Tag: Christian Speakers

Speaking Engagements

Report Back: Covenant Baptist Women’s Conference

Michelle Lesley

Last weekend, I had a wonderful time sharing with the lovely ladies of W. Columbia, South Carolina, and the surrounding area at a women’s conference hosted by Covenant Baptist Church. CBC is definitely “Reformed and refreshing”!

I touched down at the Columbia airport Friday evening…

Hmm… this looks like something a hungry Tiger might like to have for dinner!
#GeauxTigers #ForeverLSU 💜💛🐯⚜️💛💜

…and was met by my delightful hostess Kerri and her family. We took a quick ride to CBC where the planning committee had a delicious dinner of South Carolina pulled pork – with all the fixin’s – waiting. The ladies and their families made me feel so at home, and I especially enjoyed my chat with CBC’s pastor, Bro. Charles Swann.

  • I think this may have been the best pulled pork I’ve ever eaten, including when I make it at home!
  • My reputation as a Cheerwine addict precedes me!

I was presented with an enchanting hostess bag of South Carolina treats and gifts (including a new Christmas ornament for my “conference collection”)! Thank you so much, Kerri and team!

  • This awesome dish towel is already hard at work in my kitchen!
  • All of the ladies on the planning team signed this sweet card. And, free books? Yes, please!
  • Conference t-shirt
  • The book I chose. (Haven’t read it yet, not familiar with the author, so this isn’t a recommendation, but I’m looking forward to diving in!)

After a warm time of fellowship, my gracious hostess, Lindsey, took me to her cozy Airbnb (highly recommended if you’re ever in the area!) for a restful night’s sleep.

Photo courtesy of Herrera Guesthouse and Farms

Saturday morning, we hit the ground running. Everything was so nicely arranged for the attendees to check in.

Snacks and fellowship

Door prizes

The ladies all received one of these helpful and informative folders and a set of colorful pens, generously donated by the kind folks at Mr. Pen.

Bezeugen Ministries is my favorite place to get tracts. They not only provided tracts for each of the ladies, but also graciously donated a tract “rollodex” for one of the door prizes! Check out the Bezeugen Tract Club!

Soon, it was time to move into the beautiful sanctuary…

I was mesmerized by this gorgeous window behind the pulpit, but quickly realized it was a good thing we don’t have one in my church. As distractable as I am, I’d be playing mental games of 9×9 tic tac toe during the sermon!

After some helpful announcements and introductory remarks, and a worshipful time of singing…

…we got the ball rolling with Rock Your Role at Home and at Church, learning the beauty of God’s design for women and how we can robustly and biblically fill out the roles He has given us.

Next up was Practical Holiness. We took a look at several practical ways we can prepare the soil of our hearts for God to grow us in holiness.

Lunch time! “Christian chicken” to feed our bodies and Christian fellowship to feed our souls.

Our next session was Hooked on a Feeling: Living by God’s Word Instead of Our Emotions. Scripture is our authority as Christians, and we shouldn’t let our feelings lead us around by the nose.

Finally, we finished out the day with Hospitality: Welcoming Others as Christ Welcomes Us. What is the biblical foundation of hospitality? We studied some examples and commands and learned practical ways we can show hospitality to others.

With the conference wrapped up, we had a few minutes to chat and take pictures.

The conference planning team.
My hostess, Lindsey.
This is Lara. Just three days before this picture was taken, Amy and I interviewed Lara for an episode of A Word Fitly Spoken. Look for it to drop in a few weeks!

I hated to say goodbye, but I was able to get a Saturday flight out so I could be back with my own church family Sunday morning, and I strive to do that as often as I possibly can. Thanks so much to Kerri and Lindsey for treating me like a queen and taking care of all of my needs. Thanks also to all the men and women of CBC who worked so hard to host a fantastic conference, and made me feel so welcome. If you’re ever in the area and need a good church to visit, make plans to spend the Lord’s Day with these wonderful brothers and sisters.

If your church or organization is ever in need of a speaker for a women’s event, I’d love to come share with your ladies as well. Click here for more information, or to find an upcoming event near you!

Photo Credits

Many thanks to Kerri and other conference attendees who took or shared many of the photos above. You may assume that if I’m in the picture or if it’s a good quality photo that I didn’t take it. The remaining photos were shot by me.

