I’ve been reading and re-reading my notes from Catalyst this year and I keep coming back to this one challenge issued by Craig Groeschel in his main session on Friday. It’s one of those kind of statements that just slap you in the face because you know God is speaking directly to you with a huge megaphone.

In his advice to young leaders, Craig said,

Don’t overestimate what God wants to do through you in the short term.

Don’t underestimate what God wants to do through you in the long term.

As young leaders, we’re so tempted to expect God to work on our fast-paced schedule. We’re not interested in slow-roaster approaches, we want a microwave.

The flip side to that coin is that because we are so focused on right now, we lose sight of just how big our God is and how much He wants to do through us in the years to come. Someone once told me, you can either view time as an obstacle or a part of the process.

What do you think of Craig’s challenge? Are you guilty of setting your sights too high in the short-term and dreaming too small for your future?

Tweeting At Catalyst

There’s going to be plenty of people Tweeting at Catalyst. If you have a smart phone with a Twitter application like TweetDeck you may want to set up a column to track all Catalyst Twitter activity. Remember, the official hashtag for this year’s Catalyst is #cat10 (what the heck is a hashtag?).

Catalyst Backstage

Even if you can’t make it to Catalyst this year, you can still be a part by checking out CatalystBackstage.com which just went live yesterday! It will feature a live stream of the conference with special back-stage interviews with speakers and other special guests. Hats off to John Saddington and the fine folks over at 8Bit for the great site.

Catalyst Mobile Site

I’m especially excited about the Catalyst Mobile Site this year! You can find the mobile site at http://m.catalystconference.com – you’ll want to bookmark that on your mobile browser so you can have quick access to all the important details like schedule, book signings, restaurants and Twitter feed.

I love the idea of a mobile site for Catalyst, let’s just hope we can get some improved 3G and wireless Internet access in the Gwinnett this year!

Catalyst For Dummies: Before You Leave

1. What To Listen To

What is a road trip without stuff to listen to, right? As with any good trip, you’ll need a variety of listening material – upbeat tunes to wake you up in the morning and get you going, teaching podcasts to learn along the way and some worship music to prepare yourself. Here’s a few of my recommendations:

• Catalyst Roadtrip Podcast – every year they release a special road trip edition of the podcast for the drive
• Ragamuffin Soul – A great worship album from blogger and Catalyst contributor Carlos Whittaker
• Catalyst Music Project – a new release from last year (learn more at CatalystMusicProject.com)
• Noisemakers Sampler - phenomenal album sampler from Noisetrade artists helping to benefit the incredibly cool NoiseTrade service.
• Children of Light – This worship album from LifePoint Illuminate will blow your socks off. I especially love I See The Poor

2. What You Can Bring

Every year Catalyst puts together a list of things to bring that will be donated to Convoy of Hope and other ministries. The list this year includes gift cards, socks, towels, canned goods and NIV Bibles.

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.

3. Tie Up Your Loose Ends

If you want to get as much as you can out of Catalyst, you’ll need to disconnect as much as possible from work responsibilities and pesky obligations. I’ve been to Catalyst before where I had to keep jumping out to take phone calls or return emails. It’s no fun. Set up an auto-reply on your email and update your voicemail to let people know you’ll get back to them on Monday. Get as much taken care of before you leave as you can and then let the rest wait.

4. Stay In Touch

You’re going to meet a LOT of people at Catalyst – at the Lab Sessions, during breaks or at special meetups like the Bloggers Meetup I’m hosting. It’s a good idea to have something that you can hand out with your name on it like a creatively designed MooCard or your business card. Or, if you’re of the smartphone persuasion, be sure to install the Bump app on your iPhone or Droid to easily swap contact info – it’s how geeks stay in touch these days.

Did I miss something? What are the essential elements for your Catalyst road trip?

A few changes this year…

New Location

First of all, the Loafing Leprechaun – a restaurant we had come to love in the two brief years we were there – has closed up shop. Fortunately though, we have a new location that is almost as close. This year we will be meeting at The Arena Tavern which is still within walking distance for those who are coming from the Catalyst Labs.

Benefiting Thrive Africa!

We also decided to change one more thing this year. I know many of you enjoyed the swag bags you got last year at the Meetup (and we’re so thankful for all the publishers and record labels who provided them) but isn’t it “more blessed to give than receive?” Of course it is! That’s why this year we’re charging $5 per person with 100% of the ticket price going to my dear friend Alece Ronzino (@GritAndGlory) and her amazing ministry Thrive Africa. I’m so excited to be able to partner with Thrive and help them in their mission – all while having an enjoyable evening with other bloggers!

RSVP & Facebook Event Page

Every year so far we’ve had such an overwhelming response to this meetup that we’ve had to turn people away once we filled up. All of the details are on the  BloggersMeetup.org web page including a page to purchase your tickets for this years Meetup before we run out of spots! To officially RSVP and see who else is coming, go to our Facebook Event Page.

Here are a few pictures from last year’s meetup.

Hope you can make it! Remember, RSVP on our Facebook Page and go to BloggersMeetup.org to get your tickets before they’re all gone!

That’s right. I’m giving away
1 FREE CATALYST EVENT & LAB TICKET!!

The great folks at Catalyst have graciously given me one event and lab ticket to give away to BradRuggles.com readers. If finances have held you back from buying that ticket or you just needed that little extra nudge, here’s your chance.

Catalyst will be in Atlanta October 7-8 this year with the Labs taking place the day before on October 6. You can read more about the event at CatalystConference.com.

CONTEST DETAILS:

1. Only 1 entry per person
2. The winner will receive 1 individual event ticket ($319 value) and 1 Lab Ticket ($129 value)
3. Please don’t enter if you already have your tickets. If you know someone else who wants to go, tell them about the giveaway and let them enter.
4. Check your calendar and please make sure you’ll actually be able to go before entering
5. The contest winner is responsible for their own transportation and lodging (but if you win I may be able to recommend some good hotel pricing)

To enter simply leave a comment below with your name. The winner will be selected at random and announced Monday, September 13. If you’re already going but know someone who isn’t be sure to tell them about this giveaway and send them here to enter.

Tweet about this giveaway and you’ll be entered a second time into the contest doubling your chances to win!

WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations Josh Roberts for winning a FREE Catalyst Lab & Main Event Ticket!! His number was chosen at Random using Random.org.

Catalyst, for those of you who don’t know, is a leadership event in Atlanta where 13,000 young leaders will converge to hone their leadership abilities. It features high-octane speakers (this years speakers include Andy Stanley, Seth Godin, TD Jakes, Craig Groeschel, Francis Chan, Beth Moore, Perry Noble, charity: water founder Scott Harrison), powerful worship, innovative programming, and an experience unlike any other.

Why I Am Such A Believer In Catalyst

The year was 2004 and I was attending my first Catalyst in Atlanta. I came out of a legalistic past with a whole lot of baggage and misconceptions. My stereotypes of the church were shattered at Catalyst that year as I experienced just how diverse and amazing the body of Christ is.

In the Gwinett arena, thousands of people with diverse backgrounds, denominations and theology joined together to worship and grow as leaders. The little box I had put God’s church in all of a sudden didn’t fit.

Catalyst 2004 was a milestone for me in my Christian walk. It permanently changed me as a leader. Every Catalyst I’ve attended since then has had a profound impact on my walk with God and growth as a leader.

And that’s why I want you to go with me this year. If you’ve never been to Catalyst, 2010 is the perfect year to go. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with over 13,000 next generation leaders in a fully immersive, learning and creative experience.

Best Rate Ends THURSDAY!

The Catalyst Conference this year is October 6-8. The Best Rates on Catalyst tickets end this Thursday, August 26th, so register now. Call 888.334.6569 to speak to a Catalyst Concierge, or register online at www.catalystconference.com. You can use Rate Code FOB for an additional 10% discount off your ticket price. Catalyst will sell out, so make sure and register early!

I’m looking forward to another amazing year this year at Catalyst and can’t wait to meet you there.

P.S. - Stay tuned for information on this year’s Blogger Meetup!

Will you be at Catalyst this year?

I’ll be at the Cultivate conference in Chicago on October 27. This event could probably better be described as “organized conversations” rather than conference since the discussions will be driven by the groups in the various breakout sessions. These sessions will be facilitated by some of the best and brightest minds in church creativity including Kem Meyer, Carlos Whittaker, Jon Acuff, Brad Abare, Terry Storch, Cynthia Ware and Bobby Gruenwald among others.

Myself and fellow designer Michael Buckingham will be leading a discussion for one of the Cultivate sessions on creativity. Here’s the Twitter-style description of our session in 160 characters:

Jesus hates Papyrus and so do you…join other creatives as we talk about overcoming creative blocks, pitching ideas and dealing with criticism without going postal.

It’s going to be a great session with some fun stories and, hopefully, great ideas you can learn from other creatives. I’m looking forward to an amazing event and tons of creative conversations.

As an added creative-shot-in-the-arm, immediately following the Cultivate conference is STORY (previously posted about here). This promises to be another amazing event examining stories and how we, as communicators, can tell them better.

Will you be at Cultivate or STORY? If so let me know so I can look for you while I’m there.

Catalyst For Dummies: Post-Event Tips

1. Turn Ideas Into Actions

It doesn’t matter how many pages of notes you take, if you don’t put anything into action you might as well tear up your ticket. Chances are that God used one or two specific sessions to convict you about something you need to change or do. Don’t put it off! Set a date to have it done by or talk to a mentor about keeping you accountable. The longer you wait after a conference is over to act on what you’ve learned, the greater the chances are that those important things you were supposed to act on fade from your memory.

