Bekah Shaffer

I have created several talks (and series of talks) for events where I've shared in the past, so if you're interested in any of the ready-to-present topics, you'll find a quick synopsis of each below. I'm happy to tweak anything I already created, and I'm also happy to create something brand new for your event!

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Retreat Themes

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Fan Into Flame the Gift of God That Is In You
Originally developed as a one-day (two-session) women's retreat, this program encourages women to uncover and use the gifts God has given them. Based on 2 Timothy 1:3-7, the presentations are interactive and allow the women to see how their gifts are actual presents from the Lord, filled with opportunities, risks, discipline, excitement and rewards. I could easily extend the material to fill a traditional weekend retreat or condense it for a one-session talk.

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Be Still

This four-session weekend retreat for women is based on Psalm 46:10, which says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Throughout the weekend, the women will learn the importance of the comma in that verse, how to be still and stop their spiritual flailing, how to quiet the "me-monsters" that threaten to keep them from being still, how to gather up all the gold in their journey and let it sustain them as they enter their promised lands, and the value of silence, trust, intimacy, learning, and living. I have written a companion guide to this weekend, called Be Still: Learning to Know He is God, which attendees can purchase if they wish, to observe my own journey in learning to be still, and know that He is God.

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Sparkling for Jesus: Boldly Living in Grace

This four-session weekend retreat for women is based on Zechariah 9:16, which says, "They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown." The first session kicks off with a children's story written by my friend Brent Vernon, called Neckless, and focuses on how each of us are called to sparkle for the Lord in ways unique to our passions and gifts. The remainder of the weekend focuses on how to boldly live in grace by learning to pray boldly, fully live and not just exist, and genuinely experience the grace of God. Complete with stories, Scripture, and sparkly shoes, this theme balances fun and depth to encourage women to live to the fullest in the Lord!

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Your Story Matters

This three-session weekend retreat for women focuses on the truth that each of our lives matter to the Lord, and therefore our stories on this earth matter, too! The first session explores the importance of our testimonies and why they are all magnificent, even if we feel like our details are mundane. The second session unpacks the importance of recording our stories here on this earth for the preservation of our history and remembering God's faithfulness to us. The final session looks at the importance of living our days as an act of worship to the Lord. (An optional fourth session serves as a class that teaches how to actually go about writing your story.)

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Fill My Cup, Lord
This four-session weekend retreat for women encourages them to view their hearts as cups that the Lord can fill with Himself. The first session examines what our heart-cups are full of right now, based on what we choose to fill our time and minds. It concludes with an invitation to turn our heart-cups upright and place them beneath God's outpouring. The second session looks at two ways our hearts overflow and encourages the women to allow God to pour out, regardless of the source of the overflow. The third session talks about bearing the blessing of the cups from which we drink, and the fourth session looks at the ways we pour into one another, serving as God's representatives on this earth!

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Christmas Themes

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He Sees
In my book, His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift, I wrote a chapter about the woman who gave her last coins to the temple treasury. This half-hour talk is pulled from that chapter and the biblical account in Luke 21:1-4. Attendees will hear how God sees them for who they are, even when they feel invisible. They'll also learn the ways God sees and examines their true motives for worship. This talk would work well for men, women, or a mixed group, and would also be fitting for a worship service.

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Trust Him To Arrive
In my book, His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift, I wrote a chapter on Simeon, the old man who beheld the Consolation of Israel when He was just a Baby. This half-hour talk is pulled from that chapter and focuses on trusting the Lord to arrive in His perfect time and way. Exploring the way in which Simeon chose to hold on to trust even when life threw him, the presentation encourages those attending to wait for God to fulfill His Word. This talk would work well for men, women, or a mixed group, and would also be fitting for a worship service.

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Silent Nights

Another talk pulled from the chapter on Simeon from my book, His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift, this half hour talk encourages attendees to look at the moments when God seems silent, and they're tempted to give up and give in. Silent nights are sometimes not serene, but rather dark, hopeless, and filled with feeling forgotten. They're tempted to give up being faithful, but those moments are when God is moving and working and bringing about answers they've prayed for so long.

