WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 I want to also welcome people who are listening 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:05.780 online to this talk. You're very welcome. I hope 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:09.640 you've had a good session in your groups as well 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:14.919 online. And I want to begin by thinking about 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:17.160 Emily Scarrett. I don't know if any of you here 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:20.100 are into women's rugby. Any rugby fans here? 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:24.660 Yay, at the back there. Fantastic. Well, I was 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:27.660 listening to Emily Scarrett be interviewed. She 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:30.219 was the first England rugby player to play at 00:00:30.219 --> 00:00:33.079 five World Cups, and she announced her retirement 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:36.960 just a couple of days after the women won the 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:40.320 World Cup in September. And she was interviewed 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:43.479 on the Today programme, sharing some of her story. 00:00:43.659 --> 00:00:47.259 I searched high and low to try and get the recording 00:00:47.259 --> 00:00:50.700 back, but it had gone off iPlayer. Anyway, she 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:53.280 was saying that for many years she felt like 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:57.759 she didn't fit in as a woman. She was playing 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:00.100 rugby mostly with guys until about the age of 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:06.180 14 when actually you have to move to playing 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:08.780 with women, of which there weren't many when 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:12.260 she started out in the early 2000s. But actually 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:16.200 discovering women's rugby for her felt a bit 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:20.790 like coming home. like she could be herself. 00:01:21.510 --> 00:01:23.730 Because, you know, growing up felt a pressure 00:01:23.730 --> 00:01:26.969 to look a certain way, to be a certain way, to 00:01:26.969 --> 00:01:29.829 sound a certain way, and to feel like you don't 00:01:29.829 --> 00:01:33.390 quite fit the mould. But to find women's rugby 00:01:33.390 --> 00:01:37.150 was like coming home. There was no need to be 00:01:37.150 --> 00:01:40.790 ashamed about who she was and who she'd been 00:01:40.790 --> 00:01:43.609 made to be. There was a freedom to be herself. 00:01:43.810 --> 00:01:47.430 And she got emotional about this on Radio 4 Today 00:01:47.430 --> 00:01:50.349 programme. not a place where you normally expect 00:01:50.349 --> 00:01:54.849 a lot of emotion. And in fact, it was by being 00:01:54.849 --> 00:01:58.530 herself that she became the fantastic rugby player 00:01:58.530 --> 00:02:04.030 that she was. Now, we are here as women to find 00:02:04.030 --> 00:02:08.360 our own voice as speakers. And it sometimes can 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:12.219 feel like we need to fit a certain mold. Sometimes 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:14.780 we can easily, and I think women are particularly 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:18.819 susceptible to comparison. You know, it's hard 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:20.860 enough to get going as a woman speaker and then 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:23.080 you get going and then there's all the comparison. 00:02:24.099 --> 00:02:27.199 Maybe I need to sound a certain way or include 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.180 a particular kind of content or speak with a 00:02:30.180 --> 00:02:33.319 particular personality or style or be like X 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:40.330 or Y person over here. Well, you know, the people 00:02:40.330 --> 00:02:42.870 that will hear you speak this Christmas time 00:02:42.870 --> 00:02:45.210 and hopefully beyond, hopefully this is just 00:02:45.210 --> 00:02:49.129 the beginning. They don't need a duplicate voice 00:02:49.129 --> 00:02:54.849 of somebody else. They need your voice. They 00:02:54.849 --> 00:02:59.909 need to hear your voice. Because as Oscar Wilde 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:03.849 put it, be yourself. Everyone else is already 00:03:03.849 --> 00:03:09.819 taken. You know, I was told very early on as 00:03:09.819 --> 00:03:13.340 I set out in speaking, spent a year at Wycliffe 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:15.960 Hall, I was told that the way that we will be 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:18.960 most effective in ministry is not by trying to 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.879 be like someone else, not by trying to be who 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:24.039 you feel you should be or who you'd quite like 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:26.939 to be, but actually the way you will be most 00:03:26.939 --> 00:03:32.120 effective in ministry is by being yourself, by 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:35.319 being... The person that God has made you to 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:38.520 be, the person that God is continuing to shape 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:42.120 you to be. You have a particular voice shaped 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:45.180 by your particular background, your particular 00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:49.680 story, your personality, the things you are passionate 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:54.039 about, your journey to faith in Jesus, your professional 00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:57.740 training and skills. And the blend of all of 00:03:57.740 --> 00:04:02.159 those things is utterly unique to you. And that 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:06.840 will form the voice that you have. And so the 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:11.599 question is, how do I find my own voice? Now, 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:15.520 I'm not as tech savvy as Christy, but I'm going 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:18.139 to have a go at a little bit of interaction here. 