Speaking Snapshots: April 2024

 

I had the opportunity to speak three times this month – and they were all in one week’s time! (I like to keep our schedule interesting!)

            A week ago Saturday, Ryan and I traveled to North Webster so I could speak at the Big Lake Church of God retreat. I think this is the fourth time I’ve shared with this group, and I just love them. They are all so very sweet. Their theme this year was “In HIS Time,” and per usual, the topic was probably more for me than anyone there. I spent some time wrestling with lessons I needed to learn from it for my own life story!

            They hold their retreats at Epworth Forest Conference Center, and for the first time in several years, they had a beautiful day for the retreat.

            They also had a beautiful breakfast. Ryan was particularly excited about the homemade scones. I had a bite – YUM!!!!!

            I spoke for a morning session and then again in the afternoon, and in between those two times, they did a fun craft project of painting flower pots! We could all paint our own pots and then bring home flower seeds to plant in them and wait to see them bloom…in His time.

            (I was highly impressed by the artistic talent of the entire group. Mine was elementary in comparison, but I don’t care. It will remind me of these ladies and that topic, and that’s what matters.)

            Thanks, Big Lake, for inviting me back again. You make retreats a dream for a speaker!

            The next morning, I spoke at the church where I’ve been sharing once a month, and my parents came with us to hear me speak. Everyone was so kind and welcoming to them (because this church is so sweet), and they had a great time worshiping with us.

            I shared the story of Naaman in the Old Testament and how sometimes our healing and harvest come from messy, muddy adventures. Ryan led the singing and read the Scripture passage for me, as he does each time I visit.

            And then this past Friday night, we traveled back to our county-of-birth to speak at the same church we attended when we got married. They invited us to come for a couples’ dinner. It was supposed to have happened back at Valentine’s Day, but they had to reschedule, so we just had Valentine’s Day in April! Nothing wrong with that!

            They had the room so beautifully decorated with ambient lighting, roses, and pretty decorations. They had a catered meal, the pastor played the piano while we ate, and a photographer came in to take pictures of each couple at the start of the night.

            We knew most of the people there, and we sat at a table with some friends of ours from high school and their parents, and we had the best time. They were so much fun. We told tons of stories to each other and did a lot of laughing.

            I shared about the importance of choosing your spouse and being intentional in your marriage. I was worried that talking at the end of the night, when everyone was warm, tired, and full from dinner would be a challenge, but they were a great and fun crowd!

            Three very different events, though equally fun and meaningful, made up our April ministry days!