O my people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter hidden things, things from of old --
what we have heard and known,
what our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
Psalms 78:1-4, NIV
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowed in parables; he did
not say anything to them without using a parable. So was
fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."
Matthew 13:35, NIV
To book Gloria for a speaking engagement, query at gloworm@toolcity.net
Gloria on speaking:
Public speaking. Can you imagine anything more horrifying? Well, sure. Spending eternity without God and ... watching a child being tortured to death and ... um, ... I'm sure there are more.Yeah, public speaking has definitely been a leap of faith for me. I'd say that it has come with practice, but I know that it's the work of the Holy Spirit. Such 180 degree personality changes come from radical inside "help."
Though I thoroughly believe God has called me into a speaking ministry with my new series of books, I cannot claim speaking as one of my "favorite" aspects of sharing the Gospel. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy sharing my testimony. I enjoy listening to how God has impacted others' lives. I enjoy traveling. But at this point, my fear of acting foolish still outweighs the vanity of the lime light.
What I've been forced to acknowledge in speaking is a great lesson for other areas of my life as well: Trust God. If I am too dependent of myself, my wisdom and strength, Christ receives no glory from my actions. And if Christ receives no glory, then I might as well have stayed home (not wasted my time doing the "project," etc.), because that is my purpose in life: to have fellowship with Jesus Christ and praise His Name in word and deed and thought.
Even if His Name is never mentioned during my talk, Christ receives all the glory each time I step forward. I have no wisdom or strength where public speaking is concerned.
Speaking topics:
With that rapturous introduction to my speaking abilities, I now solicit you to invite me to address your group. I relish the opportunity to speak to church women's groups, civic women's groups, Youth groups, schools, college writing classes, writing groups, workshops, or conferences, and others.
Writing
Basic Fiction Writing: All you want to know as a beginner
Writing Groups: What are they and do I want to join one?
Genre Writing: Differences and similarities in the fiction genres
Christian Romance: It's not my Daddy's Oldsmobile
Devotions: Writing and editing
Rewriting: Just when you thought you had writing figured out
Any Element of Fiction (character, plot, dialogue, point of view, etc.)
Self-publishing: Not admitting defeat
Find Your Ministry: Serving God with your gifts and talents
Spiritual
Contentment: Be the woman God created you to be
Spiritual Gifts: Find the woman God created you to be
Discipling--self, family, church, community
Spiritual Warfare
Forgiveness: Why we'll die if we don't
Prayer: a privilege
Spiritual Disciplines: The actions that express our faith
Cults: Why don't we all believe the same thing?
Purity: A romance writer's take on abstinence
The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Narrow, but accessible
Personal Testimony: I'm your average Christian girl
The Truth Seekers:
Cultivating Before Planting Seeds of Truth
God is indeed good. But, man, we live in a fallen world. The latest
statistics I've heard are that over three out of every four women in the
United States have been sexually abused in some manner. Ouch. What's our
weapon against such blatant evil behavior? Jesus Christ. The same weapon
we have for every other sin in this fallen world. But not every hurting
woman has heard of Jesus in a way that she was able to grasp and make her
own.That's what my latest talk on the Truth Seekers series involves: Discussing how women who know Jesus can witness to our hurting sisters through STORY, one of God's most vibrant ways of romancing the human heart. When we share STORY, we open an avenue for the reader to see her own decisions and their consequences through the lives of non-threatening fictional characters ... and we can share with that reader the Truths of Jesus Christ in a non-threatening, non-preachy way. Many human hearts have been desensitized by life experiences and those hearts need to be prepared, cultivated, before they can accept the Word of Truth found in Jesus Christ.