I Wasn’t Going to Go
I gave my ticket away.
It made no business sense. Only heart sense. Obedience.
Though I thought about finagling my way to the Influence Conference, I practiced a certain restrainment unusual to me.
In honor of the day, though, I donned my stripes and my LiveFashionABLE scarf and ran errands with the boys and a certain pretty little girl.
We went to hoards of places.
Our last stop was Trader Joes. Long past the lunch hour. Unusual for me, yet again.
God Shops at Trader Joes
I time our trips to the grocery store around eating events.
Like snack time. Find the monkey. Get your own kid’s shopping cart. Free coffee. Cereal bars. Win, win, win, win, win (there are 5 of us).
Despite the afternoon hour, I wandered the isles as if I didn’t have four kids trailing behind me.
Jodi.
What? Is that you Lord?
Jodi!
Turning around I see our Youth Pastor. Jordan. Oh, his wife is at the Influence Conference. Precious, beautiful woman. She was working at the Sashes Market. (A place for all the crafty women to sell their handiwork.)
Jordan proceeds to introduce me to a man that is vaguely familiar to me.
Familiar because he shows up in my Instagram stream.
Nick. A certain Nick who is married to a busy Jessie.
Seriously Lord? Must you rub my obedience in my face and have me see the husband of one of the hosts of Influence at Trader Joes? Really?
I Wore Stripes
At least I was wearing stripes.
I told him {Nick} so.
He thanked me for sharing my story. The story of how God told me to give my ticket away. The story of how God is changing my writing. Giving me new focus. The tale of how God spoke to me, that it would be by His power, by His money that I would attend any conference this year.
Just so that I would know. I would know that He loves me. That He is doing a NEW work in me. This new work I must say has really been fun. Really. (But that is a whole different blog post.)
While I considered this JUST a story. An act of obedience. My children wondered why on earth Mr. Jordan was grocery shopping.
I did to. But that is a mute point.
The Text Message
When I arrived home, Jordan’s wife, Kristen, texted me (because we are friends, don’t ya know?)
Come. Come to Influence. Jessie and Nick want you to be a part of the conference as much as you can.
Really? Really, Lord?
I had not prepared. And the Engineer had to work.
Finding a Way
But I did get to go. Thursday night. Friday night. And most of Saturday.
It was good.
I got to cry as I helped set up for the LiveFashionABLE lunch . . . because their ministry to women in Africa challenges me . . . pulls at me . . . inspires me to action.
I Want My Readers to Buy 10 Scarves
Like, I want to help sell 10 scarves for Christmas. If all of the women did this that attended the conference, I think then like some 29 women in Africa could be pulled from the streets to find a “safer” job, health care, and good education for her children.
I want to be a part of that. I want to influence you to buy scarves to help reach women for Jesus.
I purchased three in the Sashes Market.
I am practicing what I preach.
Change is Underfoot
With that, you will see some modest changes. They may show up more when you actually visit my blog, versus receiving my words in your inbox.
These changes were inspired by hearing from Sarah, who writes at Peas and Thank You, as she shared her story – how she left veganism and began to truly write for Jesus (not because she began eating animal products . . . her change of focus just kind of happened around the same time).
Who are you influencing? Is it for good? For change?
We all have a voice. We all affect someone. Consider your influence wisely.
Now I gotta go influence my kiddos to eat a good breakfast.
Linking up with the Influence Conference.
Hey Jodi, LiveFashionable is a Christian organization? I don’t see anything on their site that says so. ?? And I never heard of the Influence Conference.
Wendy, here is the organization that is over LiveFashionABLE: The Mocha club (give up a few mochas a month to support a great cause)
What a cool story! Isn’t it amazing how God works! How he rewards us for our obedience! It is not always the reward we want but it is his reward (even better)!
For such a time as this…..God used you and continues to use YOU. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, love reading your story!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your raw honesty and how God is working in you!!!!
This is incredible. I’m a “wish i blogged” Mom who was at Trader Joe’s at the same time…i walked past you as you started the conversatiin with the two men….i remember your exceptionally well-behaved children. Just before i entered TJ’S I checked twitter to see all the influence posts. I connected to your blog from naptown diaries recap linkup. Yours is the first i opened tonight. Small world but BIG GOD!
Seriously?????? So do you read Naptime Diaries? You must. Did you recognize Nick, too? Wow . . thanks for sharing that you saw this all go down!!! What an amazing God-cidence. I just told my husband and he was blown away. If you see me at TJ’s again . . . say something! We are often there at lunch time!
Just started reading naptime. Saw influence from another site months ago and tried to encourage a friend to go. When i started seeing #influenceconf posts i started following all the womren including Naptime on twitter. I had no idea who anyone was. Naptime was the first recap i read and I bookmarked the blogs and yours is the first one i clickrd on tonight. I even posted about influence on my facebook post that there were 200 amaxing women at invluence and i wished I was a fly on the wall….a few hrs later I saw your meet up but it meant nothing to me until i read your blog! !
I want to buy some scarfs….link?
I’m praying to figure out WHY this all happened….why I felt such a close connectiin to #influenceconf even though I dont blog….,,,why that was the day I reopened twitter after months of not using it……….why I read Naptime and your blog first…..why I ran into you and Naptime’s hubby at TJ’s……why I ended up at TJ’s that day and time at all (i live in Franklin and only make it there VERY infrequently znd yet my second fb post of the day was about how God granted the desire of my heart without me asking because 1 hr freed up while I was on the northside and I got to go to Trader Joe’s)…. it is a HUGE God-thing …..but why? I dont want to miss the why! (I’ll find you on twitter and send you a tweet so you know who I am) God bless!
Real quick . . . here is the link for a scarf:Live FashionABLE
this was one of my favorite stories from the weekend. when Nick came back from Trader Joes, Jessi and I were like…CALL HER! HAVE HER COME! 🙂 so glad you did. i was so blessed by the whole thing. xo.
Thanks for stopping by Hayley! And did you read the comment from a gal who saw the whole scene go down at Trader Joes????? She checked the #influenceconf twitter stream RIGHT before she came into TJ’s. She saw me talking to two men, as she put it . . . and then when she was reading posts from the link-up . . . came across my story! Very cool! Thanks for a great weekend!
Hey Jodi – I wrote a story about the BIGGER story behind our meet-up and why it is even more of a God-thing to me. I’d love to share it with you. If you message me (carmourconsulting@gmail.com) I’ll send it to you. Promise I’m not a stalker…. although I’m certain I seem like one 😉
Oh Jodi. This speaks volumes to me. That you would be willing to give up what God had provided for you, only to have the opportunity given back to you in a hundred-fold more of a blessing. Everyone can see your heart and your passion and I am SO on board with those scarves and influencing! I wanted so badly to go to this conference, but it was not to be, not for me, I’m still confused as to WHO and HOW I am to influence outside of my home. love you, love your heart, hope we connect SOON one day!
Wow I wish I would have known about this conference. Loved hearing the story. Love how God works and how you were blessed in the end. I love the scarves!!!!
So this is a REALLY small world … but one of my REALLY good friends Ann (just back from england) is in the above picture!!! How did you guys meet? We went to Butler together and she was my mentor!! I love reading your blog and am LOVING the EO’s posts. I have been doing more EO’s lately … LOVE them!! I live in Avon … are you on the northside???
It is a small world! The picture was of all those who were Indiana bloggers! Yes, I am on the northeast side! Do you like books? We have a book club coming up!
I do love books, but live on the far westside! Thanks for the invite though! 🙂 I can’t wait to see the rest of the 31 days of EO’s!