I have a near entourage of people coming to STORY this year. Well, ok, Dan and I and Serenity and our brother-in-law Ryan. And my friend Melissa. But there’s room for you, too! No tour bus option, sorry, we might even take the train, but we’ll show you a good time!

Buying a STORY ticket is an investment, so you’ll want to get in on the best rate by this Friday. The two days are packed with presenters – some Christian, some not – all with a general focus on making great art, so the per speaker/performer price tag is very affordable. (I happen to know there are a couple late announcements coming this week that – trust me – you are going to be a little excited about.) You have to come prepared to suck in as much info and inspiration as you can and then plan to steal someone’s notes or buy books from the merchandise table. (You might be able to do this from your smart phone at your seat – if my sources are correct.) Even better than beating this Friday’s rate? Talk three of your friends into joining you for the group rate!

I’m sensing a couple of shifts in the focus this year, lots of music and lots of film-related speakers and artists. If either of these areas are your sweet spots, you really ought to give STORY a try. Plus, Chicago is amazing in September. Seriously.

If you can’t make it this year, though, I’ll do my best to give you a report after the event! Here are links to my re-cap posts from last year:

A STORY Moment

A STORY Principle

My favorite word is RECONCILED.

You and me with God. You and me with each other. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17-19.)

The big idea question this passage asks is, “Are you in need of reconciliation or do you have the ministry of reconciliation?”

We either have it or we don’t. We either offer it or we need it. Anything in between is religious goobly-goo or apathetic excuses.

Eugene Peterson phrased the good news of Christ’s reconciliation this way:

“Become friends with God; He’s already a friend to you.”

I love discoveries like this. When I was loading photos onto my computer from the camera, I found several I hadn’t taken myself. Either Ada or Jesse took this photo one morning while I was still off-camera getting ready for the day.

Our mornings don’t always run this smoothly, but on this particular occasion, as is as likely to happen as not, Dan sat down at the piano and gave the girls a dancing tune. Can you see the pure joy and abandonment in Macy’s spin here? Even in a school uniform!

Don’t you wish you had a Daddy who played live music for you every morning so you could dance your way out the door?

Oh, wait, maybe you do. Maybe we all do, if only we’d listen.

What kind of music do you hear in your morning routine? And does it make you dance?

Now that I’m finished watching Friday Night Lights, I’m taking on a new challenge. My friend Katie introduced me to Erin Blakemore’s blog (and book) The Heroine’s Bookshelf. I lurked for awhile and then commented on Katie’s guest post. That comment won me a copy of Gone With The Wind and now I’m joining Blakemore’s read-a-long of the classic.

To me it makes perfect sense to find inspiration from the heroines of some of our favorite classics. I’m looking forward to reading Blakemore’s book for that very reason. Who hasn’t wanted to be brave like Jo March or loyal like Jane Eyre?

In Gone With the Wind, we read about a fairly imperfect heroine – one we may choose to fight with even more than cheer for. But we read stories to help make sense of our world, I’ve heard said. It is important for us to see an imperfect heroine and still see how she is beloved. Sometimes she changes – or sometimes we only wish desperately that she would. All the while, we are deciding how we would behave in similar situations, what we believe is the righteous choice.

Talking with my friend Denise this weekend I told her the only thing I didn’t like about the conclusion of Friday Night Lights was the way Mrs. T whined and fussed at her husband when she didn’t think she was getting her way. She had a reason to be upset, but I didn’t like the way she tried to make her point. I watched the story’s heroine and made a choice for myself.

I don’t know if any of you would be interested in joining the read-a-long. (If you are, just click here to read about the details.) It is a ridiculously thick book. But I know some of you (Carol, ahem, Carol) have mentioned how you miss literature classes and this could be a way to feed that. Or you might want to pop over to the site now and then (the group book club runs through October) and see what people are discovering as they read. Or maybe you’ll just be inspired to pick up that old copy of your own favorite classic. Whatever you decide, remember to keep an eye on those heroines; we’ve got a lot of choices to make in this life and we can use all the help we can get!

Forget about trying to tell a “Christian” story and just make sure you are telling a good one. If you hone your craft, and tell a story that rings true to people, Christian and non-Christian alike, then it’s going to be a book that people will want to read and tell their friends about. If you concentrate on telling the best story you can, you won’t be able to keep Christ out of it. He’ll show up, he’ll haunt the pages even though you may never see him. Trust that. Rather than looking for ways to use Christ, concentrate on writing the leanest, tightest story you can and trust that Christ can use you.

from A. S. “Pete” Peterson on Speculative Faith

I have a fun announcement to tell you about. Several weeks ago I entered my name and this blog for a chance at two tickets to the Women of Faith conference in Omaha, Nebraska. This is my husband’s hometown, and only six hours from us, so I knew I would have housing and childcare covered. I hadn’t heard anything back, so I assumed they had passed on my small blog and looked elsewhere for their bloggers for this event.

Then this week I opened the mailbox and found my tickets!

I wouldn’t describe myself as a mega-church, mega-event kind of girl. I’m loyal to STORY – a smaller Chicago conference I’ve attended since its inaugural event three years ago. It was the first (and so far the only) national conference I’ve attended. Since then, I’ve met the organizers and the founder (one of my favorites: Ben Arment). I volunteer with them and take ownership in their brand. I prefer the less mega-sized gathering in general.

I’m also not generally interested in women-only events, especially ones with lots of giggles, too much make-up, and a plethora of bedazzled souvenirs. I’m not implying that this describes a Women of Faith event, just commenting on the general things I don’t enjoy. I prefer the perspectives of a mixed group, which is code for a room full of women makes me crazy!

But I’m still drawn to this Women of Faith event for a couple of reasons. I’ll explain my expectations now and then I’ll post again after (or during) the event and we’ll see how it measures up.

Why am I excited about this mega-sized Women of Faith event?

1. The speakers, especially the two with gray hair. I’ve tired lately of my usual blog reading. (By usual I don’t mean any of you bloggers who also read my blog . . . you know who you are . . . you are in a totally different category.) I think I read too many women bloggers who are close to my same age, facing many of my same issues, and commenting on them in ways that I find at best whiny and at worst manipulative. (Again, if you are reading this, you are NOT one of these bloggers. And if, by some weird chance you ARE one of these bloggers, I’m going to deny it.) My main problem, I think, is that I’m craving a steady, wise approach to the things of God. I’m really looking forward to hearing Patsy Clairmont and Marilyn Meberg. I could be wrong about them. I hope I’m not.

2. The fellowship, with people and in worship. My husband is one of Omaha’s sons. He loves that city. I’m excited to share the Women of Faith experience with so many women from the faith community in Omaha and the surrounding areas. I hope I’ll meet some new people. If you happen to go, maybe we could meet up in a designated location. The cool kids call it a Tweetup, and I’d be willing to give it a shot if you would. Start by following me on Twitter and we’ll go from there. In the meantime, I canNOT wait to hear that many voices singing church songs together. I once had the chance to hear Billy Graham at one of his last crusades. When that crowd sang “How Great Thou Art,” it was one of the most amazing sounds ever. I’ll probably cry.

You can go straight to the Women of Faith page designated for the Omaha “Over the Top” event if you are interested in attending yourself or if you just want a little preview. I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you’ve attended a Women of Faith event or if you have your own list of expectations. Let me know!

I’m looking forward to a brand new experience! Thanks, Women of Faith, for the opportunity!