All posts tagged Catalyst Conference

My 2011 Conference Notebook

This year I’ve attended nearly 20 conferences. Yes, 20. I’ve presented at some and blogged my notes from nearly all of them. If conference-going were a profession, I’m pretty sure I’d have that one nailed. I love conferences and the connections and conversation that happen at them. I believe they can be important moments for ideas to be shared that will hopefully lead to action and change.

I recently started doing “Conference Notebooks” as a simple way to compile notes from each conference I attended in PDF format. And as a Christmas gift to you, I have compiled some of the notes from key conferences I attended this year and am pleased to share my 2011 Conference Notebook with you. Continue reading →

37 Great Quotes from Catalyst

Catalyst brought together unique voices echoing the same message this year: be present.

In a chaotic world filled with distractions, one of the most important things a leader can do is to be present… to be focused and clear, and to be continually in God’s presence.

Below are some of the key quotes from the two-day conference. Don’t ask me how I picked 37… these were just a few of the key ideas that stood out to me. Check out my entire recap of all of the sessions in my Catalyst 11 Conference Notebook.

  • “The more successful you are, the less accessible you will become.” – Andy Stanley
  • “God doesn’t tell us to care for the less fortunate, He demands it.” – Katie Davis
  • “Greatness is a matter of conscious choice and discipline.” – Jim Collins
  • “We live in a culture full of hares; but the tortoise always wins.” – Dave Ramsey
  • “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.” – Andy Stanley
  • “Pray with reverence, not half-heartedness.” – Francis Chan
  • “Don’t be fair, be engaged.” – Andy Stanley
  • “Bad decisions taken with good intentions are still bad decisions.” – Jim Collins
  • “You need self-control in an out-of-control world.” – Jim Collins
  • “Fear in the mind causes stress in the body.” – Mark Driscoll
  • “The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change, innovate, or grow; it’s chronic inconsistency.” – Jim Collins
  • “Change your practices without abandoning your core values.” – Jim Collins
  • “The great challenge is how to marry creativity with discipline so that discipline amplifies creativity without destroying it.” – Jim Collins
  • “God’s presence is all that matters.” – Francis Chan
  • “All you have is a gift a to give.” – Cornel West
  • “When you are out of your comfort zone God can do what only He can do.” – Joel Houston
  • “Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy.” – Katie Davis
  • “Courage isn’t about knowing the path, it’s about taking the first step.” – Katie Davis
  • “Be an evangelist with your excellence.” – Dave Ramsey
  • “Do not let your life, ministry or organization go faster than your resources.” – Dave Ramsey
  • “If I could get a transcript of your prayers over the last month, what would be the one thing you kept praying for?” – Francis Chan
  • “Start small.” – Blake Mycoskie
  • “Make the most out of every single day you have on earth and be thankful for them.” – Blake Mycoskie
  • “Fear is not always a sin but it always is an opportunity.” – Mark Driscoll
  • “The problem with criticism today is that is instant, constant, global and permanent.” – Mark Driscoll
  • “Fear is vision without hope.” – Mark Driscoll
  • “Everything may not be OK but if God is with you, you will be OK.” – Mark Driscoll
  • “Hatred of injustice is not the same thing as a love for everyday people.” – Cornel West
  • “We are who we are because somebody loved us.” – Cornel West
  • “We can be guilty of being “in the church” when God is calling us to be “in the city.” – Bob Lupton
  • “Teamwork makes the dream work.” – Charles Jenkins
  • “The world needs the church that this generation is capable of creating.” – David Kinnaman
  • “We can see hope in the midst of hopelessness. We can see peace in the midst of chaos. We have a hope that the world does not have. We can see clearly… that all things work together for the good of them that love Him and are called according to His purpose.” – Priscilla Shirer
  • “God has gone before us so we can walk in the future He has for us.” – Priscilla Shirer
  • “Try to do for the next generation of church leaders what the previous generation of church leaders has not done for you.” – Andy Stanley
  • “Jesus is the hope of the world and the local church is the vehicle of expressing that hope to the world.” – Andy Stanley
  • “You job isn’t to fill other people’s cups. Your job is to empty yours.” – Andy Stanley

Priscilla Shirer :: Catalyst 11

Priscilla Shirer is a wife and mom first, but put a Bible in her hand and a message in her heart and you’ll see why thousands meet God in powerful, personal ways through her conferences and books. Through the expository teaching of the Word of God, she desires to see people not only know the uncompromising truths of Scripture intellectually but experience them practically by the power of the Holy Spirit.

