"The Good" of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"

Today you get the good stuff, especially if you weren't there -- I'll share all the notes I took from Beth Moore's talk in San Antonio.

There are lots of other places to get this in the blogosphere, of course, especially since there were 10,000 women there. There's actually a list of people who have posted about the conference. Happy surfing!

Beth talked about the concept of INHERITANCE throughout the weekend. The anchor scripture she used was Psalm 16:5-6 from the ESV:

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cups; you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

The term for inheritance or possession or heir is mentioned over 310 times in the NIV. It is not a concept; it is a principle. God gives us something; he doesn't just get us out of trouble.
Examples found in Gal 3:8; Gen 22:17-18 (the first mention in the NIV); Ex 32:13; and Num 13:16, in which Moses renamed Joshua.

Concept repeated throughout was: I AM AN HEIRESS OF GOD. We need to know who we are so that we don't give ourselves away so cheaply! Jesus knew who He was -- He came from the Father and was going back to the Father -- so He could wash the feet of His followers.

God's inheritance is distinct but completely the same throughout the Bible.

There are three elements of God's inheritance:

1. Presence: Gen 26:23; Josh 1:9. Usually someone has died.
2. People: Gen 12:3; Gen 22:17-18; Deut 4:20; Ps 16:3; Rev 7:9. God's way is relationship.
3. Property: Num 26:52-56; Matt 25:34. We will have a place.
   1 Chr 28:8, 20

And now for her main points. Hang on -- there's some crazy stuff in here!

• I am an heir of God. My life is not left to chance. God watches over every part of our lives, even seemingly insignificant things: chance encounters, tiny details. You are important enough to God that He looks after every detail.
• I am an heir of God. I am inheriting a kingdom. Matt 25:34; Col 1:11-14; Dan 7:18
• I am an heir of God. He is my portion... Ps 16; Deut 10:8-9; Lam 3:24; Ps 73:25-26 (and here's the mindblower) ... and I am His. Deut 4:20, 32:9; Eph 1:18 I think she blew us all away with that one. We are God's portion? Seriously? But look it up -- it's in there (read carefully). WOW. And that's how we ended Friday night.
• I am an heir of God. The down payment has been made. Eph 1:18, 1:11-14; Rev 22:4. In Eph 1:14, "deposit" is a portion of the purchase price paid in advance, forfeited if the purchase does not go through. This is also where Beth talked about the discus thrower I talked about a couple of posts ago.
• I am an heir of God. My boundary lines form a pleasing place. 2 Sam 23:1. The diagram she drew is below. Here is what she had to say:
  Your boundaries will never go higher than your intimacy with God. Never allow ministry to take away that intimacy! Your past and your life experiences, as much as you may not like them, are yours, and they make you unique. Use them. (Didn't note what she said about Gifting -- sorry!) 1 Cor 12:7 -- what God has called you to do is beyond your natural ability. It will require God! Eph 4:27 -- Do not give place to the devil. Anyplace God is not on your boundary lines is occupied by the devil. Nature abhors a vacuum.

• I am an heir of God. The will has been activated. Heb 9:15-17; Gal 4:4-7
• I am an heir of God. I can be secure. There are two problem areas here: affirmation and affection. It's easy to make someone a false Christ who affirms you in an unhealthy way. When we train ourselves to crave affirmation, or exhaust ourselves in service (and broadcast it), that's not what God intended. Affection is also a problem -- fairly self-explanatory how unhealthy affection can be, and I didn't take notes on it. Col 3:23-24 Never pray for an easier life; pray for power to live your life!
• I am an heir of God. I have a beautiful inheritance. Is 61:1-3, 7: Joy is the experience of receiving the inheritance. The double portion mentioned in v. 7 belongs only to the first born son. In the case of us and God, Jesus is the rightful heir of the double portion, but in v. 7, God makes it clear that we will inherit the double portion -- Christ shares it with us! 2 Tim 4:6-8; Heb 11:16, 39-40; Eph 3:6
  

After Beth finished speaking, the praise team came back out. I headed toward the floor to catch the Mamas (Boo and Big, a.k.a. Sophie and Melanie) to get the pic you've already seen. But first I got this picture, which sums up worship time pretty well.

The conference ended with an a cappella version of "Shout to the Lord." At the end of the song, the praise team and Beth quietly walked off stage. Very nice.

Because I don't know where else to put these pictures, and because there is no good way to do that transition, I will now share with you the other people I met.

In the picture below is Vicki Courtney, Melanie (Big Mama), Cindy (StillHisGirl), and me. This was taken by Cindy's friend Gayle on Friday night. Unfortunately, I didn't catch up with Cindy again on Saturday. I've read her blog for a long time and exchanged email with her on several occasions. Cindy is even more beautiful in real life than in pictures, and oh, that hair color! What I wouldn't give...

I caught up with Amy Beth on both Friday and Saturday, and she's just as cute in real life as she is on her blog. I haven't been reading her blog as long as Cindy and the Mamas, but she's just the sweetest thing, y'all. I just had to get a picture. (Thanks to my friend Anne [no blog] for being my photographer!)

I really do feel like an amateur in the blogger world, and it was nice to meet some of the women I look up to and respect so much. That, plus Beth's "drink from a firehose" teaching, made for a very full weekend. Very full, and really awesome.

So what do you think? If you went, did I miss anything in my notes? If you didn't go, did you learn anything from my notes?