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Don't Miss Your Life!sm
(Charlene's most requested and praised presentation, also offered as a multi-session retreat.) We are so busy running our lives that far too often we are not enjoying them. Listeners are not only entertained and rejuvenated by Charlene's unique humor and storytelling skills, but are beckoned to listen to, and learn from, their own stories. She renders thought-provoking instruction on the importance of building your own memory portfolio while challenging listeners to find and hold close the goodness in life that surrounds them—and to laugh at themselves way more often. Throughout this lively presentation, she prescribes liberal doses of play and the enchantment of perspective. This presentation slam-dunks you into the NOW of your life and the acute awareness of how quickly it is moving.
The Secret Garden of Friendship
Feedback from this presentation (also offered as a multi-session a retreat) constantly reaffirms to me how thirsty women are to be in open, honest, prayer-filled and fun fellowship with one another. To be freed to be who we REALLY are (but DARE we be THAT?); to free others to let their one-and-only light shine on US (but are we really accepting?); to learn what it means to value a friend... but especially how to be one. I envision God's bountiful heart pulsing with goodness for His children, and when He knows our need, He opens wide the gates to that heart and out marches one of our sisters - just when we need her the most. To PLAY and LAUGH and do LUNCH and have deep conversations and help us find the path. BUT ... where's the time? Where are the women? How can we trust? Come to the Secret Garden of Friendship and find out.
Don't Miss Your Kids!
(Based on her book.) In a finger snap, your kids are grown and gone, even though a colicky baby's wailing can make one late afternoon seem a week long. And a stubborn three-year-old simply will not potty train, striking fear in you that someday his bride may have to change his diapers. And teenagers and curfew and ... Then ZAP! One day your baby is bald! NOW is the time to enjoy your children while they're still at home. Charlene shares the good, bad and dubious stories from her child-rearing years raising two sons. You will laugh, relate and maybe even shed a tear. One thing is for certain: You will come away with a fresh and valuable perspective and be assured that children are God's gift to you.
It's More Than Okay to BE Who YOU Are
Based on the principals in her book How to Eat Humble Pie & Not Get Indigestion, Charlene - through humor, straight-forward challenges, stories and the fruits of God's grace in her own personal life - will help you rest in your unique creation. God has gifted the world with YOU. She will help you learn to put pride and ego aside so, in humility, you can be FREE to laugh, love, accept and rest in your One and Only-ness.
Humor: Life's Secret Weapon - and the key to sanity!
Have you ever discovered in hind site that the disaster of the moment is now the laugh of the day... so where was that laugh when you needed it? Have you ever squared off in a shoe store with a stubborn two-year-old who is sitting on his feet and won't let anyone measure them? Do you find yourself and your coworkers anything but funny? This session focuses on the vital importance - healing, saving-grace importance - of finding the funny side to life and gives you some clues as to how. It frees you to understand you are part of Duh Human Condition and helps you learn to laugh at yourself. Whether you're a full-time parent or a full-time employee, Charlene tailors her talk to fit your group's need and presents her Baker's Dozen Humor Hogties, but most importantly she helps you LIGHTEN UP!
 On Being a Wild Child of God! (click the logo on the left to go to the Wild Child site) Ever fear you just weren't good enough or quiet enough or brave enough or humble enough or beige enough to be a Christian woman? Maybe you just don't quite "get" what everyone has told you about living in faith? Maybe you figure your past already ruled you out. Or perhaps you still own a motorcycle or like twirly skirts or have a tattoo or secretly long to be a movie star and figure, "too late, too boring, for Christianity and me." Or maybe you know you are a Christian but spend most of your time fretting about the fact you're falling short, causing you to look like the faith you do have needs to be pickled rather than passed on?
"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is every one who is born of the Spirit." – John 3:8 NASB
Pretty wild, huh?
Not for the faint of heart or knickers-in-a-knot type, but for those who dare. On Being a Wild Child of God isn't about being inappropriate; it's about be-ing a child of God, and all that a brave statement like that might imply.
Feedback on Charlene's Wild Child of God Seminar:
What an awesome concept that we all need to step out of our comfort zone and be a wild child of God!! She had wonderful stories and a testimony. God bless you!
What a blessing to be encouraged to be genuine with other women and to again be told how much God loves us - while being challenged to be on fire for God.
I am a wild child. Thank you so much for getting outside the box.
Having tired of superficial, smile-so-sweetly Christianity, I found Charlene Baumbich to be a breath (rather a strong wind) of fresh air. I love learning from someone who has outrageously trusted Christ in the gut-level issues of life. Charlene brought us face to face with the joyful, hilarious, bold and gracious presence of Christ. What more could I ask for?"
The 12 Dazes of Christmas
(Based on her book.) Christmas! You either love it or you dread it. But one thing is for certain: It will arrive - whether you're ready or not. In this talk, Charlene helps listeners prepare their hearts for the season. It is not a lecture about how to get organized during the holidays, because Charlene is CLUELESS as to how to do that! But God has honored her prayers to find the Christ Child's face in the midst of the chaos. Learn how to find, accept and embrace God's peace during the holidays, for then you will be able to pass it on.
