the screen.


 

More Than Words on a Screen

I remember looking hungry hearted through Ann Voskamp's blog about five years ago. I suspect some of you have done the same over at Ann's place or maybe in Lisa Jo's corner or Holley's space. I was drawn to women living life and sharing words with such honesty and openness. I was drawn to their stories.

I knew immediately that I wanted in and moreover I wanted to make sure that I made the same community come to life in my everyday. It couldn't just stop with words typed on a screen and I'm so thankful that it didn't.

It didn't stop with words on a screen, but it certainly did start there. 

I had always been a writer. I knew it from the time my high school English teacher read my words in front of the whole class as I slid red faced, but slightly grinning down in my desk. I've written on the backs of receipts in volumes of journals and in hidden folders on every computer I've ever owned.

Five years ago I began secretly hitting publish on a long gone blog because I was too afraid for anyone to read. Three years ago I started sharing my words with a select few and finding that my words resonated with some in deep ways. Today I'm blessed to have the opportunity to encourage more folks than I ever realized through this space.

I never thought that the words I scribbled through shaking fear would connect me with so many amazing women and even more surprising that those women would end up in my everyday as real life sisters.

Online community has made me braver with my everyday community than I ever imagined.

{Click to tweet this}

What I love is that the (in)courage community gets this. They get that the words we say online need to be applied off line right where we live in the nitty gritty cracks and crannies of our broken beautiful everyday.

That's why (in)RL exists. (in)RL is the women's conference that comes to you right where you are and offers you an opportunity to nurture and grow the community you do life with.

We've all got a story to tell, to share, to live right beside one another. Our stories intersect and they weave away and through one another in unexpected ways. This year we're talking about those stories and we hope that your local meetups will find you sharing your story in a way you never have before. 

I'm officially hosting for the first time this year. You can read about my solo (in)RL last year. I'm also humbled right down the to the ground to be one of the speakers. Say what?! Gulp. Double gulp. Yeah, I'm putting on my big girl panties and I'm sharing some of my story.

You can meet all the speakers and check out the agenda here.

It isn't too late register and either host or find a meetup in your area. Did I mention it's free? Yeah, thought that might change your mind. It's free, but you also have an amazing opportunity to rally behind some amazing projects with your financial resources in partnership with (in)RL.

Because we're all about swinging the beach house doors as wide open as possible we will also be having a twitter par-tay and a couple of Spreecasts in the next couple of weeks to get us prepared!

I'm a twitter gal and so I encourage you to come hang for a bit tonight (March 26th!) at 9:00pm EST using hashtag #inRL I hear there will be prizes.

Also...

• Tuesday, April 8 @ Noon EST - Vision casting Spreecast, open for anyone.
• Tuesday, April 15 @ Noon EST - Exclusive for hosts Spreecast. A time for hosts to be encouraged and have any specific questions answered.

If you haven't seen the trailer take a couple minutes. I'm the woman on the verge of tears about half way through. I'm a crier, what can I say?

An Invitation to Be Real...(in)RL

Back in October, at Allume, I had the white knuckle experience of sitting in front of a camera and sharing a story or two. Yeah, makeup, clapboard thingy, the whole nine. Color me nervous. Talking to a camera is out of my comfort zone despite what the home videos from when I was seven would imply. {Ahem}

There really is only a handful of reasons I would do such a thing. One of those reasons is because I wholeheartedly believe we are designed by our Creator for relationship, women desperately need one another, and the community that we create right where we are has the power to change us and the world.

That is exactly what (in)RL is about.

It is the women's conference that comes to you.

This year we're sharing our stories. Need more convincing? Watch this.



I'll be there. I'm a tad freaked out. My community this past year hasn't been easy. In fact a year ago during (in)RL weekend I watched by myself. This year? I'm daring to believe that God will fill my home with women who have stories and life to share. 

Believe with me, will ya? Go REGISTER NOW!