Colour Sisterhood Conference – a gathering of Christian women begun within our denomination by Bobbie Houston of Hillsong Church – recently celebrated its 20th birthday and I found myself reflecting on the significance of attending eighteen of them and the impact of it on my life. So, in the spirit of our illustrious leader, here are my random thoughts on that subject. Firstly, but maybe not in any particular order, the feminine heart matters. This message took a few years to hear but I can finally say I’ve heard it loud and clear. My feelings, emotions, insight, perspective, sensitivity, discernment, compassion all matter. That’s enough to frighten most men away but none of it scares Jesus. In fact, He loves, values, validates, welcomes, desires and needs the whole shebang! Because that’s the way He made us. That covers about six Colours-worth of bawling my eyes out. Now onto the rest! The feminine heart prophecies uniquely about the Kingdom of Heaven. We paint from a different palette to our awesome male counterparts. Both are needed to get a sense of the breadth and depth of the Kingdom but only half the story is told without our interpretation and expression. Knowing that – really knowing that – compels us to pick up the paintbrush and start adding our gifted strokes to the corporate canvas to reveal Jesus to the earth. The Sisterhood is powerful. Something incredibly unique and momentous is unleashed when we join together heart, soul and strength to make a difference. We need each other. And God needs His girls. There are frontiers that can only be reached by the feminine agenda. Compassion, empathy, nurture, sacrifice, love – all these supersede a world of economics, politics and cultural divide. And we’re good at this stuff. Colour has exposed me to mothers in the faith who are leading the charge, who have longevity of days, who have prevailed and won many victories. They give me courage and hope that I too can overcome. With a soft heart. And a fair bit of humour. It’s also made me realise that I am a mother to another generation and must allow my life to count for the sake of those yet to make their mark. The Sisterhood has taught me that there are moments we have to rise, to take action, to be counted, to make a sacrifice, to be bold, to make a difference, despite my season, fears or insecurities; to fight battles in secret, to unleash the lioness, to discover my power and not shrink back from using it, to recognise my influence and reach, and extend a Kingdom agenda within that. There are just some things that cannot happen on our watch. Colour has taught me that powerful things happen in worship. His presence alone meets my need, provides the answer, tunes my ear, sharpens my senses and shines a light. Worship is full of God-whispers that grow faithfully louder through the years and unfold all kinds of goodness and wonderful surprises. Colour has reminded me that the same old boring strokes of walking out our faith can lead to a life filled with unusual things. Simple obedience, loving the Word, being hungry to hear His voice, being moved to prayer, being my sister’s keeper, being faithful to show up in and out of season, being mindful of the widow and the orphan – all lead to extraordinary opportunities and endeavours. And a lot of that list began with the word ‘being’. My identity in Christ is the most profound of all. Each of these timeless elements build slowly and steadily to create a life ripe for supernatural breakthrough, Holy Spirit encounters, Heaven visiting earth, frontiers being broken through, miracles, fruitfulness and wholeness. Finally, it has become very clear to me that Colour is part of a global awakening of God’s girls for such a time as this. The earth is groaning under the curse of sin and my Saviour promises to return to redeem her. However long He tarries, we have some work to do. We’ve reached critical mass as a movement and I’m not letting anyone miss out on the opportunity to be part of something that just might usher our Saviour’s return. So, (with a flick of my fringe and half a dozen ‘Amens’ in a kiwi accent), why don’t you join us on the journey. And welcome to our Sisterhood.
TWENTY YEARS OF COLOUR
