Hillsong Colour Conference : 23-25 March 2006

I've just come back from the Hillsong Colour Conference 2006 for women. I went to the conference with Jeanette Harris and Cathy Collins and we had a fantastic 3 days ... the conference started on Thursday evening and went through to Saturday night!

The conference is a real celebration of being a woman and it was one of the most uplifting, inspiring, challenging and encouraging experiences I have ever had the privilege of being part of. With over 5,000 women praising and worshipping God and many inspiring speakers and "Colour Moments", I thought I would share some of the take home messages that I found to be so challenging ...

** Bobbie Houston **

Bobbie opened the conference and reminded us that God has always given us an invitation to make this world a better place but we have to respond and He is seeking women to do his will on this earth. Isiah 66:1 - God wants to dwell in your heart. Placing value on womanhood so that she might place value on humanity. Don't be tempted to give up when things get hard. There are lots of things I can't do but we can welcome others into God's house through an invitation - keep it simple in Jesus name. We are risen, empowered and beautiful to the core and words of life bring potential to the surface.

Some of the key points Bobbie highlighted are ...

You are fashioned for greatness so you should not live a small life! God knows the strength of your seed for greatness but you have a responsiblity to water that seed and guard your heart. (Ephesians 1:19 : 2 Corinthians 6:12 : Psalm 144:12 : Isiah 42.

You are also fashioned to be yourself ... you need to get over yourself and get on with being your true self. Be comfortable with who you are. The devil will attack you wherever you are most vulnerable.

You are fashioned to rise up and overcome. (Revelation 12) Grace will help you to overcome to achieve freedom and breakthrough. Life is a series of rise up moments which present the anointing of God when you engage with him. Allow God to give you perspective and the ability to overcome. Let conviction shape your responses. You have to stand up and let God infuse you with his power, his strength and his truth. You are fashioned to fulfill prophecy. Embrace God's power and rise up to your full God potential in Jesus.

** Jordan Rubin **

Embrace God's word for our physical health. When you ask something of God according to his will, he always responds. God can take your misery, combine it with his might and give you victory. Faith is not hindsight - we are so easily swayed by our circumstances but God sees our worst and he works his best for us so be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2).

** Deborah Cobrae **

God is awakening women for us to do something in the world. We are involved in a kingdom of the spiritual realm of the supernatural and we must become the Warrior, Princess, Daughter of the King because God is reconciling ALL things in heaven and on earth to himself (Ephesians 1:21-22). All things relates to everything created visible and invisible. You need to grow up, stand up and recognise that your life is transcending the spiritual world. If we don't know the Word and don't know the power within us, we will fall down in hard times. God is reconciling all things under Jesus (1 Corinthians 15). God is love because out of the evil he allowed, he's bringing out a new generation who will not be tempted - this people have come from Jesus and have been renewed in spirit and mind. God wants to trust you with his kingdom and he wants you to grow up into faith which is pleasing to God (Hebrews 10:12-14). The more comfortable life is, the easier it is to put God to one side.

** Marilyn Skinner **

No one can live without hope. There is no problem that Jesus Christ cannot overcome for you. AIDS is the most serious problem that the world faces today. In 2005, 40 million people were diagnosed with AIDS - 14,000 new infections per day which leads to 6,000 new orphans per day.

Psalm 68 - you can't separate the God of heaven from the God of the orphaned children. The Church is a holy people and they are only ones who can bring the love of Christ to the world, especially to these orphaned children. For love to be genuine, it does not have to be extraordinary. (Psalm 112 and Psalm 113) Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda need your support - let's not emphasise our faith through our experiences but also through out actions. Compassions required you to invest whatever it takes to heal the hurts of others but it comes at a cost ... these children and women of Africa need to be rescued from a kingdom of desperatoin to a kingdom of purpose.

We have 3 key roles that God is calling us to:
(1) Prophetic - we need to speak out on behalf of the women in Africa who don't have a voice
(2) Priestly - we need to pray and intercede for healing
(3) Pastroral - we need to love and care for the orphans and women of Africa

The hands that rock the cradle will rule the world. The will of God will never leave you where the Grace of God cannot keep you.

