speaking
schools, churches& conferences
The Spark That Changed Everything
It was another unsettling day, which in my household was perfectly normal. Uncertainty ruled everything, even the small things. Would leaving the door open win the day, or closing it? Nobody knew. We were all just guessing, just surviving. And so I lay on my bed, restless, staring up at the ceiling, until my eyes settled on my radio.
On my bedroom dresser sat a little grey radio. It was how we knew the news of the day, how the world came to us when we couldn’t get out to meet it. But one afternoon, something unexpected broke through the static. It was something altogether different. Something I had no language for yet. A man’s voice broke through the static, calm and steady, speaking on creation. Creation always peaked my interest and I wanted to know more.
I didn’t know much about the Bible. But I knew Genesis. And something about it, that ancient beginning, arrested me. I tuned in. I leaned in. I listened keenly. And as the broadcast drew to a close, the man invited his listeners to pray what he called the most important prayer. I didn’t understand why a prayer could be the most important thing in a person’s life, but I prayed along anyway.Little did I know that spark will change everything.
Destiny's Bridge: Built in Six Minutes
To any student in the room, it was merely another six minutes slipping by. Unknown to me, destiny’s bridge was on the verge of unfolding.
I was hunched over my desk, playing it safe — three mediocre schools on my list. After all, if you expect nothing, you can’t be disappointed. Right?
Then I felt it. That unmistakable blend of authority and warmth every student in the building knew — right there behind me. My principal. He glanced at my list, and in that tone of his — unnerving and caring all at once — he said, “Come on. You’re better than that.”
He pointed to a school I hadn’t dared consider. One where dignitaries sent their children. My heart raced. Me? There?
The trajectory of my life was about to change. Years later, I would trace every turning point back to those six minutes — to the words of a man who believed in me before I believed in myself. We all knew he knew the Lord, but he didn’t preach a sermon. He spoke life in an unconventional way. Just like in the book of Esther, the wisdom of God lends us the means to communicate truth in every environment — and today I carry that same spirit forward, bringing hope and inspiration that lights up every school, every college hall I enter, because I know that “When golden words meet silver moments, destiny bridges the impossible.” ~Paula Mensah-Woode
Paula shares with audiences from coast to coast (and internationally!) Paula considers it a great honor and privilege to serve your school, community, church, or event.