JOURNEY

• March 1, 2023 – In a recent Leadership Development Workshop, we explored the question, “How can you make sure the pain of your past doesn’t determine your future?” What stood out and meant the most to you in this workshop? Barack said: “I learned that my pain from the past should not be a barrier to me or to my endeavors, but rather a building block. A rock in my foundation for a more stable and flourishing future – that’s what stood out the most for me.”
• September 8, 2022 – Barack discussed the biggest changes in his life since the end of the COVID restrictions: “I would find it hard to say the biggest change ignoring the beautiful truth about life without COVID restrictions. Life without a face mask has been a tremendous change. The biggest change, however, has been more mental than physical. It is the awakening of my heart to do everything in its due time. To seize every moment, I have to do what I know is right and enjoy the brief periods I get with those around me.”
• September 13, 2021 – Barack shared his favorite song and what it means to him: “This song is called “It Was Finished Upon That Cross” by City Alight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUGQNYm44hk. This song reminds me of the great love of God, when He sent His own begotten Son to die for me — a sinner. It humbles me every time I hear it and teaches me that life is only at Calvary’s tree, the cross of Jesus Christ.”
• July 16, 2021 – Barack shared what resilience means to him: “Considering its original meaning, resilience is the ability to recover quickly from something. Resilience means a lot to me. It means I, as a servant leader, am able to overcome every oppression that comes as a challenge to me. It means I must be able to adapt myself to new circumstances and not let them affect me or change who I am. A resilient leader will learn to pick himself up after something goes wrong and continue as ambitious as he was before, not getting discouraged. We all should be resilient. In the face of many unfavorable circumstances, we ought not to lose heart, not to lose hope, to re-build ourselves after every storm, adapting to the changes that came with it, and serve our people. We say we are not broken. We advance even in the worst of times. We are RESILIENT!”
• March 1, 2021 – Barack said his biggest lesson from 2020 was: “That life never always gives us what we want or expect and that God’s sovereignty is beyond everything. I had planned as much as I could but life turned out differently! So it’s our duty to adjust ourselves to the pace that life provides so that we don’t go off track. Even on the darkest days as those in 2020, we still grow through by the sovereign grace of God.”