Back at the beginning of October, I went with my good friend, Christy, to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. Neither one of us had ever been before. We really had no idea what to expect, but we felt the Lord gently whispering to our hearts to go. I am so glad we listened! What an incredible experience! I mentioned in a previous post that Christy was able to get in touch with one of the event coordinators for the conference. He informed us that Catalyst is designed for people who are involved in any means of ministry or leadership in the church, but also for anyone who desires a deeper relationship with the Lord.
It was a tremendous gift to spend three days hearing from some of the most well respected pastors, business leaders, authors, activists and normal, everyday people just like you and me who are choosing to make a difference in the world around them. There were people from all 50 states and from 17 countries at Catalyst. We personally met people from Venezuela, Costa Rica, Canada, Ethiopia and the Philippines. I felt so blessed to only have a short four hour drive to be a part of something that people were willing to come across the world for.
We traveled down to Atlanta a day early for the Catalyst Labs. Labs offer a smaller environment designed to be more interactive and challenge your thinking. We had six sessions throughout the day, two sessions where everyone attends, and then four sessions where you choose from a list of topics and speakers. I was a little nervous about Labs at first….the word “interactive” scares me as I am always terrified that someone is going to call on me in front of hundreds of people and I am not going to know the answer or freeze up. I had no reason to worry. Labs actually ended up being one of my favorite (although choosing a favorite part would be nearly impossible) parts of Catalyst and I cannot imagine not having been a part of it. We heard from people like David Kinnaman, author of “UnChristian” and “You Lost Me”; David Platt, pastor and author of “Radical”; Lysa TerKeurst, President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, author of “Made to Crave”, and quite possibly Christy’s favorite person on the planet (seriously…we tracked her down to get a picture and have her sign Christy’s book and I think Christy is still smiling from ear to ear). We heard from so many more, including my favorite, Joel Houston (pictured below) from Hillsong United, pastor, worship leader and founder of I-Heart.
These amazing men and women shared personal stories, Biblical wisdom, and encouraged us to be engaged in and influence the world around us for the Kingdom, be authentic, be true servant leaders and be obedient to what God has called us to.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of Catalyst. The Catalyst team does a phenomenal job of putting together this conference every year. They do everything with excellence. I loved the wide variety of speakers and topics, the talented musicians who honor the Lord through their music, the heart for giving, having a safe place to wrestle with issues and gain perspective, being encouraged and challenged in my walk with Jesus, and the overall fun environment. Even though we were running on about three hours of sleep a night, I honestly loved every single minute and I was a little sad when it was all over. I think it’s safe to say I’m already planning for next year.
