Jan’s Talks
Listening – a Divine Activity
What a challenge for us to listen well to others! This talk uses entertaining role plays to look at four types of non-listening responses: unsolicited advice-giving; competing; absence; and distancing.
Your Life From Good Friday to Pentecost & Beyond
How does your life resemble the lives of the early followers of Jesus? This talk invites you to journey with them from the Crucifixion through Pentecost. Where has an event in your life been like their journey?
Healing in the Midst of a Serious Illness
Where are you or a loved one suffering from a serious illness? Using examples from scripture and personal lives, this talk covers the reality of both acute and chronic illnesses and how to deal with them with the help of others—and God.
Where is God Calling Me?
Serving God can give rise to two tendencies: underserving and overserving. This talk looks at reasons for each of these problems, then suggests areas of service to consider, along with how to discern—and confirm—God’s personal call to us now.
Healing Through Personal Prayer
This presentation looks at the richness and healing power of different types of personal prayer such as scripture meditation, music, journaling, and petition. It highlights the importance of finding types of prayer that fit our personality.
More Presentations
Below is a list of some of Jan’s popular presentations. Length can be adjusted to fit your needs. Zoom format is available. Interested in a talk not listed here? Contact Jan with your request.
New Life Through Personal Prayer
Personal prayer can transform our life, give us hope, and help us on our journey toward the fullness of life Jesus wants us to have. (John 10:10). This presentation looks at the richness and healing power of different types of personal prayer such as scripture meditation, music, journaling, and petition. It highlights the importance of finding types of prayer that fit our personality. Content is based on Jan’s book, Healing: Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love.
Seeking Christ Through Friendship
To have the fullness of life Jesus longs for us to have, we need friends to walk with us. We need companions to join us on our spiritual journey. This presentation focuses on sharing the spiritual aspect of our life with one or more friends—doable even during this isolating time of Covid. Content is based on Jan’s book, Seeking Christ Through Friendship.
Speaking Across the Divides
Free! A presentation for those who seek a pathway through the today’s current political and social divides. This talk prayerful explores how to engage in challenging conversations with loving kindness. It covers how to deal with tribalism and non-listening while also showing how to achieve greater peace of mind in the midst of today’s turmoil.
Healing Through the Sacraments
“The life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies, is particularly active through the sacraments.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1509). This presentation focuses on healing that can come to us through three of the Catholic Church’s sacraments: Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick. It examines the physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational benefits of each of them, plus how to participate fully and discover their healing graces.
Sharing Your Stories, Creating Your Legacy
“There are no ordinary stories. By stepping into the great gift of memory, we liberate ourselves.” (Ken Burns) Sharing stories—orally, visually and/or in writing—is a life-giving way to ponder our experiences while creating a legacy that future generations will cherish. This practical presentation offers ideas regarding two areas of our lives to pass on to others: our knowledge and our life stories. Jan’s story includes her book, Quests: Travel Stories of Seeking and Finding, a memoir about a six-month sojourn in Europe that changed the course of her life.
Christian Driving
Jesus and driving: Do they go together? For many people, sadly no. This challenging presentation has three goals: (1) To save at least one life; (2) to show how to unite faith with driving; (3) to bring Christ’s presence onto our highways. It describes syndromes that cause accidents, such the I-Can-Do-It-All Syndrome (i.e., multitasking). During time for faith sharing, participants are invited to reflect on their own driving. (Feedback from one participant: “I must admit that I think more about my driving now than I did before you came. Your presentation touched a serious topic with much humor.”)