Biblical Principles for Leading with Love

Yesterday, the Swallow and her mate attended the first session of a series of classes in a course called "Biblical Principles for Leading with Love".  The classes would be under the guiding hands of three leaders from the Swallow's local church.  Issues or topics that would be discussed would be

• Biblical leadership
• Effective leadership
• Collective leadership
• Servant leadership
• Character & behaviour of a leader
• Works of a leader
• Mentoring & discipleship
• Leadership in the family

Life, previously mentioned in the Swallow's post "Life is like a Landscape", has its ups and its downs, its highs and its lows, its calm and its storms, its busyness and its stillness, its freshness and its "nothing new under the sun".  For now, the Swallow is going through a part in her journey in life that has more downs than ups, more lows than highs, more storms than calm, and more "nothing new under the sun".

Is it an adjustment period after the busyness that more-or-less defined the first half of the calendar year?  A glimpse of what an "empty nest syndrome" would be?  The Swallow does not know, but the Swallow does know that she is looking forward to learning from the others in the course, leaders and fellow coursemates alike, and being reminded and encouraged that she is not alone in the struggles of running the race, or that she is the only one with such struggles.

And the Swallow does know that it is when she turns her eyes to the One who has died for her, the One who has gone through life as a man, the One who was rejected of men, the One who was forsaken of God, the One who is called Man of Sorrows, the One who was and is acquainted with grief, then can she find rest.

Matthew 11 : 28 - 30
Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

The Swallow will choose to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, for her own struggles in life pale in comparison.