Jeanette's Blog

Pastor Alan Platt flew in from South Africa last weekend to ask us “How many jars are you putting out?”  He retold the story of the woman in the Bible instructed by Jesus to fill up empty jars with her oil.  First off, it amazes me when preachers such as Platt retell Bible stories with such vivid detail, inspired with visions of how the event took place, providing incredible insight and new appreciation for the story…amazes me!  As such, I will never think of this story in the same way again.  I will even think of it again…that in itself is an accomplishment!

LIVE A LIFE OF EXPECTANCY
So, Platt starts out his message with “Live a life of expectancy,“  because God will meet you at the level of your expectancy.  And he goes on to give examples in the Bible: Jairus, the Centurion, the women who touched Jesus’ robe, the city of Capernaum, etc, where people set their level of expectation high and Jesus met them at the level of their faith.

USE GOD’S VOCABULARY TO CREATE YOUR EXPECTANCY
Furthermore, your expectancy is to be based on what God says; not on our circumstances.  Because when God speaks, it changes the picture of our future.  If you listen to God, He’ll put pictures of great expectations on your mind and you will carry that.  Conversely, if you have the wrong source of information, you will carry the wrong pictures, and ultimately have the wrong expectation.  So, what are you basing your expectations on and what is your expectation for your life, your church, your city?

EXPECTANCY CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT FOR THE MIRACULOUS TO HAPPEN
Platt illustrates how this applied to him in real life.  He is most well-known for the work he has done in South Africa.  He has literally changed the city through his Godly work.  And this first started in 1994, when God gave Platt the illustration of Mark 6: the feeding of the 5,000 in the Bible.  From this story, Platt was shown how the disciples, given 5 loaves of bread, were instructed to feed 5,000 people.  He imagined how timidly those disciples must have approached the first group of 50 people, holding out his one loaf of bread.  Platt imagined how meticulously they must have torn off the first morsels of bread, attempting to naturally somehow tear of nearly a thousand more pieces.  And then, Platt saw how the disciples must have suddenly become aware of something miraculous happening right inside their hands.  And as they realized that this bread wasn’t going anywhere, they must have stood up straighter and torn off pieces more boldly, probably at one point, encouraging people to “take as much as they wished!”  And truly, the disciples had grown bolder, because 12 baskets were leftover once everyone was fed.  The takeaway from this story?  The disciples had to at least start breaking the bread in order to experience the miracle that God had in store for them.

2 KINGS 4:1-7: THE WIDOW’S OLIVE OIL
Platt gives his final illustration…the one that impacted me the most.  And again, I am moved by the amount of detail and insight Platt and other such speakers have into these stories…truly, as if they are relaying a story from their life!  So, in this story, Jesus instructs a widow who has no money, to use the little jar of oil that she has to fill as many jars as she collects and then sell the oil for money.

“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”  ² Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”  “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”  ³ Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”  ⁵ She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”  But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.  ⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”  And so, the widow’s first task is to collect

And so her first task is collecting jars.  Now, here is where Platt’s God-inspired storytelling comes in again.  He envisions this woman going around to her neighbors, asking for jars.  And as she does, they must ask her what she is planning to do with them and when she replies with Jesus’ instructions, Platt deduces that those neighbors must have thought to themselves, “Boy ever since her husband died, this woman doesn’t quite have her head on straight anymore!”  Once all the jars are collected, Platt then goes on to see this woman telling her two sons to help her fill them all and being met with similar sentiments of skepticism from them.  Platt describes the woman pouring out those first few drops of oil timidly, just a tiny stream, probably with one eye closed…and then, just as with the disciples with the loaves, suddenly realizing the the oil was not stopping, that the little jar of oil was miraculously ever-flowing.  She must have excitedly gestured to her son for the next jar and quickly they must have switched the full jar for the empty jar, never interrupting the flow of oil.  And this must have gone on for some time, during which the atmosphere of that household must have been electric.  The skeptical sons were probably screaming, “It’s working, Mom!” And inevitably, there came a point when the widow asked for another jar when her son looked around and said, “There are no more jars, Mom.”

The takeaway from this?  This is very important.  The oil only stopped flowing when they ran out of jars.  When there were no more jars is only when the oil stopped flowing.  That means that it all depended on how many jars they had collected at first.  They dictated the capacity to which God could fill them.  They set their expectation for God and He fulfilled his promise and met them there.  Now…what is the capacity for which you are setting God up for?  How many jars are you collecting?  Collect those jars, pray over them [Jesus prayed over the loaves and the widow prayed over the little jar of oil] and expect God to fill those jars.

