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Recipe for Greatness...

 

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

Happy August! I have some fun news to share with you. For the past two and a half years I've worked as an on-call radio host for a live talk show. In June we launched my new radio show, Live the Promise with Susie Larson. The program airs every Saturday morning from noon to 1:00 CST (you can also listen online). 

Last week my guest was Chrissy Toledo (daughter of author and Pastor Jim Cymbala - Brooklyn Tabernacle and Carol Cymbala, director of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir). She shared about her prodigal journey away from God's heart, and how she found her way home again. This was a powerful show! 

If you need a spiritual boost, check out the podcast from that show. 

And, I am REALLY excited about this week's show! Listen in as my guest is syndicated radio host and author Jim Burns. We'll discuss his great book, "Closer: Devotions to Draw Couples Together." We had an excellent interview and Jim offered lots of great wisdom for couples. Listen in on KTIS AM 900, or listen online at: www.faith900.com  

Now on to my topic...

Speaker Must Do's...

 

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

I typically post on the last Thursday of each month on building a speaking platform. Please forgive me for being AWOL now and then. I've had had an insane travel schedule this spring but we are so thankful to God for His faithfulness in our midst. 

I want to connect with you today about a number of "Speaker Must Do's" that I think will help you as you work to build a speaking platform. 

CAN Book Feature: Embracing Your Freedom: A Personal Experience in God’s Heart for Justice by Susie Larson

Embracing Your Freedom: A Personal Experience in God’s Heart for Justice
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 0802452809

While our culture places great emphasis on comfort, security, control, and success, there are deeper rewards for those who take hold of God’s promises and reach out in the Name of Christ. Adventure, faith, miracles, and a deep knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is what Susie calls her readers to realize.

When we live in bondage to our fears, insecurities, shame, guilt, despair, or sinful appetites, we live self-focused lives. But when we embrace our freedom in Christ, our hearts are released from captivity and we view everything around us—our relationships, resources, responsibilities, and opportunities—as tools to bring that same freedom to those who desperately need it. 

Speak Life!

 

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

I post on the last Thursday of each month, which these days, puts me on holidays. Oh, well. :) My monthly theme is around building a speaking platform.

When was the last time you had a conversation with someone, and something they said about knocked you over? Maybe it was one word or a short phrase or a word picture, but when those words went into your ears, your heart beat faster and maybe your cheeks even felt flush. Does that ever happen to you?

Sometimes those moments happen while watching a movie, reading a book, or listening to a song. Such moments are now-moments when God is speaking to us and we'd do well to slow down and really listen to what the Creator of the Universe is saying to us.

Prior to every new speaking season, I spend some significant time in prayer and I ask God for a few inheritance verses for my upcoming season. And since faith pleases Him, I also ask Him what I can believe Him for - what He wants me to reach up for and lay hold of. Surprisingly, one of the things God asked me to believe Him for was for many more now-words for my audience. 

Let me explain. 

Great Expectations!

 

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

Susie Larson here...

I doubt very many of you will be visiting this blog in light of the holiday but it's my day to post and I hope to encourage whoever stops by!

I'm scheduled to post on the fourth Thursday of every month. I apologize for being AWOL last month. Between my travels and my work load, I just couldn't get it done. So sorry.

Today I want to explore the idea of expectations. By definition, expectation is a belief that someone will or should achieve something. 

We've all felt the pain of disappointment when someone has failed to meet our expectations. Some of our assumptions were legitimate, others, misplaced. Even so, human as we are, we are going to disappoint one another.

What does this have to do with speaking? 

Speaking: How I got my start...

Greetings, Friends!

Susie Larson here...

I'll be here on the fourth Thursday of every month to chat with you about the ins and outs of developing a speaking platform. Please feel free to ask questions along the way. 

First, please allow me give you a little background on how I got started as a speaker. God built my platform out of the ashes of my pain. When I was a young mom battling a vicious disease (and the financial hardships that followed), I wondered if God had lost my address. My prayers seemed to bounce off the ceiling and God seemed especially silent. Then one day a woman from my church called and said the most amazing thing to me:

"Susie, I've heard about all of the hardships you and your family are going through and I took those concerns to God in prayer. The Lord showed me a picture of a platform that He's building with your pain. Lean in and learn during everything you can during this time, then you'll have something to say when you get to the other side of painful journey."

That's all I needed to hear. God was up to something. In spite of the fear, fatigue, and despair that swirled around me, I leaned in. I listened. I took lots of notes. And I trusted God.

One day, out of the blue, I received a call from the leader of a MOPS group. Somehow she had heard about me and wanted me to share my story with her women. I was a weak, scared, and wounded little bird, but God used me in my weakness. And thus began - from very small beginnings - my speaking ministry.

For me, every new stage of growth in this ministry has always been preceded by a deep (and somewhat painful) character cleansing time. I now know to lean in and learn during those refining times so that I can stand strong in the next place He has for me.

