Good morning. I have a question for you. Are you fun to live with? I wish some of your
husbands were here. In fact, it would be even preferable if we could ask your children,
is this woman fun to live with? And for the singles, it would be lovely to ask someone
that you work with. Is she fun to live with? Is she a joy to be around? Is she an inspiration
in your life? I want you to raise your hand if you truly believe that you're fun to live
with. Quick, look around. Look around. No, no, no, no. This will not do. This is not
a decision. It's either here or it's here. Raise your hand please. All right, while your
hands are raised, I need six fun loving people to join me on the stage. I will see how much
fun you are to live with. And could I have someone just remove this for me please? It
would be great. Thanks. I can see that this is going to be fun. Hi, hi. Now I'm going
to stand right in the middle of you. And I was laughing when I turned up this morning
and I looked at all of you so relaxed and casual here in Sydney and I said, I've turned
up in my Melbourne clothes. What we're going to do is we're going to do a quick activity
that switches the brain on. Do you understand that we have two sides of the brain, the right
and the left, the right side for the creative, the left side for the logical. We need both
sides of the brain to gain the most out of this conference. And if we actually do this
little activity, we will switch both sides of the brain on and be able to remember that
which you have learnt. Isn't it helpful to take home what you hear? So all I want you
to do is I want you to follow me and I want you to look encouraging. So clap your hands
and your legs. Clap your hands together. Put your right hand on your nose and your left
hand around the outside of your ear. Now it's important to get your nose first and then
get your ear. Alright? And then we're going to reverse it. You clap on your legs and you
clap hands together. You put your left hand on your nose and your right hand on your ear.
Everyone got that? We're going to do it six times. We're going to do it once on the right
and then alternate to the left and then the right, left, right. Here we go. Smile at them.
Clap, clap, right hand nose, left hand ear. Clap, clap, left hand nose, right hand ear.
Clap, clap, hold it. Do we have any other volunteers? What is happening here? I'm giving you this
lovely simple activity to do. So quickly, everyone, everything out of your hands. Put
it on the ground. Stay seated. Are you ready to teach them? Here we go. Clap on the legs,
clap hands together, right hand nose and left hand ear. Lock that picture into your head.
I wish you could see yourselves now. Clap on the legs, clap hands together, left hand
on the nose, right hand on the ear. Are you ready to switch your brains on? Here we go.
Clap, clap, right hand nose, left hand ear. Clap, clap, left hand nose, right hand ear.
Clap, clap, right hand nose, left. Clap, clap, left hand nose, right. Clap, clap, right hand
nose, left. And clap, clap, left hand nose, right. Raise your hand if you've got that.
Now, look around. We've got probably 5% of the room that can do that quickly. Who's having
a little trouble? Raise your left hand, please. If you're having a lot of trouble, raise both
hands. What's happening here? What is happening here? Please, Julie. You prefer to dance.
I should have brought the tap shoes. I want to ask you a question. Who do you think is
more successful, the person that can get something straight away or the person who has to really
work at it? The one that has to work on it. This is a correct answer. Stay there. No,
you haven't finished yet. Put your little booty down here. Put your little booty down
there. Now, what we've got to do, we are trying to go from where we are to where we want to
be. Is anybody already where they want to be? Is there a little room for growth in your
life? Give me a wave. If there's a room for a lot of growth, give me a... Ah, I can see.
Yes. See, what's happening? I'm trained as a sports psychologist. I'm trained to teach
people to go from where they are to where they want to be. And how do we bridge the
gap? What is one of the most significant things that take people in the direction that they
want to go? The word is focus. If you focus, you will find that your performance will go
up immediately. When I got saved, I learnt a song that said, I set my mind on you Lord,
I choose you every time. Open my eyes to you Lord, I dedicate my life. You know when I
heard those words, that was exactly what I had been studying. Focus. It's about focusing
on Jesus. If we're going to have peak performance in our lives, we've got to know exactly where
our focus needs to be. So I'm going to demonstrate to you the power of focus. For this little
activity, we're going to focus on the nose. Why the nose? Because most women can find
their nose. Quickly, grab your nose with your right hand. Grab your nose with your left
hand. Grab your nose with your right hand. Grab your nose with your left hand. The only
reason we do the claps is to give you time to think. So we're going to get in the pattern.
