: CATALYST WEST :: APRIL 23-24, 2009 ::
Recently, I went to the CATALYST WEST conference in southern California. The conference was packed with great speakers. I took some notes on what they said and am putting them on my blog so that 1) I can re-evaluate what each speaker said and hopefully gain something from it, and 2) you might be able to gain something from my notes as well.
Here is the fourth installation.
:: Ravi Zacharias ::
Foundational Pillars
1) The Dimension of Eternity
2) The Dimension of Morality
-You Can never be righteous until you are redeemed. You can never worship until you have been righteous and redeemed.
-What you applaud, you encourage, but be careful of what you celebrate. What is the world asking us to celebrate?
3) The Dimension of Accountability
4) The Dimension of Charity
With Ravi, I was listening so intently because I had to in order to comprehend what he was saying. The thing that stood out to me most from his message was not even in my notes. He told a story:
Someone was telling Ravi about the first entirely postmodern building built in the United States. The person told him that the entire building was made without any purpose. The man raved about the building and the idea behind it. When he was done, Ravi simply asked one question, "Did the architect apply the same principle to the foundation?"
What is foundational in your life?
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Line 3 Believers
: CATALYST WEST :: APRIL 23-24, 2009 ::
Recently, I went to the CATALYST WEST conference in southern California. The conference was packed with great speakers. I took some notes on what they said and am putting them on my blog so that 1) I can re-evaluate what each speaker said and hopefully gain something from it, and 2) you might be able to gain something from my notes as well.
Here is the third installation.
:: Craig Groeschel ::
"I Was Taught And I Thought..."
Romans 12:2 - Don't be conformed to the pattern of the American church.
1) I was taught and I thought ... that the church should be a safe place. But I'm learning that the church needs to be dangerous again!
-Preach Christ! Preach dangerously.
-Don't trust the package, trust the power of the message of Jesus.
-So many people are cultural Christians but practical Atheists.
-Lukewarm pastors create/foster lukewarm churches.
2) I was taught and I thought ... my highest calling was to build my church, but I'm learning that my highest calling is to build His Kingdom.
-Are you more concerned with building our kingdom than building His Kingdom?
-Don't build your church on what you aren't, but what you are.
-Your church will never reach your entire community.
3) I was taught and I thought ... that success is only found in the big numbers, but I'm learning the scorecard is changing.
-Don't blame yourself for the decline or you'll be tempted to take credit for the increase.
-We need to see ourselves as a small church with a mega-vision.
-People don't want to join a mega-church, they want to join a mega-vision.
-How can we celebrate the numbers in our church when so many are lost?
What Line Believer are you?
Line 1 - I believe in the Gospel enough to benefit from it.
Line 2 - I believe in the Gospel enough to contribute comfortably.
Line 3 - I believe in the Gospel enough to give my life to it.
We need to be Line 3 believers!
I'm tempted to infuse my thoughts here, but I think Craig said it best, so I'll leave it at that.
Recently, I went to the CATALYST WEST conference in southern California. The conference was packed with great speakers. I took some notes on what they said and am putting them on my blog so that 1) I can re-evaluate what each speaker said and hopefully gain something from it, and 2) you might be able to gain something from my notes as well.
Here is the third installation.
:: Craig Groeschel ::
"I Was Taught And I Thought..."
Romans 12:2 - Don't be conformed to the pattern of the American church.
1) I was taught and I thought ... that the church should be a safe place. But I'm learning that the church needs to be dangerous again!
-Preach Christ! Preach dangerously.
-Don't trust the package, trust the power of the message of Jesus.
-So many people are cultural Christians but practical Atheists.
-Lukewarm pastors create/foster lukewarm churches.
2) I was taught and I thought ... my highest calling was to build my church, but I'm learning that my highest calling is to build His Kingdom.
-Are you more concerned with building our kingdom than building His Kingdom?
-Don't build your church on what you aren't, but what you are.
-Your church will never reach your entire community.
3) I was taught and I thought ... that success is only found in the big numbers, but I'm learning the scorecard is changing.
-Don't blame yourself for the decline or you'll be tempted to take credit for the increase.
-We need to see ourselves as a small church with a mega-vision.
-People don't want to join a mega-church, they want to join a mega-vision.
-How can we celebrate the numbers in our church when so many are lost?
What Line Believer are you?
Line 1 - I believe in the Gospel enough to benefit from it.
Line 2 - I believe in the Gospel enough to contribute comfortably.
Line 3 - I believe in the Gospel enough to give my life to it.
