Last Saturday I went to the Behold Conference and it was Ahhh-mazing. I feel so blessed that it is only a 2 hr drive from my home. I went with some wonderful friends and we are already making plans for next year to go and bring just about each and every woman we know with us. I also got to meet the beautiful Sarah whose blog was probably the first I ever started reading years ago. Anyway here are some of my highlights/thoughts.
The talks were great. They echoed JPII in talking about how God made the world and everything in it, made man, and then realized something was missing. So He made women, the crowning achievement of His creation. Wow. Awesome. We are all created in His image, man and woman. Though very different, we each reveal something about who God is. Woman shows God is gentle, nurturing, and beautiful. We should also embrace and love all the gifts God created each of us individually with, and ask what He would like us to do with those gifts.
Kate Wicker spoke about body image and how it is important to take care of the body God gave us. We all have something about us physically that we aren't quite happy with, but to hate our bodies or what we look like, is to deny God's creative genius. She was also hilarious!
Marie Miller played some amazing music for us. Check her out-we need to support Catholic musicians!
At the Conference there was an awesome "meet the bloggers" aspect. Some popular Catholic women bloggers were sitting at tables in the back so meet us readers and to sign books and such. It was pretty cool. I got to meet Jen and thank her for her hilarious and faithful writing. She said my cowboy boots rocked, and she's right, they totally do. I also met Mrs. Betty Beguiles, Hallie. She looked so cute and vintage-y just like knew she would. I think next year I will bring a cardtable and have my own table in the section to meet the bloggers whom no one has heard of and whose blogs are read by their mom's, best friend, and Louise. Why yes, I will sign that book you are holding!
There were 600 women there. Simply amazing. You know you are at a Catholic Conference when half of the crowd is pregnant or has a newborn in tow (most of which are being breastfed or worn in a wrap/sling at any giving time.) Love it.
On the way out of the Conference, a beautiful Sister of Life handed me a pamphlet of discernment and sweetly invited me to the discerning retreat for their order. I said thank you so much but I am already discerned. I am telling myself that it was because i looked so young and holy that she handed me the pamphlet, but in reality it was probably because I looked like I need a lot of guidance and help. Trust me Sister, I do.
In all seriousness, it was such an amazing day. We were truly pampered with delicious Lent sacrifice-killing food and drink. Best of all, there was Mass, ongoing adoration, and confession. The speakers were great and the fellowship, even better. I even heard there was a mommy room for private nursing, pumping, changing etc. with the works in it, which I also heard wasn't big enough for our baby-making crowd.
What I took home from the Behold Conference was a clean and renewed soul. I felt the whole time that I would LOVE to do what Marie Miller did. What a blessing it would be to play and sing at women's retreats and conferences. I created this blog to really share my music and haven't done much of that. I hope going forward that I can do that so much more and maybe getting my music ministry going again.
Thanks to Bonnie for Behold! I will be there next year.
The talks were great. They echoed JPII in talking about how God made the world and everything in it, made man, and then realized something was missing. So He made women, the crowning achievement of His creation. Wow. Awesome. We are all created in His image, man and woman. Though very different, we each reveal something about who God is. Woman shows God is gentle, nurturing, and beautiful. We should also embrace and love all the gifts God created each of us individually with, and ask what He would like us to do with those gifts.
Kate Wicker spoke about body image and how it is important to take care of the body God gave us. We all have something about us physically that we aren't quite happy with, but to hate our bodies or what we look like, is to deny God's creative genius. She was also hilarious!
Marie Miller played some amazing music for us. Check her out-we need to support Catholic musicians!
At the Conference there was an awesome "meet the bloggers" aspect. Some popular Catholic women bloggers were sitting at tables in the back so meet us readers and to sign books and such. It was pretty cool. I got to meet Jen and thank her for her hilarious and faithful writing. She said my cowboy boots rocked, and she's right, they totally do. I also met Mrs. Betty Beguiles, Hallie. She looked so cute and vintage-y just like knew she would. I think next year I will bring a cardtable and have my own table in the section to meet the bloggers whom no one has heard of and whose blogs are read by their mom's, best friend, and Louise. Why yes, I will sign that book you are holding!
There were 600 women there. Simply amazing. You know you are at a Catholic Conference when half of the crowd is pregnant or has a newborn in tow (most of which are being breastfed or worn in a wrap/sling at any giving time.) Love it.
On the way out of the Conference, a beautiful Sister of Life handed me a pamphlet of discernment and sweetly invited me to the discerning retreat for their order. I said thank you so much but I am already discerned. I am telling myself that it was because i looked so young and holy that she handed me the pamphlet, but in reality it was probably because I looked like I need a lot of guidance and help. Trust me Sister, I do.
In all seriousness, it was such an amazing day. We were truly pampered with delicious Lent sacrifice-killing food and drink. Best of all, there was Mass, ongoing adoration, and confession. The speakers were great and the fellowship, even better. I even heard there was a mommy room for private nursing, pumping, changing etc. with the works in it, which I also heard wasn't big enough for our baby-making crowd.
What I took home from the Behold Conference was a clean and renewed soul. I felt the whole time that I would LOVE to do what Marie Miller did. What a blessing it would be to play and sing at women's retreats and conferences. I created this blog to really share my music and haven't done much of that. I hope going forward that I can do that so much more and maybe getting my music ministry going again.
Thanks to Bonnie for Behold! I will be there next year.
Sounds like such a great time! If I ever win the lottery, I am definitely using some of it to buy a plane ticket to get me to Behold. Or, you know, maybe I should just move back to the Midwest :)
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