My 10 Catalyst Takeaways

1. Appetites for MORE are never fully or finally satisfied and I will not allow an ungodly desire for them to ruin my life and family. I will not give my birthright away for a bowl of stew! Click here to read a good review of this talk by Andy Stanley.
2. Don't confuse compassion with emotion. Compassion is not feeling sad, sorry, teary and emotional. Compassion is never compassion until you cross the street and meet the need by getting involved with your time, talent and treasure. Compassion does not just feel, it acts.
3. Ministry is like throwing a baby up in the air with them laughing their heads off. Things are wonderful. Life is great. And then all the sudden (you never see it coming) their head hits the ceiling fan, and BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! That is how ministry can change from one day to the next. Amen!
4. There is no way to word this one. Basically, God rocked my world and opened my eyes to the needs in the world that he wants US TO MEET! Pick a cause. And give your life to it. You cannot go wrong!!! Help get clean water to people, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, free kids from sex trafficking, care for those impacted by Aids, Malaria, Depression and disease, love the blind and the deaf and the least of these. THIS is God’s heart. Isaiah 58 basically says this: Until you do these things, you might as well shut up with your singing and praying, because I cannot hear you! (NIV- Noah International Version)
5. Seth Godin was a fascinating presenter, shared some compelling ideas and I want to read some of his stuff. He gave away a free book to just those who attended Catalyst. It is called “Graceful.” I will share more on that later.
6. Self-loathing and self-consciousness is just as self centered and wrong as self love and arrogance.
7. Francis Chan got up and shared his story. It is unbelievably similar to ours. God used it to impact our heats and confirm his calling and nearness to Tricia and I in a profound way. At God’s prompting, I wrote him a letter when we returned to the hotel Thursday night. Please pray with me that I am successful in getting it to him.
8. Bishop TD Jakes taught me that If you always do what you have always done, you will always be what you have always been. If you are called to an ocean, get out of the fish tank. Fish only grow to the size of the tank they are in. God does not want you in a bigger fish tank. He wants to drop you in the ocean.
9. If we think that everyone and everything has something to say about ME, then we need to check ourselves. This is a problem and a sure sign of pride. It's a dead giveaway to people that you are self absorbed when you are repeatedly finding ways to put yourself at the center of everything.
10. If you live in a room where people are always looking to you for leadership and answers, get out of the room! It is time to move on to a place with leaders who have more answers than you.

Many more tweets and blogs will come out of this week! But these would be 1o of the best ideas I took away.