If you watched TV last week, God was hittin’ the airwaves hard!  First, on one of the nation’s top talent competitions and then, on a hot new drama…it was pretty fantastic!  Here is a little of what it went like.

SMASH: This drama that features Katherine McPhee, had the entire cast going to church this week!  All the main characters attended and this scene, fittingly, seemed set apart from the rest of the show, truly showcased with the reverence it deserves.  Smash, set against the backdrop of the Broadway acting scene, abounds with corruption, competition, and temptation.  The plot has thickened with each successive episode and at this point in the trajectory, the actors are wrought with sin and confusion and pain.  In this episode, the cast gets the news that the show’s fate hangs precariously amidst a slew of mishaps. And so, when one one dancer announces that he’s going to church to pray the upcoming Sunday, several others chime in in agreement.

The next scene opens up at the exterior of the church on a sunny morning with everyone strolling in to church.  The tension and drama are still apparent in their interactions, but that soon changes.  In church, the preacher gets everyone nodding and laughing in agreement and then the dancer and Katherine McPhee get up to bless everyone with a song: “Stand,” by Donnie McClurkin.  Just as with any song that speaks the Truth of God in a way that touches the depths of your soul in an inexplicable way, everyone in the room is moved, their souls are stirred, and changes happen as soon as post-service.  I wish I could post the entire church scene below, but here is at least the song that touched even me, right there in my living room.  Lyrics below.

If you watched TV last week, God was hittin’ the airwaves hard!  First, on one of the nation’s top talent competitions and then, on a hot new drama…it was pretty fantastic!  Here is a little of what it went like.

SMASH: This drama that features Katherine McPhee, had the entire cast going to church this week!  All the main characters attended and this scene, fittingly, seemed set apart from the rest of the show, truly showcased with the reverence it deserves.  Smash, set against the backdrop of the Broadway acting scene, abounds with corruption, competition, and temptation.  The plot has thickened with each successive episode and at this point in the trajectory, the actors are wrought with sin and confusion and pain.  In this episode, the cast gets the news that the show’s fate hangs precariously amidst a slew of mishaps. And so, when one one dancer announces that he’s going to church to pray the upcoming Sunday, several others chime in in agreement.

The next scene opens up at the exterior of the church on a sunny morning with everyone strolling in to church.  The tension and drama are still apparent in their interactions, but that soon changes.  In church, the preacher gets everyone nodding and laughing in agreement and then the dancer and Katherine McPhee get up to bless everyone with a song: “Stand,” by Donnie McClurkin.  Just as with any song that speaks the Truth of God in a way that touches the depths of your soul in an inexplicable way, everyone in the room is moved, their souls are stirred, and changes happen as soon as post-service.  I wish I could post the entire church scene below, but here is at least the song that touched even me, right there in my living room.  Lyrics below.

If you watched TV last week, God was hittin’ the airwaves hard!  First, on one of the nation’s top talent competitions and then, on a hot new drama…it was pretty fantastic!  Here is a little of what it went like.

SMASH: This drama that features Katherine McPhee, had the entire cast going to church this week!  All the main characters attended and this scene, fittingly, seemed set apart from the rest of the show, truly showcased with the reverence it deserves.  Smash, set against the backdrop of the Broadway acting scene, abounds with corruption, competition, and temptation.  The plot has thickened with each successive episode and at this point in the trajectory, the actors are wrought with sin and confusion and pain.  In this episode, the cast gets the news that the show’s fate hangs precariously amidst a slew of mishaps. And so, when one one dancer announces that he’s going to church to pray the upcoming Sunday, several others chime in in agreement.

The next scene opens up at the exterior of the church on a sunny morning with everyone strolling in to church.  The tension and drama are still apparent in their interactions, but that soon changes.  In church, the preacher gets everyone nodding and laughing in agreement and then the dancer and Katherine McPhee get up to bless everyone with a song: “Stand,” by Donnie McClurkin.  Just as with any song that speaks the Truth of God in a way that touches the depths of your soul in an inexplicable way, everyone in the room is moved, their souls are stirred, and changes happen as soon as post-service.  I wish I could post the entire church scene below, but here is at least the song that touched even me, right there in my living room.  Lyrics below.

