I was so blessed to be able to go to the Spring Women`s Conference held at Precept Ministries in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was founded by Kay Arthur and her husband Jack Arthur in 1970 with a vision to establish people in Gods word. Precept teaches the inductive Bible study method (more on this in my next post!) where you study the word in depth, discovering Bible Truth in context as you focus on individual words that will help with the meaning and interpretation of scripture. Precept Ministries are in 167 countries and the studies are in 70 languages. Follow this link to connect to your country!
www.precept.org/international_overview
If you are wanting a deeper relationship with God, and have a desire to really know Him, then take a look at the above website. The inductive study method will help you to Dig Deep into Gods word, studying the Bible word for word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book.
The word of God is what saves and heals. Psalm 107:20 "He sent forth his word and healed them, he rescued them from the grave." Psalm 119:102 "I have not departed from your laws; for you yourself have taught me."
God is our teacher. He is the one who teaches us. We can receive instruction straight from his word, through the Holy Spirit. So why do we look to other people to interpret the word for us? When we discover Truth Through Him, through the Holy Spirit, for ourselves as we study the Bible inductively, then He will teach us because he says that He himself has taught us. Wow, think about that for a minute?!
Kay Arthur is an international Bible teacher, award winning author of more than 100 books and Bible studies. Kay was recently honoured with the National Religious Broadcasters' prestigious Hall of Fame award for her invaluable contribution to the field of Christian communications and evidence of faithfulness in Christ. She has a daily T.V, radio and internet programs.
This is the driveway entrance to Precept Ministries.
This is the main building where the book shop, offices, kitchen and dining rooms are. This is their head office as well as a venue for all their main conferences.
A view from afar. The car park is just in front of the building on the left.
This is the accommodation but space is limited so some ladies stayed in hotels nearby.
Another view of the accommodation.
This was my favorite place! You guessed it - the Bookshop! I took some photos before everyone arrived and before the crowds. I arrived at 11am and the conference only started at 2pm so I had some time to look at books. I was in my element! Terri (who I stayed with) was very kind and took me to lunch around 12 so we got to chat and get to know one another better.
There are many Bible studies available. These books help you to study each book of the Bible inductively. They consist of something to do each day, so Day 1 -Day7 and then on Day 7 there are discussion questions and a weekly wrap up. These are great and show you how to study the book of the Bible step by step, chapter by chapter. The things to do each day are manageable and it is a wonderful way to get into a daily quite time.
The Photo above: These are 40 minute Topical Bible studies and do not require any homework. They are great to use in a small group or on your own. You can use them for children from about 10 years old and they are also perfect for teens .
On the right: These are the studies for smaller kids but they can also be used for older children, depending on the child. These offer a really fun and inspiring way to study the Bible.
The courtyard just outside the auditorium. The trees were blooming and the weather was so warm.
Inside the passage just outside the auditorium which was just to the left.
A little lounge where you could relax waiting to go into the auditorium. It appears that not all my photos have come out so I will post these and then add the missing photos next time.
Inside the auditorium during worship with Alicia Williamson Garcia. She is a song writer and worship artist. Her and her husband Richard founded IN worship, a non-profit ministry of worship events, concerts, Bible studies, seminars and workshops dedicated to bringing true worship to God`s people worldwide. I LOVED her music and what made it so special to me were the words of the worship songs! They were truly inspiring.
Inside the auditorium. Precepts were only allowed to seat 390 people due to fire proof laws so the remainder of the ladies were in the simulcast room, so there were a total of 412 ladies at the conference all together.
Note the video guy who was filming for the ladies in the simulcast room.
Kay Arthur speaking. There were also other speakers, Diane Vereen and Tommye Hammel. They were all very inspiring!
Alicia singing a solo from one of her worship songs.
Kay Arthur was so natural and down to earth. She must have spoken to everyone on the conference as she went around the dining room and in the auditorium meeting people. She is 78 years old and one would never know that by the way she looks and with all the energy that she has.
We met in our groups for two one hour sessions to discuss our material that we were given on 1and 2Corinthians. The topic of the conference was stress and anxiety.
Kay Arthur even made herself available for book signing so of course there was a very long line and by the end of that I`m sure Kay was really tired. She always made herself available to us which we all really appreciated.
I finally managed to get a photo of Kay and myself. I was delighted and really appreciated the time Kay gave to all of us to do that. Can you imagine your photo being taken 400 times in 2 days?! Everyone wanted a photograph.
My new friends that I made. Bonnie and Sharon. They were so sweet.
Some more wonderful people whom I met - Lea and Dianne. We had some wonderful chats and really felt a connection. They have both been to Ghana before and are keen to visit other places in Africa so maybe I will meet up with them again!?
I stayed with Brian and Terri. Terrie works at Precept Ministries and she kindly offered to have me stay so I was very blessed. They were missionaries in S.A, Zambia and Mozambique for 9 years and returned to the States just less than 2 years ago. It was great to talk about things that are happening in Africa and general news that we could all relate to.
The little ladies of the house - Rosie and Abby. They were so sweet and knew exactly when I was awake in the morning. I would hear their little "pitter patter" of little paws coming up the stairs in the mornings.
Terri`s office at Precept Ministries.
Serving meals. Terri was everywhere helping with just about everything. She looks after these kinds of events and is the "Organization" behind it all. She has such a servant heart - Wow what a gem she is!
The dining room.
We had the most amazing food! This is fish with wholegrain rice, salad and delicious cheesecake.
This was for lunch - chicken salad, quiche, croissant, fruit and...........................cup cakes below!
I sat somewhere different every time, as to try and find the people I had met was impossible as there were so many ladies. I really enjoyed sitting in different places and just meeting different people and re-telling my story all over again and seeing the different reactions when they heard I was from Zimbabwe and hearing the questions from different people. I was asked if I was a missionary in Africa, have I always lived there, are there lots of wild animals in the street, how come I speak English so well.................. it was very interesting!
I had an amazing time at the conference. It was life changing. I learnt so much about other people, the Bible, studies and just generally encouraged to continue with studying the Bible and having a desire for Gods word.
I will post another post about the conference explaining more about how an inductive Bible study works and more about the material we studied and what I learnt. This post may take me awhile but you can check again in about 5 days time. I hope to have it completed by then.
to see what Precept offers in your country and where you can buy the material from.
Good Bye and God Bless until next time!
Love Mandi
The Photo above: These are 40 minute Topical Bible studies and do not require any homework. They are great to use in a small group or on your own. You can use them for children from about 10 years old and they are also perfect for teens .
