First off, let me apologize for completely disappearing for the last week or so. It was never my intention to be away so long. But man, Catalyst came with a big ‘ol bang and stole every ounce of my energy. Okay, that’s enough of that…

Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Catalyst Conference. It was a complete whirlwind that stirred a lot of things, good and bad, inside of me. Candidly, I am still recovering and processing (if you’ve been around here before you know it takes me a long while to process). But I wanted to be sure to share My 10 Favorite Things About Catalyst 2010.

1. Digging deep with my Catalyst/3DM Coaching Group (Brian Wurzell, Bianca Juarez, coach extraordinaire Jo Saxton, Hillary DeMeo, and the “MIA” Kyle Zimmerman.) LOVE these people. So thankful that they are boldly speaking into this season of my life.

2. Learning from Francis Chan. The man truly is fired up about emulating the life of Jesus. Some might call him “radical” but it is clear he is just faithfully working to live out the word of God. He has me wondering if Jesus is truly more than my Savior, if He is my role model?

3. Joyfully belting out John Mark McMillan’s “How He Loves” with 13,000 of my closest friends. One of the best worship experiences of my life!

4. Learning from T.D. Jakes that we need to get on out of the “cor-ner.” That “people who play it safe are not leaders.” That “if you always do what you have always done, you will only be who you have always been.” That “you need to make yourself uncomfortable.”

5. Hearing John Ortberg. That man is one gifted communicator. His book, The Me I Want to Be, has profoundly affected the way I think. I am still processing a couple of things he said on grace.

“Transformation requires at least as much grace as salvation.”

“Grace is God doing anything in me that I can not do myself.”

6. Boohooing as I watched Jimmy (who broke my heart last year) meet his Compassion child.

7. Having Andy Stanley reframe the story of Jacob and Esau. I know this…I don’t want to trade my future, my calling, my legacy, for a “bowl of stew.”

8. Watching Michael Hyatt teach a roomful of eager participants about the importance of “Platform.” Such an engaging presentation…made me so proud to call him “boss.”

9. Debriefing at night with my Catalyst roomies Trish, Bianca, and Annie. And laughing so hard that I cry trying to figure out the techno-style-video-chat with Sarah and Keely.

10. Witnessing a human cannonball. I lie. Actually, I hated the human cannonball. All I could think about was how that poor man was going to die a gruesome death in front of 13,000 strangers. Thankfully he made it. This time.

Were you at Catalyst? What were your highlights? If not, what were you up to last week?

Over the last two weeks, I’ve asked some friends to share their impressions about John Mark McMillan’s How He Loves. These posts have been so good for me. They’ve been food for my soul. I have loved each and every one. Their beauty lies in their uniqueness.

Yesterday, inspired by the series Bill Cahusac shared his thoughts on the song in a post called Loves Like a Hurricane. I read it. It is wonderful and inspiring. In fact, it inspired me to create a place where you all could share your reflections on the song.

Here are the song’s lyrics:

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

God loves us so incomprehensibly, so uniquely, so powerfully, so messily. Most of us have a story about how He has loved us or how we have been overwhelmed by His love. Share your stories of restoration, redemption, grace, and mercy. Share your stories of His love.

I just love that Stephen Brewster is wrapping up the How He Loves series. A few months ago as the Senior Director of Marketing for Integrity Music, Stephen introduced me to John Mark McMillan and the song that inspired this series.

Even more, I love that Stephen, his lovely wife, and beautiful kids just moved to Nashville last week to be a part of Cross Point. God is good. And the world is small.

Find his blog here.

And his twitter here.

How He Loves is  is a declaration. It defines our relationship with God in a way that few songs dare to attempt. The concept of love is not foreign, but the realization that we are required to accept love is another thing entirely.

He Loves Us…but have we accepted and embraced that love?
His grace is an ocean…but are we willing to get wet?
He loves like a hurricane…but are we looking for the evacuation route to a comfortable place away from the storms?

Love is a 2 way street. You can be love and the love not be returned. The real relationship takes place when the love is accepted, embraced, and reciprocated.

He loves you.
He loves you today.
He loves you because of your imperfections.
He loves you without pretense, prejudice, performance, or boundary.
He loves YOU. The real you. The sometimes hidden you. The you that can be, and will be, even if you have not yet been…that person…He loves you.

God is an artist. He creates amazing art every day. He deposits great art in people to be time released creatively over his people. Gods brush of choice is to use people. How He Loves may not be fundamentally “congregational”, but creatively it challenges the very core of every person with breath in their lungs…it challenges us to confront our desire to be accepted and respond by embracing the one love that will never fail, Oh, How He Loves…

Today’s “How He Loves” post is from Grant Jenkins, aka An Idol Heart. Grant is a fellow Cross Pointer who I met via twitter and blogging several months before our paths crossed “in real life.” I admire how Grant publicly wrestles with finding peace, purpose, and self-worth in Christ. Alone.

Find his blog here.