** Darlene Zschech **

Luke 10:25 : Compassion leads and mercy follows. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and also love your neighbour as yourself. Rise up and love the broken - anyone and everyone can do this. The Good Samaritan was moved with compassion and he responded with mercy. Compassion is the emotional "stop" sign that Jesus always responded to. James 5 reminds us that Jesus was always full of compassion and mercy and this is very nature of our God. Mercy actions what compassion make aware. There is a sense of urgency because the time is short and the world is aching with need. Jesus said "Go and do likewise" - don't wait for anything, just GO!!

The Good Samaritan saw the need and he filled it - he brought mercy to the need. Don't avoid the need and don't respond negatively to the compassion that you feel ie. don't cross the road and ignore the need. Maybe you don't understand the need and you might judge the need but Jesus does not ask us to criticise the need, he just asks us to just love the need as you love yourself. If you love yourself, you will have the capacity to love the need as you see it with compassion. Don't be so consumed by your own needs that you miss the needs of others. The Good Samaritan followed through by paying the inn keeper and even if you think you can't help, you can always put someone in touch with someone else who can help with a bit of energy, time and research because we care.

A few key points to note ...

(1) Get about your day ... in this way, you can be prepared to stop and respond to a need.
(2) Ask the Lord to give you eyes for what He needs you to see - it's easier to live with a sense of disconnect because it frees you from responsibility but it is not what God wants
(3) Keep your heart soft and take responsiblity
(4) Go and do likewise - you have a mission field right here - find a need, fill it with mercy, lift someone else's life up

** Bobbie Houston **

We need an uncompromising commitment to be the woman that God created us to be - 52% of the church are women, 48% are men. God is looking for women to rise up - this is not optional any more (Micah 4 & 5). We're in the army of God !! Women's ministry is not a women's club - it is an environment where women are encouraged and unified in a common cause. It doesn't require brilliance, it just requires a willing heart (Psalm 110:3). Men must be willing to unearth women to bring their power forth but we have to use wisdom. We must learn how to cast vision and let God grow the vision - we must gather, equip and mobilise to purpose (Jeremiah 29:5). Think BIGGER for the time is now. Learn not to subtract or add from the vision and not to drawback on conviction or when something is too challenging. Learn to understand that the power in your life has to have demonstration (action) with authority. Don't be apathetic - put a deman on your heart because God wants to lift you up.

We may not always have the words to say, but we have wisdom, warmth and hugs to say "I'm here and I'm listening and maybe me and God together can help you"!

** Donna Crouch **

The "not so good" moments in life are not so funny! A scar is a mark on your life but how big or small that scar is, is up to you. Avoidance of the real issues in your life is silly - you need to face them!

Key points ...

(1) What do you have an advanced case of? Don't let whatever you have, have you - make sure that you have it

(2) Be careful who makes the cut - who are you bowing down to ie. what voices/influences/spirits are you listening to? If you want results, you have to do it God's way. It may take time and there is a cost and a commitment to follow through. Jesus is our healer, he is willing (Luke 5:12) and he's up for whatever you need help with.

(3) Rest the wound - Psalm 23 - Jesus is our shepherd, let's rest our souls. There are areas in our life that need to be rested, the fact that it takes time is okay!

(4) Apply pressure to the wound - there are areas in our life, self esteem and identity that don't want pressure when they are tender, but the pressure will help the body make less scar tissue because trauma gets stored very deep in our brain - not just a memory but it is also the emotions. But if you transform your mind and work at changing the way you believe things about yourself, you will also change your emotions (Romans 12:2). Work at changing the way you think and develop a new way of coping with it - the disease, singleness, syndrome - the circumstance may not change but your attitude or thinking can change.

(5) Keep massaging the wound - You can't get precious, you have to get back in the game of life, so pick yourself up and move forward in faith. It's tempting to say "It's too hard" but you need to decide where the commas (pause), and the full stops (stop), are going to go in your life ie. you decide when and where your story pauses and starts again in a new direction or stops. Never allow a lousy ending to your life story. Come through life better, not bitter, healed and whole, not scared and broken. Your womanhood is not a liability, it is a gift and you are strong - stand your ground and fight the fights worth fighting.

