Tomorrow I will be leading a conversation on what I’ve learned the first year of launching a non-profit. For those who may be getting ready to launch a non-profit, this will be a great time to ask questions and learn all the ups & down’s of the non-profit world.

The emphasis of The Idea Camp is to not just sit and listen to talking-heads, or so called “experts.” It’s more about conversation, networking and collaboration about Justice and Compassion, which is the focus this weekend.

Should be a great few days of meeting new friends, seeing old friends, being inspired by stories of change and hearing the impact that is happening around the world because of these Idea-Makers.

Of course, I’m sure our hearts will be broken, as we realize all the issues that we are still faced with such as orphan crisis, sex-trafficking issues, homelessness right here in America, and the lack of clean water for millions of people, etc!

I’m sure I will blog my thoughts when I return. Until then you can follow me on Twitter @chrismarlow or @helpendpoverty.

When someone attends a conference, usually the content/experience is only half the desire. The best part is getting to know some new folks. In the age of social media, it’s usually getting to know friends in real-life as opposed to the online version. Which is what happened! I picked up Erick from NYC, and Charles and Dan from LA. It was good to get to know these dudes, and it was also great to see them connect with each other. Social media has a lot of power to truly create real community and inspire action.

The conference kicked off Sunday night with an informal Tweet-up @Spider House. It was a last-second shindig, but I thought It was a great time to connect, get to know some new friends and give those from outside Austin a true Austin experience-which was my goal and I thought it went well.

Without going into great detail, I did enjoy the actual conference experience. The conference was held at The Paramount Theatre, which is a great place, but at times I wished we had some tables as I felt a bit cramped and confined. Anyhow, the goal of Q is to discuss ideas. It’s not necessarily a place for answers but discussions on new trends and ideas in all aspects of missional living, not just the traditional church conversations that most conferences tend to focus on.

To me the main themes seem to fall within the categories of justice, living fully human, creating culture and the gospel, I’ve decided not to do a run-down of each session or themes. Instead, I would encourage you to read John’s post. I will say this, Ted and Gayle Haggard did a session on their story and it was simply amazing. Go here for further details.

I was encouraged by the amount of female presenters, maybe its just me, but I feel like the female voice is losing ground in the church and I think if we are not careful we are going to only see God through an alpha-male lens, and that is not a good for the church. I know many have a theological issue, which is fine with me, I get that, but I think we still need to make sure that the female leaders/servants have a significant voice at the table and Q did a good job doing just that.

I was disappointed that there was a TOTAL lack of global voices. (Alan Hirsch is the exception) I’m hoping that Q will address this next year as I think more global voices will add so much value to the overall conversation, especially in our ever-shifting world!

I was also disappointed that the music was led by non-Austinites. I think a local musician would have added great value as Q tried to connect with Austin. That said, I throughly enjoyed Zach Williams, so much that I bought both of his albums on iTunes and I think you should too.

Moving forward…Q seems to create a total-package-experience. There was the actual conference, with thirty (ish) 18 minute presentations, (a few were longer) there was also talk-backs, which is a time to interact with the presenters and ask questions, etc. After each day, they had an after party at Buffalo Billiards and they even decided to throw in a concert with one of my all time favorite bands Over The Rhine, which was amazing.

I was really leery about the cost of Q. It’s really pricy, but I had to remind myself that this is not just a traditional pastor/leadership conference. We heard from thirty people on a wide variety of subjects, So all-in-all I was happy with the experience. You appreciate Q more, after you attend than before. They do their best to stay under-the-radar and build intentional community.

I did want to add some links that I think are important:

Two Futures Project deals with the current nuclear issue we are facing.

Cobblestone Project: Practical ways to confront domestic poverty.

A Land of a Thousand Hills: Drink Coffee, Do Good!

Tom Shoes: Buy a pair, Tom gives a pair.

The cool thing is some dudes are staying with me, Erick from NYC, Charles from LA and an unknown friend of Charles from LA. Looking forward to getting to know these guys better.

The festivities kick off tonight with a Q Tweetup @ Spider House Cafe. Feel free to come hang out tonight and get to know some new peeps.

As for the conference…it was great. I have some notes I will post later.

After the conference-we got to hang at The Cask Room in Downtown San Diego. It was a great chance to get to know some folks from the conference and drink some wine.

I really really enjoyed todays sessions. I can’t wait to unpack some of teachings soon.