Photos by Amy Teague

How do you describe and indescribable trip? I saw this statement the other day and it rings true about Pursuit. My friend Jess and I spontaneously bought tickets October of 2014 and waited patiently for a year to go on our “business/momcation.” I’ve been following this conference for a few years now and deeply wanted to go. Then, it was exclusive to photographers but has recently opened to creatives and small business owners. This post is a lengthy one so bear with me.I drove down the night before our flight and stayed with Jess. Her hubby drove us to the airport earlier than anyone should have to get up so we could get checked in and have breakfast before we flew out. We arrived in ATL and drove to Rome to meet Sara for lunch at a sweet little cafe before we had to arrive at Winshape.
The campus is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too. We drove for miles it seemed to get to the retreat and the view was incredible. Deer everywhere. Pursuit staff greeted us by taking our luggage and handing out our welcome bags and room keys. I know without a doubt that God knew I needed this this trip. That I was at my breaking point and needed inspiration in my business and grace in my family. That I was being overcome with fear and needed set free. My heart swelled when I was handed that little tote bag with this year’s theme on it. I knew it was a hug from the Lord.After we checked in we were given a sticker to put on the map. Look at those Okie girls representing. After our welcome, we had dinner in the dining hall. Fun fact: this was originally a milking barn! The food was incredible and we may or may not have been spoiled to ice cream, pie, and other deserts after every meal.
When dinner was over, Karen Stott, the founder of Pursuit spoke and it was one of the biggest take-aways from my trip. Some bullet notes from her:

• If the enemy can get us to forget WHO God is, he can convince us of anything, and knock us out of everything.
• If we believe the lie, we partner with the serpent NOT the savior.
• Psalm 103
• Kingdom focus is all about Him! Competition focus is all about ME.
• If you are feeling fear, It’s not Jesus.
• We discount what we have to God. EVERY GIFT IS IMPORTANT.
• Our gifts, business, etc. are for His glory. Reflections of Him.
• You misery is sometimes your ministry.
• Romans 15:13
• The fun part is the building!
• Take your thoughts captive. Choose to fight and TRUST {also a choice}
• We must become obsessed with gratitude for what is in our lives instead of grumbling about what we think has been forgotten.
• We are apart of the puzzle. We are a special piece. If we don’t show up, others miss out and can’t use their pieces {gifts.}

Worship during the conference was led by Mark Stinton from Bethel Music. After the evening, Jess and I checked out the vendors booths. Such talent in that room. I ended up buying a chalkboard from 25:40 love and now have Parris Chic Boutique in Farm Girl as a new vendor.At the end of the night, we were overwhelmed. Exhaustion had set in from traveling. Processing those words I needed to hear and the presence of the Lord I needed to feel was something that had felt so distant but came like a flood. I hadn’t felt wrapped in His arms like that in so long. That night he held me and rocked my heart to sleep. The next day was filled with amazing speakers! Goodness, I learned so much during this conference. So many things I’ve pondered in my heart have helped mold me these few months. I am still referencing my journal daily and will reflect on it for some 2016 changes. First up was Mary Marantz.A few bullet points from her talk:

• Sometimes the bravest thing you will do is lay it all down and follow Him.
• Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is the one we are the least equipped for.
• Isaiah 61:3 {favor}
• I want a life that is more like living and less like drowning.
• “A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will soon feel the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.” -Lysa Terkeurst
• Exodus 18:8
• What if our love for God didn’t depend on His works either???
• His NO is still the BEST yes.

Breakout sessions with Ashley Brooke Designs and Amy from Evy’s Tree were next on the agenda. SUCH awesome ladies. I learned a lot about business management and promotion. I love Amy’s story and am so thankful to have met her. She was so genuine and Jess and I ate lunch with her that afternoon. She taught me so much about laying your business at the Lord’s feet and giving him complete control.After lunch we broke into our small groups and listened to our next set of speakers, Whitney English and Jess Connolly. I loved learning from them as they opened a window into their businesses and lives. I am in awe at what God has done with their careers and creative gifts. Whitney helped me realize my personal fear of completely giving up Farm Girl to the Lord. Even though He is the one who gave it to me I always have this inkling that I need to be in control. Some questions and points I loved from her talk:

