Three days. Four flights. Two hundred women. Twelve cups of coffee (give or take). Very little sleep.
Yet here I sit, digesting the nuggets of wisdom and revelations I received at The Relevant Conference, from which I just returned. Relevant was a blogging conference for Christian women, the first of its kind. I have attended conferences in the past which, quite frankly, left me wanting. Something was missing.
While blogging was indeed discussed, it was not the focus of Relevant. God showed up. Oh yes, He was there. He flowed through each and every speaker, and was glorified and praised in a conference ballroom right there among laptops, iPhones and Twitter.
I returned exhausted, yet refreshed. Content, yet longing. Longing to share with my readers the amazing experience that left so many women tearfully reaching for God, not their blogs. You see, this weekend was so much more than a blogging conference.
But before I delve into and fully process the details, there is one jewel I am simply bursting to share. Angie Smith gave a keynote on Friday evening. She made us laugh, she made us cry, she made us think. But most of all, she made us take a good hard look at our boundaries in blogging.
When Angie mentioned she would be tackling boundaries, she warned us it may not be what we were expecting. She was right.
The question was posed: “What are you writing?”
Followed by: “What are you READING?”
She looked around the room straight into so many eager eyes and said candidly, “I know there are women here who need to STOP reading certain blogs”.
I was unsure what she meant exactly. Until she asked, “When you finish reading, where do you want to run? To Jesus, or to STUFF?”
Dearest readers, how are the blogs you read shaping your walk with the Lord? Do you compare yourself to the author? Do you compare your home to hers? Her husband to yours? Does her life seem impossibly perfect and leave you doubting yourself?
I pose this question here because I realize that I have a platform that can impact lives. What we read shapes us.
The nature of my blog allows me to share coupons and deals, things that can be a blessing OR a burden. Do great deals make you want to spend money you don’t have? Does seeing coupons on a blog leave you feeling guilty if your coupons sit unredeemed?
Let me assure you that my frugal journey is far from perfect. I share information, I share resources and I share a bit of my faith. While I do enjoy helping others save money, my ultimate goal with this platform should be to point my readers to Christ. That goal may get a bit lost between CVS and frugal tips.
Take a good hard look at the blogs you read. If they leave you seeking after worldly desires… a nicer house, a cuter birthday party, the latest hot deal… stop.
Seek HIM first. Matthew 6:33
AMEN!!!
AMEN!!! Very well said and very true!
Barb @ The Forever Neighbor´s last blog post ..Menu Plan for Oct 25-Oct29
Oh I love this Alyssa! Definitely eye-opening!
Jen @ One Moms World´s last blog post ..Kidz Bop Wii Video Game Plus Giveaway
Fantastic post Alyssa! It sounds like it was such a blessed time and will have many women rethinking how they are blogging.
Lisa @ Stop and Smell the Chocolates´s last blog post ..Happy Anniversary To My Best Friend
@Lisa @ Stop and Smell the Chocolates, It truly was a blessed time, Lisa. It will be interesting to see the long term impact of the conference. I am ready for change!
Thanks for a much needed reality check. You encourage me to be bolder in keeping a Christian Perspective in my writing, and not to get so caught up in my beloved STUFF.
Lynn´s last blog post ..Fred Meyer Deals 10-24 and Ramblings
@Lynn, Be BOLD, Lynn! 😉
Proverbs 28:1
Well said! I read this and other blogs often. Your statement “Seek Him first” says it all. Thank you for sharing your insight from the conference. I am one reader who appreciates all your information, wisdom and especially honesty in sharing your mission with us!
An excellent word to start the week with! Thank you!
Thanks, Alyssa! My daughter’s name is Alyssa…
“Run to Jesus” I think I read blogs for encouragement… So maybe I am “picky” You (and Angie) are right… I have to be careful. I do catch myself wishing “my blog” was this or that… Or my husband was… I am sure that is exactly the point!
I love Angie’s book.
Love all the tweets from Revelant10, maybe next year I can be there!
Thank you for sharing… Something to think about!
Hugs
I would have loved to have been there but it just wasn’t possible this year. Hopefully things will work out for me to be able to attend the next one.
Thanks for sharing some of what you heard there. I have been praying about the direction I want to go with my blog. Right now, it has been stripped down & is a fresh start…it was accidental but so needed! I want everything I do to be for God so I pray I can keep that my focus.
Christie Jarvis´s last blog post ..Troubles
@Christie Jarvis, Wow, you lost all your content? That really is a fresh start. How exciting! Would love to meet you at next year’s Relevant, Christie.
Thank you for sharing this. I find this true of myself often and wonder why after reading blogs I’m not feeling any better than when I started. I have actually had to stop reading the ‘deal’ blogs recently because of the same issues, I wanted things we didn’t have the money for and thought ‘well it is a good deal’…forgetting that I already have enough! 🙂
I appreciate you sharing about The Relevant Conference – I almost went but monetarily it wasn’t in our plan this year, but I am really hoping to one day get the chance to be there. You ladies are an inspiration to be more Christ centered! Thank you for your words this morning.
