The Masterpiece

Today I just want to say thank you.

When God does a mighty work in our lives and the lives of others it’s always important to return to His presence and praise Him for what was accomplished.

On Saturday, Pearls of Promise held its third annual Level-Up Conference and as I reflect on every aspect of the conference, I am in awe of how our Almighty Father acted on our behalf.

The décor was spectacular thanks to our team member Alma Jimenez Hall and her helpers, Sherri and Pat.

The worship time, provided by top inspiration country singer Mary James, was anointed. Every speaker was used of God to present one aspect of our focus this year: “Level-up the Light in You,” “Level-up the Beauty Within,” and “Level-down the Lies You’ve Believed.”

Our theme verse was: “For we are God’s masterpiece, he has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so he can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” We wanted every woman to know they were a beautiful work of art, created by the hands of our loving heavenly Father.

Thelma Wells was transparent about what she endured before and after the death of her husband George, who passed this year. She explained how she was able to see the light in a very dark time as she worked through the grieving, but was also open about the red tape that she experienced after losing a loved one. 

Jenn Gotzon Chandler, a beautiful actress, explained why we are divinely beautiful—that beauty on the outside is not as important as beauty on the inside. Jenn was open about the insecurities she faced concerning her own appearance after her first husband divorced her.

I provided five truths to help counteract the lies we might have believed over a lifetime—lies like “I’m not beautiful,” “I have no value,” and “I have no purpose.” We carry these lies through our lives because of childhood programming and the only way to obliterate them is to inject them with truth, found in the Word of God.

Thanks to Sharon Hill for creating a sanctuary of a prayer room and for showing us we need to be intentional about prayer. I will not forget the great visual of your toolbox, filled with what we need to build a powerful personal quiet time.

Through Paula Abbott’s powerful testimony she taught us that God can take the most broken of women and make something beautiful out of them.

I appreciate Liz Morris for her enthusiasm and transparency, as she explained how we can have “transformational change” in our lives.

Thanks to Rosemary Legrand for her encouraging spirit and her “Word Inspiring Change.”

I am grateful for a long-term friendship with Aurora Ortega Geis and for her strategic leadership as we planned Level-up. Heartfelt thanks to Aurora for being my Barnabas when I got discouraged over the course of planning this event.

I am thankful for Marybeth Rosato for believing in this conference enough that she traveled from Virginia to attend and serve on the panel. She did an awesome job.

Donna Skell is a great friend and an excellent emcee. You did an incredible job of summarizing what we learned.

I am grateful for Mark Alvarez’ faithful Social Media posts. He is gifted at what he does.

Our other “behind the scenes” crew was amazing: my daughter-in-law, Bailey, Pamela, Kim, Debbie, Joy, Cathy, and Wanda. Also a special thank you to Andrea Gibson, Women’s Ministry Leader at Northview Baptist Church, for being a wonderful hostess and a great person to work with. We are so happy to be returning in 2020!

But most important of all, I want to thank God for the powerful work He did on Saturday. Bathed in prayer, this conference could not lose. We intentionally prayed and fasted forty days before the event and prayed over every name and every square inch of the sanctuary where we met. We did the preparation we had to do, dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s, and on Saturday, we released it to the Lord to do as He wished. God showed up in a powerful way, raining down healing and His refreshing Spirit on all who attended. There was no doubt. His presence was in that place.

This morning, I was reading Psalm 113:5–6 that says, “Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.” The word “look” in the Hebrew also means “to become visible” “to appear” or “to show oneself.” I believe our loving heavenly Father cared enough about Level-Up that He stooped down to join us and appeared in all His glory. I am thankful many lives have been “lifted from the ash heap” and will never be the same because their brokenness has been mended.

It is our mission at Level-Up to help women overcome past and present wounds. That is the goal of Pearls of Promise as well. But only God can do that deep work in and through us. He alone heals and saves. He is the Master who created the masterpiece that this conference became. He also created another masterpiece—and that divine work of art… is you.