My speaking dream was really just born in my heart a few months ago. I’m in the praying process about it now. I have a book in hand and a DVD series that may accompany it. . .the rest is still being formed by Him. After finishing Mission to Motherhood by Sally Clarkson, I felt led to attend one of her conferences and the dream was really born there. In a room surrounded by people I did not know, I began to feel that my voice could help other moms to identify how important our roles as moms really are. I feel as if sometimes as moms we get so caught up in the mundane we forget to find beauty in those moments. When I began teaching 14 years ago, I set out to be the best teacher I could be…and the recognition when I did a good job helped get me through the hard days…but with motherhood we don’t necessarily have that recognition and sometimes we feel so alone in our struggles to raise Godly children in this world.

Why should I win? Here’s the thing. I practice my faith at a Catholic church. A church I have been a part of for a long time; however, I’ve felt left out or that something is missing there and have attended other faiths in the past year trying to find it…and what God has placed on my heart is that in order to find what it is I’m looking for, I need to create this ministry and serve others. I need to be at She Speaks because He is calling me to do something that I don’t necessarily have the tools for, and I believe He has showed me this conference as a way to gain the knowledge that will help get this ministry off the ground so that many mothers may be blessed. Thank you.

Karen,
My dream to be a speaker started roughly 4 years ago during our church’s missions conference. We had a guest speaker who wasn’t like anyone we had ever had before. He told stories, he used emotion, he was captivating. I remember sitting there listening to him and thinking “I want to do that”. I want to encourage and inspire people. I want to help them see God working in their lives and in the lives of others. Even in the ordinary, every day events that don’t seem so special at the time. (that’s what I want to speak about)I have been encouraged so much over the years by things that I have heard or read and I would like the opportunity to do that for others.
Since then I have spoke publicly about 3 times. Nothing huge. Just my testimony, a devotion, and a short little thing my church asked me to do after we moved.
I too was told as a child that I talked too much. That box was perpetually checked on my report card. I never thought it would be an asset in my life.
All my life I have been afraid to go after anything that I have wanted. This past year I have really stepped out of that fear and trusted God with my dream.
I don’t want to stop. I am moving forward with writing on my blog. I am working on a book proposal and I am attempting to get to She Speaks by entering every scholarship contest I can. I must tell you that last year I did go. My husband paid for it as a gift. It was absolutely more than I could have ever dreamed. But I was a little shell shocked the whole time. I barely remember my meeting with Cecil Murphy, I cried most of the time out of utter disbelief at being there.
I’d like to go back: 1. To pursue speaking this time, and 2. In the hopes that I can make more out of my time there, and 3. I have requested a publishers meeting this year. (see I told you I wasn’t afraid anymore)
Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Hi Karen,

I was a new mom and in attendance and the very first Hearts at Home conference in Normal, IL. The speaker was hilarious and “deep” all at the same time. She had us laughing and crying! I remember coming out of there thinking to myself how awesome it would be to have the opportunity to be funny and serious and encourage others all wrapped in one.

I said a prayer that went something like, “Dear God, it would be so cool if I could do that, but I have nothing to say. Give me something to say!”

As “they” say, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR!!!

Back then, I was still in my 20s, only had two boys and didn’t have to wear my bra to bed to keep all my body parts off the floor at night!

Fast forward about 15 years….

Now that I’m 45, have been married for 22 years in a row to the same man and we have 5 children (all boys), LOOK OUT, WHERE’S THE MICROPHONE, I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!!!

My message is “I survived and you can too!”

I wrote my book, Laugh Anyway Mom, and a publishing coach told me I should do stand-up comedy so I took classes at the Second City in Chicago and have been doing stand-up for audiences in comedy clubs, restaurants, comic book stores, libraries, churches, Elks Clubs, Baby Expos, and my dad’s garage!

The last two years have been a “very exciting” journey. My husband, Ron and I sold a tractor so that I could get my book published and navigate my way through the crazy path to finally getting my book into something that actually looked like a book.

Ron, a heavy equipment operator in the Chicago area, has been essentially unemployed for about a year. His income has been cut in half. Okay, so that’s where the “very exciting” part comes in……’cause it’s very exciting when you are at the checkout in the grocery store and you swipe your debit card through the little thingy and it comes back APPROVED!!!

My message is to moms and my message is “Laugh Anyway!” Life is ‘very exciting’ for all of us at different times. God created us with a sense of humor so that we could laugh about things. The old saying of tragedy plus time equals comedy is true!

Karen, I want to be used to bring humor to women who already know Jesus and give them perspective so they can laugh a little more about the things in their everyday lives….but more importantly, I want to be used to bring the gospel to women who don’t know Jesus using humor as a way to bring them to the cross.

Does that make sense?

Last year on Mother’s Day, a local church asked me to come in and preach. That was a FIRST for me! So, I did and it was an amazing hour of laughing and crying and alter calling. Ten moms came forward at the end of the service and the two male pastors and I prayed with them. One was estranged from her children. Another was celebrating one year sober. It was VERY EXCITING!!!

So, why do I think I should get the scholarship….well, I was supposed to come to She Speaks last year and couldn’t scrape up the money and a good friend of mine asked me to go this year and I told her that I’d love to but the money would have to drop from the sky. And, if it came in the form of twenty dollar bills, I’m going to Jewel to buy peanut butter and chickens.

The truth is, I don’t know if I should be the one to get it. What I do know is that God answered my prayer of “GIVE ME SOMETHING TO SAY.” and I know that He will also “GIVE ME SOMEONE TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.”

If I attend She Speaks, I hope to learn how to be a better speaker and how to give the audience something that they will be thinking about long after the event is over. I want to meet other women who are speaking and learn from them. I want to learn how to get booked to speak and as much as I would love to speak for free (which is essentially what I’m doing now), I’d love to learn how to create an income from speaking to help my family. ;0)

Thanks Karen!!!

BTW, I am getting books prepared to send this week and you’ll be getting a few. I was waiting to see if my comedy DVD would be ready, but I’ve been told it’s in an editing vortex and may never come out. UGH!

Karen-

I have been a “speaker” for as long as I can remember. As a youngster my parents were always having to tell me to be quiet or save my talking for later! However, as I grew into adulthood a few experiences I encountered turned my voice down low, almost to silent. I still speak everyday, especially to the teens I teach, but the fervor I used to feel about getting my messages out is one I struggle with because of being silenced. I long to gain my courage back, to take my messages to those most in need.

Even though I am a teacher, my opportunities to share my Christian/spiritual messages with my students is blocked, in most cases, by the need to separate public school dealings from religion. I am currently in a setting where this barrier has been taken away and I am finding myself faced with a generation of young people who desire to know Jesus Christ more, but are being turned away by the traditional religious establishments as being too unfriendly. My desire is to work closely with this age group to help them grow into the young Christians who can lead the growth of our community and country in the future.

It’s hard for me to answer questions like “Why should you pick me.” It always feels like my annual evaluations at work–very uncomfortable, but completely necessary. I think you should choose me because God has recently prompted my heart on many levels to jump in and get involved. Even without being able to attend She Speaks, I will continue to grow in His area of need for me. Like just last week, when I got to have a one-on-one encounter with a young, faltering, Christian lady. She longed to have someone to have a deep conversation with, but had been unable to find someone. I was shocked when she picked me, only because I am not confident about sharing my message because it is so unpolished. But, that encounter encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, because God needs me to. Thank you for considering me for such an amazing opportunity!
Angela

Hi Karen! Well I have always felt a nudge to speak. Every funny, heartbreaking, touching, daily circumstance made me think how I could incorporate it into a lesson. However, I have always struggled with self-esteem.

I grew up as a pastor’s kid. Then my brother became a pastor, 2 of my sisters married pastors, my nephew became a pastor, and another nephew is entering school to become a pastor. The rest of us are deeply involved in church. When my family would get into a theological discussion, I was not welcome. I was the youngest, the runt of the family. I had been told many times, “it’s a good thing you’re pretty cause you sure are dumb.” I never bothered to study the bible or try to talk to God beyond the church doors because I figured I was destined to have a relationship with Him through observation rather than one of a personal nature.

God didn’t give up on me though. He began talking to me in languages I could understand and showing me He wanted me to view Him as my dad. He wanted me to feel loved and to realize I was special because He had chosen to create me, gift me, and bless me beyond measure. He wanted me to get my self-worth from Him rather than from others. He began providing me wisdom through His word, talking to me through prayer, the bible, people, and circumstances. He began making me realize he gifted me in certain ways and He had a plan for my life that would take me out of my comfort zone.

Last year, I was given the opportunity to travel to Europe with Hearts at Home and speak on what I had learned about self-worth and prayer. It was amazing. He began opening up other speaking opportunities including this past weekend’s National Hearts at Home Conference in Normal, IL. I soon learned that speaking is more than just words. The women who come to listen deal with very deep hurts, pain, and messy everyday lives. I realized how much I had to learn. Not only in presentation, marketing, and powerpoint but how to really connect with the women God was using me to speak to.

I met Wendy Pope who invited me to come to She Speaks. She is an amazing person. I’m privileged to know you, Karen. I have many friends who come to She Speaks. It just seems this is the direction God is now leading. However, finances are an issue at the moment. All extra money is going to the care of my dad who almost died in September and is still recovering in a nursing home. There are medical bills, a chairlift for the house that needs to be purchased, remodeling of the bathroom that needs to take place. So today I opened facebook and saw your post regarding this scholoarship. Could God be providing a way? I don’t know and I leave it in His hands, thanking Him for His perfect plan and His perfect timing.

Thanks for being such a dear friend, Karen!!! And thank you for allowing God to use you in such incredible ways!

I’m not sure which is taking more courage…entering the first time on Lysa’s site, or trying again. Pretty sure it’s scarier to try again, but here goes.
I am a speaker who currently only “speaks” to a group of 7th graders on a daily basis (I am a teacher.)
I am also a writer who writes whatever God lays on my heart for that day (or week.) Most of my blogs have some humor, but all include how God is directing me for that day…and I often find it is exactly where a lot of my readers find themselves as well – so I keep on sharing. Most of my readers currently find me on facebook but I am excited that at least a few new friends find me through my blog.
I am a teacher, a mother of two multi-racial teens, and a woman who has come from the ashes of mourning into the oil of joy. Over 20 years ago, we lost our first son back to his birth mother after having him for over 7 months. My world came crashing down and to be very honest, I shook my fist at God and told Him if that was who He was, I chose not to serve Him. God, in His infinite mercy and grace poured out His love in such a real way that I realized, I had no idea who He really was. I still live and breathe in that goodness and mercy each day – knowing I do not deserve such a wonderous love.
I honestly hope to be chosen because I want to learn more how to share what God has done for me with others. I feel in my heart that God will eventually have me “speaking”, but I have no idea how to even begin to bring that about. I have had the privilege to speak at a couple of venues and still receive comments from total strangers who remember what I shared. I just don’t know how to let people know I am willing to share again!
I would go to the conference on my own, but to be honest, after the company my husband worked for closed, money got very tight. I could scrape up the money to get to the conference…but that would probably be about all. If I do not “win” a scholarship, I will have to say “Maybe next year.”
So there you have it. I know God has a plan…I’m just putting myself out there and hoping that today is the day.
Donna
anotherbattlewon.blogspot.com

Your speaking dream–when it began; where it is now
Hmmm. I’ve always been a talker. Always. Apparently my parents didn’t know my little brother could speak until I went to school, because I spoke for him. In more recent terms though, I realized how much I like to speak in high school, when I participated in UIL One Act Play and again in college when I taught group fitness and was a teaching assistant. This was confirmed for me once I got a ‘real job’ and presented sessions at meetings. I’ve been presenting consistently for the last 5 or so years on work-related topics, but have a little urging inside of me to do it on different topics to a different audience. I’m ready to step out there. Wow…it’s scary putting that in writing.
What it is you feel God calling you to speak on:
I have been through quite a bit in my life, and I feel like God wants me to use my experiences to motivate and encourage others. I’m a work-outside-the-home mom, juggling my husband, my 3 beautiful kids and their activities, my full-time job, among other ‘smaller’ things like running our house and keeping everyone fed and clothed. God has allowed me to go experience so much, and I feel like I am to use what I learned (and am learning!) through those experiences to help others. Specifically, I feel like I’m supposed to minister and work with working (outside the home) moms about issues such as: marriage, parenting, balancing work and home (including nursing and working!), organization, mentorship and discipleship relationships, and motivation. I also feel like I’m supposed to be working with ladies who find themselves dealing with unplanned pregnancies.
why should I choose you to win this scholarship?
I feel like I’m supposed to reach out and assist those going through life trying to wear some of the same hats that I’ve worn and am wearing. Those perhaps stumbling in the same areas in which I stumbled and struggling in the same areas I’ve struggled. My big question is, “How?” followed closely by, “What might that look like?”
I’m hopeful that this conference might solidify for me exactly how God wants to use me and what that might look like. I’ve sat too long on my experiences and feel convicted to use my life experiences to help others through theirs.

