Once again, Catalyst  was amazing, but perhaps for different reasons than other years.                  In the past, I’ve written about  the spectacle of Catalyst–the over the top way they have of doing things. And as you can see from the picture they did it again this year. This was the balloon drop. For what? For fun. When they talked about politics, (the elephant in the room) they brought–literally brought–an elephant in the room. And also a donkey just to keep things fair. For someone who is much more interested in information than in fun, Catalyst has a way of showing me the importance of both. But what I appreciated is that this year the fun wasn’t out of control, instead it supported the other things that were going on. Worship was once again led by folks like Steve Fee  and Aaron Keyes . One of my favorite worship leaders of all time–Eddie Kirkland also had mainstage time this year. And there were new folks too, Jon Foreman  of Switchfoot  and the Daraja Children’s Choir most notably. Of course the whole point of going is because it is the best leadership conference anywhere–secular or Christian. This year is no exception, with speakers like Andy Stanley, Jim Collins , Seth Godin , Craig Groeschel , and some new names like Steven Furtick and Matt Chandler .                      But this year there was something more .  I’m not sure I can even put it into words, but talking to others I know they felt it too. Since I am a writer and putting things into words is my job, I have to at least try, so here are a few words that best describe my Catalyst experience this year. Urgency – Dave Ramsey  spoke of it when he talked about his “zero-tolerance gossip policy.” To quote Dave (from memory) “If I catch you gossiping, depending on how long you’ve been there I might warn you once, but then I am going to set you free. We’ve got important work to do.”  Though he said this in the context of his company not being distracted by idle gossip, the “we’ve got important work to do” part resonated with me and continues to echo in my mind. We do have important work to do don’t we? So why do we waste so much time? Especially those of us who are leaders? Character – As leaders, we have to have our own house in order if we want to lead others. During the opening session, Andy said, “The boldest thing some of you can do as a leader is to go back to the airport and fly home right now.” There were people at Catalyst who used Andy’s words as a needed wake-up call and drastically changed their plans.  His message especially resonated with those of us who attended the Deadly Viper Character Assassins  the night before. I have to say, I didn’t really get it when the book of the same name written by Mike Foster  and Jud Whilite  came out the year before, but after hearing them speak I finally understood what they are trying to do. Essentially they’re communicating about character using some goofy-Chuck-Norrisy language to help guys get it. I know, I know if you’re into that sort of thing it’s not goofy. And fortunately their event wasn’t either.  They spoke on being too busy and how it hurts us as leaders. Foster was amazingly authentic when he described a phone call from his wife who called because Mike had missed their daughter’s conference at school and the daughter wanted to know “Why hasn’t Daddy met my teacher and seen my desk?”  Wow! How many people sitting in that room were thinking about their own daughter’s desk when he told that story? I thought it was really brave of Mike to share such a personal story with the audience and it was a powerful moment. But after hearing Andy speak the next morning, I couldn’t help but think the story would have been more powerful if Jud had told it alone on the stage alone while Mike was flying back home…. I really like Jud. I’ve shaken hands with him a couple of times and he always seems genuinely interested in the person he is speaking to, even if it is a brief contact. I like that in a pastor.  Much of the night was spent with Mike and Jud talking about how they need each other’s friendship. They say they’re committed to being honest and accountable to each other and they strongly urged every guy in the audience to find a friendship like the one they’ve found. As an audience, we could see how much it meant that they had each other.  The sad part is they never said HOW men could do this. The Jonathan and David friendship that Mike and Jud have is rare among men, and rarer still among men who are leaders in ministry. I suspect that many men left the theater that night feeling very sad that they’ll never have what these two guys have. It is a beautiful thing for Mike and Jud, but for every guy who saw it and longs for it, it had to be depressing to watch. Passion – Steven Furtick is a rising star. We’ll be seeing more of this guy and that’s a very good thing. He spoke about what happens between the promise (the time where we feel like God is telling us there is something more for our life) and the payoff (the point when we actually get to live what we think he promised). This is a real journey in every Christian’s life, but no one ever addresses what happens in between. So, we give up on the promise, we assume we didn’t hear God right. Or we get mad at God because it doesn’t seem like he came through with his end of the deal. Or perhaps we even change promises thinking that since the first one didn’t work out we should pursue a new one, even if it is of our own making.  But Steven says is that there is a process that happens between the promise and the payoff. He said it can often be painful but it is a sort of training ground for what is to come next. He illustrated his talk with examples from his personal life and by the end of his allotted time we were all so inspired that if someone had bottled the energy and unleashed it outside of the arena we would have singlehandedly eliminated the need for prozac. Matt Chandler was also passionate in his presentation. I could have listened to both of these guys for much longer than their allotted few minutes, but I bought the DVD’s and look forward to sharing them with friends.                                         Friends – I caught up with some old friends and met some new ones. I sat with Adrienne and Chris this year as well as some of the folks from Watermarke a> . I ran into a few of
the folks from Johnson Ferry  including Chris Trent , Thomas Nelson, and my good friend Jonathan Munson . I also got to spend some time talking to Greg Darley  and hear the latest about the things that are happening at World Causes  and Free Chains . I also got to spend some time talking with my Q  buddy, Drew Clyde about all the things he is up to (including the new addition to his family!).  I also met some new people that you should know about: Anne Jackson was the backstage blogger  for Catalyst, but I know of her through my friend Matthew Paul Turner . We only had a few minutes to chat but I am hoping to catch up with her when I am in Nashville next month. Check out her blog. She is a rock star among Christian bloggers. Brad  and Lisa Ruggles hosted a bloggers meet-up. I found out about it at the last minute and they were gracious enough to let me come. These are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. You know how in a couple there is always one person who is more interesting then then other? Not so with the Ruggles. I spent more time talking with Lisa but I’d spend a week with either or both. Interesting and kind people. Check out his and her blogs. You can also get a list of others who were at the meet-up here .  Pete Wilson and some of the Cross Point  Staff were at the meet-up also. These Cross Point people are amazing. I’ve written about Pete before, and Anne Jackson from above is also on their staff. But I spent some time talking to other staff members like Jenni Catron  who really impressed me. These are considerate, engaged, and smart leaders who really care about what they’re doing and the people they’re doing it for. Next time we decide to change churches, I am moving to Nashville so I can join CP. Jennifer McGe e was there and we talked for a bit. When it comes to church, she really ROCKs. (See her blog for an explanation). I also met the infamous Jon Acuff from Stuff Christians Like  and was really excited to learn he is here in Atlanta. His blog is one of the consistently funniest Christian blogs on the website. Help celebrate it by giving someone a side-hug. Also at the meet-up was photographer Scott Fillmer . You have to check out his blog for some incredible photos from the meet-up as well as from Catalyst . This guy is extremely talented. I thought about asking to post some of his pictures here but it would make the rest of mine look so bad I decided to send you there instead. There is so much more that you missed out on if you weren’t at Catalyst. You might want to check out others who’ve blogged about the event. Here’s a list of bloggers  who recorded their insights and experiences. You can also purchase resources, or just come over, I’d love to have an excuse to talk about it more and have someone to watch the DVD’s with, especially for the sessions I missed during my book signing.  Better yet, check out future Catalyst conferences.  The folks at Catalyst are taking the experience on the road. Look for one day conferences as well as a brand new west coast conference. Find out more here . In the theme of this year’s Catalyst, share your best leadership resources as we’re all in this ~Jennifer