History in the Making

The Fear of Man

Every morning, I pray the same prayer: "God, let me fear only you today." It's not that I actually fear other people. It's that I wage secret campaigns against them, rather than speak openly and honestly.

What are the signs of fearing man?

• The fake laugh
• Being a "yes man"
• Blending in with the crowd
• Not being true to my passions
• Not speaking truth at my own risk
• Putting on a fake persona

Ouch. Right?

I'm so Ronery

Last week, most of the Catalyst crew was at One Day. This week, it's Thanksgiving. For two weeks in a row, the Catalyst offices are barren. [In the voice of Casey Casem:] So for all of you lonely people out there, working at the office while everyone else takes off... this song's for you.

Love Affair With LEDs

Notice how projection screens are getting smaller and smaller? Went to a Coldplay show where the screens were like -- are you kidding me? -- small. Enter the LED. Catalyst has been creeping higher and higher in our use of LED screens, but took the cake in October with a monstrous 360-degree screen center stage. Thought we were big-time until watching the AMA's on Sunday night: An LED wall. We have video designers now who won't even touch projected video. Give it seven years, and the video projector will be like the overhead projector in the church. Obsolete.

The New Storytellers...

Are sociologists. I don't know if I'm just becoming more interested in sociology... or if they're just becoming better storytellers. Just picked up Malcolm Gladwell's new book Outliers, which will sit alongside Sway, The Black Swan, The Tipping Point, The Starfish and the Spider... as my favorites. Absolutely fascinating book.

Revolution Church

Visited Gary Lamb's Revolution Church yesterday with the fam and had a great time. The 10:30 service was pa~acked, but Ainsley and I sat in the third row, which turned out to be "the dawg pound." Amazing worship, children's ministry and portable environment. Gary's introduction included content I can't repeat here on the blog, =) but let's just say he's doing an amazing job reaching people far from God. Had a great time with the Lambs at lunch and then a quick visit to Revolution's new facility.

Winner of a Free GPS System

The Catalyst crew calling to congratulate the winner of our first GPS System - Courtney Pierce, a missionary in Haiti.

Our Most Expensive, Uneventful Night

So Ainsley and I got a babysitter on Saturday night to go out on a date for the first time in ages. Ains has wanted to see the movie Twilight since reading the books. So we set-up the boys, rushed off to the theater, and settled in for the vampire romance with our popcorn and candy... when the phone vibrated. Dylan had taken a spill into the coffee table and scared the babysitter with his bleeding, which resulted in her DIALING 911. We rush home to find Gwinnett County's finest in our kitchen... a few scratches on Dylan... and ourselves out $75. (fume)

Second Time Around Planting

Eight years ago, I was transitioning from a staff job as a collegiate pastor... to becoming a church planter. At the time, my ministry friends were highly curious about what Ainsley and I were doing. I remember thinking, "This is great; they're all going to join us!" Yeah... not so much. =)

They all went onto plant churches of their own, and we had a "band of brothers" thing going for a while. But now I've moved onto Catalyst, and many of them are planing their second churches! I got off the train, but these guys are taking their experience and repackaging it into a fresh start:

• Tally Wilgis is moving from Va Beach to Baltimore to start Captivate Church
• Robb Overholt is joining Vince Antonucci to start Verve in Las Vegas
• Jay Hardwick moved from one part of SC to another to start Awaken Church

Big Addition to Catalyst West

I mis-typed a blog post about a week ago, so I wanted to clarify: Dr. Ravi Zacharias (the world's leading Christian apologist) and his daughter Naomi (who run Wellspring International) will be at Catalyst west on April 22-24. Can  I get a wha-wha?

Faith-Killers

Failures and set-backs are faith-killers. The important question is whether they're killing my faith in God... or my faith in me.

Interview with Steven Furtick

Got to sit down with Steven Furtick backstage at Catalyst to interview him with my long-time friend Tim Willard. It's on the current Catalyst podcast.

Close But No Departure Board

So I have the best research assistant in the world. I was musing about how it would be great to have one of those huge, train station departure boards in the lobby at Mariners for Catalyst west to highlight our theme: You Are Here. Alas, I deem the task too impossible and move on...

