Catalyst Friday

Catalyst Friday… while I hate to leave ya’ not sure how much I can take.

Tad Agoglia shared about his amazing rapid response ministry – First Response Team of America. Very interesting how God can take the skill and equipment of a multi-millionaire crane operator and creatively make it cool for the Kingdom! BTW, anyone looking to give me a super cool gift – I’ll take one of Tad’s hovercrafts.

Perry Noble brought it! Perry again – I sat in on his lab last year – brought his self-proclaimed “dumb redneck” message to the stage, and God used him like a silver tongue prophet! Perry opened up the words of 1 Kings 17 with a fresh look at the good of going through a dry spell – those times in our spiritual journeys whereas we seem burdened and want to hang it up.  While the brook was dry God still reigned providing food through the ravens.

Gabe Lyons provided me great reason to read his new book The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America. His talk also echoed much of what Tim Elmore references in Generation iY and was a great feeder for Craig Groeschel. While the next generation might be different, in God’s hands it might be better.

Craig Groeschel did it again. Craig hit me in the gut a couple years ago. I read his book The Christian Atheist and still see my head spin and heart wrench reading it. Catalyst 2010 talk did not disappoint. The “slap-in face line” was “if you are not dead you are not done.” This challenge was offered directly to the older generation of Christians who seek retirement from living their faith and forgetting the mantle passing Elijah made to Elisha. This talk calls for its own post – Let’s Get Together, Generationally Speaking

Bishop T.D. Jakes surprised me. I rally did not know what to expect. The little I have read left me skeptical; gratefully God worked for me to hear the Spirit-filled word Jakes delivered. Three great quotes:

People who hang on the corner limit their worldview to the corner.

The church will not exist if it stays on the corner of the community.

If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always got.

Fruit is born when differences come together.

That’s just a sample from Catalyst Friday. The talks were just as or more amazing than Catalyst 2009. Again, very grateful the experience and the ability to be away. Thanks to the good people of Cokesbury United Methodist Church for stepping up while I was away, and for Jed Poston keeping the presence of God in front of the people Wednesday night.