Here we go. Clap, clap, right hand nose. Clap, clap, left hand nose. Clap, clap, right hand
nose. Clap, clap, left hand nose. And when you think you're ready, you add the other
hand. If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. But grab the
nose first. Get the basics first. Clap, clap, nose. Clap, clap, nose. Clap, clap, nose.
Clap, clap, nose. Julie shows that there's hope for everyone. That's it. And clap, clap,
nose and then add the other hand. But you do the basics. We always do the basics first.
That's right. Some people forget the basics. They go on to something else and they forget
to keep doing that which got them where they are. Oh, you've got rhythm girls. We're all
going. Come on. That's it. Hold it. Hold it. I can see that some of you are still struggling
a little. Would you mind if I just add one more step? So what we're going to do is it's
just going to sound like this. Clap, clap, nose, ear. So we're just breaking it down
into simple steps. You ready? Clap, clap, nose, ear. Clap, clap, nose, ear. Clap, clap,
nose, ear. Clap, clap, nose, ear. Here we go. Keep going. And clap, clap, nose, ear. Clap,
clap, nose, ear. Clap, clap, nose, ear. Clap, clap, nose, ear. And clap, clap, together.
Clap, clap, together. Clap, clap together and stop there. Now how many of you have improved
Please in 30 seconds.
Now look around the room.
We're looking at about 80% of the room improving
with that one minute of practice, with focus.
Where is the focus in your life?
Is the focus on your marriage?
Is the focus on your children?
Is your focus on your career?
Or is your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ?
And are you following the one that you're focused upon?
I have learned that the peakest of the peak performers
set their eyes firmly on the Lord
and he will take them to heights that they can't even visualize.
Because our minds are limited by our current experience
whereas the Lord says, no, listen to my prophets,
listen to my teachers and they will give you pictures
way beyond where you currently can see.
That's why we need the prophetic in the church.
We need that to be spoken out so that we can receive
and then receive that picture
and then keep your eyes on Jesus as you walk.
Now do you think these people deserve a reward?
Good.
Now how many of you have ever seen me before, please?
Give me a wave.
Well, hi there.
Yesterday.
Now I don't know if you know my style of writing
but I believe that I write for busy women.
One line per page.
Ever felt like there's no time to read?
Well, you stick this in your kitchen or on your desk,
next to the bed and you say,
today I need inspiration, I'll pick a red page.
No, today I need to calm down, pick a blue page.
Or maybe I need to be a lot more positive,
I'm going to pick a yellow page.
Maybe you need to think clearly so you pick a white page.
And if you've lost your sense of humor,
you pick a green page.
This one was written for me.
If a cluttered room means a cluttered mind,
what does an empty room mean?
Oh, you know what, I've just got an idea.
How about the people on the right get a mood maker.
That's for adding to our mood today.
And the people on the left can have the sequel
called the Doom Destroyer.
But you know what, Julie, do you have children?
What ages are your children?
I think they need help.
You know, I love Julie, I got to meet her yesterday
and she's a mighty woman of God.
But she learns at a different rate to some of you.
And maybe her children do too.
I have a problem with my left and right.
I've got to look at my rings to know my left and my right.
Who else has that problem?
Look, you don't realize how much encouragement
you've just given.
So this one's called, it's not a problem at all.
Because the Lord knew, He made you that way.
This is called Radical Rev Up Kit.
This is for your 15 year old.
This is called, Why Wasn't I Told?
This is a goal setting and self esteem program for your,
how old is she, 17 year old?
And, hold on, this is for your marriage.
Keeping couples cooking, you never know what helps you might need.
And this is so that you can practice the activity for 21 days.
Would someone please help her with her chocolates
and go and take a seat.
Give them a hand.
Thank you.
Do you understand?
She's a sharer, look at her.
Anyone who wants some of her chocolates?
Oh, all right.
Come and get them.
Oh, I'm learning a lot about your church.
You know what, I used to throw out dried fruit.
People won't do anything for dried fruit,
but for chocolate, but for chocolate.
You know, I asked Julie, I said Julie,
who do you think is more successful,
the person that learns slowly or the person that gets it straight away?
What I have learned is that the person who is willing
to struggle through the process is the person that God will take
above and beyond what you think or imagine.
Because I have learned this, that in the struggle, he refines us.
In the struggle, he builds character.
And in the struggle, we need him desperately.
And when we need him desperately, we cling to him,
and he meets all our needs,
and then we move to places we never dreamed.
Be very careful that you don't judge yourself by your current performance.
If you're a struggler, that means you're a mighty woman of God,
because you're fighting the good fight.
