DotMom Conference Review

I was on twitter and saw Priscilla Schirer tweet about an event called dotmom conference, then I saw Angie Smith was gonna be there so I had to go. I found out it was going to be 15 min away from me in Frisco Tx I just knew it was meant for me to be there. I am not sure how many yrs Lifeway has produced these dotmom events but this was my first one. What follows is my account of what happened from my own perspective.

Upon arrival at the Embassy Suites Hotel I found a place to park on the street and was thankful to save the 14 Valet fee and the 10 self park fee. As I entered the hotel a steady stream of women were coming towards me, going the opposite way.I noticed immediately they all had these VIP looking things around their necks and a burlap bag, all different colors, sayings and bible verses. SO stinkin cute. I hope I get one of those I thought. As I continued walking I realized I was only following like 3 people but had passed about 100. I checked my watch, was it over, had I missed the first session? Was I in the wrong area?

Soon enough I saw the REGISTRATION sign and walked right up.The lady behind the registration counter met me with a warm smile.I explained to her I had just changed purses and did not have my paper registration BUT i had my email confirmation. her response, I understand, NO
 problem;whats your name. Really, you don't need my drivers lisc, first born, birth cert and ss card?? I thought to myself, That was too easy. She checked my name off and handed me a beautiful burlap bag that says Trust God it has a pic of a little girl and a balloon on it and PSalm25;5. she then instructed me everything I needed was in the  bag but to head to the table behind me and put my name on a luggage tag. The luggage tag was bright and inviting with large dots all over it and DOT MOM across it. There was a passport inside that i needed to get signed from each vendor and turn it in for a drawing for a dyson vaccum.The pass that hung around my neck had the schedule on one side, very helpful for time keeping purposes.

I then started checking out the vendor tables. I bought some badaids from the guy who put bible verses on bandaids cuz his grandaughter is a diabetic and he wanted to cover her with the word of God. I walked a little farther down they were selling t shirts. As i passed the table there were about 6 women behind it no smile, no smile, no smile, BIG SMILE and a Hello how are you! We chatted for a bit, I shared a bit of my testimony and she says You should be up there, you are really funny. This is one of those confirmation\if its gonna happen, God has to do it cuz I cant moments. So I made a new friend and kept on going. The doors were supposed to open at  6 and it was about five min til 6. I found a table with books for little girls decided this would be good for me to use as a resource with my 9 yr old because I want her to have a BOAZ not a BOZO just like every other mother.She was kind enough to autograph it and write a note to her in the front.

The doors opened promptly at noon and as we filed in I was able to get a seat directly in the middle about 4 rows back. I was thinking maybe 2-300 women were there, I found out from my friend the t shirt seller  there were 1100 women there. Impressive number. I settled into my seat having about an hour to kill and pretty soon a lady sat down next to me and we started talking. She was there with a friend but she had almost dragged her friend there kicking and screaming. I was a willing participant. From that point on we pretty much stuck together like we came together. It was nice. As we were waiting they began playing little videos on the 2 large screens on each side of the stage. They showed slides of new books being released by some of the speakers along with twitter # information and upcoming seminars.

Promptly at 7 a hilarious video of Melanie and Sophie played showing their travel from Alabama to TX the audience really enjoyed it. They took the stage, gave us some relevant information regarding the passports to win the vacuum allot more funny banter between the two of them. Then they turned the stage over to Travis Cotrell. Haven't ever heard him or his music but I knew he did Beth Moore events. He started out with two of his own songs it was clear by the way everyone was watching the screen not many in the audience had either. I am certain its not his fault that the sound system was up too loud. Maybe its just because i was so close. He transitioned into more familiar the room felt at ease and the Holy Spirit payed us a visit. To be honest, I was so excited to see Angie Smith again I really couldn't pay attention. I just wanted him to hurry up so all of the other 1099 women there could fall in love and be mesmerized by her humor just like I was at Women of faith months earlier.
She was introduced and I was excited.Have you ever introduced your old friend to a new friend?   Not just a friend, but someone you admire, someone who is funny and witty and you can just see their hear through the transparency that they live their life and share their story. That's Angie to me. I want to move to Nashville or wherever she lives and be her next door neighbor. Yes, I am the older wiser, more life experienced one on the outside, but she is the open book, unapologetic of who she is, to be who she is at all times with no reservation or hesitation. That is what endears me to her. I admire her strength in the testimony God gave her with the loss of her beautiful daughter and the grace in which she uses that to help other hurting women. I wanted to jump up and down and tell them all about her, but it wasn't necessary. they just had to listen to her. Within 5 minutes the room is in an uproar of laughter from her funny stories, her comedic timing is impeccable. I can feel the room shifting from busyness & chitter chatter to utter silence as she moves through what God gave her to share. About 15 minutes in as the women around me are laughing and looking at each other I hear things
 like "gee she is really funny" "cant believe I had not heard of her before" "i really like her" inside I was like YUP, that's Gods girl. That is his warrior whom he chose for a time such as this to pour out into others the goodness of God. Now GO BUY ALL HER BOOKS people. Show her some love!

