Saturday morning I was the opening speaker for a women’s fall retreat at a local church. I’ve been speaking informally for several years. But this? This was different.
In July 2023 I traveled with my friend, Tobi Hough to Grand Rapids, Michigan for Speak Up. It was during our time at this conference that God seemed to confirm, “It’s time”. I’ve been moving that direction ever since.
Robyn Dykstra was a piece of this journey; a big piece. When I heard her speak, it was as if God was giving me a vision of what that would look like for me. She and I are very similar in many ways.
I returned for the conference this past July with my friend, Gina Clark Grbic. Doors of opportunity continued to open that I simply wanted to be obedient to walk through. The first significant step was to enroll in Boot Camp which is a speaker certification course that Robyn offers. When speaking with Robyn about the course, she clarified something crucial for me. There’s a difference between a calling and a commissioning. When you know my story, it seems that God has been “calling” me for years. However, it wasn’t until recently (maybe specifically last year at Speak Up) that God “commissioned” me. There was some serious refining that needed to happen before I would be adequately equipped to step into this role.
This past Wednesday I completed Boot Camp and now have a full arsenal of resources at my fingertips (in addition to an incredible group of new friends in the industry). Yesterday, I took that commissioning and those resources and went “into the wild” as Robyn calls it. What an amazing ride it was!
I’m blessed by the support of countless women from Major Hospital where I work on the Med-Surg/CCU, from Brookville Road Community Church where Kenny and I have attended for nine years, and in general from dear family and friends. Equally as supportive were the many women who I met for the first time. The entire day was a true gift. I came home beautifully exhausted and at the same time “drinking from the saucer”.
While speaking with a friend last night, we both decided that although working for God seems to be overwhelming, it also is exactly where we want to be. The freedom we feel is indescribable.
I’ve been called. I have a message. It’s all about Jesus.
Act 28: 31 ~ “……..proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”