Speeches for Girls I

In response to complaints about girls not being allowed to enter Preaching or Famous Speech, I always ask, "Have you tried Oratory?" If you've got a message you want to share but that doesn't quite fit the Illustrated Storytelling category, write what you want to say in the form of an oration.

I have uploaded two examples for you. Originally an essay, Know the Disease! Know the Cure! was a message I was passionate about and for which I gained a silver medal at South Pacific Student Convention. The other example, printed below, is a personal testimony which girls may use as a Famous Speech (if you're attending a South Pacific convention), or imitate the style for your Oratory text (which you write yourself).

Other tips on finding a suitable speech (male or female) are available here.

Singer Behind the Scenes

ScriptHaven founder Narelle Worboys and her accompanist tour Elder Care facilities entertaining with popular music from the World War era. Half way through the program and immediately before "Amazing Grace", Narelle stops for a chat which goes like this.

I enjoy coming to sing for you each month, and I can tell you enjoy it too, but I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression about me, so here's the lowdown on Narelle Worboys.

I was born number 2 in a family of 6 children. The youngest died age 3 and a half, and the rest of us spent 15 or so years learning to live with each other. Even if you're all good friends - which we are - I reckon that process never stops!

My father was the principal of a home education provider called New Zealand Christian Academy. Using the Accelerated Christian Education program, my mother homeschooled us right through to University entrance -- although none of us felt the need to step into that wild and woolley realm.

My earliest memories are of singing sacred songs around the piano with my family every morning. Soon my mother began teaching us folk songs, and we embarked on our public career as The Worboys Family Who Sing. Apparently that's something unusual. My teen years and into my twenties were filled with harmonizing amongst my siblings, but one by one they left home and one day I realized I had no-one to sing with. I was devastated.

Deprived of that nice warm buffer of bodies and voices, it was tough making the transition to soloist, but as I got comfortable with it, I began to notice that many people have a hard time believing that someone who sings sweetly could be a bad person. Would you believe me if I said I was a criminal? Well, I took the Good Person Test and failed.

Have you ever taken an honest look at yourself? I mean a really good look?
I looked at myself in the mirror of God's Ten Commandments and the image I saw was an ugly one.

Have I ever lied? Yes.
Have I ever stolen something that belonged to someone else, irrespective of it's value? Yes.
Have I ever blasphemed (using God's name as a cuss word)? Yes.

Liar. Thief. Blasphemer. I was in serious trouble, and that was only 3 of the Ten Commandments. I knew I'd failed to always put God first in my life, the first and greatest Commandment. I knew the Bible says that all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire.

If I died that day and God judged me by that standard, I'd be guilty and deserving of eternal judgement in Hell. Would you be concerned about that? I was.

And then I discovered what God has done for us so we don't have to go to Hell. Do you know what that is?

God came in the flesh as the man Jesus Christ, to suffer and die on the cross, and rise again the third day, paying for our sins with his life's blood. It's like this: I broke God's Law, but Jesus paid my fine. That means when my case comes up on Judgement Day, God can legally commute my Death Sentence and dismiss my case from the courtroom.

What I had to do was repent -- that means to turn away from my sin -- and trust in Jesus Christ like a person trusts a parachute. The moment I did that, God made me into a new creature and empowered me to live in a way that pleases Him.

Death is only a moment away for all of us. How will you plead before the Righteous Judge? If you've repented of your sins and trusted in Christ to save you, as I have done, then you can be 100% sure that you will go to Heaven when you die.

For someone who was once a lawbreaker, now saved by grace, that's wonderful news! Now I walk in newness of life, and sing of Christ who paid my fine and set me free.

Thank you for listening. Let's have some more music!