The conference “left so many women tearfully reaching for God, not their blogs”
Beautifully put! My quiet time this morning ROCKED it out! I can’t praise him enough for this weekend!!! We serve a worthy God!!!
Keep up the great kingdom work here!!
Much love,
Courtney
Courtney(WomenLivingWell)´s last blog post ..Give Your Children a Happy Childhood Filled With Tender Moments
Thank you Alyssa,
I too was at Relevant…you presented us with such great information in such a gracious, genuine, and sweet way. I thank you and hope to use it to God’s Glory. May you be blessed. Job well done!
I am so glad that you had such a great time and thank you for sharing this. I think this is something we all need to think about more often, both in reading blogs and what we write on our blogs.
Lynn´s last blog post ..No Roll Enchiladas
Great post. I have to ask myself ften if what I’m reading making me want to BE better, or is it making me feel guilty? I’m still in the beginning years of my marriage and my life away from ‘home’ and I can’t compare myself too harshly with bloggers who’ve been in their routine for years and seem to have it more together than I do. It always comes down to patience, doesn’t it?
Alyssa M´s last blog post ..Family Update Friday
Alyssa, Thank you for the reality check. Because of our fallen economy, a lost job, and 6 hungry mouths to feed, I have had to be creative with the little bit of money I have. So, I discovered “deal” blogs and quickly became hooked. I lost myself researching the best deals for the week and chasing coupons to get a bunch of “stuff” that we couldn’t normally afford. I got so good I even had a stockpile going. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel that there is anything wrong with stockpiling or couponing. In my case it is a means of survival. Here is where I went wrong. I became so obsessed with deals, coupons, and time on the internet that I neglected to take the quality time with my children each day. There wasn’t time for Bible, one on one play, nothing. Our time was spent in the car racing from one store to the next trying to score a deal. I was also caught up in the praise I got from other people at the stores saying “wow! how did you do that! You’re amazing, teach me” etc, etc. Now I feel sick, my oldest is in second grade, my twins are 5 and the baby is already 8 molnths old. I can never turn back time to all those missed moments and missed opportunities. What am I really teaching them?
Today I am putting a stake in the ground. I’m going to read only the blogs that can help me with my daily spiritual life. Blogs like yours that strengthen me and help me see that I can accomplish my goals. Blogs that put Christ first and foremost like I should be doing. I think back to the saying “everything in moderation”.
I applaud you for putting yourself out there and sharing your finanacial and spiritual journey. I am a faithful reader and thank you for all you do and all you stand for. Thank you for helping me to see the truth.
Putting Christ First,
Shelly
Thank you, Alyssa. Much needed, very true and convicting. Sometimes finding the right balance is hard, but like you said, God’s kingdom must always be first. I have to learn when something else is starting to take over, it’s time to stop, take inventory, and go back to the true and eternal things.
Thanks for being real with us.
Love you!
Thank you Alyssa, for inspiring and encouraging me! It is so often tempting to get caught up in the ways of the money saving blogging world. My prayer has always been for God to be glorified through Simple Saving Savvy. Sometimes though, I get side-tracked. I am so thankful for fellow bloggers like you who come alongside.
Amanda Brackney´s last blog post ..Amazon- Rubbermaid 24-Piece Storage Set
Great blog post!
It would be cool if you could back up your savings posts with biblical information. For example, explain what God says about being a good steward with what we are given. You may want to mention how God rewards us when we give back to him first. There are many things in the bible that speak to money, things, and trusting Him for our needs. If you don’t want to sound preachy, just quote a scripture underneath or something.
Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly´s last blog post ..Blogtober 22
I too, have been thinking about facebook and blogging and how much of my time it is taking. My excuse is that I don’t watch TV anymore…fb and blogging are my entertainment. I have been thinking about am I posting something to brag, get comments, etc. What is my true motive behind posts, pictures, etc.? I enjoy the new friends I’ve made, but seriously. I don’t want to cause anyone to sin.
Robin´s last blog post ..THE FALL BREAK MYSTERY TRIP
WOW, WOW, WOW> Thanks for the eye opener. I appreciate it!!!
Thanks Alyssa – I follow a lot of “coupon blogs” (in addition to a lot of blogs that are just personal), and last week I found myself annoyed at one in particular that just kept posting affiliate links…all.day.long…
I hate to feel that way, and I know that blogging is a huge money making industry – but it was really evident that day…just wanted to say thanks for this post. It helped me look at my reading list in a different way!