Here I am, on page 43 of NYMoves Magazine!

page 43 of Moves Magazine

When I think about how it all came together, it kinda blows my mind.  I’ve dreamed of the day when I would be profiled in a magazine…not just photographed as an anonymous model, not photographed as myself in an array of event photos, not just with a by-line as a writer…but as the star of an article…an article about me.  I remember picking up a magazine a few years ago, reading a profile on a local new york reporter and sighing to myself, “I hope that’s me one day.”

And now, IT IS!  No success, however, is overnight.  It is the culmination of various elements working together in synchrony under very certain conditions that produce a desired outcome, as such!  As they say, it’s only preparation meeting opportunity; or as my holy makeover for that phrase goes: it’s your works and faith meeting God’s timing.

Here are some lessons that I pulled from this experience that may perhaps resonate with you:

It is about who you know.  And this is not necessarily a bad thing.  It’s just something you have to know so that you treat people well so that they become one of those people that you end up “knowing.”  I would have never gotten the gig that got me this article were it not for a friend who referred me.  She was given free rein to find a fitting reporter and I was on her short list.  And this is not to say that I was not qualified because I am, as are many other willing reporters!  It was this relationship that was started years ago and maintained on a professional and social level that earned me the place on that carpet.  So, use this fact of life to your advantage…build relationships!

Be flexible:
I was given all of two days notice to do this job.  I received the request one day, met the editor the next, and hit the carpet the next!  I had to be ready to meet the editor in the middle of my run and she accepted me, sweat and all, into her office to discuss details.  And of course, I didn’t have a dress worthy of the occasion, so I purchased something just hours before the event.  In this business, being ready physically, mentally, and skillfully may make the difference between you and the next.  Checking the ego at the door is sometimes necessary.  I’m a proponent of sticking to standards, but develop an eye for opportunities that may require a little hustle and cooperation…and be flexible.

Dream On:
Like I said, there was literally a day when I read an article just like what you can read here on page 43, about another reporter, and thought to myself, “sigh…one day…I hope.”  And now, here it is!  I kept at what I knew would be necessary to produce that desired result and wrapped up in this unexpected opportunity, I received my wish.  And so, I’m encouraged to continue dreaming big and I hope you do to!

I’ve heard about this race for several years now and I always got pumped about the idea.  Finally, this year was the year!  It was a spontaneous decision, made about 1 week before the actual race, only upon seeing the banner hanging above the tunnel as we drove through that Sunday.  I immediately got pumped and by week’s end, my rooommates and I were officially in the running!

SAVED BY AN INSIDER TIP!
I was torn by one issue, however, which pitted my competitive side against my nurturing side.  There were two waves of runners: the “under 25 minutes” and the “over 25 minutes” group.  The competitive streak in me always chooses the more difficult option, the road less traveled, the result that will make for a better story!  But, my conscience wouldn’t let me shake the idea that I should be running with my roommates who I encouraged to do it in the first place and who could use the morale support.  Then, lo and behold, as I expressed my woes at my bib pickup, I heard that I could actually run both, as they started at different times and it wouldn’t be a big deal.  What a concept!  And so, my plan was to run at 8:00am and 8:45am, satisfying both my competitive streak and conscience!

RUNNING SOLO!
So, Sunday morning, I was out of the door at 7:20am and jogged down to the tunnel, arriving around 7:40, ready to rock and roll!  There were about 4,000 runners that day and the bus parking lot across from the tunnel was filled with vendors, music, and people milling around, buzzing with excitement and energy.  I was busy taking photos and videos and chatting people up and then joined in the group stretching session.  Suddenly, it struck me that it had been a really long time since I had arrived.  I checked my watch: 8:15!  The first wave was supposed to take off at 8:00am!  O.M.G….I think I missed my race!  The commotion in that parking lot and lack of a central focus had completely distracted me and I was essentially mingling with the 8:45 wave!  I sprinted over to the starting line and took off…all alone!  What a difference from the image in my mind!  Within the first few steps, I wondered if I should just forgo the first run and be early for the second run.  But I decided, as always, to try and stick with the plan and run my heart out right then and there.

