q's and a's

Tonight was awesome.

We did something we've never done before. We had a Ministry Q&A Panel for all our interns, Outreach Staff, and Thrive Trippers. The panel consisted of Niel and I, 2 staff members, 2 interns, and 2 Outreach Staff. Everyone else had the freedom -- and platform -- to ask any question they wanted (either addressing specific panel members or asking the entire group).

There were some very thought-provoking questions asked, and I really enjoyed getting to hear the other panel members' answers. I learned a lot just by listening. It was fascinating.

I also discovered that while I don't necessarily always enjoy speaking publicly, I love answering questions like we did tonight. While part of me fears the on-the-spotness of it (needing to have a "quick" answer), I found myself really being able to share from my heart (and my experiences) -- and loving it. We were able to talk about how we got the vision to start Thrive (and how we stepped out to do it), our biggest challenges in ministry right now, our favorite parts of what we do, and our vision for the future (how we see things growing and developing).

The evening ended with worship, s'mores, and laughter around a bonfire. It was a good night indeed.