2023 Bright Lights Conference

Hey friends! I’m so excited to bring a guest report to you today. Family friends, a mother and daughter, recently attended the 2023 Bright Lights Conference at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. Mrs. N very kindly took the time to write this report and send it to me. Maybe this would be something any moms reading would enjoy doing with their daughters in future years; or perhaps you are a young lady who is looking for a some godly mentoring resources or a ministry to be involved in. Be sure to check out Bright Lights here. They hold several conferences in various locations each year.

And as a side note, if you’ve never visited the Ark Encounter—it’s well worth the trip! It’s one of our all-time favorite family vacations we’ve been on. 😊

Bright Lights Conference

“February was a busy month here in Bluegrass country (North/Central Kentucky)! There was a gathering of 900 ladies—mostly mothers and daughters—at the Bright Lights conference held at the Ark Encounter, led by Sarah Mally Hancock. My daughter and I attended both days of this conference (February 24 & 25). The Bright Lights conference was a day and a half of Titus 2-based instruction: the older ladies teaching the younger ladies not to live according to their emotions but to walk according to God’s Word.  The gospel was clearly explained, spoken, shared, and illustrated.  New believers who came were challenged and provided with resources to grow in their walk with Christ.  Rather than songs of vague words and overwhelming rock rhythms, the singing was mostly hymns, with clear words describing who Christ is and who we are.  The teaching sessions didn’t leave any doubt as to what God we were talking about or who Jesus is.  The musical instruments used were grand piano, pedal harp, flute, guitar (played appropriately), violin, and cello.

Mothers and daughters came from 34 states and several countries.  The tone of the conference was one of dignity, self-control, and humble hearts desiring to learn and grow in Christ.  The mood was not overwhelmingly emotional. Some moms brought their little babies and younger children along with teenage daughters, and some dads came to check out what their daughters are learning. 

The teaching sessions included the following topics: 

“Know Your Foundation,” “Know Your God,” “Trusting the Bible from the Very First Verse,” “Know Your Identity: Standing Strong in Your Position in Christ,” “How to Gain Boldness in Witnessing,” “Honoring Christ With Your Emotions,” “Resisting Temptation With Truth,” and “Lies, Guys, and Purity,” which was a session taught by Sarah Hancock and her husband, Andrew. 

Here is what my 17-year-old daughter has to say about the conference: “It was really nice. It was well-done (well organized). All of it was interesting. Sarah Hancock is a very good speaker, and she gives so many real-life examples of people she’s actually talked to…..it’s interesting because she’s a lot older than we are and has been through a lot of experiences, so she had a lot to say. The sessions were good for all ages—from girls ages ten and eleven all the way up to older ladies—married and single.”    

The emphasis for single young ladies was to not see the years of singleness as a “holding pattern” until marriage, but to use those years to serve God—to be satisfied with Christ; to build and strengthen knowledge of God and His Word, and to invest in discipling others.  

Feelings and emotions are a great strength women and girls have—and yet they are also something we battle because we can easily be ruled by our emotions.  Sarah taught how to renew our minds in God’s Word, and keep our thoughts and emotions in subjection to Christ.  She gave example after example from her many conversations with young women of practical problems young ladies are dealing with and how those problems can be solved with God’s Word.  

The emphasis of the conference was to encourage young women to think Biblically and not follow the world’s thinking.  The world’s thinking is based on Satan’s lies.  He is an accuser and deceiver.  But in Christ we have stability.  God is our sure foundation, rock, and refuge.  “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life…” The focus of the teaching was not just on the outward actions, but on the thoughts and intents of our hearts, which where our actions come from.  

Sarah Hancock pointed out that often, we deal with the symptoms without dealing with the root problems.  Many of the root problems start with our thinking: usually, with false ideas about God or false ideas about ourselves.  

If I had to condense the core of the focus of the conference (although there was SO MUCH information that’s hard to do), it would be this: “Be firm/solid/strengthened/settled in God Himself and in His Word.  Even when life is hard and we go through fiery trials and life doesn’t make sense and everyone around us seems to be falling apart—we don’t have to fall apart!  We have everything necessary for stability in Christ and His Word.”

-by J.N.-