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:21.680 What are some of the barriers that we face to 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:23.720 finding our own voice? Now, I'm a little bit 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:28.279 more constrained in the options. But if you scan 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:33.480 that QR code, you will find some options on barriers 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:36.579 that we face in finding our own voice. Not enough 00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:39.839 time to prepare. Lack of confidence. Am I good 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:43.019 enough? Am I qualified? Unqualified. Uncertainty. 00:04:43.019 --> 00:04:45.779 Should I be doing this? Should I have been given 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:51.180 a voice? Not enough opportunities. Persevering 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:54.959 takes too much emotional energy or lack of role 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:59.240 models. Now, there will be other options, but 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:03.100 that perhaps gives us something to think about. 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:09.079 I'll just wait for a few minutes. Seeing the 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:12.540 predominant one being lack of confidence. Am 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:15.699 I good enough? Am I qualified? And not enough 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:20.259 opportunities. Emotional energy, it's a real 00:05:20.259 --> 00:05:27.139 barrier, absolutely. Lack of time and uncertainty, 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:29.540 whether we should be doing this or lower down. 00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:32.480 Lack of role models, lower, which is encouraging. 00:05:33.230 --> 00:05:35.709 that there are growing numbers of role models. 00:05:35.790 --> 00:05:38.490 And the more that this ministry develops, there'll 00:05:38.490 --> 00:05:42.310 be more and more role models as well. Great. 00:05:42.389 --> 00:05:45.589 Thank you so much for responding to that. There 00:05:45.589 --> 00:05:49.430 are barriers that we face. And it was great to 00:05:49.430 --> 00:05:53.550 hear Chrissie address many of those earlier in 00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:56.730 terms of knowing whether or not our talk is good 00:05:56.730 --> 00:06:01.860 enough. I want to begin by framing some of the 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:04.959 things I want to say in the words of Jesus. And 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:08.060 I was reminded of the way that he called the 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:11.699 first disciples from Matthew chapter 4, verses 00:06:11.699 --> 00:06:15.240 18 to 20. As Jesus was walking beside the Sea 00:06:15.240 --> 00:06:18.459 of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:21.680 Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:23.680 a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:27.839 Come, follow me. Jesus said, and I will send 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:32.339 you out to fish for people. At once they left 00:06:32.339 --> 00:06:37.540 their nets and followed him. Here we have this 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:41.680 extraordinary scene where we're reminded that 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:44.779 the God who has come to save the whole human 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:50.180 race here is focused on two individuals, Simon 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:54.300 and Andrew. And I want to look at these words, 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:56.879 come follow me and I will send you out to fish 00:06:56.879 --> 00:07:02.139 for people, in reverse. Firstly, I will send 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:06.680 you out. The way to be effective in the kingdom 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:11.079 of God is to be yourself. I will send you out 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:15.240 to fish for people, not someone else, not this 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:19.300 other person down the road, but you. I'm sending 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:25.050 you. And I'm sending you as you, not you, you 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:28.829 know, in some future form. But now I am sending 00:07:28.829 --> 00:07:34.250 you. But of course, we know that we're all still 00:07:34.250 --> 00:07:38.209 works in progress as well. And so the way to 00:07:38.209 --> 00:07:41.209 increasingly become yourself, the way to increasingly 00:07:41.209 --> 00:07:47.910 become you is to follow Jesus. Come follow me 00:07:47.910 --> 00:07:57.699 and I will. So at the centre of finding our voice 00:07:57.699 --> 00:08:03.199 is wholehearted devotion to Jesus. How do we 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:08.120 find our voice? By proximity. to the one who 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:10.759 made us, the one who has shaped us to be who 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:13.600 we are today, and the one who continues to shape 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:17.720 us and transform us as well. We find our voice 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:20.740 in close proximity to Jesus, in spending time 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:24.480 with