Last night I learned that the general session videos from Refresh 2013 have been posted. A number of you have asked if you could hear my talk, and with a little trepidation, I’m sharing the link.  You may remember that my son, Isaiah, spoke briefly toward the end of my talk, and he was wonderful.

The Refresh Conference 2013 General Sessions

It’s often difficult to attend conferences. Arranging care for our children, getting time away from work, and dealing with the expenses keeps many of us home. Don’t let that stop you from taking advantage of the many free resources available online.  There were five other wonderful Refresh speakers, and all you have to do is set aside 30 – 40 min. to hear them.

Another free resource is the Empowered to Connect website which has many videos available that will bring Karyn Puvis, and Michael and Amy Monroe right into your home.

What other online resources would you recommend? Let’s put a list together and I’ll organize it into a post.

We had a little traumatic event here yesterday. I was in the kitchen and in the background, I heard Eby yelling outside. After a few moments, I realized he was outside alone, and his yells were not playful, but distressed. I ran out the front door, and Sunshine ran out the back, as we both looked for him.

I found my sad, frightened, son wedged between the fence post and the gate at the top of the pasture. It was closed with a chain and hooked shut.  He thought he could squeeze past the gate without opening it, but when he was halfway through, he got stuck. He tried to pull himself back, but couldn’t.  Then he tried sliding down toward the ground, and ended up wedged tightly in, lying on the cold dirt. It was so sad!

I tried to move his body in different ways to push him back through the space, but he was truly stuck. So I ran to find some wire cutters hoping I could cut the chain. Sunshine and Little Man comforted Eby; he didn’t want us to leave him alone. I grabbed my phone, shoes, and the wire cutter and had Sunshine call Russ while I tried to cut the chain, but had no success.

Russ sent Sunshine back into the garage to find another tool while I continued to try to cut the chain in various places. I was seriously wondering if Russ was going to have to race home from work, or if I should call 911. I’m pretty sure my husband or a fire fighter could have cut it in about 3 seconds.

The big tool Sunshine carried out finally did the trick. I cut the chain, feeling like Super Mamma, scooped my “little” boy up, and we all had a good hug in the  pasture.  When it was all said and done, Sunshine sat on my lap and cried a little; we talked about how scared we had been, and that the Lord had been with us every moment.

Have a great Wednesday, friends. Be sure to leave a comment with some of your favorite resources – let’s help one another find the encouragement and education we all need as we travel this road.

Lisa