My speaking dream… That’s what it’s been since I was 20 years old. At a Sunday service, during a call to take the “next step” in obedience {whatever that mean for each of us}, I could not stay in my seat. I was compelled and propelled out of my seat, down the aisle, and onto my knees. I told God I’d do “whatever,” and I heard His still, small voice whisper “women.”

I had recently begun a season of healing from depression, and learning how to defeat the lies that were a part of my thought-process, and I knew from speaking to so many girlfriends that they were there, too, fighting the same internal, daily battles… but I had so much baggage, and had caused so many waves, I didn’t believe I could be used to help anyone else. That coupled with some dream-squashing advice from some well-meaning friends… There was a stalling in my calling.

Last year I felt sure that it was time to get serious about obeying the calling I had placed in the back of my ministry closet, and after an invitation to speak and the encouragement of friends I decided to register for She Speaks 2010.

Because of the season my family was in last year, I knew that I was in a “slow season,” but I was able to use that season to grow and to learn more about God’s Word and myself. I’m currently participating in Next Steps coaching with Amy and preparing for She Speaks 2011, registering with the faith that the funding will come through.

I feel God calling me to speak on “Choosing joy.” The biggest pattern in my spiritual life shows that when I decided to choose joy, I was able to stay focused on His purposes, plans, and be obedient; when I allow myself to be distracted by the grumbling and complaining, or I find myself slipping back into the pit of lies and dark thoughts, it is the strength He gives me to choose joy {in every area of my life} that gets my focus back where it needs to be or gives me hope in the midst of impossible circumstances.

I know that I have been given specific qualities that make me a natural choice to stand up and talk {I have a big mouth, I am comfortable on stage, I am a teacher by trade}, but I want to be an EXCELLENT speaker. I want to be the servant that took the talents the master gave and multiplied them three-fold.

Since it will be my second time at She Speaks, and I have a reference point for what it will be like, my desire this year is to make connections with women that I can encourage and that I can learn from. I look forward to sitting in the sessions and absorbing the advice and wisdom of women who have “done this thing” for years and can help me avoid the pitfalls and strengthen my skills and my spiritual walk.

Mostly, I look forward to sitting in a room filled with women desiring to serve God together, not in competition, but in completion, because we know that He has equipped us each for good works that He planned in advance for us to do, and we are willing to support each other as we go.

I’d love the opportunity to win this scholarship. Thank you for the opportunity.

My speaking dream began about 10 years ago. I had been mentored by some sweet ladies in Colorado and they saw something in me that they wanted to nurture. THey gave me opportunities to speak at local women’s retreats and gatherings. I enjoy research and Bible study, so that is mostly where I would get my material.
Over the past 10 years, I have been learning, practicing, and teaching both at the local church and at women’s conferences in my state. I still had children at home, and as a committed home school mom, they were my priority. I have now been an empty nester for a year and am ready to expand my ministry.
I so enjoy sharing what I have learned in Bible study and feel this is the area that God has called me into for a speaking ministry. Taking the Word and making it plain and simple for all women to understand is my passion. My concern is that we have become a generation of consumer Christians; I would like to excite people again with the Word of God and see us become producers.
I would like to attend the She Speaks conference so that I can concentrate on specific skills and maybe learn of venues or avenues to speak to women. Now that I have the time, I am sure that God is leading me to take my teaching ministry to a new level.

I have always enjoyed speaking and began by speaking up for students in my school board meetings in high school. I love the quote that “well behaved women rarely make it into history” I lived a dark life in my college years, pushing God aside to fill myself with anything and everything else I could get my hands on including success, awards, drinking, men and lies. I spoke in public a lot but not about anything that was worth talking about. I am comfortable with the talking…it is the talking from my heart that I need to learn about. I have felt God really developing my heart to start to speak about HIM!

I thought for a long time that God wanting and needed my sinful past as a message of warning to others, I have learned so deeply that God doesn’t “need” my sin AT ALL! My sin is washed away because of Jesus! I feel God leading me to the topic of “being full.” How to be full of God and nothing else. How do we turn our eyes from success, approval, money and societies definitions of happiness to live in HIM fully. My generation is all about the “new thing” but we are starving for real fulfillment. We are starving. I want to speak about the old thing that is made new everyday…the fulfilling love of Jesus.

You should choose me because I am a young women who is ready to fearlessly speak about Jesus. I know it is hard work and I know that there will be days when I will want to give up. I have felt Satan try to get me down and refuse. Going to She Speaks would totally prepare me for the journey that I always felt I was meant to pursue. My heart and spirit has been in training for my whole life…and I am ready for it now! Thank for listening and may God bless you for giving a women this opportunity! ~Michelle

MY DREAM: I’m not sure if I should throw my name in for this speaking scholarship or not. I originally looked at the conference information for the writing portion, but the speaking sessions sounded absolutely fascinating…. I enjoy speaking in front of groups – sharing a story, leading congregational prayer, teaching. When I think of “speaking,” I think of teaching – standing in front of a group of people and revealing new insights or depth of material and encouraging listeners to incorporate that material into their lives. Even the sort of writing I enjoy is teaching-based. I always thought I would be a teacher, but when I got to college, I went a different direction. God seems to be leading me back toward teaching little by little.
CONTENT: My passions are books/reading/stories, writing, self-discovery, life long learning, crafts. These are the areas I love to focus on when interacting with a group.
WHY ME? I truly don’t know. I feel prompted to pursue opportunities to attend this conference and see what develops. I am a 40 year old woman who isn’t sure what she wants to be when she grows up! I know that I love interacting with people. I know that I would love to learn new ways to connect with an audience, and to connect that audience with material that will encourage them, inspire them and teach them. For me, the She Speaks conference would be a learning and listening adventure, an opportunity to look for God’s leading for the future.

Karen,
I was the exact opposite growing up. I was the shy, quiet, introverted girl. I’ve learned through the past 6 years that I have a story, and it’s one that people around me need to know because God can use the events that effected me as a child to help, encourage, and create new friendships.

It was in high school when I first spoke in front of a large group of people. I began sharing in front of my youth group. This was a group of 20 people I knew well, and I was scared outta my mind. I found that once I got up there and God took control, the words he wanted people to hear through me, hit the mark.

Then my youth pastor challenged me, and two others from our youth group to preach a sermon on a youth Sunday….in front of our whole church. 200+ people.

I am an avid blogger, and each time I write, there are people who thank me numerous times for sharing my thoughts. I’m beginning to think that I need to prepare myself to speak in public settings, just in case the call ever comes. Which if a friend of mine is write in her suspicion, it’ll be sooner than later. So there’s no better time than now for me to prepare.

One of my friends and I have a young womens group titled GIRLS (God in Real Life Situations). We are making great progress, and I believe that there is a great future here, so long as we keep our focus on God. By becoming better prepared to speak in front of a group, it’ll ease any nerves that may arise and allow me the opportunity to share God more powerfully than I might without.

The topics I find myself drawn to as of late are marriage, commitment, God’s grace and love, and unity. Growing up as a child of divorce, very disconnected with 3 of my 4 siblings and not knowing too many of my extended family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, ect), I feel a pull that could only come from God for my husband and I to break the “curse” set by my family in the past.

Thanks for this opportunity. I look forward to your blog posts and always get SO much out of each of them.

Amy

My speaking dream began a little over a year ago, when the motorcycle ministry I was a part of, decided to volunteer at a children’s home. I had a somewhat rough childhood, (i used somewhat because I know there are plenty of others with absolutely terrible beginnings), and being in a children’s home was part of it. I choose to write out my testimony to speak to the kids there and encourage them that no matter the ‘cards’ dealt to them, they could overcome, persevere, and be something amazing through Christ Jesus! After speaking to a group of about 50 people, I was amazed at what God said to these children through me, never had I known that God could do that! I didn’t know that He could take over with your words and convey His love through someone.

My dream is to relate and speak, to women specifically, on how to know Christ, His awesome LOVE, and how apply the bible to your everyday life in a no nonsense kind of way. I love talking and at every chance I get, I’m asking anyone from a server at a restaurant to random people on the street how they are doing ,so I can try and make them feel special and loved. I want them to know someone cares, someones listening, and that someone is God. As far as where my calling is now, I would definitely say at the beginning. I’ve just recently learned my calling and I don’t know where to go from here. I’m learning as much as I can, and getting all the experience that’s available while God reveals His plan a little at a time.
My heart has a passion for telling others about our savior Jesus, God has definitely laid that on me. I am just itching to share what He has done in my life over the last 3 years since giving my life at 25, bringing a new meaning to born again. I am a completely different person! When you ask the question why He has done this, I’m not sure of the answer. I wish I could give an explanation of why He has chosen me but I have no idea. Why me? Why would He entrust such a large responsibility of something like this on me? Speaking is not just speaking, its living the words that come out of my mouth, its a lifestyle. But I am honored to work for God, no matter the circumstance, and have promised to Him to use my life in anyway He wants. I wrote a letter to God on resume paper, because I wanted it to be written on the best thing I had in the house, to use me anyway He wanted. That my life was His to mold, mature and change into what He needed me to be. A month later I was diagnosed with bone cancer. Wow, at 27 years of age, I had cancer! He took my words I had promised to Him and put them to the test. Without writing a 20 page paper on the things I’ve learned about God, Christ and the Holy Spirit through my journey over the last year battling cancer, I will say He has taught things that I would never take back or change in a heartbeat! I actually thanked Him for allowing cancer to happen. Who does that?!! I understand so much more and cant wait to share it with others!
God’s calling for me is women who are hurting and women who need guidance in their lives. I’ve done so much and experienced a lot of life that I can empathize with these precious souls even if I haven’t been through the same exact issue as them (cancer has helped me become empathetic and not just sympathetic). God has taught me tons about it not being about me, but being about them. He told me recently that I need to learn how to love others before I can teach them. That if my message didn’t have love, it could come off judgmental, condescending, and maybe even biased or unloving. I would never want them to feel that way, there are enough things in this world to make us feel unloved and condemned! But God knew I had to also learn what love was before I could do this, so He also taught me what love really means and man is it amazingly awesome! (I love those 2 words as you can see throughout my letter!)
I feel you should choose me because I am like a clean slate that needs painting! I need to learn everything from the beginning and my heart is in the right place. I need to attend this conference to learn how to be a leader, write, speak and think in a way that conveys God message properly. I’ve been praying that God would make a sure path for me and send me a mentor to teach me. This conference is both! I am transitioning from Concord North Carolina to Fort Rucker Alabama this month, as my husband is in the Army, and will have to find a new church and hopefully an older woman to guide me as well. I want to start with a bible study for the wives of military men once I arrive in Alabama and use this conference to help get me started.
I need all the mentoring I can get! I didn’t happen upon an email from a friend about this conference by chance, God made sure I knew about this. I am eagerly looking forward to learning all I can and not stopping until I have no other breathe in me……God didn’t turn His back on me when I was stuck in addictions to drugs and alcohol, in Iraq fighting a war, or battling cancer a day at a time, I wont be lazy and give up on sharing what He has done in my life! So please bless me in my journey by allowing me to be a part of this conference so I can speak God’s truth and help in building His kingdom!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Charlotte Trussell

I want to know this about you:

~ Your speaking dream–when it began; where it is now.
I began to feel the Lord prompting me to speak about 10 years ago. I have had several opportunities to speak and teach during the ten years that have followed. I am amazed at how the Lord choses to use a simple person like me to draw ladies to Himself. I currently spend my time teaching Bible studies in my community.

~What it is you feel God calling you to speak on: marriage? mothering? pushing past your awful past? issues for teens? surviving cancer? surviving an unwanted divorce? hospitality? true beauty? organization? I feel that the Lord would have me speak on God’s healing and transforming power in our lives in the midst of our brokenness.

What has He laid on your heart and why? God wants to heal our brokenness. Brokenness comes from so many different places. I have experienced the pain of betrayal within a family, church, and friendship, experienced loss and dealt with God saying “No” to what what I wanted so deeply. We must chose to allow the Lord to chip away the hurt until we are broken, otherwise we will become bitter. God not only wants to heal our hurts, but He wants to transform us into His image. When this happens we will see the people who hurt us as people who need the Lord and not people we view as our enemies. We will also see God as the loving, good God that He is. It all begins with a choice: bitterness or brokenness.

~Finally—and now this will be a stretch for some of you—why should I choose you to win this scholarship? We have gone through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace. We are trying to become debt free. The cost of the conference is not in the budget this year and using a credit card is not an option when reducing debt.

Why do you want to attend? I have wanted to attend for the last 3 years, but is hasn’t panned out. I would love the experience of attending so I can become better equipped at doing what the Lord has called me to do.