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The Advent Series
Based on the chapters about Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise Men, from my book His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift, these four talks were developed to be a series of classes for a midweek church Bible study. Bathed in Scripture reading and study, the four talks explore each of these members of the account of Jesus' birth and how their lives can teach us in our own day-to-day walks. Each talk is about a half hour on its own and could stand alone or be re-developed into a weekend retreat to study the Christmas account. These talks also work well for men, women, or mixed groups, and would be fitting for a church Advent series.

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Draw Near to the Manger

Based on a beautiful piece of artwork, designed by my friend Brent Vernon, this half hour talk looks at some of the people who would have gathered around the manger the night Jesus was born. It explores the emotions they may have felt as they stared into the face of the Savior of the world.

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General Themes

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** The themes below could work in morning worship services or in banquets/dinners. Each lasts about a half hour but could be expanded to fit around 45 minutes if needed. **

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His Strength in My Weakness
This half-hour talk is based on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, where Paul talks about pleading with the Lord to take away the thorn in his flesh, but instead God uses Paul's weakness to demonstrate His strength. By sharing parts of my own testimony, I encourage those listening to allow God to do the same in their own lives, reminding them that God wastes nothing, and that by pushing through and praying fiercely, they can learn to see how God is working even when it may feel like He's absent entirely.

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Stone Altars
Although this talk was originally created for a middle school chapel (grades 7-9), it has also been converted to fit an adult audience. Based on Joshua chapter four, both versions of this half-hour talk look at the altar Joshua built to the Lord when the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land. They explore ways we build altars with our own lives and how we can (and should!) keep equally tangible records of His work in our own stories.

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Take Up Your Towel

This half-hour talk on living with a servant's heart pulls from John 13:1-17, when Jesus washed His disciples' feet. Attendees will learn the important components of serving like Jesus: tears, obedience, a wholehearted approach, the Lord's empowering, and love. They're encouraged to serve in the ways God leads them to, even if it doesn't look like society's expected methods.

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New Beginnings
Each of us live a beautiful story, but sometimes we long for a do-over on our lives. Pulling from the truths of Psalm 139, this half hour talk offers pieces of my own testimony and how God created beautiful new beginnings from utter rubble.

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A Simplified Life
We're encouraged to simplify our lives, but a careful look at almost any book on this topic shows that simplifying usually means organizing the busyness. Life isn't really simpler. It's just neatly lined up. Looking at Psalm 63, this half hour talk encourages those listening to peel back who they are by definition (career, marital status, etc.) and look at who God wants them to be (people who seek Him) at the core. They'll learn that simplifying doesn't mean settling, but rather peeling back the outside of themselves and letting God free them to enjoy the heart of who they are in Him.

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Pray for the Fathers

Originally developed as a half hour talk for a worship service on Father's Day, this theme applies to both men and women. It explores the demands and responsibilities faced by fathers of all ages and how those of us surrounding those fathers can encourage and pray for them so they can be successful in shepherding their families. 

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Balancing the Weights of Life

We are all just so busy, and sometimes it can feel like we are asked to carry so many necessary weights that we feel crushed beneath the weight of it all. Originally developed as a 45 minute talk for a university staff retreat, this theme could easily address a professional audience as well as a church group. I offer suggestions for discerning the necessary weights of life and the optional weights and how to balance them in a healthy way. 

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Messy, Marvelous Testimonies

This half hour talk encourages people to understand that none of us has a perfect testimony. Each of us lives a life that is a mix of messy and marvelous, but together, those experiences create a testimony that points to God's great grace and power. Pulling from various sections of Scripture and personal experience, this talk would fit any audience. 

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Communing from the Heart
After the Lord convicted me that I need to spend more time preparing my heart for communion, He helped me craft an acrostic to guide me. Using the word COMMUNE, this half hour talk guides us through attitudes and postures that honor the Lord and prepare our souls to observe communion.

