Time, she is a flyin'!

At least that's what we say in the mountains and I don't know about you, but I'm getting excited. We are just under three weeks out from our convergence upon the Cove. It won't be long now.
So start gathering your things. Get ready. AND START READING YOUR NEWSLETTERS!
Yes, I typed that in all caps! Reading these newsletters will help you as you prepare these last couple of weeks for our conference.

The Next Extended Learning - A few years back, we were blessed to have the late Lucinda Seacrest McDowell teach at our conference. Cindy was such a light when she walked into a room - continual laughter and encouragement were her trademark. This week, I pulled an old post that she gifted us. Storytelling Your Life Story. As I talk about being chosen on down, there is no one better to teach than Lucinda. We lost Cindy last year to cancer, but heaven gained a joyful servant who I am sure is leading the praise at the gate of the City. Click here for your lesson from Lucinda McDowell.

Business stuff - A stiff reminder to those who still have an outstanding balance on your conference registration. I need you to take care of that financial responsibility. I am paying bills, and I need that completed payment to solidify your place at the conference. I sent out reminders yesterday and the Square is set to remind again next week. If you have not received your statement, please check your trash or spam. A lot of times, statements will be sent there by your browser. If you don't have it, let me know and I'll send you a link.

Mentoring, Critiques, and Contests are now officially closed. - Faculty must have time to prepare for their appointments. So we are shutting down all those extras. If you have questions about your mentoring or critiques, contact Terri's email address. Contact me about contests and I'll put you in touch with those contest directors you need to speak with about your questions.

THE BOB BOX -  We do hope you'll participate in our mission for the conference. We sponsor Bob Hostetler and his part in raising funds to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Bob has two grandchildren who fight the battle daily with Cystic Fibrosis. I also have a family member who has beat the odds thanks to this foundation. So, we hope you'll give a little to our Bob Box at the bookstore. Whatever you give, Christian Devotions matches. We believe it is vital to give back. God has blessed us in so many ways. Pay it forward.

MP3s will be available to purchase at the conference bookstore. They are $45 and will be sent to you when they are completed for you to download to your desktop. These recordings are yours forever and they are amazing teaching for you down the road. I always keep my recordings close when I travel. I play them through my phone so that I can continue to learn from the masters. Money collected is added to our scholarship fund.

PRE-REGISTER for 2025 - We will offer you an opportunity to reserve a room on campus for 2025. The cost is $25 and when you register, we will deduct that amount from your final payment. I will contact you in the summer and verify your attendance for 2025. If we do not get a response from you, that money also goes into our scholarship fund. Consider reserving a room now for on-campus next year. The Cove experience is well worth pre-registration to ensure that on-campus spot. You can pre-register at the Conference Bookstore.

Read our past newsletters and see our liability form that you will be asked to sign. Each year, we must provide signatures for our event insurance. So please take a moment to read that liability release and know that when you check in, you will be asked to sign it.

Terri took on our in-person visit to the Cove in my stead. Since my brother lost his home two weeks ago to a fire, all of my mother's care has shifted to me until he is able to get back to helping. So I was doing MOM things while Terri did our onsite visit. Let me just say, that I have an amazing group of folks who help me. I could never pretend to manage this alone. But the nice thing about those who help is they take ownership. I never have to pester them or really even worry that the task is being done. They completely take it off my plate and I am so grateful, especially in light of the events in our family recently. They are a God send and I am grateful. So a special thank you to Sarah Thomas, Andrea Merrell, Bennie Jones, Kevin Spencer, Wendy Leech, Billy Arrington, and Terri Kelly. I could not do this without you.

We are still working on that schedule. Terri and I found out the schedule would change and that really fouls us up because we've invited faculty to teach in those time slots. We will be working on that schedule adjustment with the assurance from the Cove that they will not change that on us again.

We are also working to guarantee we have the Shepherd's Inn which is the inn directly beside the training center.

Terri and I will hopefully have the remaining details tied up by the end of the weekend.

Arrival time - Arrival time for conferees is noon. Please do not arrive sooner than noon. You will go to the Inn (hopefully Shepherd's Inn) get your name tag which gives you access to the 3rd floor at the training center. Early bird classes begin at 1:00 p.m. Again, please do not arrive before noon. We simply will not be ready to give you access to the Training Center.

NAME TAGS ARE A MUST AT ALL TIMES - Yep, that name tag has to be on your body at all times. Why? Well, it's your security clearance. It's for your safety. And it's your meal ticket. AND it's your admittance to the 3rd floor where the conference is. The Cove staff monitors every person to secure they are safe and if you do not have your name tag, they will stop you and ask you where it is and to please secure that where it can be seen. Remember, this is not to be picky. It's for your promised security and your meals. Please wear your name tag at all times.

That's enough for now. Here's your encouragement.

 

You're Chosen

We had three months of the creeping crud. It seemed everytime Tim got over it, I picked up again and vice versa. So much so that I told my prince, I'm going to the guest room until we're both clear of this crud. I spent the next two months on the other side of the house, and at night, I began rewatching The Chosen in anticipation of season 4. 

I'm so touched by the beautiful job Jonathan Roumie does in his portrayal of Christ. He's relatable and real - kinda my idea of what Jesus was on earth. In a recent documentary about Roumie, he noted what a burden it was to portray Christ and how fans of the show often forgot that he was just a man, not Jesus. And he noted that when he introduced himself, he always said, "Hi, I'm Jonathan." Still, he noted that for the rest of his life he had been chosen to be the earthly face of Christ. 

For the rest of his life. Wow. Imagine that responsibility and the pressure that he carries to be a face of Jesus. Though Jonathan Roumie carries and additional expectation on him, we all carry the expectations of "Christian." We may not be the physical face that people relate to as Jesus, but we are certainly "a face" of God.

The Chosen, so aptly named, is more than Jesus being chosen or His followers, it's a title representing every follower of Christ. We are all chosen, all adopted into the kingdom, just like you were chosen to attend this conference. I've told you this before. We began praying for God to send those He'd have attend this conference. He chose you because He has a plan He wants to work in and through you. 

There is a story that needs to be told, and you've been chosen to tell it. You are one of God's children, and you are chosen. The burden to be His face to the world is on your shoulders as well as Roumie's. I pray that as you prepare for this conference, you will recognize what a privilege and honor you have been given. First, to be called His Children, and second, to be CALLED.

We will ask you at the end of the conference to write down when you first heard the call to write. This is your head's up. Go ahead and prepare ONE line that says when you realized you were called to write. It's tough...it's one line. But it's tougher because there will be a burden to bear. You are chosen, called, and noted as special. And when the road gets rough, remember Jesus told us that the road was narrow and few would pass through the gate. But you will because, like Roumie, God has chosen you specifically to write His story for the world to see.