him, in listening to his words. The more 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:27.480 we are changed, the more we are sanctified, the 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:31.459 more we become who we're meant to be. It is sin 00:08:31.459 --> 00:08:35.279 that gets in the way of us being ourselves. And 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.659 the more we become ourselves, the more we find 00:08:38.659 --> 00:08:43.159 our voice. So what does it mean for you today 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:47.720 to be reminded of the call of Jesus to come follow 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:50.639 me? What does that mean for you today? In what 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:54.039 ways do you delight to follow Jesus? In what 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:58.179 ways do you struggle? Which parts of life do 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:03.049 you gladly and freely? Give to the Lord. And 00:09:03.049 --> 00:09:07.309 which parts do you hold on to? So an integral 00:09:07.309 --> 00:09:11.789 part of finding our voice is in closeness to 00:09:11.789 --> 00:09:15.769 Jesus and in openness to the transforming work 00:09:15.769 --> 00:09:21.049 that he wants to do in our lives. But let's think 00:09:21.049 --> 00:09:25.490 more practically now. Voice can mean different 00:09:25.490 --> 00:09:29.320 things. It can mean different. And so I've been 00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:34.559 thinking particularly, I don't know, next slide, 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:38.679 James, if you, thank you. Voice can mean what 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:42.580 we say, it can mean who we say it to, and it 00:09:42.580 --> 00:09:46.940 can mean how we say it. Your voice is a blend 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:52.419 of the content and the audience and the style 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:58.139 in which you present. So firstly, what we speak 00:09:58.139 --> 00:10:01.980 about. Let's think about that for a few minutes. 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:08.080 Firstly, know what you want to say. In order 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:12.559 to find your voice, know your thoughts. Know 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:15.320 what is it that you want to say, what is it that 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:20.379 God has put on your heart to say. And for some 00:10:20.379 --> 00:10:22.940 people, actually, they have a life message. Like 00:10:22.940 --> 00:10:24.620 God's put something on their heart and that's 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:27.480 going to consume their whole life. That is the 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:29.820 message. That's what God's given you to say. 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:32.659 And you will say it in so many different contexts 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:35.919 of so many different kinds of people. And then 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:37.820 there's what God's given you for each individual 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:40.139 talk. You know, you're all feeling relieved to 00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:43.500 have practiced your talks. And every talk is 00:10:43.500 --> 00:10:46.100 a kind of, what is it that I want to say? What 00:10:46.100 --> 00:10:50.470 is it that God wants me to say? And it's really 00:10:50.470 --> 00:10:52.309 important to know what you want to say. And, 00:10:52.370 --> 00:10:56.529 you know, one of the points I'll make later on 00:10:56.529 --> 00:10:59.110 is that we learn far more from our mistakes than 00:10:59.110 --> 00:11:02.330 from our successes. And one of the really formative 00:11:02.330 --> 00:11:07.610 times for me was actually I learned to preach 00:11:07.610 --> 00:11:12.009 at Wycliffe Hall in 2004. I gave my first talk 00:11:12.009 --> 00:11:16.600 to people who weren't Christians. like Easter 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:20.620 of 2005. And the first talk went really well. 00:11:20.659 --> 00:11:23.399 It was in the sort of preparation for going out 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:27.259 on this mission week that Michael Green was leading. 00:11:28.299 --> 00:11:30.379 The first talk went really well and I was all 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:33.840 kind of buoyed up and happy and great. The second 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.039 talk that I gave a few months later was like 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:39.019 the worst talk that I've ever given in my life. 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:44.620 And I basically lost track. I lost my way during 00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:49.019 this talk. And it was a fantastic talk. It was 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:51.580 one of those where I just wanted to crawl under 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:56.700 a rock and quietly die. Or the ground swallow 00:11:56.700 --> 00:12:00.159 me up. Just forget about this even trying to 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:04.120 talk to people business. What I had to do was 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:06.279 go now and sleep on the floor of an undergrad 00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:09.539 student in their student house so that we could 00:12:09.539 --> 00:12:12.440 have lovely conversations about Jesus for the 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:16.940 next half a week. But actually that forced me 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:20.340 back out. Perhaps I would have retreated and 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:24.139 never returned if I hadn't had to do that. But 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:26.899 I needed to be clearer on what I wanted to say. 00:12:28.100 --> 00:12:31.000 so that I didn't lose my way. So what is it that 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:34.710 you want to say? Secondly, try different things. 