What do you want to learn? I would like to learn how to be a more effective communicator, how the process of publishing a piece works, and anything else that will help me on this journey of edifying other women.

How do you hope it will assist you in your quest to serve God through speaking? I want to be able to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He choses big or small. I feel that this conference will help me to be a better teacher and leader by encouraging me to strive for excellence and equipping me in ways that I may not be aware that I need.

Thank you for offering this opportunity.
Tasha

~ I think my dream to speak and share what the Lord has done for me began when I truly realized that all the pain I went through while growing up was worth it if I could help others. I had stopped being angry about it. I started thinking ‘I would go through it again if it will help others’. I came to this revelation while I was helping with the children’s after care at the church my husband and I attended. I had the young kids lined up to kick a ball. After each child kicked the ball I had them all clap and yell and encourage. When one of the little girls got up, the others started talking to each other and she kicked the ball and all the girls kept talking and did not clap or yell. The ‘kicker’ stood there with her eyes down cast. I could tell she was waiting for everyone to clap and yell for her. I got all the girls clapping for her. She started beaming. I realized then, that if I hadn’t gone through what I went through, I would have missed that and that little girl needed that. It was time to take the focus off me.

~ Generally speaking, the Lord wants to use me to speak on inner emotional healing. My primary focus would be teenagers/young adults- although it really could be anyone. I came from divorced parents blaming myself for so many years. I never ‘belonged’. My grandmother raised me. She took care of me but not my emotional needs. I never heard ‘I love you’ from her or my aunts and uncles. I learned to be a perfect kid because I was scared I would get kicked out (not understanding why my parents originally left). I turned to food. I also turned to hurting myself. I would rub my wrist on a wall until it bled- this eventually turned to cutting. I did this so I wouldn’t hurt inside. I did what I had to at the time to survive. I now have the Lord and He has taught me that I can go to him. He has done so much healing in my life because I allowed Him to. Healing can be and was a very painful experience for me. But, it is well worth it. Currently he is working on my food issues- and guess what book He is using? Yes, Made to Crave! He knows what needs to be healed and when. It is in His time not mine or anyone else’s. Oh yeah, I haven’t cut in about 4 years!! I am 45 years old.

~ Why pick me? The fact that I am even trying shows healing! I do have something to share. I have shared only twice and oh was it hard. I shared at a jail with a group of wonderful women. Women that have made a lot of bad choices, but they are loved by God nevertheless. I also shared during ‘coffee house’ at our current church. It is really hard to share because the enemy tries to cover me in shame, but I want all people to know that I may look ‘perfect’ like I got my life together, but we as humans share the feelings of inadequacy and wanting to fit in and wanting above all to be loved. No one can do anything to make God love us more or less. Oh He may not like what we are doing, but it never changes His love for us. I have learned to trust him. I think I have a lot to share- God’s healing love. I believe by attending this conference I can gain more tools for speaking, more confidence and knowledge that I am on the right path. I thank you for your time and allowing me to share myself.
Lisa Sanders

Dear Karen,

The best and most rewarding career anyone could have is with God, and with a Godly career, the rewards last forever!

She Speaks – Why would I like to be considered for a Scholarship to attend the conference? I want to make a difference, one person at a time, hopefully for me, one child in poverty at a time! I have recently become an Advocate for Compassion International, and trust me; the work does not stop there. There is training to complete, events to work, and the passion to make a change in some child’s life.

Last year I attended “She Speaks” as a novice! I was able to sell cookbooks to raise money in order to attend. Imagine that! I felt like it was truly a calling from God. When I left the conference I still did not know where my calling was. Was it in writing, speaking, leading ministry?

As I drove the seven hours home, God spoke to me. Compassion International! God wanted me to focus on Compassion International. It finally seemed so clear to me, after all I had been sponsoring a little girl from the Philippines for over a year and I am on the Compassion web site every chance I get! As a matter of fact, the last night at She Speaks we watched a Compassion video and packets of children in poverty were spread out all over the tables. I had become quite close to two of the girls there and my testimony about why I chose Compassion and what I had experienced with Kris Ann (the little girl I sponsor) was enough for both of them to choose a child to sponsor! They have loved every minute of it, just like I have.

This is the year I want to take that step in faith and speak to every Church, every organization, every person I see about Compassion. I would love to be considered for a scholarship due to the fact I want coaching, training, modeling, and encouragement. I want to be equipped to stand up and speak!

All these I can receive at She Speaks!

I thank God every day that He led me to Proverbs 31. I am devoted to reading the daily devotions, as well as clicking on each of their blogs, praying about it and acting upon it. This group of women has changed my direction in life. I want to share with the world the Godly behavior I have become to live and soon the world will realize it is the only way to live!

I consider myself to be a “Godly” older woman at the age of 57. I try everyday to present myself to the Lord by living life the way He wants me to according to the Bible. I believe every teacher must live what they teach. Their walk must speak louder than their talk! I believe a “speaker for the Lord” must be a woman whose character is noticed and prompts other people to examine their own lives and seek to emulate her joy, her peace, her walk in the Spirit in evident and practical ways.

Getting the experience to attend “She Speaks” again will bring me closer to allowing me the opportunity to begin fulfilling my dream. I have a good life, intimately, emotionally, and spiritually, but the desire is there to do more. More of Him, less of Me!

I have the desire to open the eyes and ears of the need to sponsor, adopt, nurture, children in poverty. Our life here in the United States is royalty compared to what these children that live in poverty. It is all about the choices and the way we choose to live our life. My long-term goal is geared towards being useful to God.

“She Speaks” is a wonderful learning experience with the best Christian speakers and authors to be found. I am subscribed to the “Next Step Speaker Services” and I am continually learning. I would like to be considered for the scholarship because when God calls me to step out in faith, I want to be ready!

Thank you for this opportunity and God Bless!

Kelly

Karen, I believe my passion to speak has been inside of me every since I was a child. I just never knew it was for the Lord. I knew one day I would be called to do things. I thought I would be someone famous. I had big dreams. I was not raised in the church. I was told about Jesus but that is where it stopped. Then one day I came and met my Savior when I was twenty six years old. And that day when I got off my knees my life did a complete 360. I became so in love with Jesus. I could not understand how I made it the past 26 years of my life. And I have a past of abuse and neglect. Even when I did not know him or serve him he was there. HE WAS THERE! But more importantly I have such excitement inside of me and passion for God. Eleven years ago when I was saved people told me that my fire would die I was just like that because I was so new in Christ. I tell you this I am still on fire for the Lord today just as much if not more today than I was then. The only difference is now I am not scaring people anymore about the love of Christ. I have learned to control myself.
You ask what it is I feel God is calling me to speak about. I ask myself that question everyday. I have been married for 20years this June. And I share a lot of wisdom to the woman in my life that I cross paths with. I believe God comes first then My husband then my children. Then everything else will fall in place. I work with teens often and I also have two teenagers. So that is a area that is very close to me. Also I have a very hurtful past. And God has healed me from it. Another area is children I work as a 2nd grade teacher and my passion for our children and them learning the love of God is so important. I have never spoke at a formal event, but when I do speak at things whatever it be a meeting with teens or with coworkers or even in church when God calls me out to go and ask the pastor if I can share a testimony. It is one of the most natural things I have ever done. I enjoy it so much almost every time I finish I feel guilty. Because I enjoyed it. I call it my sweet spot. So right now my speaking is at school with my students. In chapel with our elementary. At church, bible study with teens. And whenever and where ever God calls me to even if it means Wal-Mart.
I want to attend this conference with every fiber in my body. I want to learn how to use this gift God has given me to bless those I cross paths with. I want to and need to learn how to get started. I know what I have been given and I can not hold it back and just sit it on a shelf and expect that things are going to be given to me. God gave this passion to me to run with. I have my feet on the ground and they are trying to go as fast as they can but I need your help. I need to come to this conference and I need to meet you and be given a part of wisdom so I can grow. And spread Gods word and love and joy to others. Then they will be able to grow and do the same.

Be Blessed My Dear Sister in the Lord.
Ursula

I am so excited about this scholarship opportunity. And, I’m not excited for me, but rather for my best friend. In fact, I am commenting to nominate her for the scholarship to attend She Speaks. Her name is Wendy and she and I have a ministry together (www.afterthemiracle.com). She and I started our ministry in 2009 as an online ministry offering daily devotions and blogs. Last year, we wrote and led our first Bible Study and we are starting our speaking ministry this year (we have our first speaking engagement on April 9th). Our ministry and our friendship emerged from a period of hardship in both of our lives. In 2008, I was pregnant and doctors recommended that I terminate the pregnancy because our baby had no kidneys, among a host of other problems and I had a condition that made continuing with the pregnancy very dangerous for me. My husband and I prayerfully decided to continue with the pregnancy despite all of the medical recommendations that we terminate the pregnancy. We endured a very long 4 months of waiting for the birth of our child, not knowing exactly what to expect. Doctors were very pessimistic and cautioned us to expect the absolute worst at delivery. Contrary to what they expected, our baby was born healthy and Isabella Grace is almost 3 years old today (you can read her full story at http://www.afterthemiracle.com/IsabellasStory.html . As you can imagine, the event changed my life. It was as if God came down and showed himself to me so clearly and I started feeling that I must do something with this miracle. At the time, I was a college professor at Johns Hopkins University and I began feeling as if I was being called by God to something else. I just didn’t know exactly what.

On the heels of that miracle, my friend Wendy endured the trial of her life that resulted in her entire life being turned upside down. I will spare a lot of the details here, but God created a magnificent friendship when he placed Wendy & me in each other’s lives to endure Isabella’s pregnancy and then the trial she faced in 2009. Through her trial, our hearts became one and we began feeling as if we were both being called to do something with our experiences. And in 2009, we found ourselves sitting in a restaurant talking about everything that we had both faced and how we had to share our stories of how God had been faithful and had comforted us in our darkest hour. II Corinthians 1: 3-4 became our verse: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

In September of 2009, we launched our online ministry, After the Miracle (www.afterthemiracle.com). And in 2010, I resigned my position as a college professor at Johns Hopkins University to work on this ministry full time. Our website was created to be a forum where we share our lives, our struggles, and our relationships with Jesus Christ in our journeys after the miracle. And we are currently writing Bible Studies that we lead in our community.

We are now expanding our ministry into a speaking ministry and we would like to attend She Speaks in July in order to learn more about building an effective speaking ministry and the techniques needed to properly communicate our message. My best friend is an amazing woman of God. In addition to being my partner in ministry, she is also the wife of a Pastor. And I watch her daily minister to the women of our church with love and grace. She is truly a Proverbs 31 woman and I am honored to call her my friend and my ministry partner.

While she has experience in ministry and I have experience in speaking as a college professor, both of us need training in Christian Women Speaking. And she and I have been watching the Proverbs 31 website for 6 months waiting for this year’s conference to open registration. Unfortunately, her family lives on a tight budget (Pastors salaries aren’t very high in our area) and She Speaks may be a little expensive for her to attend. But, I believe that there is no one more deserving than she is to attend this conference and to receive this scholarship. As the wife of a pastor, she gives to others so much. I would love to see her receive this scholarship gift for her faithful service to others.

So, I would absolutely love it if you could offer my best friend and ministry partner the scholarship to attend. If she could go for free, then I would happily pay full price for mine. For us to be to able to attend this together would be amazing and I believe very important to the development of our speaking ministry. I love my best friend very much and I would love to see her receive this scholarship so that we can both develop our speaking skills so that we can tell others the message that God has given us. He has been so good and so faithful to us through so many trials and we simply want to share with others how God is all powerful and is faithful in our darkest hours. And, as we continue to journey through life after the miracle, we plan to share with women how our relationships with Jesus Christ are what get us through every hopeless situation. God was faithful during the miracle and continues to be faithful after the miracle.

- Your speaking dream–when it began; where it is now.
I realized I was good at talking when I was in college because my sorority always voted me “Best Rusher”…this was before I was saved. In 2007, my pastor asked me to talk at our Easter service and as I was walking up to the stage, God give me a vision that he’d use my life experiences for good just like Genesis 50:20 promises. That some day I’d be speaking about Jesus and what he saved me from and the fire he’s placed in my heart for a hurting world.

- What is it you feel God calling you to speak on
Currently I have a TWEEN group of girls that meet at my house on a regular basis. Many of these girls do not go to church. I put together lessons and speak to them each week about Jesus and what He means to me. (And, of course we do a little craft ) I want them to know there is more to life than what this world offers. That God loves them so much and has amazing plans for each of them. Teaching tweens encompasses getting over my past, Knowing God before Needing God, surviving my sister’s death of brain cancer, moving many times… I use my life and teach them where Jesus has met me every time and his amazing love.

why should you choose me to win this scholarship?
I want to learn. I know God is calling me and I feel like I am being obedient by having my TWEEN group. I get excited about scripture – I love bible study – I love learning more and more about Jesus. I care so much about teenage girls, I just want them to have the TRUTH!

Thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions. I will be praying for you – there are some amazing stories on your blog. Made me so grateful for an amazing God just reading them. God bless – I hope you have an amazing conference.

Good evening Karen and thanks for this great chance to win a She Speaks Scholarship as well as sharing my “speaking journey”.
Well, to be honest your personal testimony pretty much sums up who I am. I came out talking, and remember my grandma teling me when I was a little girl that if I talked too much I could lose my voice before I grew up. She then sent me on my way to try it out but after 5 minutes I realized that being quiet was not for me and continued on talking.
I figured this was a risk I was willing to take and I am glad I did because I now have something worth talking about – my personal testimony of our Lords hope, love and faithfullness for each and everyone of us to know Him as their savior and Almighty Father.
My journey began with a dream of becoming a mother and then experiencing seven years of infertility, as well as three failed adoptions.
Little did I know through all this unbelieveable heartache the Lord would reveal Himself to me in many ways so that one day my journey would be used to give hope and encourage others who may be going through a trial of their own kind.
And it is only through the grace of God that I made it through my trial and witnessand my miracle, actually two little miracles. Miracle one through the gift of adoption and miracle two through childbirth (and no infertility treatments!).
Thankfully I have had the oppurtunity to speak before small and large groups about my experience but definitely feel that I am ready to take it another step.
I know in my heart that one does not go through what I went through to sit silent and not share Gods amazing power that is still alive and well today and you can see it my little miracles of life.
Who by the way…love talking too

I’m standing in front of an all-male audience. All of them are wearing government issued guns and badges, and some have tasers. Most are older than me, and I have to teach them about insurance fraud. Daunting task? You betcha! You know what is in my favor? I’m the cute girl in the room. Granted, I’m the only female in the room, but I choose to say as I was the cute one. Within fifteen minutes, I have established my credentials and why I have the knowledge to teach, and the rest of my class goes smoothly. They are attentive and responsive.

Now, I’m called on to speak to women and to teach women. I may appear calm on the outside, but on the inside I’m bouncing off the walls. I’m not the only female in the room. Some of them have more experience and credentials than I do to teach and to speak, so what in the world do I do now? I teach. I speak. I’m offered more opportunities, but something is still missing.

Last year was my second year to attend She Speaks, but my first time to try some of the speaker track. It was amazing! It was affirming, and the information was so incredibly practical and useful. The difference in speaking to law enforcement about insurance fraud (which is my daytime job) and speaking to women in ministry (the calling God has on my life) is that women want an emotional connection. DUH! Why didn’t I see that before? Can you imagine the look on the guys faces if I tried to elicit an emotional connection to them about insurance fraud?! I would lose credibility, plus run the risk of being tasered. Know what I got when I spoke to women without an emotional connection to them? Agreement without action.

After attending some of the speaker classes, I participated in the speaker evaluation groups last year. My speaker group leader was Charlene Kidd, and after telling me she thought my teaching was anointed, she encouraged me to come again and take the speaker track. I cannot tell you how that affirmed in me the belief that God has a calling on my life to teach women and encourage women in their walk with Christ. I see women, who teach the Word of God, and I have that desire and passion, but I don’t think I ever really thought it would be something attainable.

I want women to see God in the everyday things. I want women to have that intimate, personal, rich relationship with their Savior, the Lover of their Souls. I want women to know their worth comes from their Creator who made them fearfully and wonderfully and for a purpose. I want women to know that living an authentic, Christian life requires us to grow deeper, to get to the meat and suck the marrow out of every word that is in the Word of God. Women need to know that God’s Love Letter to them is waiting on them to pick it up and read it and live it. I want women to know they matter to Jesus Christ.

Since last year’s conference, I’ve started teaching an all women’s small group on Sunday mornings. I spoke at our Christmas event, but I know there is much more for me to learn. I desire greatly to learn more, so I can help effect change in the lives of women and encourage women. For me this year, cost is a factor. My ten-year old daughter has an opportunity to go on a mission trip with our church that will require my attendance because the mission is in El Salvador. I truly believe she has a heart for missions and believe the sooner I can give her that taste into missions, it will confirm in her heart the calling God has on her life. Whatever funds I would have used to come to She Speaks will be put towards this mission trip because for me the most important young woman-to-be is my daughter. A scholarship would allow me to pursue my dream as well.

If I were to win a scholarship this year, I need to learn focus or how to put together a platform. How do I channel this passion into something useable for the glory of God? It’s a powerful thing, and I want to be a good steward of the talents and gifts He’s given me.

Thank you for considering me for the Speaker Track Scholarship.

Dear Karen,

I never had a dream to be a speaker…I get so nervous when the light is solely on me, to the point that in three piano recitals I completely blanked and stopped playing. I never had a dream to be a writer…I barely passed English in high school and never finished college. I never had a dream to be a pastor’s wife…I grew up in the church and saw what that was like (so I thought). No, I had a dream to be a professional snowboarder. You don’t need a degree or people skills to do that. You just need a lot of passion, devotion, and a lack of thinking. You jump and don’t look back. You fall, but get right back up. You don’t quit, even when it hurts (literally).
It is amazing to me how God knows so precisely our needs and what I can barely comprehend is how He meets our needs every time. He used my dream to mold me into the clay He needed to work with and then when I became hard and dry, He broke me. But with His tender and loving touch, He picked up all the pieces, pressed me together and began to pour His water on me washing me with His Word and continues to mold me into the vessel He had all along.
I am a pastor’s wife with two young boys. I love Jesus, love my husband, raise my kids in Jesus, take care of my home, and I have a passion to teach young girls about purity. I have written a book with my husband and we have a purity conference called “Rethink Purity” that many churches have hosted. This is not your average purity conference, especially since you need to go to http://www.ihatepurityconferences.com to get more information. You see what I have found is that I have a boring testimony…I mean the snowboarding is exciting, but when it comes to purity, I am one who never had a boyfriend and I waited. My life was easy before I was saved. I wasn’t a threat. Since I committed my life to Christ, my life has been more painful and difficult then I ever would have imagined, but I know that my strength comes only from Christ, He will see me through, and at the end of the day, it’s completely worth it.
I now have more passion than I even knew possible, BUT because of my lack of interest in school and my “lack of thinking” (since I didn’t need that for my “dream”), I face some challenges. I would love to be able to attend the 2011 She Speaks conference to be trained and taught how to use my passion in this unique way. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Hi Karen-

(Your speaking dream–when it began; where it is now.)
My speaking dream began approximately 15 years ago, shortly after I got saved. I believe that God birthed in me, not only new life, but a desire to speak for HIM. I really didn’t understand what it was HE was doing in me, but I have seen it grow and grow and grow every year since. I, finally, attend a SheSpeaks Conference in 2006/2007 (don’t have the exact year with me) and was encouraged and excited by what I learned in that conference. Unfortunately, I have let things get in my way since. I have done a few small speaking engagements in my local church and I am a leader of a teen small group and I am heavily involved with our Calvary Youth Group (teens). However, I still feel and believe that God wants me to speak. This year has been a banner year for me, as I have discovered the area in which HE wants me to speak, youth. Teens inspire me, as well as break my heart…they energize me, as well as exasperate my energy. I don’t want to be away from them, I want to help teach them, I want to help guide them…I have a desire to help them grow in the Lord. Reading some of the emails, blogs, comments has made me realize that I am waiting for God to…when I should be taking action. Seeing that you and several others are giving away scholarships has encouraged me to apply for a scholarship to see if I am supposed to be attending this year’s conference. (My 22 yr old daughter is graduating from college in May, so money is tight this year.)

(What it is you feel God calling you to speak on: marriage? mothering? pushing past your awful past? issues for teens? surviving cancer? surviving an unwanted divorce? hospitality? true beauty? organization? What has He laid on your heart and why?)
Topics of discussion/teaching…well let me just say this…there is no topic I wouldn’t speak on…if I don’t know much about it, I will study it until I do. One real pain in my heart for teens is relationships/sex…the whys, whens, why nots, etc.

(Finally—and now this will be a stretch for some of you—why should I choose you to win this scholarship? Why do you want to attend? What do you want to learn? How do you hope it will assist you in your quest to serve God through speaking?)
I don’t know that I was fully prepared to attend the SheSpeaks Conference in 2006/2007. I learned alot, but allowed the enemy to quiet some of the passion I felt speaking (you know, the normal – your not capable, your not worthy, your not the kind of person that can speak in front of a crowd). God has finally gotten me to a place where I am striking out more and I believe that this year’s conference would help me to develop the confidence and skills that I need to step out even more in faith to be the speaking vessel for God!!!

Thanks for the opportunity to convince you that I should be selected for/awarded this scholarship. I love Proverbs 31 Ministry and can’t wait to see what God has in store!!

Renee’ Hines

Where did the dream begin? It began when I was seventeen years old. God was doing a mighty work in my heart and I had my first real worship experience. I walked away from that with tears streaming down my face knowing I had to tell other women how good God is. Since that time God has been preparing me for ministry. He has been refining my heart. My prayer has been that God would use my story to share healing with others. I am turning 30 this year and the refining process has been long and hard and I am not even done yet…I am stubborn ok?
What do I want to speak about? I would love to tell women about the healing and restoration that God brings. He has healed me personally from sexual abuse, from neglect and abandonment. God took my very broken family and restored it completely. It is nothing short of a miracle. I cannot not share this with women. They have to know the hope and healing God wants to give them. The process of healing is hard and sometimes painful but always worth it!
why should I get the scholarship?
I am no more worthy than any other woman applying for this scholarship. However it would greatly benefit me as I am a stay at home mom who home schools…AHHHH!!! We are living off of one income and while my husband has agreed to send me to the conference I know this would be a great relief for him to not have to pay the full amount. If I could bless him with this it would make my heart sing.
I know God will give this to who needs it most. But I hope it is me because I would love to sit at that meal and chat it up with you. I love hearing other women’s testimonies!

Cinderella said, “A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep,” but my dream of teachng women happens when I am wide awake! As a little girl, I dreamed of being a teacher. Throughout college I pursued my teaching degree and taught pre-Alegbra my first year out of college. But as I marked off state standards and wrestled through textbooks, I wanted something more. I didn’t just want to impart knowledge on topics like adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers, I wanted to teach the Word of God. In 2004, I attended a ministry training institute that equipped me to study the Word well. It was during this year that God called me to speak to and teach women. I now speak at various small scale women’s events and lead a women’s small group in my home. Last year I launched a women’s conference called Discover: Finding Your Identity, Significance and Purpose in Jesus Christ. I love helping them break the chains of societal standards and find freedom in Christ alone.
Last year I attended She Speaks, and it equipped me to take the next step in my career. This year I am ready for more. I have a passion and a drive to always better myself and to glean from women who have gone before me. I want to do all I can to learn to communicate the Word of God accurately and in an way that motivates others to take action. She Speaks is the perfect avenue to fulfill this desire. If chosen for this scholarship, I will let this conference be a springboard that launches the Word of God into the hearts of women across the country. Thank you for this opportunity. God bless.

I never have been able to stop talking; being a speaker seems the most natural thing. Ironically, it took me some time to realize that speaking isn’t just something I enjoy doing. It can also serve a useful purpose and lately I’m discovering that it’s no accident I enjoy it. God, has a use for my big mouth!

I’m new to the world of professional speaking. My degree is in English and I’m an avid writer so I’m no stranger to words. I’ve been writing about my experiences with depression and anxiety for several years now but last Saturday, God gave me an opportunity to speak publicly about those experiences. My home church, The Quest in Martinez, GA, put on a mental health fair that we called Rise Above. I was one of four speakers.

Standing on a stage talking about how difficult life was growing up with a mental illness was challenging. One hundred and five people, two of them my parents, listened to me talk about how lonely I was, how hard it was when people tried to “fix” me, and why life didn’t seem worth living. But stand up there and talk about it I did because I knew it’s what God wanted me to do. You know what happened? No one hated me or said mean things. Instead, they said words like: inspirational, transparent, informative, thank you.

Since Saturday, I’ve realized that while writing about mental illness is good, it’s speaking about mental illness that’s necessary. That’s because society doesn’t mind so much when we read about these sorts of things in private but it gets very uncomfortable when we talk openly about them. It is through speaking openly about mental illness and how critical God was in my healing that I hope to challenge the status quo. With petty societal “norms” out of the way of those suffering from mental illness, they’ll find resources easier to come by and support more abundant.

Please choose me to win the scholarship. I’m eager to run down the road God has set before me, but frankly, I’m a little stumped about where to go next. I could use some expertise about how to get bookings, how to deliver a top-notch speech and how to discern God’s plan for my ministry. I believe I will find that at She Speaks.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our stories.

