Beyond Beautiful Conference 2014

My pregnant nieces and my Mom
Lauren is due in one week and CeCe is due in a month

I have so much to tell you about our Women Empowered Beyond Beautiful Conference at our church.
It was a wonderful time with amazing ladies from several churches around.  The Word was filling, the fellowship was beautiful, the worship was heavenly...we were at the very feet of Jesus each service.

If your church has ever put together a conference for women, then you know how much work goes into it.  It's a ton of work, planning, money, time, but it is so worth it.

Our theme Beyond Beautiful was just what our ladies needed.  I love the theme and it is one that I will ever carry with me.  When I say, our ladies, I am including myself in that as well.

The altar was full of women letting the love of our Savior wash over them.  Healing the broken pieces that we have carried for so long.  Using God's measuring stick instead of mans and realizing that we have value.  It was so wonderful, each night, I never wanted a service to end.

My beautiful parents:
Bishop Ronald and Pastor Lorraine Estep

Here are some highlights that I gathered from each message:

Friday Night-Pastor Helen Bledsoe:

A Woman Beyond Beautiful

1. Values herself and she knows that she is valued by God

Whose measuring stick are you using? 

2. Values others

3. Values what God values

Saturday Morning-Me:

"...But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30b

God is not requiring us to do everything that the Proverbs 31 woman did each day.  He is wanting us to do what He has placed before us, in the fear (worship, revere, adore, exalt, please, satisfy) of the LORD.  Just do it as unto the LORD.  

A woman who fears the LORD is transformed Beyond Beautiful...the inside, outshines the outside.

Saturday Night-Pastor Helen Bledsoe:

Beyond

The caterpillar is born as small as the head of a pin.  He eats and eats, outgrowing his skin 5 times.  He is preparing for his days in the cocoon.   He first climbs up higher to the end of a branch.  From inside of him, a silk like substance starts to spin around him. Then as we all know, he has to break forth out of the cocoon.  He kicks out one wing and then another until he is totally free.  His wings are too wet to fly so he must dry them in the sun.  

The caterpillar is transformed from an ugly fur ball to a beautiful butterfly.  The butterfly has 3 purposes.

1. To fly

2. To mate

3. To reproduce

This message was so powerful and I do believe it could be a complete series.  

I may be in my cocoon, allowing God to do His work on me, but I will emerge Beyond Beautiful.  

Beyond what the world says is beautiful.  Beyond my own preconceived ideas of beautiful.  I will be His beautiful butterfly. 

Sunday Morning-Pastor Lorraine Estep:

To go Beyond Beautiful we must go beyond what the world says is our worth. 

We are chosen, we are approved and we are good enough

Our past is our past.  We are forgiven.  It no longer has authority over our lives.  

Shadows cannot hurt you.  Turn on the light and see that what we think can hurt us, actually has no power.  

Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...You are walking through.  That means you will get to the other side.  He will take us through.  

The shadows of our past try to haunt us and keep us from making it through but they are just shadows.  We can turn on the light.  

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (II Timothy 1: 7 NKJV)

This message wrapped it all up for us, taking us through what we use to hold us captive.  Our thoughts, our past, our shortcomings, our preconceived ideas of what is good enough.  So many think they will start living for the LORD when they are good enough.  When we come to the LORD, He makes us good enough.  He knows our past, our failures, our sins, our temptations...He loves us through it and cleanses us.  He holds us and wraps us up in His wonderful grace.  

There is freedom in knowing that:

We are chosen

We are approved

We are good enough

I could keep going on about each message but I know we don't have all day to sit and read about my weekend.  It was spectacular and I am so thankful that I got to be a part of it.