That blessed phone call came about 17 years ago and in His wisdom, God has established my platform in pace with the ages of my kids and with the state of my health. Now that my kids are grown and I have the time, I'm running to keep up with it all. I'm represented by a wonderful national agency (Ambassador Speaker's Bureau) and my platform is steadily growing. I say no to more events than I say yes to, but I have to in order to keep up with my writing and the occasional radio work that I do. It took a while, but now I've got some great momentum and to tell you the truth, I'm hanging on to the Vine for dear life!

I tell you all of this to encourage you. If you have a heart to speak...lean in - right where you are - and learn everything you can from your current season of life. Take lots of notes. Notice how God is working all around you. Be a student of God's Word and a helper of the human condition. Be faithful right where you stand. Be fruitful with what you have. And believe Him for open doors and new opportunities. 

God wants to use you more than you want to be used by Him! 

Next month my blog topic will be: Hone Your Craft and Humble Yourself. 

Until then~

Be blessed, my friend.

Susie Larson

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Life in the Fast Lane...

Hi, Everyone!
Susie Larson here...

I feel like a putz.

Ever felt like that?

I'm moving so fast and juggling so many things that some of the balls are dropping!

It's time for me to purse my lips and say the word "no" when I know I should. It's time for me to play. If I can echo the turtle star on the Comcast commercials, I need a little "me-time."

I love the picture above because it was taken on Thanksgiving day of last year. We had beautiful weather and a field full of family members playing football. I wasn't juggling that day and so my hands were free to catch the ball...the football.

Back in my fitness days, we talked about a little thing called homeostasis which describes our body's effort to find a new level of balance when we place a new demand on our systems. If I am used to running 5 miles an hour and I step it up to 6 miles an hour, I'm going to struggle at first, but only until I find a suitable pace that will allow me to sustain that speed for a long period of time.

What does that have to do with the author? Well for me, it's a reminder that we also need to pace our schedules.

If we're lethargic, we need to take some initiative and get the creative juices flowing.

If we've been running a while, we need to make sure we're not burning up our muscle by pushing too hard or too far.

How about you?

Are you pacing yourself?

Is God a Salesman?

Greetings, Fellow Scribes!
Susie Larson here...

Several weeks ago and for several posts in a row, I mentioned the book, "The Slight Edge." A man handed me this book when I was at the airport waiting to catch a flight home after a speaking engagement.

Resulting from that post, I received a request to review Mark Steven's book, "God is a Salesman" published by Hachette Books Group USA.

Though for some reason I bristled a bit at the title and I wondered at times about his theology, I have to admit, this man knows how to sell, and he is a great communicator.

So what's in it for you?

Read on and find out...

Do Things GREAT in 2008!

Happy New Year, Everyone!
Susie Larson here...

I hope you had a beautiful and joy-filled holiday season.

The picture above was taken during a carriage ride in Vienna. I was with the Hearts-at-Home international team. We were there to equip and encourage moms. Everyone on the team but me made it into the carriage. The man with the top hat made me sit up front with him. At first I was painfully embarrassed but then I decided to make the most of it by waving to everyone and pretending to be royalty. I don't think I fooled anyone.

As we venture into the new year, we will probably hear many more snazzy phrases like, "Feel great in 2008" or "Lose weight in 2008" or "Find your mate in 2008." I'm sure we'll all be sick of them by the end of January, but indulge me anyways since we are only the first week into the month.

I believe God wants to do some GREAT things through you in this upcoming year. I believe He wants to do great things in you as well.

Most of us have one or more Bible characters with whom we identify for one reason or another.

I've repeatedly identified with Joseph from the Old Testament. God gave him a vision for his life, and then he sent him into one refining season after another.

One thing that stands out to me about Joseph, is how he always rose to the top of the heap. He found the highest ground in his pit and he was faithful there. He positioned himself for promotion.

Giving Up...

Hello, Everyone!
Susie Larson here...

I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and are well into your Christmas preparations.

I want to chat with you today about giving up, because success can't happen without it.

When I was a young gymnast doing flips in my backyard, my best friend was at the gym training for the Olympics. When I was out at the ice cream shop working on a Lollapalooza, my friend was at the gym, training for the Olympics. And when I was sleeping in on Saturdays, guess where my friend was? At the gym, training for the Olympics.

After high school my friend was awarded a full-ride to a college known for their gymnastics team. Unfortunately, during her practice routine on the bars, she landed her dismount wrong, severely hyper-extended her knee, and her career was over.

Her eggs were definitely in the gymnastics basket and she suffered a huge loss as a result.

But still, what she accomplished in her youth was phenomenal.

This may not even be the best story for my point, but I'll express it anyway: We, by nature, are adaptable beings, which, makes us prone to plateaus. To move to the "next place" in anything, something else has to give.

My friend gave up a lot to achieve her dream, and though she didn't make it all the way, she still has a thousand medals, framed awards, and pictures of herself flying through the air. What a fun thing to show her children!

As you close out this year and look forward to the next, think about the different areas of your writing/speaking life. Have you plateaued in anyway?

Are there places in your schedule to carve out time so you can invest more in your dream?

Can you think of anything you need to give up, so you can gain in an area that really matters to you?