On Your Mark - Catalyst 2009

Picture 001 - Francis Chan bringing the thunder on the first night of Catalyst

Picture 002 - My friend Anne Jackson (author of Mad Church Disease) at a break

Picture 003 - Tony Dungy just after he spoke about his faith and the importance of being a godly Father

Picture 004 - The Limo that picked us up and dropped us off curbside on the morning of the first day

Picture 005 - Our entourage - me, wally, rob and rick with some other Catalyst peeps

How can you describe something that is indiscribable? How can you put words to life transformation?

This is honestly how I feel after my third Catalyst Conference. Not only was the speaker lineup phenominal (Andy Stanley, Malcolm Gladwell, Rob Bell, Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, Dave Ramsey, Tony Dungy, Chuck Swindoll, Louie Giglio, Priscilla Shirer, Josh Hamilton, Shane Hipps) but the time with my three fellow travellers was awesome. It was great to be able to process what we were hearing with them and hear how God was speaking to them. Here are just a few of the statements that really made an impact on me...

"Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living" - Chuck Swindoll

"The gospel is something to be gardened not something to be guarded." - Shane Hipps

"When you obey God, you won't want anybody elses life." - Rob Bell  (His session was the best by far)

"Immaturity is revealed when God beckons us to deeper waters and we lie and debate why we can't go" - Matt Chandler

"We try and box God with arms that never reach." - Priscilla Shirer

"When you release the burdens of your future, you let God to move in powerful ways." - Louie Giglio

"Trusting is risky, refusing to trust is riskier." - Andy Stanley.

If you are a leader in ministry, business, church - you need to be at Catalyst 2010 in Atlanta. I will be there!

Matt