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Mother/Daughter/Women's Themes

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** The themes below were developed specifically for women's groups. Originally crafted for mother/daughter brunches, they also apply to women in general! **

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Pouring In and Pouring Out
This half-hour session talk for women is based on 2 Kings 4:1-7 and explores the ways in which women can pour into each others' lives in practical, tangible ways. They often feel depleted and like they have nothing left to offer, but in truth, hey do have words and gifts to share, and with the Lord powering them, they will always have enough to give, for as long as giving is needed.

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Bear the Blessing

This half-hour session for women explores the biblical account of Hannah and the "other woman" in her life: Peninnah. Both women were blessed with gifts from the Lord: Hannah had the love of her husband and Peninnah mothered his children. Both women wanted the blessing the other one held. This talk encourages women to look at the blessings they have and bear them well, rather than wallowing in longing for the blessings those around them carry.

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Relationship Themes

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When Singleness Feels Like a Teeter Totter
Originally developed as a breakout session for a day-long women's conference, this one-hour talk is designed to address women who are single past the age they thought they would be, as well as women who want to better understand their single friends. Pulling from my own prolonged single years, the material addresses the high and low points of the single life and encourages those listening to understand that Lord is not wasting their lives. This session was pulled from a book on singleness that I am in the process of publishing, so this session could easily be expanded into a weekend retreat or series of classes.

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I Choose You

Originally crafted as a bridal shower talk for a nearly-married audience, this half-hour talk has also been converted into a half-hour talk for married couples. (The couples version is co-presented with my husband, Ryan.) Using the phrase "I Choose You," as an acrostic, this talk examines why I Choose You is even more important than I Love You. It offers a blend of Scripture and life experience to explain why it's important for couples to actively choose each other and their relationship every single day!

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Story Themes

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Your Story Matters
Originally developed as a half-hour talk for a senior adult group, this talk explores the truth that each of us has been given a story written by the Lord, and our job is to live it well and record it well in some manner. In this talk, I share examples of pivotal people in my own life whose stories were preserved and others who died before their stories could be recorded. This could easily address any age group.

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Your Story is Worth Immeasurably More

This one hour talk includes a combination of pieces from the "Your Story Matters" retreat. Designed for women, this talk explores the importance of your testimony and the daily happenings of your life. In this talk, I share examples from my own life as well as a blend of Scripture passages.

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Your Story Matters - 5 Classes
Driven by the original content of "Your Story Matters," I developed a five session class to teach people specific ways to write their own story (or a portion of it). I've had many people come to me over the years and ask for help in writing their story and this easy-to-follow curriculum with hands-on homework will teach attendees how to write their own stories, even if they are not "writers." I am passionate about this class and eager to teach others how to preserve the life God has given them, so future generations can learn from their adventures. ** Note: I have a faith-based version of these classes and a neutral version and could present either one. This could be done as retreat workshop, a one-day retreat, or a series of weekly classes. **

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Leadership Themes

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The Six Steps of Relational Leadership

Developed for a church leadership conference, this single-session talk (with a brief, optional next-day wrap-up section) explores six steps of leadership driven by relationship. Ryan and I present this talk together and explain how leaders can see potential in others, develop that potential, effectively build ministry through building up people, pray continually over the work of the Lord, step back to let God work, and watch those ministries bring glory to God as they thrive. This talk brings Scripturally based teaching, examples from our own lives, and interaction with those in attendance.

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Lead One Other

This talk was created as a breakout session for a church leadership conference, in which men and women were divided and taught practical methods for leading others one-on-one. Ryan's talk addresses men and helps them see how they can lead other men in discipling and accountability. Bekah's talk addresses women and uses the acrostic BUILT to teach them how to build up women around them as they lead them.

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Let's Create Something New!
I'm always eager to create new content for my talks, so I'll be regularly adding to this list, and if there's a topic you have in mind, let's work together to make something new!