Speaking Topics

First, it must be noted that being a writer and a visionary, Carol Van Atta, is very flexible on her topics. She can in most cases prepare her talk or teaching based on a subject or topic your group is interested in. She loves to include the audience in workshop style activities and creatively incorporates group prayers and other group participation into her sessions. Although many of Carol’s topics are what some might consider “hard hitting,” she is able to teach on lighter and less controversial subjects with ease and humor. She is extremely versatile and willing to adjust her materials as needed.

Most Popular Retreat Topics:

Carol's Most Treasured Theme: Becoming a Princess Warrior for Christ...Reigning Real-One Step (and a prayer) at a Time

Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be
his treasured possession. Deuteronomy 14:2 NIV

How can we, as Christian women, reign real in today's increasingly wicked world without going somewhat insane, or compromising God's truth? Come celebrate your royalty in this compelling and challenging theme. Discover how to live victoriously as a Priceless Princess and a Worthy Warrior created in the King's image.

Thankfully, there is hope for all women who follow the only true King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Just like a delightfully dressed-up-princess, sometimes a Princess Warrior reigns with a sceptor, while other times she brandishes a sword. Living as a Princess Warrior isn't always easy, but it is the most rewarding and exciting position any woman could possibly have. Every woman who belongs to Jesus is destined to be both princess and warrior. We truly can live happily ever after, not as a false fairytale princess, but as a godly, warrior princess. Happiness will not be fully realized in this world, nor this lifetime, but by reigning real here and now, it is possible to reap riches and rewards beyond our wildest expectations in the eternal Kingdom to come. After all, the Kingdom that Princess Warriors reside in will always exist; and not just in childhood dreams, but forever and ever in the presence of God Almighty. Don't worry! Reigning real as a royal warrior, will have incredible benefits right here, right now, too. Join Carol, as she takes you on an exciting, biblical journey of becoming who you were created to be in Christ...His precious Princess Warrior.

Please Note: Carol can do a condensed, one-time session on this topic, or the full presentation, which can be arranged in three to five sessions for your retreat. Related icebreakers are available for the extended presentation, and Carol's dramatic testimony is also included.

Give Me More of You, Lord

We all want more of something. We say it’s the Lord, but unfortunately, we often find ourselves filling up on “things” or people rather than on our Savior. This topic will allow your group to learn how to recognize and release those “things” that come between us and a deeper more abiding relationship with our Lord and Savior. Then, the group will discover the amazing renewal that will take place when we have emptied out the world, and are ready to fill up on our One True Power Source…Jesus Christ. Expect to leave this event filled to overflowing with God’s love.

A Vessel God Can Use…That’s You!

“She will be a vessel of honor sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
2 Timothy 2:21B

So you’re not perfect? Hummmm. That’s okay! If you are a daughter of the King, you are royalty. God, with His perfect love, is able to restore even the most cracked vessel. His love allows us to become new creations, sanctified (set apart) for good works, good works that have been planned before the beginning of time. In this teaching, you will discover how to more fully embrace God’s love and allow Him to cleanse your heart. Here, Carol, will take you on a journey of renewal and hope, where you truly can see and believe that you are useful to the Master for many good works.

Shoulder to Shoulder and Side by Side (Super topic for Women seeking deeper, more intimate relationships with Christ and each other!)

Carol will examine how, we as women, must strive to let go of fear, jealously, and “female competition” in order to grow in deeper intimacy with Christ and others. It’s time to lay our phony masks aside to serve and support one another in love and compassion. If you are seeking more intimate friendships, where you can truly share your heart, this is the topic for you. Ladies, we need one another! God says in Matthew 18:20: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.

Our Fathers’ Word also states in Ecclesiastes 4: Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not easily broken.

Let us together become the cord that is not easily broken. Let’s stand shoulder-to-shoulder and side-by-side. After all, that’s where God wants us to be!

Falling in Love with The Father…Freedom for a Woman’s Body, Mind, and Spirit. (Perfect teaching for a weekend retreat. A 12-session devotional Bible Study is available for $5.00 to compliment this teaching in a small group study or for individual Bible and devotional times)

In a world filled with promises of happiness, hope, and prosperity, why are so many of us held captive by the very things we thought would set us free? Come discover on a
whole new level where true freedom and happiness really rest…right at the feet of our Heavenly Father. As we learn to embrace our Lord, and allow Him to meet our every need, we will find the freedom and hope we are seeking. There is no secret formula, or perfect pill, what there is…is love, His love. Together, we will learn what makes God so lovable by studying His incredible character. The “four P’s” demonstrated in God’s character make Him a simply irresistible King. Get ready to find freedom for your body, mind, and spirit in this insightful weekend event.

Breakthrough to a Better You! Reigning as a Princess Warrior

Yes, we are new creations in Christ. But, living like the Princess Warriors we are called to be is often more challenging than we ever expected. In a sin-stained world, with our ruthless enemy seeking to destroy us, life can seem like a daunting experience filled with potholes, pitfalls, and pain. How do we live like the women we were called to be? How do we let go of the sin that so easily entangles us and become godly examples for a hurting world? Join Carol for a thought provoking weekend of letting go of the old you, to better embrace the Warrior Princess you are called to be in Christ.

New Topics:

MOTHER KNOWS BEST…Why Because I said so!

REFRESHMENT FOR A MOTHER’S Body, Mind, and Spirit

P.E.R.S.E.V.E.R.E.—Through Thick and Thin

EMPTY YOUR BAG OF BURDENS—Lightening your Life’s Load

PRAY, PRUNE, AND PREPARE—for God’s Perfect Plan

THE PSALMIST IN YOU…Prayer and Journaling for Today’s Christian woman.