You're moving fast from where you are to where you want to be,
and sometimes the struggle seems like it's drowning you.
Have you ever felt like you're drowning in problems besides me?
Anyone been there?
And it's amazing how when you just hold your position in God,
and then suddenly it's like you burst out through the top of the problem.
So peak performance is keeping your mind on him.
Step one.
How do I know this?
Because I was born with a handicap.
No major handicap like those that were in the Paralympics.
I had a tiny handicap, born with no muscle in my left eyelid,
meant my eye was permanently closed,
two lots of plastic surgery at age two and three,
arrived at school with an eye that was stitched half open.
I didn't realize I had a handicap until I got to school.
And the kids looked at me and they said,
you are so ugly, and you look so dumb.
That was probably the two most common words that I heard to describe myself
from my childhood peers.
And I would run home from school,
and I would just leap into my mother's arms and say it's not fair.
I didn't do this to myself, it's not fair.
And my mother, being the wise Catholic that she was,
said, sweetie, life's not fair.
She said, if you don't like it, don't do it.
So I learned not to call names at age five.
I thought it was a pretty good lesson.
And I learned that if you don't call people names, you have a lot of friends.
You don't label people, you attract people to yourself.
And so I just went ahead with the words that my mother sewed in my head.
She said, Lisa, you may not be the most beautiful looking child,
but you said you're a father and I think you're smart.
From that point on, when the children would say to me, you're dumb and you're ugly,
I would stand there and I would say to myself, but I'm smart.
But I'm smart.
I wasn't smart.
I was one of those kids that spent hours coloring in the borders of the pages,
didn't have a clue what to put in the centre.
But I did learn how to become smart,
because I said to myself, if I'm so smart, how come I don't know the answers?
And so from that point on, I raised my hand for everything.
Miss, miss, excuse me, miss, miss, miss.
And I learned that if you ask questions, you learn.
And the fastest way to growing God is go to him with all your questions
and say, Lord, I'm seeking for answers.
Would you please reveal the answer to this for me?
You have an awesome network of churches, leaders to go to,
but you also have the leader, the Holy Spirit, the teacher.
But you must get in the habit of taking your questions to him.
Now, I do it on paper.
I have a journal, so I write the question down and I take it to the Lord,
expecting him to give me an answer.
And I have about 35 journals fully filled of the answers that God has given me in my life.
And whenever I'm feeling like I'm short of answers, I just go back to my books,
flick through and say, Lord, you answered there and there and there and there and there.
He's the great teacher.
He's the one that says, I love my strugglers.
Come on, let's move on.
Now, you know what I learned about life?
I thought that life was meant to be about being happy.
But why wasn't I happy?
So I discovered that life wasn't about just being happy.
It was about overcoming.
It was about solving my problems.
It was about dealing with the pain.
Quickly stand up and I'll show what I mean.
Just bend your knees to 45 degrees.
Now, what you're doing is you're using one of the largest muscle groups in the body,
the quadriceps, here to here, pump more blood to the brain than any other muscle group.
Now, this is a fantastic position for conferences and church.
Why? Because you cannot go to sleep in this position.
What this position is really called is pain.
Now, just smile at me and tell yourself to you, I love this pain.
It's making me stronger.
It's growing me.
Now, some of you think you're lying to yourselves.
Because we are women of God, I want you to go 10% beyond pain.
Now, this is called agony.
Come back up 10%.
Isn't pain easy after agony?
Oh, yes.
Come on, give yourselves a clap.
Shake your legs out.
Shake, shake.
Turn around.
Shake hands with the person directly behind you.
Just watching to see if you're switched on.
Quickly take a seat.
Pain, pain is not a bad thing.
Leaders of the future, pain is not a bad thing.
Pain is a signal to grow or to change or to modify or to seek help.
Pain is just a little symbol to say, do something different.
Pain is not our enemy.
Pain is unavoidable.
Joy is a choice.
I asked the Lord, what is the word for these women?
And I have never heard so clearly in all my life.
The Lord said the word is joy.
Some of them are not operating out of joy.
Because you see, the joy of the Lord is my strength.
Do you understand that without joy, there is no stamina,
there's no capacity to move on.
How many of you have felt that feeling of fatigue and listlessness
and it's gone on for more than 10 days?
There's a lot of us.
That's the enemy.
That's the enemy trying to rob us of the sustenance that is the deep well within us
and it's called joy.
Now it's not happiness.
