Recently, I was invited to speak to a group of high school seniors at Big Canoe Chapel, just north of Atlanta. The Chapel gives college scholarships to students from two different counties after they undergo an extensive interview process. They evaluate the students’ grades, extracurricular activities, involvement in sports, employment history, community service, etc. It is pretty in-depth.
This year’s candidates were a really neat group of young people. I enjoyed chatting with a few of them both before and after the service.
Believe it or not, I was pretty nervous before I gave this talk. I tend to get nervous before all of my messages, but this one seemed to make me a little bit more anxious than usual. One thing that was somewhat stressful for me was that I was given 15 minutes to speak. ONLY 15 minutes! Those of you who know me or have heard some of my talks understand that sometimes just my intro can be over 15 minutes!
So, as I was putting this message together, it became clear that I had too much material. I kept whittling it down to see what worked best. Not only was I concerned about what would fit in that limited timeframe, but I was also mindful of what would glorify the Lord and leave a lasting impact on everyone there.
Well, you can judge for yourself if the mission was accomplished! I hope you enjoy the video below. It begins with a quip made by Larry, the man who introduced me, and I continued to play off of his comment as I walked up on stage. Hopefully, you will grab a nugget or two from this short message and find it useful for young and old alike.
Joshua 1:8,9
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
If this talk covered some things that you or someone you know might benefit from, feel free to pass it along to others.
Until the nets are full,
P.S. I received this message from one of the teachers who was there that night. God is really too kind to us!
Hi,
I met you tonight at Big Canoe with my daughter. I teach at DCHS. I came home and was talking to my family (four kids) and husband at dinner. We discussed our three most important days, and one of my sons said a day he met a guy at a mall. “He paid for me to get a mask (during Covid) so he could go into a store. He also gave me a book and talked about Christ with me.” After we told him who it was that prompted us to ask these questions, we all realized it was YOU who my son met. He has Tourette’s and was at a low point in his life at the time he met you. You really made an impact! I’d love for him to see you again if that is ever possible. He is a videographer and could make you an impressive video to help you spread the Word of God. I just can’t tell you enough how cool that was!
Laurie
P.P.S.
