More on Women of Faith
I had a great time interviewing Sandi Patty and Anita Renfroe for today’s Religion Section stories on Women of Faith.
Almost every year I get to share stories about some of the speakers and musical guests for the popular Christian women’s conference ministry that typically makes its way to Oklahoma City in the fall.
Both Patty and Renfroe and were quite candid about their lives and the message of hope they will bring to thousands of women planning to attend the inspirational event Nov. 2-3 at the Ford Center.
I had already begun reading Patty’s book, “Falling Forward” so I understood the premise behind her message about failure and redemption.
A few paragraphs about the book were included on the cover of the Religion Section earlier this year when the book was released. We could not tell everything about the book in that short amount of space but my hope is that readers will understand more about it after reading today’s story on Patty.
What I can tell you here in the format (bless this format!) is that Patty shares some of her personal story in the book but she also goes beyond that to give the reader some advice on how to keep from falling, then what to do if one does fall. You might say this is my book review of sorts.
In “Falling Forward,”Patty gives warning signs to look for when one might be headed for a fall from grace and ways to find restoration if failure has already taken place.
Three points are key, she says:
1. We all fall — fail in some way – none of us are perfect. “We are all equally in need of mercy and grace and the Father’s embrace,” she writes.
2. Being truthful with oneself and others is very important. “Oh, the freedom that comes from following the choices to reveal, to heal, and to allow yourself to become real,” she writes.
3. There is life after failure. “Breath in, breathe out, put one food in front of the other. Some of these early days are simply about endurance, holding on, and letting time do its work. You will feel better. You will survive,” she says.
I’m almost finished with the book and then I plan to share it with someone else. More people need to hear Patty’s comments about life after failure. She is the perfect person to say it, perhaps, since she has lived it. In her book Patty refers to a statement that (pastor and author) Bishop T.D. Jakes has said: Our ministry often comes from some misery we have survived. Patty is proving the truth of that statement.
Here’s more Women of Faith information of note:
*By late September more than 14,000 women had registered for the Oklahoma City conference.
*Singer-songwriter Nicole Nordeman will be special musical guest.
*Women of Faith is in its 12th year and has reached close to 400,000 women each year through an average of 30 events each conference season.
*”Infinite Grace” Women of Faith 2008 is planned for Nov. 14-15 at Oklahoma City’s Ford Center.
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