WORTH IT!
It was incredible to zip through the tunnel without a crowd to slow me down.  And so, I videotaped and kept myself entertained during the first race, sometimes cheering on the stragglers that were still running, and the whole while, fist pumping to my music.  I loved seeing the “light at the end of the tunnel” and it was surreal to see it while not in a car.  When I crossed the finish line at 40 minutes, I knew that having started at 18 minutes, that was a kickass time, but everyone else must have thought that I had run a 13 minute mile…haha!  I was literally the second to last person to cross the first race’s finish line, almost actually missing the finish line, as I didn’t realize it was further away than I had thought!  My second run w/ my roommates was a casual one since the pace was much more slowed and I was chatting with them and others the whole way.  The crowd was so thick that mostly everyone followed a group pace, so it might have been a blessing that I had had the freedom of running my first race at my true pace.  We met up at the end, grabbed the free Nesquick giveaway, and headed home!

Jeanette, Kate, & Mike: back on the Jersey side, post race!

LESSON:
I love racing.  I observed a dramatic change in my energy and demeanor and mood during that race and have concluded that racing accesses a part of me that lights me up.  I think that I get high off the excitement of a race.  I enjoy the athleticism, the challenge of making a good time, the satisfaction of passing opponents, the festivities, the post-race free snacks, and even the private rituals of getting dressed as if on mission.  It’s really quite awesome and now I understand why people get addicted to racing and competing.  Now I understand why some people do marathon after triathalon after ultramarathon.  I think that I’m going to keep running races this year until I qualify myself for the 2013 NYC Marathon.  Running has proven to be great for my body and now I know that it’s also great for my spirits.  Racing also brings out the crazywoman in my because I videotaped everything…even running through the tunnel!  Make sure to watch it!

Campus Harvest is an annual Student Conference each Spring with a mission to “Revolutionize Campus Ministry by Mobilizing the Local Church.”  In it’s 21st year, this seminal vision has attracted tens of thousands of university students and countless pastors. I had the opportunity to attend this conference and looked forward to what many touted as a “life-altering experience.”

campus harvest durham 2012

To me, Campus Harvest, at a cursory level, was a “church service on steroids:” two consecutive days of praise and worship and messages; emotions running high and low; people running, jumping, and dancing for God; people answering the alter call, getting saved, and sealing it with a baptism in droves.  It was a lot to take in and I will not lie; it was uncomfortable.  As much of a lover of God as I am, as much of a spontaneous and easily excitable person as I am, this fell outside of my comfort zone.  But I knew it wasn’t God…I’m simply not comfortable with such extremes.  I didn’t enjoy the Tony Robbins seminar or the Miami spin conference that I attended and it had everything to do with the crying and unbridled emotion that was fostered in these spaces.

However, I resisted the urge to flee and kept myself peeled for what God had brought me there to experience.  I’m glad that I did.  Here are the moments from Campus Harvest that impressed upon me the most:

APOLOGETICS:
I’m very much a pragmatic and logical person.  And so, I believe God appealed to me through two apologetic seminars that were scheduled during Campus Harvest.  They were the only workshops on the topic and I counted it as no loss to forgo the other workshops in light of these.  I was captivated by the intellect, approachability, and passion demonstrated by the leaders of the two apologetics workshops.
Gabe Bouch: Hailing from New Jersey and holding a degree from Rutgers (yes, I was excited), Gabe’s demeanor was disarmingly logical and friendly.  He believed, as a matter of fact, that Jesus is real.  Below are some of his arguments.
His question for any skeptic is, “What happened to Peter, Paul, and James?“  They are all stories of men who were adamantly anti-Jesus, expressed through denial, persecution of Christians, and claim of Jesus’ insanity.  Yet, post-crucifixion, Peter was boldly declaring that Jesus is the Messiah, Paul became a preacher of the faith, and James became one of the central leaders of the church.  The only satisfactory answer for the radical change in these men is that they believed Jesus had been resurrected.
The tomb was discovered by women.  This is important because women were of a low status in society during these times.  Thus, if someone were to fabricate the story of Jesus’ resurrection, they never would have wrote in women as the reporters of this crucial discovery.  If the story of Jesus’ resurrection was fabricated, one would have used strong figures to sell the case.  The fact that the story is so imperfect lends to its authenticity.

Chris Berger:  Berger was just a powerhouse on fire for the evidence that God exists.  He could hardly contain himself as he relayed fact after evidence after inarguable conclusion that God is real.  His dry wit resulted in him sometimes scoffing at how obvious it is that God exists and that was humorously comforting.  His confidence boosted us all in that room, I believe, who struggle with articulating God to another, especially a non-believer.  Chris met us where we were, saying that he understands the need to feel convinced ourselves before attempting to convince someone else.  And his being thoroughly sold helped to sell us.
The Shroud of Turin was the piece of evidence that impacted the group the strongest.  This piece of cloth has been found that literally was with Jesus in the tomb when he was buried.  It bore the impression of his face on it imprinted in a supernatural way as well as the pollen from 26 different flowers that only existed during the springtime in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus’ death.  This piece of evidence was History Channel-type evidence; forensic information, even.  It was mind-blowing for all of us and I walked away from there more solid in my faith than ever before.  It was awesome.

