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Wally Long
Keynote Speaker
Christian Conferences,
Camps, Retreats, Church Services
Pro-Life Fundraisers / Conferences
Homeschool Conferences
Sportsmen & Veterans Conferences
Corporate Conference
Author
Why Me, Lord?
Travels from Missouri
At the age of 17 Wally Long came to know Jesus as Savior, and a short time later Wally felt called to ministry in some capacity. He did not know exactly how that would look but he surrendered to serve however and wherever God led him. Wally attended the Liberty Bible Institute in Lynchburg, Virginia for two years. In the summer of 1979, after his first year at LBI, Wally met the love of his life, Sylvia, while they served together ministering at the Treasure Island Children's Summer Camp through Thomas Road Baptist Church. They were married the next summer.
Although vocational ministry did not happen right away, Wally began to minister in music, teaching, or preaching wherever he and his small family found themselves. He enlisted in the US Marines in 1980 and served 10 years until December 1990. In 1991, Wally started a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Springfield, Missouri. Throughout their travels, Wally continued to minister in the churches where he and his wife were members. Wally retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and in 2014 was called to pastor a small Baptist church in Mount Vernon, Missouri, where he has been since.
Wally served on the board of the Pregnancy Resource Center in Aurora, Missouri for several years, with five of those as the Board president. During his tenure in this ministry, he was the keynote speaker at one of the ministry's successful fundraisers. In addition, he has presented several teaching/breakout session at the Missouri Alliance for Life annual conference. The topics during the breakout session included session on leadership, public speaking, and his book Why Me, Lord?
Wally is involved in ministry to veterans and first responders through Peterson Outdoors Ministries. He also spends a week each summer preaching at Ponca Bible Camp in Ponca, Arkansas to teenagers. He and his church are also involved in ministering to those in the community who are in addiction recovery programs.
Wally and his wife Sylvia have eight children and nine grandchildren. In 1988, they began homeschooling their oldest daughter and continued the journey of homeschooling until their youngest daughter was enrolled in their local high school in 2020, where she graduated with honors in 2024. During their homeschooling journey, Wally and his wife led the largest homeschool support group in the Springfield, Missouri area in the early 1990s. Wally helped form the Southwest Home Education Ministry (SHEM). Wally has spoken at homeschool conferences in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri.
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Why Me, Lord?
After experiencing a host of family tragedies, author Wally Long found himself asking, "Why me, Lord? Why have you allowed all of this tragedy to take place in my family?" He searched the scriptures for answers, and God gave him a sermon. It was a sermon he needed. It was a sermon born of deep grief and suffering. That sermon serves as the foundation of this book, Why Me, Lord?. Wally prays the lessons he learned through his tragedies will be a blessing.
Neither a Bible study nor how-to book, he offers a host of Biblical principles meant to encourage you while you're going through difficult times and trials in your life. In Why Me, Lord?, Wally presents general thoughts about trials, afflictions, and suffering; addresses what causes suffering; and discusses the purpose of suffering.
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He shares the message that regardless of the cause of your challenges, God can and will use your suffering, giving you a purpose to it. He'll use your sufferings to show himself strong in you, strengthen you, purify you, steer you back on course, reveal your character, accomplish his plans, and prepare you for his glory.
Speaking Topics
Why Me, Lord? Biblical and practical answers to suffering in our lives
In this talk, Wally shares about the trials he and his family faced in a short period of time that left him asking, "Why me, Lord?" His search for answers became a sermon he preached in several churches in his hometown area and other places from Colorado to Alabama. This sermon became the outline for his book, Why Me, Lord?, which was published in 2024 through Westbow Press. Besides preaching this sermon in several churches, Wally has presented this material at annual veterans and first responder ministry retreats since 2022.
You Can't Steer a Parked Car
Many Christians wrestle with knowing God's will. Many will strive to find God's will in order to know the direction of their life. Wally believes we should be moving in a direction, doing God's will, before we can "find" God's will. In this talk, Wally shares a fresh and practical take on God's will in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. Using a mix of personal stories, biblical principles, and practical wisdom, Wally will help the listener understand God's will in a fresh and exciting way.
"Be" A Confident Communicator
God created us to be communicators. Unfortunately, many people develop a near paralyzing fear of standing in front of a group and speaking what is on their heart. In this powerful presentation, Wally will present proven ways to overcome your fear of public speaking and give you the tools to begin to confidently and competently communicate your message to the world in which you live.
Created to Communicate Seminar
Created to Communicate is a two- to three-day seminar on the basics of public speaking. It can be adapted for a full one-day event. The full three-day seminar includes much "hands on" practice for giving a speech and culminates with the students presenting a full five-to-seven-minute speech on a topic of their choice that has been developed during the seminar. This seminar includes topics such as "Be" a Confident Communicator which covers strategies on overcoming the fear of public speaking; Finding Your Communication Style which helps speakers find and then implement the style that works best for them; The Three Most Important Delivery Skills which covers the basic mechanics of public speaking; and Preparing A Speech Using the CROSS Method which covers the basics of the speech itself.
Winning the Pro-life Fight
The pro-life issue is one of the most divisive and critical issues in American culture today. In this presentation, Wally will encourage the listener to fight the pro-life fight on several fronts. These include legislative, judicial, scientific, moral, logical, and, most importantly, biblical. The listener will be encouraged to get in the fight and will be equipped with valuable information with which to engage in the battle. This presentation could be a conference keynote or used to motivate donors for a fundraising event.
