Convergence 2

I don't think I can really explain all that I processed this weekend at Convergence. To some degree I feel like this was the first time I have really processed through some of the aspects of our move to Portland from California. It was refreshing, inspiring, motivating, relaxing, and tiring. It was exactly what I needed.
So often ladies retreats are about being taught what a Christian women is, what a Christian female leader should be, or a Christian wife or mother or whatever context you may be discussing. This weekend was simply about being where we are NOW and being encouraged and inspired in that. It wasn't about feeling like we are falling short in some area or about being given a model of what we should be. This weekend was a chance to be real and raw and transparent with a group that was welcoming, accepting, and loving. We shared our stories - the good, the bad, and sometimes the very ugly. We cried, we laughed, we created, and we connected.
There was no keynote speakers or experts - it was 95 women learning from each other and all were equal and had something to bring to the discussion. It was so nice for me to see that a "womens retreat" could be done differently - that church can be done differently.