I still have so much to learn about the fact of God.  I have a long way to go before I can rebut all the doubts that skeptics pose about God.  But at least, in my heart, I know it’s true and now, it’s just a matter of communicating that truth to others.  Here are some materials that the speakers also recommended to me that I will be sure to pick up:

Suggested Resources (Gabe Bouch):
Reasonable Faith: William Lane Craig (esp Chapter
The Case for Christ: Lee Strobel (esp Chapters 12-14; best place to start)
Reason for God: Tim Keller

MAGIC TRICKS:
Jim Munroe jumped up on stage and spent the next 5 minutes communicating to the audience through a flurry of gestures and expressions, all without speaking.  He retrieved two volunteers from the audience simply for them to witness as he swallowed a foot of dental floss.  Upon survey of his mouth, they confirmed that he had indeed ingested it.  He then proceeded to lift up his shirt (whereupon his first words were spoken: “six-pack!) and tugged at what seemed to be a hair on his stomach.  Of course, it was the dental floss.  He tugged at the dental floss and it tugged at his skin.  He tugged harder, coaxing some more of it out of his body.  With a squeal, he tugged hard and presented the foot of dental floss to the audience.
This man continued to wow the audience for the next hour with magic trick after magic trick, some building upon others, some independent tricks, all intriguing and captivating and mind bending.  These were tricks an adult audience was admittedly smitten by.  I mean, how do you touch someone on their arm and have another person feel it?  How do you get one person to say an arbitrary time and then have it show up on a clock across the room?  How do you pre-write a phone number that an unknown audience member to dictate?  It was wonderful and excruciating all at once.  But what did it all have to do with God?
After appealing to us via magic tricks, Mr. Munroe had us in the palm of his hands.  He then proceeded to tell a message.  He segued into a message about God!  It was genius.  I mean, like my friend DT sitting next to me said, “This guy is too cool.”  He was!  You know how someone’s appeal factor shoots up when they’re just so cool?  Yes, that kind of cool!
And then…it got even more genius.  He told his testimony.  And it was a testimony about how he almost died from leukemia…a rare form…that required a bone marrow transplant…that literally only ONE woman…one 18-year old woman, could offer him.  And she chose life for him.  Now, the most incredible thing about this story was the way in which the puzzle came together in a way that mimicked the story of Jesus.  He received a new life, new blood flowed through him when he received this bone marrow.  But he had to essentially die to his own blood and bone marrow in order to receive this.  His birthday was in April and his bone marrow was donated 3 days after his birthday…essentially resurrecting him three days later.  He no longer lives of his own accord, but new life lives in him.  It’s pretty fantastic and he believes that this was all so that he could tell the story of God saving his life.

DRUG DEALER TURNAROUND:
Rice Brooks is passionate about something called “the God Test” that is used to open up conversations about God and hopefully facilitate conversation and conversions.  He literally went to campuses with this pamphlet and asked student after student these series of questions.  At one point, a student actually approached him with the introduction that he was “probably the biggest drug dealer on campus.”  They proceeded to converse, talk about God, and as the story goes, this drug dealer made the decision for God and now wins souls for Christ, not drugs.
What’s more amazing is that after leaving everyone stunned w/ this story, Rice Brooks calls out to the audience, “Are you here?” and the guy walks down to the stage!  It was a moment, I tell ya.  With a nervous laugh and his arms crossed, he answered some questions, offered encouragement, and prayed for all who answered the call to campus ministry.

FATHER/SON PRAYER EN ESPANOL:
Campus Harvest is under the Every Nation conglomeration, which plants churches all over the globe.  As the name suggests, EN, and thus, Campus Harvest, is about touching every culture, every people with the message of God and they bask in stories of people moving in various countries.  During one high pointe of his message, Pastor Rice Brooks called up a pastor from Peru to come up and pray for his country.  He brought his 11-year old son with him and as he prayed in Spanish, his son interpreted in with a competence that belied his high-pitched pre-teen voice.  They closed in “en el nombre de Jesus, amen,” and it was beautiful.

