Catrina Benham's Blog

Saturday The conference has finished and we fly home tomorrow early evening - feels like we are just getting into the swing of things! Today some of the team had meetings at willow to choose the UK sessions - some of us went shopping :) I drove the huge mini van all day - fun and occasionally scary! Its automatic and of course we were on the wrong side of the road and I was on the wrong side of the car. But it didn't take long for me to feel like I was king of the road! So tonight we pack - and then tomorrow we have a church service at Willow and then the trip to the airport and homeward bound :) Session highlights from the Willow GLS are here: http://bit.ly/bwGLpi Sunday Woke early today - crazy to realise both the morning meetings at Kerith were already over I looking forward to catching up with the podcast. So we have left our host family's house and now we have fabulous seats at Willow waiting for he 9am meeting to start - apparently its Henry Cloud and he is alway

The space in your life that you most resent is the very soil where God wants to produce the crop we so desperately desire. Good teams complete you they don't compete with you. They are assets not liabilities. TD Jakes Dan Pink at the Summit, "Making progress" is what motivates people the most and produces engagement and loyalty When people start serving they forget about their own problems. @BlakeMycoskie There are now over 30 million Christians in China One of the jobs of a leader is give people self-confidence to make decisions. @jack_welch You have to do everything to stop the meeting after the meeting. - Jack_Welch Challenge people don't overwhelm them Passion is the fuel that makes the engine run When my heart is overwhelmed I go to the Rock. TD Jakes

There are some ENORMOUS ideas here at Willow. Am listening to Jack Welch- absolutely incredible and v powerful. Great tools for leadership - some new - some reinforcing things I already do or used to do -all energising! So glad to have the opportunity to revisit this material over the next two months and then again at our Bracknell GLS Now for the final session with TD Jakes - am anticipating it being storming!

830am Apologies if you received my first willow blog 5 times - it was my first go at writing and sending the blog from my phone and I guess it was just too exciting for me and my phone :) So we woke at 5...its a beautiful day here...simon did his usual fantastic job of driving us the 40 minute drive in...we met the rest of the team at Dr B's coffee shop at willow (where else?) For lattes (what else?!)...now the seats are saved and we are waiting for the 2nd day of the GLS to begin. The schedule is incredibly diverse. Really excited to hear the speakers and to listen out for what God will be whispering to me. Already feel challenged and refreshed. Will update as we go today. 1050 Amazing amazing session - introduced by my favourite author Shauna Niequist- Jeff Manion talking all about "the land between" - time in the desert fertile ground for complaining and sin but also for God to transform our hearts- v powerful. I seem to be close to tears most of the time at the m

830am Apologies if you received my first willow blog 5 times - it was my first go at writing and sending the blog from my phone and I guess it was just too exciting for me and my phone :) So we woke at 5...its a beautiful day here...simon did his usual fantastic job of driving us the 40 minute drive in...we met the rest of the team at Dr B's coffee shop at willow (where else?) For lattes (what else?!)...now the seats are saved and we are waiting for the 2nd day of the GLS to begin. The schedule is incredibly diverse. Really excited to hear the speakers and to listen out for what God will be whispering to me. Already feel challenged and refreshed. Will update as we go today. 1050 Amazing amazing session - introduced by my favourite author Shauna Niequist- Jeff Manion talking all about "the land between" - time in the desert fertile ground for complaining and sin but also for God to transform our hearts- v powerful. I seem to be close to tears most of the time at the m

830am Apologies if you received my first willow blog 5 times - it was my first go at writing and sending the blog from my phone and I guess it was just too exciting for me and my phone :) So we woke at 5...its a beautiful day here...simon did his usual fantastic job of driving us the 40 minute drive in...we met the rest of the team at Dr B's coffee shop at willow (where else?) For lattes (what else?!)...now the seats are saved and we are waiting for the 2nd day of the GLS to begin. The schedule is incredibly diverse. Really excited to hear the speakers and to listen out for what God will be whispering to me. Already feel challenged and refreshed. Will update as we go today. 1050 Amazing amazing session - introduced by my favourite author Shauna Niequist- Jeff Manion talking all about "the land between" - time in the desert fertile ground for complaining and sin but also for God to transform our hearts- v powerful. I seem to be close to tears most of the time at the m

Well this conference is truly incredible - God-breathed messages brought by outstanding speakers - 7 today so its full on but its great! So already today we have heard about Christianity in China, Passion and Hope, Never giving up, How to cope when leaders fall Bill Hybel's 4 C's competence character chemistry and culture. Plan to come to the GLS in Bracknell in October - you will be inspired and challenged - I guarantee you will grow as a leader - in church work and family. Now for family stuff - our kids are having a fantastic time at Rocknations - no injuries yet but a lost retainer already!assured an anxious daughter we are not cross with her - well I'm not!!! Have just had a wonderful time during break time as I went to find Shauna N to ask her to sign my copy of her new book "Bittersweet" - can't wait to start reading it, and she is really lovely. I am a bit of a fan - tried not to seem like a stalker! Just to complete the "fan experience"

We are here - latte in hand - seats saved and we are waiting for the GLS to start in a few minutes - so excited it's going to be a wonderful day. We have an amazing line up of speakers - Bill Hybels Christine Caine Jim Collins all before lunch!!! So we are ready to go now and will blog later We are so very grateful to have the opportunity to be here x

We are here - latte in hand - seats saved and we are waiting for the GLS to start in a few minutes - so excited it's going to be a wonderful day. We have an amazing line up of speakers - Bill Hybels Christine Caine Jim Collins all before lunch!!! So we are ready to go now and will blog later We are so very grateful to have the opportunity to be here x

We are here - latte in hand - seats saved and we are waiting for the GLS to start in a few minutes - so excited it's going to be a wonderful day. We have an amazing line up of speakers - Bill Hybels Christine Caine Jim Collins all before lunch!!! So we are ready to go now and will blog later We are so very grateful to have the opportunity to be here x

We are here - latte in hand - seats saved and we are waiting for the GLS to start in a few minutes - so excited it's going to be a wonderful day. We have an amazing line up of speakers - Bill Hybels Christine Caine Jim Collins all before lunch!!! So we are ready to go now and will blog later We are so very grateful to have the opportunity to be here x