CRM Empowering Leaders

Stay With Them

Two weeks ago I organized a four-day Life Compass retreat with eight amazing young leaders—listening, teaching, motivating, and calling out God’s best plans for their lives.

All of these leaders live here in Spain and desire to see God reign fully in and through them. There were three Spaniards, four Americans, and one South African.

The Life Compass training I've been a part of facilitating for over five years now is always a win for God’s Kingdom. After every training, each person walks away with a bigger theology of who God is in their lives, his plans for the world, and his plans for their lives uniquely. Here are some paraphrased sentences from some of their vision statements—the culmination of the process.

I see myself:

...helping others in the restoration of their relationship with God, teaching others how to follow Christ in more authentic ways

...providing opportunities for people in different seasons of life to connect, identify, and explore the fullness of life and power that comes from God

...creating a sports center for youth where athletes will be developed emotionally and spiritually as they are taught to follow Jesus

...using my gifts of filmmaking to reveal the beauty and truth of God so the blind might see and weary experience the love of the Savior

...helping people discover the unseen exit door in order to free people to experience more fully God’s total salvation: economically, socially, physically, and spiritually

...meeting the educational, physical, and spiritual needs of those who are underappreciated and often overlooked by the church

Imagine what could happen if these visions and dreams were actually fulfilled!

As great as this is, there are still times when I want more. It’s difficult to be satisfied with influencing one, two, or three people here and there. At a recent training I attended they said, “Focus on the few to win the many.” We studied passages of Scripture in which Jesus sent out the disciples in twos. He told them: whoever invites you in, they are your ministry. Stay with them, eat with them, share with them. (Luke 10 1-12) He didn’t say run around the town going door to door. Jesus actually says not to go house to house. Wow.

Are there any people in your life that have “invited you in”—literally or figuratively? Maybe someone who is open to friendship or drawn to you for some reason? A colleague, neighbor, friend from school, office worker, or family member? How is God asking you to go deeper in that relationship? Can you leave an open place (or two?) at your table this holiday season? Give a kind word, or extend an invitation or act of kindness?

Just like in Jesus’ day, I believe he is calling all of us to “stay with them”—investing deeply in those he has brought into our lives.

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Deric Moen
Málaga, Spain