00:12:34.809 --> 00:12:37.649 Know that there are different tools at your disposal. 00:12:37.669 --> 00:12:40.889 We find our voice knowing that we've got different 00:12:40.889 --> 00:12:44.309 tools that we can deploy and engage and become 00:12:44.309 --> 00:12:47.490 really skilled at doing that. You know, there 00:12:47.490 --> 00:12:49.850 are lots of different angles on the Christmas 00:12:49.850 --> 00:12:53.070 story. The Christmas story could be told through 00:12:53.070 --> 00:12:56.169 the lens of journey and migration about the God 00:12:56.169 --> 00:12:59.789 who has left his home for our sake. It's a story 00:12:59.789 --> 00:13:02.230 of relationality about God who called. comes 00:13:02.230 --> 00:13:05.169 alongside us and calls us into relationship. 00:13:05.690 --> 00:13:08.590 It could be done through the lens of surprises. 00:13:08.730 --> 00:13:11.090 There's a lot of surprises in the Christmas story. 00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:14.009 Or it could be through a scientific lens, you 00:13:14.009 --> 00:13:16.590 know, the extreme unlikelihood of all the miracles. 00:13:16.909 --> 00:13:19.429 There's no one way to tell the Christmas story. 00:13:20.529 --> 00:13:25.129 It's beautiful and multifaceted. And so finding 00:13:25.129 --> 00:13:27.529 our voice is knowing that we have a range of 00:13:27.529 --> 00:13:31.789 tools in your toolkit. And discerning the right 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:36.149 ones to use on each occasion. Try different things. 00:13:36.470 --> 00:13:39.190 There may even be a particular angle in the Christmas 00:13:39.190 --> 00:13:41.789 story that you don't hear mentioned very much, 00:13:41.950 --> 00:13:46.370 but that really resonate with you. And actually 00:13:46.370 --> 00:13:48.789 maybe growing and developing these will be part 00:13:48.789 --> 00:13:51.870 of you finding your voice. You know, people are 00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:54.830 not telling it from this angle. Let me do that. 00:13:55.919 --> 00:13:58.519 And I can't remember the theologian that said 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:01.120 this, but there are so many different ways to 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:03.980 share the gospel. The gospel is like a diamond 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:07.639 and you can shine light on it on so many different 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:11.059 ways. You know, the gospel is about justice. 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:14.360 The gospel is about victory over evil. It's about 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:19.080 love. It's about sacrifice instead of selfish 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:22.519 gain. It's about the defeat of curse and the 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.480 release of blessing. And finding our voice is 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:29.740 knowing the range of different ways we can shine 00:14:29.740 --> 00:14:33.759 light on the gospel. And that gives us freedom 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:37.399 to think creatively and try different things. 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:42.080 So try different things. And then thirdly, God 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:46.059 may give you a, some of you, a particular voice 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:49.840 into a particular field. So your voice might 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:54.500 actually be very specific and very focused. It 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:58.940 might be related to your profession, your professional 00:14:58.940 --> 00:15:01.620 training, your particular skills and background 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:06.059 that qualify you in a way that other people aren't 00:15:06.059 --> 00:15:10.679 qualified actually. People here for whom, you 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:12.480 know, there are people you can reach that others 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.899 can't. And so we need your voice into that very 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:20.080 particular field. And it will also perhaps be 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:25.399 related to your story, your faith journey. You 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:29.080 know, whether you became a Christian as a child 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:32.500 or as an adult. or well into your professional 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:36.179 life, and also your life experiences, the things 00:15:36.179 --> 00:15:38.299 that have happened to you both before becoming 00:15:38.299 --> 00:15:42.519 a Christian and since. These all influence the 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:45.740 kind of voice that we might have. So, for example, 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:49.779 for me, some key things that have influenced 00:15:49.779 --> 00:15:53.809 the kind of voice that I... have had is that, 00:15:53.850 --> 00:15:56.909 well, I became a Christian as an adult, as a 00:15:56.909 --> 00:15:59.990 student at university. And so I can remember 00:15:59.990 --> 00:16:03.529 what it was like to not believe in God. And so 00:16:03.529 --> 00:16:06.110 that has really formed and forged the kind of 00:16:06.110 --> 00:16:08.230 voice that I have. I always speak, apart from 00:16:08.230 --> 00:16:09.669 when I'm speaking to a room of Christian women, 00:16:09.950 --> 00:16:13.529 always speak and write to unbelievers, write 00:16:13.529 --> 00:16:16.009 as if there are people in the room who do not 00:16:16.009 --> 00:16:18.210 know what they believe, because I can remember 00:16:18.210 --> 00:16:24.340 what it was like to not believe. Also, I've had 00:16:24.340 --> 00:16:26.320 a background in science and brain imaging, so 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:29.299 I