More Thoughts On Catalyst

The Catalyst main sessions on Thursday and Friday were incredible.  Here are some key points I took away.

Andy Stanley – Leader of North Point Community Church – Atlanta, GA

• The people who influence the most are those who have no authority over us
• Moral Authority is when there is alignment with what you SAY you believe and what you actually DO
• Our moral authority is of incredible value
• Prioritize the role only I can play over the role that others can play (From Andy's book Choosing To Cheat)
• I love the fact that Andy is building a legacy by continuing to challenge his own self to grow.

William Paul Young - Author of The Shack

• A story written to his children that has taken on a life of its own
• I love hearing stories of how a "nobody" becomes "somebody" just because they were doing something they were passionate about

Jim Collins – Author of Good To Great

• Jim said, "I am passionate to be here today with you."
• You will find a culture of discipline in a great organization.  You will not find it in good organizations
• Most overnight successes are the product of twenty years of effort
• Overreaching is the number one reason that once great companies fail
• Signature characteristic of Level 5 Great Leaders is humility
• You can download a FREE copy of the Good To Great Diagnostic Tool HERE
• Work is infinite.  Time is finite.  The appetite for work is a prescription for a nervous breakdown.
• The nerd engineer in me LOVES the fact-driven, research-based approach.

Brenda Salter McNeil - Leader of Salter McNeil & Associates

• Author of Credible Witness
• The Church was always intended to be multi-ethnic AND global!
• I loved Brenda's energy and passion for her calling

Steven Furtick – Pastor of Elevation Church

• I Kings 18 – How to keep a hold on your vision when there is nothing there!
• The time between the PROMISE and the PAY-OFF is a refining process
• Steven Furtick's message was most impactful to me.  I know what the PROMISE is, and I am so PUMPED that I can actually see the PAY-OFF coming to pass!  This crusade has experienced explosive growth, and what is coming next is going to take this thing to an entirely new level!

Seth Godin – Thinker, Blogger, Author

• Tribes matter.  Everyone belongs to a tribe.
• People ask two questions: "Who else is going to be there?" and "Who is going to lead us?"
• We all lead a tribe
• It is all about leading – not controlling
• He said a statement that I am still trying to figure out.  He said, "A dumpy version of K-Mart."  I can't even fathom what a dumpy version of K-Mart looks like!
• At the end of the session, Seth gave away a copy of his latest book, Tribes, to every person who attended Catalyst (around 12,000!).

Craig Groeschel - Founder and Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv

• Talked about "IT" a lot
• Ruin me.  Heal me.  Stretch me.
• If you have lost "IT", you have to do something drastic.
• Wrote a book called It
• About halfway through Craig's message, I noticed that at least 1/8 of the entire audience was crying.  They knew what it was like to be in the zone and have "it", but they have lost "it".  It has been a long time since I have seen a message impact that large of a crowd in such a personal way.

I am saving an entire post to reflect on my hero's talk – Dave Ramsey himself.