My dream to speak has always been there. I can’t remember a time that it wasn’t. It’s a part of me, born deep down in my soul, before I can even remember.

Growing up I was “groomed” for ministry. Always being told things like, “God is going to use you”, “The sacrifices you make now will pay off later”, “God is preparing you for a life of ministry”. I didn’t go to football games, parties or the prom. Instead I focused my attention on “Godly” things. I memorized scripture. (8 books of the Bible to be exact.) I went to church. I volunteered in the children’s ministry.

I was getting ready to “be used”.

Fast forward 15 years later. In a marriage that has been crippled by infidelity. Living in a house that isn’t mine. (I had to give my house back to the bank because we weren’t wise with our spending and when my husband lost his job, we weren’t prepared.) Working a job that I don’t love, but pays the bills. Dropping my girls off at Mom Mom’s with immense guilt because I miss spending my days with them. Abandoned by friends. Misunderstood by family. Not being used by God. Or so it seems.

Until recently, I thought my dreams were dead. Lost amidst the pain and disappointment that has defined my life over the past few years.

But recently He spoke to me. Again. Just like before. His voice was clear. My dreams aren’t dead. After all, He gave them to me. And He loves me. He will complete in detail everything He has already decided about me.

What is God calling me to speak on? Ministry, disappointment, marriage, infidelity, parenting. Me. My experiences. My story. I believe that He will use my brokenness as a platform for His promises to be revealed to others. Promises of hope, joy, and faithfulness.

Thank you so much for the opportunity. I hope that my time has arrived. If not, I will continue to patiently wait.

Wow! I must say it is truly exciting to see you give away scholarships to She Speaks! I’m truly inspired by the ministry of Proverbs 31. Their ministries devoted to helping women develop a deeper relationship with the Savior are such a blessing to me. It is my hearts desire to minister to women in a way that will help them develop their full potential for God. It is so easy to forget we have a job with eternal rewards!

For about 5 years I have been speaking a few times a year for Ladies Ministry events and facilitating group Bible studies. Last year after God’s prompting and the counsel of some of my mentors, I began pursing my Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry Leadership at Cornerstone University. The night before you posted the scholarship give away I was telling my husband all the details about the conference including the dates, costs, etc. Because we, by faith have been paying for my college out of pocket we both agreed that this year the funds we not available for me to go, but we would look at things again next year to see if She Speaks would be a possibility then.

When I’m finished with college I plan to work for a Christian organization (like Proverbs 31) or start a Non-profit organization devoted to ministering to women. Topics I love to speak about are: When we think our identity is lost & finding it in Christ, What does God think about priorities and how we can determine what ours should be, I’ve also given talks on decorating on a budget (I have a degree in Interior Design). Right now I’m learning how to inductively study Scripture – it’s fascinating! I could definitely see myself teaching these techniques to women. It’s such a gift to be able to read God’s word and discover what it means all on your own!
It is honestly my hearts desire to be at the conference this year. I have a passion for reaching women for Jesus and want to develop my skills as a communicator to become more effective. In all honesty I cannot say I deserve a scholarship anymore than the next girl only that my heart would be eternally grateful! I’m sure your job choosing an applicant will be tough! Thanks for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Julie McNatt
Breckenridge, Michigan

On a personal note – Matt & Carma are some of our dearest friends. We always say it’s always lots of fun when the Feldpausches are around! We are so grateful for their friendship.

Good Morning! My name is Mary Kay Tiller, I’m 24 and living with my husband of 8 months in a small East Texas town called Carthage. I followed my husband here from Austin so he could pursue his dream of coaching in his home town. It’s been a time of change and adjusting, but it’s been wonderful to see him so fullfilled! Recently, I have felt God suggesting perhaps it’s time I begin actively pursuing my dream:to be in women’s ministry as a full time speaker.

God called me to speaking and teaching in 10th grade, when I was given the opportunity to speak to my church’s junior high youth group. It was as if God reached down and flicked a switch in my heart, I have had a passion for speaking ever since! Two years later, God revealed a little more of His plan for me. While working at a summer camp, alongside an amazing group of Christian women, I began to see that my gift was to be used to encourage women as they live for the Lord.

I was given an opportunity my junior year of college to serve my Christian sorority as Chaplain. In this position, I was able to speak/teach every Monday night during our meeting. It was a time of joy, stress, growth and confirmation.I often miss that crazy time in my life!

Currently, I am working for a nonprofit as a teen abstinence and relationship educator. I love speaking in schools about purity and what love truly means, but I have not yet received an opportunity to speak in a women’s ministry setting.

My greatest desire is to share the joy I have found in a life lived through Christ with women around the world, through encouraging messages that inspire change and lots of prayer! So while I do not feel God has given me a specialty yet,every talk I develop is based on that mission, whether the topic is contentment, needing God, or being spiritually disiciplined.

Why should I receive this scholarship? I have so much I want to learn about being an effective speaker!! I know I can stand on a stage and share a message from my heart, but I want to inspire hearts and change lives! This takes training, and the SheSpeaks conference would be a game-changer for me. I am aware of my weaknesses as a speaker, but have no place to gain an honest critique and learn ways to develop them into strengthens. I don’t know the first thing about marketing myself and while I trust the Lord will open doors in His own time, I am lost as to what to do after He does! I have so much to learn, and am so eager to be given the chance to experience what God has planned for me using the abilities and passion He has placed in my heart. Thank you for this opportunity and for your consideration! I hope you have a great rest of the day!

Karen:

Thank you for allowing other the opportunity to articulate their dreams, live their priorities, and love their lives through this “contest”.

My name is Amberly Neese. I am a speaker, humorist, author, pastor’s wife, mother, teacher, and consumer of cookie dough. I speak to thousands each year at various retreats, conferences, camps, and events. My dream is to have God broaden my platform to include other parts of the country; my dream is to be a national speaker. Since so much of my “PR” is word-of-mouth, I speak most west of Texas.

My heart has always been to encourage others to laugh and live out loud and to remind those whom God has allowed in my life that Jesus came to give us an ABUNDANT life.

I am no different than all the other wonderful ladies who have expressed an interest in this scholarship. I love Jesus. I love people. I will be a good steward of the information I glean at the conference, if selected.

Again, having the chance to express dreams, even on a blog, has made us all winners. Thank you.

Blessings! Amberly

Thank you for this opportunity, Karen. If it’s allowed, I would give the scholarship to my 18 year old daughter, Cassi. We plan on attending the conference together. Her dream of speaking/teaching began in her mid-teens. She is in Bible college and has a very strong call on her life to teach God’s Word. Her passion inspires me! She feels called to speak to the down and out, to the forgotten, as well as speak truth to her generation. She currently volunteers at a homeless shelter & prison ministry. I believe you should pick her because there is a younger generation out there that needs to see the love & compassion of God from some of their own. This conference would equip her with the tools to match her passion. I can’t wait to see what the Lord is going to do with her life. Thank you so much for your consideration.

Karen, I’m sitting here in tears after reading what all these women have written. I am overwhelmed with encouragement that all these women (sisters-in-Christ) have the same heart’s desire in serving our Lord Jesus Christ…through a speaking ministry. All of us are uniquely diverse but woven together by our love for Christ and our love for others.

Each morning, I pray to be the vessel of God’s love that day to someone who is hurting. Sometimes it is for my own children or my husband. Other times, it’s showing love to a person whose name I don’t even know.

Whether I am speaking to a group or just one person, my desire is that I am effective for the Kingdom. Attending the “She Speaks” conference would help to fine tune the gifts God has already given me, but I think more than that, attending the conference with the women whose comments I just read, would allow me to experience a unity in sisterhood that I’ve never experienced. Our church does not have a Women’s minstry team so I often feel like I am operating alone.

My ministry verse is Col.2:2…that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love. I often speak to women about marriage and motherhood, but my passion lies in uniting women together through the bond of Christ. When women feel connected and love, they are able to do great things.

Karen, I know that if God wants me at the She Speaks Conference…He will get me there!

Karen,

My journey started with absolute horror—the complete and total repulsion from the idea of every speaking in front of anyone. As a child, I was utterly embarrassed to talk in front of anyone—most especially a room full of people. I was so content to be unheard that my siblings were consistently asked whether or not I was mute.

Strangely enough, I went to college professing that I wanted to be a “speaker.” I don’t even know where the words came from! I feel confident that I didn’t know what I was saying. Yet somehow, God had the words on my lips before I understood what they meant. I knew I wanted to serve the Lord, and yet speaking has never been comfortable for me at all.

After college, God opened many doors for me in writing. And still being content to be heard but not seen, I gladly took every opportunity. Over the years, I have said much without being seen at all. But just this past week, I was asked to speak for a women’s day retreat (my first ever), because of my writing. So, full-circle, God brings me back to what He put in my heart years earlier—speaking. And yet I still feel uncomfortable about it.

I am confident, however, that where the Lord calls us, He equips us. I am committed to speaking for Him, even if I’m afraid to do it. I so desire to obey the Lord and not hold back what others need to hear about Him. But I would be so blessed and encouraged to learn from others how to speak better.

I feel God’s calling me to speak to women on the topic of fear—the fear of the unknown. I desire to help women better understand the Scripture so they can combat the lies of the enemy—an enemy that would attack their knowledge of and trust in the Lord. Because fear has been such an issue for me, I have much to share with others.

I desire to be encouraged on this journey of speaking worthy words for the Lord. I know Proverbs 31’s conference holds high standards of excellence in equipping women to accomplish what God’s calling them to. It would be an honor to learn from those on the speakers track. Thanks for the opportunity to try for a scholarship. Janine

My speaking dream began at the last session of our church’s ladies bible study in the fall of 2008. We had just finished the bible study “Walking by Faith” by Jennifer Rothschild. I was so moved at the end of it that during the closing prayer time we were asked just to bask in God’s love and spend some time loving on him. As I did, I felt this overwhelming pull to share this bible study with a ladies group. In obedience I said okay in my spirit, but then came the question where? I then felt compelled to call a church in NC that I had close ties with to ask if I could come share this study with the ladies of the church. The leadership agreed and knew the ladies would enjoy having something special just for them. This is a church that is small and doesn’t have a real organized ladies ministry per se. After the initial call that evening, I then proceeded to figure out how I was going to pay the money for the video set and books and if the ladies would even be able to afford the books. The Lord set events in motion where I shared in passing with our Ladies Ministry Coordinator that I was taking the study that she had just completed to a church in NC. I never mentioned my dilemma concerning money for the materials, but in our conversation she offered assistance with the resources needed. The study was done at the church in NC in the Spring of 2009. I drove 2 hours every Sunday afternoon after our church let out on Sunday Morning for 7 weeks to share and lead in the bible study. This was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever experienced. After the 7-week study, testimonies from every lady that attended poured in of how the study had ministered in different areas of each lady’s life. From this experience, my hunger to see ladies grow in their relationship with the Lord has grown. Even during the preparation for facilitating the “Walking by Faith” study the Lord was giving me ideas and thoughts for future studies to be led.

Since that initial 7-weeks of facilitating, I have led 2 bible study sessions at my home church and have spoken at an area churches ladies event. I feel God is calling me to speak on subjects that will encourage ladies to step into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Inspiring ladies to fall in love with God’s word in essence will result in a deeper love for God. There is a burning desire to see women move into that depth, a place where they can experience revelation, fulfillment, and abundance in their spiritual lives which will inevitably affect their daily lives in a positive way.

I would like to be chosen to win this scholarship so that I can gain knowledge on public speaking techniques and to meet others who are in various stages of public speaking. I want to learn how to give a great presentation. My hope is that going to this conference will assist me in my quest to serve God through public speaking by allowing me to gain knowledge from other women with the same calling.

Hi Karen,

Thank you for this opportunity and for sharing your own journey so vulnerably as you lead us onward!

As a nineteen-year-old girl I volunteered to be a counselor at a youth camp. While sitting in the audience that week, God told me there was a place on the stage for me. For almost twenty years, I waited for somebody to see that gifting in me because I couldn’t dare to believe it myself. After nearly twenty years of writing in obscurity and crafting messages in my head, God healed me enough to know He means what He says. Then the speaking engagements started coming. That was three years ago. As the speaking engagements started coming, I realized I need training to become an excellent speaker. I want to deliver this message God has entrusted to me in a worthy way.

Today I am updating my blog and working on a bio sheet to distribute to churches and MOPS groups. I am connecting with other women in ministry and diligently praying and crafting my message. I plan to bring a book proposal to She Speaks this year and I want you to ask me about it over dinner. (There’s some accountability!) God has also recently given me vision about launching a ministry to women touched by cancer.