If you are interested in finding more meaningful and intimate times with your Lord, this may be the topic for you. Carol incorporates journaling and praying scripture back to God into a workable and beneficial method that will allow you to draw closer to God. If you are longing for a deeper relationship with God, where your time with Him becomes a joy rather than something to “fit” into your day, this seminar may be for you. It will enlighten you and challenge you in your walk with God. (Approx. one hour long)

STOP STEALING MY JOY…SATAN! How to Find Your Identity and Freedom in Christ.

If you are sick and tired of allowing a defeated foe to continue to steal your joy, then join Carol for this thought provoking teaching on who we are in Christ. What does it mean to be “in Christ?” Discover why so many Christians are still sitting behind prison bars when the cell-door is already unlocked. As we draw closer to the end times, Satan, who is well aware his time is growing short, will increase his attacks on the body of Christ. What a better way to hurt a Father than to mess with his children. But we don’t have to run scared; we have given spiritual weapons to use in our defense. Come discover how to experience joy and fight the good fight. This topic is personal for Carol. She has a knock your socks off testimony of spiritual warfare and the power of God’s redemption, which is included in this teaching. Bring plenty of hankies and be ready to be blessed. (Approx. one hour long)

Depending on your group’s specific needs, this teaching can be expanded and breakthrough prayers and healing time can be included. (Could continue for up to two additional hours)
NOTE: Although the two above teachings may seem quite different, they are written and presented in such a manner that they compliment and build on one another.

DENIAL -- TAKING OFF THE DARK GLASSES OF DENIAL AND REPLACING THEM WITH GOD’S TRUTH

It’s amazing how many women are sitting in church pews across the world, unaware that they are wearing rose-colored glasses, in fact, some of their lenses are even turning a suspicious shade of black! As Christian leaders and other seemingly devoted believers fall into sin, it is becoming more apparent that not all is well within our church body. Come, explore the first step to any healing or recovery process—removing the glasses of denial. Some of us are walking through our lives literally blinded by our sins or addictions. Jesus clearly says that the truth is what will set us free. In this session you will examine this insidious method of how we lie to ourselves and how to take off those glasses of denial and walk boldly forward into God’s truth and grace. Carol teaches on this topic at her home church, East Hill Church, in their For Women Only Ministry, where she is a group leader. This ministry helps women walk in freedom from love addiction and other co-dependency issues.

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT! How to become a Warrior for Christ…one step (and a prayer!) at a time.

Join Carol as she shares her experience and insight in the area of spiritual warfare. Do we really have to fight? How do we win our own personal spiritual battles in order to help free other captives? Come and find out how together we must take up our spiritual weapons, and become the warriors we were called to be…fighting the good fight. We are on an army with the ultimate Commander and Chief, Jesus Christ. Learn to live like the woman in Christ that you are. This much needed teaching will be filled with exciting and insightful information that will allow you live as the warrior you never thought you were! This topic is an excellent choice to follow up to Stop Stealing my joy Satan…finding your freedom and identity in Christ.

DEVELOPING A SERVANT’S HEART…FOR THOSE ASPIRING TO LOVE AND LEAD

As candles burn and sweet aromas fill your senses, come bask in the warmth and peace of God’s presence. Carol will show you how to serve and love others as our Savior demonstrated for us in His own life. Let us kneel and wash the feet of another as Jesus so lovingly did. We will practice the art of serving as displayed by those we read about in the pages of our bibles. What a joy to model the ultimate Servant of all, our Lord and King. This session involves spiritual and emotional risk taking. Ladies will have the opportunity to participate in an actual foot washing exercise. Those who are seeking a more intimate relationship with God and others won’t want to miss this unique experience. A retreat suggestion for this topic is to use it following Shoulder to Shoulder…and side by side. Together, these teachings will draw your women’s group closer together in love, intimacy, and godly support of one another’s spiritual growth.

ADDICTED TO LOVE, FINDING FREEDOM FOR WOMEN WHO LOVE TOO MUCH by…FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE FATHER.

In this very challenging, and often ignored teaching, Carol will focus on how women can look to relationships and men to fill the whole in their hearts that has been created for only God to fill. It is often very difficult for women to talk about sexual and relationship sins and bondages within the walls of the church. Not only do these sins need to be acknowledged, but we must also learn how to satisfy our heart’s cravings by falling in love with our Heavenly Father.

This is an area we must be free to discuss. No sin (with the exception of grieving the Holy Spirit) is too great for God’s forgiveness, and no person is beyond His unfathomable grace. Issues like affairs, divorce, abortion, promiscuity, fantasy, and pornography are often considered taboo for discussion. But it is imperative that we are able to be fully transparent and share our deepest, darkest secrets in order for God to heal us. It is amazing how love and acceptance, not condemnation and shame, create an atmosphere for God to move. I’m not suggesting that we go back and analyze every gory detail of our pasts, what I am discussing in this session, is that there are issues in many women’s lives, which they are terribly afraid to discuss because of a fear of judgment from the their church peers.

Let us together, share about this area of captivity and present ourselves before God for His cleansing in our lives. Please know, this issue is not for those afraid of openly learning about and discussing sin of this nature. It is a teaching recommended for women’s groups involved or interested in healing and restoration. Please Note: East Hill Church, in Gresham, OR, offers an extensive training for both men and women in the area of sexual addiction, Titled: Pure Desire, please contact the church directly for more information on this dynamic seminar and related materials. (503) 661-4444

Please feel free to ask Carol if she is able to do a teaching on a topic you are interested in. If she does not feel she is qualified or led to work on that particular subject she will be happy to recommend other talented speakers who can.

Carol promotes accountability and submission to the authorities that God has placed above her in her own church (East Hill Foursquare Church). She will always pray and seek wise council prior to making any final commitments to teach your group.