Speaking Topics

I’d love to come to speak to your group! Contact me at sharla@sharlafritz.com.

Measured by Grace

The world measures worthiness through success, wealth, and fame. Our culture focuses on achievement. But what if you fail? Are you “less-than?” Does it make you feel worthless? Thankfully, God’s Word tells us that He loves us despite our failings and imperfections. To reassure us, He included stories of flawed people in His Word. In the Measured by Grace sessions you will get a peek into the lives of a few of these people. As you study these stories, you will discover that God’s measuring stick is nothing like the world’s. Instead of judging us by our successes or failures, He measures us by His grace.

Choose from these sessions:

Joseph: The Success of Small: The story of Joseph shows us that in God’s eyes, success doesn’t necessarily look like prominent positions or impressive titles. God views our lives as successful when we trust in Him to complete the work He has given us, whether we deem that work great or small.

Rahab: When You Don’t Feel Qualified for Success: If I were God, I doubt that I would have chosen a prostitute to save my people. But Rahab’s story shows us that we don’t have to be qualified to be successful in God’s kingdom. We just need faith in a God who can knock down walls!

The Samaritan Woman: When You’ve Failed Over and Over: Jesus purposely sought out a woman that others probably shunned. Her story teaches us that even multiple failures don’t exclude us from triumph in God’s kingdom.

These sessions will help you:

• learn more about biblical stories of failure and grace
• witness how God redeems failure for His glory
• discover God’s measuring stick of grace

God’s Relentless Love

Do you ever feel unwanted? unloved? Immerse yourself in a study of the Old Testament book of Hosea where you will discover how God continually pursues you, cherishes you, and desires an intimate relationship with you. This retreat experience will help you understand the complicated book of Hosea and how to live like you’re loved.

Choose from these sessions:

God’s Relentless Love Pursues: How the unusual story of a marriage between a godly prophet and a promiscuous prostitute teaches us about God’s everlasting love for us.

God’s Relentless Love Draws Us Close: How God desires to have an intimate relationship with us and desires to draw us close to know Him better.

God’s Relentless Love Smashes Idols: How God’s love helps us recognize our own heart idols and leads us to abandon them.

God’s Relentless Love Changes Our Identity: How we may feel unwanted and unloved, but because of Christ’s redeeming love, we discover God calls us Chosen, Redeemed, and Beloved.

These sessions will help you:

• understand the complicated OT book of Hosea
• see your relationship with God as an intimate marriage
• live like you’re loved by an almighty God

Enough for Now

We fill our closets, stuff our garages, and cram our calendars, yet are rarely satisfied. The broken world tries to convince us that we won’t be content until we have more. How can we find enough? 

This retreat experience focuses on the Jesus’ parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. Through exploring this story, you will discover the God of sufficiency–the only source of enough.

Choose one, two, or all three of these Enough for Now sessions:

• Enough Stuff:  In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus tells His followers, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Yet, how often do we act like more stuff equals more happiness? This session will help you find a rich life – not in the abundance of things, but in God’s eternal gifts.
• Enough of Me: Most of us struggle with the nagging feeling that we are not enough – not pretty enough, not smart enough, not successful enough. In the quest for significance, we may find ourselves in the shackles of perfectionism and performance. Learn the truth that will set you free from striving to be enough.
• Enough for Now: Contentment in this world seems an elusive commodity. Even when we get our heart’s desire, the feeling of satisfaction doesn’t last long. This
  session teaches the reason for our struggle for contentment and how to live with enough for now.

These sessions will help you:

• find enough in the God of sufficiency
• discover you are enough in Christ
• stop striving for perfect contentment and start living with enough for now

Meeting God in the In-Between

Do you hate waiting? In our modern culture of instant everything—same day shipping, streaming movies, online banking, microwaveable meals—we are accustomed to getting everything we want now. So when our lives are put in a holding pattern, we complain and grumble and do anything we can to get things moving again

But what if the waiting rooms of life are actually God’s best classrooms? What if the Holy Spirit changes us in the in-between seasons of our lives?

To make sense of all this waiting, we can study the lives of God-followers who waited. This “Ladies-in-Waiting” presentation examines the lives of biblical women who experienced uncomfortable and prolonged seasons of delay. Through their stories we can discover how God wants us to handle our own waiting periods.

Each session focuses on a different aspect of waiting well based on the life of one of these women:

• Hannah–When Waiting Means Letting Go
• The Woman with the Issue of Blood–When Waiting Draws You to Jesus
• Martha–When Waiting Writes a Bigger story

This talk will help you:

• Trust God when your life seems suspended
• Handle the daily-ness of waiting
• Discover all waiting has a purpose

This presentation can be adapted for one session or to fill an entire retreat.

Soul Spa

Is your spirit weary? Is your heart worn? Then come to the Soul Spa! In this presentation you will learn holy habits that will help you connect with the Savior–the One who promises to restore our souls (Psalm 23:3). You will explore Spiritual disciplines that Christians pursuing an intimate relationship with God have used for centuries. Plus, you will have the opportunity to experience them for yourself. All of this is wrapped in a fun spa theme that will leave you refreshed body and soul!