And his twitter here.

jealous |ˈjeləs|adjective.
fiercely protective or vigilant of one’s rights or possessions

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight and wind of his mercy

I remember it like it was yesterday.

It was the week of January 11, 2010 when God, in His great mercy, allowed me to see the condition of my heart. The jig was up.

Finally, after 8 months of becoming increasingly aware that I had allowed my career to become an idol in my heart … after 8 months of trying to act like I could still make it work… after 8 months of trying to hold band-aids on an open wound… I broke.

I broke hard.

My chest was tight.

My breath was shallow.

My mind and emotions were in a tailspin.

What words I did speak were spoken through tears

The thought of taking one more step in the direction I had been headed was overwhelming.

What had I become? (more…)

Today’s “How He Loves” post is from Alece Ronzino, aka Grit and Glory. As I have said before, Alece is seems well ordinary. She is as easy be around, smart, authentic, and sassy. She is a kindred soul. But at the same time Alece is extra-ordinary. She ventured to Africa right out of high school to be a missionary. She created a successful ministry in South Africa. And through her beautifully written blog, she manages to make sharing her trials and open wounds with practical strangers seem natural.

Find her blog here.

And her twitter here.

I keep thinking about the adulterous woman who was dragged before Jesus. Mainly because I can’t help but see myself in her.

The crowd was ready to stone her for her sin, for her failure. And then Jesus spoke. He looked the mob straight in the eye and actually challenged them to go through with it. Underone condition.

He called for the one without sin to throw the first stone. (more…)

Today’s “How He Loves” post is from Trisha Davis. As I said on Wednesday, Justin and Trish(a) are two incredible people. They know all about brokenness, restoration, and redemption. Through their ministry at Cross Point Bellevue and Refine Us, they teach others (like me) the power of authenticity, truth, and grace. I am honored to call them friends.

Read about 8 things that destroyed their marriage here.

Read about 8 things that restored their marriage here.

Find their blog here.

And Trisha’s Twitter here.

The older I get the more I realize that everyone has a story. Just writing those words I’m sure you are already thinking of yours. John Mark McMillan’s story of how he came to write “How He Loves” is a reminder of the power of one’s story. The problem with my “story” is that there are too many. If I were to sit down with you over coffee and share my life story I’m certain you would walk away thinking I was viably insane.

The sad reality is that most of my life’s stories really aren’t mine to own. Most of what I have been through has come through other people’s choices or unexplainable tragedy. I have stood on the sidelines witnessing others poor choices and in return deciding to make poor choices of my own. (more…)

Today’s “How He Loves” post is from Sarah Markley. I met Sarah at Blissdom. And when she heard I’d been in Orange County for Catalyst West, she told me to stay with her, her husband Chad, and their two daughters, Hope (8) and Naomi (4). They took me in and became my California family. Words can not describe how much I love Sarah. She is the kind of friend that you spend years searching for, but that divinely appears in your moment of need.

Read more about Sarah’s marriage crisis and recovery here.

Find her blog here.

And her twitter here.

Look at the way my four-year-old looks at her father. Study it.

I have been all morning.

He, by no means, is an infallible father. He yells once in awhile, and sometimes he forgets. But in that moment, in the instant she rested in his arms, and the shutter closed, there was nothing but the two of them.

He is telling her jokes.

She’s grabbing at his face and trying to make him laugh.

The moment is pregnant with words about to be said. Something is on her lips, a laugh? A word? I don’t remember even though I’m the one snapping photos with furious speed. (more…)

So thankful to have Tam Hodge, aka @inprogress, sharing today.

I started following Tam on twitter awhile back and finally had the pleasure of meeting her and her husband Brent in February when they were in town for ReCreate. I instantly knew that she was someone I needed to know better. I sure hope she felt the same way, because she is going to have a hard time shaking me.

Find Tam’s blog here.

And her twitter here.

1987, 16 1/2 years old, i sat in an abortion clinic in southern california. alone and frightened. i didn’t show it. i couldn’t show it. i wouldn’t show it.

i no longer lived at home with my family. i had to be the big girl now. i had do the right thing. i had to look out for me.

at all costs. (more…)

A couple of months ago, my friend Stephen Brewster sent me John Mark McMilllan’s “Skeleton Bones” single. Ever since, I have been slightly obsessed with John Mark McMillan and his song “How He Loves.”

Later when Integrity Music released the official “How He Loves” single, they created a video of John Mark sharing the story behind the song.

I’ve watched it literally a dozen times.

And I’m still trying to digest the meaning behind his emotional words…

Love can be such a non-word sometimes. It loses its meaning, its potency. You know, like? I really love a cheeseburger. And then…I really love a sunny day. And…I really love my family. None of those loves are remotely the same. They are totally different things…

The love that I am singing about in that song is not a pretty, clean, Hollywood, hot-pink love. It is the kind of love that is willing to love things that are messy, difficult, and gross.

Click here to watch the whole video.

Words that are a beautiful testament to how God loves us so incomprehensibly, so uniquely, so powerfully, so messily. (more…)