Grace Community's 2009 Women's Conference
Do you long to live a picture-perfect life? Are you ready to put your life back into focus and back on track? Are you overwhelmed by the turbulence in today’s world and caught off balance struggling with the day-to-day activities? If this describes you, then you will want to attend Grace Community’s 2009 Women’s Conference for a day of rest, renewal and rejuvenation. We will be blessed with the teachings of Dr. Lori Salierno who has motivated hundreds of thousands of others to live lives with enthusiasm, grace and integrity.
Schedule: Our handicapped accessible facility will open wide its doors at 8:15 am. Early breakfast will be served at 8:30 and (for those who need a little extra morning time) 9:00.
The conference will begin promptly at 9:30 and end at 3:30.
Please Note: This is your time of relaxing, unwinding and renewing and we therefore request that your children be left at home in the loving arms of a caregiver. Nursing moms will be provided a designated area and we just ask that you leave the strollers behind.
Early Registration: $32 and must be post-marked no later than April 11th
Registration after April 11th: $40 / Tickets are transferable but not refundable.
For more details or questions, please call the church office at 845.496.4372 or e-mail us at: info@gracecommunityonline.org.
Bookmark this page to follow the devotionals for the next few weeks leading up to the conference and prepare your hearts to be blessed and focused.
Focus Devotional #1
The headlines are dizzying: Stock Market Plunges, Israel Rockets Blast Into Gaza Strip, Gasoline Prices Soar, Massive Employment Layoffs, Elderly Man Freezes To Death After Electric Company Shuts Off Power, Peanut Butter Salmonella Kills Child and on and on and on! One would think that we are living in the end-times. Is there any hope of better days to come? Can it get any worse? Where do we turn when the world is turned upside down? Does our outlook on life reflect the negative headlines, dismal reports and gloomy forecasts? Or do we shine like the noonday sun, reflecting the love of Jesus in our lives?
There is always hope and peace for us even in the worst of times. That hope and peace comes from the declarations of a loving Savior who promises to be there for us always even when we have trouble. And, we will have trouble in this world.
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Focus on Jesus and follow His path towards peace in these turbulent times.
Focus Devotional #2
Are you a morning person? Do you jump out of bed in the morning with a smile upon your face and exclaim with a thankful heart, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118: 24). Or do you awake with the alarm blaring in your ear and hit the snooze button three times before you step out of bed? Truth be told, most of us stagger into each day, sleepy-eyed until we get that morning dose of caffeine.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10). To be humble means to be down-to-earth, unpretentious and plain old who you are. If you find yourself waking up in the morning, dreading another day at another job with another headache from a boss or co-worker that you don’t get along with, begin to give thanks. Thank God for your bed, your job, your health, your home and the rest of your blessings. Awaken with a renewed heart and mind and focus on what truly matters most. When you begin to give thanks for what you do have, you will find that what you don’t have doesn’t really matter.
Focus on Jesus and rejoice and give thanks each morning.
Focus Devotional #3
Do you wrestle with covetousness? Do you look at your neighbors with envy because their home is larger, better landscaped and has a new vehicle parked in the driveway? Are you consumed with jealousy when you listen to others plan their dream vacations and make expensive purchases while you struggle just to make ends meet? Did you ever wonder what your future holds in store for you?
“For I know the plans I have for you, “ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
This is what the Lord declares for you and for me: A prosperous, hopeful future. He doesn’t declare that you will have a larger home than your neighbors do – He does declare that His plans include for you to prosper. To prosper means that you will flourish, thrive, do well and, yes, make money. The Lord wants you to be filled with hope about your future and rest in His word that He already knows the plan. You just have to trust Him.
Focus on Jesus and know that your heavenly bank account is in the black.
Focus Devotional #4
We have all encountered people who make us uncomfortable and we try to avoid them. Could you be nice to someone who intentionally insults you? Better still, could you ever love that person?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44) We struggle with loving our enemies because we forget the grace of the One who first loved us. How do you love someone who makes you feel unappreciated, undeserving and not worthy? Isn’t it easier to surround yourselves with friends and family and turn away from others who make you feel uneasy?
Sometimes focusing on scriptural living causes us to leave our zones of comfort and venture into the Jesus-zone.
The Message Bible translates Matthew 5 this way, “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow Up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
Focus on the example of grace that Jesus has given to us.
Focus Devotional #5
We have all encountered someone we considered to be a fool in our lifetimes. Truth be told, I have even been a fool on more than one occasion. A fool is someone who can easily be duped into believing something that is false. Trying to convince a fool otherwise can cause frustration, embarrassment and arguments.
Proverbs 23:9 tells us, “Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.”
Have you ever tried to share the good news of the gospel with someone only to have them scorn you? Should you persist or simply toss your hands into the air and walk away? Isn’t it easier to just admit defeat and say, “I tried and it didn’t work this time- oh well”?
Jesus commands us in Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” That includes the fools. While Proverbs warns us that we may20be scorned, Jesus tells us to go ahead anyway.
Focus on the example of Jesus and do not be hesitant of being ridiculed.
More information: 2009 Women's Conference
