Start of the leadership development course….

After multiple airport runs this past weekend, we had finally welcomed the delegates from all around the world,  and LDC got off to a good start this morning with a special breakfast and a very moving time of worshipping the Lord. It was a time when the Holy Spirit was moving among us, already touching lives, speaking words of prophecy and encouragement.

Then we had a creative meditation time, where the delegates moved to different stations around the house and garden, interacting with and responding personally to different aspects of our theme scripture, which this year is taken from John chapter seven.  As in previous years, Stephe has also written a worship song based on this theme, inviting the Holy Spirit to come and overflow in our hearts and lives.
Thank you, by the way, to those of you who've been praying for my health. The coughing has almost stopped now, and the chest pain (tendonitis) caused by the coughing is also beginning to be less painful now. My energy level seems to be back to normal again.

I have to confess that having to stay out of the sun (in order to protect the burned part of my face) can be mildly stressful when so many of our LDC learning activities, meals, breaks, etc, take place outdoors in the Spanish sunshine. I do have a selection of different sun hats now - which means that I can swap mildly stressful for mildly ridiculous. (It's not for nothing that I've never been much of a hat wearer!!) Looking ahead to the summer months, when I was bemoaning the fact that I might not be able to do any swimming, someone suggested that I could get one of these swimming masks that were sometimes worn by women in the 1920s.  This would allow me to trade mildly stressful and mildly ridiculous for mildly terrifying!!! (Please note that this is not me in the photo; it's some lady from the 1920s.)

Thanks for your prayers during this bonding week of the LDC. We'll be moving on later in the week to consider how different leaders have different personalities and giftings. Understanding ourselves, and how God has made us, helps us also to understand others and work in more unity as a team.

Health Update

Thank you to everyone who has asked how my health is doing now. I'm pleased to report that I seem to have turned the corner now. I went back to the doctor on Friday, concerned about the cough and the chest pain, and it turns out that the pain is mainly due to a damaged muscle, and the cough is slowly clearing up now.

My face is looking superficially good - just very itchy, which the doctor tells me is normal and might last for several months.  For those of you interested in the details and prognosis, here's the information given on a patient leaflet about post-burn care:

Length of time for skin to heal
There are three phases in the formation of a scar. In the first phase, which lasts less than a week, the body begins to remove dead and dying skin tissue, fights infection, and sends cells that will begin the healing process to the burned areas. In the second phase, which takes a few weeks, the body makes collagen fibers to form scar tissue and creates tiny new blood vessels in the injured area. In the final phase, which takes months to years, the scar tissue matures, resulting in a stronger scar.
Itching
Itching is a common problem, especially in the first few months after healing. Occasionally it is severe and intractable, interfering with sleep and producing recurrent wound breakdown due to scratching. It is important to try not to scratch. Lukewarm showers, bath oil, colloidal oatmeal products, and moisturisers may help with itching. Sometimes medication such as antihistamines may be needed for persistent disruptive itching.

Preparing to celebrate Easter...

It's April, and in just a few weeks' time we'll be remembering Jesus' death and celebrating His resurrection. Perhaps you, or a young person that you know, would like to join hundreds of others around the world in two weeks (14 days) of Bible readings on an Easter theme. Click below to download the booklet in English, or visit the Challenge 2014 website to download the booklet in either Spanish or French: www.biblechallenge2014.blogspot.com

Click here to download the Easter Bible Reading Booklet

Spilled milk and creative reconciliation...

It’s been a while since I wrote a post from my daily reading in the Old Testament books of Samuel. (In fact, I’ve finished Samuel now and have begun reading in the historical books of Israel’s kings.) But here’s just one more thought from 2nd Samuel and a little verse that caught my attention in chapter fourteen. 2 Samuel 14: 14 says: Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him.

This verse spoke so much to me of God’s heart for the lost. It’s a picture of how He pulls out all the stops to make it possible for selfish and sinful people to be reconciled with Him. And when it comes to “devising ways” to make that possible, surely there was no more precious and costly way than sending His own Son to die for us - a costly sacrifice that we’ll remember when we celebrate Easter later this month. But there are two important principles in this verse that can also be applied to reconciliation between two human beings:

Number one is the principle of “spilled milk.” 
Sometimes real restitution is going to be impossible. Restitution is an important Biblical principle, clearly taught and demonstrated in both the Old and New Testaments. If you steal from someone, you need to pay back what was taken, and maybe more. If your gossip publicly destroys someone’s reputation, a public apology would begin the process of putting things right. But like the examples in this story in 2 Samuel 14 (where one son had killed his brother), there are going to be situations that are “like water spilled on the ground”: the damage done can simply never be undone, never be reversed in any way. The drunk driver can’t bring back the loved one that was killed; the betrayal or infidelity of a friend or spouse can never be erased. Unlike the old proverb, crying over spilt milk is an appropriate thing to do: grieving losses is an important part of our healing. Recognising, however, that no restitution can ever be possible can help move us towards the next step in these principles of reconciliation.

