This year marks 230 years since our Founding Fathers gave us our National Birth Certificate. We continue to be the longest on-going Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. Blessings such as these are not by chance or accidental. They are blessings of God.
    On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to approve a complete separation from Great Britain. Two days afterwards – July 4th – the early draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed, albeit by only two individuals at that time: John Hancock, President of Congress, and Charles Thompson, Secretary of Congress. Four days later, on July 8, members of Congress took that document and read it aloud from the steps of Independence Hall, proclaiming it to the city of Philadelphia, after which the Liberty Bell was rung. The inscription around the top of that bell, Leviticus 25:10, was most appropriate for the occasion: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.”
    To see the turmoil in other nations, their struggles and multiple revolutions, and yet to see the stability and blessings that we have here in America, we may ask how has this been achieved? What was the basis of American Independence? John Adams said “The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.” Perhaps the clearest identification of the spirit of the American Revolution was given by John Adams in a letter to Abigail the day after Congress approved the Declaration. He wrote her two letters on that day; the first was short and concise, jubilant that the Declaration had been approved. The second was much longer and more pensive, giving serious consideration to what had been done that day. Adams cautiously noted: “This day will be the most memorable epic in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.”

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What do more than three million women have in common?  The answer is Women of Faith!
    Dallas-based Women of Faith is America’s largest women’s conference and on August 4 & 5 thousands of women will gather at the Savvis Center for the 2006 Contagious Joy Conference!  Each year Women of Faith hosts as many as 30 conferences, selling out arenas all over the country from The Pond in Anaheim to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Two-thousand and six marks a new decade for Women of Faith as it enters its 11th year stronger than ever.
    “This year we were close to selling out eight of our conferences before the season even started,” said Mary Graham, president of Women of Faith conferences. “The response from our attendees has been so overwhelming and exciting.”
    As Women of Faith enters a new era many are asking: what is it about Women of Faith that draws so many women - and why do they keep coming back? Perhaps it’s the community of belonging these women feel when they arrive. “It’s a relief to walk into the Women of Faith arena and feel I’m not alone, that the stress I face on a daily basis, whether it be at work or in the home, is not uncommon to most women around me,” said Lynda Parker, a Las Vegas Women of Faith attendee.
    Maybe women flock to the conference to find relief and encouragement for the unique burdens they encounter as women. “Most women are overworked, overextended and underappreciated,” said Graham. “Our conferences are a time where women can enjoy a weekend away with their girlfriends from whatever causes them stress.”
    Possibly it’s the message of real faith and friendship these women hear. Through tears and laughter, the Women of Faith core speakers and guest artists share messages of hope and encouragement with women all over the country.  Just like the hit TV show Friends, these speakers work as a team seven months of the year, but still remain close companions in the off-season. In fact, the speakers all live in the community of Dallas, TX.

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