public speaking

A couple of nights ago I had the pleasure of speaking to about 100-150 people about Blood:Water Mission and specifically my experiences in South Africa in fall 2004. A friend, Ashley Lovell, is headed to South Africa in February to work with our friends at the Living Hope Community Center as a drug and alcohol abuse counselor. The evening was an opportunity for friends, family, and others to hear great music and gain a little more insight into the work she is entering...and how to faithfully support her. Andy and Jill Gullahorn (Jill Phillips), Dave Hunt, Chad Cates, and Laurianne Cates provided the music...so good to see these friends and hear some of their songs.

It had been quite awhile since my last speaking engagement, so I spent some of Tuesday and Wednesday preparing. First I read through a lot of my journal from my time in South Africa...this was a rich time of reflecting on a life-changing journey. Some of it is here in the Blood:Water Mission website. The next challenge was fitting my story/stories into the context of the evening...sharing what would be most beneficial and timely for this opportunity.

In my speaking engagements, whether in a room of 10 or 500, I have realized the importance of remembering and reminding. As I take the time to remember the weight of a moment or event in my past, I remind myself of the most important things in life...and I find myself reminding others of these things, too. My heart is still so tender, and sharing my transforming moments still brings shuddering from within and tears to my eyes. Unless I force myself to occasionally sit in these things, my heart and flesh are too easily wooed by the things of the world, far from the messy mix of joy and suffering, laughter and sorrow. But this is the uncomfortable glorious place of the Gospel and its hope.

I invite you to frequently check out Ashley's blog to keep up with her thoughts and experiences. We all have stories to tell, and each one is important for others to hear.