Weekend away

I just got back from spending a weekend with 5 girlfriends. My friend's, husband gave her a weekend getaway with her closest friends to re-charge and 'start a new page with God'. It was incredibly thoughtful and blessed the rest of us too. We were in the middle of nowhere Kansas in this old restored stone barn. It was so quiet. The first night I was there after everyone had gone to sleep I went out to the deck and looked at the brightness of the stars against the black canvas of the night sky. It was beautifully clear. The moon was half and barely rounded. It looked like it was sketched into the darkness, as a beacon. I could just sit in moments like that forever. It was secure feeling and the presence of God was real. My mind and heart were clear to worship him and I just stood in adoration. There was a lot of intense dialoge with the other women, but I feel connected and ready to continue in the journey with these women, and fight their battles with them. Thanks, Brent Boutier for having such great insight to the needs of your wife, it benefited us all.

joy hennin?

My blog name evolved from my pseudonym that I've had for a couple of years. I was at a conference and the speaker had an alias. I thought that sounded like a fabulous idea. I took the letters of my name and mixed them to find a new name. I actually prefer this name-crazy huh! It is a really fun game to play with friends and family and you get some good laughs at the possible names you could have. I've come up with some great ones: Correnta Rehente, Paprika Se', Hans Pantap, etc... Try it, you'll have lots of fun!

Conference

The Conference that I went to was incredibly inspiring. I loved hearing about what God is doing in the lives of people around the world. I felt able to pray more effectively for a very lost part of the world. I think some of the most challenging things I learned were related to learning how to be a storyteller. I really need to grow in this area of my walk with God. I want the truths of God to be so natural for me that they just flow naturally in conversation when given opportunities. I want to look at the culture that I am in and see how Biblical accounts can meet people in their story. It is how bridges can be built to the Gospel and it really excites me to learn how to do that. There were many stories of people that have had to endure a lot in their lives for the sake of Christ, but their joy was so real and their passion for Jesus! I was also able to connect with a lot of people from around the world with similar vision. Was my heart stirred? Certainly. It was pointed toward Christ and open to how he might want to use me in the future.

Correnta and I in NYC

travels

I just took a vacation to the Northeast. I've never been to this part of the country before and enjoyed taking in all of the things that you notice when you are in a different culture. Here are some of my obvious observations about the New York and Boston areas. Everyone is in a hurry. 9/10 people have an ipod. Dunkin doughnuts are more frequent than Starbucks (I didn't know that was possible, watch out starbucks!) The letter R was stolen from the alphabet. Relationships are made through connections. Most people don't make eye contact. Everyone has a story they want to tell, if they are asked. You can go for hours without hearing English. In the five total days spent in this area, It was amazing how many great conversations I had with people. It was really fun to have the time to sit down and talk to people and listen to their stories. Many people my friend Correnta and I met told us that people never ask them about their lives. How cool, that we were able to bless people in the midst of our vacation. Those were my favorite moments. Tomorrow I leave again for a conference in Tenessee. I'm looking forward to what God might want to teach me and people he might want me to meet. At the same time I feel a little nervous that my heart might be stirred toward something bigger than I can even wrap my mind around now. I'm trying to stay dependent on Him.