Mary would love to come and speak at your women’s/youth ministry conference, retreat or parish event. Contact information is below. Here are some topics for your consideration:
Blessing over Burden: Choosing a Life Woven With Joy and Hope
For 22 years, Mary Lenaburg navigated the special needs world, advocating and caring for her profoundly disabled daughter Courtney. She learned many lessons over those two decades, the most important of which was that no one will see your child as you do. As parents, caregivers, and educators, we are called to see these special children as God sees them, perfect and whole, possessing everything they need to carry out the Father’s plan for their life, just as they are. Mary learned there is joy amidst the hard. These beautiful children can do nothing to earn our love, they have it fully and freely. It’s the same with us and Christ. And finally, to care for a suffering servant is a tremendous privilege. Mary will speak about learning to trust God and accept the gift of His plan, seeking to live with the Joy and Hope each person’s life is woven with, no matter the abilities.
God Makes All Things New
Everyone has a past filled with sins, sorrow, and regret. God can take all of that, and through his Grace, redeem our past for His purpose. So let it go! Let the self judgement, fear and sins go and allow God to love you where you are. This talk will leave you feeling empowered and firm in your faith walk to come to Jesus no matter what you may be going through.
Trust in the Lord With all Your Heart
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faith is having the courage to say and mean “God, I want what you want”. Trusting in a plan you cannot see and may not understand is a true test of faith and one that we can learn to accept with grace. Life brings challenges in all shapes and sizes and it is our faith in God that brings us the peace we so desperately ask for in prayer. With this talk, Mary uses scripture and personal experience to delve into how to infuse faith into your life when life challenges seem at their bleakest.
Gratitude Changes Attitude: Choosing Joy No Matter What
Gratitude is the attitude that will bring light from the darkness. In the muck and mire of our everyday lives there are nuggets of joy, if we just look and pay attention. By choosing to celebrate those small, seemingly insignificant, moments, we are able to survive the most difficult things. Using St. Therese of Lisieux’s The Little Way, this talk will show you how to find the nuggets in your day to see and know deep in your heart, that God is with you, even (and especially) when you’re washing the dishes. I’ll give you ways to keep and cultivate gratitude in your everyday life.
Christian Sisterhood: Remembering God’s Plan for Accompanying One Another
We must remember who we are in Christ and who He is in us in order to serve our families and our communities well. Using the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth as the prime example of Christian sisterhood, Mary will offer advice and encouragement for building, nourishing, and sustaining inter-generational relationships in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty of today’s modern world, where screens replace in-person conversation.
Joy in the Waiting: An Advent Like No Other
Advent is a joyful season of expectant waiting for the Christ Child to be born. In this talk, Mary shares her unique experience of protecting the dignity of her daughter Courtney she prepared for her death at the age of 22 after suffering for decades from a seizure disorder and other disabilities. During this final Advent, as the Blessed Mother was waiting for her child to born into the world, Mary was waiting for her daughter to be born into eternal life. Mary will speak openly and honestly about the long good-by of a loved one, remembering always that they never truly leave us.
Suffering Is Never Wasted: A Journey Through the Cross
We live in a fallen world. As a result of this, suffering, sickness and death touch everyone’s life. In the course of this talk, Mary will discuss the gift of redemptive suffering that available to all of us. Oursuffering is a personal invitation from our Lord to enter into His Passion and Crucifixion to completely rely on Him and cling to the Cross as we go through our trials and tribulations. By offering our suffering back to the Lord as gift, it is never wasted, for God works all things for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)
Mary is also able to combine any of the above talks to create a unique retreat experience. She is also able to craft original talks based on the retreat’s theme, Scripture passage, or Saint quote.