A GRAND NEW DAY!

Great event. Something I would not do again though. But, was well worth this one time. Despite the low attendance, probably due to the economy and high ticket price, (the arena holds 20,000. I would say 5,000-7,000 attended), the Holy Spirit was in this place.

Had ideal seats right on the floor. Was about 50 feet away from each speaker and performer. So that was a blessing!

Missed out on the Friday night’s performances of Sandi Patty and Steven Curtis Chapman. So, did not hear them. Still today’s music entertainment was provided by the “Women of Faith Worship Team” and special guest Nicole C. Mullen. Who was a BIG hit!

On to the speakers.....


Sheila Walsh (who is absolutely adorable) opened up the event. Sharing her testimony of overcoming depression and the hell that she went through and her deliverance by a loving God. Very powerful. She also sang a couple of songs.

Allison Allen is a multi-talented dramatist, new to the WOF team, who brought a powerful drama that she herself wrote, but not her actual testimony, regarding how anorexia destroyed her life and how a faithful Christian counselor helped her to find her way to God and how much He loves her and healed her from her pain of rape that caused her to choose this path.

Marilyn Meberg, what a delightful funny lady. She is known among the others as the “therapy lady.” (She has two master’s degree in counseling) Great insight. If you had a particularly thorny problem, you would want to talk it over with Marilyn. She brought the message of salvation to the audience.

Luci Swindoll (sister of Chuck Swindoll), closed the show. This 77 year old bundle of humor delighted the audience to no-end with her personal stories. Had us rolling in the aisle. She has such a passion for Christ. She over-flows with “joy of living.”

I am saving my favorite for last, which is Lisa Whelchel. I was so glad to see her on the bill. I was a faithful “Facts of Life” viewer back in the 1970's. She was Blair. God blew me away with Lisa’s testimony this morning, as I could have been saying the exact words she said today. Which I never knew about her. She stated “she has been on her journey for two years now.” She shared how performance oriented person she was from day one when her parents praised her for an event as a child and from that day on she tried to do everything perfect and better than it could be. She wanted the attention of her daddy and got it. She suffered a lot with humiliation and shame. Especially when she was on the television show. As America watched her grow up and also watched her weight gain. The producers and directors would threaten her and humiliate her by saying if she would not lose the weight she would be fired. She would have to weigh in every day in front of these men. Then she went on to say most of her life she was not able to connect her feelings to her pain or even to cry. The crying part got me! She said, she felt out of place, but then accepted it as just being her! What really blew me away in her testimony is when she spoke of her husband having an accident a few years back by falling off the roof breaking both legs and an arm, and all she was concerned with was getting pictures of him laying there, taking pictures of the ladder he fell off in order to make a memory scrap book. She could not even feel for him, or even think about praying for him. Her young daughter at the time was at her daddy’s side trying to console him and looked up at Lisa and said something to the effect, “Mummie, daddy needs you.” She is learning each day to connect and even cry.

Truly this was a Grand Day.