" For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" —Jeremiah 29:11

She’ll make you laugh ... She’ll make you cry ... She’ll make you think.

Dolley’s enthusiasm and joy quickly engages the hearts of women, bringing them to a realization of all the blessings God has for their lives. "Listening to Dolley Carlson is one joyous, heartfelt, roller coaster ride of tears and laughter. I saw Jesus in her smile and heard His love in her message. I’ve made some changes based on her teaching and thank God for leading me to this retreat." —Cheryl L.

Wherever your audience is, Dolley’s messages will reach their hearts as she weaves God’s Word, the power of prayer, her own testimony and motivating real life situations into the tapestry of ministry she calls, Gifts From The Heart.

Her talks are excellent for a variety of events but especially for, luncheons, conferences, banquets, retreats and evangelistic outreaches. Christmas Gifts From The Heart is Dolley’s most requested talk, with many churches beginning the season in November in order to give their ladies a head start on the busiest time of the year, Christmas.

Each talk is 40 to 50 minutes and all can be expanded into workshops with discussion questions.

Beginning with Dolley’s, Gifts From The Heart book series ...

Friendship Gifts From The Heart Loving Ways to Celebrate & Cherish Friendships - Old & New

"I thank my God every time I remember you." —Philippians 1:3

This is one of Dolley’s most requested talks, filled with friendship builders and creative joyful ways to honor your friends and family. Everything is relative, mothers, daughters, sisters, & in-laws too. Other areas covered are, befriending, caring, the heart of friendship ... love, forgiveness, the most expensive gift of all, prayer, heartfelt and specific ways to pray, as well as party and gift ideas. All emphasized with the truth and blessing of God’s Word, the power of prayer and heart of friendship ... love.

Christmas Gifts From The Heart Wrapped in Joyous Celebration & Tied With a Ribbon of Love & Tradition

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" —2 Corinthians 9:15

What are the real gifts of Christmas? This talk overflows with thoughtful, joyful, heartfelt ideas for Christmas giving, including ... parties and gatherings, gifts that money can’t buy, memory making and tradition keeping. You don’t need to break your budget in order to have a memorable Christmas for your family and friends. Listeners will be inspired to bring the peace and joy of the Baby Jesus into their hearts as Dolley shares her own story and encourages forgiveness, mercy and a fresh start for the New Year.

"Dear Dolley, I found myself on complete holiday overwhelm until my friend took me to the Christmas luncheon where you spoke last weekend. Not only did your talk give me ideas for Gifts From The Heart but it also led me to forgive a close relative. When you said, "Do you really want to drag that old situation into the New Year?" I knew I didn’t and couldn’t possibly after listening to you that day. Thank you for helping me to remember that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday and to give, as you say, " The most expensive gift of all, forgiveness." God bless you, —Cathy M."

Mr. & Mrs. Gifts From The Heart Thoughtful Ways to Bless Your Marriage With Honor, Romance, Fun & Love!

"I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine." —Song of Songs 6:3

Whether you’ve been married 50 years, 5 years or 5 weeks, within this talk you’ll discover wonderful, thoughtful ways to honor and cherish your spouse. You’ll learn how to enrich your marriage with ... Mr. & Mrs. at home, he says, she says; ways to talk and be understood, ways to listen and truly hear ... it’s all in the timing: encouragement, playfulness, romance and passion. Dolley speaks from the heart, delivering a message of love and blessing for your marriage. You will be affirmed, encouraged, inspired and equipped toward a greater love. This talk is perfect for a Valentine banquet, or anytime of the year when you want to focus on renewal, recommitment, love and romance! Or you may prefer for Dolley and her husband Tom to deliver this message as a couple ... twice as much blessing and lots of fun.

Gifts From The Heart Thoughtful Ways to Bless Those You Love

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father." —James 1:17 (KJV)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to give a gift that is always the right size, never out of style and so thoughtful it’s never forgotten? It’s easy to do when that present is a gift from the heart. Christ’s presence within our hearts transforms us from mere mortals to vessels of His love. This talk speaks of new and creative ideas for blessing the hearts of others with gifts of affirmation, celebration, comfort, forgiveness, honor, hope, love, mercy, prayer, rejoicing and tradition. Gifts From The Heart, filled with God’s Word, is inspiring, motivating and absolutely joyful!

This Old House Remodeling or Restoration?

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. —Proverbs 24:3

The Lord is the architect of us all. In this talk, Dolley likens our hearts and souls to a house. There are many parallels between the houses we actually live in and our hearts house.

Both need solid ground, a good foundation, strong framework, doors, windows, and a plan to bring it all together. Actual houses need an architectural plan and our hearts need God’s plan, His Divine Design. "’For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’" —Jeremiah 29:11 Through vivid word pictures, Dolley weaves her personal testimony and draws us into our own story too. This talk lays a foundation for understanding the difference between remodeling and restoration, a framework to build upon and an open house invitation to "Come and see what the Lord can do!"

Don’t Miss the Joy!

"You have made known to me the path of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence." —Psalm 16:11

Our hearts never stop longing for joy ... both to give and receive. Dolley’s prayer for every talk is that each listener will leave with something she can hold on to, " A truth, a promise, a blessing ... joy!" Don’t Miss the Joy has something for everyone, providing hope for the nonbeliever, confirmation for the seeker and inspiration for the believer. D.M.T.J.! imparts to the hearts of listeners new ways to "stop, look and listen" for the love of Jesus and have His "Joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my (your) heart." Joy!

