I love helping people learn. I am an enthusiastic communicator and have taught, trained, and preached in a wide range of contexts from church groups through to academic contexts and international conferences over many years. I welcome invitations to speak, especially on contemporary media and the Bible (particularly the Old Testament prophets and wisdom literature). I also often speak on worldviews, culture, missiology, media analysis, and media production. See below for more details.
I am comfortable engaging with both Christian and secular audiences, and aim to help people learn in a variety of styles: multimedia, interactive workshops, facilitating learning through small groups, mentoring individuals, formal lectures, and more.
I started preaching in churches as a teenager and have since been involved in a wide variety of up-front roles in many different contexts. Several years as a secondary school teacher gave me a solid grounding in engaging the attention of a reluctant (sometimes even hostile!) audience. My five years on the staff of UCCF (Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship) enabled me to develop my skills in training as well as teaching. I learned a great deal about cross-cultural speaking during my eight-year leadership of the Congregational World Assembly of Youth, and subsequently in other contexts (especially through my involvement with European Leadership Forum and the Lausanne Media Engagement Network). After joining Damaris in 1996, I further developed my skills in helping people learn through interactive multimedia workshops as well as in traditional teaching and training styles. Since leaving Damaris Trust in 2014, I have been a freelance speaker, trainer, and writer. I have been an adjunct lecturer at NLA University College, Kristiansand (Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communications), Norway, since 2003, and was a visiting lecturer at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Oslo, from 2014 to 2017.
I will happily speak or provide training on a very wide range of subjects but areas of particular expertise include:
Here are some suggestions of more specific aspects of the Bible for talks/events. I can present many of these as a single session or as a series, whether as part of a conference or over a number of weeks. This is far from being an exhaustive list - please contact me to discuss other possibilities.
Here are some suggestions of possible titles, or of more specific aspects of the media for talks/events. I can present many of these as a single session or as a series, whether as part of a conference or over a number of weeks. This is far from being an exhaustive list - please contact me to discuss other possibilities.
See also subjects listed under film and literature, culture and worldviews
Here are some suggestions of possible titles, or of more specific aspects of the subject for talks/events. I can present many of these as a single session or as a series, whether as part of a conference or over a number of weeks. This is far from being an exhaustive list - please contact me to discuss other possibilities.
See also subjects under media, culture and worldview
Here are some suggestions of possible titles, or of more specific aspects of the subject for talks/events. I can present many of these as a single session or as a series, whether as part of a conference or over a number of weeks. This is far from being an exhaustive list - please contact me to discuss other possibilities.
See also subjects under media and worldview
Here are some suggestions of possible titles, or of more specific aspects of the subject for talks/events. I can present many of these as a single session or as a series, whether as part of a conference or over a number of weeks. This is far from being an exhaustive list - please contact me to discuss other possibilities.
