‘I Have Never Experienced Anything Like This’

The conference theme, “Return to Me with Your Whole Heart,” taken from Jeremiah 24:7, aligned with Dr. Lina Abujamra’s closing session, “How to Gain Back Your Influence in a Culture that Desperately Needs It.” Her speech focused on Israel’s worship of the golden calf and challenged women to deal with personal sin, based on Exodus 32–33.

A pediatric emergency room doctor and Moody Radio host of Today’s Single Christian, Lina delivered four key points in her message: (1) Recognize the danger of weak leadership (e.g., Aaron); (2) Resolve to take seriously what God takes seriously; (3) Refuse to move forward without God; and (4) Return to God with your whole heart.

“This is a call to repent from sin and to put our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins,” Lina said. “Sin must be killed. You cannot coddle it, you cannot protect it, you cannot hide it, you cannot ignore it, you cannot hope it away. If you have sinned in your life, you need it to die.”

Lina ended with a prayer to God for revival: “Forgive us for our short temper, our impatience, our desire to be liked, for the spirit of compromise, for allowing our eyes and our ears to see and hear things that are hated by You, God. For gossiping and slandering and hating and unforgiveness and all the things You’ve told us You hate. For disunity, God, for confused identities, for forgetting who You are and what You’ve done for us. God, we repent and ask You, God, to give us a spirit of joy and gladness and praise and thanksgiving. Lord, meet us. . . .”

Director of Ministry to Women Misty Legler attended Called for the fourth time, bringing a group of 21 women with her from the main campus of Woodside Bible Church, a multi-campus church in the Detroit area pastored by Chris Brooks, host of Moody Radio’s Equipped. “The women have all been placed into leadership in the last year or so, and coming here helps solidify new leaders in their calling. I think it empowers them. It makes them realize they’re not alone,” she said.

The women lead in a range of ministry roles, including leadership development coordinators, small group Bible study leaders, production team members, moms’ ministry leaders, campus project managers, and inner-city ministry lay leaders. “They come here and realize ‘Oh, this is bigger than me, it’s bigger than Woodside, it’s bigger than Troy, Michigan,’” Misty explained.

“It helps them see we’re part of a movement of women who are stepping out into their calling.”

Anne Marie Garvin, women’s coordinator at Woodside Bible Church, enjoyed the different perspectives and teaching styles of the speakers, including Dr. Laurie Norris, who taught a workshop on “Messages that Move: Proclaiming God’s Word with Passion, Power, and Precision.”

“Dr. Norris was a wealth of information, just encouraging and challenging us to think through some things I don’t normally think about,” Anne Marie said. “She was really good.”

The workshops were many and varied, including the popular “Emboldened—Saying Yes to Your Calling” taught by Emmanuella Carter and “The Intersection of the Gospel and Human Trafficking” by Simone Halpin.

Megan Brown, a military spouse for more than 17 years who gave two workshops on ministering in a military context, was grateful for the “redemptive conversations—the gift of sharing our stories and encouraging one another and celebrating all that God is doing in our individual communities.

“I feel like the Lord is lighting revival on fire, and it’s in the women in the communities,” added Megan, a Moody Bible Institute graduate, founder of MilSpo Co., and author of Summoned and Know What You Signed Up For (both Moody Publishers).

“In our community, we say that He’s raising a fighting force within a fighting force—He’s raising up military spouses to carry the gospel. But we’re seeing that that’s happening in women all over the country.”

Megan’s talks attracted Madelyn Ham, a junior Communications major who’s engaged to become a military spouse this summer. “I got to learn a lot from her,” she said. “There are women hurting in the military and most of them don’t know the Lord. I have an overt sense of ‘this is exactly what God is calling me to,’ and He’s confirmed that so much. And today was a God moment, definitely.”