I want to encourage women to find Him everyday through His Word. When we can see God in our ordinary, we can see Him in the not-so-ordinary parts of life. Finding God in my ordinary prepared me to find God in cancer last year. I long to help the many women who feel lost in their ordinary so they won’t feel forgotten in their crises. I want to help them find Christ in cancer or any crisis.

Winning a scholarship would be a great help to me this year with the mountains of medical bills. You should pick me because Jesus tells you to and for no other reason! I am praying for you (with my fingers crossed)!

What a great question … most women might know just WHEN their speaking dream began … I never had one! Actually, I was frightened to death to speak in front of people and would have paid any one almost any amount of money to do my speeches for me because I was a quaking, shaking mess at even the thought of standing in front of a group of people, not to mention having to open my mouth and speak a word.

But in 1992 I was diagnosed with a muscular disease and my life drastically changed … several people must have realized I had a story to tell because several people began to ask me to “tell my story”. At first it was a horrible thought but the story of what God had done through my struggles wasn’t about me, it was about Him, which made it easier. I attended an Oregon Women’s Conference in the spring of 1992 when I felt a compelling tug to ask the main speaker how she did what she did: speaking to all these women with calm assurance. It was beyond my scope to believe I might be where she was some day. She told me to forget about self and speak what the women need to hear—that was the key. For years that idea lay dormant. I told my story here and there to small groups of women but there was still the paralyzing fear, nerves, and hours of preparations to speak for 15-20 minutes. It was often very pathetic really.

Throughout the next 15 years, God continued to teach me so much and I felt a compelling love for women and saw the need for them to really know God and love people with passion and authenticity. Then in 2004, He launched me into a discipleship ministry where I began to disciple younger women. In 2008 this turned into a mentoring ministry (Grow with Me) in our church where I began to teach and train women to mentor younger women. Today I teach 12-week classes both Spring and Fall semester and have no greater joy than to sit before groups of women and impart to them the things God has personally taught me over the past 50 plus years of walking with Him; the bases of a successful mentoring relationship begins with KNOWING GOD and goes on to LOVING PEOPLE. This is what I teach and what I’m passionate for women to grasp. I truly understand what it means to “forget about self and speak what the women need to hear”.

Well, Karen, isn’t this the hardest part …? Convincing you to choose me … first, I’m hoping you’ll appreciate my story about a reluctant speaker turned passionate to speak about KNOWING GOD and LOVING PEOPLE but even more to meet you and so many other gifted women and gain from their experience and skills in being more effective in the ministry God has called me to. My friend Reiko Wright (who was my first mentee in 2004 has gone on to be a Women’s Ministry Director in Las Vegas) attended She Speaks last year and has not stopped talking about it and recommending that I go ever since. My ministry, Grow with Me Ministries, has just become an independent non-profit ministry as of December 2010 and is not in a position to send me this year so my goal was to attend in 2012 … then, I began to receive the scholarship announcements. So, my assistant “applied” for the first one by blogging on my behalf; but yours caught my eye today, particularly because it has never been my dream to speak but God has “done far beyond what I could ask or imagine” in both calling and equipping me. My hope by attending is to be mutually encouraged by other women who have walked the road of speaking before me … to share their passion, hopes, desires, and wealth of wisdom … as well as to share my journey with those who are just beginning … to encourage them by my story. Hope to meet you in July 22-24 2011 at She Speaks Conference!!!

Thank you, Karen, for this opportunity!
Hugs,
joy

In high school, I always evisioned myself speaking messages of hope to people in some sort of capacity. Then, I started having these dreams. I have been speaking in front of people in my dreams for about 15 years now. Not figuratively, but my literal dreams. The funny thing is that there are times when I have these “preaching” dreams and I deliver full blown sermons about things I have never thought of with my eyes open. And I’ve wondered, “God, what are you trying to tell me?”
In college after bouncing to several different schools and changing my major many times I found my niche in Speech Communications. I spoke at a few local events, but about the time I began to think that those dreams might have meant something, my body began to go haywire. After delivering my first debate in class, some members of the college debate team approached me about joining. I really wanted to do it, but my body was crazy. One minute I would be fine and the next throwing up in the bathroom down the hall. I turned them down. Everything I ate made me sick and I began to have to pull back on normal daily activities. I tried managing it, but after the birth of my triplets in 2004, it began to take over my life. I had to accommodate a monster and still no one could figure it out. How could I speak a message of hope when I had none myself? I couldn’t function long enough to even hold a normal job, much less committ to speak at an event on someone else’s schedule.

Last year I fearfully left my corner to attend She Speaks. I felt like God wanted me there. I felt like healing for me was in that place. I went on the writer’s track and learned so much. Yet, every time I met someone from the speaker’s track, I felt a pang of sorrow wash over me. I knew that “I could do that,” but my body would not let me do that. I thought about how brave everyone on the speaker track must be, because for me, just the ability to leave my bathroom was a stretch. Every time I saw one of you on stage delivering your messages of hope, I felt energized and I saw myself doing that. But, I would remember my illness and realize it just couldn’t happen.
Well, God met me at She Speaks last year. I just completed my 6th surgery in 5 years. I am no longer in the darkness in regards to my illness. Apparently, out of control hormones, a low thyroid, abdominal adhesions, gluten sensitivity, and a bad gallbladder were all making me sick together. I have been praying for years that if God didn’t want me to do this, that he would take away the desire. But, He has only continued to confirm to me that my “preaching dreams” weren’t crazy. He’s been building my character and readying me to carry out His purposes for my speaking and writing ministry.

But, I need help. I know God has called me to help women stand on the promises of God. I know He has called me to tell other’s about the healing ministry of Christ. I know He has called me to tell others about how He is personal and wants to be involved in the details of every believer’s life. And the pinnacle belief of my testimony that I want to share is that God is good, even when circumstances are not. I stand at the end of a decade of chronic illness, disappointment, and pain. But, I stand because of what Jesus did for me through salvation.

Last year, I was too sick and afraid to choose the speaker’s track. This year, I am whole and ready to step out in obedience to the dream God planted “in my dreams” over 15 years ago. I want you to pick me because I don’t have the money. The money I was going to put towards the conference just went to copays for surgery and $2,000 in truck repairs for my husband’s truck. The day after we fixed his tire, the engine broke. And now we will owe $4,500 more to replace a new engine. I’m not giving a sob story, but those are just the facts.

I need to know how to craft this message. I know the conference will do that for me. I already have my speaking topic ready and I’ve been practicing in my living room for a month now. But, without a scholarship, my livingroom is where I will stay.

Hello, my name is Pam West and I am so excited to be visiting your site and blog. I LOVE Proverbs 31 ministries…LOVE IT. I visit the website often.

Now about me and the speaking…I am like you in some ways…I feel like I have been speaking all my life. Sometimes when I am in the shower I practice what I would say if I were standing in front of a group of women. It has been my desire to attend the conference for several years. Last year I actually had a reservation to go, but then last May my whole world fell apart. I will not go into all my crazy details here on this blog…I will just say that it has been a crazy journey that ended in divorce. Something I never expected…something I never wanted…something I never could have predicted. And because of this circumstances I had to cancel my conference plan…

Last summer when my world turned upside down, I thought that my dream to speak was over…I could not, and still can not imagine how God is going to use this for His glory…but I KNOW He will and I am anxious to see how. I know that the number of divorced women and single moms is growing, quickly… I hope that God can use my story and His faithfulness on our journey to help someone else through this difficult time.

I hope to be awarded a scholarship to the conference. I do not think that I will be able to afford to go without help. However, I know that there are a lot of women is difficult situations.

Thank you for the opportunity to share part of my story. With God, not matter what happens, it is always the journey of a lifetime.

Hi, Karen,
Hope this is an okay avenue to use to enter the scholarship contest. I’m not a computer genius, and this is the method of contacting you that I found first.
I would love to win the scholarship. Last year was my first year to attend She Speaks, and I went mainly to find out about publishing because I have loved to write forever. But I came away from the conference knowing that if God wants me published, He will publish me, but my real passion is teaching and speaking–has been since high school. I taught high school English and some very basic speech elements for 15 years.
For many years, God blessed me with a speaking ministry for women’s events–retreats, fellowships, etc., and I loved it–thought I would do that forever. However, the year 2007 changed everything, and there’s no doubt that it was of God. In April of that year, I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and my life has not been the same since.
God has blessed me with a ministry to women with cancer. The ministry is called “Dance in the Rain Cancer Ministry.” It comes from a quotation that a friend gave me when I was first
diagnosed: “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” That quotation has changed my life.
I am also blessed to be working with a foundation established by and in memory of a precious friend who died in Feb. 2010. This is the Maria Lorick Heart of Hope Cancer Foundation. We are really just now getting the foundation off the ground, and that’s why my getting to attend the conference is especially important this year. I am already doing some training for our volunteers and will be speaking to groups about our foundation in order to raise awareness and money to help women with cancer.
When I was speaking in the women’s ministry field, most of the occasions were relaxed and personal, so the type of speaking was the same. However, this new cancer focus will have me in totally different kinds of speaking situations, so I feel I need to be polished up a bit and taught how to say what needs to be said in the fewest possible words on the level of whatever group I’m addressing at the time.
I want to learn how to be so convincing in my speaking that people will respond in a positive way whether it’s through a donation of time or money. This is a totally new endeavor for me, and I know that attending SS would provide such a wonderful foundation for me.
As a general rule, financing the trip and the conference could be managed, but, like a lot of other folks, expendable funds are almost non-existent this year. Of course, I guess I could always beg—please, please, please pick me, pick me, pick me! And while that is what I really want to do, I’ll just pray that God gives you the wisdom to make the best selection. Thanks for even giving me the opportunity to share my background with you

Sandra Timmons

~ Your speaking dream–when it began; where it is now:

* In 1997, God spoke to me and told me I would have a speaking/writing ministry and gave me the name Encouraging Women. But He also told me I needed to wait on His timing. About 10 years ago, I purchased the domain name. As a women in my 20’s, I wanted to jump right into but I waited (sometimes with a furrowed brow!). In September of 2010, God told me it was finally time to step into this ministry. Looking back now, I can see that I had many lessons to learn and so much of life that needed to be experienced before I could minister to others. I went from being a single woman in her later 20’s to a stronger woman in her 40’s that has experienced a roller-coaster marriage, the heartbreak of losing multiple pregnancies, the loss of finances in a difficult economy and even early menopause. God has a much better story to tell through me now and I can truly say we serve an AMAZING God who has brought me through it all and taught me much along the way. At the end of last year, I took a webinar class from a national speaker to help me develop speaking topics. Currently, I am I am busy writing content for the website (not up yet) and allowing God to help me choose and develop speaking topics.

~What it is you feel God calling you to speak on:

** I have a few areas that God is asking me to talk about. First, He is calling me to minster to wives to overcome the betrayal of pornography in their marriages, learn to forgive their husbands & restore their marriages. Second, I feel like God is calling me to Encourage Women not to give up on the dreams God has given them…no matter how long it takes. Third, God wants me to Encourage Women to push past the guilt of mothering, marriage, careers, etc. and develop JOYFUL relationships with Him and others.

~Why should I be chosen to win this scholarship?

*** I would like to attend She Speaks to meet others who have paved the way before me, learn from them and possibly even find a willing mentor. I would like to find others who are early in their journey also so we can encourage each other as we go. Although ministry is not a “business,” it does need to be treated as such and I hope to learn the business aspects of a speaking/writing ministry from others who are experienced. I would love the opportunity to be evaluated/critiqued on my speaking and writing so far. I think the She Speaks Conference would be an amazing way to help me walk more confidently into the calling God has for me. And…a few days of Mommy time is a pretty good perk too! : )

Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Thank you for this opportunity, Karen!!

I first felt God calling me to speak about 6 years ago during a Bible study. I don’t remember the exact study, timing or scripture but I remember thinking that God wants me to minister to women through speaking and writing. In retrospect I find it interesting that God called me during a time when I couldn’t actively act on the call. I had an infant and little did I know he would bless me with 3 more over the next 4 years!

Shortly after God called me he moved us from a church with a developing women’s ministry, which I helped administrate, to a church so small that it has no official women’s ministry. As a result, all of my speaking engagements have come through an organization called Vibrant Lives. This group is sponsored by the company that makes my rheumatoid arthritis medication. In a secular setting I share the story of my diagnosis and my life after taking the medication. It’s a dramatic story. But the best part is the God part, which I can’t share in this setting.

I am ITCHING to share the God part of my story! The message that he has given me is 2 Cor. 12:9-10 when Paul says God’s strength is perfected in his (Paul’s) weakness. Our culture tells moms that we have to be strong. That we need a hard outer shell. That we should be independent and self-sufficient. Yet, God says through Paul that it’s through our weaknesses, our soft points, the places we are most fragile and dependent that He works. That’s my story – I have been given a disease that makes me weak and reminds me every week when I inject my medication that I am dependent on something outside myself.