Number two is the principle of “devising ways."
It was totally impossible for man to find ways of atoning for his own sin. It simply couldn’t be done. And so God devised different ways of making relationship possible again: the serpent in the wilderness, the laws about the scapegoat, the sacrifice of animals... and ultimately the death of His own Son. If someone is estranged from us, and if we know that they have no way of putting things right, we need to consider what we can do from our side to make reconciliation possibe, so that the relationship is not broken forever.

What situations of “water spilled on the ground” have there been in your life? And what can you do, even this month, to devise creative ways of making reconciliation and relationship possible again?

Spiritual warfare...

Click to enlarge the photo. Can you spot me in the group?

It seems a long time since we were meeting in the Netherlands with the KKI international leadership team, intercessors, guests and emerging leaders. So much has happened since then: this lung infection that's dragging on and on (I'm beginning to get a bit tired of all the coughing), not to mention the strange accident that left me with third degree burns on my face (See previous two posts.) A family from Taiwan also experienced a strange accident after the ILT - getting involved in a car crash that left the lady with cuts all over her face.

In recent days, I've had emails from intercessors, sharing their impression that we are in a spiritual battle as we contend for the young people and families of this generation. A sacrifice of time and money is required when we travel and meet up as a leadership team every year in March… but the impact in the spiritual realm is much more than we ourselves realise, and it's important that we have intercessors around us to engage in the battle with us.

If you're reading this blog post today, and if God prompts you to stand in the gap with us, please would you take just a few moments to pray for the ministry of KKI and the international leaders who serve so faithfully around the globe. Thank you.

The vampire or the extra-terrestrial?

Thank you for your prayers over these two weeks when I’ve been feeling so ill. Shaking off the lung infection hasn’t been easy; despite taking antibiotics for ten days, I’m still struggling with coughing, chest pain and difficulty breathing. Yesterday I had to go to the doctor again, and I’ve been given a different antibiotic for the coming week, as well as something for the continuing phlegm.
As for the third degree burns on my face, it’s been encouraging to see those slowly beginning to heal too. The nurse said to me one day this week that it was amazing how good the wounds were looking already, when you consider what a mess they were at the end of last week. “I think it’s healing well,” she said. 

“I hope so,” I answered, “Because I’ve got people all over the world praying for that.”

“Well, tell them to keep praying,” she said. “It’s working!”

Just as I was rejoicing over this amazing answer to prayer, she then said something that totally shocked me:  “Of course,” she continued, “The hardest time is just beginning now.”

I looked at her in puzzlement, wondering what she meant, and what could possibly be harder than the horrible weekend I’d just had, with my face so painful and bleeding all the time. ”What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, the most important thing you can do now to avoid scarring,” she replied, “is to stay out of the sun this summer. Remember you’ve lost all three layers of your skin. As new skin begins to grow in again, it doesn’t have any melanin. If you allow it to be exposed to the sun, it will turn dark brown and stay that way for the rest of your life.”

I looked at her incredulously. We live in southern Spain, and the seemingly long winter is finally over. It’s going to be sunny almost every single day for the next six months. The only way to avoid getting any sun would be to shut yourself inside the house for the next six months - only emerging after dark (like the vampires in old black and white movies!)

My heart sank as I thought of all the LDC activities that happen outdoors, thought of the things I’d hoped to do with my parents when they come to Spain for holiday this summer....  thought of the Planting Together outreaches in Senegal. “So, for how many weeks or months do I need to stay out of the sun?” I asked her. “I’m planning a trip to Africa for the whole month of August, and maybe another one towards the end of the year.”

Imagine my shock when she told me I’d be wise to stay out of the sun for the rest of the year. I could try using total block sunscreen as my face heals more, but the only way to guarantee protection would be to stay indoors or to wear some kind of headgear that completely hides your face from the sun.

