Wanna Get Together?

It’s really happening. The trailer’s packed, the training’s completed. Time for the journey to begin.

I wonder how it’s going to come together. With so many moving parts, we just can’t know what the finished product will look like. But we keep getting this one question: what’s happening with the speaking engagements?

Frankly, that part is moving pretty slowly. Lots of folks seem curious and interested, but we’re not getting many firm commitments. Seems like there’s a lot of uncertainty or hesitation or something I can’t quite define.

So I thought I’d offer a few ideas. Perhaps I can stimulate those creative juices and inspire a few brave souls to take a leap of faith.

I understand that it can be difficult for churches, schools, and service clubs to invite unknown speakers on relatively short notice. I’d like to believe that we have an engaging story that justifies bending traditions a bit, but I get that it’s not always easy.

A “speaking engagement” doesn’t have to mean a formal presentation. It can mean that, but there are a lot of other possibilities.

• One local church sponsored a Family Movie Night. We watched the film SOUL SURFER, then talked about Rich’s Ride and God’s role in overcoming adversity. Top that off with some dessert and you have a great evening.
• Another church invited us to show our six-minute video at the beginning of the regular worship service. Then we hung out and had some amazing conversations afterward—I think donuts were involved.
• How about having a group of friends read Relentless Grace prior to our arrival. Then we can gather over coffee and chocolate chip cookies and discuss the story. This works great for folks who are curious about Becky’s place in the story and how the next chapters played out.
• A school leadership class had a wonderful discussion about diversity and bullying around a theme of dreams and hope—while munching on cupcakes.
• You could schedule an informal “meet-up” at a coffee shop or book store. Invite some friends, bake some brownies, and we can just talk about the notion of God’s role in adversity and why bad things happen to good people.

Get the idea? I’m happy to do traditional presentations, but the options are a lot broader than that. The common elements are people who want to hear an inspirational message, talk about hope, and eat.

Honestly, I’m not too concerned about the lack of confirmed speaking gigs. It’s one of the things that’s mostly out of my control anyway, so I have to trust that it’ll occur as it’s meant to.

But I’ll push on you just a little. If you live along the route, or know someone who does, and if you think this story is worth telling, please don’t wait for someone else to provide the audience. Maybe that stirring you feel is God’s prompting to set something up.

Or maybe it’s indigestion from all those goodies.