Happiness is related to the circumstances, to what's happening.
You know, when things aren't happening right, we're not happy.
But joy is not like that.
Joy is a choice.
Joy is the choice for me to go to school every day as a child and say, I'm smart.
I don't care what the other kids say.
I'm smart.
Joy is the choice that when I had two babies 19 months apart
and I was a working mum and I fell apart.
Now motivational speakers aren't supposed to fall apart.
It wasn't good for my reputation.
And there I was in the bed with the covers and I said to my husband,
I'm not getting out.
I'd lost my joy.
I felt like I'd lost everything.
I had two babies dependent upon me.
I had a husband with whom I worked hand in hand with.
We had just spent seven months travelling the world with his parents and my children
and doing everything that I ever wanted to do in my career.
And I came home and I said, I think I need a holiday.
He said, can you just hold on one month?
I said, no.
And I could see that he wasn't clear about what I was saying.
Have you ever felt misunderstood?
So my husband tells me that we have a speaking engagement about a two hour drive down in the country
and I said, I can't.
I've never said that before.
And he looked at me and he said, really?
And he said, I can't cancel.
And he drove me down in the car and we stayed overnight in a motel.
And he woke me in the morning and he dressed me.
And the make-up was not done because I was not able.
And he carried me.
And he realised I'd lost it.
And he pushed me on.
And he stood right there, side stage.
And I watched as God took over.
And for 45 minutes I gave out of the resources that he had put in me.
And I did fine.
And I walked off and I fell in the heat not to rise again for another four months.
It got his attention.
He had two babies under two to look after himself.
You know, I learnt that even when you hit your lowest, lowest point,
that the joy of the Lord is right there waiting for you.
Right there.
And you know, it's if the Holy Spirit, as I lay in bed, beating myself up,
what had I done?
And the Holy Spirit said, I'm here.
Choose me.
Don't look at the circumstances.
Choose me.
And I remember audibly saying, Lord, I choose you.
I choose your pathway.
I accept my circumstances.
But I'm not staying here.
I'm just travelling through.
He accepted me.
And at the end of four months, my husband and I got on an aeroplane
and we flew to the United States of America to Indianapolis, the Housier Dome.
Just 32,000 people were in there.
You could put six semi-trailers in it and they looked like matchbox toys.
And I hadn't spoken to anyone for four months.
And I said, God, I can't do this.
And Colin says, we need you to do this.
We need some income.
And you know, I watched Ray Charles.
He was the warm-up act.
And then they brought on a guy called Dan Quayle.
He was then the Vice President of the United States.
And I'm sitting in the second front row feeling sicker and sicker and sicker.
I'm saying to my husband, I can't do this.
And my husband is saying, God has brought you here for such a time as this.
And I remember them introducing me and the audience all went, who?
And I know that's no strange experience to you because I'm sure you did the same thing.
Who?
Because who am I?
I'm a little kid from Guy Meier who grew up with a handicap.
What was I doing on this stage amongst those people?
The only reason I was there is because God had put me there.
I hadn't earned the right to be there.
I didn't deserve to be there.
God told me to be there.
And you know what I did?
My part.
I turned up.
And you know, I have learned that that's my part sometimes in the Holy Spirit is to turn up.
So it's not doing, it's not about doing, it's not about fretting, it's not about stressing,
it's not about making yourself able.
I just had to make myself available.
And God said, I'll come through for you.
I mean, I can't imagine anyone flying, anyone halfway across the world for 45 minutes.
And yet there I was.
And I delivered the message that God gave me.
And I remember that we didn't make a cent.
We lost a lot of money on that trip for lots of reasons.
And I remember sitting down with my husband, the backstage, when it was all over and all the glamour was gone.
And we sat amongst the boxes, two pallet loads of boxes.
And I helped my husband load them back up, pack all the books back in the boxes, load them up.
And God said, these people are not your provider.
Nobody provides for you except me.
And if you've taken your eyes, Lisa, off me, and you've put your eyes on someone else, on some avenue, on some career,
He said, put your eyes on the one who loves you and will be your daddy.
He's more than my father.
He's the daddy that carries me on his back through all the circumstances of my life.
He's my strength.
He's my counsellor.
He's my comforter.
He's my friend.
He's my motivator.
He motivates the motivator, God Himself, at the core.
Because He told me, the joy of the Lord is my strength and joy is something we choose.
Joy is a choice.
Joy is not a feeling.
Joy is an attitude.
