I’m in the process of prepping my message for our next Revive Nights event (scheduled for November 1st here in Tampa!), and it’s like it always is — a bunch of excitement and apprehension all twisted up into one gorgeous knot. I’m excited when I think about women coming together to be inspired, pampered and loved on by Jesus and the ladies of C3 Tampa. I’m really excited when I think about the fact that God has a word for his daughters — that it’s timely and tender and powerful all at the same time. But there’s apprehension, too. I always feel a little nervous before these events. Will I do his message justice? Will I be able to partner with the Holy Spirit in such a way that everyone present gets what they need? Are we executing the vision as best as we can for His glory? Like I said, it’s a bit of an excitable mess!

 

When Revive started five years ago, it was an hour and a half long brunch attended by eight ladies at a popular restaurant on Harbour Island overlooking the water. Last year we hosted 100+ ladies at a beautiful hotel for a two day event that included a pajama party and three speakers. This year our May conference will see two speakers — myself and one very special lady we have yet to announce just yet! — where we are anticipating hosting somewhere between 150 and 200 women from across Tampa Bay. The event has consistently grown from year to year as women come and receive something deep from the well of God and his Holy Spirit. That will never change no matter how big we grow or what sorts of events we put on. Jesus is the reason in every season of life. He remains the constant. Amen.

 

So as I approach this message for our first Revive 2017 season event, I’ve been considering the theme we felt the Lord gave us for this year — Wonder Girl. Interestingly, right after we announced the 2017 conference theme, we heard that DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures would be releasing the new Wonder Woman movie in June 2017. Exciting, right?! When God speaks, he tends to speak through multiple streams of influence into society. 2017 is set to be a year of the woman rising and this theme is resonating through the church, the arts, government and many other areas. Yes, God wants his daughters rising, and by the power of his Holy Spirit and his divine design, no less.

 

The thing I’ve been most captured by as I’ve meditated on this idea of wonder is this question: What makes a Wonder Girl wonderful? Is it what she does? Is it how she does it? What is at the core of wonder? What I’ve come to understand is this — it’s Who she wonders at that makes her wonderful. As we are filled with wonder for this glorious, magnificent and majestic God, he in turn makes us wonderful. It’s his power on the inside of us that makes us a Wonder Girl.

 

If this is true — wondering about a wonderful God makes us, in turn, wonderful — then it must mean we have to find time to wonder about him. And that, right there, is where I will generally lose a crowd of women! What woman isn’t multitasking from sun up to sun down? Jobs, families, hobbies, situations, hustle, hustle, hustle. The minute I tell a woman she’s got to slow down long enough to spend time wondering about God, I’m bound to get some side eye. But here’s the thing — that’s where I think God is going with this first message. He wants to talk to us about finding the time to WONDER.

 

God wants us to know that when we spend time wondering about him, we become imbued with his powerful Holy Spirit. In wondering about him we receive GRACE. Grace is his empowering presence to be able to do the things we could not do without him. 

 

I want to share the heart of God with his daughters around this idea of wonder bringing grace to us. I want us to be fully convinced that if we will sit at the feet of Jesus, even for a short amount of time, and truly wonder at him, we will be filled with more power than we could have ever obtained by working harder or “smarter.” By multitasking or delegating. There’s something about the power of grace that eclipses any natural strategy we could conjure up or apply. That’s what we’ve got to unpack on November 1st.

 

So, if you are in the Tampa area I truly hope you will join us for this special event. We start at 7pm with coffee and a holiday dessert bar that will be absolutely divine! There will be worship and encouragement and a few giveaways. We’re also receiving donations to put together bags to bless a local women’s program. For more info on Revive Nights, click here, and to let us know you are coming, check in at our event page on Facebook.