speak quite a lot about mind and brain, sometimes 00:16:29.299 --> 00:16:31.539 get wheeled out for the God and science talk 00:16:31.539 --> 00:16:36.360 in university missions. Also, my husband has 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:38.519 had health struggles, which is partly what led 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:41.740 me to write my first book on suffering that came 00:16:41.740 --> 00:16:45.259 out of a place of suffering and trying to make 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:47.960 sense of it. And so our life experiences, our 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:50.679 faith journey, our profession might influence 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:55.059 the particular voice that God is giving us. Secondly, 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:58.759 who we speak to. Who are the people that you 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:04.789 can most connect with? Some people. We'll have 00:17:04.789 --> 00:17:07.890 a voice like that of the Apostle Paul, I've become 00:17:07.890 --> 00:17:11.250 all things to all people so that by all possible 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:15.430 means I might save some. Some people have a wide 00:17:15.430 --> 00:17:21.230 voice, a voice to a wide range of people. Other 00:17:21.230 --> 00:17:24.269 people's voice might be to a very specific audience, 00:17:24.390 --> 00:17:27.809 I guess connected to the particular skills and 00:17:27.809 --> 00:17:30.450 life experiences that we talked about in the 00:17:30.450 --> 00:17:36.079 last section. Your voice might be related to 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:39.039 the particular profession or life stage or journey 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:42.240 or something that you're passionate about. What 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:45.460 are you passionate about? Are there causes, are 00:17:45.460 --> 00:17:48.460 there charities that you are passionate about? 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:52.460 There might be those that actually have a particular 00:17:52.460 --> 00:17:56.980 voice to children or young people or mums at 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:01.210 the school gate. There might be those of you 00:18:01.210 --> 00:18:03.250 that have a particular voice to PhD students 00:18:03.250 --> 00:18:08.470 or teachers or people in research. There might 00:18:08.470 --> 00:18:10.210 be those of you that have a particular voice 00:18:10.210 --> 00:18:13.430 to people struggling and journeying with neurodiversity 00:18:13.430 --> 00:18:15.890 because of the influence that's had on you. There 00:18:15.890 --> 00:18:18.990 are any number of examples that we can give, 00:18:19.130 --> 00:18:23.410 but who is it that we can most connect with? 00:18:24.029 --> 00:18:26.349 Are there people that we are actually uniquely 00:18:26.349 --> 00:18:30.339 honed? to connect with. That will influence the 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:33.579 kind of voice that we have. God may give us a 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:37.180 voice for certain audiences. And you know, one 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:39.259 of the reasons why it's really important that 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:43.299 ministries like this exist is because often women 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:45.579 are best placed to communicate and connect with 00:18:45.579 --> 00:18:51.079 other women. You know, we know the struggles, 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:53.819 the challenges, the joys, the shared experiences 00:18:53.819 --> 00:18:57.619 of being a woman in this world. And so we need 00:18:57.619 --> 00:19:02.339 women to connect with women. I'm really fascinated 00:19:02.339 --> 00:19:05.359 and I haven't looked into it. I don't know. I've 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:07.819 seen you hint about this on social media, but 00:19:07.819 --> 00:19:11.140 in the Quiet Revival data, there's a lot of talk 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:14.579 about Gen Z men, especially being drawn to church. 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:19.160 But what about Gen Z women? Why are they not 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:22.480 as drawn to church as Gen Z men? And that's worth 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:25.480 looking into. And probably for sure we need more 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:31.420 Gen Z women speakers to reach Gen Z women. Let's 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:34.420 not feel the need to wait until we're older or 00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:37.480 more mature. Wisdom actually is a part of the 00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:41.339 kingdom of God and that transcends age. Don't 00:19:41.339 --> 00:19:43.740 let anyone look down on you because you're young. 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:49.960 We need your voice. And thirdly, sorry, I should 00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:56.599 have put this one up earlier. How we speak, our 00:19:56.599 --> 00:19:59.779 communication style, and this differs between 00:19:59.779 --> 00:20:04.380 people. Some people are natural storytellers. 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:08.319 Other people love argument and reason and evidence. 