I want to attend She Speaks because I need to learn how to present the story and message God has given me in a way that is effective and meaningful. I need someone to teach me how to prepare a presentation (or message or whatever you want to call it) so that I don’t ramble all over the place, over share or miss important points.

There is no one in my church that can model or train me in speaking. I know of no organization or woman in all of New England who does this kind of training. That’s why I want to attend She Speaks. I think the sessions would teach me some of the basics of speaking and networking with other speakers would provide me with a support base. I would LOVE to leave She Speaks with a group of friends to encourage and mentor me on speaking.

Again, thank you for this opportunity. I know that God will guide you to the person he wants to attend.

Karen,

Thank you som uch for this generous opportunity to attend the She Speaks Conference.

I have thought for years that I would write but just this weekend He revealed to me that He wants me to speak. To be perfectly honest, speaking is not my dream, it is His plan and dream for me. After I submitted my She Speaks blogs on Friday, I began to pray in earnest which track He would want me to attend. We had many “discussions” over the weekend and at one point I could feel Him tell me “it won’t be you speaking it will be Me speaking through you. Let me show them My glory.” I even tried to take our “discussion” outside and thought I might get another answer, but again He said, “I want you to speak.” You see I would much rather hide behind my computer or even on pen and paper and tell about my journey with Him. But I want to dwell in His will and allow Him to use me.

He is calling me to speak about the journey of grief and healing since the death of our 15 year old daughter. As a mother, I have always thought that there is no way that I would ever be able to survive the death of one of my children. But you know what… I have and I am stronger for it. Do I still have hard days and do I feel weak? Yes! But His word tells me that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

If I were to curl up in a corner and shrivel away or become bitter and angry, how would that honor her memory? It wouldn’t and satan would win. More importantly how would that honor HIM? By sharing this journey with Him, our baby girl will live on forever in the hearts and lives of many, many that never even knew her. Is it because of anything that I did or said? Absolutely not! It is Him, all Him. This experience is not and never has been about Rachel, my family or me it is all about Him! His word also says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

It is my desire to share this amazing journey with others. Are there days that I want to turn back the clock, yes. Are ther days that I want to see and hold my baby girl right this very minute, yes. But, I wouldn’t trade this journey with Him for anything, it has been sweet, it has deepened and strengthened my relationship with Him. I am truly thankful! He is amazing!!!

I want to attend because I feel like He has called me to attend. And honestly, I want to learn how to be a speaker without feeling like I am going to throw up at the thought of speaking publicly. I know He has a message to share through me and I want to confidently and effectively share that message. This conference will assist me in my quest to serve Him through speaking by empowering me with the tools that I will need to be an effective voice for Him.
Thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to win a scholarship to the She Speaks conference.

God bless and thank you,
Georgia Fulenwider

http://www.fulenwiderfamilyadventures. blogspot.com

Ben Johnson once said, “To speak and to speak well are two things. A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks.”
I speak but I desire to speak well.
One of my mantras is ‘life experiences breed ministry opportunities’. Some of my life experiences include being diagnosed with Breast Cancer, undergoing a complete mastectomy along with several other surgeries only to have my husband of nearly 30 years receive his own cancer diagnosis. Four months into my treatments a large mass was discovered on my beloved’s liver which turned out to be Pancreatic Cancer. Six weeks later he took his last breath on earth and his first breath in Heaven.
Widowed at 47 years old was not part of the plan. Widowed, with new breasts that will forever be perky (one of the rewards of living through that particular transformation) and newly empty nesting was not something that I ever even thought about.
For the last two years I have been on a journey of discovery. Each day has brought new opportunity, new excitement, new joy. I am writing a couple of blogs; one about life in general and a new one called ‘How to date at 48’. Through my blogs I have been asked to speak.
Besides writing and speaking I am the Executive Director for Rays of Hope for Haiti, a Christian non-profit organization. I travel to Haiti nearly every month. I love my job. I work closely with the Haitian government, many Haitian people and organizations. I truly believe that what Jesus said in Matthew 25 is exactly what we are supposed to be doing: feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked. My job requires a lot of speaking as well.
Even with the hardships that I have faced there is nothing that can keep me from doing what God has called me to do.
I have a voice. I have a platform. I am willing to go where God sends me and do whatever He asks. I have not had any speaking training besides a speech class in high school. I have wanted to attend She Speaks ever since a widowed friend told me about it right after my husband died. I know that it is a great conference and that I could learn so much to really help me help others.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Kim Sorrelle

To be honest, my dream started as a desire to one day write a children’s book. With no real direction or further thought about it that dreamed settled in the back of my mind, where it occasionally would pop its head out and remind me that it was there. That hidden dream has now transformed into wanting to just simply follow where God is leading me.

After a long two years of building walls and pushing people away, God has been gently whispering “My child, this is not where I want you.” You see, I so isolated myself that I failed to see there are other people in my life that are hurting and need to see Christ’s presence in me. The normal outgoing, “people-person” that I once was, become isolated and avoided most people at all cost. I spoke to them in passing, trying to get by with as little conversation as possible.

Talking has never been a difficult thing for me. As a matter of fact, I have had hard lessons (and am still learning) the value of a filter. A God-sized filter. In the past, my problem tended to be divulging too much information. That seems like a very bad thing….so why should I be chosen for the scholarship? God has brought me to a place in my life where I am ready to use my talking for something much bigger. As a matter of fact, I am tired of talking!!! I am ready to let God use my mouth to speak His goodness to others. His healing, His love, His mercy, His grace. No longer do I want to talk or speak for the sake of talking…I want God to do the encouraging, guiding, and instructing through me. I do not want people to think of me as the “talker” that they have for so long. I want to embody the very Truth that the conference is grounded upon:

“She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26

I am not exactly sure where the path of obedience will take me, but my heart is drawn towards teaching ladies’ Bible studies. While at the conference I want to learn how to develop and deliver God’s truth in such a way that those hearing the message will be touched, motivated, and equipped in their own life to follow after the things of God.

I feel as though God may use the areas of my life where I have experienced very deep insecurities and weakness:

~ The journey of coming to know that God is a loving God, a God who can and actually does love me.

~ The journey of learning that I am not who I say and think that I am. God values me and believes I am worthy when no one else does.

~ The journey of knowing that I have a God who gives amazing, unmatched freedom to those who trust and believe Him.

~The journey of learning to trust God one step at a time.

~The journey of knowing God and learning to love God.

I want others to know that this journey of trust and faith is so, so precious. This unrefined and inexperienced “talker” would benefit greatly from the scholarship and the She Speaks conference in the journey of being refined and polished for God’s Holy purpose for my life.

Thank you for the awesome opportunity! What a blessing Proverbs 31 Ministries and Mr. Cecil Murphey is to so many like myself!

Hi, Karen,

I’m thrilled to be able to try for this scholarship to get to go to this conference. I’ve heard about it many times but have never been able to make it happen. This year, though, I feel like is perfect for me, and I would relish the chance to get together with other women with similar callings on their lives.

I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God’s calling on my life is WORDS. Spoken…written… I’ve always – ALWAYS – loved to write, and within the past few years I’ve realized in a powerful way that the Lord has bigger plans for my words than I know. He has begun using me in other people’s lives in ways I never could have imagined, and I am so humbled and honored to be a part of His plan for others in this world. Without the Lord, my words would be nothing more than noise or scribbling on a page, but with Him….with Him, my words are powerful and life-breathing, and it is a privilege to speak into the lives of His people.

My passion, in life and on my blog, is helping others see the Lord – all that He is, all that He is doing – in the everyday moments of life. He shows Himself to me in real and very powerful ways through the easily overlooked areas of life, and I cherish the insights He gives me about His heart and His nature through those moments.

While I have known for a long time that writing is one of my gifts from the Lord, I have only within the past year or so begun to see that He can use my spoken word as well. I speak regularly in my church and receive phenomenal feedback from those occasions, and spoke at my first conference last weekend. During that conference, I spoke on my past experiences with depression and anxiety. That day, I felt more alive than I have felt in a long time. While on stage, I had the unique feeling that I was doing exactly what the Lord wanted me to do, and while talking to people after I spoke, I could feel that He was speaking His words through me.

I cannot explain the feeling I had after that, and cannot adequately express how excited I am to know a little more of the Lord’s plans for my life. I don’t know if She Speaks is part of His plan for me, but I am eager to pursue any avenues I can to discover how to minister and speak more effectively. I long to be all that I can be for Him, and this scholarship would take me a long way toward finding out more of my place in this world. I don’t know what He is doing with me or where He is taking me, but I know that He has a plan for me and I can’t wait to see what that plan entails.

Several months ago, in a dream (which He has never, ever done for me before) the Lord gave me a verse that seems to be His verse for my life. Acts 20:20 says, “I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.” That verse is burned on my heart, and acts as a confirmation for me that yes, this calling of words on my life is real, and yes, I am doing what He wants me to do.

In an unprecedented act of self-promotion, I just ask you to please, please pick me. I would be more thrilled than I can say to win. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

How in the world do I fit my whole heart in the comments section of a blog?!

Thank you for this opportunity to possibly win this scholarship. I feel that if I were to win this, it would be one more confirmation of what God is calling me to do. But I know that even if I don’t win it (there are so many who desire this same thing!), God is at work. He is calling me, and I will follow His call.

My speaking dream began over twenty years ago when I sat, as a child, in churches and auditoriums and stadiums around the world listening to my grandfather proclaim Christ, our Good News. As the Holy Spirit spoke to thousands of people through my grandfather, He also spoke to me. By God’s great grace, He has always given me a desire to know Him and follow Him and love Him, but sitting in those seats, He placed a burning desire in my heart to proclaim His name and His Truth like my grandfather has spent his life doing.

As I grew up, however, I let reality steal away my dreams. The daily grind and the busyness of life muted the dream in my heart, until I couldn’t remember any longer who God created me to be. I was so busy looking at everyone else’s gifts, I couldn’t even see my own. … until recently.

After graduating Moody Bible Institute 10 years ago, I began my teaching career. Though I loved teaching, I knew in my heart that elementary school wasn’t the fulfillment of my calling. I resigned from teaching when our first child was born, and that is when God began stripping me of all that I held on to so tightly — the names and the labels that I used to define myself and the fears … oh, the fears, that I clung to so tightly! Over the past three years, God, in His tender, tender mercy has been stripping away the grime, breaking down the walls, refining this child of His. The past three years have probably been the most difficult ones I’ve walked on this earth, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. What God has done in my heart and in my life is absolutely incredible.

Karen, I have to tell you, very much like in Hannah Hurnard’s book Hind’s Feet on High Places, one that I read so many years ago, God has transformed me. He has given me a NEW NAME! I am no longer Much Afraid. He has transformed that fear into FAITH! I am now Grace and Glory and Full of Faith with hinds’ feet. “Now [I] am able to run, leaping on the mountains and able to follow [Him] wherever [He] go[es].”

The passion that God has placed inside me is so great that I cannot contain it. It is my burning desire to proclaim to other women this journey of faith that God has brought me on … and that He desires for all of us! I want to share about the character of God … that He IS good. He IS worthy. He IS wise and sovereign and just! I want Him to use me to speak to the hearts of women, helping them to discern the disconnect between their head knowledge of God and their heart knowledge. Because once we “get it” … once God grants us a clearer picture of who He is, our lives will NEVER be the same. A. W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

I so desire to proclaim the word of God to women, to help teach them what it means to walk by faith … that it might affect EVERY part of our lives and days and minds and hearts … that it’s more than just knowing, it’s trusting, and He is WORTHY of our trust. It’s getting out of the boat and practicing faith. That without faith it is impossible to please God, but we don’t have to do it on our own. The power that raised Christ from the dead is the power that is at work in us, and HE is ABLE! He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine! I want to encourage women, to challenge them, and teach them … I want to be God’s messenger. Honestly, it scares the pants off of me, but when I start to share about the burning desire God has placed in my heart, all of that fear melts right away because I BELIEVE that THIS is what God is calling me to do. I can do ALL things through Him and HE will put His words in my mouth. It has been my prayer, like Elijah, that in all things “Let it be known today that YOU are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that YOU, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again” (1 Kings 18:36-37).

I have a passion for the Word of God, the character of God, and the people of God. I believe with all that is in me that He is calling me to share Him, share Truth, through a speaking ministry.

Honestly, my words typed here on the screen seem so restrictive and can’t adequately convey the passion and desire that God has given me. I’m wishing I could record a video and send it in so that you can hear my heart! Or in the very least, give me the ability to use italics, bold text, and underlines!

