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A Personal Testimony From Western Canada Leadership Development
Institute
Western Canada’s Leadership
Development Institute 2008 was held April 21-25 in the midst of an unexpected
blizzard at Deer Valley Meadows Camp near Alix, Alberta. The theme for this
year’s LDI was Relational Foundations: Experiencing
Relevance in Life and Ministry.
The course was taught by Brother Larry Duncan, a well composed, often
funny, but wonderfully gifted teacher with a tender heart.
In the evening we had another session entitled “Seeing People as Both Fallen
and Alone.” How true that idea proved
to be. During an exercise we were led
to experience God’s Word by sharing a time in our life when we were fallen and
alone and someone showed unconditional love toward us. I shared with my partner
a time in my life when I had fallen away from the Lord. I felt hopelessly and helplessly
alone. A major tragedy occurred in my life on October 6, 2000. It was something
that could have been averted had I been in fellowship instead of letting myself
be alone. In the class I shared a terrible burden I had been carrying alone for
7½ years. As we finished our sharing exercise, Brother Duncan requested that a
few people share their experiences with the entire group. Two others had shared
their experience when I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to share mine. My heart beating so rapidly that I
really thought I was going to have a heart attack. I was overwhelmed by fear because
I believed the vulnerability that I was about to exhibit in the presence of the
Overseer, pastors, and other leaders would cause me great humiliation. With a
wavering voice and tears streaming down my face, I shared a part of my life
that was so intimate and so terrible that I thought for sure I would be
condemned and thrown out. I was barely able to look up at anyone because of the
shame of my sin. But then Brother Duncan asked the group to offer me acceptance
and love by praying for me. In one moment, I had the entire group of people
standing behind, beside, and in front of me, praying for me. When they finished praying, every
person had tears in their eyes and they extended their 
loving arms to me with accepting
embraces and encouraging words, grieving over the fact that my heart was so
broken and I felt so alone. Every
arm that wrapped around me, every tear that was shed with me, every “I love you” that was said to me, was not only a
manifestation of my brothers and sisters sharing in the grief and burden that I
had been carrying alone for 7½ years, but I literally experienced the unconditional
love of Christ that night through the hearts of those that surrounded me. In
that moment of time, we were all transformed from merely being individual
believers with a common faith to actually being the living Body of Christ, and
Galatians 6:2 was lived out right before our eyes: “Carry each others burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Western Canada’s Leadership
Development Institute 2008 was held April 21-25 in the midst of an unexpected
blizzard at Deer Valley Meadows Camp near Alix, Alberta. The theme for this
year’s LDI was Relational Foundations: Experiencing
Relevance in Life and Ministry.
The course was taught by Brother Larry Duncan, a well composed, often
funny, but wonderfully gifted teacher with a tender heart.The lessons were based on the Great Commandment in Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said to him, ‘You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind.’ This is the
first and great commandment. And the
second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
I have to admit these lessons
opened my eyes to the way we should love one another, including those around
us, those nearest us, and even those who are not yet saved. It’s amazing to realize that both the
Old and New Testaments say “love covers a multitude of sins”
When we stop looking at people
through the eyes of condemnation, seeing only their sins, we finally begin to
see them the way Jesus saw them: fallen, alone, and in need of grace and love.
When we fulfill the Great Commandment by loving each other, and by having
“fervent love for one another,” we fill the longing for acceptance that others
are looking for by being the body of
Christ, by being Christ’s arms,
legs, hands, feet, shoulder, and heart.
Brothers and sisters, if there is
one thing that I would encourage you to do, it would be to have a “fervent love
for one another,” and
to “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Loving
others requires you to sacrificially give of yourself, your time, and sometimes
your resources for the benefit of others.
Are you ready and willing to give of yourself as Christ gave Himself for
us?
As for me personally, God moved me in a way in this class that I never
thought could be possible. The love
of Christ was poured out on me by the Body of Christ as I have never
experienced before in my life.
As a former Muslim, I gave my heart to the Lord in 1999 for the first
time, and life was great. However, the enemy distracted me and I fell away from
the Lord during 2000 – 2001.