Speaking Engagements

Report Back: Growing Godly Women Conference

Michelle Lesley

It was such an incredible joy, recently, to share with the lovely ladies of Jefferson City, Tennessee, and the surrounding area at the Growing Godly Women conference hosted by Mill Springs Baptist Church.

  • Always take your tracts when you travel!
  • Bear with me! (Knoxville airport)

After picking me up at the airport, my gracious hostesses for the weekend, Libby and Karen, whisked me off for a relaxing foot detox treatment – a first for me, but so refreshing after hours on a plane.

  • How it started…
  • How it’s going …er…ended.

(I promise that’s not dirt – I have very clean feet! I’m told the ionization machine, salt, and water, are supposed to draw your body’s toxins out through your feet. Who knew I was such a toxic person? :0) Also this had nothing to do with mysticism or New Age practices.)

Next, was dinner at Cheddars – another first since we don’t have one in Baton Rouge. (But once I found out they had Monte Cristo sandwiches, I was sold!)

After dinner, it was back to my lovely guest suite at Karen’s house, where I was greeted with an extensive beverage bar and a bountiful spread of goodies.

Look at all these great products from Tennessee!
That’s Tennessee hospitality for you. Ahem … Geaux Tigers! #ForeverLSU

Friday morning, Libby was so kind to take me to see a couple of the local points of interest. Our first stop was post-Civil War home, Glenmore Mansion. What a treat! I love historic homes and antique furniture.

  • I love an antique square grand piano, and this is the first of Glenmore’s two lovelies!
  • Each room has a coal burning fireplace with a unique design.
  • Most of the rooms have intricately detailed wallpaper on the ceiling with medallions in the middle.
  • I need this sideboard in my life. :0)
  • This wallpaper in the dining room is something else.
  • Looking up from the ground floor, through the spiral staircase, all the way to the ceiling of the third floor.
  • Hetty was a daughter of one of the families who lived at Glenmore.
  • One of the interesting features of this house is that some of the bedrooms have closets, like this one. Most homes of that period did not have closets and used armoires or chifferobes instead.
  • Square grand piano #2 in the music room.
  • I love this music stand. Very handy for storing all your sheet music!
  • A beautiful conversation chair. Unlike most others, this one is a rocker.
  • Pump organ.
  • This is a great piece. I’ve seen lots of these swivel piano/organ stools, but never one with a back.
  • Baby dress with adorable moccasins.
  • Hand-woven blanket. Can you guess what year it was made?
  • Now can you guess what year it was made?
  • Toys in the children’s bedroom: dominoes in the blue box, marbles in the glass jar, toy horses and carriage on the bottom shelf.
  • The children’s bedroom also has a closet.
  • 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, lol. :0)

Next, we headed over to Carson-Newman, a historically Southern Baptist University in the heart of Jefferson City. The campus library had a fascinating exhibit of a fine art replica of the St. John’s Bible (a hand calligraphed and illustrated copy of the Bible) along with a display of archaeological artifacts from the Holy Land.

St. John’s Bible- Genesis 1
St. John’s Bible – Matthew 1
Sadly, while the artwork is captivating, unbiblical elements are included in some of the illustrations, as it was designed to “appeal to all faiths”.

After lunch at a campus favorite, Mossy’s Café, it was time to get freshened up and rested up for the first night of the conference.

All conference audio will be linked here when available.

Thank you to our registration volunteers!
Swag bag goodies for the ladies!
It’s always my pleasure to recommend great resources for the ladies.
I love that the ladies were offered free tracts at the book table.
  • Libby welcomes the ladies
  • Thank you so much to Joseph for leading our music!

Friday night’s first session was God’s Word, Our Foundation, discussing the necessity, authority and sufficiency of God’s Word. As Christian women, it is so important to see how vital God’s Word is to our lives.

After a hearty chicken dinner, we gathered again for our second session of the evening,  Discernment 101: Learn to Discern. We talked about what discernment is, and how to use it – identifying false teachers and false doctrine – to the glory of God.

Saturday morning we got the ball rolling with Rock Your Role at Home and at Church, learning the beauty of God’s design for women and how we can robustly and biblically fill out the roles He has given us.

