My obsession with what others thought of me, if I was living up to their expectations, prevented me from speaking up for fear of being shushed or overlooked. Even as a Christian, I still struggle with wanting to push everyone out of my life because I feel like I constantly fall short of their ideas of who I am supposed to be.

I was confused when I saw an email from Facebook, saying someone had logged into my account. An hour ago. When I was still sleeping.

There was nothing I could do. Panic set it as I realized all of what this could mean for my poor profile.

Digital clutter is easier to collect than vacation souvenirs. I find myself confronted once again with the choice to either upgrade my cloud storage space or delete the precious data I’ve collected over the years. It leaves me in a panic.

We love some good family time watching a new show together. With only three of us in our home, it isn’t always as easy as you think to find something we all enjoy, but we agree on a few shows, including Cobra Kai. I struggle just to chill watching TV (anyone else? 🙋🏻‍♀️), so often I pick up my iPad and doodle in Procreate. It’s one of my favorite ways to decompress, allowing all the day to melt away with scribbles and nonsense. Maybe for you, it’s playing some Candy Crush or Solitaire. We all have our things.

Last week I joined Toastmasters. Honestly, I had no idea what exactly it was, except that you give speeches to a group of other people and listen to them. I’ve heard it recommended to me, so I thought I would check it out. Sitting in on a few sessions as a guest, here is what I can tell you:

There are clearly defined structures and themes to each meeting. There are preparation and strategy to achieve different levels within Toastmasters.

Far more than simply giving speeches, I can see how their claims of building personal growth, learning leadership skills, and building confidence will come to pass if I give myself fully to this process.

There are other roles than just giving speeches! From roles of the timer to the grammarian to evaluators, this is a well-rounded experience.

The community is welcoming and supportive. Even though my local group is meeting via Zoom, they have been so encouraging!

What I have to offer you today is not some master plan to read the whole Bible in a year or a directive on becoming a master theologian. Today I offer you three ways you can easily start today.