Public Speaking, Anyone?

Hey all,

I'm really curious, does anyone truly like the idea of public speaking?? I think for most of us, the thought of public speaking makes our hands feel clammy and makes our heart race.  I'm sure there are some crazies out there that like the thrill, but I am currently not one of those people.  

This past Sunday as I was praying for our church service, I felt like God impressed something on my heart that would be nice to share with the church.  When I arrived at church, I had forgotten all about the thought God gave me, until I felt a slight nudge from Him to get up in front of the church to share.  Ugh!  I tried my best to ignore the nudge, because getting up in front of everyone made me feel really uncomfortable. Plus, my nice comfy chair, located in a very safe aisle seemed the perfect space for me to stay hidden. I felt my heart rate start to increase until my heart was beating so fast that I felt I could hear it in my ears.  I've experienced these moments before, of God wanting to push me outside of my comfort zone, so I was familiar with the pounding heart and the sweaty palms.  As I battled in my head what I should do, I thought about the outcomes of which decision I would make; getting up might bless someone or multiple people, staying seated might make me feel regret about not being obedient.  Before I could totally talk myself out of it, I stepped out of the aisle and went to the front.  I grabbed the mic and my shakey voice came out, sharing with the church what I felt like God wanted them to hear.  After a minute or two, I sank into a natural voice and demeanor.  When I had finished speaking I sat down and felt so relieved that I hadn't cowered underneath my fear.
After the service, I talked to a person who told me that what I had shared really impacted her and it was an answer to prayer.  Wow...what if I hadn't gotten up to share? God is God, He doesn't need me, but He did want to use me in that moment.  I felt empowered to continue to mute the lies that tell me to be quiet and to stay in my comfortable little seat.

What area of your life are you feeling muted?  What if you took that step that you are afraid of and said that thing that you were scared to say? What if lives were changed just from that one thing that you said?  What if you experienced more freedom as a result of stepping out?
Maybe we need to stop focusing our "what ifs" on the negatives and start focusing them on the positives that could happen.

Be blessed,
Amanda


A good blog source for public speaking
mannerofspeaking.org 

Putting yourself out there

Hi all,

I recently started a new book on the sexualization of young women for a class I'm taking.  This is kind of an odd topic to be reading about, because I am going to school to pursue a career as a Reading Specialist.  Nevertheless, I am grateful to have encountered this topic, because I work with young girls in multiple different capacities.  This particular book I read was very disturbing, and didn't hold anything back.  This was my first experience learning about this topic, and I will admit, I had never thought about the idea of young girls being sexualized before picking up this book.

This book not only affected me because of my work with young girls, but it also affected me on a personal level.  I felt betrayed after reading this book, because I, too, had believed the lies that are described in this book.  Lies that explain how the media tells young girls that they need to dress a certain way, look a certain way and be a certain weight in order to be liked by boys.

I needed to report to the class my reactions on the book.  I was nervous to share that I was one of the girls affected by "The Lolita Effect."  I feared that I would be the only one in the room that felt this way, even though I knew that couldn't be true.  I chose to ignore the lies my fears were telling me, and I shared openly about the betrayal I felt.  No one in the room reacted, no one nodded their head in agreement.  Oh well.

After leaving class, I reflected on the things I shared and something big stood out to me: I acted like my true self.  Regardless of how anyone thought about the things I shared, I was genuine and honest with myself and with others.  There was a sense of freedom that came from being vulnerable without letting other's thoughts hinder me.  I hope to continue in this freedom, and I hope you all walk in the same freedom.

Be blessed,
Amanda

PS- I highly recommend this book if you are a parent or work with children.  Here is a link to how you can buy it.
https://www.amazon.com/Lolita-Effect-Media-Sexualization-Young/dp/1590200632