The other day I was having a few challenges with my kids.
I guess you don't have those.
And one of the girls in my prayer group came around with a few scriptures written out for me.
And she said, Joy, Lisa, this is what joy is.
She says it means jump, leap, twirl, and praise the Lord.
So I stood in the entrance of my house, jumping, leaping, twirling, on your feet everybody.
Joy is a choice.
It's an attitude.
It's something you choose to do with all your being.
Notice it's not just a, Lord, give me the joy.
I want the joy, Lord.
Now he says, do something.
Are you ready?
Jump.
Oh, not once.
Come on, how much do you want?
The people at the front can leap.
Anyone that can twirl, jump and twirl.
And now give the Lord a shout.
Applause
Quickly join hands.
Now you've got to join with absolutely no one can be left out.
Do you believe in impartation?
The Lord has given me joy.
Joy isn't something that I ask for anymore.
Joy is something I am.
I'm going to pray for this lady and everyone's going to get it.
Is everyone holding hands?
You better connect up with somebody back there as well.
Quick, find a way.
This is a creative trick.
Carol, are you ready?
Now, is everybody a willing vessel?
Are you willing to let the joy flow through you so you can't keep it?
If it stops with you, no one else gets it.
Is there enough joy from the Lord to spread?
All it takes is a touch.
Notice when Pastor Chris said, just kiss people, hug them.
You know, when I go and speak and there's lots of businessmen, I go hug all of them.
Because I know the Lord told me every time you touch them, you impart joy.
They don't even know what they're getting until they've got it.
Are you ready to give it?
Well, get it first.
This is a new measure.
Father God, I just thank you Lord for these women.
I thank you for Carol, that she is a vessel of the Holy Spirit,
that she is a vessel used for gold and silver in the house of our God,
and that she is willingly passing on all that you give to her.
Father, I willingly give to Carol all that you've given to me, Father.
I thank you Father that it wasn't to keep, but it was to pass on so that I could be a receiver of more.
Father God, I empty myself and my gifts so that Carol might receive Lord,
and that she might pass it to every woman as it goes through this room.
And God does it instantly.
Instantly.
There's no time delay.
You're getting it right now.
For anyone who wants it, you get it.
The only thing that stops if you say, no Lord, I don't want it.
But I know you want it.
Now for those of you who are feeling that it's hard to receive,
I want you to say to the Lord, I choose to receive your joy, Lord.
That's right, I choose to.
It's a choice.
And it's beautiful.
And it's fun and it's even delicious.
It's something you can taste as well.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
And it's irrespective of circumstances.
It doesn't matter what the circumstances are.
He said, I am with you in trouble.
I always think it was funny that Daniel's faith got him out of the lion's den,
but it also got him into the lion's den.
And we need faith to take us in and out the other side.
All right, now give people a hug now and give them your joy.
Quick.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
I will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
I will rejoice and be glad in it.
All right, I need some more volunteers.
Are you listening?
Here we go.
I know you're so full of joy now that you're going to want to give it.
Here's another measure of giving it.
How many of you have a song that whenever you're feeling a bit down
and you feel like you need a lift, you have a song
and you sing a certain song to yourself?
Who has a song?
Give me a wave.
Quickly, sit and think.
You might have 50 songs, but if you have a song
and you sing it to yourself when you get a bit down
and you need to lift yourself up, if anyone's in that habit, give me a wave.
Good, now stand up.
Now don't look so fearful.
Do you think I'm going to pick on you?
Not unless you choose it.
All right, because this is about overcoming.
You see, where there's fear, someone has clouded your truth.
See, because the truth sets you free.
You're free to come up here on this stage and have fun,
but you don't have to.
You can choose to sit in your seat,
but you can choose to come up here and give what the Lord has given to you.
So this is what I'm going to say to you.
If you can't sing, sit down.
Now quickly get a song in your head, all those standing, get a song in your head.
No, just get two lines of the song in your head.
You know, chorus, two lines of the verse.
What's two lines of something that inspires you?
Now I'm going to come out there and pick some people to come up and sing two lines.
Now notice this is a very human reaction.
Oh no!
But did you just hear what I prayed before?
That what you have freely received, you must freely give.
Now you're going to give something, because these people can sing, right?
These people, you can sing a tune.
I don't expect it to be spectacular.
I mean, I sing in about three notes, but they're good three notes.
Can I have you with the white?
Come on.
I want the lady with the pink behind.
Come on.
