In 2005 I attended Catalyst for the first time. For three years straight I was there.
2007 was the last time I attended Catalyst. It was not a pleasant experience. Not because of the event, but because it was when I began to have a personal breakdown. I was dealing with burn-out, depression, and had been confronted by a friend over some major issues of integrity in my life. It seemed as though my world was falling apart.
Four years later, I am so excited to return. I’m excited about an incredible event and opportunity to learn and be challenged. However, this year I’m going back and I’m in a spiritually, emotionally healthy place. I have no secrets. I have nothing before me except two days to celebrate God’s redemption in my life over the last few years.
I have talked about and taught about God being merciful and full of grace for years. It was four years ago when things came unraveled that actually put me in a position not to talk about mercy and grace from education, but from experience.
This year at Catalyst will be sweeter than ever before. This year will be a celebration of God in me, not just God around me.
What is it that makes Catalyst so great? It’s a gathering of 13,000 plus Christian leaders. Most are in churches, but some are from businesses, schools and other organizations. It’s a gathering where top Christian authors, pastors, thinkers as well as some who are not known for their Christian worldview, but are leaders in the nation, share their perspective and challenge us all to make an impact.
3 Things Catalyst does well.
Fun – Definitely the most fun conference I’ve ever attended. One year we saw Knights from Medieval Times and had a band play a Beatles medley. All of that just to introduce a speaker from England. My first two years the entire conference set world records recorded by Guiness. First, we had 12,000 people sit on whoopee cushions all at once. The second year, we had airline pillows and fought the world’s largest pillow fight. Catalyst creates an amazing environment of fun. Here’s a fun video from last year starring Christian artist and songwriter Chris Tomlin.
Inspirational – Watch this video. What more can I say?
Challenging – There are many top leaders, influencers and world changers that lead and attend Catalyst. It’s a convergence of amazing energy and focus from powerful leaders. We learn about global needs and opportunities. We respond. Watch this video.
As I said yesterday, I want this blog to be a place where we get creative and think about how God could work in our lives to do amazing things in our relationships, leadership and impact the world. Catalyst is the place I need to be for the next couple of days to be filled with ideas and inspiration. I’ll give you more information tomorrow and a full report next week.
Questions for you today…
- Where do you go to find inspiration?
- Who are the people in your life that you consider strong leaders and world changers?