We need to be Line 3 believers!
I'm tempted to infuse my thoughts here, but I think Craig said it best, so I'll leave it at that.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Five and Nine
: CATALYST WEST :: APRIL 23-24, 2009 ::
Recently, I went to the CATALYST WEST conference in southern California. The conference was packed with great speakers. I took some notes on what they said and am putting them on my blog so that 1) I can re-evaluate what each speaker said and hopefully gain something from it, and 2) you might be able to gain something from my notes as well.
Here is the second installation.
:: Guy Kawasaki ::
10 Keys to Innovation
1) Make meaning.
2) Make mantra - Are there two or three words that can describe your church/ministry?
3) Jump to the next curve - If you design your [church] around what you (programming), you'll miss the next curve.
4) Roll the DICE
D = Deep
I = Intelligent
C = Complete
E = Elegant
E = Emotive
5) Don't worry, be crappy - get it out there, then perfect it.
6) Polarize people - it is impossible to please everyone. Something great creates controversy.
7) Let 100 flowers blossom
8) Churn baby, churn
9) Niche thyself - what makes our church unique and valuable?
10) Follow 10, 20, 30 rule
10 - optimal number of slides
20 - minutes for presentation
30 - size font
11) Don't let the bozos grind you down
"If you want to see what God thinks of money, look at who He gives it too."
Guy is a Christian who is well-known in the business world, having worked with Apple Computers for years before starting his own company.
Some of his points might not make much sense if you weren't at the conference to hear him elaborate on these points. Others might seem like they fit in a business model, but not a church. What I'll do is just focus on two of the points that I think we apply in a church setting most easily: #5 and #9 (with a little #6 mixed in).
5) Don't worry, be crappy. In ministry we often try to create the "perfect" (insert noun here - program, event, resource, etc). But what about those kids, students, adults who are in our ministry while we our work is still in progress? They miss out. Wouldn't it be better to give them a mediocre product and refine it, than to give them nothing at all?
9) Niche thyself. The value of a church is simple, it is the message of Christ. But in order to draw in outsiders*, our delivery must be unique. If people have avoided church thus far, why wait for them to change? We need to change the delivery to reach them. If we want to see our church be truly effective, we need to reach fewer people more completely, than reach people en masse superficially.
*Kinnaman, David. Unchristian: What a new generation really thinks about Christianity ... and why it matters.
Recently, I went to the CATALYST WEST conference in southern California. The conference was packed with great speakers. I took some notes on what they said and am putting them on my blog so that 1) I can re-evaluate what each speaker said and hopefully gain something from it, and 2) you might be able to gain something from my notes as well.
Here is the second installation.
:: Guy Kawasaki ::
10 Keys to Innovation
1) Make meaning.
2) Make mantra - Are there two or three words that can describe your church/ministry?
3) Jump to the next curve - If you design your [church] around what you (programming), you'll miss the next curve.
4) Roll the DICE
D = Deep
I = Intelligent
C = Complete
E = Elegant
E = Emotive
5) Don't worry, be crappy - get it out there, then perfect it.
6) Polarize people - it is impossible to please everyone. Something great creates controversy.
7) Let 100 flowers blossom
8) Churn baby, churn
9) Niche thyself - what makes our church unique and valuable?
10) Follow 10, 20, 30 rule
10 - optimal number of slides
20 - minutes for presentation
30 - size font
11) Don't let the bozos grind you down
"If you want to see what God thinks of money, look at who He gives it too."
Guy is a Christian who is well-known in the business world, having worked with Apple Computers for years before starting his own company.
Some of his points might not make much sense if you weren't at the conference to hear him elaborate on these points. Others might seem like they fit in a business model, but not a church. What I'll do is just focus on two of the points that I think we apply in a church setting most easily: #5 and #9 (with a little #6 mixed in).
5) Don't worry, be crappy. In ministry we often try to create the "perfect" (insert noun here - program, event, resource, etc). But what about those kids, students, adults who are in our ministry while we our work is still in progress? They miss out. Wouldn't it be better to give them a mediocre product and refine it, than to give them nothing at all?
9) Niche thyself. The value of a church is simple, it is the message of Christ. But in order to draw in outsiders*, our delivery must be unique. If people have avoided church thus far, why wait for them to change? We need to change the delivery to reach them. If we want to see our church be truly effective, we need to reach fewer people more completely, than reach people en masse superficially.
*Kinnaman, David. Unchristian: What a new generation really thinks about Christianity ... and why it matters.
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