Value Statements
Sharing scripture and story, Cheri equips women to…
...connect to the transforming power of God’s life-renewing love and hope.
...experience “ah-HA!” moments of change and freedom.
...escape the measure-up race and embrace God’s grace.
...replace “baditudes” with intentional gratitude.
...catch the joy of living in God’s delight.
"You've Got PURSE-onality!"
Short Presentation: 50-60 minutes
Are you in at least one difficult relationship?
Do you have a seemingly “impossible” person in your life?
You may surprised at how much you can learn about women’s relationships by digging through their purses!
In this light-hearted–and profoundly practical–session, Cheri excavates four different purses to teach about the four basic PURSEonality types.
Using common everyday items, she illustrates the unique life goals and emotional needs that we women have in our hearts but often don’t recognize.
As you laugh your way through Cheri’s cautionary been-there-messed-that-up stories, you will
* experience light-bulb moments as something (or someone!) in your life suddenly makes a lot more sense.
* gain valuable insights into your closest relationships.
* identify your own specific emotional needs and take responsibility for getting them met.
* evaluate and alter your approach to other people based on their PURSE-onality goals and needs.
* approach people who are different than you with understanding rather than judgment or frustration.
* develop patience for and extend grace to those whose goals and needs are not the same as yours.
* begin to live at peace with everybody (as far as it depends on you!)
And you’ll never look at a can of Extra Hold Hairspray in quite the same way again!
"De-LIGHT-full Living
in a Weighty World"
Short Presentation: 40-50 minutes
Do you feel weighed down by the burdens of day-to-day living?
Do you desire to “delight yourself in the Lord,” but find yourself struggling just to make it through each week?
Are you ready to “lighten up” a bit?
During this playful, poignant, and practical retreat, we will
* examine the everyday burdens that weigh us down.
* identify the “pet rocks” we carry and nurture.
* recognize the injuries we inflict on our selves–and the damage we often do to others–when we lug our burdens around while insisting we’re “just fine!”
* see the futility in our self help attempts to unburden ourselves.
* discover God’s failure-proof strategy for “losing the weight” in our lives and relationships.
* surrender our heavy, over-filled baggage to God.
* celebrate our new-found hope as daughters of God’s de-LIGHT!
And we’ll head home equipped with new skills for living “life lite” in Christ.
"Living in His Story"
Short Presentation: 40-50 minutes
“If only…”
“If I could just…”
What woman hasn’t wished she could change her life story, at least a bit?
Especially the painful parts?
As Cheri explores several of Jesus’ miracles, she shares her own struggles with physical pain, relational rejection, and spiritual isolation. She leads each woman to
* recognize that she doesn’t have to live the “same old story” and believe that change is possible.
* identify the old names she’s ready to discard and embrace her true identity in Christ.
* see clearly the unique goals, needs, and strengths God has created in her and in other “characters” in her story.
* surrender control of her story to the one who has all authority and who is the author and finisher of her faith.
* let go of her plans and rely upon His power to transform her story.
* stop rehearsing the “same old story” and start telling a brand new story of healing and hope.
* express her gratitude for how God has re-written her story.
* commit to becoming a story-changer by sharing her story to change the lives of others!
"The Personality Challenge"
Short Presentation / MOPS talk: 40-50 minutes
The Personality Challenge –- 31 days of replacing “baditude” with God’s word and gratitude –- integrates four practices:
1) Go complaint-free.
2) Express gratitude.
3) Understand others.
4) Immerse in God’s word.
Cheri equips each woman to
* take responsibility for her own personal needs.
* adjust her expectations to match others’ personality goals and needs.
* live at greater peace with everyone.
* pause before speaking relationally poisonous words of complaint, criticism, gossip, or sarcasm
* respond to challenging people and situations with Words of Life.
* stop fixating on others’ weaknesses and start admitting to her own brokenness.
* quit trying to change others and surrender herself to God for a change.
* develop new habits of gratitude to replace old patterns of “baditude.”
* increase her fluency with God’s word and decrease her reliance on the language of disappointment.
"Raising a Reader"
Short Presentation / MOPS talk: 40-50 minutes
“What can I do now to prepare my children to succeed in school?” I am often asked.