A Mind's Ride to Mommyland
Hey! It's one of those days! The kids have snotty noses, the garbage disposal is backing up instead of swallowing down, the dog had an accident in the kitchen and the kids are playing in it, your toddler is hanging on your leg, you're on the verge of snapping when ..."I'm outta here," you say to yourself. "I'm taking a mind's ride to Mommyland. Mommyland, where there's peace and quiet. Where I'm calm and resting. Where I'm getting a grip on myself and God is replenishing my chaotic, discombobulated self."
Charlene will help you understand your need for your own time and give you permission to seek it; give you handles to find it; help you learn to stay as long as you need to. Mommyland is perhaps the difference between calming yourself and child abuse. Really.
Be Still and Know that I AM God
(retreat format only; three sessions just right) We are all going so fast that being still, even when we want to, can be almost too much to bear—and so we don't. In this retreat, we are slam-dunked into a number of realizations: like how seldom we are still. Really still. How uncomfortable many of us are with silence and how impossible it seems to unplug our frenzied minds when we finally find a quiet moment. (Does "still" always mean soundless, or is there perhaps an inner door to stillness—even in the midst of chaos? Answer: yes.)
Charlene's goal is this: That we can slow down our lives enough to be able stop, rather than skidding by the sweetness and bounty that come from following the always-available (arms open) gift of God's time. That by the end of the retreat, we are able to dive into Be Stillness when we need to…when we hear the whispering beckon to do so. This is a retreat to reflect on God's Be Still and know that I am God command (Psalm 46:10). To study it word by word. To learn that what we learn when we can be still and know that God is God, is that God first loved us.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The purpose of this retreat is to Be Still. Although Charlene's humor and energy are happily present, this retreat, is, by it's very topic … um … quieter than most.
Grace: Rest Amidst the Chaos
(retreat format only; minimum two sessions) Oh sure, we all talk about grace, but who among us really "gets" it, or accepts it or liberally passes it on? This retreat is an opportunity to study, ponder and revel in God's grace. It helps make us acutely aware - even in undesirable situations - how gracious and lavish God is to shower us with this bountiful gift of love. Through our everyday stories and the words of others, Charlene helps women realize that Amazing Grace is precious, available and life-altering, and how we need only extend our hands and hearts to receive it. For by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. - Ephesians 2:8. See, even our faith is a gift of grace. Amazing! |
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PERKY THINGS FOLKS SAY ABOUT CHARLENE, via e-mails, letters and evaluations:
"I could listen to your stories for days, since there is such a wonderful sense of humor blended into the tales of lessons to be learned. A lot of us feel the world is a better place with you in it."
"Masterfully wove together humor and the truth about God and our need for Him."
"You have had a profound influence on my life since I heard your talks and read your books."
"I thought that my 'colourful' past was holding me back and stood between me and what I thought I should strive to become. What I took from your message was that I am O.K. as I am. That a Christian woman doesn't have to look or act a certain way. I often felt that if these good Christian women knew the things I have seen and done in my life, they would fall off their chairs. I know that I am a new creature in Him and will pray that the Lord will continue to teach me to be who He made me to be and stop trying to cram myself into a mold."
"Everyone was mesmerized by your talk which struck just the right balance between outright side-splitters and more profound sentiments."
"I have been feeling overwhelmed as a parent, wife and person. Your words tonight made me laugh (and cry) and most importantly, they reminded me of the 'real' reason I wanted to become a mother in the first place. Thank you so very much for reminding me that stressful situations can be laughable while I'm actually having one."
"I cannot tell you how much the staff enjoyed your presentation. One of the people in my particular employee group wrote me and told me she still smiles when she thinks of one of your life stories. I do too."
"I find that I am rethinking your quotes all day long. My favorite truth from the event was the focus on being a star that cannot shine without light."
"[After hearing you I] had to buy a book because it's better than a Snickers bar—the perfect pick me up without any calories!"
"Just a short note to express my appreciation for your willingness to draw lose enough to the Lord to hear His whispers. The verse that you repeated many times on the island has echoed in my mind and heart over the past few days. I feel an overwhelming sense of peace and calm when all good reason would lead me in a different direction."
"What a super job! I have had nothing but wonderful comments. You are a great communicator using wonderful stories to paint word pictures that apply to our daily lives and show God's love."
"Charlene Baumbich was great - the best speaker I've ever heard. Inspiring! Moving! Motivating! Hilarious! She is a great writer - a great speaker. What a thrill! I could hear her again and again."
"Celebrating missteps and handing them to God has catapulted this full-time minister of merry from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, into the rare success limelight that authors and speakers dream about." --- One Spirit magazine
"You really did it! You made us kick back, relax, and laugh out loud. We all needed what you gave us. Thanks for sharing your gift of storytelling!"
"Charlene was life changing!"
"What an awesome concept that we all need to step out of our comfort zone and be a wild child of God!! She had wonderful stories and a testimony. God bless you!"
"What a blessing to be encouraged to be genuine with other women and to again be told how much God loves us-while being challenged to be on fire for God."
"I am a wild child. Thank you so much for getting outside the box!"
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