Honestly, before today, I had never heard of the SheSpeaks conference, but when I stumbled on your site and read the description, my heart burned within me. Apart from graduation speeches, teaching 4th graders, and leading an occasional faculty workshop or Bible study, I don’t have much experience teaching the Word of God to a large group. But although I don’t have much experience, I know that He’s given me a gift in this area. I so desire to grow the gift God has given me and learn how to do it well. I know it takes time and dedication, and there is a huge learning curve. Each topic this conference addresses: knowing how to develop a great message from start to finish, understanding what keeps an audience engaged and how to make your message memorable, delivering a message in such a way that not only inspires an audience but motivates them to make life changes, and increasing the number of booked speaking engagements by using proven marketing strategies, those are ALL things I need to learn!

As you mentioned, you learned in one weekend what it had taken ten years to glean from multiple sources. I would be incredibly, beyond-words honored to be a part of this conference. We are in a place financially where we just can’t swing the cost of it. My husband was unemployed for nearly two years, and though he is now working, we have a long road of recovery. Winning this scholarship would mean the absolute world to me. What an incredible, incredible blessing it would be.

I know that God’s timing is perfect, and I’m resting in that.

Thank you, dear Sister, for taking the time to read a piece of my heart. I pray I will have the opportunity to share our hearts together over coffee in North Carolina!

By faith,
Erika

My Speaking Dream…where did it begin and where is it now?
My Speaking Dream began in high school when two really cute senior guys came into our freshman classroom to talk about recruiting us to the Debate Team. So, not all dreams begin with a virtuous purpose! It sounded like a great opportunity to travel around the state and perhaps the country debating topics. My husband says that I should have known immediately I would be a natural, but that is a story for another day. I did join the debate team and the speaking bug bit me really hard. Fast forward quite a few years and the desire to share my story is still there, but on a much different topic. I have been in church ministry for over 30 years and have recently become a volunteer instead of staff member. I want to pursue my dreams of speaking and writing to women (and men and children). I have done lots of training events for audiences that ranged in size from 5 to 500 and I loved every moment. I have preached sermons and funerals, but I want to have the opportunity to just share my heart.

What is God calling me to speak on?
My speaking topic is much like an octopus with a giant body and lots of legs. I truly feel called to share the topic – XOX – which to me is
Xordinary God using Ordinary women to do Xordinary things! The legs of the this topic might be parenting since I have three children who range from the age of 30 to 12 – same husband! It might be marriage. It might include my background of being raised by a single mother of great faith. It could include my acceptance of God as both my earthly and heavenly father. The legs of the octopus are many, but I know that my extraordinary God will guide me every step of the way.

Why should you choose me?
Okay, humility is one of my virtues so this is a much harder question. My immediate thought would be, wow – maybe someone else deserves this more than me! But, I am taught by God to come boldly before His throne and although YOU might not have a throne and YOU are not God…I will step out in boldness and raise my hand to say CHOOSE ME! I am a ready and willing servant of Jesus Christ who just needs equipping. I know that this conference is the answer to God equipping me to serve Him.

So, here it is. This is my entry in your contest for the scholarship offer of a lifetime! Have a blessed day.

Wishing you Sunshine and Rainbows,
Mary C. Asbury

Submission for the “She Speaks” Conference Scholarship
“The Courage to Serve”
By Leslie Nambo

~ Your speaking dream–when it began; where it is now.
Dream 1: Age: young, maybe 10 or so
I am standing on a black stage. It is huge. I look around and I cannot see anything other than the stage. I look down and see a microphone in my hand. “That’s interesting”, I think to myself. A seed had been sown. I wake up aware of the seed.
Dream 2: Age: a little older- 20-something
I am standing on a stage, and I’m speaking to a large group of people. I see women’s faces. I am speaking with power and anointing. The spirit of the Lord moves in the place and God’s presence for deliverance is there. The atmosphere seemed magical. Can the spirit of the Lord really move in an entire auditorium and heal so many people at once?, I ask myself. I wake up astonished.
Dream 3: Age: late 20’s
I am standing on a stage, speaking to young women. There are a lot of Latina’s in the auditorium. I am ministering to them about healing from abortions. “Hasn’t anyone ever mentioned the name Jesus to you” I ask. Some of the young ladies shake their heads. “God will help you” I say and I begin to go one by one to the ladies teaching them about the Love of God. I wake up intrigued.
Dream 4: Age: late 20’s
I am standing on a stage speaking from one small piece of paper. I had prepared well and I was ready. I looked down on the paper in my hand and it looked like a tablet of light. It was shining like glass. I looked at it and my words were gone. I began to panic- “what will I do now?” I ask myself. “Lord help!” I say within myself. And then, I opened my mouth and began to speak. And the grace of the Lord gave me the words. I shared with sincerity and with anointing and it was good! I was even surprised! I knew that I could never speak with such simplicity and eloquence on my own. I wake up perplexed.
Now:
Three beautiful children, one fabulous husband of 9 years later, one missions trip to Peru, Haiti, and Brazil later, one summer serving food and praying in the slums later, one week holding palliative care babies in a hospital started by Mother Teresa and several VBS’s later, one ordination into ministry, one bachelors degree, one seminary education later and one Chaplain resident program later, I stand before the Lord surprised.
I’m reminded of the words of David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 17:16
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: “Who am I, LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
All of this time, all of these years, those dreams remained hidden in my heart. I did not understand them. I could not even begin to interpret them. I thought that I was called to serve the hurting in hidden places.
As I type this now, I am a hospital Chaplain. I visit with the sick and the dying 40-50 hours a week. Before coming here, I worked in homeless shelter, before that, a home for the mentally ill. I am a chronic volunteerer and from the age of 13 I have found worthy organizations to donate my time and talents. I have served the Lord with gladness as a crisis hotline volunteer, a Big Sister, and a mentor for the mentally challenged. I worked in the inner city with those caught in the sex trafficking industry and those addicted to drugs and alcohol. I have always, always sought out those on the fringes and on the margins of society. These dreams of me being on a stage in front of a lot of people just did not add up. As I type this up now, it seems as though I have been being prepared for something. But what?
A friend of mine offered to step out on faith with me for God to provide the resources for me to be able to attend the She Speaks Conference this year. She volunteered to make the deposit for me and I agreed to risk my hopes and dreams that God would provide.
As I began to register, I was planning on registering for the ‘Writer’s’ track when I heard a still small voice say “select the ‘Speaker’s track’. I shook my head as if to shake away cloudy thoughts, then I heard it again: “select the Speaker’s track”. I was shocked and startled at the prospect and I begin to question where in the world that thought came from. Could it be the Lord? Then I hear: “I AM the still small voice, what did you hear?” I reply: “a still small voice”. (Then my heart drops- you know, like when you are at the top of the hill on the roller coaster and you realize that it’s about to come down really fast?) Then my mind really begins to race. “Me? I’ve never desired to speak in front of people like that! Wouldn’t I know it if that were my calling? I’m a chaplain! I have always wanted to be behind the scenes, not in front of people like that! Then I pray: “Lord, give me the strength to obey. I am scared.”
So here I am. Applying for a scholarship for a journey that I do not yet know. May God grant me the courage to serve.
~What it is you feel God calling you to speak on:
Since this is such a new prospect for me, I have no idea what the Lord is calling me to speak on or why. This has been revealed to me for all of two days now and I think that I am still in shock. That dream of my being on a stage might not have been figurative after all.
In terms of speaking though, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I am a natural born communicator. I am the one talking with strangers at the grocery store, hearing the stories, laments and hopes of the mechanic at the shops, promising to pray for them as I take my leave.
I speak three languages in addition to English and the story about that is hilarious! I’ll have to share that another time. French, Spanish and Portuguese are the other three. I’ve travelled to France, Brazil and Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina for ministry-related experiences. To my surprise, I was asked to preach, teach and share my testimony in French, Portuguese and Spanish on each trip. Why in the world didn’t I make these connections before?
What message does the Lord have for me to share? I don’t know. I hope that in attending this conference I can more deeply discern this new call. In the company of others who have been down this road, I hope to receive impartation for courage to follow the Lord in this direction. Admittedly though, I am nervous.
~ why should I choose you to win this scholarship?
I want to attend this conference to discern a calling to public speaking. Even typing that short sentence now is blowing my mind! I am still shocked.
I hope that this conference will show me what public speaking is all about. I hope to see and meet with people who are public speakers to learn what life is like in that line of ministry.
I’ve been in ministry in active leadership and service for nine years now and I never saw this coming! I hope to gain the courage from other women in ministry to pursue the call of God with joy and with zeal. Above all, I want to serve the Lord in the way that God desires for me.
I would love to attend this conference! I am nervous, but also excited at the prospect of beginning a new journey with the Lord. I do not have complete understanding, but I am a willing vessel. As I take this step of faith, may the grace of God grant me the courage to serve!

Thank you, Karen, for this amazing opportunity!

My desire to speak did not come from one experience, but was a gradual working of God upon my life. The fear that would well up inside of me, the tendency to turn all shades of red, not to mention the tongue-tiedness of a scared, confidence lacking school girl, hindered me in so many ways beyond just sharing a basic book report in class. God remarkably, through a series of life changing events I experienced during and immediately after college, began to call me into an unimaginable dream of speaking and writing. It was then that I realized I had a voice. God orchestrated my path to get me to see that it was only through Him that I could experience complete satisfaction and contentment.

After graduating from Seminary a few years later, God asked my husband, Billy, and me to go through both the heartache of a miscarriage and later the loss of our newborn baby daughter, Abigail. We knew that unless God performed a miracle we would lose her. Soon after her birth God called her Home. It was through God’s grace beyond measure that we got through her loss, and through her loss the call upon my life grew stronger.

I have shared Abigail’s legacy of hope and grace several times, including at a secular event several years ago. However, I let fear paralyze me from sharing over the past two years. I told God numerous excuses as to why He should not use me. However, God did not let me go and instead has given me an even greater desire to speak and write. In January of this year I said yes to His call on my life. It was also when I began my new blog where I share God-driven words of encouragement and biblical teaching. In addition to the blog I have begun sharing Abigail’s story again. I have a scheduled speaking event coming up in just a few weeks at a church here in North Carolina. I can’t wait to share Abigail’s story of hope and grace with them. I’m also seeking other opportunities to speak. This home school mom of 3 is learning to trust God and believe that He can lead me wherever He wants me to go.

I hope and pray that you will choose me. Honestly, asking you to choose me over so many extraordinary women is such a difficult task. We all want the same thing, a chance. I’m asking you to give me an opportunity and a springboard upon which I can fully launch my ministry, Grace Beyond Measure. God has His way of creating extraordinary testimonies in vessels that are willing to serve Him. I want to be that vessel!

I was not a born “speaker.” As a child, I would sit at the kitchen table and listen to all the adults converse, soaking it all in. It all seemed so interesting to me. As I grew to a young adult, I worked at becoming a speaker. My dad was an insurance salesman and I read all of his inspirational/motivational books after he was done with them. I became more comfortable with speaking in front of crowds. My high school graduation speech was a highlight. I was just happy to get through it without passing out, but imagine my surprise when several people came up to me afterward and said how much they actually enjoyed my speech!
Later, as a young mom, I was looking for a part-time job. I signed up to be a consultant with a fabulous kitchen supply company. I enjoyed talking to other women and earning money at the same time. As I would stand there and talk about how great some glass bowl was, a still small voice was saying “You can tell people about how great this bowl is, but can you share with them something more essential, like what God has done in your life.” Ouch!
From then on, I looked for opportunities to share my experience with God, on a personal level, with anyone who was open. In 2008, I started a blog to keep friends and family updated on the arrival of twins. It quickly turned into a request for prayer. Our second twin, Abbie, was born with Turner’s Syndrome. We didn’t know what it was and had never even heard of it before. Tests, more tests, research, talks with doctors, confusion, blood draws. Abbie was a trooper through it all. In her two short years, she has survived extreme eczema, severe food allergies, 2 serious blood infections, Trigonocephaly (which resulted in a major cranial reconstructive surgery), and another minor reconstructive cranial surgery. God has definitely performed a miracle in Abbie’s life, more than once.
My heart is yearning to share Abbie’s story and educate women about all the different aspects of Turner’s Syndrome. This is a unique issue because it only affects women. 99 percent of pregnancies carrying babies with TS end in miscarriage during the first trimester. 1 in 2,000 women have Turner’s Syndrome. Due to the broad spectrum of symptoms, there are many women who have it and do not know it. They may be a little shorter than normal. Or they may not have a monthly cycle. A couple may be having fertility issues and don’t know why. Heart and kidney issues are extremely common and important to identify early.
I want to win this scholarship to help me get over the hump of “wanting to” and into actually “doing.” I have wanted to do something like this for so long, but have not really known how to go about doing it. I have a vitally important message to share with other women who may be hurting and don’t know why. A message of Hope. A message of Love. A message to women who may feel weak, that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Lovin’ the Adventure,
Brenda