Here are some of my highlights from the labs I attended on the first day of Catalyst (italicized the particularly strong statements I want to ruminate on) Scott McKnight - One.Life - To ignite a dream in a student is an incredible opportunity - Jesus traded in dreams --> and we need our dreams to be swamped by Jesus' dreams - "IMAGINE A WORLD LIKE THIS" could begin every kingdom parable Jesus told - "to be a writer, you have to like sentences" (a quote by Annie Dillard) - You have to do little things well and with faithfulness to plot the course for the DREAM God gives you - parable of the weeds and wheat --> let Jesus say what he says here...they are go grow together...the world is the field, the field is not the Church...but we like to rule people out, but Jesus says we are to co-exist together until the harvest - When Jesus says to love our enemies, we ask, "Who are our enemies?" --> Muslims, Homosexuals, Homeless --> we can tell they are our enemies because they are never in our homes
Rick McKinley – “A Kingdom Called Desire” - Matthew 13:44 à the one word that ruins me is “joy” à in his joy, he sold everything - Desire is that thing which makes us ask “Why WOULDN’T I do that?” - If I’m not honest with the places in me where I don't completely trust that Jesus is enough, then I can only fake it...you can fake it in church, but you cannot fake it in the kingdom - Jesus is intent on killing you and wrecking you SO THAT he can resurrect you anew - Most of us would trade our people for Pharisees any day of the week --> they do it right, they're easier to work with, they got the duty down...but THEY'RE PHARISEES - we're joining Jesus on mission, we're not creating mission...
Michael Hyatt - The Leadership Edge - Your heart is the key to influence as a leader - Your heart should be your #1 priority (Proverbs 4:23 says "above all else") - If you do not guard your heart, things will fail and fall around you - Your heart is the essence of your identity - Ask yourself the question frequently: "How is my heart?" (ask others the same) - Your heart is the most important leadership tool you possess....do you value it as such - closed heart: you're distant and aloof...communication shuts down...you're more interested in finding out what people have done wrong...you're critical and demanding - open heart: fully present, engaged in the conversation, communication is wide open, you are a resource to people, you're more focused on people than you are on yourself, NOT focused on finding what is wrong - people will emulate the leader whether he likes it or not...whether the leaders heart is open or closed
Anne Jackson - Permission to Speak Freely - The common denominator in the things people felt they could not talk about in the church was "brokenness" -Whatever is broken we tend to sweep under the rug - If we don't show the world that we are broken, how will they ever believe in a healer? - "vulnerable" comes from a word that means "to be wounded"
David Platt - Radical - Luke 9:57-62 --> doesn't it seem like Jesus is trying to talk these men out of following him? - Which is so unlike us...we spend so much time and effort trying to draw as many people as we can...each time a large crowd came to Jesus he says something HUGE about what it means to follow him - Unfortunately, Jesus did not have the advanced evangelism methods we have today *sarcasm* --> people turn away from the call He places on them, and he SEEMS to be alright with that - "Come to Jesus and get ________." --> if we fill that blank with anything but "Jesus" we preach a false gospel - We have come up with so much stuff to get us excited about Jesus...the Holy Spirit is doing just fine without all the resources we surround ourselves with in our Churches - Budget Season is where we come face to face with how little we trust God's word - When you know God truly you love God deeply