More Than I Ever Expected

I returned home just a few hours ago from my first Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference at Ridgecrest, NC. As I unpacked my bags, I tried to get my thoughts around my experiences there.
I met some incredibly gifted Writers, all friendly and willing to offer support. I met a number of Editors who offered time to anyone who wanted their professional opinion on how to hone their craft. And I met Agents who wanted to guide any conferee toward the best match of support possible. If the pitch offered wasn’t in their agency’s genre, they pointed the conferee in the direction toward the agency where they may find success.
But the most impressive part of the week—more than a writers’ exposure to everything needed to succeed—was the prayers and emotional support offered between faculty and conferee. Writing was the hook, but there was no getting away from the ultimate purpose of the time there: how to best serve our Savior with the gifts he blessed each of us.
I made life-long friends in the few days I was at BRMCRC. There will be Facebook’d pictures, blogging and guest blogging, shared ministries, and prayers of intercession that span hundreds of miles. And it all came about because we set a week apart to become better writers.
I will share with my friends the stories that we laughed (or cried) to later this week, but for now I want to sit … reflect … and thank God for the opportunity to attend Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. And thank you, my fellow conferees and faculty team, for allowing God to use you all in a big and mighty way. To me, YOU are Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.