Here it is: the picture you’ve all been waiting for. See? I met her!

This is me, with Marla Cilley, a.k.a. The FlyLady. I really got all nervous and tongue-tied when I actually met her — it’s hard to tell someone in person, “Um … I’m one of your 300,000+ readers who devours your emails every day, and you give me hope in the midst of my chaotic life. Thanks!” It’s much easier for me to write that! (So I gave her a pretty note instead — and a copy of my little book for mothers and daughters!)

Well, let me tell you a few details about this conference.

You know, on a whim, while I was writing my blog post a couple of weeks ago, I thought Maybe I’ll go to that conference and try to meet the FlyLady and hear her speak!

So I talked to my husband about it, and it turns out he has some old college friends in Chattanooga that he wanted to visit — and he decided he could take our older kids to Rock City while I went to the conference. Perfect, right?

Well, we got there late. It was a 3-hour drive, and our MapQuest directions had us take a wrong turn finding the church. But I finally got there! And I saw a table with name tags, and my name was on one of them! They even gave me a cute “Life in Balance” tote bag full of all kinds of goodies, including nail polish. Fun!

But when I walked into the huge sanctuary, I found out that I’d already missed FlyLady’s first talk. Instead, there was a singer on stage who was leading some kind of pep ralley, it seemed. She was shouting out things, and people were repeating after her. It was loud in there, and this is just not the type of worship style I’m used to. So I left and went out to the lobby to explore around.

I talked to some other ladies who said they had a headache from all that shouting, and one lady said it was messing with her medication. It WASN’T just me! I felt so foolish — why have I come all this way, Lord? I don’t know anyone, and I don’t fit in here.

I piddled around and found the FlyLady’s table of products. I bought one of her ostrich feather dusters — which I’ve heard so much about! After a while, I went on to the cafeteria, where they had cute little boxed lunches for us. I talked to a nice woman who said their “Faith Building” used to be a bowling alley, but the church bought it and converted it to be used for classrooms and fellowship for youth.

When I walked into the cafeteria, I was the ONLY one in there. The room was empty, silent, with white tables and folding chairs. Once again, I had my doubts about coming to this conference. I picked a seat and sat down. I thought about reading some of the magazines in my new tote bag, but then I didn’t want to look unsociable.

So I sat there alone, staring at the wall, eating my sandwich. Pathetic.

Finally, a few ladies started entering the room, group after group. Everyone seemed to already know each other. A few women came toward my table and asked if my seats were saved. I told them no, to please feel welcome.

Let. Me. Tell. You. There was something going on. These women were talking a mile a minute to each other, telling stories about “He told me this” and “He told me that.” At first I thought they were talking about their husbands. But it seemed to be the same person because someone else would say, “I know it! Isn’t He awesome?!”

I finally figured out they were talking about GOD! Like He talked to them personally! Like He was their best friend, and they knew Him so well that He was a major part of every decision they made. You’ve heard the term “salty” before. These women were “salty!” I wanted to know why they were as excited about knowing God as most women are about a half-price shoe sale.

I started asking questions. I found out they were all from this church where the conference was being held. One lady next to me said she’d been a member of this church for 35 years. I wanted to ask her, “So what’s the real story? Why is there a huge sanctuary and a converted bowling alley next to a small brick Baptist church? And why are you people so excited about your relationship with God?” I knew something major must have happened. A magazine editor I write for is always reminding me, “Heather, you need to dig and find the real story.”

Finally, I asked, “Have you seen a few changes in this church over the past 35 years?”

Everyone at the table burst out laughing. “We used to be so different!” the lady next to me said. “We were a very quiet church. You couldn’t even say ‘amen’ during a sermon without being frowned at.”

“So, what happened?” I was about to burst.

“It was our pastor. He had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. At the Glorieta conference center.”

What! I went to Glorieta last fall. Now they really had my interest.

I want to tell you his story, but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow. And I’ll share with you the REAL reason why I know without a doubt God wanted me to be at that “Life in Balance” conference!

P.S. If you’ve never read anything written by Marla Cilley, here’s a great editorial she wrote for The Augusta Free Press, Time Flies When You’re Having Fun. Read it, and you’ll see why so many women around the world LOVE the FlyLady!! She is meeting women’s needs and helping us attain peace in our homes. Who knew?