I’m thinking public speaking may be my next career…or it just might be that this particular audience at St. John’s University, Phi Eta Chi and Kappa Sigma, gave me a super-duper welcome since it was my first time speaking publicly.
The students at this breast cancer fundraiser last week were very receptive to my message of faith, hope, joy, and a mother’s love—even after I spoke for an hour when I said I’d speak for 15 or 20 minutes. I had no idea I’d speak that long. But something happened when I was up there, something bigger than me took over—Jesus Christ—and He had his way.
I’m sure that special feeling that came over me began with the awesome prayer circle that surrounded me in the hallway before I got up to share my story. When my very close friend Rev. Diane began to pray, I felt a peace and calmness come over me that canceled out all my nervousness. Then, when my friend Susan finished the prayer and anointed me with oil, I felt eager and ready to go like an athlete before a big game. Before Susan ended her prayer, she asked me to take a literal step forward as I was walking into a new ministry and she wanted me to step into it with my faith. I also prayed. I invited the holy spirit into the room, asked for the sweet aroma of Jesus to permeate the air, and for the courage and boldness of a lion to share the gospel without fear or shame. Prayer is an amazing thing. I can do nothing without it.
For my speech, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation because the teacher in me knows people get bored easily and visuals help. It took me an astounding 50+ hours to put the PPT and speech together. I could not have done it without my hubby, mom, and mother-in-law taking turns to take care of Noah so that I could work. All that preparation…I put my notes on each slide and even printed them out, but in the end, I didn’t refer to them! I only looked at my notes when I got to the final slide because I didn’t want to forget any of my closing remarks.
The presentation is a bit long, especially if you are watching it on video but not so if you were listening live; unless, of course, you ask my mom who asked my husband to text me because it was taking too long—as if I was going to stop and read a text! I promise every detail is necessary and I’ve tried very hard to keep the story compelling and moving forward. However, feel free to take an intermission during your viewing or invite a friend to watch it with you and make some popcorn or whatever else people eat during movies. If you have a youtube account, please hit like and leave a comment. And, if you think it will bless someone who is battling doubt, depression, or illness, please share.
A very special thank you to my stepson Aaron Roman who filmed and edited the video. Aaron is a future filmmaker and he has his own videos on YouTube. Check him out under R-Man Films. And now for the video…
Click here from your email to see the video.
And click here to see my last chemo video, which thankfully is much shorter.
Have a blessed weekend.
In love and Christ,
Liz
