Tag: speaking

“Who wants $20?”

That was the question I posed last night to several hundred kids and their parents.

Hands shot up in the air.

The one hand that caught my eye didn’t belong to the first graders bouncing up and down in the front row. It belonged to a freshman in high school sitting off to the side.

There were a line of boys ... Read More


I would never take a stroll with an artist through his studio and start judging his work.

Can you imagine? Walking along and commenting to the one who created each canvas, saying, “Oh, that one is lovely… but that one really sucks… I love the colors you used in this one… but man that one is stupid.”

We wouldn’t do that, right?

And ... Read More


Saul and I got to go to Madison this past weekend. It was perfect.

Except when it wasn’t.

Had I posted the highlights on social media, you might have sat back and thought sarcastically, “Huh… good for her. She gets to do all the fun stuff.”

We were there for a benefit called Garding Against Cancer. Saul’s good friend, Greg Gard (the head ... Read More


“The Bible isn’t about you. The Bible is about God… searching for you.”

As my pastor’s words filled the church, my soul was simultaneously filled. Filled with love for a God who knew I would stray. And filled with gratitude that there is no where I can go that He can’t find me.

I’m just returning home from a whirlwind trip to ... Read More


The kids have been putting together a list of all the things they want to see while we’re in Fargo: our old house, the ferris wheel at Scheels (it’s a sporting goods store), West Acres Mall, and all their favorite old parks.

The list is about two football fields long. I keep reminding them that this is a “working vacation” for ... Read More


If I get butterflies before speaking in front of one audience, you should see what happens to my stomach when I think about speaking in front of eight audiences. And two radio programs. And one live morning TV show.

I’m prepping for a return visit to Fargo at the end of April. It started out as one invitation to speak about ... Read More


Eighteen years ago I stood on the pitcher’s mound at the old Milwaukee Brewers stadium. I was wearing a headset that was streaming the Beatles into my ears. With my pitch pipe in hand, I got my starting note and waited for the tech guys to turn off the music so I could begin the National Anthem.

Only they forgot to ... Read More


Have you ever been on a reality show? Me neither, but now I can say I’ve come awfully close.

Saul and I had the unique experience of spending the last nine months with a woman from Ohio University named Hailee Tavoian. The words “strategy” and “advancement” and “marketing” are all in her title, but big words scare me, so I don’t ... Read More


There are plenty of times I hold my tongue. Those of you who know me are now rolling your eyes thinking, “Yeah right, Nicole.”

Okay, I guess you’re right. We’re both right. I don’t necessarily hold my tongue, I just don’t say what I really want to say because I’m worried about how it will be taken.

Holding our tongues can be ... Read More


I’m in need of a little Fargo love and I’m wondering if you can help.

I’ve been invited to speak at a women’s event at a church in Fargo. Can we all thank God at this very moment that the event is being held in April instead of the dead of winter? My North Dakota blood has thinned quite a bit ... Read More