Some of the holy habits we will explore include:

• Scripture meditation
• Examen (finding God in the everyday)
• Spiritual journaling
• Worship
• Authenticity

This talk will help you:

• find rest for your soul
• discover creative ways to meet with your Savior
• develop your own soul care plan

What Not to Wear

Based on God’s “What Not to Wear” instructions in Colossians 3:9-10, this talk will help you weed out unattractive attitudes like the Worry Handbag, the Field Marshal Uniform of Control, and the Prom Dress of Pride. Tossing out these constricting outfits will allow God to make over your heart. You will discover how God’s Word can help you become a spiritual fashionista. This talk can be adapted to fit one session or an entire retreat.

Individual sessions include:

• What Not to Wear–God’s STYLE
• Clean Out Your Spiritual Closet 101
• Clean Out Your Spiritual Closet 102
• Look in the Mirror–A New You

This talk will help you:

• Identify attitudes and behaviors that are uncomfortable and unattractive
• Toss out the old mind-sets
• Exchange the old behaviors for new God-pleasing ones
• See your beauty in God’s eyes

Joyfully Ever After: Where Are You in the Cinderella Story?

Once upon a time. We all love those words. Those words promise a tale that ends with “and they all lived happily ever after” and in this discouraging, painful, heart-rending world we all desperately hope for a happy ending.

“Joyfully Ever After” retells the much-loved story of Cinderella as a picture of our relationship with the true Prince—King Jesus—and weaves in a similar story from the Song of Solomon. As these stories intertwine, you will rediscover God’s unfailing love and how you can live “joyfully ever after.”

At several points in the story, I pause to ask: “Where are you in Cinderella story?” You may find that you are stuck somewhere in the middle of the story when you really long to live “joyfully ever after.”

This presentation uses video clips from several Cinderella movies. It can be adapted for a one-session event or a whole retreat. “Joyfully Ever After” will help you:

• to be confident of your beauty in Christ
• listen to the words of the Prince and ignore the lies of the evil stepsisters (a.k.a. Satan)
• experience an intimate relationship with the Prince
• view your life as a romantic adventure with a guaranteed happy ending

Christ-Connected Women: Elizabeth and Mary

God designed us to be connected–connected to Him and to each other. We long to be intimately joined to Christ and to have strong ties to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The lives of Elizabeth and Mary the mother of Jesus illustrate how we can have those strong connections. This presentation explores how each of these courageous and godly women grew closer to God and how God put them together to strengthen each other.

Elizabeth’s life was characterized by a very long wait. Through the study of her life you will discover how to:

• Connect through waiting with abiding
• Connect through waiting with expectation
• Connect through waiting with encouragement

Mary exemplifies acceptance. By examining her life you will learn how to:

• Connect through acceptance with trust
• Connect through acceptance with humility
• Connect through acceptance with communion with other believers

This presentation is designed to be done in two sessions. It could be shortened or expanded to suit your event.

Make Over Your Mouth

Want luscious lips? The answer is not found in a $50 lipstick, but in a total mouth makeover. The world may value what we put on our lips, but God values what comes out of them. Learn how to become a positive influence through the words you speak. Based on Isaiah 6:1-9, this topic can fill one session or an entire retreat.

Individual sessions for a retreat would include:

• Exfoliate: Scrub with Forgiveness
• Lips Gloss, Plumpers, and Liners: Who Needs Them?
• Lipstick, Lip Gloss, and Lip Sealers: What Good are They?
• Smile: Share with Joy

A mouth makeover experience will help you:

• Learn to better encourage the people in your life
• Speak truth
• Choose words of grace
• Discover the benefits of thankfulness
• Develop discretion in your speech

Easy Joy: Finding Joy in Nehemiah 8

Is there such a thing as Easy Joy? Wouldn’t it be fabulous if every time you faced a disappointment or suffered a painful loss, you could run down to the corner store and pick up a jar of joy? Inspired by an actual store I saw in China, this talk helps us to see that God’s Word is the only source of joy that we need. This topic can be adapted to fit one session or an entire retreat.

“Easy Joy” will help you find joy:

• in God’s presence
• in brokenness
• in purposeful times of celebration

Banish the Bitterness Sweater

When we’ve been hurt we sometimes grasp onto bitterness and put it on like a sweater, thinking it will comfort us. Initially bitterness may soothe our soul, but we soon discover it scratches our spirits. This talk explains how we can take off bitterness and instead button up the forgiveness sweater. This is a one-session talk that could be combined with What Not to Wear–God’s Style.

This talk will help you:

• Discover forgiveness is a choice
• Learn how our words affect forgiveness
• Change your thought patterns
• Delve into what the Bible has to say about forgiveness
• Use prayer as a tool to forgive

The Handbag of Worry

We all struggle with worry at times. Is your anxiety more like the purse you carry around with you every day or like an evening bag you only use occasionally? No matter what your worry handbag looks like, this topic will help you to pitch it and instead use new accessories when anxiety threatens to take over your mind. Based on Matthew 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:6-8, this is a one-session talk that can be combined with What Not to Wear–God’s STYLE.

