Speaking

My Philosophy for Speaking

I love Scripture. I love the way the stories weave together to make one complete story. While we often read Bible stories independent of each other, they all fit together into God’s over arching story of love and redemption. And we have a role in that story as it progresses toward the climax when Christ returns.

Bible stories weave together into one big love story from God

Since my faith came alive when I discovered the threads that hold these stories together, I am excited to point out these connections and their implications. The New Testament writers’ lives were immersed in the Hebrew Scriptures. So as they saw the gospel revealed, they naturally populated their writing with thousands of references to link ‘what was written’ to what was happening. The original New Testament readers also knew these Scriptures, so the references brought to mind vivid images and familiar memories that added deep meaning to the writing. I love sharing the rich meaning of these discoveries.

In addition, I believe that it’s important to step into the lives of the original writers and readers in order to understand the writer’s intended meaning. The use of words has changed. Social structures have changed. The life and land of ancient Israel differs from anything we know. Adding this texture to a story brings to life a character or a situation so that the teaching becomes real.

We understand the writer’s meaning better when we understand his world.

I pray God uses my teaching to demonstrate that Scripture holds Truth with a capital T and that following Jesus is both possible and, in fact, wonderfully fulfilling. I hope to lead others to comprehend that His way really is the best and to experience the life God intends for them. In everything, I hope to inspire a desire to know Him better.

Topics

I’d love to create a meaningful message for your group. Whether one of the following topics seems perfect or you need something different, I look forward to customizing a program with you.

Landmarks of Faith: Gain trust for the future by remembering God’s actions in your past

Let’s enter the story of the Israelites as Joshua leads them across the Jordan to possess the Promised Land. God wants them to remember their time in the wilderness when He resided with them in the tabernacle and provided all their needs. God knows how easily they forget, so He directs them to build a landmark and retell the story whenever they pass it. Since we also tend to forget God’s blessings, finding ways to remember and retell the stories of His great works help us build trust for times of struggle.

Jesus Chose You

Let’s accompany Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane where He pled with God for an alternative plan but promised obedience. Jesus could save Himself and escape into the wilderness along the route taken by King David as he ran from his son Absalom or, He could save all of us by taking the more difficult route toward the cross. Given the choices, Jesus chose you and me. He followed God’s will for our salvation.

I am the Vine and My Father is the Gardener

What does Jesus mean in John 15? What are the tasks of a gardener tending his vineyard? How and why does a gardener prune? What is the process of grafting (we Gentiles are grafted onto the Vine)? This powerful object lesson brings fresh meaning to what Jesus did on the cross, how He works in our lives and how His Spirit flows through us.

Image of God

Let’s sit at the foot of the storyteller as ancient people hearing the story of Creation. Let’s nod along as God shapes humans from dust just as we, as ancient people, shape our clay household idols. But a surprise in the story peaks our interest. We are idols created by God’s hands. He shaped us in His own likeness and brought us to life with His Spirit. What does it mean to be created in God’s image? How can we see His image in our own reflection and how can we see His image in others?

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up

Let’s try describing Jesus to someone who doesn’t know Him? Everything we describe might be true, but is it complete? When we rely only on Sunday school lessons and sermons to learn about Jesus, we may be following Mr. Rogers and not Jesus. The only way to know the real Jesus is to discover the complete portrayal of Him in Scripture. Let’s touch on some of the teachings of Jesus that we’d rather skip over in order to more fully understand His call for us.

Churchy Words

There are many words that we read in scriptures and hear in sermons that we only vaguely understand. Could we describe the meaning of justification or sanctification to a friend? How are righteousness and justice related? What is redemption? Even some words that seem obvious like hope, grace, peace and fear of the Lord have a wider meaning than we know. Let’s explore the meaning of these words so they make sense and add depth to our relationship with God.

Our Response to Jesus defines us as Christians

We know the story of Jesus by heart, but have we taken it to heart? Has it made an impact in our lives and on our behavior? Our response to what Jesus has done defines us as His followers. Would people know we’re Christians by observing our lives? “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” St Francis of Assisi

Check Out My Preaching Videos

Testimonials

As long as I've known Cathy, she has had a passion for Jesus and a passion for helping others grow in faith. She loves the Word and loves unfolding what God is saying in its pages and in peoples' lives.

Rev. Karen Munn

Cathy was an outstanding retreat speaker for our Women’s Retreat. She combined strong Bible knowledge with a compelling testimony and captivated her audience with her authentic story telling. She was great to work with from a planning perspective, thorough in her planning, flexible and attentive to every little detail and creative in the process. The attendees at our retreat were challenged in growing their faith and loved the vibe Cathy and our team created.

Alex C.

Women’s Retreat Committee Member

I've heard Cathy speak in several roles -- delivering a sermon, leading a retreat, speaking at a Lenten event. In all scenarios, she comes with a clear message for her listeners and an intuitive ability to tune into those gathered to be able to speak directly to them, to challenge them, and to relate her topic to our Christian walk in the world today. She is the model of faith in action!!!

Donna M.

Cathy was our guest speaker for two consecutive years at our annual Women’s Lenten Breakfast at UCC Medfield. Both times, her Lenten message offered opportunities for deeper contemplation. Her delivery was informative, thought provoking, interactive, uplifting and was infused with good humor. Her audience was moved, felt better, laughed, cried and was grateful for her message. As the event organizer, I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Cathy as she was a good listener, creative with ideas and really delivered. I look forward to working with her again.