I want you way up the back.
Oh yeah.
You didn't think the lady in green should come, do you?
Okay, send her, come on.
Send her.
Why don't this lady right down here on the far left?
That's right, you're the furthest, that's it.
Great.
Oh, thank you, Juliet.
Come on up on the stage, come on up.
Why don't this lady right in the front row?
Come on.
How many have we got?
Oh, we could probably just have a couple more, couldn't we?
You absolutely desperately have something you've got to give.
I love it.
Oh, you do with the pink and black.
Oh, she says, I love that twinkle.
Yeah, and you do black, come on.
Everyone else take a seat.
Thank you, let's go.
Now, you know what you're going to do, don't you?
You're going to sing two lines of whatever inspires you.
I don't care if it's zippity-dooda.
I'm not expecting it to be a Christian song.
Is that your song?
You've got a voice.
You've got a voice?
I'm glad to hear it.
You know what?
I grew up in a home with a Catholic mother that had probably not a real sense of faith,
but certainly a measure and a non-believing, well, yeah, I guess a non-believing Protestant father.
It was a fascinating combination, but in my home was music, and we would sing zippity-dooda,
zippity-ay, and we'd clap, we loved it.
There was life in my home, and we'd sing, if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
And then we'd sing to dream the impossible dream.
I mean, there was music in my home, and I know that music in any language,
anything that's beautiful comes from the heart of God.
The truth is truth no matter how it's sung.
It's a gift, so all I'm going to get you to do is sing me a couple of lines.
Now, everyone take a mood reading.
How do you feel?
Give yourself a rating out of 10.
And then after we hear these women sing, we're going to rate ourselves again.
We're just going to see whether their singing makes a difference to our joy level.
No pressure.
Let me tell you why there's no pressure.
One of my biggest goals was to speak in front of all the professional speakers of the world.
There's a forum, and I wanted to be there one day, and I dreamed of it.
And five years ago, just before I fell apart, that opportunity came.
And I remember getting to that conference, and I was so terrified.
I felt like, God, I asked for it, but now I don't want it.
Because now I could make a fool of myself in front of everybody,
and then they could sing what I'm really like.
And then the man came into the briefing room that was briefing the speakers,
and he said, now, I don't want any plastic, he says.
He said, you can only give what you've got, so give us what you've got, and then get off.
And you know, I knew that I had the love of the Lord in my heart,
and I knew I had joy and music and fun, and I said, Lord, I'm going to go and give what I've got.
And I had the time of my life, and then when it was all over, the Holy Spirit said to me,
after my big dream had been achieved, He said, so what?
And from that point on, my life has changed, because I took my eyes off trying to please people,
and put my eyes on trying to please my Father, and this is what this is about here.
This is not about pleasing us, not about pleasing me.
It's about, even if you close your eyes, I don't care what you do, sing behind the table, it doesn't matter.
Just two lines, all right, just two lines, and don't think about what the voice of the other people sound like.
Just think about giving what you've got, all right?
What's your name?
Kerry, we'd love for you to give what you've got. Come on out.
I could give you what is number ten in our house at the moment, which is the Grand Old Duke of York.
Would you like that one?
If God so closely leads and feeds the sparrow's two, how much more will He provide everything for you?
Will He provide for you, Casey?
Oh, don't sit down. Wait for the rewards. You never know what's going to come.
Oh, chocolate, she says. Are you into gold medals?
I am.
Oh, Jenny Lin.
Oh, Jenny Lin, come on, just whatever you've got, all right? It's not the voice.
No, no.
It's from the inner...
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
I'm found.
Don't tell me you were a wretch once.
No, she doesn't look like she was a wretch once, does she?
Who was a wretch once?
You loved that song. Who was blessed by that song?
Look, look, look, look.
You're going to see, I love it, beautiful.
Get your gold medal, hold on. Stand there with your gold medal, there's something to eat.
Lin.
Lin, come on, Lin. I wouldn't want to be following that act.
Thanks. I feel really confident now.
Oh, goodness me, without a band.
Okay.
Do you realise this is one of the hardest things to do for people that actually can sing, who are used to having support.
One of the hardest things of all is to just a microphone in a piece of space.
Absolutely.
Well, my temperature's rising, got my feet on the floor.
There's 20 people rocking and they want a combo.
Help me hear it baby, I don't know what you got.
But you better take it easy, cause this place is hot.
What's your name?
Rebecca.
Now Rebecca, I wouldn't want to follow her.