But Jesse Phillips, the Catalyst blogger and special projects guru, ignores my glass-half-empty thinking... and actually finds one on Ebay! Ah, but just minutes too late. Someone else snatched it up for a mere $560. Nonetheless, this experience taught me one thing:: never say never.

Your Church is a Gift Colony

Spent the weekend writing about how God uses different churches to serve different purposes within a community. Whether we like it or not, we tend to "colonize" around leaders who share our same spiritual giftedness. So, for example, a strong teaching church will attract other teachers and the congregation takes on a very academic approach to faith. Outreach churches not only attract lost people, but those with the gift of evangelism. Mercy churches attract people who either need or love to bestow grace. And so on.

Church planters run into difficulty when they try to occupy a niche already mastered by another established church. I believe God calls church planters to contribute something different than the town's other churches, to reach people they're not already reaching.

Before you flame me, think about it...

What do other churches in your town do better than yours?
Now, how is your church different? What is your unique identity?

Our People Called His People

I'm not able to go this week, but the first Catalyst One Day is premiering on Thursday, November 20, at Granger Community Church in Indiana. I don't know how we did it, but we managed to get Andy Stanley AND Tom Cruise to speak at the same event. Steve Fee is leading worship.

(I seemed to have upset a few people last week by Photoshopping Chris Tomlin into a personal photo. So as not to cause anyone to stumble, please note that I did the same with Tom Cruise's photo in this image. He will not actually appear at the event. =)

Am I Ready for Tragedy?

This weekend, I was hurting for three young couples who are suffering through some tragedy in their lives regarding children. A special needs child in the womb, a sudden infant death, and infertility. As a parent, I grieve on a whole other level when I hear about these things. And I admire so much the faith it requires to press on...

These stories raised some big questions for me over the last few days: Am I prepared for tragedy in my own life? Have I undergirded myself with the right spiritual foundation? Have I sufficiently drawn near to God before the trials come? Because they will.

A New Kind of Creativity

Years ago, I attended Catalyst for the first time and was smitten. When I stepped out of the rental car and made my way to Gwinnett Arena, a Catalyst greeter asked for my name. She must have radioed ahead because when I entered the registration area, dozens of screaming "fans" were calling out my name, asking for autographs, taking photos. Talk about an experience.

I'm not just a Catalyst staffer. I'm also a client. =)

Here are some of the areas we're starting to explore for future.

• Overseas.
• New audiences that have never even heard of Catalyst.
• Higher levels of experience. This is, after all, what most distinguishes us.
• A new kind of creativity. Not just flavor changes. But a whole new dessert.
• Experimental gatherings. Smaller crowds. More interactive.
• Stronger relationships with our community. We're not just an event anymore.
• Better partnerships. With creatives. With sponsors. With other organizations.

I Reorganize Organizations for Fun

 In my Moleskine. With sketches and lists. Doesn't matter what it is. Churches. Businesses. Conferences. Marketing plans. I can't help but see the world through systems.

It's like the Sixth Sense for me all the time.

I see "dead structures."

Nobody asks me to do it. And I don't offer it. But inefficient systems bother me. It's a stewardship thing, really. They're like sails on a race car. You can get where you need to go, but just not as fast.

It's Not the Meeting I Hate, It's the Deliberation

When I'm with leaders, I ask questions.
When I read books, I jot down questions.
I even scribble questions in magazines.
I carry my Moleskine mostly for questions.
But I introvert my brainstorming function...

In meetings, I try to end as few sentences as possible with a "?".

You Can't Pull and Push at the Same Time

Everyone likes a good "pull" marketing strategy. The idea that your idea would spread on its own, draw people, create demand, be exclusive. That you don't have to call people, place ads, or bait them.

But "pull" strategies don't work if you add "push." Not even a little bit. The pull is allergic to the push. It's pushtose intolerant. And pull people can sniff out a push every single time.

But pull is risky. Marketers start off with pull, and then get scared that it's not enough. So they add push and they're right back where they started... with everybody else.

Origins + Catalyst

Origins is preparing 15 breakouts for the first day of Catalyst on Wednesday, April 22, that will push the standard for innovation. The main auditorium at Mariners will get a creative make-over for an opening session with Erwin McManus, and then you'll have 3 choices of 15 sessions throughout the day. Dan Kimball, Blake MyCoskie, Alan Hirsch, Dave Gibbons, and Margaret Feinberg are just a few... $99.