This morning, I attended the 25th Anniversary of the Connect Silicon Valley Breakfast. It was my third time attending and I still vividly remember how shock I was three years ago when I walked into a ballroom expecting 700+ attendees at the early hour before 7am. Over the years, I have been attending their quarterly gatherings and have been blessed by the beautiful and powerful testimonies of brothers and sisters across all walks. As Hebrews 12:1 puts it, "we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses."
This year, I was able to host a table of 10 and have invited some brothers and sisters from church to attend together. The opening session's format was a bit different from what I expected and I remember sitting at the table feeling a bit uncertain and wondered if the message spoke to the friends whom I have invited. And if they would feel worthwhile waking up so early to come.
While these thoughts were going through my mind, the speaker, Patrick Lencioni, invited a volunteer from the audience to be his co-host using the interview format to deliver the session. Patrick asked the lady why she chose to come, and she said her friend would like to use this event to encourage her to speak. Wow, what a perfect moment with her being on stage with the widely sought-after speaker. Somehow that snapshot ministered to me in a very special way. As a planner, I often time feel the pressure to deliver, wanting to witness the outcome just as perfectly as we would have forecast. But I guess all that God asks us to do is to simply "make the invitation" and leave the organic part of growth up to Him. Let's be faithful in sowing the seeds and have the divine confidence that no matter how insignificant our part is, God has His way of connecting the dots. We just have to trust that there is power that lies within the invitation . . . as we include people intentionally into the community with love.