Morning-by-Morning, New Mercies I See

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never ail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. —Lamentations 3:21-23

Days will never be the same after hearing the new day blessings of this talk, filled with hope, love, grace, staying power and joy! Are you looking for ways that will bring you closer to our Lord and new ideas for your meetings with Him? "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God?" —Psalm 42:2 In this talk we spotlight specific challenges for daily quiet times, bring restorative understanding to common pitfalls and access doable ideas for day by day renewal. Each morning in Christ offers a new beginning, forgiveness and mercy, Morning-By-Morning New Mercies I See. "Jesus said, ‘I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right side up.’" —Luke 12:

Legacy: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.—Proverbs 17:6

Here's your opportunity to evaluate the legacy you are leaving to your children and future generations. What are you carrying from your parents and grandparents? What do you want to pass on, and what do you want to change? "Legacy" covers family, spiritual life, love and compassion, enjoyment of life, good character, self-confidence, goals, and ambitions. Dolley’s mother died when she was 17 and her father died when she was 23, "I think because of the early loss of my parents the Lord gave me insight beyond my years with the ability to see what lasts and what doesn’t, what blesses and what doesn’t, and what matters most. Dolley brings a lifetime of experiences, the good and disappointing (where some of our best life lessons are learned,) a happy marriage of over 30 years, the parenting of two daughters and joy of anticipating the next generation, she’ll be a grandmother soon, to this most helpful and loving Legacy message.

Sister Act

Say to wisdom, "you are my sister," and call understanding your intimate friend. —Proverbs 7:4

This talk is for "sisters" in the same church family. Sisters who desire to strengthen their walk with the Lord and enrich their "family ties." Listeners will be equipped to celebrate friendship in new ways, establish and restore sister/friendships, honor and serve, with lots of ideas for parties, celebrations, get togethers for two, twelve, twenty or more, and pray for each other, including more ideas for prayer partnership, reminders, etc. "Sisters, in this talk we'll laugh, we'll cry, and we'll get our 'Sister Act' together!"

The Call to Love ~ "Can You Hear Me Now?"

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" —I John 3:1

"In our relationships we need to be love finders, not fault finders" and relationships are the bottom line, with our Lord, our families, our friends and neighbors. Dolley’s heartfelt Call to Love message bring us to an understanding of God’s unconditional love for His children and how the fullness of knowing His love overflows into the well being of our relationships. This talk comforts, teaches and embraces your heart, soul and mind with joyous, inspirational and motivating ideas. It is an encouragement for believers and an excellent outreach message.

One of Many Retreat Themes ... Dolley also creates and develops retreat weekends according to your personal theme choice.

Divine Design ...
The Ultimate Make-Over
Hope, Renewal, Joy!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." —2 Corinthians 5:17

Friday Night Talk ~ This Old House ... Remodeling or Restoration?

There are many parallels between the houses we actually live in and our hearts house. Both need solid ground, a good foundation, strong framework, doors, windows, and a plan to bring it all together. Actual houses need an architectural plan and our hearts need God’s plan, His Divine Design. "’For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’" —Jeremiah 29:11 This talk lays a foundation for understanding the difference between remodeling and restoration, a framework for the retreat to build upon and an open house invitation to "Come and see what the Lord can do!"

Saturday Morning Talk ~ Trading Spaces ... Loving Ways to Bring Our Friendships Up to God’s Heavenly Code.

Timeless design, classic styles, beautiful landscapes and do-it-yourself home projects ... "By wisdom a house is built, by understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." —Proverbs 24:3 In this talk we’ll learn the ABC’s of building good, strong, friendships, how to avoid friendship killer "tear downs," pursue "restoration" through forgiveness, and cherish friendships ... old and new with "don’t miss the joy" celebration.

Saturday Night ~ New Spaces ~ Before & After

"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God?" —Psalm 42:2

In this talk we spotlight specific challenges for daily quiet times, bring restorative understanding to common pitfalls and access Divine Designs for day by day renovation. Each morning in Christ offers a new beginning, forgiveness, mercy and renewal, Morning-By-Morning New Mercies I See. "Jesus said, ‘I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right side up.’" —Luke 12:50 Are you looking for Divine Designs that will bring you closer to our Lord and The Ultimate Makeover for your meetings with Him? Mornings will never be the same after hearing the new day beginnings of this talk, furnished with hope, love, grace, staying power and joy!

Sunday Morning ~ Reflections of Divine Design — The Ultimate Makeover & Gifts From The Heart ...

"Now we look inside and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!" —2 Corinthians 5:17

Sunday morning is a time of reflecting on what the Lord has done through out the retreat weekend. And an opportunity to "let it go," that is, let go of anything that is weighing us down and keeping us from all that the Lord has for our lives. It’s also a time for imparting Gifts From The Heart ideas and inspirations. We traditionally conclude with Communion because as Dolley says, "It’s most important that the ladies return home with the blessing of Jesus. ‘ ... I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel ... being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion ... ’ —Philippians 1:3-6."