Catalyst Conference 2007
I attended – for the second time – the Catalyst Conference in Duluth, Georgia (about half an hour north of Atlanta). It was inspiring, challenging, convicting, provocative.
Wednesday, October 03 I left home around 4:30 a.m. to catch a 6:00 a.m. flight to Atlanta. I sat next to a woman who was on her way to judge an art show in Illinois. Turns out she is not only a member of the three major aquarellists (people who paint with watercolors) but is on the board for the American Watercolor Society – meaning she is among the top (dozen?) watercolor painters in the country. After Illinois she goes to Sweden to lead some workshops. I have her number and an invitation to visit after Thanksgiving.
I planned my trip so I could have all the time I wanted at the Atlanta Zoo. (Last year I had less than 45 minutes on way to airport.) Took my time and lots of pictures – including of the famous pandas. They are available at Ramawright Gallery (under Zoos > Atlanta 2007 – you have to register). My rental car was a Kia Rio which I hope never to drive again. Hotel was okay but a lousy location.
Day One at Catalyst was fantastic – although once again I had to sit way up in the bleachers. Most (all?) of the speakers were excellent. Andy Stanley, Patrick Lencioni, a panel discussion by the authors of UNChristian, Shane Clairborne (huge), Francis Chan (a bit conservative for my tastes), Sunday Adelaja. But Rick Warren – whoa. Hardly a soul tried to leave early to get dinner. Riveting. Huge. Powerful. Inspiring. Dinner at an authentic Korean restaurant – the real deal baby.
That evening I was sitting at a restaurant bar waiting for my soup when I overheard a conversation between the bartender and the gentleman on my right. “How are you today sir?” Great! Today is the greatest day of my life. (Radar went off, ears inclined.) “Really? Why?” Because my invention is going to be sold at Home Depot. (Now I’m really paying attention.) “What is your invention?” A plastic disk you put in the bottom of flower pots. It has holes for a stick to support the plant. And the legs on the bottom provide space for air and drainage. (Okay – time to be a pest.) I tell him that sounds like something I would buy. We have a good conversation that includes a promise he will send me a box of the things for free. Sweet.
Day Two was also fantastic – but for different reasons. Got there before doors opened so I could pick almost any seat I want. But I hate crowds and crowding so I choose a middle seat toward the back – closer that yesterday. Again the speakers are generally excellent. John Maxwell, Craig Groeschel (who pastors a church in Edmond, Oklahoma – where I became a follower of Christ in 1983 and which I visited a few times after that in high school and college), Tim Sanders (of Yahoo! fame), Dave Ramsey (very convicting), Erwin McManus (probably the weakest talk of the conference – vague and hard to understand), and Andy Stanley again. Time for lunch – of all the 11,000 people I am sitting near the group in front of me is from Missouri. One introduces me to a fellow who does… international ministry. I know him – we met briefly in Minnesota at the ACMI Conference this summer. So Ed, Billy (another ISM worker in Missouri) and I have a great lunch at Frontera across the street (which I recommend to anyone who visits Atlanta area). Finally – I am meeting and connecting with people though alone at the conference.
That evening I visited my friend Joshua Villines and his family. They treated me to a killer meal at an authentic Indian restaurant (food on metal trays – the way it’s supposed to be!). Good conversation. They let me stay late to watch “Doctor Who” with them. Their son is a genius – no I mean like genius and not just very intelligent. Sweet and well-mannered too. Joshua enjoys many of the same things I do – science-fiction, computers, computer games, you name it. He is a better man that I am. And his family has a much smaller carbon footprint.
A few fun details from Catalyst. We broke the world record for blowing bubbles and breaking bubbles (by throwing small rubber Frisbees through the bubbles we just blew) and the next day we broke the world record for… breaking records (old vinyl 45 singles). Free coffee from Rwanda! The main (only?) things that grated on me were the constant noise of loud “worship” (in which we have to stand! and keep repeating the same lines over and over and over…!) and what is hard to describe – perhaps the overused Christian buzz phrases. “Wasn’t that amazing?” (I despise negative rhetorical questions. And I may write a short piece about them.) “God… powerful… mighty… awesome…your love… we love you” you would think people had a twenty phrase vocabulary. An event/organization devoted to impacting culture can do better than that and should know better.
I could write a lot more about my thoughts and reactions to various talks but let me just post my notes in DOC and PDF formats.
Notes on Catalyst Conference 2007 (DOC)
Notes on Catalyst Conference 2007 (PDF)