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:11.839 Some use a lot of humor. Thinking about someone 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:13.900 like J. John at the moment, you know, really 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:18.329 effective communication. And there are different 00:20:18.329 --> 00:20:20.849 styles. Some people speak very quickly. Some 00:20:20.849 --> 00:20:23.690 people speak more deliberately. Some people move 00:20:23.690 --> 00:20:28.490 around and are very animated. Others may stay 00:20:28.490 --> 00:20:32.869 still. Some like detailed notes. Others have 00:20:32.869 --> 00:20:35.690 a framework and they have bullet points and they 00:20:35.690 --> 00:20:39.750 let the precise words flow in the moment. My 00:20:39.750 --> 00:20:43.430 personal recommendation would be to use slightly 00:20:43.430 --> 00:20:48.339 more words earlier on. Yeah, sorry, that's this 00:20:48.339 --> 00:20:52.259 slide. Slightly more notes earlier on and then 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:55.059 have a, you know, you can always shorten and 00:20:55.059 --> 00:20:58.200 loosen them later on. But we're all different, 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:00.440 you know, there's no one way, there's no one 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:04.019 style. I thought it might be helpful to show 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:06.339 you even a slide of what I'm saying to you right 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:08.819 now and what I've got in front of me as I speak 00:21:08.819 --> 00:21:13.519 to you. So I've got enough notes so that if my 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:17.509 menopausal mind goes blank, I still know what 00:21:17.509 --> 00:21:21.630 to say, roughly, but not so much that I have 00:21:21.630 --> 00:21:26.490 to read it out from the page to you. And I find 00:21:26.490 --> 00:21:28.910 that to be helpful to me. You will need to find 00:21:28.910 --> 00:21:32.890 what works for you. I have my PowerPoints highlighted 00:21:32.890 --> 00:21:38.309 at the side so I know when to change it. So that's 00:21:38.309 --> 00:21:40.910 what works for me. And you'll get a sense of 00:21:40.910 --> 00:21:42.990 this is how long it takes me to speak through 00:21:42.990 --> 00:21:48.400 one side of A4 as well. So style. What is your 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.759 style? What is your communication style? Don't 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:54.380 feel embarrassed about the style that you have, 00:21:54.420 --> 00:21:56.660 even if it's different from other people. We 00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:59.480 need that style because there's all kinds of 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:03.319 people out there in the world. And we need all 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:11.289 kinds of people to reach a varied world. But 00:22:11.289 --> 00:22:15.549 as I close, things that are common to us all, 00:22:15.670 --> 00:22:18.710 that we communicate our style ought to be with 00:22:18.710 --> 00:22:22.410 gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, 00:22:22.549 --> 00:22:27.630 but also of courage and confidence and boldness 00:22:27.630 --> 00:22:31.029 and actually self -belief, not an arrogance of, 00:22:31.130 --> 00:22:35.650 you know, I've got it all sorted and it's all 00:22:35.650 --> 00:22:38.630 in my own strength. I don't mean that by self 00:22:38.630 --> 00:22:41.619 -belief. I actually mean... God has opened a 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:44.259 door for me here and he's given me something 00:22:44.259 --> 00:22:47.039 to say. And I'm going to say it and I'm going 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:49.880 to say it with confidence, knowing that God has 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:53.140 opened the door and he has given me a voice. 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:56.460 For the spirit God gave us doesn't make us timid, 00:22:56.460 --> 00:23:00.579 but gives us power, love and self -discipline. 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:04.160 Some questions to ponder then as we think about 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:07.160 the kind of voice God might be giving us. What 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:09.240 are the key aspects of your journey to faith? 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:12.579 What life experiences have you had that others 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:15.599 may connect with? What are you passionate about, 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:19.039 interested in? Who are the people you can most 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:23.299 connect with? Who are the communicators that 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:29.740 inspire you? And finally, pray lots, persevere. 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:33.019 As I said earlier, sadly, and it's so painful, 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:35.500 we learn far more from our mistakes than our 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:39.880 successes. Try different things. Ask for feedback. 00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:43.980 Take as many opportunities as you can and keep 00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:47.079 going because finding your voice is a process 00:23:47.079 --> 00:23:52.359 and it takes time. As I close, why don't I pray? 00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:00.559 Lord Jesus, I thank you for each woman here and 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:03.180 I thank you, Lord, that you have given them a 00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:06.680 voice and I pray that you would... enable them 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:10.279 to continue to discern and to know the voice 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:13.279 you've given them and to speak that voice, speak 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:15.460 through the kind of voice that you are giving. 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:18.079 Thank you, Lord, that you love us, that you are 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:21.519 faithful, that you are with us. And please help 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:25.180 us. Please continue to change us more and more 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:29.039 into the likeness of Jesus Christ. And please 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:33.039 use us according to your will. In Jesus' name. 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:33.640 Amen.