In January, I had the great joy of speaking at Ladies Night Out at my home church in Houston (Sagemont), and it was FAB! And speaking of fab, here’s a picture of Sharon Green, the fabulous leader of the Ladies Night Out events at Sagemont. She and her team share a passion to take God’s love and God’s Word to the women in our church and community – and that’s just what Ladies Night Out is all about.

One of the sweetest joys of speaking at Ladies Night Out at Sagemont is being able to be with soooo many of my long-time girlfriends, and here are two of my faves: (l-r) Joanna Jenkins and Christy Simmons.  If you’ve ever heard me teach, this is "The Christy" you’ve heard me talk about or quote. She is both wise and godly and hilarious and a party – you would so LOVE her.

My two favorite singers: my son, J.J., and my husband, Bill, led us ladies in fantastic worship. Father and son. Serving and singing together. OK, I’m about to get weepy. Time to move on to the next pic.

Tables FULL of women enjoying fun and fellowship at Sagemont’s Ladies Night Out where I taught God’s Got a Question for YOU (and if you’re curious about that question, check out Ezekiel 37:3).

Two more faves of mine (and sweet sisters in the Lord):
(l-r) Teri Fowle and Pat Bynum. Both of these girls bless me every week at Sagemont as they sing in our choir. They are the definition of glo girls.

OK, two more Sagemont sisters and faves of mine: (l-r) Carol Neel and  Sammie Maricelli (who also just happens to be our own Emily Ryan’s mom).

I LOVE the Texas Hill Country (a gorgeous area in and around San Antonio/Austin). The only thing better than going on a trip to the Hill Country is going on a trip to the Hill Country with Bill. But the only thing better than going on a trip to the Hill Country with Bill is going on a trip to the Hill Country with Bill to be a part of an AMAZING women’s retreat. And that’s exactly what I got to do back in February with the great gals of Hill Country Fellowship, Burnet, Texas. No kidding, it was almost like dying and going to heaven for the weekend!

This was Hill Country Fellowship’s first ever women’s retreat – and may I just say, they totally rocked it! I taught a series entitled First Love and thoroughly enjoyed all 200 women in one room praising our First Love and soaking up His Word. And speaking of praise . . .

Yes, that’s my Bill again! The gals at Hill Country Fellowship invited him to be our worship leader for the weekend. And it. Was. Glorious. The music and worship moved me to tears. You Hill Country Fellowship girls really know how to sing and praise our awesome God!

So, you may ask, who organized and led this amazing retreat? Dixie Farmer (pictured here with Bill).  Dixie and her team of godly gals made organizing and leading their first ever retreat look like a piece of cake (which I’m sure it wasn’t because if you’ve ever organized a retreat before, you know that it’s definitely not a piece of cake – it’s spiritual warfare). God’s presence was SO powerful that weekend!

And standing next to me in this picture is the icing on the cake at the Hill Country Fellowship Retreat: Anita Renfroe (who is also Dixie’s cousin)! Yes, The Anita Renfroe. My favorite Christian comedian (and a seriously good singer and pianist, too), Anita had us right in the palm of her hand with her unique brand of funny, female humor. But just in case you’ve never heard her, here’s a little taste for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYukEAmoMCQ. Enjoy.

The next stop on my pretty in pink tour of Texas was at the . . .

Just a few miles east of Houston is a rural area of charming, small communities and churches. Each year, the Old River Baptist Church hosts a one-day Women’s Jubilee for the entire area. And this year, I got to go! And sweet Shanda went with me. What a blessing it was being with these women who represented a dozen or more area churches.

Pulling together an event like the Women’s Jubilee requires lots of prayer and preparation, and these gals did both beautifully. Meet (l-r) Dana Bidy, Charlotte Read, (me), Ashley Whitaker, and Donna Navarre, the Women’s Jubilee dream team!  They honored the Lord (and blessed my socks off) with their sweet spirit of servanthood.

Friendship was the topic of the day at the Women’s Jubilee, so I taught We Have a Latte in Common: Enjoying the Fine Blend of Friendship.

(l-r) Here’s Shanda with Charlotte Read and
Mary Wyatt who graciously helped and
served with her at the Priority Resource Table.

The pretty in pink Texas tour continued at . . .

For me, this event was like a gift because it allowed me to reunite with a treasured friend of many years, Marilyn Starnes (Women’s Ministry Director at FBC Aledo).

Marilyn and her husband Bob were faithful members at Sagemont (my church) for many years until they moved to Aledo a few years ago . . . and I’ve been missing them ever since. But God had great plans for Marilyn and for FBC Aledo, and I’m so grateful for the way He is using her and that church to reach the women of Aledo for Christ.

Heather Regimbald (far right) organized and led the Just Women Conference and, although you can’t tell, she’s pregnant AND in heels. Is there anything cuter (or more impressive) than that?  Standing (l-r) next to Heather are a couple of other amazing, young women (FBC Aledo is FULL of them), Janice Conner and Andrea Nelson.

I got to teach my favorite topic at the conference: There is a Season. It’s a message God gave me at a make-it-or-break-it time (season) in my life. And I made it (thank You, God) all because of Him.

One of the very best parts about attending a women’s conference: hanging out with women and getting into God’s Word with your girlfriends – which is just what these girls did!

We have now come to the final stop on my pretty in pink tour of Texas which was the . . .

Spoiled rotten. That’s how it felt getting to be with the GLORIOUS girls of Pantego Bible Church again. I fell head-over-heels in love with them last year, and I could hardly wait to see them again this year (back-to-back retreats – way fun!).

Pantego graciously allowed me to debut a new teaching series at their retreat: You: A Disciple. My notes were still pretty rough (the series is a work in progress), but they received God’s Word with such joy! What a delight it was to teach women who truly are disciples (John 8:31).

So, I know this picture looks kinda . . . well, kooky. But one of the things that makes the Pantego retreat so great is their high-larious skit team. I cannot even begin to explain what you’re looking at (OK, I’ll try; it’s a hammock made of bras – yes, I said bras). The retreat skits featured a very diverse group of women going on a camping trip together. The “Martha Stewart” of the group created the bra hammock, and it’s a sight that those of us who were there will never ever forget. Priceless.

These two girls (l-r) Kara Gunn and Amy Richardson, along with their retreat co-coordinator, Pam Clark, could write a book on how to have the perfect women’s retreat. And I think I just heard all of you Pantego girls say, “Amen to that, sister Laurie!”

WOW! We had wonderful worship and praise at the Pantego retreat, and here’s why: these girls didn’t just lead worship, they worshipped! Even the instrumentalists sang and worshipped as they played – love it!

Partners and Friends

Did you know that you can get all of the latest ministry information delivered straight to your mailbox? (That's right - your physical mailbox, not just your inbox!) A few times a year, Laurie writes a special Partner and Friends newsletter and mails it to those closest to our ministry. If you do not already receive this newsletter and you'd like to be among our inner circle of friends and stay up on the latest Priority news, please give us your mailing address. And as a thank you for signing up, you'll also receive a free teaching CD from one of Laurie's events!

1. Pray that many will come to know Christ this Easter season.
   
   
2. Pray for the final steps of production for Beauty by the Book for Teens. And pray for the young women who will begin this study soon.
   
   
3. Pray that many will register for the Glo Girl Conference in September. And pray for those involved in the preparations.

Do you have a prayer or praise? Share them with Nancy Campbell, Priority’s Prayer Director, and let the Priority staff join with you in prayer.

Email your request to Nancy