SPEAKER SCHEDULE 2015 - 2016OCTOBER 1, 15 | TRACEY EYSTER | Celebrating the Adventure of Motherhood (Ahem…and not losing your mind in the process – but finding your joy!)

Leaving her dream job and moving five times with children in the home, while being the wife of a corporate executive that admits to workaholism, should have been the perfect storm for a perfect melt down for this “I can do it all” mom. But in the midst of successes, challenges, failures and a “crazy maker” life, Tracey Eyster chose to intentionally lean in to hear God’s voice. She learned that motherhood is an adventure intended to train up children in the way they should go while giving mom a lesson in attitude adjustment. Motherhood is a messy journey fraught with ups and downs…but it is a beautiful mess with a divine purpose! Tracey is the happily in love wife of Bill and the fun filled mom of Samara and Westley who all revel in opening their Kentucky home to family and friends with some good country cookin’ and down on the farm fun. She is the Founder of MomLifeToday.com and MomLife Boot Camp, created to help moms build godly homes and encourage families to share hope with others. Tracey is blessed to share her heart at women’s events and through her many online blog posts, the pages of her book Be The Mom, LifeWay’s Beautiful Mess Bible study and through the weekly radio broadcast of Encouragement Café.

NOVEMBER 5, 19 | RHONDA O’BRIEN | Thankful Hearts All Year Long: Developing Attitudes of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is so much more than a celebratory meal, parades, football games, a day or even a month! How do we cultivate grateful hearts in our families? How do we encourage thanksgiving as a way of living? Come explore developing an attitude of gratitude with Rhonda O’Brien. You’ll be thankful you came! Rhonda is a retired Wheaton College Professor, writer for Tyndale House Publishers, a Bible student and teacher, a speaker at women’s conferences and a comedic dramatist and performer. She has published more than twenty books including Touchpoints for Women, Touchpoints for Couples, Touchpoints for Hurting People, Inspirations for a Mother’s Soul, God’s Daily Promises for Women, Extreme Answers to Life’s Tough Questions, Divine Moments for Leaders, and Divine Moments for Women. Rhonda resides in Geneva with her husband, Ken. They have been married for 32 years and have three children, a daughter-in-love, a granddaughter and a grandson.

DECEMBER 3, 10 | ANNE GARNETT | How Far Is It to Bethlehem? A Little Perspective for the Journey as We Head into the Holidays

Let’s face it; the burden of preparing for the holidays seems to fall squarely on mom! It seems like there is way too much to do and never enough time, energy or resources to get it all done! Using humor and encouragement, Anne will share some fresh perspectives and a sprinkle of practical advice to help us all not only survive the holidays but to actually thrive during them. Anne is mom to four kids, one daughter and three sons, ranging in age from 26 to 17, and has been married to Grant for 29 years. Their family worships and serves at Wheaton Bible Church where Anne is part of the Women’s Bible Study leadership and teaching teams and is involved in a few other global and local ministries. Anne loves being a mom with all the challenges and blessings that calling brings, and she finds great joy in mentoring and encouraging moms just a step or two behind her. When free time arrives, Anne enjoys cheering on her beloved Green Bay Packers, grabbing coffee with friends, and baking batches of cookies for the teens that congregate in her kitchen.

JANUARY 7, 21 | DR. KATHY KOCH | How Am I Smart? Discover How Your Child Is Uniquely Smart

“Stupid! I’m so dumb! I just made another mistake.” “I can’t do that. It’s too hard!” “If I was smart, I could figure this out. Then I wouldn’t get into trouble again.” All children – and adults, for that matter – need to know they are smart. It’s a power word and a powerful concept. And, it’s realistic because everyone is smart! Children need to know they ARE smart and un-derstand HOW they are smart so they can BE smart! That’s why Dr. Kathy loves teaching about multiple intelligences. We all need to know HOW we are smart so we can stop making unwise decisions and fulfill our purpose. When children know how they are smart they’ll believe in themselves and take school and all of life more joyfully. Dr. Kathy Koch, Founder and Presi-dent of Celebrate Kids, Inc. of Fort Worth, TX, is an internationally celebrated speaker. She earned her PhD in reading and educational psychology from Purdue University. Prior to beginning her ministry in 1991, she was a professor, teacher, coach, and school board member. Among other things she enjoys talking with young people and adults about how to really embrace life, not just be alive. Dr. Koch has published four books: How Am I Smart? A Parent’s Guide to Multiple Intelligences, Authentic Hope and Wholeness: 5 Questions That Will Change Your Life, and No More Perfect Kids: Love Your Kids for Who They Are, which she wrote with Jill Savage, and Screens and Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless World.

