I tell family and friends that God dragged me into public speaking.
As a child, I was painfully shy, reserved, and didn’t like any attention drawn to myself.
When my husband Ray first met me, I was extremely quiet, hardly talking at all. He jokes that those were the good ol’ days because now, if you give me half a chance, I won’t stop talking. Especially to Ray, every single day.
Speaking in front of people used to terrify me. In one required elective high school speech class, I thought I was going to faint speaking at the front of the class, while my classmates snickered. The teacher encouraged me to go on. I made it through the semester, loosening up a little more each time, and received an A+ final grade in the class.
Several years ago I was working as a volunteer counselor for the Harrisonville, MO Life Choice Center For Women, when then-director Wautheena Neely was asked to speak at a women’s Bible study at a church in town. She couldn’t do it and recommended for me to speak instead, sharing my testimony about my 3 abortions.
Once again, those feelings of fear and panic washed over me. When I shared my story in front of a group of about 30 women, I was physically shaking, sweating profusely, and my voice quivered.
After that, God began opening more doors for me to share my testimony- and I actually began enjoying it. NOW I LOVE IT!
Since then, I’ve traveled in Missouri and other states and internationally to speak in Canada, the Bahamas, and Kenya, Africa at women’s conferences. I’ve learned a few nuggets of wisdom along the way about speaking, and my passion is encouraging and empowering women to fulfill their great purpose and to dream big because we serve a big God!
Now it’s like a fire in my bones, and I can’t contain it!
Do you feel the same way? If you are a speaker who wants to share your story and the heart-burning message God has given you for His glory, then you’ll love this online event!
On December 16 at 2 p.m. Central Time (3 p.m. Eastern Time), I’m having a webinar, SIZZLE: 7 Tips to Expand Your Reach & Increase Your Profits.
Please join us. Seating is limited. You can find out more about the webinar by clicking here.
Leave a Reply