WOF vs "Word of God Snob"

Last weekend I attended a Women of Faith (WOF) conference in Charlotte with a terrific group of ladies from Ridgecrest. My daughter Caitlin, who lives in Charlotte, also joined me. Now, I must admit that before the conference, I had some "negative" feelings about WOF. I attended one about 15 years ago and I remembered the women speaking but not "teaching" from God's Word. In all honesty, I like smaller, more intimate conferences with the speaker teaching straight from the Bible. Verse by verse...teach me what it says and how it applies to me. I prefer the "just teach me, no yak-yak approach". I am a Kay Arthur and Anne Graham Lotz kind of gal. So with my past experience at WOF, I wasn't expecting much.
The first night proved me right. I lugged my "Big Bertha" Bible into the conference on Friday evening for it to sit in my tote bag all night.  Ha! I knew it! They aren't going to teach me ANYTHING! And so the conference went on Friday night and Saturday with different speakers and praise and worship.  Despite the testimonies and wisdom they shared and the absolutely awesome time spent in worship, I was still a little huffy. You could have called me a "Word of God Snob".
But then a funny thing happened. God began to work in me. I needed an attitude adjustment. I began to realize that while there was minimal  teaching straight from the Bible at this conference, God was still there. He still spoke through the many speakers, worship leaders and musicians. I believe that women testifying to God's grace, faithfulness and mercy pleased God. I do believe that thousands of women lifting their hands and voices in praise to God makes Him smile. The conference was a celebration of Jesus! It was OK to relax and have fun! It was OK to spend two days praising Him and thanking Him and sharing the joy with other ladies. It was OK to Look Up!!
Sometimes,  I think we Christians are just too serious. Yes, it is important to study and know God's Word. Yes, it is of the utmost importance to share the Gospel with others. But it's OK to rejoice too! Many times, I think nonbelievers are turned off because believers are so blah! No wonder they think Christians are boring and following Jesus is no fun. They don't want a lecture.  Maybe instead of spending all our time with our nose in the Bible reading about the one Who saves us,  we just need to LOOK UP at the One Who saves us! Maybe instead of preaching and teaching and discussing theology and doctrine,  we need to show more excitement over the One it's all about! We need more testimonies of how He has worked in our life. We need more sharing about the joy and peace knowing Him brings. I wonder how many women were at that conference that didn't know Jesus. I wonder how many met Jesus because of the excitement about HIM and for HIM!
So, get excited, dance, shout, and knock yourself out. It really is permissible. I promise!  I did it some last weekend. Look out! I'll do it more next time!