the giant purple megaphone

(photo by Kat Lee)

last weekend was The Declare Conference! God stole the show. it was amazing to be in a room full of women with hearts bursting, ready to use their blogs and social media networks to make God known. at one point during the conference, i found my husband (who was there, super supportive & helpful) and giddily squealed, "it is SO COOL worshiping God with my blogging friends!" he just smiled. :) another moment, i was moved to tears by the words spoken, and as the room began singing, and my sweet friend Traci came to give me a hug. i looked around the room at all the lovely faces, all the friendships forming, bloggers, writers, authors, photographers...i saw a room full of powerful influence for the Kingdom, and i shook my head and bawled. "but this isn't even church," i told her. she nodded yes, "yes, it is. we are the church. this is how it's supposed to be."

since i'm still trying to process it all and soak in God's faithfulness, i'll share here what i shared from stage (knees knocking, holding back tears) on the last night of Declare. (as pictured above. thanks, Kat!)

there was a giant purple megaphone on the main stage in the ballroom, symbolic of the vision of Declare: one message, many voices. our message: God is good. our megaphone: social media networks and blogs. i love the visual of thousands of women from all walks of life gathered at the mouthpiece of a megaphone, declaring God's goodness for all to hear. if that's what blogging and social media is all about, then sign me up!

megaphones were used hundreds of years ago by scholars looking for a way to amplify their voices toward a particular direction when teaching or speaking to a large audience. back when crowds would gather in some of the earliest amphitheaters, the players on the stage would use a cone, then called "speaking trumpets," to make their voice loud enough to be heard by all. later, when cheerleading became an official sport, these same cones were used (now called megaphones) not only to amplify their voices, but also to excite the audience and elicit crowd participation.

think about this in comparison to how we use social media...using Twitter, for example, to make our voice be heard toward a particular direction, for a certain topic, or specific audience. using Facebook to elicit crowd participation and excite our "audience." a lot like a megaphone, yes?

my giant purple megaphone came with instructions. (something i can appreciate as a technical writer) the instructions say:

"Stand still when using the megaphone; jumping and moving around can disturb sound quality. 
Hold the megaphone in one direction to prevent words from fading in and out."

as i prayed and prepared for the weekend at Declare, loading the megaphone into my truck, i thought about the instructions and the history of the megaphone. and i thought about the vision of Declare, and the importance of how we use our time on social media. and all of a sudden, this:

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) 

yes, be still with that megaphone. know that He is God. exalt Him among the nations. hold your "megaphone" in One direction, hold fast without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. prevent your words (and your faith) from fading in and out.

"I will tell declare Your righteousness.

All day long I will proclaim Your saving power,

though I am not skilled with words.

I will praise Your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord.

I will tell everyone (with my megaphone!) that You alone are just."

Psalm 71:14-16 my emphasis & comment

i am so thankful for all God did at Declare, and all He continues to do through the people that were there. i loved getting to meet and hug friends that i'd met online. i loved hearing from incredible speakers. i loved praying in the Selah Space for bibleless around the world. i loved singing with Yancy on the Porch. i loved (winning) thumb wars. :) 

share your Declare experience with us on the Declare Blog link-up today! and if you weren't there, read the posts to see what it was all about. see you next year!