It was a wonderful evening with the women from the Adams area. Thank you Jo and Dian for the invitation. Mom and I felt more than welcome and loved. If you were there this evening, is there a thought or comment you would like to share? Feel free to post below. Thank you again for having me                 
September 2012 at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center I had the opportunity to share "Light in the Midst of Darkness" with the Northeastern District's Alliance Women. It was a joy and blessing to pray and prepare for the opportunity to talk about Jesus as the light in the midst of the darkness experienced after the kidnapping of my only sister, Heidi M Allen. I met some wonderful women and heard both words of encouragement and heartbreak. May God bless them all as they learn to cherish each moment and turn from the darkness and run to the light, "on the move" for Jesus as they "let it shine" for all to see. If you attended this year's refocus weekend, who or what was your favorite part of the weekend? There were many fabulous women sharing God's hand in their life and ministries. My hand cramped from taking so many notes. Thank you to Daisy and her team of wonderful ladies for setting time aside from their families so we, the women in the district, can come together for a weekend of fellowship and spiritual growth.         
Over the past few months, I have prayed and prepared for this afternoon’s speaking engagement. Today’s message was titled, “Tragedy to Triumph” and with the help of wooden blocks, I shared my story. My one and only sister, Heidi M. Allen, was kidnapped on April 3, 1994 and life as I knew it changed in an instant. I spent a decade searching and running…a search for Heidi while I ran from God. I want to thank everyone at the Fulton Alliance for your willing, open, and honest participation today. We all learned, we are not alone in our struggles. As you each raised your hand to share a personal loss, you took power away from the enemy. I pray you will continue to “seek His face” as you reflect on some of the areas we touched on today.  Each time I schedule a speaking engagement I start to pray for God’s message to be the one I share. I don’t want this to be about me, but about Him. I pray you left this afternoon reflecting on the ways God has been there for you, especially during some of your most difficult days. Do you remember how the blocks representing our trials and tribulations fell when I tried to balance them on my own? We need Him, our Solid Foundation. In His strength, we will get “through” the valley, just as Psalm 23 tells us.  With each Scripture I looked up, my heart was renewed. Someone this afternoon told me, “The journey isn’t ever really over, is it?” with a hint of sadness in her voice. I shook my head in agreement but as we drove home, I thought of one of the verses I shared with you this afternoon. “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 Like I said earlier, I am in no means trying to compare my suffering to that of Christ but it is the idea of this “journey” being a “refining process” that gives me hope and keeps me striving to me the best woman of God I can be…for Him. I wouldn’t be who I am today without a little heat, and neither would you. So instead of sadness on our journeys, we need to strive to see the “…glory just around the corner.”  Thank you so much for having me today. The food was delicious, to say the least. The fellowship was just as wonderful. Your love for the Lord and hospitality were a blessing and gift to my family today. Mags was thrilled to be able to introduce me and said she’ll have something prepared for the next time, but I thought she did a great job. I pray your heart was touched, inspired, and you were blessed with our time together today. I look forward to seeing you again in the future. Ladies, see you in a couple weeks when we get “Refreshed”! Feel free to post below. I would love to hear how today’s message touched your heart, a thought you had, a reflection, or any comment you would like to share. Your feedback is appreciated and helps to make me the best speaker I can be. Thanks again! Lisa “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
Thank you Port City Assembly of God for a warm and heartfelt welcome this morning. We all felt so loved from the moment we entered the door until we left. You opened your arms and hearts to welcome my husband and daughter, my friend, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-laws. Thank you so much.  This was truly an instance of God’s hand at work. Today, Daylight Savings Time is typically a difficult day yet God used the prayer and preparation for today’s message to bring more healing to me. I pray you left thinking of all the ways we have to be thankful for ALL God does in our lives each day.  We might all be broken yet God uses the hurts and brokenness to help others. I pray you seek Him and His face as you heal and move forward. He is ALWAYS by your side. My family and I left inspired, more loved, and overwhelmed. Your kindness, generosity, and faith will remain in our hearts and memory.  I pray you were blessed this morning too.
