Blue Ridge and New Friends

The Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference was a wonderful experience I am still digesting. Very few people know what a "God thing" this was for me to even be able to attend. I have never been able to afford to attend a conference. And, even though I have tried for scholarships, I was never awarded one.

Last year, I proposed a class for the At-Home ACFW Conference and it was accepted. Not long after that I appeared on Tiffany Coulter's blog to do a little teaching series. She mentioned teaching at Blue Ridge. I wasn't feeling confident enough at first to even approach Edie Melson as Tiffany recommended, but I pushed forward. Edie suggested I send in class proposals for the conference.

When I received the invitation to be on the Blue Ridge faculty, you would have thought I had won the lottery. Not only do I love to teach, but this meant I could attend my first writing conference.

In the months leading up to the conference I prayed that whatever "divine appointments or moments" I was supposed to encounter, God would not let me miss them. Honestly, everywhere I turned while there was a God moment. The following is just a short list of all of those experiences.

Happy to meet people in person I have only had the privilege of interacting with online.
Impressed by those writers who pitched their work so passionately and expertly to me.
Thrilled to teach and hopefully impart some wisdom my attendees can use in their writing.
Inspired by the beautiful worship music of Rachel Hauk.
Encouraged and challenged by the keynote speakers as well as Alton Gansky's devotions.
Enjoyed just dining with writers from all over the country and hearing their precious stories.
Completely overwhelmed when my name was called for a Selah Award.

This is just scratching the surface. I know as I continue to let the whole "drinking from a fire hydrant" experience sink in, there will be more things that touched me.

If you are visiting here because I met you at the conference, please consider subscribing to this blog through your email. Or, should you have just stumbled across my ramblings, please consider doing the same. This is the place I try to share what God is teaching me. I also like to feature my fellow authors and let them share their God-given work.

I will close this post by simply encouraging you. If God calls or even just nudges you toward something, act upon it. He really is in the blessing business. And, He really does want to use His children to do the things he created them to do.

Please consider connecting with me on Facebook as well. Paula Mowery on Facebook

Another place I would enjoy connecting with you is through my other blog which features creative exercises just for Christian writers. www.ccwcu.blogspot.com

To quote a line from my first book, The Blessing Seer, "Go out on a limb for God." The view is really breathtaking up there!