Thankful Thursday: Women’s Conference.

Scroll to the bottom of this page, and check to make sure the picture of the author is a dude. I’ll wait.

Yep, sure enough, Ben Meredith is the author of Assume The Best. And for some reason I wrote that last sentence in the third person.

Yeah, I’m a guy, and yeah, I am supremely thankful for the women’s conference that our ministry held once a year around this time.

Couldn't resist. Image courtesy of Hello Turkey Toe

It was a chance for my wife (alongside all the other staff women from around our region) to get together and pray that we the husbands kept the kids alive until they got back.

That’s actually one of the reasons for which I am so thankful that conference existed. Taking care of the boy (we only had one at the time) for a few days gave me a great taste for how much work it really is to be a stay-at-home parent. I am not ashamed to admit that I let the kid have cake for lunch. It has eggs in it.

The other reason I am so thankful for women’s conference is that it is indicative of a culture within the ministry that values people over efficiency, or numbers, or the bottom line. Working now for two different businesses, I can assure you that they are not as interested in me as a person, or in helping my marriage. (though I could make a case that they should be, even in “secular” business.)

When we were on staff, there was a support network (in addition to the support network of people picking up the financial tab) of folks who were genuinely concerned about us as people. Sure, the local church can serve in that function (and should, and did!) but it is just awesome that our network of staff friends was really like a family.

And I’m thankful for that, even though I’m not a woman.