• What do you think a meaningful life is?
• What does success look like?
• What do you think that following your passions will lead you to?
• Trust your creativity.
• Failure is a reason to start creating.
• We are afraid of shame.
• None of this is ours. Why do we hold it so tightly? Why do we not give it to Him?
• Start collecting hearts and not customers.
• Who can you help from your most recent failure?
• What do your people need?
• Quit focusing on things you can’t do.
• Matthew 25

That afternoon during our free time Jess and I decided to go to Jane Johnson’s “How to Study Your Bible” workshop. This lady knows the Word like no one I’ve ever known. She taught me that studying scripture and having quiet time was more than spending twenty minutes on an iPhone devotional. I believe that technology has saturated every aspect of life that sometimes you need to go back to the old fashioned stuff. And I liked that reality check. No way am I taking away from iPhone apps because they are great and have purpose but it made me realize how much more I need to sit down with my Bible in hand and just be present. Not feeling the convenience of looking at a screen and getting my feel good for the day. She showed us how to pick apart a text, cross reference scripture, and look up words that we don’t understand. Researching can really transform what you think and do or do not understand about a passage. One of the things I want to focus on in 2016 is to really study and spend intimate time learning. I picked up her Treasures of Darkness study and cannot wait to dive in this January.That evening was the Art of Celebration Community Dinner. One of the dreamiest meals I have ever sat in on. We dined Al-fresco under the stars at a table set for 200. Yes, 200! We had mason jars for wine glasses and string lights set the tone for real conversations and the meeting of new friends.It was truly a wonderful night.

Our OKC leader, Holli B. <3And post dinner smores bar because, yum.We ended the night with worship and Esther Havens as our speaker. If you ever have a chance to listen to her speak, do it! She is a humanitarian photographer and not only her photos but her stories will take your breath away. Key points for me:

• Search for who people really are.
• Give me eyes to see.
• Build relationships.
• Learn the importance of connecting.
• Obedience is more rewarding than chasing after success.
• “God hasn’t called me to be successful. God has called me to be faithful.” -Mother Teresa

Our last full day of conference was so much fun. Our first speaker of the day was Carlos Whittaker and he was hilarious! Someone I could see my husband beings brofriends with. He made us all watch a gum commercial that had us weepy and grabbing the kleenex boxes. Yes, a gum commerical. #youcriedtoo I loved his talk about becoming moment makers and really savoring our time. If you have a chance, look him up!

Key Points:

• People are desperate for authenticity.
• Every human in this room can bring revival to this world by creating, receiving, and rescuing every day ordiany moments.
• Jesus was the ultimate moment maker.
• We must mimic the master.
• Talk more, tech less.
• Exodus 14.
• Matthew 14.
• Become desperate for Jesus.
• Gaze at God and glance at life.

After Carlos, we had our breakout classes. I love those moments when you know without a doubt that God had prepared something specifically for you before you knew you needed it. That he was setting the stage for me, knowing that this moment would have me on my knees in Thanksgiving. A sign that only I would know, a confirmation directed towards me that He was listening. And he used someone elses gift, someone elses puzzle piece to give me that. Isn’t He good? All the while I was feeling lonely, he painted a bigger picture for me to look at. Meet Elizabeth Langford. Speaker, talented, and a jewel. Instagram friend turned real friend. She was also an actual follower of Farm Girl!? How cool is that!? But there is more….Elizabeth spoke on Making God the Chairman of Our Board. One of my goals for this conference was that I needed to get back to Farm Girl’s originality. I needed to bring God back to the center of my business. That’s how I started and sometimes it’s easy to drift from that. Not knowing how much this speech would mean to me, I eagerly listened, pen and pad in hand, waiting to jot down her thoughts and lessons that I could take home, apply, and ponder on. As she gave us her testimony on business, she gave us a “new way” of thinking.

