Sheila Walsh believes God's promises possess a richer and deeper meaning than most people realize.
She will present her insights when she speaks March 26 at a Ladies Encounter event.
A Bible teacher and communicator, Walsh will speak on "The Shelter of God's Promises" at the conference to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 26 at the Blair County Convention Center. Jenifer Thigpen, Women of Faith worship leader, and Joyful Noise, a local Christian band, will lead praise and worship. Tickets are $25 for the event and $15 for the luncheon.
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(Courtesy photo) Sheila Walsh, author and Bible teacher, will be the speaker for an Ladies Encounter event to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 26 at the Blair County Convention Center.
The event theme is the title of Walsh's new book published by Thomas Nelson.
Of the more than 3,000 promises Walsh said are in the Bible, she writes about 10 that she calls bedrock promises or ones that give Christians a secure foundation during different situations and experiences in life.
During the first session of the conference, Walsh will highlight those 10 which include guarantees of peace, provision, purpose, hope, strength, love, grace and a future.
Fact Box
If you go
Who: Sheila Walsh
What: Ladies Encounter event
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 26
Where: Blair County Convention Center
Tickets: $25 for the event and $15 for the luncheon
Ticket deadline: March 12
For tickets: Visit www.ladies
encounter.com or send a check payable to Encounter
to Donna Rhodes,
338 Spring Lane,
Martinsburg,
PA 16662.
Tickets also are available at Roaring Spring Department Store, Thompson Pharmacy in Altoona and Hollidaysburg, Open Door Books & Gifts in Everett and Claysburg Hometown Market.
"It's sort of the CliffsNotes of the book," she said.
In later sessions, she will concentrate on three.
"We'll unpack certain ones," she said.
Welsh said she gained a deeper understanding of the promises as she studied for a master's degree in theology.
"We take a promise out of context and put it on a T-shirt or a bumper sticker," she said. "But what did they hear in Jesus day?"
A well-known Scripture Walsh believes can be misinterpreted is: "And my God will meet all your needs according to glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
"People may ask, 'What do I need? I need a new car. I need a husband.'"
"When you read the whole letter, [book of Philippians], you realize how God has completely touched your life," she said. "Perhaps there was a time when you had financial trouble and looking back, you realized that God was there for you."
Walsh said as she studies the original Greek version of the New Testament, the greater depth of meaning she uncovers.
"The more I research, the more rock solid I realize our faith really is," she said.
One of the promises Walsh plans to talk about is the promise of more, based on Matthew 7: 7 and 8.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives, he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened," the Gospel says.
It almost sounds like an opportunity to present God with a Christmas list, Walsh said, but Jesus was teaching that if they leaned on God, he would transform lives.
She said in Jesus' day, the people had 622 laws that they had to keep, and Jesus upped the standard by saying he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.
She believes the people thought, "how am I going to get all of these right?"
"We will never get them right by ourselves," she said. "The good news is that Jesus gives us strength to make it through our days."
Another of the promises Walsh plans to talk about is the promise of strength found in John 16:33. It says, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world."
She said, "When his followers looked at Christ on the cross, he didn't look like an overcomer. They thought he was going to end their Roman oppression, and things were not going well."
How they must have reflected on what he said that weekend before the Resurrection, she said.
She said when people face those perfect storms, they need to remember that Christ has overcome the world.
In her own life, Walsh has had to draw on the promise of strength.
One morning in 1992 she was a co-host on "The 700 Club," and that evening she was a patient in a psychiatric hospital, suffering from depression.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health's website, "major depressive disorder affects about 14.8 million America adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. adult population in any given year."
Despite its prevalence, "in the church, it is more difficult to make known that you are suffering from depression," Walsh said. "If you have a brain tumor, the church is willing to pray. If you are struggling with depression, they tell you to pull yourself together."
She said when she speaks to groups, women always approach her about their battles with depression.
She said the disorder is caused by an inbalance of brain chemicals and is nothing to be ashamed of.
A local woman who finds Walsh's messages to be inspiring is Darlene McCune of Duncansville.
McCune heard Walsh speak two years ago at a Women of Faith event in Washington, D.C.
"She's a dynamic speaker," McCune said. "She is open and transparent about her struggles and how God has helped her in those times and how he has sustained her."
"She is very relaxed, very personable and has humor in her delivery," McCune said.
"She relates so well to women. It will be an unforgettable day."
Tickets also are available at Roaring Spring Department Store, Thompson Pharmacy in Altoona and Hollidaysburg, Open Door Books & Gifts in Everett and Claysburg Hometown Market.
