Monday, August 03, 2009

ACFW Conference - Uplifting Worship

This week only, I'll have a couple of extra posts about the American Christian Fiction Writers conferences. There's one coming up September 17-20 in Denver. I'm helping anyone who hasn't attended one of the wonderful meetings to know what to expect. One of my favorite things about conference is the uplifting worship. This is a picture of a group of us who went out to eat together at last year's conference.

From the very beginnings of ACRW, which is now ACFW, God was in the planning and the growing. The founders were told by other people in the marketplace that it was nothing short of a miracle the way the organization came together and grew. I believe that, because God touched the hearts of those who started it and gave them supernatural wisdom.

So it’s no wonder that when we come together in a national conference, uplifting worship is an integral part. God is present. The people He has called to write the books He wants written are present, some already published, but some not yet. It’s not His timing for that yet.
When the worship starts, at first it feels just like any service, but as we go along something supernatural happens in our worship. God’s presence becomes so strong, that we really are lifting our worship to Him, glorifying Him.

And He allows us to do it with other people who really understand us. Other authors He’s called together for that specific time.
Some people have been healed in physical ways, emotional ways, and spiritual ways during that worship. And a kinship grows between the authors, agents, and editors that transcends anything in the publishing business. We’re drawn together to worship Him, no matter what church we attend. Our God is the God of individuals. When like-minded people come together, the worship is awesome. And I don’t use that word casually. We understand just how awesome our God really is.

If you'd like to know more about the national conference, go to http://www.acfw.com/ and click on the Conference button on the left side. You'll find all kinds of info about it.
Here's a list of other blogs where you can find more posts about the conference:
June 15: Christa Allan: Evolving Conference Experiences http://www.christaallan.com
June 15: Ane Mulligan: A Few of My Favorite Things... http://anemulligan.blogspot.com
June 17: Margaret Daley: Enhancing Your Conference Experience Through Volunteering http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com
June 18: Trish Perry: ACFW Conference Friendships at all stages of writing careers http://www.TrishPerry.com
June 21: Megan DiMaria: Finding restaurants at conference (visit often for multiple postings beginning June 21. Megan will be posting weekly so check back often for her eye on the best eateries and how to save money eating out as well as how to impress your business associates with excellent food.) http://megandimaria.blogspot.com
June 22: Michelle Shocklee: Help! I'm Shy! How to overcome a shy personality at conference. http://michelleshocklee.blogspot.com
June 23: Dana Mentink: Navigating the conference waters http://www.danamentink.com
June 24: Tiffany Amber Stockton: Pitching with Success http://www.amberstockton.com/blog.html
June 30: Kathleen Fuller: Amish fiction, historical romance tracks http://www.kathleenfuller.blogspot.com
July 1st: Deborah Vogts: What You Can Expect at Conference. http://www.deborahvogts.blogspot.com
July 2nd: Megan DiMaria: Dining Options in the Park Meadows Mall (Colorado's only retail resort!) Food Court (AKA Dining Hall) http://megandimaria.blogspot.com
July 3rd: Mindy Obenhaus: Conference Prep-Part 1
http://www.mindyobenhaus.com
http://www.writingbyfaith.blogspot.com
July 2-10: Amish Hearts: Group blog with various conference posts http://www.amishhearts.com
July 5: Jeannie Campbell: Why I chose the ACFW conference: A newbie’s perspective http://www.mindhealingfiction.blogspot.com
July 8th: Carla Stewart: Ten Ways to Connect at Conferencehttp://www.carlastewart.blogspot.com
July 10th: Mindy Obenhaus: Conference Prep-Part 2
http://www.mindyobenhaus.com
http://www.writingbyfaith.blogspot.com
July 12-19 : Linda Kozar and the Internal MonoBlog- Group blog with various conference posts. http://wwwinternalmonoblogcom.blogspot.com
July 17th: Mindy Obenhaus: Conference Prep-Part 3
http://www.mindyobenhaus.com
http://www.writingbyfaith.blogspot.com
July 19: Tiffany Colter 1: Long-term return on investing in a writer’s conference (multiple posts) http://writingcareercoach.blogspot.com
July 22: Tiffany Colter 2: Investing in your professional development (multiple posts) http://www.TheBalancedLife.com
July 25-31: Writer’s Rest Group Blog: Trusting God to use conference http://writersrest.blogspot.com
July 28: Jennifer AlLee: The Value of Face-to-Face Networking in a Twitter & Facebook World http://jenniferallee.blogspot.com
July 31: Angie Breidenbach: Confidence at Conference http://GodUsesBrokenVessels.blogspot.com
Aug. 2: Deb Raney: "What if I Can't Come to the Conference?" http://www.acfw.com/blog
Aug. 3: Lena Nelson Dooley 1: Uplifting worship http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
Aug. 3-9: Writing By Faith Group blog: 6 authors, 1 great God. Aug. 3rd is Belinda Peterson: Relax-You CAN Enjoy Those Editor and Agent Appointments Aug. 4th is Mindy Obenhaus: "Making the Most of Your Conference Experience." Aug. 5th is Angie Breidenbach: Professionalism 101 Aug. 6th is Missy Tippens: Introverts Can Act Extroverted--and no one needs to know. Aug. 8th is Jennifer Hudson-Taylor: TBD Aug. 9th is Christy LaShae-Smith: Don’t Waste Your Pre-Conference Time http://writingbyfaith.blogspot.com
Aug. 6: Cynthia Ructhi: "Novel Ideas--Connecting at the Table" (How to make the most of mealtime connections) http://hopethatglowsinthedark.blogspot.com/
Aug. 7: Lena Nelson Dooley 2: Connecting with publishers http://lenanelsondooleynewsletter.blogspot.com
Aug 9: Ane Mulligan: A Few of My Favorite Things... http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com
Aug. 13: Cynthia Ruchti: Dealing with Disappointment-What else might God have in mind? http://hopethatglowsinthedark.blogspot.com
Aug. 14: Maureen Lang: "After The Conference. What now?" http://maureenlang.blogspot.com/
Aug 15: Cara Putman: First Timers and Calm Nerves http://ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com

No comments: