The Ordinary, But Faithful Conference

What does ordinary, but faithful mean to you? 

This was the theme of the conference that I attended and the first small group discussion question at the conference. Good question isn't it? 

Conference Focus

The conference focused on Mrs. Noah, Ms. Anna, and Mrs. Eunice/Mrs. Lois. The attendees listened to and discussed the lives of these four ordinary, but faithful women in the three part, large group session. Each part of the large group session began with ladies in robes who addressed us as if they were Mrs. Noah, Ms. Anna, and Mrs. Lois. 

Personally, I was surprised that I didn't know who the last three were and that I had somehow skipped over the verse or two that mentions these ladies without stopping to think about them. 

Mrs. Noah

Mrs. Noah had to take a faith walk when her husband told her God had instructed him to build a boat in the yard. Think about how you would react to that. How would the neighbors act during the 75-100 years it took to build the ark? Mrs. Noah had to leave her parents and family behind to a terrible end. I'm sure Noah and Mrs. Noah tried to get them on board with God. Then, she had to adapt to life on the ark for a year. Her "ordinary" days certainly required her to be faithful. 

"God has a purpose for each ordinary day...In our ordinary days and our ordinary ways...Remember we serve an extra-ordinary God."

Ms. Anna

Ms. Anna was a prophetess who lived at the temple in Jerusalem after her husband of seven years died. If she married at fourteen, which was the normal age to marry, she was only twenty-one when her husband died. She met Jesus when Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple. You find this information in Luke 2:36-38.

Fasting isn't necessarily from food. You can fast from social media, TV viewing, or busyness. Yes, fasting isn't just fasting from food. This was a reminder that I needed to hear. 

"Anna gave thanks...all those years of ordinary days in the temple worshiping, serving, praying, and fasting allowed her to witness the newborn Christ and proclaim Him to others. This proclaiming Him to others makes any ordinary day Special!"

Mrs. Eunice and Mrs. Lois

Mrs. Eunice and Mrs. Lois are Timothy's mother and grandmother. Paul mentions them in 2 Timothy 1:5. Wow! These ladies had to let go of Timothy and let him leave to preach with Barnabas and Paul. Timothy was with Paul when he was in chains. This was a sobering thought because I am a mom and a grandmother. It is easy for me to identify with these ladies' feelings and emotions. 

"Mom and grandmother had a role in the life of their loved one. In our ordinary days, using our limited time left to influence the next generation! We walk each ordinary day serving our extra-ordinary God with purpose."

Small Group Session

Each small group had the same 5 questions and readings to discuss:

1. What does "Ordinary, but Faithful" mean to you?
2. Which woman could you identify with the most? Why?
3. What is the world's view of "success"? How does this world view affect you sense of worth? Would this world view have an impact on how you view your ordinary days?
4. Read 2 Corinthians 5:7 and discuss practical ways you can continue to grow in your faith walk.
5. Read Luke 25:21 and discuss the meaning of the verse. Are hearing the words of Jesus your heart's desire?

The Conference Impact On Myself

I believe this conference impacted my life by causing me to look more closely at the lives of these biblical ladies and relate what happened to them to myself. These ladies may only be mentioned briefly in the Bible, but they had a huge impact on the lives of their loved ones and church family. 

No matter how insignificant I may feel in God's plan, my life and how I live it does matter. 

The impact of my faith may not be seen by me now, but in the future I may be blessed to see how the ripples of my faith have spread outwardly from me and have touched the lives of those around me like the ripples from a stone tossed into the still waters of a pond.