I just finished unpacking my bags from The Gospel Coalition 2016 National Women’s Conference (TGCW16), but my mind is still unpacking a variety of things: excellent teaching, thought-provoking conversations, and the whirlwind of interactions that happen at a conference that includes 7,200 women who love Jesus.
Just as my desk is full of books that I brought back, my mind is full of ideas that I want to continue to mediate on and process. It’s easy to get swept back up in the whirlwind of life once we return, so I thought it might be helpful to think through some questions to consider and ways to bring home the truths learned after spending days feasting on the word with others. Here are some questions I’m thinking through:
Personally with God
- What truth(s) about God did the Spirit impress upon your heart as you listened to the teaching on 1 Peter? What’s one main theme that continues to replay in your heart and mind from the conference?
- Was there a particular passage of Scripture that jumped out at you in a new way during this conference? What about it encouraged you? Will you consider memorizing that passage in the weeks to come so that you can continue to meditate on it?
- In what ways did the workshops that you attended spur you on in the faith? What is something specific you learned that you want to apply to your life?
- As you process the teaching you heard, did you feel conviction over sin in your life? Do you need to confess to a trusted friend and ask for prayer? Who can you call this week to help you in this fight?
- What is one step you can take in the next week to apply the teaching you learned to your walk with God? What is one step you can take in the next few months to encourage others with the learning you received?
Communally with Others
When someone asks, “How was the conference?” it’s easy to quickly answer “It was great!” or “I loved it, you should come next time!” In fact, that’s the way I’ve answered my friends up until this point. However, as I’m reflecting upon these questions, I’m realizing that I’m missing an opportunity to share more specifically what I’m processing.
There are two benefits of sharing our reflections with others. As we share, we pass those truths on to other women. In one of the sessions I attended, Carrie Sandom noted, “We are all standing on the shoulders of someone else who taught us.” Each of us, all 7,200 women (and the many more who will listen online), have an opportunity to share the truths we learn with others. Whether we tell one woman over dinner or share in front of a group of hundreds, as the word dwells richly in our hearts, we can pass it on to others. So rather than a simple “It was great” we can say almost just as succinctly, “I learned a lot. Currently, I’m processing the way God uses suffering in our lives.” That small change invites a larger conversation that may encourage you both.
Second, as we share what we’ve been learning, the truths of the gospel settle deep within our own hearts and minds. Every time I share with someone else what I’ve learned, I’m reviewing it again. Thus, the more I share, the more I learn.
So I invite you to share. What truths are you bringing home from TGCW16? Feel free to share in the comments here for others to benefit. Or grab a friend and a cup of coffee and enjoy a chat about the subject of all eternity: Jesus Christ. It doesn’t get better than that. As John Flavel said so well:
Consider the excellencies of the knowledge of Christ. The comforts of believers are streams from this fountain. Jesus Christ is the object of a believer’s joy. Take away the knowledge of Christ, and Christians would be the most sad and melancholy beings in the world. . . . Christ is the door that opens heaven, and knowledge is the key that opens Christ. It is profound; all other sciences are but shadows; this is a boundless, bottomless ocean; no creature has a line long enough to fathom its depths; there is height, length, depth, and breadth ascribed to it, yea it passes knowledge. Eternity itself cannot fully unfold him. It is like exploring a newly discovered land; by degrees you search further and further into the heart of the country. Ah, the best of us are yet on the borders of this vast continent! The study of Jesus Christ is the noblest subject that ever a soul spent itself upon.
May we study him, enjoy him, and seek him together. How sweet the fellowship we enjoy when Jesus is at the center.
