Community Vibes

I walked into the conference last Friday only knowing one person; I left the conference saying goodbye to part of my new "family."

I walked into the home Sunday evening with my only friend in the group; I was convinced to stay the night by my new, little friends who wouldn't let me leave.

 Though a tiring, 18 hour trip last weekend, I loved visiting old friends, meeting new ones, and gaining fresh wisdom from a conference I attended:

 Community
Who wants to feel left out or be overlooked? Not me.
Oh the desire to belong to a group of people and be identified with them! I have felt this longing over the years, including last weekend, and it connected with my main take-away from the conference:
A diverse team (young/old, singles/couples/families, male/female) can meet the needs of people because "people respond better to someone their age and gender."

AIM group at the conference

Hospitality
Listen in on this story I heard:
"How many home visits have been made?" 18
"How many of those were in your own homes?" 0
"Zero!?"
"Uncle Nik, if we go to their homes we can leave when we want, but if we invite them to our homes they might stay too long!"
Is that genuine hospitality? 
Genuine hospitality is an open home and an open heart, being real with people on their level. Hospitality is the doorway into community, into welcoming and including people. Hospitality paves the way for deeper conversations and deeper relationships.
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