It’s that time again! Time to roll out an early pre-roadtrip edition of Catalyst For Dummies! This is the complete idiots guide about how…well, not to be an idiot at Catalyst! I’ll be doing some live blogging and sharing other little tidbits during the week as well so stay posted all week for pure Catalyst awesomeness.

Catalyst For Dummies: Before You Leave

1. Killer Tunage Is Essential

Seriously, this is probably the most important thing for any road trip (almost as important as mapping out rest stops after you’ve drank 4 cups of coffee to wake up). So before you leave be sure to load up your iPod with plenty of cool jams. Here’s a few suggestions:

• Catalyst Roadtrip Podcast (what better way to start off your trip and get excited for Catalyst?
• Hope Rising by Fee (just released today)
• The Outsiders by Needtobreathe (amazing album)
• Half Light by Athlete
• Ocean Eyes by Owl City

2. Pack Extra Socks

Extra socks and underwear are important for those who will be sharing the vehicle with you on the long ride back Friday night when you’ve been sweating all day.

While you’re packing those extra socks, remember to bring a few extra for Atlanta flood victims. Catalyst wants to serve the city of Atlanta by bringing items & gift cards through Hope Atlanta & Convoy of Hope. They will be collecting items for flood victims, as well as needed resources for SafeHouse Outreach, an inner city homeless ministry in Atlanta.

Donated items & gift cards will be collected in bins around the Arena as well as at the Convoy of Hope truck, which will be parked near the entrance to the Arena. All Catalyst attendees are asked to bring the following items in the list to the right.

3. Tweeting Is Cool

I’m seriously hoping that by now you’ve discovered the joys of Twitter. If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and sign up for an account before you get to Atlanta. You’ll regret it if you don’t. Trust me.

Here’s a few great people to follow:

• Official Catalyst Twitter
• Anne Jackson
• Carlos Whittaker
• Jon Acuff
• Pete Wilson
• Michael Hyatt
• John Saddington
• Kent Shaffer
• And of course, yours truly

Remember, the official hashtag for this year’s Catalyst is #cat09 (don’t know what a hash tag is?).

4. Bring Your Bible

And I’m not just talking about the one that has your name embossed in gold letters on the front cover that you got from your Youth Pastor when you graduated. I’m talking YouVersion. You’ll want to have the latest version installed on your smart phone to take advantage of live updates, polls, speaker notes and much more.

Keep checking back for more Catalyst For Dummies updates this week.

What did I miss? What is an essential element of your Catalyst road trip?