Signs & Wonders Blog

One hundred years ago, an organization was formed to help individuals improve their public speaking skills. Toastmasters has grown from a single club in California to approximately 16,000 worldwide. The meetings feature prepared speeches and impromptu talks (called Table Topics) to get people to think on their feet. Members are assigned various tasks to help others expand their vocabulary and get rid of vocal fillers like “um,” “ah,” “er,” and “you know.” I joined Toastmasters shortly after giving my life to the Lord in 1991. I no longer wanted to be a nightclub disc jockey but still desired to speak in front of crowds. At the time, I was a distributor for a multilevel marketing company . People responded very favorably whenever I gave a testimonial at their meetings. Initially, I attended a Toastmasters club in the St. Paul suburb of Little Canada, Minnesota. Months later, I transferred to a different club called Sunrisers . Many of my early speeches were about topics relevant to m...

One of the things the Lord used to prepare me for ministry was Toastmasters, an organization people join to improve their public speaking skills. In every Toastmasters meeting, the person assigned as the grammarian introduces a “word of the day” to encourage speakers to expand their vocabulary. My particular Toastmasters club also used a clicker whenever the person speaking uttered filler words like “um”, “ah”, “er”, and “you know.” I’ve noticed many Christians habitually insert the word “just” whenever they are praying or praising the Lord. Listen closely the next time you’re at a church service or prayer meeting. You will likely hear people say, “I just pray that…” or “I just praise You for…” or “We just thank You…” Perhaps you picked up that habit because you heard other believers doing the same thing. The Bible does say, “The just shall live by faith” and the blood of Jesus justifies us. But I don't see how the overuse of the word “just” adds extra power to prayers an...