2. Follow Up With People You Meet

For me, Catalyst is as much about networking and meeting new people as it is learning new leadership principles. If you were able to make it to the Bloggers Meetup on Wednesday you undoubtedly met tons of new people. Hopefully you were able to get contact information from the people you connected with throughout the week. Don’t let those cards just sit in your desk drawer. Send a short follow-up email this week to start developing the relationship while their face and conversation is fresh in your memory. Some of my best relationships have grown out of the emails or phone calls I’ve traded with people I’ve met at Catalyst.

Tip: When someone gives me their business card, I’ll often jot down a few notes on the back to help me remember details (example: met at Bloggers Meetup, he grew up in Florida, our mutual friend is John Phillips).

3. Tell YOUR Story

When you come off the high of an event like Catalyst it’s easy to come back home discouraged. You start thinking crippling thoughts: my leadership sucks, I could never do what they do, I don’t have the skills or resources to pull this off. It’s easy for thoughts like that to creep in after two or three days of emotional highs. However, as Jon Acuff reminded us, all of the stories we heard from speakers this past week – no matter how amazing they were – belong to them. You have your own story to tell. Don’t let the world be robbed of your story because you got too hung up comparing yourself to someone else. Take what you’ve learned, be encouraged and inspired, but tell your story. We need to hear it.

Were you at Catalyst 09? If so, what was your favorite part?

Which brings us to the social media experiment part. Yesterday as part of the kick-off to the conference Lanny asked the question, what could social media accomplish if thousands of people Tweeted a single hashtag and web site? Could it get someone on The Jay Leno Show? After making his pitch tens of thousands of people began to Tweet the hashtag #LannyOnLeno and the web site LannyOnLeno.com making it a top trending topic on Twitter for most of the day. We’ve been told by Leno’s camp that if enough people Tweet this hashtag over the next 96 hours Lanny will in fact be invited to make a guest appearance on Leno.

So here’s where you come in. Just for fun would you consider Tweeting about this over the next few days and trying to get as many people to ReTweet it as possible? There’s 3 things you can do:

3 Ways You Can Help Get Lanny On Leno

1. Tweet this from your Twitter account: #LannyOnLeno a 48-hr Twitter experiment 2 get @LannyDonoho on Leno http://LannyOnLeno.com (Pls RT)
2. Update your Facebook status to Help me get Lanny Donoho on the Jay Leno Show – post this status on your facebook & tell your friends http://lannyonleno.com
3. Email your friends and tell them about it (be sure to email them the link to this post)

I’ll keep you posted right here about the results of this social media experiment as it unfolds.

This was such an amazing talk. I’m sure I didn’t do it justice in this post. If you can you really need to hear this message when it comes out on CD or DVD.

Rob Bell – “10 Years Ago I Didn’t Get This”

• Is bigger better?
• John 6 – “…from this time on many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him…”
• Jesus had to confront many misconceptions the Jews had about who the Messiah was and what he was to do. When he told them about what the Messiah came to do many of the disciples said, “We can’t do that.”
• Sometimes the crowd thins and people leave.
• What would Jesus say to modern church growth experts who say “If you do A, B and C then this and this will happen”?
• Yes, sometimes there are large crowds but sometimes large groups leave. Sometimes the crowd thins and not everyone comes with you.
• Luke 21 – Jesus saw the rich giving large amounts and the poor widow giving a small amount. Even though the rich had given more money Jesus said that the poor widow had given more than all of them. More is not always more.
• Rob took a stab at magazines and organizations that rank churches according to their influence and creativity. “Really?” he said, “And this coming from people who claim to follow a man who said ‘The first will be last’?”
• Is the church in our culture known for its beautiful, self
• When you rank and break down a church into numbers and statistics you violate the bride of Christ and what she was meant to be.
• Have you had a deep dissatisfaction with what you’ve done? Are you carrying this burden for this thing you’re building for God? Have you stressed about the size of your church or organization? God wants to set you free from that.
• The ten commandments end with “You shall not covet.” Some people view this as more of a reward than a commandment – if you love God and seek him wholeheartedly you won’t want any other life than your own?
• Have you been observing a sabbath? Which day of the week are you busy doing nothing? Which day of the week have you set aside to feed your own soul so on the other six you have enough food to share with others? Which day of the week can you not be reached by phone or email?
• Does your spouse get your very best or does your spouse get what’s left over after you’ve given your best to the church? (personal note…holy crap! Talk about kicking you in the teeth!)
• If things are going well with the church but not with your family then they’re not doing well with either. They are inextricably linked. You ignore the one at the peril of the other.

Your thoughts?