Next up was was Hooked on a Feeling: Living by God’s Word Instead of Our Emotions. Scripture is our authority as Christians, and we shouldn’t let our feelings lead us around by the nose.

This was so fun! A few months ago on the blog, I re-posted Jesus Loves Me: The “Contending for the Faith” Version. Libby saw it and thought it would fit right in with my Discernment 101 session, so she incorporated it into the ladies’ singing time. This is the first time (and maybe the last! :0) it has been sung in public.

And our final session was a fun and interesting Q&A. These ladies asked some super questions!

After all that hard work, it was lunch, fellowship, and picture time!

  • Lovely centerpieces!
  • Life is like a box of chocolates – and so was dessert!

One of the conference attendees brought me this phenomenal loaf of blackberry cobbler bread from a local farmers’ market, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the best fruit bread I’ve ever eaten in my life. Ever.

  • Karen, Me, Libby
  • So great to meet Miyoshi, a longtime supporter and follower of my ministry.

I hated to say goodbye, but I was able to get a Saturday flight out so I could be back with my own church family Sunday morning, and I strive to do that as often as I possibly can. Thanks so much to Libby and Karen for treating me like a queen and taking care of all of my needs. Thanks also to all the men and women of MSBC who worked so hard to host a fantastic conference, and made me feel so welcome. If you’re ever in the area and need a good church to visit, make plans to spend the Lord’s Day with these wonderful brothers and sisters.

If your church or organization is ever in need of a speaker for a women’s event, I’d love to come share with your ladies as well. Click here for more information, or to find an upcoming event near you!

Photo Credits

Many thanks to Libby and other conference attendees who took or shared many of the photos above. You may assume that if I’m in the picture or if it’s a good quality photo that I didn’t take it. The remaining photos were shot by me.

Speaking Engagements

Report Back: Firm Foundation Women’s Conference

Michelle Lesley

What a blessing it was to share with the wonderful women of Orange, Texas, and the surrounding area at Grace Point at Eagle Heights Church’s Firm Foundation women’s conference. And it was so close to home that my husband got to come with me and enjoy the fellowship.

We arrived Friday afternoon and got settled in to our accommodations – a luxurious travel trailer with all the comforts of home, provided by our gracious hosts, Cori and Brent. It sure got us thinking about another fun way to travel!

What a great welcome basket! Lots of delicious snacks and a fragrant candle…

…and books to boot!

Next, it was off to Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp for dinner. What a cool and kitschy place- with great food!

  • Photo courtesy of Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp

Soon, it was time for the conference…

Friday night’s session was Hooked on a Feeling: Living by God’s Word Instead of Our Emotions. Scripture is our authority as Christians, and we shouldn’t let our feelings lead us around by the nose.

The many (teaching) moods of Michelle…

It’s always so great to meet the ladies…

After a wonderful time of breakfast and fellowship Saturday morning, we gathered together again.

Our first session was How to Study (and Teach!) the Bible. This is such a crucial skill for Christian women today. We’ve got to be good students of the Word so we can disciple our own children and the women and children of our churches.

At the end of the day, we closed things out with a stimulating Q&A session. These ladies asked some great questions!

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. Thanks so much to Cori, Brent, and Pastor Kevin for taking such good care of us while we were there, and for handling all the details so well. (Extra hugs to Pastor Kevin for helping me out with a video project!) Thanks also to all the men and women of GPEH who worked so hard to host a fantastic conference, and made us feel so welcome. If you’re ever in the area and need a good church to visit, make plans to spend the Lord’s Day with these wonderful brothers and sisters.

If your church or organization is ever in need of a speaker for a women’s event, I’d love to come share with your ladies as well. Click here for more information, or to find an upcoming event near you!

Photo Credits

Many thanks to Cori and other conference attendees who took or shared many of the photos above. You may assume that if I’m in the picture or if it’s a good quality photo that I didn’t take it. The remaining photos were shot by me except the one credited to Tia Juanita’s.

Speaking Engagements

Report Back: Women Thinking Wisely Conference

Michelle Lesley

It was such a pleasure to share with the wonderful women of Greenwich, Ohio, and the surrounding area at The Ripley Church’s Women Thinking Wisely conference. TRC’s conference planning committee worked long and hard to make it a wonderful event that was enjoyed by all.

I landed in Cincinnati Friday afternoon and was whisked away to a charming little cabin by planning committee member, Jennie and her husband Bob.