While an undergraduate student in Houston chasing a career in television, Priscilla began to feel the tug of God on her heart to pursue ministry. An internship at a Christian radio station became the catalyst that God used to turn her heart towards His will. Priscilla began to receive requests to facilitate small Bible study groups and women’s events. Barely in her 20s, she would share simple truths of Scripture to women of all ages, denominations and backgrounds. After graduation, she continued her pursuit of a broadcast career while God continued a passionate pursuit of her heart to conform completely to His will.

For the past sixteen years, Priscilla has been in full-time ministry to women around the world. She and her husband Jerry have founded Going Beyond Ministries through which they participate in conferences hosted in city arenas that draw crowds in the thousands and produce materials to equip Christians for victorious living. She is the author of more than a dozen books and Bible studies including, Discerning the Voice of God, One In A Million: Journey To Your Promise Land, Life Interrupted: Navigating the Unexpected and the latest, The Resolution for Women (release September 2011).

Priscilla is passionate about ministry, but prioritizes her calling as wife and mother above all. Between writing and studying, she spends her days cleaning up after three fabulous boys: Jackson, Jerry Jr. and Jude.

  • It’s possible for us to sleep through entire seasons of our life.
  • If we’re not careful we can sleep-walk through life.
  • We can be there but not really be there… to not be fully present, engaged, or invested in what God has in store for us.
  • We can miss out on the gifts that God has for us in our current season of life.
  • There are several places in Scripture where people were completely unaware of God’s presence with them in the here and now.
  • Jacob – “surely the presence of God was here…”
  • People can be with God and not even be aware of it.
  • Our lives are filled with interruptions.
  • We can have plans for our lives, ministries, families, etc. but life has a way of interrupting it.
  • How can we be aware of God’s presence with us in the middle of an interrupted life?
  • We don’t want to wake up and realize that we had missed God.
  • If He is speaking, I don’t want to miss it.
  • If He’s handing out His blessing and pouring out His favor, I don’t want to miss it.
Secrets for Sleepwalkers
  • Luke 24
  • A couple of guys are distraught because their lives have been interrupted.
  • They had been hanging their hopes on Jesus but they were disgruntled and disillusioned because Jesus had been crucified.
  • Life had been completely interrupted.
  • “Behold” is an important marker in Scripture.
  • Writers used it to get people’s attention.
  • What happened before the word “hold” were going to take a turn.
  • It was a sign that God was going to invade their circumstances despite their disappointment.
  • Their story was about to change.

