It's not Willow (Encore)

At breakfast last week, I was talking with a friend about the Catalyst conference this October in Atlanta and told him I would send him the blog post I entered last October after returning from the conference.

I have been sitting here tonight creating some new blog posts and watching / listening to some of the worship music from last October's conference.

The music has been getting me excited and I decided to read that post again. Needless to say I am looking forward to Catalyst.

The Catalyst Conference for the next generation of leaders is just two months away. If you haven't been to Catalyst you should go. Try it once to see what it's like.

If you don't know what I'm talking about go to: http://www.catalystconference.com/

For me Catalyst is challenging and inspiring and helps me recharge.

Hope to see you there!

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It’s Not Willow. Posted 10/8/07

Several times I have made the comment that if you want to be a church like Willow Creek then you go to Willow Creek events, training, seminars, etc.

For the sake of full disclosure I have never been to Willow for any reason. I will probably get there at some time but I am not in a hurry.

You should also know that I am a contrarian by design and by DNA. Some people who know me might just say that I am a pain in the butt. That would be my wife too.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with Willow or what they do. I’m not interested in going because that’s where it seems everyone goes. I do that straight line conclusion thing and assume we will all become Willow types.

I think we are called to be different. Cutting Edge as many say.

Cutting edge requires change. Another word is transformation. Then if that is the case we need to go where the transformational leaders hang out.

That’s Catalyst. The speakers, the messages, the music, the atmosphere are all designed to transform people.

Jesus and the disciples were about change. That’s what we have to do. At a Catalyst Lab Brad Powell from Michigan stated that the answer to all the questions he was asking, save one, was change.

That other question, who makes up the church, had the answer of people. So in order to change the church the people have to change.

Leaders themselves need to be willing to change and make that transformation and then we can help others who make the decision to change. We can’t change them, only encourage and lead them.

I was most impacted at Catalyst by:

Francis Chan – Francis left the Ministry for a while and he reminded us God chose us and to not doubt our calling. In Jeremiah God basically said suck it up and move on. I believe God spoke to me through this message because prior to going to Catalyst I told my wife I didn’t know why I was going and that I thought that I should stop doing all the church stuff.


Craig Groeschel – Craig admitted that his public life was different from his personal life. That he was going through the motions. He had prayed for God to disturb him (from a poem by Sir Francis Drake) and he then prayed for God to disturb us. We had a lively discussion at lunch and it was evident that God had disturbed us in some areas that we struggle with. Craig also encouraged us to pray for God to disturb us.


Rick Warren – said we need to get out and do things by engaging the culture not just be comfortable sitting in the church. He prayed for God to ‘use us’ and not in an easy or simple way. He encouraged us to pray for God to use us.

The reason I related with these speakers is because they have lived through what they talked about. That’s spiritual authenticity.

I can follow a leader who gets bloody and dirty, lives for a purpose and follows God. Can you say JESUS?

Jesus, disturb me, use me and help me to be more like you. Amen.