MY PROPHECY:
It was part of the plan in this trip to have Jim Laffoon pray over me.  I was not prepared for this “prayer!”  Mr. Laffoon has the spiritual gift of prophecy, meaning that he can hear God and relay those words to you.  It was quite a spectacle to witness prophesying in action.  We were in the midst of our sushi dinner when Pastor Ron decided that time was of the essence and that Jim should do some praying.  Everyone sprung into action, clearly having been a part of this before.  Pastor Josh whipped out his iPhone and switched it into “record” mode.  Pastor Jim closed his eyes and reached across the table to Ryan.  And then it began: words of promise and comfort and revelation straight from God to Jim to Ryan.  Everyone was hushed, the iPhone was recording, and Ryan was nodding, taking it all in.  When Jim was done w/ Ryan’s prophecy, he looked straight at me and pointed.  I didn’t know what to do.  I literally pointed at myself to confirm that he wanted me.  He beckoned for me to come over and in I slipped to the seat across from Jim.  He spoke about me as an artist, a businesswoman, an active mind, a stabbed heart, an influence-er…so many incredible confirmations were showered over me and I am so grateful.  I am also grateful that I have the recording of my prophecy and I can’t wait to see it come to life.

ROADTRIP:
Part of the appeal of this trip to me was the fact that we were going to be DRIVING!  I don’t have a car and so to drive is like scratching a long-standing itch…and I got to do it for hours!  I reveled in the driving, the car conversations, my introduction to Chic-Fil-A and Bo’Jangles, and going again next year!

Chick Fil-A

Bo'jangles

I was given the opportunity to attend the Christian Women in Media Conference in Nashville last week, a meeting of Godly women from Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Nashville, gathering to sharpen & encourage each other!  The final evening’s gala was a star-studded event, with the presence of international Bible teacher Kay Arthur, actress Jennifer O’Neil, sister of Johnny Cash Joanne Cash, author of Fireproof, Eric Wilson, daughter of Billy Graham, Ruth Graham and countless others.

It was such a unique experience to be in the company of women who were Godly go-getters, pure and personable, accomplished and angelic.  Truly, over and over again, I was introduced to women who possessed amazing bodies of work and in the same breath, possessed the humility to pass the accolades on to God.  A pattern that I noticed, that is nothing new when people follow God’s call, was that many of these women were thrust into the media field unexpectedly and unprepared.  And yet, because it was appointed by God, it was favored by God and they flourished.

The theme of the conference was “Engaging Our Culture with the Gospel” and many of the women spoke about how to influence the world without submitting to the world; how to expand the kingdom without leaving the kingdom.  Sharon White Skaggs from the country music industry, referring to being the salt of the earth, said to be “just salty enough; because there’s nothing worse than something that is too salty!”  Kathleen Cooke, a Los Angeles casting director and production company owner, said it’s always her goal to have “one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom.”

Many women made the charge to us to get savvy about the world around us!  Someone said it’s no longer enough to sit at home reading our Bibles and praying; go out and learn what’s going on in the world; make sure you know what you’re praying about.

When author of “Be the People,“ Carol Swain, accepted her “Excellent Communicator” Award, she belied the past that had bore her, one riddled with extreme poverty, dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy, divorce, and the crib death of her child.  Yet, by the grace of God, she went on to achieve 5 college degrees, teach at Vanderbilt and Princeton Universities, and become a renown speaker and author.  She speaks on the devastating state of our country, despite the fact that it was founded on Christian values and pinpoints 1962 as a critical time: when prayer and Bible reading were outlawed in schools and things began going awry.  She told us to “plant seeds in the secular world as well as in ministry.”

Co-founder of Campus Crusade, Vonette Bright, requested that we take to heart the American Prayer Initiative, one prayer for each day of the month, to be repeated until November 6th, 2012.  “Developed to help draw this culture and this nation back to the One upon whom she was founded,” the prayers include topics such as “the Law,” “Justice,” and “Leaders.”

Susie Jennings founded Operation Care International, which throws the “biggest Birthday party for Jesus Christ” also known as “the biggest Christmas party for the homeless.”  Her story began with the death of her husband, sustains with a mission from God to give blankets to the homeless, and over a decade later, is helping over 10,000 needy people a year.

