My Voice is Sweet...

This past weekend I spoke at Covenant Pines Bible Camp in McGregor, Minnesota. Over one hundred women gathered there to spend time with God and with one another. The worship was led by Andrea Lupino and was out of this world! Her leadership and passion set the stage for a power-filled time in God's presence. In fact, if you are in need of worship leader for your upcoming event, contact Andrea at: andrealupino@gmail.com; you won't be disappointed.

We talked about many things this weekend; our character and Christ-likeness, our vision and our hope; the way we treat other women, and how we see ourselves.

At one point I referred to the Song of Songs where Solomon tells the Shulamite woman to come out from behind the rock because, he said, "Your voice is sweet and you are lovely." Jesus says the same thing to us. We all hide behind our rocks of performance, perfection, insecurity, busy-ness, you name it. And in doing so we deprive the world of being blessed by God's presence in our lives. We also miss out on all of the ways God wants to reveal Himself in and through us.

I told the ladies to turn to their neighbor and say, "My voice is sweet!" And I had them turn to their other neighbor and say, "And I am lovely!"

They giggled and laughed as they said these uncomfortable words to one another. I'm sure you are shifting in your seat at the thought of saying such a thing out loud. And yet we must.

Until we identify ourselves as someone whom God deeply loves and celebrates, we will never fully grasp what it means to be His.

I dare you, put your hand over your heart today and declare, "Thank you Jesus. I don't have to hide behind anything. In fact I'll come out from behind the rock because I believe You when You say that my voice is sweet and I am lovely!"

Comments

[Suzi]

Hi Susie--

Thanks for such a great weekend at Covenant Pines. The words of your heart and your encouraging teachings will resonate with all who attended the retreat for a long time.We serve a great God who loves us! He makes our voices sweet and our countenances lovely!

[Susie Larson]

Dear Suzi,How right you are!What a beautiful God we serve. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. May the Lord continue to nourish your soul as you spend time with Him.

[Stephanie]

Hi Susie,

It's difficult to express how much your presence at Covenant Pines last weekend was appreciated.

What I saw, heard, and felt from you was a shining example of the power of God to "reveal himself in us and through us" when we get over our worldly selves.

And I second the ability of Andrea Lupino to draw us into God's presence. It was a blessed and powerful weekend. Thank you!

[Susie Larson]

Dear Stephanie,Thanks so much for the post! It's quite amazing how radically our lives can change when we give Jesus more room to work in us, no?

May the work He began in you continue to bear huge amounts of fruit!

Blessings to you sister!

[Kathi Macias]

Beautiful blog, Susie! I'm so impressed. If you ever get "un-busy" for a few minutes, let me know. I really need to pick your brain! You're a blessing, my dear friend.

[relevantgirl]

Welcome to the blogosphere!!! You go, girl!!

[Andrea]

Susie, I just now read your post about last weekend after doing another retreat with you this weekend! Girl, God used you once again! I'm convinced that He's not done, either! I am so touched by your passion for every woman to know their value in Christ.Thank you for your obediance and for sharing your heart with all of us. It was a blessing beyond words! Thanks, also, for the amazing personal encouragement you gave me in our time together. I'm all about the hip-hop now! :)

Love you, sister!~Andrea

[Julie Donath]

Susie-Words can not express the experience of this incredible weekend at CPBC in McGregor. God worked through you in powerful ways. Thank you for reminding us of the precious value and high calling we as woman in Christ have. So often we as woman feel physically defeated, lost and lonely as we go through the valleys in this world. Thank you for the refreshing our hearts with the words of our Lord. Thank you for your obedience to God. As you continue in your speaking ministry may the Lord continually breathe his power into your life and those God places before you.Your Sister in Christ,Julie