Catalyst 2010

Last week was Catalyst- one of America’s largest Christian conferences for young leaders, and I made the trek out to Atlanta. Just wanted to share my two cents on what God has been teaching me since:

  1. Our focus should never rest on a particular conference or leader. Our focus should always be on Christ who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Don’t expect a conference to do something for you. It is the God of the conference who brings change and transforms life. It is easy to get caught up in the hype of an event but we should be careful to not miss the God who sometimes appears in the silence.
  2. I realized I’m not as conformist as I thought I was. DVT and skinny jeans don’t really excite me. DVT used to mean deep-vein thrombosis. Now it means Deep V-neck Tee’s. Shoot me if you see me attempt that combination.
  3. Being around 13,000 passionate Kingdom agents will definitely stir up your heart. When you see and hear the story of how one person discovered the purpose of God in his life and went on to bring clean drinking water to 1.27 million people in 17 countries, it moves you to think you can accomplish God’s unimaginable purpose for your life, no matter how unbelievable it seems. Ordinary people like you and I, with an extra-ordinary vision serving and unbelievable God.
  4. Networking is HUGE: We are meant for community. Our desire to live, love and serve is best enhanced by others who share the same passion. We live in an age of instant connectivity. There just isn’t a good enough excuse to not be connected to someone who shares your passion and desire to see the Kingdom of God extended.
  5. A good friend put it like this, “The first time I attended Catalyst, I left with more of a spiritual weight than a spiritual high”. You don’t have to always feel like you can conquer the world. You just have to know that you can. A spiritual high is temporary. A spiritual burden becomes a part of who you are. Allow such burdens to sink in.
  6. Tension is good.  Certain tension is required to get you to your destination. Without tension, a mountain climber can never reach the peak. Eliminating tension is not the answer; managing the tension is.

    Take time to ask God to identify what tensions are necessary in your life. Manage them effectively.

    Catalyst |ˈkatl-ist|: noun: a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. The never changing, never failing transforming power of Christ can serve as the catalyst to your life.