My Church Ladies

How do you define a "church lady"?

Does she have white, freshly "salon fixed" hair on Sunday morning? Did she bark out books of the Bible to you during a Bible drill and then praise you when you did well? Did she scold you and your buddies when you ran through the church giggling because the RA's were hiding somewhere? (I NEVER did that by the way. ha!) Did she teach you it was ok to write in your Bible? Did she pull you into the flowery aroma filled folds of her neck, chest and arms for your Sunday morning hug?

This weekend, I enjoyed a blessed weekend with just over 80 women from First Baptist Church of Opelika. The ages ranged from early 20's to 80's, and we came from all walks of life. We were married and single, mommies and women waiting patiently to learn how God will bless them with children, old friends and new. We had an energetic speaker join our mix, and it was a blessing. Chandra Peele started Friday night off with an energetic bang, and a consistent theme throughout her presentations were the "church ladies" in our lives...and that we too are called to be church ladies.

The list above captures a lot of the women in my life growing up in the church. I know I am blessed that I had them in my life and that while it isn't nearly as fascinating and "moving," I am blessed that my testimony is "boring." I suppose my testimony gets more exciting as time passes. As a more diverse group of church ladies enter my life, I have the opportunity to grow with them, to be challenged by them, and to act as accountability partners to them.

Just this weekend...my current day church ladies blessed me.

There were the women who selflessly drove the bus and van while the rest of us visited, listened to music and watched movies in the back. There were the women who poured months of their lives into planning this event so that I could have a place to sleep (at the BEACH!), yummy food to eat, fun activities to be entertained and a speaker to hear. There were women who called and drove all over town to put together gift bags for every women and door prizes for many. (I won a gift card!! Fun, fun!) I don't have enough creative energy or talent to give kudos to every woman, but I do want to give a specific shout out to those women with whom I shared a condo:

Jamie: You nursing moms...you must whine no more. This woman is a full-time teacher and a mommy of a 9-month-old, and she's still going! She was able to get away for the weekend but pumped the entire time to maintain a supply of food for her child. I am SO impressed and humbled. Plus...she's really fun, and I'm glad she was a roomie!

Stephanie: If you need a photographer, she's a great one to hire. This weekend, however, she offered her talents to our group and took pictures all weekend long. I took my camera, but I quickly decided it was too inconvenient to take pictures. I would rather talk! So...many thanks to Stephanie for her servant and selfless attitude! (I can't wait to see those pictures posted!)

Brandi: In all her spare time (ha!) from homeschooling, caring for her two children, and supporting her husband's growing ministry, Brandi designed and transformed a drab (and too small) conference room into a beach paradise. She also stepped-up and developed games for us to play throughout the weekend. The "Survivor" Festivities...well...I'm not sure you will ever see those pictures unless you went on the trip. Baptist Women Gone Wild...probably not going to make it onto Fox. Many kudos go out to Brandi for her amazing creativity. Her friendship and candid view of life is precious to me as well. (If you haven't figured out how to approach church without your "life is perfect" mask on...talk to Brandi. She blesses others without it on, I think.)

Kelley: Definitely winning the trophy for longest drive (from Greenville, SC), my heart and mind were blessed to get to visit with her on the drive to and from the beach! There aren't many people I can discuss such a wide range of topics with, and I cherish that about Kelley. What I also love is that this woman has a heart for missions, and while I recognize that I am not called to serve as she is, I am encouraged to find my role to serve those outside of my bubble, and I need her in my life to remind me that we are all called to spread the Word.

Joy: Prayer warrior extraordinaire. Do you ever leave a conversation with a Christian friend and tell them you will pray for them and then you see them a week or two later and hastily lift up a prayer because if you were honest, you would admit you hadn't thought about them, much less their prayer needs in the past 10 days? Well...Joy is a warrior. She prayed for this conference. She prayed for the leadership. She prayed for our speaker. And God answered her prayers. Our location was moved at the last minute and our space was limited. But when we found that out, space wasn't the worry...getting people to sign-up was! We only had 20-something people going. The conference room...had space for 10, eight-top tables or 80 women. I think we took 83. So, while a few of us lined the edges of the room...it was pretty perfect. What a pleasant countenance and a blessing to share a living space with Joy for just a few days.

Rebecca: Want to know how to get it done? If so, you need a Rebecca in your life. She's the rock. One of the two conference coordinators, Rebecca kept the budget in line and made sure things ran smoothly. Knowing that she deals with physical pain on a day-to-day basis is incredible, (She's one of those people I actually DON'T forget to pray for!) and while it would be 100% fair that she complain and not take on leadership roles, she steps up time and time again in our Sunday School class and around the church. This was also a good weekend to just hang-out and catch-up now that our lives are so crazy.

How I long for our early marriage years when we girls got together all the time. Sigh...we must commit to scheduling more girl weekends...church involved or not!

To the rest of you...find your church ladies. Be a church lady. Have an open and loving heart. Do not judge by the exterior image. A tattooed, multi-studded woman may be the most amazing Christian you meet. Talk to the woman who walks into your Sunday School class and get to know her or at least invite her into the crowd so she isn't left alone. Love your friends...even when it's inconvenient.