Inspiring Speaker & Soulful Author

Breathe: 21 Days to Stress Less & Transform Chaos to Calm, Sweet Like Jasmine (ECPA's 2022 Christian Book Award Finalist), Whispers of Rest, and Finding Spiritual Whitespace

BONNIE GRAY is author of her new book Breathe: 21 Days to Stress Less and Transform Chaos to Calm, 2022 Christian Book Award Finalist by Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, Sweet Like Jasmine: Finding Identity in a Culture of LonelinessWhispers of Rest: 40 Days of God’s Love and Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest. An inspirational speaker and retreat leader, she has touched thousands of lives through storytelling, soul care, Bible study, prayer and meditation.

Publisher’s Weekly named Bonnie Top 6 Notable New Religion Authors. Her writing is nationally syndicated and has featured in Relevant Magazine, Catalyst Leadership, Christianity Today and McClatchy-Tribune News Services. Her book Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul To Rest is listed in Top Ten Books for Christian Women by Crosswalk.

Bonnie’s popular soul care and wellness podcast Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast ministers to over 20,000 monthly downloads and listeners.

BONNIE HAS BEEN FEATURED ON

Praise & Endorsements for Bonnie: What People Are Saying

Bonnie Speaking Style? Inspiring, Encouraging, Soul Refreshing

About Bonnie: After graduating from UCLA with a computer science and engineering degree, Bonnie served as a missionary, a ministry entrepreneur and high-tech professional in Silicon Valley. Bonnie lives in California with her husband, Eric, and their two sons.

Bonnie is a soulful and passionate speaker on topics of soul care, spiritual growth, prayer, meditation, healing, storytelling, creativity and finding God in daily grind of everyday life.

Bonnie loves working with churches, ministry and community groups to craft speaking sessions customized to meet the needs of your gathering, to guide and nurture spiritual refreshment as well as connection between those who come, to experience deeper individual journeys of faith.

Workshop and Retreat Topics: Creating space to restore intimacy with God, the journey towards self-discovery through God-discovery, spiritual growth, deepening soulful connections in life, emotional healing, the importance of uncovering one’s story, soul care, storytelling, prayer, meditation, and journaling. Bonnie’s Retreat experience is interactive with powerful application of truths being taught.

WHAT ATTENDEES SAY

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“Your message really resonated with me! I feel like I’ve been a caterpillar most of my life and like I’ve hatched out of my cocoon and am ready to fly and be FREE! When I’m starting a new part of my journey, I feel like I’m a caterpillar again. Reliishing instead of resenting the small beginnings is something that really hits home with me!. Thank you, Bonnie!”
– Rachel Druckenmiller RachelNourishingKitchen.com

“I can’t even put into words what this weekend meant to me. I heard Jesus speaking to me, so blessed to put to paper and paint. allowing his words to speak to my soul. What I’ve learned God say to me will not end with this weekend but be carried on throughout my days, weeks and years to come. Bonnie you are such an amazing sister in Christ and speaker. I will be forever thankful.”
– Heather Barth

Thank you Bonnie for helping me realize that when I come to the feet of my Lord and Savior and utter the words “I am here” that the “I am” part means bringing my WHOLE self, my REAL self, the one that he created me to be, the one that I’ve lost along the way through life, through stress and being a mom. I’m on a journey now to return to that bubbly, cheerful, loving, happy self that I was then and that I still am. I am here. Getting back to my roots.”
– Laura Burns

“The getaway changed me and I have never heard God more clearly than I
did. I had no idea that there was an enormous wall of grief, shame, and
regret that was keeping me from feeling Gods love as well as giving/receiving love to my husband and children. It’s changed me and my marriage in a way that I never thought was possible. God is still helping me process everything that I experienced. Thank you for being who you are and encouraging the rest and white space that I desperately needed.”

– Kristen Morenga

ENDORSEMENTS
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“I can’t thank you enough for the work you put in to the weekend. I am still hearing positive feedback about people’s experiences, and that is a pretty rare thing two weeks after a retreat for us. There is a real sense that people can’t go back to the way things were for them before, and the feedback I have received indicates that for most this was the first time they had done anything like this, and that something has changed in them.

“I have been to many conferences, retreats, and seminars. My bookshelves are filled with the resources I brought home from these events. I came home from this retreat with resources, but more than that, I came home with transformational words from God.”

“I really don’t know exactly how you did it, but in the space of two days you created an environment that was more than just information about finding spiritual whitespace. It was spiritual whitespace.”

“It has been two weeks, and I am still working through what God spoke in to my life at this retreat. I think that’s a sign of something good, something real, something permanent. And it started with you being willing to talk about what you had been through, and how God met you in your journey.”

– Captain Rob Sterling, U.S. Army Military, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Campbell, KY.

“Bonnie spoke to Mothers Together at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.  Her talk was incredibly well received by our mothers.  She made herself available throughout the planning process to make sure her message was appropriate for our group.

I really appreciated the thought and time she put into meeting me, learning more about the mothers she would be speaking to, and our goals for the morning.

