Random Quote

"The greatest opposition to what God is doing today

comes from those 

who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday"

 - RT Kendall

Oh The Food

Jenn and I enjoyed some great food while in Atlanta for Catalyst.

We ate at the obligatory Chik-Fil-A and Moe's Southwest Grill for lunches.  On one evening, we ate at The Cheesecake Factory and caught up with some other pastor buddies for shop-talk.

But the best...

SUSHI ROLLS at Blue Fin sushi bar.

We felt a bond with this place because when we visited it last year, it had only been open for a month!  It was great to see that it was still going.

The sushi was so fresh it melted in your mouth.  I tied fried sushi.  When I put it in my mouth, the light crispy coating on the outside gave way to the delicate rice and fish.

The atmosphere was clean and fun.

And the staff were really cool to chat with.

What a great experience but we ate waaaay too much!

Andy Stanley Delivers

Andy Stanley was awesome at Catlyst! Here's a few clips and notes I took:

Andy Stanley on Nehemiah 5.6-18:

"We have moral authority when our deeds match our creed."

"Strip away titles and job descriptions and live out the answer to this question 'Who am I responsible to?'"

Andy Stanley on Leadership:

"To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing."

"Be a student, not a critic."

"If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? Why shouldn't we walk out the door, come back in, and do it ourselves?"

"When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near."

"What happens in the church house is bigger than what happens in the whitehouse."

It's over already?

Catalyst was just awesome this year and I can't believe it's over already.  I'm going back through my experience packet and jotting down the insights I came away with:

There were 12,400 people there and it was a blast!  We made one big floam ball together. We decorated the place with streamers and balloons...together.  We sang songs...together. (In case you missed it, the theme of Catalyst was "together").

When I sat down in the Gwinnett Arena, little did I know that I was going to sit next to Monte.  We struck up a conversation and I found out that Monte was the conductor for the orchestra at Catalyst 2007.  It was cool to talk to him and hear the "behind the scenes" on how Catalyst pulled off having a full orchestra.  If you were there last year, Monte was the one who gave up his baton to Lenny Donoho who had us floored with laughter.

It's great to meet other people and hear their stories.

Who haven't you met yet?  Talk to them and see where the conversation goes!

CATALYST

Catalyst wasn't just an event or another conference to go to: it was an experience.  This experience pumps me up for ministry and changes my perspective about my leadership.  I come away with new ideas and a mantra that says: "With God, I can do this!"

I've got tons of notes.  One habit I do is to file those notes somewhere: whether it's in a mindmap for a sermon coming up, in a file folder for my next leadership team meeting, or to print out inspiring quotes and post them somewhere in my office.

I'll post each insight I got from Catalyst...there are way too many ideas to put them all in one post!

My week ahead...

Got a busy week ahead:

"I'M TOO BUSY NOT TO PRAY."

Martin Luther said that profound truth.  I came across a resource that has revolutionized my prayer life.  Check it out.  At EchoPrayer, you can:

* set up reminders via email and/or txt to your phone

* random prayers pop up to avoid predictability that leads to a boring and stale prayer life

* keep an ongoing journal about how God is answering those prayers

3 phrases: Simple, Easy, Less-Prep and More-Prayer

Catch the video here.

CATALYST

Geeked about checking in with one of our college students on Wednesday and then attending Catalyst Thursday and Friday.  This is THE premier young leader experience.  I'm forever grateful for the donor in my church that makes it possible for me to attend and re-energize my heart for pastoral ministry.

FREE CHEESECAKE

While I'm at Catalyst, Nelson Searcy, lead pastor at The Journey church in NYC is hosting a reception.  Can't wait to pick his brain and his cheesecake!

THE PEOPLE'S TABLE

While I'm away, my church is hitting the streets and serving Columbia's hungry.  I wonder what storeis I'll hear about God's work through this simple act of service.

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE...

I want to be this church

Hope you have a great week and I can't wait to tell you all about Catalyst!

Bailout

I've been asking myself: what if the bailout never gets past?  What's the worst that might happen?  I have researched this all over the internet and haven't found a clear answer until tonight:

WHAT'S THE 'WORSE CASE SCENARIO' IF THE BAILOUT NEVER PASSES?

Here's a plan that makes sense to me: check it out.