(Technical note: I had intended to post this yersterday, but lost most of it when I tried to save it. Rrrrggghhh! So, I opted to go to bed and try again today. :)
We managed to stagger home from Atlanta at 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning. After a few hours sleep it was back up and moving Jean's Mom and Dad into their apartment here in Indy (Thanks again, Ben, for your help with the Crane Bros. Moving Co.) So, I've been in an out of consciousness all weekend, given the lack of sleep (to put it in perspective, I'm not sure if I'm going to make it through the whole Colts game on SNF, if that tells you anything.)
As promised, I wanted to provide a few highlights from the final day of Catalyst on Friday. It won't do justice to the event, but at least, you'll have some sense of things from that day.
Dave Ramsey: Dave talked about the importance of momentum. He shared his formula for developing momentum, which is, Focused Intensity, over Time, multiplied by God = Unstoppable Momentum. Related to momentum, he also emphasized the importance of excellence. As he said, the markeplace will not respect you if you don't bring excellence. (From personal experience, this is an area that many churches struggle with, and often, they don't even realize there is a problem.) Finally, Dave challenged the audience to be focused on those things that really matter. An important reminder of where our attention should always be.
"Dude, Perfect": Perhaps you've seen these guys on YouTube. It's a group of college guys down at College Station, TX who started filming trick basketball shots almost by accident. They have become such viral hits on YouTube that they are now more intentional with their hobby, attempting to use their new platform to promote a Cause bigger than themselves. (During the interview with two of the brothers from the group, they showed a video that was actually taken at Catalyst in which one of them sat on the front row on the floor of the arena and threw a basketball backwards into a basketball hoop across the arena. Swish! :)
Chuck Swindoll: He received the Catalyst Lifetime Leadership award, and then gave a powerful talk that focused on what he has learned in his more than 50 years in leadership. He offered so much great content that I can't help but bring more than a highlight here. One of the first things he shared was "10 Things I Have Learned During 50 Years in Leadership": 1. It's lonely to lead. 2. It's dangerous to lead. 3. It's hardest at home. 4. It's essential to be real--Don't fake it. 5. It's painful to obey--God will take you out of your comfort zone. 6. Brokenness and failure are necessary. 7. My attitude is more important than my action. 8. Integrity eclipses image. 9. God's way is always better than my way. 10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.
Swindoll also shared "5 Statements Worth Remembering During Your Next 50 Years": 1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone. 2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity. 3. Wherever you do, do it the same as if you were among those who know you best. 4. Whoever may respond (either positively or negatively), keep a level head. 5. However long you lead, keep dripping with gratitude and grace--Stay thankful and gracious.
Louie Giglio: He focused his talk on the fundamental understanding that true leadership among Christian leaders is about knowing and following Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter if you're in the race if you don't know where you're doing. Key Question: "Where are you going? He also shared this quote from Thomas Merton,
"Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire."
Andy Stanley: He wrapped up the day and the event with a very practical talk about building an environment of trust among your leadership team and organization. For example, when someone makes a mistake, you have a choice. You can either believe the best about that person and the situation or you can assume the worst. He pointed out that trust fuels productivity and enables the organization to move faster. Most importantly, developing a culture of trust begins with the leader. To develop a culture of trust, leaders must be trustworthy.
Stanley posed these questions for personal reflection concerning this issue of trust: 1. Are there people in your organization you have a difficult time trusting? 2. Is it your issue or theirs? 3. What can you do about your part? 4. What do you need to address with them about their part? 5. Who do you sense has a difficult time trusting you? Why? 6. What can you do about it?
Well, there was a lot more to the conference, but this should give us all some food for thought. I have one more experience at this year's Catalyst that for me was the most moving part of the entire event. But it will have to wait for a blog post all its own. 
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