CCWC Wrap Up

The Colorado Christian Writers Conference was last week at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. We had beautiful weather every day. So unusual for that, but we're very thankful. As Marlene Bagnull's assistant, I get to be in on the behind-the-scenes work much more than when I first starting attending this conference in 1997.

What a joy it is to serve on the staff. Getting to meet and serve so many authors, editors, and agents is always a highlight. I was blessed by the conferees who requested appointments with me, too. We have some really good writers coming up. One I spoke to had her devotional bought at the conference! How many times does that happen? (Never, for me. *smile* Unless you count devotional writing assignments.) I'm so pleased for my friend Anne Johnson.

The spiritual emphasis of the conference is one of the things I truly love about CCWC. God is so good to bring just the right people to participate in the general sessions. This year, I had a very small role reading scripture in a skit our Rediscovering the JOY of Creativity clinic presented in the general session on Friday evening.

Liz Babbs and Sue Cameron were the leaders of the clinic I attended. We got to "play" with many different mediums in a relaxed atmosphere, as well as being challenged spiritually to deepen our relationships with the Lord and with others. Before the conference, we were assigned a secret partner to pray for. Then we were to bring gifts for that person. It was so neat to see the gifts people brought for their partners that most of us didn't know who they were until we met the first time in the clinic. God truly was in the details there! He is soooo good!

And I wrote my very first poem. Never wanted to before, really, even though my grandmother, mother, and son did/do. In a free-writing session in the clinic time on Saturday, we were challenged to write something outside our genre. We were in the third floor meeting room in Mt. Ypsilon Lodge. The huge windows face Mt. Ypsilon, a snow-capped mountain rising far above treeline. And I wrote about the mountain and why I'm drawn to mountains in general. How this particular aspect of God's creation speaks to me, soothes me, centers me, and focuses my thoughts onto the Creator of this world.

After the conference was over on Saturday, I stayed on through Tuesday morning with the other six members of Marlene's staff. We had a worship service on Sunday then headed for Rocky Mountain National Park for a few hours. That afternoon we relaxed in our rooms, and Sunday evening we had an impromptu meeting, discussing the conference and how we can better help Marlene and each other. Monday was a cleanup day, and we accomplished quite a lot. Tuesday morning we sorted the boxes out, mailed/Fed-Exed/UPSed some; divided the storage items between Bill Moore and I (the resident Colorado staff), and spent time in prayer for the many commitments made in the closing session.

If you've never attended a conference, or you're looking for another conference that will meet your diverse needs, then I highly recommend checking out the Colorado Christian Writers Conference.