Catalyst ’09, Here I Come
On Tuesday afternoon I am headed to Atlanta for Catalyst ’09.
I can not wait. This will be my first “full” Catalyst experience (I attended the One Day this Spring) and I can’t wait to soak it in.
The Catalyst Conference is the largest gathering of young leaders in the country, but it pains us to call it just a conference. Catalyst is more than just a three-day event – it’s a movement, a convergence, an experience where you find yourself fully immersed in learning, worship, and creativity. Catalyst brings people together – the influencers, the do-ers, the cultural architects, and the change agents who will reclaim our communities and culture for good.
Catalyst has been described many ways but once you’ve experienced it, you’ll call it what we call it – pure leadership adrenaline.
Here are a just a handful of the things I am excited about:
1. Spending a few days away with friends and colleagues. We have about ten folks from Thomas Nelson attending and the entire CrossPoint Church staff will be there not to mention other fun friends that I don’t get to see enough like Megan Miller and Jessica Esch.
2. Interacting “in real life” with people I’ve gotten to know through Twitter, Facebook, and blogging. I am attending the ChurchCrunch Anniversary Party and Blogger’s Meetup that Brad Ruggles organized. I am looking forward to meeting people I follow online, I just I hope that I am not super awkward.
3. Learning leadership from the best. The speaker line-up this year is phenomenal, seriously phenomenal. Malcolm Gladwell, Tony Dungy, Francis Chan, Andy Stanley and so many others.
4. Digging deeper at Wednesday’s Lab tracks with speakers like Nancy Ortberg, Mark Batterson, Jon Acuff, Anne Jackson, Carlos Whitaker, and Ion Cron.
5. And most importantly, worshiping with 10,000+ new friends.
Are you headed to Catalyst ’09? If so, what are you excited about?
Lindsey,
Cant wait to be there as well. I am flying in from California and connecting with my brother who lives outside of Atlanta and we are going to the conference together. Looming forward to meeting new people, hey maybe we will get to meet you.
Thanks again for the Andy Stanley book.
Joe
good to hear that you are going…if you see @human3rror …tell him hi for me
I'm definitely looking forward to connecting with the people that I have only interacted with via twitter/blogs. I will be attending the bloggers meetup as well.
You should def try out Matthew Sleeth's lab. he is amazing.
HELP!! This has nothing to do with your post. I am wanting to leave a comment on Michael's blog for a free copy of IT by Craig Groeschel. The last two times he has offered a book there is no way to "Leave A Comment Below" on his blog. Please advise me. Thank you. I am sorry to bother you.
@clifton – No problem. Go the very bottom of his post – after the first batch of comments and there should be a comment form to fill out. Let me know if that doesn't do it.
I'm excited for the whole week. Specifically looking forward to hearing Malcom Gladwell among others. Still debating what labs to go to though.
I'll be at both meet-ups as well. Looking forward to this week as a whole. This is my first Catalyst experience and I've heard nothing but great things.
Man! That sounds fantastic! I am hoping to get out and about more when my kiddos are older! Have a wonderful time!
Lindsey, it was great connecting with you at the blogger meetup! I hope Catalyst was an awesome experience for you. I'll be seeing you around blog land!
@Matt – You too!