I learned practical tips from an “On-camera Techniques” workshop, such how to study your interviews: mute the video and watch your body language.  And the reverse is just as necessary: walk away and listen to your performance.  Other words of wisdom included: you should pause and pray before any interview, be wise like a serpent and harmless like a dove, do not leave your savvy out of your Christianity, and that people want to see your heart…even if you’re not as articulate as you can be…they want to see you!

As a panelist (for the first time!), I offered practical tips and resources for getting into the acting field the “Jeanette” way, meaning spending little to no money!  Here are, in a nutshell, some of my secrets:

Jeanette’s 5 Steps to Getting in the Industry/ Staying in the Industry:

Headshots:  Get a professional headshot done.  Don’t be ghetto ie: shooting it yourself, printing it from your own printer on printer paper!  Your headshot is the lasting impression that you leave with any casting director, agent, industry professional.  You can get free headshots done: visit Modelmayhem or Craigslist for collaborations with professional photographers!

Footage: If you want to be more than a model, you’ll need to show how you act and sound.  Work for free or cheap just to gain the footage.  Use: Actorsaccess, Craigslist, Mandy, or create your own stories (nowadays, so many people are self-produced a la youtube, etc).  The goal: just get your face on camera!

Reel:  Put all your footage into a highlights reel.  It doesn’t have to have a crazy, flashy intro with high profile jobs all over it.  Just use quick clips highlighting your best lines. You can hire someone for cheap via Odesk.com, Guru.com, Elance.com or do it yourself via iMovie, MovieMaker, Finalcut, etc.

Classes/ workshops:  They put you around the right people, teachers, and mindset.  The learning should never stop and you shouldn’t only be practicing when you’re working or auditioning.  You can practice for free at Actors InC or win scholarships…I did it, so can you!

Representation:  Now that you’ve packaged yourself, shop yourself around to agents.  Check out agents in your area via the Ross Reports, your local SAG office, or Jurgita.  Do it digitally with an emailed cover letter, attached headshot and link to your online reel!  Once you have agents working for you, you’ve got experience and expertise on your side and you’ll soon be auditioning and working and before long, a pro!

The CWIMA Conference was a fun, edifying, and memorable experience and on the heels reading “Never Eat Alone,” which inspired me to attend four conferences this year, I’ve got one down and four to go!

I finished last year on a high note when I was granted the incredible opportunity to hobnob with 25 of our culture’s most powerful feminine forces.  It was the NY Moves Magazine‘s Power Women Issue, personified in red-carpet fashion.  This was the 8th year of this glorious spectacle and I was armed with a mic and the job to capture it all!

The beholders of this award did not fit any one mold.  These women were old and new, foreign and American, business and non-profit, CEO’s and CCO’s, beauty queens and humble Hannahs.  One thing they all did hold in common was, as told by Moves Magazine ” These are women of substance who have made an incredible impression in their respective fields and an impact on their environment…pushing boundaries without fear or favor, prejudice or pre-conditions and always from the right direction.”

I was to come up with clever questions to accomplish the task of extracting the most memorable sound bites from these women.  And so I came up with, “Where do you summon your powers from?” and “What do you think makes a power woman?”  The arrivals were a frenzy of wisdom and accomplishments, all wrapped up in perfume and gowns.  Then, I joined everyone for a fabulous dinner and the awards ceremony.  Here are my most memorable encounters of the evening.

Lisa Ling: Host of Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN
She said that she “summons her power,” by doing what she loved.  Ling claimed that she never really worried about how much was in her bank account and to this day, does not really know.  She said, and we all know this to some degree, if you do something for the money or the fame, you’ll cease to be satisfied.  I appreciated her confirmation on that.

Gloria Allred: Lawyer/Partner at Allred, Maroko & Goldberg.  Also a famous lawyer on high-profile cases such as the Nicole Brown Simpson case and with the court TV show “We the People With Gloria Allred.”
I sat next to Gloria at dinner and helped her to get a vegetarian dish and I was amused at her lack of amusement for the food.  We chatted about commonplace things, such as her flight and such, but what else was I going to do?  Ask her about the O.J. Simpson case?  Haha

Sade Baderinwa: Anchor, ABC New York’s Eyewitness News
Sade was stunning…and fit!  She pulled off a cute pixie cut effortlessly and was every part graceful and well-spoken in speech as well.  It was no wonder, after a minute with her, why she is an anchorwoman.

Amy Chua:  Professor of Law at Yale Law School, Author
You can call me biased, but I definitely swelled with a little more pride upon seeing my Asian women representing on that carpet.  Amy reminded me of wanting to read her book, “Battle Hymns of the Tiger Mom,”  and I was genuinely star-struck upon hearing that it was her book!   She packs a big impression for the cute little thing that she is!