I was speechless. I had been praying for smooth healing without scarring, but I hadn't for a moment imagined consequences like these. I’d seen the whole burning episode as a bizarre accident, but now it began to feel like a tactic of the enemy to rob me of Africa and of my outreach involvement there this summer. It seemed inconceivable that I wouldn’t be able to go outside in the sunshine until this time next year, or that it wouldn't be possible for me to be part of the Planting Together outreaches in Senegal again this year. For some days, I was seeking God in prayer and still reeling from the shock of the news.

And now? Well, I’ve decided that the vampire lifestyle isn’t what God has for me this year! And so I’ve taken the doctors at their word and have ordered (from China) an odd looking hat with a complete facial guard. I’ll probably look ridiculous, or risk being mistaken for an extra-terrestrial, but it seems the only way to protect my face in the way the doctors recommend, and still be able to participate in the different ministry and outreach activities that I’ve committed to for this year.

My face looks so much better than it did this time last week. It’s just very pink (kind of like a chicken breast!) and feels sort of itchy as it heals. Please would you join me in praying that it will heal well, without major scarring, and pray also for this respiratory infection to really clear up now, so that life can get back to normal.. Thank you.

We all need Ziba in our life...

You may have heard that I've been facing a few challenges since finishing the ILT meetings and returning to Spain this week. I'd been feeling a sore throat threatening since our day in Amsterdam and, sure enough, I woke up on Wednesday morning with bronchitis-like symptoms and no voice at all. By Thursday, I also had a pounding sinus headache and was finding it difficult to breathe and so, that morning, I decided to inhale with a menthol vapour rub.

And that's when a really bizarre accident happened: there must have been an undissolved lump of vapour rub in the water, and when I put my face above it to inhale the steam, it suddenly "exploded," showering my face with scalding water. My skin began to peel off - like when you immerse a tomato in boiling water to remove the skin. Anyway, I knew enough to immerse my face in cold water for as long as possible, and I also put egg whites on it, as I've heard the natural collagen is good for burns.

But nonetheless, when I got to accident and emergency, they told me that part of my cheek had third degree burns and that there was quite extensive burning on the rest of my face too. My eye was swollen shut and surrounded by painful blisters, but when they checked the inside of my eye they were able to tell me that there were no lesions on the cornea. Even so, I have a painful and ugly mess down the right side of my face. It's a sticky pallet of dead skin when I wake up in the morning, and then it begins to bleed so that it's looking like a raw steak by the afternoon. As I'm a bit anaemic, tending to heal slowly and scar easily, I'm praying very much that it won't leave major scarring on my face.

Anyway, as I was still very ill and weak with the respiratory infection, and now I had painful bleeding facial burns on top of that, I was really feeling in a bad way. My friends and teammates have been amazing, though. It's said that "a friend in need is a friend indeed," and my friends have been wonderful over the past couple of days: driving me to the doctor, sending me food, doing my shopping for me (so that I don't scare people in the supermarket!), helping me clean my house in preparation for a guest arriving from overseas, offering to pick my friend up from the airport (as I can't put on glasses and wouldn't be able to see to drive…) I've also had an influx of emails, best wishes and assurances of prayer from other friends around the world.

This morning in my quiet time, I was reading in 2nd Samuel chapter 16, part of the story where David is fleeing from Absalom and heading into the desert.  In the first two verses of that chapter, a man called Ziba comes out to meet David in the desert, bringing him food, wine and donkeys. I found these things quite symbolic of the help that friends can give us when we're in a hard place. Food spoke to me of providing nourishment and strength (like the person who sent me food today), while the donkeys spoke to me of support and help (like the people who did my shopping for me or helped me clean the house.) And vs 2 says that the wine is for refreshment when exhausted; I don't like wine personally, so I can't imagine it being refreshing, but this spoke to me of the refreshing that comes from knowing that different people are praying for you, and emailing with kind words.

And so, I couldn't help thinking that we all need people like Ziba in our lives; we all need people who will reach out to us with help and refreshment when we're in a hard place (or, like David, in a dry and desert place.) And we need also to be that kind of person for others.

Who are the Zibas in your life? Who are the people you can turn to and depend on when things are hard? And to whom are you, or could you be, a Ziba in their time of need? I've been blessed this week by the love and care of good friends, and I know that we all need friends like that.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who has emailed me to say they are praying. I do very much value your prayers for recovering from this bronchitis, as well as for prayers that this burnt flesh will heal quickly and well, and not leave ugly scarring on my face. Thank you.