Could You Repeat That Please

Blogger was having issues while I was at Catalyst, so I parked this post in a temporary spot and am now moving it back over here. I have issues, too, so I'm not bitter. A little disclaimer though; my filter breaks when I'm tired, and... I was tired when I posted, plus LuAnn wasn't there to preview this and tell me how bad it sounds, so please take it with a grain of dragon salt (which Ted and I had at a Mongolian grill that night)...
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Do you ever wonder if you're really picking up what God's dropping for you? Like He's told you something, but you're maybe not quite getting it... Today at Catalyst I had that feeling.

A lot of the sessions today were messages I've heard from speakers I've heard. Not just similar messages, but nearly identical messages. I wasn't upset about the repetition (because these were great the first time and I had no worries that they wouldn't be great this time, too), but I wondered if I didn't get it last time or something...


As Scott Belsky talked about making ideas happen, I went right back to my thoughts (and notes) from last year. A key component of making ideas happen is creating a culture that is biased toward action. I remember thinking last year how I didn't feel like our church's culture was biased toward action. We have lots of analysis and discussion and contemplation... then, if everyone hasn't given up on the idea, there can be action.

This is something that is a constant source of friction for me, like a little rock in my shoe that just isn't coming out. You can live with it, it's just annoying and may cause blisters. My kids come home with pebbles in their shoes all the time. (I think we could solve school budget issues if my kids would stop stealing the playground.) I don't know how they do it, but they just ignore the rocks. Our lack of a bias for action was something that, last year, I couldn't ignore anymore.

But I questioned if culture-creating was really my role? New guy on the ministry totem pole... youth minister... younger than all the other leaders... Am I overstepping?.. I used all kinds of thoughts and labels and self-doubting questions to make myself feel like it was ok to hide from the burden I felt to change our culture, but I recognize now that partially because I did so much hiding, our bias is still not toward action. But today, I also realized that a shift has been happening. There is a holy discontent that seems to be welling up and fostering more of a desire to act.

Some other statements and thoughts that really struck me today:

• God didn't just let a bunch of crap happen to Joseph - He WANTED it to happen in order to teach Joseph what he needed to know to be what God would call him to be. From Donald Miller, but he didn't say crap - Tripp & Tyler would have probably bleeped him out if he did.
• What do I need to be learning on the path while it's difficult?
• When did it occur to you that following Jesus would be dangerous? It is, so don't seek to be safe, but rather, seek to be brave.
• The Isolation of Obedience: Am I willing to step into isolation when that will be the result of obedience? (this will warrant it's own post)
• Lecrae was awesome.
• Propaganda kicked off the morning in an amazing way. "This ain't a conference. IT'S A RUNWAY."