Betsey Johnson: Chief Creative Officer, Betsey Johnson
Betsey was just loopy!  She was really something else.  I didn’t know where to hold the mic as she danced around in response to my questions!  She wore a patchwork dress, Chucks, dreadlocked blonde extentions, and her signature bright red lipstick and big lashes.  She is a tiny little thing though and had a childlike demeanor that belied her 60+ years.

Iman: Supermodel, Founder & CEO of Iman Cosmetics
I didn’t expect the thick accent that emerged from this statuesque supermodel.  What I remember most about Iman is that she used her acceptance speech to plug her organization and attempted to, in her allotted handful of minutes, rile up a passion in us for these women in the Congo.  Kudos to Iman for being shameless!

Grace Hightower De Niro: Philanthropist
Grace and Robert were an odd coupling to me, but I appreciated that he was supportive of her, accompanying her to this humble event.   Now that is a true power couple!

S.E. Cupp: Conservative Commentator, Author
I love a woman with a sense of humor…who doesn’t?  And S.E. Cupp wrote her acceptance speech to highlight just that!  She read it straight from the page, but with a deadpan delivery, stated, “The last thing I won was a buffalo wing eating contest…and it was against myself.”  Perfection.  And, she was very pretty and brought mom as her date, to boot!

Gabrielle Hamilton: James Beard 2011 “Best Chef NYC”
Gabrielle was extremely personable and affable.  She played down winning the “Best Chef in NYC” title, and although is the first woman recipient, is more proud of holding her own against the boys.  My kinda woman. 

Sukanya Krishnan: Morning Anchor, PIX11 News
Sukanya was the emcee for this event and this woman raised the bar for me in terms of what an emcee should be.  She killed it.  She was hilarious (she had us truly laughing out loud), spontaneous, accurate and she managed to both honor and poke fun at each honoree…what a feat!  One would have never known she had only met some of these women that night!  Now that’s skill!

Nancy L. Zimpher: SUNY Chancellor
What impressed me about Nancy was that she is the first woman to serve as Chancellor of SUNY, which I learned is actually the largest university in the nation.  The first female Chancellor…of the largest university…in America…now that is impressive!

Jennifer Siebel Newsom: founder & CEO, MissRepresentation, org
I just love the name of this website.  Sometimes you have to give it up to someone for simply being clever with their words!  But on top of that, Jennifer’s cause is also incredible: to fight the media’s misrepresentations of women have led to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence.  Right on, Miss!

Babe Rizzuto: Vice President of Public Relations, Conair Corporation
Babe…(I mean, it’s in the name)…was the girly girl of the night.  She was blonde and bubbly and her catchphrase sums it up: “Beauty is comes from within, but gorgeous hair can’t hurt!”  And what I loved about her story is that at age 18, she created the High Energy line of neon-colored hair tools.  She was born into a family well-off in the salon business, but was an entrepreneur in her own right!

Below are the remainder of the Power Women, some whom did not make it to the event or whom I did not have the opportunity to interview.  A common sentiment that was expressed throughout the evening was the love that these women had for their careers and the appreciation they had for their family.

Nell Newman: Co-Founder & President, Newman’s Own Organics
Tonia O’Connor: President, Distribution Sales & Marketing, Univision
Mia Herndon: Executive Director, Third Wave Foundation
Dorothy Herman: President & CEO, Prudential Douglas Elliman
Kate D. Levin: Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
Dana Fiser: Global CEO of Jenny Craig Inc
Maria Bartiromo: Anchor CNBC’s Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo
Robin Wright: Actor, Raise Hope for Congo
Gillian Tett: US Managing Editor, Financial Times
Rosie Perez: Actor, Activist, Director, Producer
Lori Ordover: Managing Member, Ordover Group
Laureen Ong: President, Travel Channel
Norah O’Donnoll: CBS News Chief White House Correspondent
Connie Nielsen: Actor, Co-Founder & President, Human Needs Project
Heidi Manheimer: CEO, Shiseido Cosmetics America

It was an amazing evening.  Inspiring.  Exquisitely executed.  It was a Cinderella evening for me.  I will end with this quote that I love from Iman:

“I totally believe that success is not what you do but what you inspire others to do.  Mentor a young girl or find yourself a good mentor – make a difference in the lives of others.” 

Beautiful.