As you relinquish the handbag of worry you will:

• Learn how to tame worrisome thoughts
• Exchange worry for trust
• Carry the tote of today
• Retrain your mind

Building a Wardrobe with Bargains

Would you like to be a fashionista, but don’t have the budget? This practical speech shows how to put together a wardrobe with thrifty finds from clearance racks and resale shops. I sometimes combine this talk with the What Not to Wear talk.

In this talk you will learn how to:

• Avoid buying something that only sits in your closet
• Discover your fashion DNA
• Choose basic pieces as the foundation of your wardrobe
• Buy three outfits for under $20!

Heartfelt Hymns

Music often touches our hearts in a way nothing else can. Learn the stories behind favorite classic hymns and study their significance for life today. In this speech Sharla will talk about the background of favorite hymns and sing contemporary versions of them.

Hymns included are:

• Amazing Grace
• Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
• Holy, Holy, Holy
• It is Well with My Soul

Special Audiences

What Not to Wear–Pastors’ Wives Edition

As a pastor’s wife, Sharla knows there are specific attitudes that women in ministry sometimes struggle with. To serve the Lord with joy and freedom, we are encouraged to get rid of these. This is a one-session talk that could be combined with any of the other What Not to Wear talks.

In this What Not to Wear talk, you will learn how to:

• Let go of perfectionism, self-pity, and expectations
• Stop trying to do it all
• Embrace forgiveness and friendship
• Be a cheerleader for your husband
• Appreciate how God values you

Speeches for Moms

Popular topics for moms include the above speeches:

• What Not to Wear–God’s STYLE
• The Handbag of Worry
• Building a Wardrobe with Bargains 

I also have two talks tailor-made for moms:

What Not to Wear–Mom Edition

Moms often have special wardrobe needs. Some of the uncomfortable clothes we sometimes wear include the Worried-Sick-Handbag and Compared-to-Her-Clothing. Learn how to exchange these for the Purse-of-Prayer and Glad-to-Be-Me-Garb. This is a one session talk that could also be combined with Building a Wardrobe with Bargains.

This session will help moms:

• Let go of worry
• Take time for themselves
• Learn to avoid comparison
• Establish breathing room in their schedules
• Enjoy the present without rushing to the future

Your Hidden Super-Power

We all have a super-power. An untapped ability to change our world. An oft-neglected, but mighty capability to renew and uplift the people in our lives. Learn how the force of encouragement can empower your family.

This one-session talk will help moms:

• Communicate Confidence
• Come Close to their family and friends
• Charge up and Cheer their husbands and children

photo credit

What Others Are Saying

“Sharla spoke to a crowded room of more than 100 ladies at our annual Women’s Retreat. She is a gifted speaker, teacher, and singer. The women were encouraged by her transparency, analogies, and biblical truth.”
—Katie Pece, Retreat Coordinator St. John’s Lutheran Church, La Grange, IL

We have been delighted with Sharla’s speaking topics, her ability to relate to various ages of women and the sharing of God’s Word as the Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds. We recommend her for your women’s ministry program, along with her books and devotions. Sharla’s insight into Scripture, personal sharing at times – helps women to connect to the Lord. Jeanette James, Woman to Woman Coordinator, Bethel Lutheran Church, Morton, IL
 

Thank you for your presentations to us on Soul Spa. We were richly blessed by your words. Thank you for your gentle spirit and beautiful music. Janet McLoughlin, Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, Birmingham, Michigan

“Sharla’s use of analogies was such a great teaching tool, which created images in my mind never to be forgotten and will continue to remind me of the truth of God’s Word.”
–Bonnie S.

“Sharla was great and our ladies so enjoyed her teachings on finding ‘Easy Joy’.  It was good application of God’s Word and while we, like Nehemiah, are sometimes fighting and rebuilding our spiritual connections we can also find joy and closeness with God in the midst of it all.”

–Andrea Sellers, Director of Women’s Ministry, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Austin, TX

“I enjoyed Sharla’s presentation and would recommend it to anyone desiring a closer relationship with Jesus and/or edification of their worth in God’s eyes. I thought Sharla did a splendid job of incorporating Song of Songs with the Cinderella story in ‘Joyfully Ever After.’ It all flowed together so well!”                    —Joan Schlehlein, event coordinator for St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Waterford, WI

“Sharla truly inspired me to be more of a friend of God.”
–Betty C.

“It was delightful to have you come and share your stories with us. I think your illustrations really hit home with us.”
–Ann M.

“Sharla’s message was thought-provoking and challenging.”
–participant at women’s luncheon

“Thank you for your very visual presentation. The food for thought was delicious!”                   –participant at women’s luncheon

Sharla was an amazing, eye-opening speaker. I loved her suggestions and encouragements. It has fueled me to continue to progress in motherhood and as an encourager.             –MOPS mom