"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared
for those who love Him"
-1 Cor 2:9
who am i? this little mommy blogger tucked away beneath layers and layers of other, greater bloggers. blogging about my life, completely content with the blog's size and scope. and then to be sent to The Relevant Conference? it doesn't make sense, except that it is God's plan.
i was on Twitter one morning when i first heard about Relevant. i've never been to a blogging conference before and only a little bit did i ever really want to go to any of them. but something was different about Relevant. the mission "to bless our families and engage the world by using our blogs"? well, how could i not want to be part of that?
later that same evening, after the kids were tucked in bed, i followed more #Relevant10 chatter on Twitter. on a complete whim, although it took a lot of courage, i sent a tweet that was something like this:
"would love to go to #Relevant10. need a #sponsor!"
it was an hour later when i got a reply from MasterBooks. MasterBooks is an imprint of New Leaf Press, a leading Christian book publisher that "endeavors to publish books that will bring the lost to Christ and balance to the body of Christ." as a Christian, homeschooler, book nerd, and wannabe evangelist, i could definitely see myself promoting this company naturally. over the next few days and weeks, i got to know the company, they got to know me, and the sponsorship was approved. a partnership was formed, and it is a perfect fit.
i owe immense gratitude to MasterBooks for having faith in me and sending me to The Relevant Conference. i pray that i was successful in spreading the word about the company, products, and authors. i am forever grateful for the opportunity, and consider the partnership a divine connection prepared by our mighty God.
i also want to thank HipTogether for providing me with stylish shirts from their line of mom-wear to show off at the conference. it blesses me to be able to tell others about Christian mom-owned companies. (and all the compliments i got while wearing the shirts blessed me, too!)
thank you to my husband and family for supporting me and my blog, and for encouraging me to go to Relevant. (and for the new laptop!) i never would have imagined leaving my family for 4 days to go to a "blog conference." but God did.
thank you to Sarah Mae, Jessi, and Dana for putting on and pulling off such a wonderful event. thank you to all of the speakers that came to share their wisdom, experiences, stories, tips, and tears. thank you to all of the women who were in attendance. we're now IRL friends! seeing you all with such passion for Christ gave me hope for the future of our families and for the future of the blog world! God has great things planned for you!
thank you to all the families who let their wives and moms go! thank you to all the companies who sponsored a blogger or the event. this was big. and the bloggers who were there are going to do big things for God thanks to you!
thank you to my husband and family for supporting me and my blog, and for encouraging me to go to Relevant. (and for the new laptop!) i never would have imagined leaving my family for 4 days to go to a "blog conference." but God did.
thank you to all the families who let their wives and moms go! thank you to all the companies who sponsored a blogger or the event. this was big. and the bloggers who were there are going to do big things for God thanks to you!
most of all, thank You, God, for showing up at Relevant.
there is still so much to say about my relevant experience, what i left behind and what i brought back. (and i'm not talking about swag, although there was plenty of that- thanks DaySpring!) i plan to share it all here because it's now part of my personal mission to bless my family, engage the world, and glorify God here on my blog.
...oh, relevant. please don't ever stop throbbing in my heart.
