Catalyst Has Begun

Well, Catalyst has officially begun and it’s been great thus far. It’s hard to live up to the hype that comes along with an experience like this, but it’s not disappointing! The labs were very good yesterday, especially from Threads authors Mark Batterson, Margaret Feinberg, and Ed Stetzer. We’ve heard this morning from Andy Stanley, Malcolm Gladwell, and the folks from KIVA. In addition, the antics of Lanny Donahoe and Reggie Joiner are always fun. Below are a few highlights from the notes I took this morning. I’ll summarize the rest of the day later this evening.

Andy Stanley:

“Every leader leaves a mark. But, what kind of mark will you leave?” “Am I consumed with who is for me or against me? Or rather by who I am for (God)?” “God should not been invited to play role in our story, but we are privileged to play a role in His.” “Living to make my mark is too small of a thing to give my life to. But, to be positioned to follow God’s mark for you life, that is big enough to give your life to!”

Malcolm Gladwell:

Shared about Lee Triumphs at Chancellorsville and John Lee Hooker’s comment, “God Almighty couldn’t even keep us from victory.” “The vital failure in times of crisis is overconfidence.” “Incompetence annoys me. Overconfidence scares me.” “There was a time when we let go of incompetent leaders.” “In the midst of crisis, most think we need leaders who are daring and bold. We don’t. What we need is humility.”

The Threads team is excited to be at Catalyst 2009 this week in Atlanta, Georgia. With over 12,000 in attendance, Catalyst is the largest convergence of next generation leaders in the country. In addition to our interaction with participants and sharing the Threads story, I am one of 10 contributors for Catalyst Backstage. Be sure to check it out during the event for the complete “experience” if you can’t attend in person. In addition, I’ll be posting a couple times a day here as well as tweeting the event thoroughly at www.twitter.com/jasonhayes . And, finally, If you’re going to be there in Atlanta, be sure to stop by and visit us. We’d love to see you!