Knowing What You Got

How many conferences or retreats or lectureships or seminars or workshops have you been to through the years? Lots, I'm sure. Me too. While there, we always think and talk about how life changing a comment or teaching was that we heard and are sure it will rock our respective worlds for as long as we continue to grace the face of mother earth. Within weeks, days or even hours though, we often can't remember much more than who we were there with or what good meals we had during the lunch hours.

Wade Hodges, (name drop/photo drop alert!) a dear friend from grad school days, encouraged me before going to lectureships at Pepperdine in 1996 to be ready to tell him 3 and only 3 things that I got out of the time there once I returned. While there, I was working hard to decide which, of all the great things I heard that week, were worthy of my Big 3 that I was going to report back to Wade. Upon returning, I did what he asked and still carry those three points in my mind from that year.

Well, I spent 2 days last week at the Catalyst Conference here in Atlanta. Interestingly, Wade was there too. So was Pat...and David, Lisa and Kristen. Before it started, I reminded us all to remember Wade's wise words from many years before. We did and during the whole time, we were putting together our respective Top 3's. I'll post them later but I'll push the point now.

Go to church, small group, work, school, classes, meetings, etc, with the mindset that you are going to walk out of here today with 1, 2 or 3 truths that you WILL incorporate into your faith, your marriage, family, ministry or job. Let's be done with mountain top experiences that have little effect on us just a matter of days later. If the 8500 people at Catalyst are doing that today, tomorrow and onward, then the spheres that we live and work in will be forever changed.

Just a passing thought this Columbus Day which will have me at Game 5 of the NL Divisional Series tonight as the Braves will close out the Houston DisAstros (again) and move on to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. I'm jacked.

Have a great day...