The Secret of Beholding

  • There is a secret of beholding.
  • Our eyes, as believers, can be opened to God’s activity even in the midst of our discouragement.
  • We can be completely blinded to God’s activity and the change that He’s doing in us.
  • God can do exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond all we can imagine.
  • The only reason God would gather us all here together is if we were on the precipice of a BEHOLD moment.
  • God wants to prepare us… He wants our eyes to be open.
  • We can see hope in the midst of hopelessness.
  • We can see peace in the midst of chaos.
  • We have a hope that the world does not have.
  • We can see clearly… that all things work together for the good of them that love Him and are called according to His purpose.
  • Keep your spiritual eyes open even when you would prefer to shut them.
There is a Secret in Going Home
  • The pinnacle of our Christian experience isn’t being gathered together with the masses.
  • The pinacle of our Christian experience is when we take everything we’ve learned and it’s mattered on the pavement of our everyday lives.
  • In the midst of our life interrupted, we can have a testimony… not of the God we heard about but the God we’ve experienced in our lives.
  • Jesus is the glory of God.
  • Everything we need has been clearly shown to us and developed before us in the pages of Scripture.
  • Everything you need Jesus is.
  • Knowing it is not enough… you’ve got to experience it.
  • The Holy Spirit was given so we could experience Him.
  • He wants us to know Him and walk with Him.
  • Take what you learn… don’t leave it… apply it in your everyday circumstances.
  • He is the breath of life.
  • He is the passover lamb.
  • He is the fire by night.
  • He is salvation’s choice.
  • He is our kinsman-redeemer.
  • He is sovereign.
  • He is a rebuilder of life.
  • He is wisdom.
  • He is the time and the season
  • He is the Prince of Peace.
  • He is the call from sin.
  • He is the stranger in the fire.
  • He is the forever faithful.
  • He is strong arms that carry us.
  • He is the promise of peace.
  • He brings revival.
  • He restores that which was once lost.
  • He is the healer.
  • That’s just a part of who He was in the Old Testament.
  • He is not just your God, He is your Messiah.
  • He is the grace of God.
  • He is the love of God.
  • He is the servant’s heart.
  • He is our King.
  • He is our mediator and faithful pastor.
  • He is our faithful Shepherd.
  • He is the lover coming for His bride.
  • He is the beginning and the end… the One who is and the One who will always be.
  • This word is meant for more than to be heard… it’s meant to live in the hands and hearts of those who hear it.
  • It’s good enough for everything we need.
  • God is indeed great.
The Secret of Silence
  • Control the words that come out of your mouth.
  • Their eyes could not see who Jesus was; but their mouths were working just fine.
  • All they could do was talk.
  • When Jesus finally spoke He said, “What are these words that are coming out of your mouth?”
  • If God is with you, you’ll want to be quiet… you’ll want to listen what He has to say.
  • Don’t rehearse the past.
  • Be alert. Be present.
  • Remember that God is doing something new.
  • There is power in your words.
  • What are the words coming out of your mouth?
  • What are you saying about your life, your ministry, your circumstance?
Closing
  • Stay on the path God has already set before you… He will place His light on it.
  • Reign in all of your desires and know there is someone who has gone before you to pre-light the path.
  • If your path isn’t lighting up, maybe you are following the wrong path.
  • God has gone before us so we can walk in the future He has for us.
  • May we seek the face and the glory of God and be fully present, not for our own glory but for the glory of our great God!

 

David Kinnaman :: Catalyst 11

David Kinnaman is the President of Barna Group.  He is the author of the best-selling book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity, and the Barna report, Teens and the Supernatural.

Since joining Barna in 1995, David has designed and analyzed nearly 500 projects for a variety of clients, including Columbia House, Compassion, Easter Seals, Habitat for Humanity, Integrity Media, InterVarsity, NBC-Universal, the Salvation Army, Sony, Thomas Nelson, Time-Life, Prison Fellowship, World Vision, Zondervan and many others.

As a spokesperson for the firm’s research, he is frequently quoted in major media outlets (such as USA Today, Fox News, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, and The Wall Street Journal). He is also in demand as a speaker about trends, teenagers, vocation and calling, young leaders, and generational changes.

The son of a lifelong pastor, David has served in various capacities within congregations he has attended, including working with teenagers, teaching, and providing strategic consulting. He graduated from Biola University (La Mirada, California), where he served as Student Chaplain.

David and his wife, Jill, live in Ventura, California, with their three kids.

  • David did research to ask why and how young people are leaving the church.
  • He went into the study assuming that people were leaving for the same reason.
  • They discovered there were three categories that people fall into:
    • Prodigal – the person who loses their faith.
    • Nomads – people who still call themselves Christians but no longer attend church.
    • Exiles – feels lost between the safe Christianity they grew up in and the culture they are called to impact
  • Why people were leaving…
    • They feel the church is too protected.
    • We are one of the most protected, sheltered generations.
    • The world is small, everything is closer.
    • They want to engage the world but feel that the church is too safe and too small.
    • They don’t see people in their churches taking the kinds of risks that they read about in Scripture.
    • We’re losing young artist, musicians and designers – they want to engage the world and engage culture but don’t feel we are allowing them to express their God-given creativity in broad culture.
    • They felt the church was anti-science.
    • More than half of church-going teenagers want to go into careers that involve science.
    • They feel many churches are silent or antagonistic towards issues of science.
  • Knowing this information helps us rethink and understand people’s spiritual journeys.
  • The world needs the church that this generation is capable of creating.
  • How do we respond?
  • This generation is asking new questions and living in a new culture.
  • How do we engage in the spiritual journey of the new generation to ensure the future of our faith?
  • How do we show them that the Church matters?