Bonnnie’s talk was a mix of storytelling, teaching, time for personal reflection, and group discussion.  My only complaint was we needed more time with her!  She did a wonderful job of engaging the audience and inspiring us to create “whitespace” in our own lives.

She gave us practical tips on how to accomplish that and walked us through a few exercises that really helped us dig deeper.  I received many compliments from moms on how much they enjoyed Bonnie coming to speak. It was truly a wonderful morning.”

– Alison Rao, Mothers Together Ministry Leader at Open Door Church, Mountain View Campus of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (pastored by John Ortberg), CA.

“Using her own journey and experience, Bonnie inspired us to treat ourselves like the beautiful, handcrafted artwork/poetry that God has made – Ephesians2:10 ”for we are God’s workmanship…”  To take time to do something kind for oneself; take care of oneself by receiving God’s love and allowing God to speak to us in new ways.

We were blessed to discover the reality of God’s power as Bonnie courageously shared painful episodes in her story and God’s loving presence which heals. Moms in our community learned to nurture their own soul areas, so that they can nurture their children and husbands with the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Bonnie did a great job of delivering her talk, tailoring the time to our needs, and interspersing practical exercises and discussion at the tables to guide people to do a little processing as she went along.   She gave out to us from the nurturing she has received from God.”

– Vicki Gorin,
Moms’ Time Out ministry team, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship. Palo Alto, CA.

“Bonnie did an incredible job of engaging the entire room and creating an interactive as well as reflective environment. The exercises we did provided an excellent starting point for discussion at our tables as well.“

– Marlene Hekkert, Mothers Together, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Menlo Park, CA.

“The words I heard most from our ladies were “dynamic” and “powerful.” One gal talked about how easily Bonnie took the room to a place where the women could feel vulnerable and could talk freely and openly. The women definitely connected with what Bonnie was saying/teaching. They loved the Painting Activity and the Picture of Myself activity… going back to our childhoods was fun and instructive! My personal favorite was the Lectio Divina activity.

This was our first spring one-day retreat and we are thrilled with how it was received. Bonnie was a big draw and she didn’t disappoint!”

– Linda Taggert,
Women’s Ministry, Valley Christian Church, Pleasanton, CA.

The Women of Grace Fellowship Church were truly blessed to have had Bonnie Gray as the speaker at our Getaway this year called Finding Spiritual Whitespace. She was not your typical retreat speaker who just taught about Whitespace – she beautifully wove together scripture, her powerful story, personal reflection activities and group discussion. We not only learned about Spiritual Whitespace but experienced it in a deep way. Women left refreshed having gotten in touch with their souls and their own stories in a profound way. Not only did they get in touch with themselves, but they left touched by Jesus deep within.  As Bonnie courageously shared her story, she gave women to take a courage look at their story and healing began.

The experiences that Bonnie led our group through were wonderful. The group discussion and activities really fostered an amazing sense of community. In fact, many women commented that they felt more connected to other women on this retreat than in the past. Women had so much fun!! The activities that Bonnie led us through really created an amazing atmosphere to break down walls and help women connect. One of my favorite parts of the whole weekend was the Paint Night that we did. One woman with a severe physical disability painted for the first time in her life. It was an amazing moment – there was not a dry eye at her table. Bonnie created an amazing environment where women were free to try new things and the Spirit of God showed up in powerful ways.

Bonnie also deeply values prayer and it was evident that she relied on the Spirit throughout the entire retreat. She had a deep love for the women of our church – standing in line for 6.5 hours to sign books, greet them personally, hear their stories, cry and pray with them. What a gem!

God used her powerfully to help the women of our church get in touch with Him, themselves and each other. Her creativity and authenticity were phenomenal and inspired women to desire to make room for Whitespace in their lives. Even 2.5 months after the retreat I continually hear women referencing what they learned, how they were changed, and how God moved in their lives through Bonnie.

– Tara Kahnert
Women’s Ministry, Grace Fellowship Church, Timonium, Baltimore.

Bonnie Gray was teamed with Margaret Feinberg for California Women’s Retreat 2016, Journey with Joy.  Bonnie was very well received by the women at CWR.  She has a wonderful, calming delivery that drew the women in immediately.  She used her time to not only speak to the women, but to also engage them in activities that allowed them to participate in her message.  The women loved the interactive projects designed to draw them to the Lord and each other.  One of the especially wonderful things about Bonnie is the way she engages with her audience both during her sessions and in between her sessions.  She cares deeply about women coming to know the Lord in a refreshing and joyful new way.

– Cindy Anderson,
California Women’s Retreat Executive Director

Bonnie taught a 12-Week Sunday Seminar: Rest and Overcoming Stress

Bonnie’s class drew 85+ attendees of both men and women, intergenerational and culturally diverse, singles & married, sharing of authentic stories of faith and body life.

Bonnie’s class created such a dynamic life-giving community that was so unique that gave believers so much joy and excitement that the PBCC Elders invited Bonnie to join the Transition Advisory Team to the Elders.

Reference Contact: Bernard Bell, Pastor Biblical Teaching and Preaching