If you have a comment, revelation, or thought to share ~ this page is designated for all of you. I look forward to hearing from you. In Christ’s strength & love, Lisa  Thanks for the “Women Within” and the warm welcome this evening. It was a blessing to share Heidi, my story, and the rollercoaster ride of life when your loved one is missing with you. This past Tuesday the news read, “Body Found in Scriba”. Words each family of the missing pray to hear and dread at the same time. The impact of this discovery and identification brought me to my knees…giving it all to God in prayer. He is my foundation.  While most of the amazing blocks (thank you Mom and Dad) and visuals were planned, a couple were additions. My message was the same yet the road traveled to get there took a very different route tonight. Throughout the week God directed my prayers, Scripture readings, and thoughts in a way I wasn’t sure I could do. I have to admit I thought, “I can’t do this on Friday.” when the Lord quietly reminded me this was the very message I planned to share. Would I hide under the covers or stand on His foundation?  I choose to stand! And this was the last minute addition to our evening’s agenda. A block to represent each of us as we stand. We have a choice to make - either we can stand on our own with blocks of trials and tribulations weighing us down until we fall OR we can look to Him and seek His face. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105:3-4 Ladies, I had a fabulous evening with you tonight. Thank you for welcoming my mother and I into your group for the night, sharing your stories, memories, and revelations. You inspired us tonight. I was overwhelmed with the requests to purchase my book tonight too ~ from your lips to God's ears and then the publishers. In God's time ladies. Your interest brought me such a smile, thank you! I pray your heart was touched and if you aren’t leaning on Jesus and reading your Bible, I challenge you to start. I hope you have a “dirty Bible” when we meet again.  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 I look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to share your thoughts, reflections, comments, and feedback on this page. This is for you. After the video are a few verses to encourage you this week. There are more listed in your brochure too. This is only a snip-it of the ones I studied and prayed on in preparation for our time together. May God bless you!  All photographs and visuals are copyrighted to me, Lisa. Do not reproduce.
 Hello ladies! For those in attendance last night, thank you so much for opening your arms and heart to hear my story. I wish I had books available last night, this is something you can keep in prayer – for the publisher God has for my book. Life is a waiting game sometimes – I find it ironic sometimes. I’ve waited eighteen years for Heidi and as I wait to hear from the publisher God has selected – the Scripture verses to strengthen me each day are the same.
I hope you enjoyed last night message and it touched your heart. This forum is for you to share your thoughts, comments, and testimonies if anything was moved or stirred after leaving the church last night. Our stories have the power to encourage others – no story is insignificant, each is important and with value – JUST LIKE YOU! “T” isn’t for tragedy anymore!! Our hope is in a relationship with Jesus – in Him I have the strength. Thanks in advance for sharing. The hugs, words of encouragement, and laughter were a HUGE blessing to me last night – I will be praying for each of you. I am available to speak at your church or women’s group, all contact and event planner information is available on my speaking page if you need it. Have a blessed day! If you were unable to attend and would like to listen to my message, click on the photo above to listen to the audio courtesy of Believers' Chapel North and their sound crew. A special thanks to Matt for his patience and techno-talents. Lisa As I start my speaking career my heart rate increases and anticipation of my first event cloud my mind. I'm excited, nervous, and encouraged by the response I have heard already and look forward to meeting some of you in person on Thursday, December 1st at the Believers' Chapel North in Mexico, New York at 6:30 p.m. I will also be at The First Presbyterian Church of Mexico on Saturday, December 3rd from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
In an attempt to receive feedback following my speaking events I have added this new page, our "Feedback Forum" so you can post your comments following the event. This forum is for you to share your thoughts, feelings, and questions that develop as you drive home or the next morning after you have processed the information you heard. I encourage you to follow my daily blog and leave comments on that page as the Spirit moves you YET this forum is designed to capture the emotion and hope I pray you experience at one of my speaking events. Thank you for following my blog, visiting my website, and for listening to me speak and share my heart and Heidi with you. Lisa :) Mark your calendar: December 1st, 2011 at Believers' Chapel North 5375 County Route 3 Mexico, New York 6:30 p.m. Fellowship 7:00 p.m. Worship 7:20ish I'll start speaking (If you are attending the Hospice Tree lighting at 6:30 p.m., please come over following the lighting. I know there are a handful coming around 7:20 p.m. so you won't be alone, quite a few have called and email me because they are planning to do both events.) December 3rd, 2011 at The First Presbyterian Church 4361 Church Street Mexico, New York 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. As part of "Christmas in Mexico" I have reserved a table in case anyone wants to visit or share following Thursday's event. If you follow the blog and can't make it Thursday night, I look forward to meeting you on Saturday. |
Speaking for HimThank you in advance for listening as I share my story, my sister, and the hope I found in a Faithful and Loving God. I look forward to reading your thoughts, feelings, questions, and emotional feedback after hearing me speak. You are a blessing to me and I pray for God to touch your heart as you share, you are not alone. Archives
December 2012
CategoriesAll Author Believers Fulton Alliance Church Oswego Port City Assembly Of God Speaking |
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Available on Amazon.com
Where's Heidi? One Sister's Journey * When the Waves Subside: There is Hope * Encourage Others: One Day at a Time No More Pain: I Can Fly * YOU are a Rainbow * Goal Setting for a Renewed You *Also available on Kindle* |
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