“Walk with the wise and become wise….” (Prov. 13:20a)
This verse has been truly instructional for my life, and I’ve been changed as I live by it. Since I shared about coaching last week, I wanted to share some wisdom this week from some women who have been mentors of mine in the last 9 years, the Proverbs 31 Speaker Team. I asked our speaker team and the Online Bible Study Team to share their best piece of advice with you, and these are some of the responses:
“Never underestimate how the preparation for His presence proceeds the miracles of God.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve showed up at an event and felt like God wasn’t even there because there was no preparing for Him to be there. Sometimes its because I didn’t spend enough time in worship and prayer for the event. When its all about the details it can be very easy for it not to be about the anointing of God.” ~Nicki Koziarz
“The moment I say “yes” to an event, I connect with the event coordinator, and we pray together for the event. I then ask her to send me the names of the women who register for the event. As the names come in, they send them to me, and I begin praying for each woman by name. God uses this prayer time it to create a powerful connection with the women. When I arrive, they are not strangers. They are names etched in my heart…names I would sometimes linger over as I prayed. Meeting them is precious. My heart is already tender to them as I step onto the stage. I open each event telling them they have been prayed for by name. It creates something intangible between us…a supernatural connection via the Holy Spirit!” ~Wendy Blight
When I first felt called to speak, I was excited about speaking but wasn’t exactly sure what I was supposed to speak about. As a result, I came up with topics that I thought would be of interest to many women, and created a message around it, even if I wasn’t an ‘expert’ or fully knowledgeable in that subject area, then would back them up with appropriate scripture references, and sprinkle in a few personal stories. But over time, I realized God called me to speak about specific topics based on the experiences He had brought me through, or times in my life when I had personally seen Him at work or experienced His intervention and guidance, and not just any random subject in the Bible. I have learned that when we can share God’s truths based on our own experiences and wisdom, and not just Bible knowledge, hearts can really be moved. So my advice would be to steer away from speaking about random subjects that you feel would be well received or popular, and instead, pray about what God has specifically and uniquely equipped you to talk about and stick to topics where your passion for the subject matter will be evident to all who listen to your message. ~Tracie Miles
Place a person in the audience mentally as you prepare. No matter whether your message is humorous or poignant or teaching or mentoring, see that person — their needs, their heart, their feelings — as you write, as you pack, as you take care of details, as you pray, and even as you step onto the stage. This takes the focus off of the details, off of you, and on to the woman waiting to hear what God wants to speak into her heart. ~Suzie Eller
I love how each piece of advice is unique and reflects the heart and passion of each woman who gave it. I hope this is useful wisdom for you!
As your women’s ministry plans for fall events, would you keep the Proverbs 31 Speaker Team, each of these women (and me!) in mind as you prayerfully consider speakers? We’d love to serve your women and get to meet you in person!
Amy
Thanks for grace, friends!
Today I’d like to introduce my client and friend . Charlotte was one of my first clients way back when. She has contracted for several services, and we’ve just finished working together again. Charlotte wanted a “second brain” and accountability as she developed a new retreat, so we customized a service for her.