Angie finished her talk, & the MC's Melanie and Sophie took the stage. They had a gentleman with them who shared his testimony of being a compassion recipient and how it changed his life. It was nice to hear from someone who it actually touched and not just a video of far away kids with other people in them. After he gave his testimony they asked if anyone would like to sponsor a child and out of obedience I raised my hand. When she handed me this random package with a little girl on it I almost fell over when I looked at her birthday, It was Jan 8 2004 the same month day and year of my youngest child. That's what God does for me, he gives me that concrete confirmation. I of course knew it was the right thing to do and God honored my obedience by giving me Jhenefer from
Brazil born on Destini's same birthday. What are the odds? If I was a gambling person I would say there is pretty much no way out of the 800 or so kids they brought that I would be given a little girl with the same birthday identical to mine but in Gods realm it was 100% going to happen that way. He pre ordained it. He knew. I wonder when we find ourselves in situations like that does God chuckle at us saying My child you thought this was impossible, but I am in EVERY detail of your life, every moment of your life whether you acknowledge I am there or not is up to you.Travis and his crew closed us out in song. We then had two breakout sessions lasting an hour each, with a break for lunch, then the evening session started at 7. I had to pick up my 9 yr old from school so I rolled out after Angie. I decided to  take her advice and be intentional with my kid by taking Destini to Chipotle where she wanted to eat and then off for a skateboarding fun.

The evening session was John Croyle a man I never heard of but was deeply moved by. This man played in the NFL but has since started a home for kids in Alabama. He takes abused, neglected, homeless kids and gives them a chance at life by showing them Christ love. Was he frank, yes was it necessary, YES! He said we are raising a generation of whiners, that we need to set boundaries, that kids run the house these days. All of it was true. He has had 1400 kids go through his program. The video he showed was a young girl who's sister brought her to him at the age of 15 she had never been to school and could not read. She just graduated from college, ON TIME. She graduated from high school, ON time. She is making a difference in the world because someone loved her, believed in her and gave her that chance at a better life. He was charismatic, funny and entertaining. He was not long winded, just straight to the point. I took alot of notes and things that will stay with me a lifetime. 

After Johns session it was time for the late night bash from 830-930. I guess as a mom that's considered "late night" They offered cans of soda,small bags of chips and bite size snickers along with pink and purple popcorn. We all got tickets on our way out that you were to
fill out and turn in one half with your name and phone number. That's when the giveaways started. They gave away things from scarfs to books to paintings candles oil, all kinds of stuff. They had music playing that was way to loud and it was pitchy and muted in the speakers.
I am blaming all sound issues on Embassy Suites. I was surprised however when I heard "Brick house" start playing. I am not a prude by any means. I will occasionally listen to secular music as well, but the content of the song is very inappropriate in representing a
Christian woman in my opinion. The cha cha slide and the congo line were lots of fun for those that participated and for those onlookers as well. 

The next morning the crew opened the doors promptly at 830 just as the schedule stated. I went to find my seat placed my bag down and headed back out to the vendors. I missed breakfast so a 2.00 banana was gonna have to do today. Worship with Travis and his crew started promptly at 930. I have to say I was a bit disappointed throughout the day as they sung the same songs we had worshiped to the night before. As the day progressed we sung a few songs 2 and 3 times. In my head I have Covenant Worship songs, Bryan & Katie Torwalt Lover of your presence and Holy Spirit along with many others that would have been fitting for the conference but whatever, I am just a worship junkie, not the leader. I have a catalog of about 300 worship songs in my head at all times and I am not afraid to use them when necessary.

First up for the day was Vickie Courtney. Another person I had not heard of. But my experience with Angie Smith & Lisa Harper taught me to always be open to new people. You just might fall in love with them. I listened to her story as she shared where she is in her life as an empty nester with her husband, cute stories about her grandbaby and kids. The tone in her voice changed, something big was coming, I just knew it. Then, there it was for all to know. For all to be able to use against her in a court of "christian judging" that we do so well. There was the reveal of the secret that can hold you in such tight bondage you don't realize its grip on you because it is pushed so far down. She had an abortion. Many women in the church have, from what I have read, about 45% of "christian" women have had one or more abortions.

I know, because I am one of them. The one thing that is probably the least spoken about in Christian circles of women is abortion. Its taboo. I wish the study I read had separated the women into categories of I had mine pre christian or post christian. I think it would be interesting to see. If you are a woman reading this and you have the secret of an abortion I encourage you to tell someone. Then I encourage you to search Carenet. They offer healing through a bible study called forgiven and set free. The enemy will continue to lie to you so he can keep you where you are, stuck, unable to breath some days. Hidden sin mixed with deep regret and large amounts of shame are the recipe the enemy uses against you to kill your spirit. You break so many chains just by confessing your sin to another person. I appreciated Vickies candor and willingness to share her story. That reminds me of what John Croyle said, everyone has a story so STOP JUDGING cuz you don't know every ones story.

