1 Thessalonians 2:8
Having so fond an affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.

Well, I submitted my application for being a Prayer Leader a few days ago. I'm not on the "approved" list yet, so I wasn't expecting to conduct any interviews until I am. Last night after campus church, Katy had an interview, so as I was walking out of the building and leaving her with her group, my RA, Sarah, from this semester asked me if I was interviewing. I told her that I wasn't approved yet, and she said, "Oh that's ok, you'll get in, just come interview with me right now!" So, in a split-second decision, which I'm really not very good at making, I said that I would. I went and sat down with a group of girls I'd never met before, who were all trying out to be Prayer Leaders on Sarah's hall next year.
Now, I had seen Katy preparing for her interview for several days now. She got an email from the RA of the hall that she wanted to be on, and the RA had told her all of the questions they'd be asking, etc.
But I went into the process cold, like I had no idea what to expect. Which, in retrospect, I think was actually a really good thing. They asked questions like, "Why do you want to be a Prayer Leader?", "What is something that you feel you messed up on this year, and how has God shown himself to be powerful through it?" and "Explain the Gospel, and what it means to you."
Yeah, some pretty loaded questions.
But I think had I been given 2 or 3 days to think about it, my answers would have been so thought out that they could have come off rehearsed. As it was, jumping right into it, my answers could only come from my heart, because I hadn't taken time to polish up my speeches and use creative wording. It was good and simple, and I really do think that I did well.
I'll find out if I made it tomorrow, so I'm a little nervous about that. They have interviewed a lot of girls, and they only need 10 Prayer Leaders for their hall.
But I'm aware that if I don't get this, it is most definitely not the end of the world. In this case, I know that there's nothing I could have done better, and if they don't choose me, it's a pretty strong word from God that He has something else in store for me next year.

It's funny, I've never been asked to explain the Gospel, in the context of what it means to me, in my life. I've led plenty of 7-12 year olds to the Lord, but they've already been given the material from the speakers at camp. I can quote the Romans Road like nobody's business, but what does it mean to me?
Last night, I think my answer went somewhere along these lines:
The gospel, the good news, means to me that when I am at my lowest point, whether it has already happened in my life, or whether it is still to come--when I am at that point, God already knows about it. Christ knew me at the worst time of my life, and He still died for me...this miserable, unfaithful me. So what that gives me is a reason to get up in the morning, a hope for my future, the power to persevere. Because no matter how far I stray, I will always be able to come back to His love, because it never leaves me. And I can't imagine an eternity without that all-encompassing love.

Bekah