Alyssa, I had never thought of what I was reading until Angie spoke on Friday night. I think we all want to feel like we are running to Jesus at all times! If it makes you feel any better, after reading this post… I want to run to Jesus not stuff! It was great to meet you this weekend and your speaking helped me too btw! 🙂
Chele´s last blog post ..The Rusted Chain Winner
@Chele, I know what you mean, Angie really opened my eyes! Thank you for attending our sessions, and I am glad they were helpful to you, Chele.
Awesome perspective and ouch! Thanks for the share!
Southern Fried Gal´s last blog post ..Halloween Mantles
I love you friend. And I love the fact that we were able to be worked on by God this weekend. Isn’t He so good?
Now, I’m off to go through my reader…
xoxo
Myra @ My Blessed Life´s last blog post ..Change – In The Air & In My Heart
What truth!! Love this, and as I was reading I was mentally deleting a few blogs. Thank you so much for sharing with those of us who could not make the conference. What a blessing.
I was also impacted by Angie Smith’s words. I’ll be cleaning out my reader very soon!
Erin @ Closing Time´s last blog post ..He Met Me
What a great confirmation for me! I had recently stopped reading some blogs that left me feeling just that way…..wanting more “stuff”, guilt for not getting to all the “deals”, etc, etc. Thanks to the Holy Spirit for giving me that nudge! 🙂
Alyssa,
I lovd this post! I will also be re-evaluating what I am reading and comparing myself to after this weekend. All I need to do is be concerned about serving my audience of ONE!
I loved meeting you, and hope to get to know you better in the future. Thanks for all you are doing to point others to Christ!
God Bless You!
Denise
The Cottage Chick´s last blog post ..10 Day Cottage Style Makeover Day 6 Mix Your Patterns
Love this in a big way! Let’s hold one another accountable! Love you to pieces!
QuatroMama´s last blog post ..Relevant was… Link-Up
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, I spend a lot f time searching for help on-line, how to manage time better, how to manage money better, how to lose weight, how to be a better parent. When the truth is the best self help book of all is the Bible and all God has to teach us is there. If we just follow that everything else will fall into place.
You are such a blessing.
@Jessica, You said it! That is exactly right, and your comment brought a HUGE smile to my face. The Bible is the very best resource for life – a love letter from God and all the wisdom we need for our time here on earth.
That’s a Wow post for me. I tend to get obsessed about new things and neglect other things. Things that make me go hmmmmmmm. Will re-evaluate what I take the time to read. See if it has eternal significance.
Thanks,
Diane
I really needed to read this! Thanks and I hope to make it to next years conference! It looks like it’s the best one around, because it’s focus is on Him!
So true and that message really hit me too. I don’t want to blog as if I have it all together..and I do avoid blogs that seem to be Barbie bloggers who ‘do everything right’. If they aren’t transparent a bit and authentically real, I don’t read them. This safe guards my ‘new man’ because the old self strived for perfection. I want to leave that old self in the grave where it belongs. It gives me the freedom to be me..the me that God lives in..with grace.
Sisterlisa´s last blog post ..My Relevant Testimony
@Sisterlisa, LOL @ “Barbie Bloggers”. SO true!
My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17. We are indeed new creations!
Hi thanks so much for sharing…I wish I could havebeen there but I look forward to learning second hand…thanks
Lois´s last blog post ..Swagbucks Help Me Buy Books From Amazonamphellip
“…the amazing experience that left so many women tearfully reaching for God, not their blogs.” Exactly!! Very well put!
I’m still “cleaning out” around here and trying to find the words to describe what God did at Relevant… my reader is clear and minus many a subscription, and my inbox has been tackled. Praying the Lord will guide my hands in typing just the right words to express what He has put in my heart…
Such a blessing to spend some time with you this weekend too! Loving getting to know you more! 🙂
Mandy´s last blog post ..Our Chevy Traverse
Excellent post. The command not to covet is as necessary now as it was during Moses’ day. Also a great encouragement for what I post. Thank you.
@Bitterroot Mama, Thanks so much for your kind words! I am humbled that God allows me to use this platform each and every day.
Amen! I am SO glad you were my first “divine appointment” of the weekend!
Katie´s last blog post ..Tips for Building Kids with Integrity
So I don’t feel so bad for not reading those “perfect” blogs anymore. Perfect as in their kids are perfect, their husbands are perfect, and their friends flock to them as soon as they frown. Any challenge is followed by a hallelujah chorus ending. Just be angry or sad for once and leave it at that.
I do wonder if some people think that about my blog gives a “Barbie” perspective. Sometimes I choose not to blog in the midst of a struggle. I don’t want to be a downer, I usually want to focus on the good – and well, that may lead to the illusion that my life is perfect. It is not. But then again, it is my blog and I shouldn’t worry about others. It just depends on what stories a blogger chooses to tell and how they tell them…
Sheena´s last blog post ..Bits Of Happy