I just got back from Catalyst West in Irvine, CA.
I'm tired since Jamie and I had two different flights and had to get up at 6am today. (FYI, 6am is unheard of for youth pastors except in the case of allnighters.) The good news being that we caught the final 15 minutes of the United win against Spurs. But I digress.
There's so much to process after the week. I'll probably get some of it down here in the next week or so. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, here's a light little story to hold you over.
Jamie and I got off our Alaska Airlines flight this afternoon and awaited our luggage. He got his and mine was no where to be seen. The woman unloading the cart says that they have two more bags up front.
This is what she throws me.
A grease covered Nike bag.
They have no idea what, or how, it happened.
She adds that I can go wait at the front desk and fill out a "we destroyed your bag" (my words, not hers) form.
I decide to go for it. What else am I supposed to do? Throw this is the trunk of the car and get grease everywhere?
So, I patiently waited my turn behind a couple of irritated individuals who had not even received their luggage. The site of my situation brought some laughter.
A couple of security guards came over to take photos. One asks me if I've smelled it to ensure it is actually grease. I laugh it off and tell her that she can. She declines.
My time finally comes and a couple of people start filling out the necessary paper/computer work. There's talk about trying to get me a new bag. Then a supervisor radios in that they should look at getting it cleaned. The guy working with me laughed and said that was going to be impossible.
They ask me if I'd like a replacement bag.
The first one that they bring out is about half the size of my grease-covered bag. The same guy from earlier chuckles and points out my stuff won't fit. So they head back and return with a brand new suitcase.
The only catch is that I have to leave my grease-bag with them.
This is no simple decision. I've had that bag a long time. It's made a number of trips. It has history. We have memories.
Ok, so I didn't think about it too much.
I thanked them for the luggage upgrade, transferred my stuff over and was on my way. Now I have a new suitcase.
A few thoughts from Friday, April 24 at Catalyst West.
Erwin McManus is a creative genius. And his talk challenged me to look around me to see how I could possibly help others to awaken their dreams.
Rick Warren was interviewed by Andy Stanley. Good stuff. And funny to boot. Rick is a wise man with lots of great insights, even if you aren't a fan of the whole "purpose driven" thing. The guy loves Jesus and loves people. You cannot miss that when you see him talk.
Particularly helpful is his advice to:
- Divert daily: know what energizes you
- Withdraw weekly: if you aren't taking a day off every week, you are breaking the commandments
- Abandon annually: the world can get along without you.
Craig Groeschel hit the stage to break apart some common myths that he had been taught, but then eventually began to think himself. The idea that the church should be a safe place, the idea that building his ministry was his highest calling, and the idea that success is only found in the big numbers. I appreciated his honesty and could see how I myself have bought into these myths from time to time.
He also introduced us to the concept of 3rd line believers.
- Line 1: I believe in the Gospel enough to benefit from it.
- Line 2: I believe in the Gospel enough to contribute comfortably.
- Line 3: I believe in the Gospel enough to give my life to it.
Think about it. If you are currently involved in church leadership of any sort, what are most of the people around you living like? What are you living like?
Me? I'm Line 1 with gusts of Line 2. I need Line 3 and I'm realizing more and more that I have a long way to go and that some major changes are needed in my own life in order to do so. Maybe I'll share more about this in the future.
Francis Chan was the wild card for me. I've heard so much good stuff but never heard him before. I had also read Crazy Love and wasn't crazy in love with it. But after hearing the man pour his heart out, I've got nothing but the utmost respect for him.
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I should point out that I am not doing justice to any of these speakers. And if you're tempted to dismiss anyone based on what I've typed here, please be kind enough to reconsider.
I'm still working through some of these thoughts/words/challenges in my won life. It's a work in progress that I'm hoping to spend some more time reflecting on at an upcoming personal retreat that I NEED to take.
All in all, I'd say Catalyst was worth the time and money, and I'd like to take it in again next year. The only change I would like to make is being able to attend with some more team members so that we could spend time processing together.
Continuing with some thoughts of Thursday, April 23rd.
Jud Wilhite used a creative visual for his talk (his summary notes are here) that I'm bound to steal for the future. He wrote words on a mirror that could reflect how we view ourself. Then at the end he smashed the mirror revealing the words "In Christ" (or something close to that). I've since seen a similar version pop up here at Josh Griffin's blog too.
If it works, it works.
Brian Houston may not have captured me much with his overall content, but his lead in words sunk in and bounced around.
"I'd rather be a church builder than a church critic."
I'll be the first to admit that I'm often cynical and somewhat lacking in hope, particularly when it comes to the "church". It's Brian's words that keep echoing to remind me that my focus needs to be building, not just critiquing. I usually forget the building part.
Would I rather be a church builder or a church critic?