Now it was time for the 3rd or 4 breakouts. They each lasted about an hour and you had a plethora to choose from. Almost too many. I guess because there were so many attending they had to have allot but I wanted to attend 2 that were only offered once but they were at the same time. I ended up choosing Why cant I say no because that is a theme in my life. I have a strong personality but if 10 people ask me to do 10 things I am pretty much going to say yes to about 10 of them. That workshop gave me about six months of deep soul searching I need to do. Behaviors I need to change, people I need to cut off and steps I need to take along with the reasons why I need to do them. For instance, by always saying yes and being a rescuer, I am really being an enabler and blocking God from working in someone elses life. OUCH!!

After the breakout we were told lunch would be in boxes along the back wall of the large conference room we were meeting in. I headed over and chose a box and a water. Inside the box was a sandwich, cookie, apple and full size snickers bar.The bread fell apart, the cookie was hard as a rock but it was a free lunch so I was not complaining. Could it have been better, yes was it the worst ever, no.Then it was time to head off to the last breakout. I had been looking forward to this since I found out Dawn Neufeld would be on the panel. In case you don't know her she is an autism advocate that is a firecracker!! I started following her on twitter a few years ago and appreciate her honesty with the struggles she faces as a mother who's son has autism. She plays no fairytale role and I love her for that! When I introduced myself to her she was just as warm and inviting as she is on twitter. Her personality online and in real life matched up perfectly. This chic is the real deal. I sincerely appreciated her invitation to swap info since we both live in the same city and face some of the same struggles. As I sat in the room with tears flowing down my face hearing some of the other stories it occurred to me that someone at Lifeway was intentional, thoughtful and wanted us to know they remembered us. Allot of times those of us with children that face different challenges from down syndrome to autism to cerebral palsy can feel like its just us and no one "gets" it. I really appreciate the fact they thought about the ones who are often overlooked, the ones with special needs. I have to say I have been to allot of conferences and this was the first one that addressed that issue head on. Kudos to Lifeway Women and their team for that!

I headed back downstairs for the last general session with Priscilla Shirer. I was introduced to her teaching when she came to our church and spoke about two yrs ago. She worked with one of our Pastors at Zig Ziglar for many years so they are good friends. Her resume of where she has spoken, with whom, to whom is extensive and impressive. She is a great teacher. There are many books that she has written that have ripple effects through generations of families to come because it drew someone to Jesus. The subject matter today was about being authentic and real and just doing what God says to do. She shared a few stories for example  how her son was afraid of the pitching machine but his dad had already turned the velocity down to make sure he was able to hit the ball. She compared it to how our heavenly father loves us and takes care of us as well. There were a few nuggets of information I could take away and apply in my everyday life. The sound system was again LOUD. There was someone behind the curtain making clamoring sounds with dishes or something but it was distracting non the less. My new friend that I made said that she had heard that message before, but she LOVES her and attends allot of her events. For me it was fresh and new. As I was leaving the conference I heard two women talking saying that she talked to fast, it was hard to keep up with, much less write notes too. That was totally their opinion, I just happen to hear it. As I am walking out of the hotel I saw a group of women approach her as she was trying to get her luggage into her vehicle and ask her for a picture. She smiled and said "Of course, I would love to" That demonstrated to me that she lives what she teaches. Grace. To those women getting a picture with her was important to them, to her, getting her luggage in the car so she can go see her kids was
 important, but she set aside HER important for THEIR important. Had she said No I would have completely understood. I am sure she gets req like that allot and sometimes really doesn't feel like it, but she does it anyway because it is important to the people that  That made me smile as I walked by. It also was a revelation moment. You really don't ever know who is watching you. What if she was ugly and said no in a mean way.I would be writing something totally different. My own view of her would have been tainted & I might have transferred that to you three people that will read this.

Overall on a scale of 1-10 I would give the Dotmom conference presented by Lifeway an 8. We all have room to improve and grow. I enjoyed the sense of sisterhood, motherhood and bonding they promoted. I loved the Dayspring table and the bags they provided. I am biased because of my affection for Angie Smith on that alone I would give them a 12, but I cant. I have to be honest. Would I attend next year,absolutely. Would I be their unofficial ambassador in my circle and on social media to get people to attend Yes. The thing that irks me the most is spending money and time and feeling when its over that it was wasted. I do not feel that one penny was wasted. They were a good stuard of the money they raised. They produced a great product for the price. They were thoughtful and intentional in the feelings they wanted to convey. I enjoyed each speaker for different reasons and gained life changing wisdom from some. It was time well spent, money well spent and I plan on making it an annual event in on my calendar.