FPT (Front Porch Therapy): Women Of Faith part 4

Angie Smith was next on deck. She started with saying that if we were there last year that she was sorry because it was going to be the same story. We were a little concerned. By the end of her talk the concern was abolished because she shared some of the same things but the talk was different. It's inspiring to see that the same story can be told again and again with different emphasis and you receive a whole new meaning out of it. Especially as I plan for leading my first Women's Ministry event. Good thing I have a co-coordinator and many minions to help with it. But back to WOF and Angie Smith.

She shared her big problem with fear and how her mom had similar fears.
She became a believer in graduate school at a Beth Moore event - Breaking Free
She shared the story of how she met her husband Todd and how marrying a musician changed how she had envisioned her future. She wasn't sure how to be a wife to a musician but she seems to have the hang of it now. They are very cute together.
She shared about her first pregnancy being a miscarriage and the sense of humor of God. Because she had twin girls next who were easy and as sweet as can be. Their next daughter came raging into the world and is a born negotiator. Later she shares about her last pregnancy which wasn't as emotional to all of us as it was last year but still very moving and impactful.
She shared how she was worried all the time about everything. (which reminded me of my Hazel girl) And how even as a preschooler she was terrorized by fear (exactly like my Hazel girl).
She shared her love for Hagar in the Bible from Genesis 21:8.
"When I read scripture, I want to have my feet in the dirt."
According to the math Hagar's child should have been a teenager, so placing the child on her shoulder would not have been possible. That bit of information changes the whole way you see the story.
The "what ifs" that keep us up in the middle of the night. When human provision has run out, it turns the "what if" to a "what is".
She shared about her fourth pregnancy and the fear that started at the ultrasound when they were told that it was not good. They were told that this was not a child that was compatible for life on this earth. They were talked to about aborting it but they both believed that God had a reason for this child and they were going to see it through. Miraculously all of the items they listed off that made the child incompatible with life were healed, or formed, during the pregnancy. But the child still did not look strong enough for them to be able to bring her home. Audrey lived for 2 1/2 hours and weighed just over 3 pounds. She shared that it was an incredibly peaceful moment despite circumstances.
"We fought with hope."
"She had weight in this world."
You're not alone.
"I saw God in a way, I never thought I could that night."
Back to Hagar: she opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. God's provision was right next to her, when human provision ran out, she closed her eyes.
We all have the deep to contend with in our lives.
Psalm 139
Believed in God from the shore but knew Him in the deep.
Gospel of John and the woman at the well. God said, "This is when you're going to chose me."
It's absurd that God would chose to die on the cross.
God is inviting you to drink from the well.

Then the ballerinas came back out (they kept dancing through most of the music through the weekend) and danced to a song sung by Selah.

Next Pattie Mallette. Otherwise known as Justin Beiber's mom. She was interviewed by Sheila Walsh.

She shared how strange it was for all of these girls to go so ga-ga over her son. He's just a normal kid with an amazing gift.
The interview was about the new book that she has written about her life and the challenges she has overcome with God's Grace.
He dad left when she was 2 years old. He used to beat her mom. Her mom was emotionally distant.
She had to grow up really quickly because her mom had too much on her own plate.
Nine years old when her mom introduced her to her dad and then he passed away two months later of a heart attack.
She was sexually abused by 5 different abusers between the ages of 4 and 10 years old.
She was date raped at 15.
She kept wondering "What is wrong with me?"
14 years old when she started with drugs and alcohol. It was self medication from her past and her current choices.
At 5 years old she went to Sunday school and got the first seed of Christ but there was no follow up to help that seed grow. It just waited patiently.
John Brown was a local youth center director. The youth center was a heaven for teenagers. He is the man that helped her turn her life around eventually with the help of his wife.
At the age of 17 she ended up in the hospital for trying to commit suicide. She realized there that she had no friends. No one came to visit her besides John Brown and he would mainly talk about God. The one day he stopped, he brought a single rose with a message, "God told me to bring you this rose and tell you this is how God sees you." She couldn't believe it but that got her thinking and she prayed a true prayer to God that night. She found out that God was real.
When you hit rock bottom, there's no where to go but up.
6 months after leaving the hospital she found that she was pregnant. She moved into a pregnancy crisis center because her parents "were done raising children".
She felt full of shame as an unwed mom. As a mom, you're forever changed and you have a purpose.
Justin is now 18. She felt that now was a good time to tell her story. She wanted to share the message of how to work through the darkest times and survive.
Surround yourself with good people. Don't do it alone. Don't give up.