** Helen Burns **

We are created for greatness to rise up, love who we are and not be afraid of who God has created us to be. Your life is a story being written which started with a God whisper and you need to be willing and to trust even though you may not understand what God has in store for you. Do you believe that you are truly living the life that God would've fashioned for you today? Is this God's destiny for you? Think about this ... 5 minutes after we die, we will know how we should have lived.

When you invest your life, don't invest in the temporal. If it doesn't have eternity sown into it, it's not worth it. God didn't intend for us to live with regret but rather with a dream and a purpose. Don't sit back any longer - the greatest tragedy in life is a life unlived. Think about the potential in you, the dormant ability, the capped capability to be all that you can be and have not yet done.

Key Points ...

(1) Know where you are and where you want to go - be brave and stop and look at where you are - what is your vision? Become the person that God wants you to be and don't wait for someone else or something else to change. Be willing to let God should you the vision and don't be afraid of what you know God has for you. You need a "map" - you are blessed when you follow God's plan for your life - if you want to arrive at the destination safely, stick to the map because it will take you to heaven or it will take you to hell. You need to travel light - go through the God checks - eliminate unforgiveness and bitterness and have good companions on the journey wiht you. Shake it off and get moving because it is dangerous to carry fear with you. Don't let fear/abandonment/anger/disappointment shape your life - let God's word shape you. You have to trust God and have absolute confidence that God has a plan to cause you to achieve his plans and reach your full potential - just like you trust a pilot or surgeon when you step on a plane or have an operation. Knowing what your heart wants but not dictating what it looks like ie. the outcome is essential to fulfilling God's plan.

(2) Know who you are - accept who you are and realise it is okay - God likes you! Don't let your history define you, let God define you. A woman is incredibly beautiful when she knows who she is - you are fearfully and wonderfully made so don't hide. Be okay and comfortable with who you are because the walls come down. Accept that some things need to be changed, but God likes you and hiding is not a safe place. You are not perfect but you are willing to change because the world is waiting for you to come out from hiding.

(3) The generations are counting on you - the people in your past gave you a platform to stand on - live your life well and give your future generations a good platform for them to stand on!

** Donna Crouch **

Proverbs 14:1 - A wise woman builds her home/church/community and a foolish woman tears it down. Learning how to balance (life), not juggle (circus) your life will involve building strong foundations. "That's cool and that's where it is at, Funky Cat"!!

Key Points ...

(1) Find your fight and keep it - secure the sense of calling and grow it. Be separated for something wonderful that is important to God. That sense of calling must be greater than anything else.

(2) Get rid of the boxes - the box mentality is limiting and too hard ... only have 1 box : "I am called to be a woman of God - a radical disciple of Jesus". Outwork the purpose of being a woman of God in everything you do so that you're doing what God wants you to do to the best of your ability.

(3) Marriage & Home must release you - your marriage and your children are your responsiblity, but you can set them up to release you. You can do this by (a) believing in your husband - don't compare him to the platform people, but get behind his dream and his interests and if he can trust you and that you believe in him, he'll fly you to the moon. (b) Build your husband with love, words, actions and deeds and always speak in an honouring way about him when you speak publically. (c) With your children, you have to accept that when you need extra help, your children will get attached to their support network and kids just need life, not quality time. Don't run out of "Yes" in every aspect of your life, especially your home life when you've had a long day at work/ministry.

(4) If you are single, remember it is a season - get a great balanced life. Take on the responsibility to increase your capacity, to build good relationships and have a great support network. Be careful who speaks into your life - have a shield to the negative friendships - talk to Jesus about the negative and don't use your girlfriends as a negative dumping ground. Tell God that you don't know how to do something but you are willing.

Don't be afraid of hard work! Know how to pray, trust and hear God. We are ploughing into mindsets and dark places but if you are willing, not afraid of hard work, that teachable spirit will take you a long way and God will give you anything. Get good at releasing others into their callings.

Increase your capacity, build into your life and keep turning up for the race.