Oak Ridge Toastmasters

08/25/2026

Are these true?
Are YOU able to find a prompt for a speech among these pronouncements? I’m interested in hearing them!!!! (YOUR speeches)
Lou Ann

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort…
Discomfort at easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships,
Discomfort, so that you will live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger…
Anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
Anger, so that you will work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears…
Tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, starvation and war,
Tears, so that you will reach out to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.
And, may God bless you with foolishness…
Foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
Foolishness, so that you will do what others claim cannot be done.
Amen.
Borrowed From
Tony Campolo

08/24/2026

08/24/2026

08/24/2026

The above was borrowed from Facebook!!!!

08/24/2026

One of the things I value most about serving as the District 3 Toastmasters Historian is preserving the moments and messages that deserve to be remembered.

Every once in a while, you hear a speaker whose message stays with you long after the presentation ends.

Joshua M. Evans delivered one of those messages on Friday, August 21, during the 2026 Toastmasters International Convention in Vancouver.

In his presentation, “Purpose or Perish: Leading with Meaning,” Joshua drew upon his former career as a whitewater rafting guide.

He told the story of a guest who lost his paddle in dangerous rapids. Almost instantly, the guest felt powerless.

That moment became a powerful metaphor.

Joshua realized that, in another sense, he too had “lost his paddle.” Not literally, of course, but he had lost some of his connection to the purpose behind his work.

His message was one I will not soon forget:

Purpose doesn’t disappear. It waits to be reclaimed.

And reclaiming it does not necessarily require a dramatic life change. Sometimes it begins with one small, meaningful step in the direction of what matters.

Joshua challenged us to ask ourselves what that step might be.

His message also made me think about Toastmasters.

We often say that Toastmasters develops communication and leadership skills, and of course it does. But its impact can reach much further.

A club can give someone confidence they did not know they possessed. A fellow member can offer encouragement at exactly the right moment. A speech can open a door to an opportunity. And sometimes, simply being welcomed into a room can change the direction of someone’s life.

We may never fully know the impact we are having on another person.

Joshua’s presentation prompted me to take one small step of my own. I downloaded his audiobook, Purpose or Perish: The Quest for Meaning in the Future of Work, and have already begun listening.

Perhaps that was my first step toward picking up the paddle again.

And maybe that is the question his message leaves for all of us:

Where is your paddle—and what is one step you can take today to reclaim it?
@

08/24/2026