While I found this session less than life changing, I did find Guy Kawasaki to be fairly creative and somewhat funny. And his notes were easy to type out, so here's a summary on the "Art of Innovation":
1. Make meaning
-end bad things; create good things
-do something to change the world
2. Make mantra
-most mission statements are too long
-choose 2 or 3 words that define your church
3. Jump to the next curve
-don't define yourself by what you currently do
-get better
4. Roll the DICEE
-Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Elegant, Emotive
5. Don't worry, be crappy
-if we wait for things to be the best, the world will pass us by
6. Polarize people
-if you try to appease everyone you will achieve mediocrity
-if your create something great you will create controversy
7. Let 100 flowers blossom
-take what you get, even if it's not what you expected
8. Churn baby, churn
-keep working
-how can you evolve your product?
9. Find a niche
-what makes you unique and valuable?
10. Follow the 10-20-30 rule
-10 slides, 20 minutes to view slides, 30 point font
11. Don't let the bozos grind you down
I think Andy Stanley is the man. Not in the same way as Brad mind you. I dared him to try and get Andy to sign his chest while we were at Catalyst and I think he actually contemplated it!
Anyways...when Andy talks I tend to listen. He's one of the regulars that I listen to on my iPod because I find that he oozes wisdom. He almost always has something to say that can force you to rethink or reevaluate your life for the better.
His focus was on "Leading in Times of Uncertainty".
"The higher up you go in an organization, the more complexity and uncertainty there is."
"Uncertainty is why we need leaders."
"Uncertainty is not an indication of poor leadership."
"I will always be uncertain. I'm certain of it."
"As a leader it's ok to be uncertain, but it's not ok to be unclear."
"Pull back to that thing that God called you to do in the beginning. It will help bring clarity."
"When uncertain, get clear. Retreat to your vision."
"We tend to fall in love with our plans and we forget about our vision."
"Where's the vision conflicting with the plan? Sacrifice the plan for the vision."
What one quote would resonate or bother you the most?
A few quoteworthy items from Erwin McManus' closing session at the Origins Lab.
"We focus so much on a theology of being separated from God that we forget about the theology of everyone being created in His image."
"We're more committed to visual success rather that true transformation."
"Are we willing to risk the loss of our reputation to be part of what Jesus called us to do?"
"There's nothing we do in the first space that isn't heard or known in the third space."
Some of these are still ringing in my ears. As I look at how often I strive to be viewed as successful or I try to gain a good reputation, but I sometimes neglect to ask whether I am truly seeking to be a part of what God is calling me to.
I know that I'm not a complete washout, but I do know that I need plenty of healthy reminders (ie- kick in the butt) from time to time.
How about you?
A few highlights from Dan Kimball speaking about the missional church and the need for us to recalibrate church.
- We are the church. We don't go to church.
- There is no status difference between paid and unpaid staff.
- The building is our missional training and support center.
- It's not God's house.Evangelism is caring about people and going through life with them.
Quoteworthy:
"How can we know anyone if we're so busy with ourselves?" -Dan Kimball
"Not recalibrating theology, but recalibrating how we discuss theology" -Dan Kimball
I jumped on a plane last month with Jamie (our young adults pastor) and headed off to Irvine, CA for Catalyst West. Since we were traveling so far we figured we might as well take in the Origins Lab the day before it officially started. The morning started off with everyone together in one room for a general session before letting us break away and choose our midday labs that were scattered across the campus of Mariner's Church.
I found my way into a session with Margaret Feinberg, one with Dan Kimball and a panel discussion with some of the pastors from different Mosaic campuses. While all three of those sessions were decent, it was the time with Erwin McManus that left the biggest impression.
Erwin McManus read from Acts 17. He went into a lengthy conversation about how we as Christian leaders need to move beyond the first space (our self made "Christian bubble") and into the second space (where we live and play everyday and rub shoulders with people that don't know Jesus). By doing so can find ourselves invited into the third space (the place we cannot force our way into; it's invite only). We only get there after earning the right to be present and to be heard in the second space.
If that's a little convoluted, sorry. Erwin actually needed to come back after he spoke in the morning and readdress it in the last session. Either way I found myself processing.
I was wondering if I get so content in my first space bubble that I completely forget about the spaces beyond. Where have I earned the right to be heard? Where do I have an influence? Where do I strive to be an influence?
Quoteworthy:
"Just because I can't answer your questions doesn't mean there isn't a God. It just means I'm stupid. There's a big difference." -Erwin McManus
"Most of us really want to be popular in the first space, thereby limiting our impact in the second space, and eliminating ourselves entirely from the third space." -Erwin McManus
"Wouldn't it be amazing if we stopped playing around in the first space and started living and making a difference in the second and third space?" -Erwin McManus
This is what she throws me.
The first one that they bring out is about half the size of my grease-covered bag. The same guy from earlier chuckles and points out my stuff won't fit. So they head back and return with a brand new suitcase.