FEBRUARY 4, 18 | JILL SAVAGE | My Heart’s at Home

Have you ever stopped to think about all the roles that home plays in our lives? Home is a safe house, a trauma unit, a rest area, and a church. It is a playground and a pep rally too. With humor and practical advice, Jill Savage looks at twelve roles that home plays in our lives. She will help us create a blueprint plan that will allow mom (and dad) to make home all it can be! We’ll learn how to stop the unhealthy cycles of the past to create a “new normal” for our family, gain an understanding of character traits and social skills that children need to learn from their parents and become the intentional mom our family needs. Jill Savage is an author, speaker, founder and CEO of Hearts at Home. She and her family live in an old farmhouse on the out-skirts of Normal, Illinois. What this really means is that she lives a close to normal life, or she lives life on the edge of normal. Both are true! She and her husband, Mark, have 5 kids, 2 son-in-laws, 3 grandkids, and a herd of cats. Jill encourages tens of thousands each year at Hearts at Home Conferences and personal speaking engagements.

MARCH 3, 17 | JULIE DOUGHERTY | Wife Life 101: A Refresher Course in the Basics of Life as a Wife!

After the addition of a baby or two, we can feel like we are looking through the fog of mommy trying to see the wife we once were. We may be wondering how to be a wife – what does a wife do again?? We may even have heard that we need to focus on being a wife in the midst of raising our family but we walk away thinking “yeah, but how do I DO that?” Join us as we go back to the basics of things we can DO to continue to lay a good foundation for the years to come. Julie will bring laughter and encouragement as she reminds us of the blessing and privilege of being a wife. Julie Dougherty is the wife of 30 years to Kevin and mother of four, two daughters and two sons, ranging from 26 to 19. They are part of the First Baptist Church of Geneva (FBCG) community where Julie has been teaching Bible Study for twelve years. She and her husband help lead a class for young families, Built to Last, and enjoy walking through life with this group as they seek to follow Christ in their marriages and families. Julie loves being a wife and mother, her heart’s desire, and encouraging other moms on this very multi-faceted road. Julie is a gifted storyteller who is sure to make us laugh with her own stories of Wife Life!

APRIL 7, 21 | JEFF FRAZIER | Leading Your Children, Not Just Looking After Them

Parenting can be overwhelming at times. It is hard not to live in reactive mode, responding to the latest behavior or devel-opmental stage. Our heart’s desire is to raise our children proactively, shaping and guiding them as they grow. Join Pastor Jeff Frazier as he helps us take a look at implementing priorities as a family that focus on leading our children toward faith and instilling character. He’ll share practical ways to bring faith into our homes every day to help us keep the goals that are truly important at the forefront. Jeff is a teaching pastor and Pastor of Adult Discipleship at First Baptist Church of Geneva (FBCG). Before transitioning into this role, he spent the previous 14 years in youth ministry; 8 years at FBCG and 6 years on staff at Willow Creek Community Church. Jeff has an MA in theology from Wheaton College Graduate School with a focus in evangelism and spiritual formation and a BA from Wheaton College. Jeff lives in Batavia with his wife, Erin, and their three children, Noah, Hannah and Benjamin.

MAY 5, 19 | ROB RIENOW | Discipline that Disciples

What is the purpose of discipline? How do we discipline effectively without losing our mind or our child’s heart? This message will help us see discipline from a whole new perspective. Join Dr. Rob Rienow as he encourages and equips us to impress the hearts of our children with a love of God in the midst of everyday parenting. Rob’s most important ministry is loving his wife Amy and partnering with her to love and lead their seven children toward Jesus. He serves as the founder of Visionary Fam-ily Ministries (www.VisionaryFam.com) and pastor at Gospel Fellowship Church. Rob is the author of several books including Visionary Parenting and Visionary Marriage. He shares the biblical message of family discipleship at national and international conferences for parents, couples, and church leaders. The Rienow family lives in West Chicago.

Phone: 630.232.7068 Web: fbcg.com

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