This monthly feature will give you the inside scoop on our events from backstage passes to interviews with our speakers, here’s what happens In Any Event.
I remember the very first conference I ever attended. Do you? It was POWERFUL!
It was a mountaintop experience for me. It was the catalyst that jump-started my daily reading of the Word. And, it can be the place where God meets you in the very depths of your soul if you allow Him access. That event was in 1996, and many conferences later, each event holds a special place in my heart. With each one, you are in a different season of life, and if you look for a fresh word, God will reveal Himself to you.
However, it was the impact of my first Living Proof Live conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 2001 that began my quest to know God deeper and sparked my desire for women to experience Him the way I did. After returning back to Pennsylvania from that conference, I bought 55 tickets and organized a bus trip to Massachusetts with a group of women who were eager to hear Beth Moore for the very first time. Well, the rest is history. It didn’t take long before Bible studies were popping up all over our community and women started studying the Word of God for themselves. Yes, one changed woman can spark a fire in a community. I have seen this happen over and over again.
I’ve had the privilege to be the City Coordinator for Living Proof Live, Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer, and currently, The Word Alive with Lysa TerKeurst in addition to assisting several teams. Regardless of how many events I’ve attended or helped with, the experience NEVER gets old. There is always a spoken word I remember from each experience. I have many reasons why working on these conferences is important to me from meeting new friends, encouraging women in their walk with God, to the impact it makes on a community. However, I think my favorite part of the day is watching women walk to the platform for prayer. The care of the prayer encouragers brings comfort. Women walk away from their time with another sister uplifted and encouraged to keep keeping on.
One of the driving forces behind why I do what I do is because I never forget what that first conference meant to me. Each conference and retreat has left a watermark on my heart. Each one represents something different and significant.
Leading up to a conference, our team goes through our own process with prayer being the main bullet point on the agenda. Our constant prayer for the women who attend the conference is that they would grow in God’s Word and experience Him in their lives, which will challenge them to make God a priority and inspire them to move into a “wholehearted” lifestyle, one devoted fully to Him.
“For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
When God rains down on us and waters His seed (the Word), it allows us to grow and will make your life rich and plentiful. And, the fruit will be seen. He is the vine; you are the branches. Stay connected to Him for the strength you need for the days ahead.
I have viewed up close, as well as from afar, the impact one event can have on a woman’s life. It can:
- Save a life
- Bring revival
- Plant a dream
- Soften a heart
- Change a decision
- Establish a friendship
- Free one of bondage
- Positively affect a marriage
- Be the catalyst for a life set on fire
- Increase a passionate walk with Him
After the event is over, you long to see women living fruitful lives from what they experienced during the conference. You may not always know the full effects, but hopefully, there will be some in a bird’s-eye view. And, when women can’t stop talking about the event, it creates a buzz—that sweet noise that reminds you there was power in the day.
And because one event can jump-start your walk, revive a dull life, or increase a desire for more of Him and less of you, consider where God is calling you to attend this year: a Lifeway event, conference, personal retreat, church retreat, or that alone time with Him you’ve been feeling called to for so long.
Jessie Seneca is the founder of More of Him Ministries in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She has been leading women in the local community and churches for over twenty-five years. she volunteers with Lifeway as a City Coordinator, Northeast Simulcast Specialist, and You Lead trainer. She enjoys seeing women get into the Word of God and the transformation it brings to their lives. She is a wife and mother of two adult daughters and wonderful sons-in-law. Most days, you can find her walking her two golden doodles, Murphy and Bella.