During this time, some major tragedies occurred in my life. If I had been in the fellowship of the
saints at this time, some of these tragedies could have been averted, but I
cannot change the past. I
recommitted my life to Christ on January 1, 2002. Since my recommitment, I have been saved, sanctified, and
filled with the Holy Ghost, and although I knew about God’s grace theologically
in my head, I did not actually know
it as a living reality in my heart before I attended the LDI.
On day two of LDI we learned that we can view God very differently in
each of our own individual lives based on our past experiences, our family of
origin, and our religious upbringing.
I realized that although I knew God was a loving God full of grace and
mercy, that He died on the cross for me so I can spend eternity in heaven with
Him, and that He loved me unconditionally, I also still viewed Him as a judging
and condemning God who was distant from me.
On day three of LDI, I had a personal encounter with the real God and
His grace. I woke up early that
morning, only to find that I had plenty of time before breakfast, so I took my
MP3 player, sat down alone in a chair, and started to listen to a song by
Kutless called “Strong Tower.” As I was listening to this song and realizing
the depth of the words, I started to get lost in worship. I looked up toward
the beautiful, 20 foot wooden cathedral ceiling, and I saw and felt the
presence of my beloved Lord. The One who I thought was so distant and
condemning was right there smiling at me, loving me, and pouring out His grace
upon me. I was overwhelmed. I
started to cry because I realized I am a sinful being so unworthy of the love
He gives me, and the grace He pours out onto me. Yet in that moment I also recognized that God is not distant
or condemning, He does not shake His finger at me when I do wrong, but He loves
me despite my shortcomings, and His love is unconditional. That’s not to say that I can sin all I
want, but when I do fall short, He loves me anyway. And I am so thankful for his grace.
This was only the beginning of my encounter with God that day. God had much
more up His sleeve than I realized.
In the evening we had another session entitled “Seeing People as Both Fallen
and Alone.” How true that idea proved
to be. During an exercise we were led
to experience God’s Word by sharing a time in our life when we were fallen and
alone and someone showed unconditional love toward us. I shared with my partner
a time in my life when I had fallen away from the Lord. I felt hopelessly and helplessly
alone. A major tragedy occurred in my life on October 6, 2000. It was something
that could have been averted had I been in fellowship instead of letting myself
be alone. In the class I shared a terrible burden I had been carrying alone for
7½ years. As we finished our sharing exercise, Brother Duncan requested that a
few people share their experiences with the entire group. Two others had shared
their experience when I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to share mine. My heart beating so rapidly that I
really thought I was going to have a heart attack. I was overwhelmed by fear because
I believed the vulnerability that I was about to exhibit in the presence of the
Overseer, pastors, and other leaders would cause me great humiliation. With a
wavering voice and tears streaming down my face, I shared a part of my life
that was so intimate and so terrible that I thought for sure I would be
condemned and thrown out. I was barely able to look up at anyone because of the
shame of my sin. But then Brother Duncan asked the group to offer me acceptance
and love by praying for me. In one moment, I had the entire group of people
standing behind, beside, and in front of me, praying for me. When they finished praying, every
person had tears in their eyes and they extended their loving arms to me with accepting
embraces and encouraging words, grieving over the fact that my heart was so
broken and I felt so alone. Every
arm that wrapped around me, every tear that was shed with me, every “I love you” that was said to me, was not only a
manifestation of my brothers and sisters sharing in the grief and burden that I
had been carrying alone for 7½ years, but I literally experienced the unconditional
love of Christ that night through the hearts of those that surrounded me. In
that moment of time, we were all transformed from merely being individual
believers with a common faith to actually being the living Body of Christ, and
Galatians 6:2 was lived out right before our eyes: “Carry each others burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”As mentioned before, we are the Body of Christ. We are an extension of
His love, His grace, and His kindness on this earth. If my brothers and sisters
had not been obedient in what God touched them to do in that moment of time, I
would have never fully experienced God’s unconditional love.
Brothers and sisters, consider those who are alone, rejected, hurt,
wounded and depressed. Will you be an extension of the body of Christ just as
He intended? Will you lend your arms, legs, hands, feet,
shoulder, and heart to those that desperately need you? Brother Duncan reminded
us of a quote by St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all
times. If necessary, use words,” and we have all heard the familiar cliché, “Actions
speak louder than words.” So let us not just preach the gospel, let us live out
the gospel.
Written by: Momena Kayode, Vancouver, British
Columbia