The Sleepy Owl’s Nest cabin is in Shiloh, Ohio, right in the middle of Amish and Mennonite country. I’m afraid this was the best picture of a horse and buggy I was able to capture in my brief time there!

The other members of the planning committee soon arrived at the cabin, and we had a wonderful time of fellowship around a phenomenal lasagna – one of my favorites!

At the bottom right is a picture of me with Kerri Sheldon of 4 Truth Ministry. Kerri was kind enough to write a guest post for me a few years back, and I highly recommend her book Resolute: An Unwavering Stance on the Truth of God’s Word, which she co-authored with her father, David, and on which her guest post was based. She also put together the awesome hostess bag I was honored with (bottom left) containing local favorites, Amish Country popcorn and Ohio buckeyes, and she hand painted the Ohio Christmas ornament herself! What a talented lady!

I am always amazed at the Providential ways God works through the conferences I speak at. Aside from the teaching and fellowship, sisters from the various churches represented make ministry connections and form friendships, sometimes their churches end up joining together in ministry, and sometimes attendees find the doctrinally sound church home they’ve been searching for.

I was delighted to learn that this was the case for Kerri and her family. They had been looking for a solid church in their area to join, but were unaware of The Ripley Church until Kerri saw on my blog that I would be speaking at a conference there. They started attending, and by the time I got there, Kerri and her mom, Lynn (on the far left in the top left photo) were able to greet me, not only as members of TRC, but also as members of the conference planning committee. What a nifty thing God did!

Saturday morning, it was conference time!

I have a special fondness for little white country churches, and The Ripley Church did not disappoint. Founded in 1851, part of the sanctuary is still the original building.

First up- check in and an energizing breakfast and fellowship time:

Lots of informative and themed materials greeted attendees as we moved into the sanctuary for teaching time:

I love the thought and care that went into these helpful conference info packets. I would never be able to think of all of this. When you’re planning a conference, be sure to harness the brains of those detail-oriented sisters!

Folders included info on 4 Truth Ministry, a Bible study app, a card with a quote from Spurgeon from my session on discernment, a program, a conference evaluation card, a TRC brochure, and an index card for writing down questions for the Q&A session.

Pastor Eric Robinson was so kind to welcome the ladies and open in prayer.

We kicked things off with Discernment 101: Learn to Discern. We talked about what discernment is, and how to use it – identifying false teachers and false doctrine – to the glory of God.

After a brief break, we moved on to session 2, Hooked on a Feeling: Living by God’s Word Instead of Our Emotions. Scripture is our authority as Christians, and we shouldn’t let our feelings lead us around by the nose.

When session 2 was over, it was time for lunch: salad, a choice of hearty, delicious soups, and cake.

  • These lovely centerpieces were given away as door prizes. Another great idea!

Between sessions, I had the luxury of a few moments of quiet relaxation time in Pastor Eric’s office. You can tell a lot about a pastor from his bookshelves, and I could tell – this is my kind of pastor! 😍👏👏👏😍

With full tummies and fuller spirits we returned to teaching with Managing Media – being wise and discerning with news, social media, movies and TV, and other media we consume.

At the end of the day, we closed things out with a stimulating Q&A session. These ladies asked some challenging questions!

It’s always great to see mothers and daughters attending together!

Another oh-so-thoughtful touch to this conference: the planning committee had all of the ladies sign these lovely cards to me. I cherish their kind and encouraging comments.

Once the conference was over, it was time for an early supper (so I could catch an early bedtime for my super early flight home the next day!). One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to sample the local fare.

East of Chicago Pizza got its start right down the road from Greenwich in Willard, Ohio, and is, as you might expect, billed as “the best pizza east of Chicago”. Now, I’ve had authentic Chicago pizza, so I feel safe in saying that if EoC pizza isn’t the best, it’s awfully close. Also delectable were Ballreich’s potato chips, made in nearby Tiffin, Ohio. Lemme tell ya- Ruffles ain’t got nothin’ on these babies.

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. My deepest thanks to Bonnie, who spearheaded the conference, and who, with her husband, Don, picked me up at an unspeakable hour of the morning to drive me to the airport for my flight home. Thanks also to Jennie and Bob, Janna, the conference planning committee, and all the men and women of The Ripley Church who worked so hard to host a fantastic conference, took care of all my needs, and made me feel so welcome. If you’re ever in the area and need a good church to visit, make plans to spend the Lord’s Day with these wonderful brothers and sisters.

