You may contact Karen directly at karen@proverbs31.org.

Booking Info:

Karen loves to speak to women! Whether it is a ladies retreat, your Christmas Tea, Mother-Daughter Banquet, womens outreach or Moms’ event, your audience will discover spiritual truths and practical ideas for simplifying life and glorifying God.

 To find out more information on having Karen come to your group, contact Barb Spencer at Proverbs 31 Ministries 1-877-P31-HOME or email her at barb@proverbs31.org

Speaking Topics

Inspirational Topics- These topics fit well in a retreat setting or for a church-wide women’s outreach or spiritual growth night. Most can be one hour or multiple sessions. If given advanced noticed, Karen is also willing to work with your group and chosen theme to come up with a talk tailored specifically to your event.

Why The Joneses are Over-rated- Do you play the “if only…” game? “If only I had more money, more time, a bigger house, nicer stuff, a kinder, more gentler husband or better-behaved children…then I’d be happy,… more spiritual,… less disobedient and finally content” When, oh when will we learn that comparisons kill contentment and that changing our circumstances rarely changes us? The key is in changing our perspective. Discover how to fully embrace your current lot in life, welcoming all that God will teach you through it, as you endeavor to cultivate contentment.

Let Freedom Ring- What is holding you captive? Are there issues and actions that keep you from living a life that pleases God and truly satisfies you? Tackling the three areas in which we need to experience freedom—from the pain of our past, from the pressures of the present and from the fear of the future, we’ll discover how true spiritual freedom results from living a life spent running hard after God rather than running from Him.

A Marriage Made in Oz- Is your happily-ever-after not so happy after all? Do the male-female differences in your marriage have you thinking your husband has no brain like the Scarecrow, no heart like the Tin Man and is as cowardly as the lion? And all the while he thinks you are behaving like the wicked witch! Throw a few munchkins in the mix and it really gets interesting! In this lighthearted, but helpful session we’ll explore how to overcome different personalities differences and get your marriage back on the right– though maybe not yellow brick—road.

He Must Increase, But I Must Decrease- (Can also be titled Extreme Makeover Heart Edition-) Into this talk Karen weaves her story of losing and keeping off over 100 pounds. The biggest transformation in her life, however, was not in her appearance. God wanted to give her an extreme makeover of the heart. She will inspire your audience to take inventory of their hearts and lives making the necessary changes in order to become a project God can continually work on and ultimately use for His glory.

Twenty-Four Hours is All You Get- This weekend-friendly package helps women to tackle to the following areas: avoiding over-commitment, managing their time, organizing their “stuff”, and tackling the tasks of homemaking all while striving to keep their priorities in place. Practical areas are covered such as time management, menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking shortcuts and physically organizing your home for success. Your audience will be equipped to get their acts together and keep them that way!

All in The Family- This multi-session package includes family topics such as Let Dad Be Dad, The By-Laws of In-laws and Outlaws and A Marriage Made in Oz.

Christmas and Holiday Events: Karen also does many holiday outreach and spiritual growth events such as Christmas teas with a variety of titles.

Practical Topics- These talks are usually requested for a MOPS or Moms’ group, or for a workshop or conference setting. Most are one hour in length. They can be modified to fit a retreat setting if desired:

A Life That Says Welcome: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart and Home to Others- With humor and transparency, Karen relates the tale of marrying into a family full of interior decorators, caterers and Bed and Breakfast owners, while she herself could hardly boil water! God then used a dear pastor’s wife to teach her the difference between entertaining and offering hospitality. Entertaining seeks to impress; hospitality seeks to bless and refresh. We’ll explore several excuses for not offering hospitality as the Bible commands and then provides solutions to overcome these various excuses. The session ends with ideas for practicing “hospitality on the road” with those with whom our lives naturally intersect. This talk includes cooking-for-a-crowd menu ideas, kid- friendly favorites, speed cleaning strategies and sweet and simple decorating tips.

Keeping Your Ducks in a Relative Row- This talk tackles home and time management in a lighthearted manner. Whether you are a mostly messy who can’t seem to get organized or a Nancy neat-nick who alphabetizes her spice cupboard, you’ll find ideas and encouragement as you acquire the method of organization that best fits your personality. Subjects addressed include scheduling, overcoming over-commitment, grocery and menu planning, cleaning, de-junking and organizing, and managing your family’s money

Let Dad Be Dad- If you came home after a weekend away from the kids while your husband was in charge, what would you discover as you walked through the door? With laughable honesty, Karen relates how she transformed from being a control freak about parenting the kids to a mom who encourages her husband to father his children in his own unique style. With a look at marriage, parenting and our extended families she shares both the why and the how to “let dad be dad” so that any mom can learn to smile when she walks through the door instead of shouting, “Honey, what were you thinking?”

The Bylaws of In-laws and Outlaws- Whether it’s your meddling mother-in-law, his snooty sister, or your kid’s uncouth uncle, moms often face frustration while trying to raise kids under the watchful eye of extended family. Discover how to build boundaries, handle holiday hassles and finally find favor in the family—on both sides. Get ready to get real about the blow ups as well as the blessings, of “yours, mine and ours”.

Have Yourself A Stress-free Little Christmas- Are your holidays a cozy, reflective time of making memories while making others sense their importance in your life? Or are they a frenzied blur of activities, crisis shopping and secular trappings that have nothing to do with the true essence of the season? Armed with strategies to simplify and de-stress, this year can be different! Acquire fast and frugal decorating, cooking and gift-giving ideas. Learn to set up a holiday detail book designed to help you be on top of the holidays, rather than the other way around! Be challenged with ways to teach your children to focus on others rather than suffer from the “it’s all about me!” syndrome. As a family, learn to practice seemingly random, put purposefully planned acts of kindness toward those around you this holiday season. And when the fruitcake is finished and that last strand of lights is taken down, you’ll all feel blessed, not stressed!