But you don't mind, do you?
No.
Because are you competing or comparing?
No.
What have you got to give?
It's all about Jesus.
It's all about the way he changed our lives.
It's all about Jesus.
The power of his love can't be denied.
You're right, girl. You are right.
It's all about him.
Got a gold medal.
Hi Liz.
She says you can sing.
Can she sing?
They're all my friends.
Oh they're your friends, yeah.
You brought your own fan club.
That's a great idea.
Come on Liz, we just want something of Jesus in you.
But that doesn't lose expectation.
There's no expectation.
Quick, take away the expectation.
Take it away.
Okay.
Jesus, what a beautiful name.
Son of God, son of man, lamb that was slain.
Join in.
Joy and hope, Prince of Peace.
The first thing that knows no fear away.
Jesus, what a beautiful name.
Beautiful, gold medal.
Hold on.
Gold medal.
Who received something then?
Who feels better after they've sung them before?
We're going to give them a big clap.
How much fun are you to live with?
Are you free to be fun?
How many of you like to laugh?
Put your hand up.
How many of you make people laugh?
Put your hand up.
How many of you do it by accident?
You see, I believe that that is something we can ask the Lord for.
Lord, give me a better sense of humor.
Let me give you an example.
Two things that the Lord has showed me.
My husband, cooking is not one of my preferred activities.
It's sort of in the same list with cleaning, ironing and vacuuming.
They're not the things that I like to do.
So cooking is a real effort.
And my husband's had a mother that's cooked for him all his life.
And he forgets to say thank you.
And my kids, you know, look at it and go, I'm not eating that.
You know that feeling of, oh, and I've tried so hard and my mother spent years teaching me.
But I leave it to the last minute.
Anyway, I used to get really upset that I'd put all this effort in
and my husband would say nothing until the Holy Spirit showed me.
He said, you could have a sense of humor about this.
And he took me into someone's home, my friend Laurie, and I watched her.
And I learned this, that when my husband doesn't say anything about the meal,
I say, oh, thank you, darling, for those lovely compliments.
It was no trouble whatsoever.
And you can see that I actually let him know that I need the compliments,
but do it in a way that we both get to laugh.
And then he always says, oh, sweetie, thanks so much.
But I say it first.
And then we're all happy.
And it's out in the open instead of it being, you know, on the inside, I'm hurt.
I'm hurt.
You know, someone said to me once, Lisa, it's just as bad to take offense
as to give offense.
And I realized I took offense all the time.
And that I wasn't to take offense anymore.
I was to be funny and light.
You see, for all my years, up to about age 18, people laughed at me.
You see, when I was moved, year 11, I finished in the girls' Catholic school,
and they put 13 girls into the boys' Catholic school.
Yes, from the girls' school to the boys' school.
And they put 13 girls in with 165 boys.
Heaven, heaven.
Heaven for the other girls, hell for me.
Halfway through the school year, three of my supposedly good male friends
wrote on my locker, scratched it into the locker for everyone to see.
Good on you, bung eye.
And I felt like they put a knife in and turned it and said,
what you look like is what you are, and you can't change it.
And I wanted to scream with everything in me.
Can't you see?
The real me is on the inside, but I didn't.
I got out of the limelight, stayed out of the boys' way,
end of year school social, everyone's having a ball except me.
I'm sitting in the corner doing what some single girls do sometimes.
Who's single in the room?
Quickly, stand up.
Verify this.
I picked out the cutest guy in the room,
and I just watched him wherever he went.
Come on, who's done that, who's done that?
Okay, thank you, take a seat.
Picked out the cutest guy, I'd watch him.
If he'd look at me, I'd look away.
And then I'd find him again and I'd follow him around the room,
and he'd look at me, I'd look away.
Two and a half hours of light entertainment.
At the end of the social, he walked right over in front of me,
and he said, excuse me, I just wanted to come over and introduce myself.
I noticed that you've been winking at me all night.
See, I thought I had a handicap,
but out of the treasure storehouse of God, I had an asset.
I just had failed to see it with my eyes of faith.
And once I saw it, from then on, I said,
people aren't going to laugh at me anymore, they're going to laugh with me,
and I'm going to be the first one to point it out,
and I'm going to let people relax with me.
If I'm comfortable with who I am in God, you can be comfortable with who you are in God.
And if I don't care, you stare at my eye,
and I know you're going to look at the screens now for the rest of the time.
