As we reach the middle point of the leadership development course, our hearts are full of thankfulness for all that God has done in our midst and for the deep transformations that these leaders are experiencing in their lives. Last week was emotionally tiring in some ways, but also incredibly rich spiritually, as we considered topics like conflict resolution, inner healing, "signature virtues" and dealing with our own "signature sins" (our particular deep rooted tendencies, which are different for each person: things such as stubbornness, unbelief, anger, fear, worry, pessimism… or whatever.) There was a workshop about dealing with intimidation and the fear of man, and that was a moving time when both delegates and staff saw many incredible breakthroughs as they responded to God's prompting and took steps of vulnerability and courage. One morning, we had an encouraging time of all-age worship that included the children and nannies who are with us in LDC, and focused on God our Creator. And one evening, we had an amazing "blessing workshop" where delegates could go to different stations and receive blessing prayer for their marriage, their future, their family, their calling, etc. You can join us in thanking God for his incredible faithfulness to meet people and do a deep work in their lives during this time.
At the weekend, when we had a free day on Saturday, I went with my housemates, Dagmar and Averyl, to visit El Torcal national park. Just over an hour inland from Malaga, El Torcal is up in the mountains and is a place where you can enjoy the beauty of God's creation as you walk through an amazing landscape of limestone rock formations. If you're lucky, you might even see some mountain goats, foxes, weasels, etc.
Now, as we enter week four of the LDC, our focus will be on self leadership and personal integrity. We'll look at topics like setting goals for growth, living in financial and sexual integrity as Christian leaders, using our authority in kind and godly ways, being intentional in developing our relationship with God, having a healthy lifestyle in terms of what we eat and how we take care of our body, etc. I'll be teaching on Wednesday and Friday, and would value your prayers for that, as well as for my times of meeting with individual delegates and leading our process group of six ladies.