In this age of computerized everything, my low-tech answer raises eyebrows:
“Books and reading...followed by more books and more reading...and after that, even more books and even more reading!”
In this practical and persuasive presentation, I shares stories, practical tips, and unexpected long-term benefits from my family’s two decades of Family Reading Time. And I contrast my own children’s love of reading with the heartbreaking – and often debilitating – illiteracy and aliteracy I encounter daily in her high school classroom.
In this multi-sensory presentation, you will
* learn three do-it-today-able, guilt-free steps to raising a reader.
* understand how to increase your child’s listening vocabulary and know why this helps him/her “feel smart.”
* discover simple ways to help your child connect reading with enjoyment, contentment, and creativity.
* explore alternative Family Reading Time options for when you’re too tired to lift an eyelid.
"Personality Puzzle for
Parents of Preschoolers"
Parents of Preschoolers"
Short Presentation / MOPS talk: 40-50 minutes
Have you noticed that your child is not a carbon-copy of you?
Ever wondered why does a parenting technique that works great with one child backfire when you attempt it with another child?
Asked how can you possibly meet the individual needs of your oh-so-different children?
As Cheri explains the personality paradigm, she shares practical applications from her own years of parenting preschoolers (who are now successful college students!)
As Cheri shares two “to do” and two “don’t do” tips for each personality, you will lean how to:
* identify your child’s primary and secondary personality based on easily-observed visual clues.
* recognize your child’s primary life goal and motivating needs.
* meet your child’s legitimate personality needs and develop his/her unique strengths.
* adjust your own expectations and approach to each child for effective communication and maximum cooperation.
* teach your child how to take responsibility for getting his/her own needs met and how to show respect for all people, especially those who seem very different from him/her.
Return home with all new confidence and clarity for training up your child “in the way (s)he should go”!
"Healthy Marriages Major in History (NOT Math!)"
Short Presentation / MOPS talk: 40-50 minutes
If you’ve ever…
...wandered through a bookstore hoping to find a “how to fix your husband” manual…
...wished your husband was more like
(a) “her” husband,
(b) the men in Courageous,
(c) Christ,
(d) all of the above…
...wept over the state of your union…
...Cheri understands!
As she shares how God transformed her my-bags-are-all-but-packed heart and redeemed her marriage, you will
* understand why the very traits that originally attracted you to your husband can start to drive you away from him.
* stop seeing your husband as a problem to solve and start seeking to understand and support him.
* get out of destructive “math mode” and gain new healthy history habits, instead.
* recognize God’s irreplaceable role in your marriage.
Still married to her “starter husband” after a quarter of a century, Cheri is living proof that change is possible and God’s best is yet to come!
"eBabies + iTeens + YouToo"
the 411 and 911 for Adults Trying to Play Catch-Up with GenM
Short Presentation / MOPS talk: 40-50 minutes
Today’s kids are the “Guinea Pig Generation”.
We’ve given them tons of experimental technology without knowing the reactions or side-effects. We’d never test new drugs this way. But with gadgets, we give them to kids first and asked questions later (if at all).
We’ve given them tons of experimental technology without knowing the reactions or side-effects. We’d never test new drugs this way. But with gadgets, we give them to kids first and asked questions later (if at all).
- How much texting is too much? How about texting at the dinner table?
- Who’s at “fault” when a 13-year-old loses her purse with $500 worth of techno-gadgets inside? What are reasonable consequences?
- What f-2-f skills are kids missing as they develop and maintain relationships via screens?
- What do identity management and virtual footprints (plus a few hundred other new terms) actually mean? What’s the cost of not knowing?
If you’re struggling to come up with quick and easy answers, you’re not alone. These questions (and dozens more) about “digital native” kids can blind-side us “digital immigrant” adults.
Drawing from twenty-five in the classroom and two decades of parenting, Cheri discusses the consequences of adults mistaking technological sophistication for maturity. You will learn how to
* ask and answer key proactive questions about technology use in your home.
* set appropriate media boundaries and teach your children to become self-monitoring adults.
* help your children to think carefully before hitting “send” or “post”.
* provide the loving wise adult guidance your children need and crave.
No matter how far behind we may feel, caring adult leadership is far from obsolete. Our kids need us now, more than ever, to help them make Godly choices as they navigate the increasingly complex technology maze.
