Shannon’s SCW Blog

It’s Wednesday after my weekend in Oshawa, Ontario (Canada) at the “Beyond Beautiful” Conference, and my head is still spinning over the fact that I get to do this for a living.  Really.  I enjoy it so much, I feel as if I should be paying them to let me come!  I get to speak several times on my favorite topics – God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the ways I pinch myself every day over the incredible miracles they’ve done in my life & marriage.  Then I get to stand at a table and autograph my books for audience members, listening to any tidbit of their life that they take time to share.  And I get tons of hugs – not just “pat on the back” or “neck hugs,” but really tight ones, like sisters who haven’t seen each other in a long, long time and who may never see each other again this side of Heaven.  These hugs often make me cry, but I’ve come to accept the fact that “leaking” is just one of my spiritual gifts.  And then I get to board yet another airplane with Terrica, my events manager who travels with me, and share stories with each other about the amazing women we each had the chance to meet.  I get home exhausted, but overjoyed, like a marathon runner who just finished the race and is completely wiped out, but too high on adrenaline to rest just yet.

And after I crash and burn for a couple of days and laugh with my family about how giddy AND brain-dead I appear to be, I begin unpacking my suitcases.  That was last night.  And the three things that I unpacked from my Oshawa experience that made me cry all over again were:

• A stack of prayer request cards a mile high, with secrets scrawled on the back that some have never told a soul.  I’m so honored to have them “entrusted” to our awesome ministry prayer team of a dozen ladies, who will most certainly storm the gates of heaven with these petitions!
• The most stylish pair of black high heels you could imagine.  I sat next to a stunningly beautiful woman in the front row of the auditorium, and couldn’t help but notice them on her cute little feet.  When I complimented them, she responded, “They may be yours before the weekend is over.  They’re really too big for me.”  The next day, she gave them to me in a gift bag, which yes, made me cry, and they fit me perfectly.  Now I get to “walk in Wendy’s shoes.”  What a privilege.
• At the last session, the conference leadership team presented me with a gift that almost made me bawl like a baby, especially in light of its’ meaning.  The theme for the weekend was how we are called to be a “warrior bride,” submitting to Christ as a holy helpmate and embracing our feminine side, but also accepting our call to wage spiritual warfare against Satan’s schemes.  The speaker’s room was adorned with a beautiful bridal gown cascading across the floor, with a mighty sword laid across the hem of the garment.  When no one was there, I mustered the courage to pick up the sword and declare, “I’m going to slice you and dice you tonight, Satan!  I’m going to chop off your head… and scramble your guts… and castrate you!”  This wild display of fury was to remain a secret between me & Jesus.  But when the leadership team presented me with a REAL SWORD on stage to express their appreciation for what I’d shared all weekend, I confessed my actions, which elicited much laughter and many cheers (which sounded like a high-pitched “battle cry” coming from this group of 400 ladies).  Hopefully every woman present will continue fighting her own spiritual battles with her “sword of truth” – the Word of God.  Of course, getting that sword past the customs agents and on to the plane was quite the interesting experience in and of itself!  Thank you, Lord, for favor!  Now I’ve spend the last two days watching my 14-year old son sword-fight with imaginary demons in our back yard.  What a joy to pass on this spiritual heritage to him!

And I get to spend the rest of my life doing this – speaking about, writing about, and publicly proclaiming the good news of God’s grace, mercy, and lavish love!  Listening to, hugging, encouraging, and praying for others who are passionately pursuing a more intimate love affair with the Lord.  Dang.  I feel like the luckiest woman on the planet.

And tomorrow I get to pack my bags for yet another airplane ride – this time to Overland Park, Kansas with my husband to lead a marriage retreat.  I’ll be encountering a whole new set of strangers Friday afternoon that no doubt will become friends by Sunday, and I’ll come back with a new set of prayer requests to lift up to my Heavenly Father, and new memories to cherish in my heart.  Thank you, Lord God, for allowing me to serve you in this way!  It’s been a difficult road at times, but oh, how I’m enjoying the divine destinations!