“And Zerah the Ethiopian came out against  them with an army of a thousand thousands, and three hundred chariots. And Asa went out before him, and . . . called to Jehovah his God, and said, ‘O Jehovah, it is nothing to You to help between the mighty and him with no strength. Help us, O Jehovah our God; for we rest on You, and in Your name we come against this host’” (II Chronicles 14:9-11a,  Interlinear Bible).

 
The topic for the Virginia FEW Conference was maturity. A mature person can take great pressure and be changed for the better, as coal is changed into a diamond through pressure. A mature Christian can handle the trials of everyday life when viewing those pressures as God’s “character development program”, intentionally allowed by Him for good. Going further, we can picture a mature Church as a group of maturing Christians who have purposed to learn and grow together in the face of pressures and uncertainties. And guess what: a mature family can do the exact same thing. What could be more encouraging?!

With a couple weeks having passed since the conference, many of us have been refreshed to go over the many notes we took and remember the simple things that were shared there. Allowing   pressure to make us better (rather than bitter) helps us to get on God’s side of the battle. Then we can deepen our message and let God widen our ministry.

For more pictures and testimonies go to the websites of the Wilkes, Hynes, Neelys, or Girottis. For a list of character qualities and their operational definitions see this comprehensive list. Lord-willing, we will have the messages up and coming at www.FEWconference.com.