Hi Everybody!  

Welcome to my blog!  It’s been a great year of watching God at work in remarkable ways at women’s conferences, retreats, and outreach events.  It’s been a joy to meet many of you in various venues across the country.  It’s always encouraging to connect with people who have read my books and I love to hear your faith-journey stories.

Next week is one of my favorite events of the year—the annual Original and Advanced Speak Up Seminars will take place at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 23-26.  Participants will gather from twenty states and Canada to learn how to communicate God’s truth more effectively.  They are always enthusiastic about networking with each other and about using their gifts to further his kingdom work!  We tell them:  “We won’t remove your butterflies entirely; we’ll just get them to fly in formation.”  I believe a little nervousness is good because it keeps us depending upon the Lord to translate our message to the heart of the listener.

Participants learn how to find a topic, build a message, tell their own story, develop illustrations, aims, outlines, and applications, teach a Bible passage with clarity, hone their delivery skills, and organize their speaking resources.  The best part of the seminar is that participants get the opportunity to try out what they are learning in small interactive groups with a trained facilitator who gives helpful feedback.
 
To join us, click on the Speak Up Seminars link at the top of my home page for more information.  There are partial scholarships available for both seminars, if that will help to make it possible for you to attend.  If you believe it’s time to move beyond fear into confidently sharing your faith with others, this seminar is for you!  Questions?  Email Bonnie, our seminar administrator, at Bonnie@speakupwithconfidence.info.