“Think of it as a Farm” she says ,as I smirk at Jess, “Farm Girl Principle #1” and my draw jobs, I look at Jess again, bugged eyed with a really goofy smile, she laughs. Chills ran down me and my heart swelled. Few times in my life have I felt the Holy Spirit move me in that way, but that moment was one of them. I am basically going to share all of my bullet notes on this talk so if I am boring you just scroll. ;)

• We ask Him for help but we never put him in charge.
• We wear many hats. Crowns often become one of them. We need to stop building our castles and start building God’s kingdom.
• Farm Girl Principal #1: All of the hard work won’t make it rain.
• Farm Girl Principal #2: Be a good steward of what you have, right now. Find contentment. You have to be a good steward and be grateful.
• Farm Girl Principal #3: There is joy in the harvest because there was life in the dirt.
• Toil, dirt, harvest, work.
• It isn’t going to be easy but what if it’s NOT supposed to be.
• Easy leads to the trap of believing, “I’ve got this on my own.”
• There is a reason He’s given you this.
• We honor God, not bother Him when we invite Him in.
• God is in the details.
• Practicable Advice: 1. Take it to God FIRST. -all big + little decisions. 2. Pray over your to-do list daily. 3. Make time for God’s word. 4. Follow His lead.
• Create margin in your life, that includes time to rest.

When she finished, tears filled my eyes. I so wish I could have recorded it for future reference. I hugged her neck and thanked the Lord for that sweet blessing. He knows our hearts, friends, and He listens. Bless you Elizabeth!Our next breakout class was with Ashlee Proffitt, Prayers for the Business Woman. One of my favorite quotes from her was, “Nothing is determined by our business. We are NOT our work.” I often find identity as being the Farm Girl and not Kenzie Ashcraft, daughter of the King, wife, and mother to my greatest gifts. She encouraged us to turn away and stop chasing empty things. That our identity rests in Christ. She challenged us to make big changes in our businesses. That our business should look different than the world’s standard. To stop chasing other’s success. We are all gifted differently. So many things learned from her that was business related but also many things that were wonderful for women and life in general.Key points:

• Pride cannot breathe in the face of the gospel.
• Uplift others, especially their businesses.
• Be firm in spirit and serve the Lord.
• Busy isn’t bad when it’s in proper place.
• Seek to show hospitality and ways to love others well.

After lunch we met up with our small groups one last time and listened to Katelyn James speak on freedom in Christ. Such truth and I enjoyed and needed her words. I think as a business owner of any kind, comparison creeps in and plants an ugly seed in our hearts. We start competing against other women when there isn’t a competition to begin with and ugliness rears its head. I know personally that I’ve felt that way when others have succeed-I thought I had failed. That is an enemy card played and it can consume you faster than you know. Not just in business but especially in friendships.Key Points:

• Galatians 5:1
• Our slavery isn’t obvious. We don’t realize what we are bound by.
• Trap One: Forgetting He’s Faithful.
• Trap Two: Not daring to dream or living into your purpose.
• Trap Three: Inundated with insecurity.
• Phrases don’t fix insecurity, but Jesus does!
• Insecurity makes it hard to have real, vulnerable relationships. It strips away the chance for Jesus to give you an identity and you become a flaw finder.
• Trap Four: Failure to Forgive
• If we truly believe in God’s forgiveness in our own life it will change the way we view those who hurt us. - Matt Chandler
• You cannot truly love like Jesus and resent people with the same heart.
• Trap Five: Believing we have time
• Our days are numbered and yet we pick and choose when God can use us.

After all of the amazing people we got to hear, we skipped the afternoon free time activities and resorted to our room. I think we were both overwhelmed and needed to process our day. We had one last dinner with everyone and went back to worship and one more speaker.
I can get pretty emotional during worship. Often it’s when I feel closer to the Lord and I was floored at how much he revealed and loved on me this week. Tears flowed our last night. Tears of refreshment, thanksgiving, love, happiness. He is so good to me and I love that I had the opportunity to have this experience. Hannah closed up our conference with a wonderful testimony and pep talk. After the closing, there were campfires, pie, an outdoor movie, popcorn and good conversation with my one of my dearest friends. I am so thankful for you Jess and blessed to have you as a friend and business buddy, go-to when I am in desperate need of encouragement and advice business related and motherly. Love you and thank you for jumping in on this conference with me! We wrapped up the night and headed out after breakfast the next morning. I am so thankful for that spontaneous sign up, saying YES to this adventure and joining in on a monthly group of creatives.Nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced that week. I left feeling refreshed and eager for change. Thank you, Lord, and thank you Pursuit! This years video by the lovely Lindsey below. <3

Pursuit 2015 Conference from Lenae Photography on Vimeo.