Holding our youngest little guy, Augustine Paul.
Seeking a speaker for your Catholic event?: Men's Conference, Men's Night, Parish Mission, Retreat, Youth Conference, Theology on Tap, etc.
How about a speaker who is an every day disciple of Jesus Christ (sincerely walking with Jesus in His Catholic Church for the past 16 years) and has the ability to share the Gospel in a relatable and authentic way that will both challenge and encourage your audience?
My name is Jim Havens (see bio). I have been publicly speaking and sharing the Gospel for the past 12 years on a fairly informal basis. I have not actively sought out opportunities to speak, but I have been open to discern each request that has come my way (see experience). I have recently discerned the call to put myself out there a bit more for the Lord. So…here I am.
I do come well educated and well prepared, yet my style is not a super polished one. If you are looking for someone who has every word memorized and has given their talk hundreds or thousands of times, that's not what I do. Nothing against such speakers, some of that style are excellent, I just want to be clear that I am not that type of speaker as God has called me to a different way of preparation and delivery. In fact, let me share the process for how God has best used me as a speaker in the past and how I believe He is calling me to approach each opportunity.
How about a speaker who is an every day disciple of Jesus Christ (sincerely walking with Jesus in His Catholic Church for the past 16 years) and has the ability to share the Gospel in a relatable and authentic way that will both challenge and encourage your audience?
My name is Jim Havens (see bio). I have been publicly speaking and sharing the Gospel for the past 12 years on a fairly informal basis. I have not actively sought out opportunities to speak, but I have been open to discern each request that has come my way (see experience). I have recently discerned the call to put myself out there a bit more for the Lord. So…here I am.
I do come well educated and well prepared, yet my style is not a super polished one. If you are looking for someone who has every word memorized and has given their talk hundreds or thousands of times, that's not what I do. Nothing against such speakers, some of that style are excellent, I just want to be clear that I am not that type of speaker as God has called me to a different way of preparation and delivery. In fact, let me share the process for how God has best used me as a speaker in the past and how I believe He is calling me to approach each opportunity.
- Someone invites me to speak (click here to contact me). I then pray and seek to discern whether God wants me to accept or decline. If I believe He wants me to decline, I decline. If I believe He wants me to accept, I accept.
- I don't have a standard speaking fee. If I believe I am called to say "yes" to a particular opportunity, I am open to whatever gift the person or organization would like to extend (I entrust this to their discernment), even if it is just a simple free-will offering from those attending the event. I also have no rider of items you will need to provide for me. I am a low-maintenance guy who likes to keep things simple.
- I am open to whatever topic the person or organization wants me to address and unpack. I am passionate and convicted about any topic that is included in, or related to, the content of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (click here if you would like to view a list of potential topics).
- I will generously pray, study, and reflect on the topic leading up to the day of the talk. I will likely write out many outlines for possible paths the talk may take.
- In the days immediately leading up to the talk, my prayer and study will intensify. A likely path for the talk will usually emerge at this time.
- On the day of the talk, I will soak myself in prayer and invite the Holy Spirit to make spontaneous changes as He sees fit. I will seek to step into the moment of the talk both humble (knowing it is all up to the Holy Spirit using me as an instrument) and confident (knowing it is all up to the Holy Spirit using me as an instrument).
- I am grateful to hear any immediate fruits of God working in the souls of those in the audience during the talk. Yet, I stand firm in the truth that my value as a person or a speaker is not found in the abundance of immediate fruits or lack thereof. I strive to be faithful and to remember that God often works in mysterious ways. I consecrate my efforts to Jesus through Mary and Joseph, and pray the outcome will be precisely what God desires (see endorsements).