If your church or organization is ever in need of a speaker for a women’s event, I’d love to come share with your ladies as well. Click here for more information, or to find an upcoming event near you!

Photo Credits

Many thanks to Kerri, Bonnie, and other conference attendees who took most of the photos above. You may assume that if I’m in the picture or if it’s a good quality photo that I didn’t take it. The remaining photos were shot by me.

Speaking Engagements

Report Back: Cullman, Alabama, Women’s Conference

Michelle Lesley

I recently had the pleasure of fellowshipping and sharing with the wonderful women of Cullman, Alabama, and the surrounding area at Salem Baptist Church’s women’s conference, put on by the awesome men of SBC. “The women of this church are the serving-est women I know,” Pastor Cory told me, “and we want to serve them for a change!”. What a great way to “outdo one another in showing honor”! (Romans 12:10)

My husband has taken to driving me to conferences that are nearby (and occasionally, those that aren’t!), so, since Cullman is a scant 6 1/2 hours from Baton Rouge, he accompanied me on this whirlwind trip. We had a great time together, chatting and listening to podcasts, and he really enjoyed hanging out with Pastor Cory and the rest of the brothers at Salem.

After a quick “stop and shop” (and lunch!) at Buc-ee’s in Leeds, AL…

Buc-ee’s is the new Stuckey’s. If you know, you know. :0)🦫

…we arrived in Cullman Friday afternoon and got settled into our motel. Pastor Cory and his delightful wife, Amber, immediately whisked us away for some fabulous Mexican ice cream. Mine was chocolate-brownie-Oreo. I could definitely go for some more of that!

Friday night, it was conference time!

On arriving, we could see that Salem Baptist is a charming little church tucked into a beautiful, pastoral nook of northern Alabama.

  • I spy, with my little eye, TWO crosses. :0)
  • I miss “Baptist scoreboards”. Nice to see you, old friends!
  • SBC has lovely stained glass windows.
  • This serene horse pasture sits across the street from SBC.
  • She ain’t what she used to be, many long years ago. :0)
  • “Lady, are you ever going to stop taking pictures of us?”

A delicious pulled pork dinner from what must be the best barbecue restaurant for miles around was a fantastic way to get the festivities kicked off.

  • Pastor Cory welcomes the ladies.
  • Lovely centerpieces!

Once everyone was well fed and ready to focus, we headed into our first teaching session, God’s Design for Biblical Womanhood. Womanhood is special and unique. Womanhood – not a cheap knockoff of manhood – is something God values and wants women to display in the world, the church, and the family.

Friday night worship, teaching, and fellowship:

A hearty breakfast awaited us as we arrived at SBC Saturday morning.

Thank you so much to these gracious gents who worked so hard in the kitchen and in other capacities before and during the conference!

Saturday’s teaching started with our second session on biblical womanhood: Walking in Biblical Womanhood. Everybody wants to change the world, but nobody wants to change the diapers. God’s plan for most of us is to change the diapers, get the groceries, make the meals. We fight back against feminism by standing – right where God has placed us – and living each day faithfully.

We wrapped things up for the weekend with a fun Q&A session. These ladies asked some smart questions!

Saturday teaching and fellowship:

I don’t mind telling you this might be my favorite picture of the whole conference. It is never too early to start teaching your girls about biblical womanhood. Whenever you can, include them in multi-generational events like this one where they’ll be around godly older women they can begin developing Titus 2 relationships with.

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. My deepest thanks to Cory and Amber, and all the men and women of Salem Baptist Church who worked so hard to host a fantastic conference, took care of all my needs, and made me feel so welcome. If you’re ever in the area and need a good church to visit, make plans to spend the Lord’s Day with these wonderful brothers and sisters.

If your church or organization is ever in need of a speaker for a women’s event, I’d love to come share with your ladies as well. Click here for more information, or to find an upcoming event near you!

Photo Credits

Many thanks to Amber and other conference attendees who took most of the photos above. You may assume that if I’m in the picture or if it’s a good quality photo that I didn’t take it. The remaining photos were shot by me.