But I learned that God is wonderful, and He makes no mistakes.
And my little difference made me unique, developed my character.
For any of you that have children with a handicap,
I want you to say that I believe this handicap hurt my mother and father more than it hurt me.
Because their pain, they felt hopeless.
How can we stop children from hurting her?
But I had to grow. I had to grow up.
I had to become responsible for my own feelings and the way I saw myself.
And I did grow. And I'm here today as a testimony to the grace of God
that I can let people laugh with me and not at me.
And even if you laugh at me, I'll think you're laughing with me.
Because if I go into a party and people are laughing,
I'm never one of those people that think, oh, they're looking at me.
I go right over into the middle of it and say, hi, I'm here.
And I have learned that there is freedom in God to be and do whatever God leads us to do.
Quickly, I just need to teach you one thing before we're finished.
Everyone drop your shoulders forward. Look tired. Look joyless.
Put your hands out in front and say, I'm a child of the King.
Now, push your bottom back into the seat. Put your shoulders up straight.
Put your hands out in front and say, I'm a child of the King.
Which one's easier to receive, the first or the second?
The second.
The second, that's right, because posture matters.
It matters. It counts.
Can you imagine me walking around the house tonight going,
oh, tonight I think I'm going to be really romantic.
Come on. Tonight I'm going to be really romantic.
You see, posture matters.
Now stand up and show me your very best posture.
I want to see your God-inspired posture.
Posture is a choice. Posture is not an accident.
It's not even something that we learn.
It's something that we choose every minute of the day.
Now notice what most of you are doing and me.
We suck our stomachs in.
If we can.
And then we put our shoulders back because that's what our mothers told us to do.
And our heads up straight and now we feel really uncomfortable.
Stiff.
All right, shake your body out.
Now, good shake.
This could improve some of your marriages straight away.
It's the little things.
Now, you're loose, loose, loose.
We learn in the imagination.
We teach athletes to practice in their imagination.
I want you to learn this in your imagination.
I want you to imagine that you've got a 24-karat gold pin.
P-I-N for the New Zealanders. Pin.
Pin.
And it's got a diamond tip and it's very expensive.
And I want you to imagine that you're holding it between the cheeks of your bottom.
She's got a good imagination.
Hold on. Not like this. Like this.
I look at this woman and she goes...
Okay, everyone pin in.
While your pin is in, I want you to move the top half of your body.
I want you to notice how relaxed and comfortable and free your shoulders, head and arms are.
You can talk with your pin in.
You can demonstrate.
You can sing.
But you need your pin in. But look what happens to the legs.
Everyone pin in.
Squeeze your bottom. Just have a little touch.
Your own bottom.
Now, that little bit that used to wobble when you walk disappears when the pin's in.
Look down the legs. Feel the muscles. How strong they are with your pin in. Keep it in.
Notice all the tension now goes from the waist down and free from the waist up.
It's the opposite to what we've learnt.
We teach it to people that are presenting in front of other people.
People that get nervous.
Have you ever gone to present something and found that you've had one?
Who's experienced that?
The one where you stand there and your knees start to shake and you're holding a paper.
By the time it gets to your paper, you look like you're trembling.
Pin in. It's all gone.
Why is this all so important? Good posture is good for your back.
It's good for your stomach. It's good for your wellbeing.
So it's a practical thing.
There's another reason.
I'm not telling you yet.
Quickly everyone just to bend gently.
You have to stretch because remember we worked on the quadriceps.
You've got to stretch the hamstrings. All stretching's gentle.
Can anyone hear a pin drop?
On your toes. That's it.
Pin in.
One of the main reasons that you're meant to put your pin in every day
is because it's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
The joy of the Lord should show.
If you're joyful, let your face know.
Now that is my challenge for the whole conference.
That I want to see the joy of the Lord radiating by choice.
It's a choice but joy is a posture.
It's a place that you go in God.
Joy.
Did you know when you put your pin in?
I want everyone to ask at least five people throughout the conference,
excuse me do you have your pin in?
Because we're going to laugh more.
We're going to love more.
We're going to be so full of the joy of the Holy Spirit
that we are going to go out of here different to how we came in.
Smiles on.
Try and sit down with your pin in.
So I can't wait to spend some more time with you
but I am just looking forward to having a day of lots of hugs and smiles.
And I want to say to you Christine,
thank you for trusting me to be on your team.
I feel like I'm with family and I hope to see lots more of you.
Thank you.
I choose everybody.
.