Cruising on the "Leader"-ship
It has been said that everything rises and falls on leadership. This is true in business, ministry, government, non-profit organizations, and families. In this talk, Wally uses the analogy of a ship to detail the important leadership qualities every good leader should have and practice. The presentation is humorous, insightful, and practical. Every leader, whether experienced in leadership or a novice leader just starting out, will find information that will make him/her a better leader.
TOPICS FOR HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCES ...
Training Effective Christian Soldiers
One of the reasons many people homeschool their children is so that the parents can raise up young people who can be truly effective Christian soldiers. Using his experience as a US Marine, Wally talks about dealing with the "bunker mentality," the qualities of a good soldier, and how to train up a good soldier. This presentation is built on biblical principles with practical methods that help every parent raise up Christian soldiers to engage in the spiritual, cultural, and societal wars in which we find ourselves living.
Dealing with a Prodigal Child in a Homeschooling Family
Sadly, even when good Christian homeschooling parents do everything "right," some children still go astray. The parent is full of questions: What did I do wrong? What can/should I do now? How do I win back my child? Wally and his wife have walked through this with one of their sons. Using biblical principles and practical wisdom, Wally helps parents begin to navigate the difficult journey of dealing with a prodigal child. The listener will be encouraged and find hope.
Speaking Testimonials
Whether hearing Wally teach a communications course to a group of young people or when he frequently preached at the church our families attended together, I have always admired and enjoyed the way in which Wally connects with his audience. He is a very gifted communicator who clearly has a passion to enrich his audience with his message.
Pall Hansen
I have had the opportunity to hear Wally speak on a number of occasions and have found his speaking professional, relevant, organized, and easy to relate to real-world situations in both business and personal areas. He is a natural storyteller with an understated wit that makes him an engaging speaker.
Dawna Cape
Wally Long has never failed to amaze me. I have seen him walk through many severe crises in his life and bring peace to them. His speaking is bright, thorough, prepared, and organized. He brings his audience into his world and shares his observations in a witty and wonderful way. You will enjoy what you see and hear from Wally. You will be glad you found him.
Celeste Duckworth
Wally is an excellent speaker, teacher, and communicator. He has a vast base of knowledge which he accesses in his speeches, always enlightening the audience. Whenever Wally speaks, everyone takes something home with them. He has an ability to engage, teach, and share that touches every heart. I highly recommend Wally as a speaker and/or a coach. Wally has definitely helped me!
Rebecca Baker
Wally is an excellent speaker who does a very good job of educating and inspiring audiences. His personal stories, humor, and passion keep the audience's attention, and his compelling content connects. Highly recommend him as a speaker.
Arlen Busenitz
Wally is a gifted communicator who uses humor in his stories to help his audience learn the material and concepts as he presents. His life experiences and in-depth research enrich his talks. Do you want to learn about a topic, be inspired to make positive changes in your life, or enjoy laughing at hilarious examples? You'll benefit from all three during a presentation by Wally Long. I am pleased to heartily recommend him.
Jeanetta Christie
Wally is an excellent oral communicator - one of the best I know. He communicates ideas effectively, incorporating a combination of humor, stories, and personal experience to emphasize his points. He is also a gifted teacher - especially in the area of speech. In addition to his speaking abilities, Wally is also a man of character and integrity.
Erik Hansen
What Wally brings to the game is passion, understanding, and a heart for others' well-being. He speaks to empower others, to cause them to move forward with their life in a self-fulfilling way. Wally understands people, their wants and needs, and charges ahead to walk alongside to help. Staying the same is not an option with Wally. He is very pleasant and easy to work with.
Terry Scroggins
Wally is a very sincere and motivated speaker. I have been in the audience multiple times when Wally has spoken. He has the ability to relate with a multi-cultural group. When one listens to his presentation, there is always a lesson to be learned that the listener leaves the presentation with. He is well grounded, reliable, and professional. I recommend Wally wholeheartedly as an educated, intelligent, and capable speaker.
Rhonda Greene
Wally Long is an engaging and entertaining speaker. He has the ability to draw you in, making you feel he is speaking to you alone. If you have the opportunity to hear one of Wally's presentations, you shouldn't pass it up.
Tony Cooley
Why Me, Lord? Book Testimonials
Have you ever asked God "why"? I have more times than I can count. In my Christian walk with God, I often struggled with that question. Never wanting to doubt God, I felt guilty for the anger it caused. Easy to read, as if visiting with a friend who understands you because of his own struggle with grief and great tragedies in his life. He discusses Biblical principles that help guide us through the hard times, strengthen our faith in God's promises, and give us comfort and hope. Blessings come when you first trust the Lord.
Kristi Weaver
Wally Long has done the Christian world a favor by sharing truths from God's Word, lived out in his own life. This book is a great read for anyone. As a missionary, my family was poisoned with toxic metals, which brought great suffering to my children. Deep truths are often learned through times of suffering.
Bob Schneider
I couldn't put this book down! Wally's talent with his analogies mixed with his experiences had really made this book special. His knowledge of God's Word is refreshing and incredibly helpful for all who have suffered at some point in their life
Haley Davisson
If you have suffered loss, are going through the grieving process or know someone who has, "Why Me, Lord?" by Wally Long is a must read! Whether you have ever uttered that question out loud or suppressed it in your chest, the book walks you through the journey of getting answers to why there is suffering in our lives. This Biblically based approach does not read like a sermon (although there are many chapters that could be), it feels like deep conversation with a compassionate friend at a local coffee shop. There is triumph over tragedy when we face the tough questions, search the scriptures for answers, and are open to the life lesson that Jesus teaches us through His Word and this thing called life. If anyone has ever asked you, "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" ... Well, that question gets answered too. Five Stars!
Steve Chaquette
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