Your Bold Audacious Hope

"I wonder if he's still here," I told Morgan as we ducked our heads low, dodging rainfall across the parking lot. Inside Dunn Brothers, an espresso machine hissed and whirred, while baristas tamp-tamped old coffee grounds from metal filters.

Photo: Petteri Sulonen, Creative Commons, cc license

"No, he's gone," I noticed, seeing someone else at the table where my dad and I had sat twenty minutes earlier. "We had such a nice time," I exclaimed as Morgan carried her blueberry muffin upstairs to the loft. "I like my dad."

Spreading books and notebooks across our customary round table in the corner, Morgan filled in rows of boxes with Chinese characters for the words: mom, dad, brother, and sister. I sat in thought for a moment.

My dad and I are similar: loving foreign cultures, languages, coffee, and learning. He had slid a bag of Turkish coffee across the table to me earlier, knowing my cache was gone.

 "Thanks, Dad. What do I owe you?"

"No, it's my gift to you."

"Are you sure? I can pay you back."

"No, no, it's my gift," he said, and our talk turned to other matters.

An hour and a half later as I left to pick up Morgan from her class, my dad had sat back down at our booth in conversation with the Spanish gentleman beside him. They were discussing the man's Portuguese language book there on the table and talking about cities in Brazil.

Indoors again now with Morgan, I cup hands around my tall refill of Colombian dark roast coffee, shivering from the damp walk in through the rain. Morgan and I tear off chunky sugar-topped bites of her blueberry muffin, and I pull my Bible near. Silence slips in and God's word sinks verses deep into my heart and mind. Paul's writing to the Corinthian church describes the new way of doing life through a ministry of the Spirit of God. This new life through Jesus gives humans a restored relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."

"...And we.... are being transformed into [God's] likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart."

As you and I spend time with our Heavenly Dad, he is transforming us to look like him. And in these ministries he has gifted us with --  be it your marriage, your family, your job, your writing, speaking, teaching, your Art, your passion, your ministry-- you can be very bold! Have hope and do not lose heart.

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart."

The espresso machine whirs and hisses again, and the sky is grey and cool. But you? You're looking more and more like your Dad. Be bold. 


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Shattering Public Speaking Jitters

 Have a work presentation coming up? Getting started in public speaking? Or as a student, do you hate oral presentations? 

As my speaking calendar is filling in for this next year, and I reflect on how much I love sharing with women, it occurs to me that not everyone enjoys public speaking. If that is you, or if you simply wish to polish up those skills, may I let you in on five things that will shatter your public speaking jitters, and revolutionize your communication skills? 

1.) Bring quality and expertise. In today’s busy world, nobody wants to waste their time. Put in the time and hard work to learn, research, accumulate statistics, dig into God’s word, and cite other experts that will enrich your listener. In my ministry I want my listeners to walk away from our sessions with a rekindled flame in their walk with God, in their marriage and family, and in their spheres of influence. And they’ll have the tools, resources and passion for the next steps. 

2.) Be convinced, yourself. If you are not convinced that what you have to say is important and will revolutionize marriages, or transform the way people think about their sexuality, for example, -- or whatever YOU talk about-- then go back to step one: Bring quality and expertise. Research your topic until you have quality information that is vitally important to your hearers. Once you are convinced of its value, your delivery and demeanor will automatically reflect your passion, pathos and ethos. 

3.) Think of your Audiences' Needs above your own. For my speaking engagements, I love to find out more about each group I am going to: their needs, the group’s origins, their passions, and the topic they choose from my speaking selection. Then I spend the weeks and months before my sessions, praying for these women. Lifting up their particular MOPS groups, retreats, homeschooling co-ops, camps, or banquets, I spend regular time in prayer for them. I love how God gives me a love for them that wells out of me when I speak to them later that year, and it eliminates any jitters. 

4.) Watch your protein and caffeine. Wonderful communicator and adviser Jeannie Burlowski advises clients to sneak in some protein right before a presentation. The protein gives your brain a boost of clarity and alertness, clearing any fog or verbal stumbles. Watch your caffeine intake on an empty stomach too, since it will cause hand tremors and nervous-looking shaking – not something that increases your professional demeanor.

5.) Still nervous? Breathe in squares. Speaking consultant from Next Step Speaker Services, Amy Carroll, instructs speakers on the highly-practiced, four-part breathing technique that renowned public speakers use nationwide. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold your breath for four seconds. Breathe out for four seconds. Wait four seconds, repeat. 

So, to shatter those jitters for your next business presentation, homework assignment, or ministry workshop: bring quality, be convinced, think of your audiences’ needs, watch your protein and caffeine, and breathe in squares, when needed. 

My favorite parts? Getting a chance to pray for women across Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and more; and then seeing God light up women’s eyes as they think about their walk with Him, their marriage and family, and their spheres of influence. What a treat to be part of! 

What are some speaking tips you’ve appreciated over the years? Or, what excites you? 

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