take-away from texas

I have been in Texas the last few days at the Conversations 2010 Women in Leadership conference with my college friends, Barbie and Leslie.
I have several things that I will take away with me from the conference.
We talked about conflict resolution.
(takeaway - pouting and avoidance does not resolve conflicts.)
We heard stories about church politics.
(takeaway - pick your battles - piano placement in the sanctuary doesn't have eternal significance.)
We parlayed about humor and its place in ministry.
(takeaway - it is necessary to have a good sense of humor in the ministry unless you want your head to explode.)
We ate a lot.
(takeaway - be careful how much brisket you eat.)
Mostly, I find it is always good to be in a place where you are with friends, laughing, learning about Jesus.
You know you have true friends when they use their vacation days to help you man your book table at a conference.
That is some serious loyalty.
Leslie wants me to let you know how awesome she is. She really is.
And Barbie is equally awesome.
She even exhibited amazing driving skills in the parking garage
when a foreign agent flew into her eye rendering her momentarily blind -
she didn't crash into anything!
All in all a fantastic 4 days and as I hop on a plane to go back home to my boys,
there is one more thing I will take away -
I am thankful for good friends!