'SIDE BAR' CONVERSATIONS

Whenever I attend an event, I always look out for the issues that are not on the agenda, and note how they impact on my appreciation of the said event.  My attendance of the Advocates Africa (Christian Lawyers Convocation) 2019 has not been any different. I highlight a few things that have stood out for me below -

Take Home No. 1 - Generosity of Kings 

Generosity doesn't end. 

There is a recent exercise that my leadership class was given. This required us to follow in the steps of King Solomon and other generous Kings before him, who were exceedingly generous. King Solomon for example, sacrificed 'twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats' to the Lord at the dedication of the Temple.

The Sam Ericsson story 

One of the most poignant stories we heard at the Convocation was the story of Sam Erickson, who was the founding Presidents of Advocates International, which is the International Christian Lawyers Network. It is said that Mr Ericsson, who has since been raised to glory, used to mortgage his home and also carry out other forms of fundraising to ensure that delegates from the less privileged nations of the world would be able to attend the Christian Lawyer events that he used to organize.

As we celebrated 20 years of the existence of the Advocates Africa Convocation, i couldn't help but wonder whether this would have been possible if Sam EricSson had refused to adhere to the word of God that had been placed upon his heart. The Advocates International now boasts of a presence in all continents of the world. We are not in every nation but we shall surely get there. 

I am therefore extremely grateful to the Lawyers Christian Fellowship UK and the Local Organizing Committee of the Kenya Christian Lawyers and all their partners for having such a generous heart. They ensured that we had the best available services and venue. They looked out for our comfort and we indeed were blessed.

The amazing attitude of King Solomon in his time and that of the LCF and KCLF should be our attitude today. There is a lot we can do. A visit to the prison, taking on a pro bono case, giving to a whole while cause, etc. We are givers, not because we want the Lord to give us back, but because we are always blessed. We should therefore give over and above our comfort zone - because we are Generous. Our attitude and actions should therefore continually reflect this.

Take Home No. 2 - Prayer and Motherly advice and care

Towards the end of the Convocation, I had the honour to have a chat with one of the participants. She is an elderly lady with children ranging from young adults to pre - adolescent toddlers. She is passionate about the Lord and I was greatly encouraged by her words of wisdom on how to know where the Lord is asking you to be relevant. She easily opened her heart to those of us who were listening to her and showed us the spiritual dimension of the Convocation and the reason for the need for spiritual covering of the said event through prayer and intercession.  She engaged us in conversation, made us feel welcome and even bought me a meal

She reminded us to always be aware of the need to pray and cover each and everything we do in prayer. She reminded us to always be aware of the spirit behind certain events and personalities and therefore know that our battles are not against flesh and blood, but the principalities in the high places (Eph 6:12). She was also practical in what she said and gave us examples of incidences in the convocation where she was inspired by the Lord to make specific intercessions. I learnt that for anything we organize, we should-

[a]  Always be mindful to have a strong prayer team of spiritually aware people who can cover the event/activity in prayer;

[b]   Keep prayer happening all through and keep alert to hear what God is saying all through the days of the Convocation

Take Home No. 3 - Attitude and Reputation

We Christians first and therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ.  This means that our attitude in all things - even those regarding to shortcomings in the running of the Convocation - should be one that is positive and supportive. We should not forget that there is a ''multitude of witnesses'' listening to each and everything we say and do (including the way we say or do it)

Take Home No. 4 - Tell them now

A lot of work has been done to ensure that AdvocatesAfrica2019 happens. I am grateful to the local organizing committee led by Brother Kamencu Kimathi, the student volunteers, the host hotel and participating accommodation places, the Law Christian Fellowship UK, Kenya Wildlife Authority, the Uber, tuk-tuk, boat and taxi drivers, and the participants who attended in big numbers. Without all of these, our experience would not have been memorable. Most of all, i am grateful to God who made all things possible.

We await the next Advocates International 2021 which will be organized by the Lawyers ofHope in Rwanda