Thoughts?

This book was a gift from Zack Blair, what a great gift it ended up being! (I think books are the best gift someone can give!) This book is definitely a must read. We’re all in need of discovering how much God loves us, and this book really helps you grasp that truth. I’m really learning that all I need to do in life is know and pursue God with all of my heart. A simple thing to talk about, a little harder to live. This book will point you in the right direction toward total surrender.

Final Grade: A+    Buy it here

Here are some highlights to spark your interest:

• We forget that we have everything we need in Him

• The point of your life is to point  to Him, whatever you’re doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is his.

• In about fifty years, no one will remember you

• God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine

• Are we in love with God or just His stuff?

• Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with neighbors, coworkers, or friends

• Would your life look differently if you stopped believing in God?

• Jesus call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing.

• “Our greatest fear as individuals or the church should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”

• Would you be satisfied in Heaven if  you had all your friends, family, houses, etc. and didn’t have Christ

• Giving that is not motivated by love is worthless.

• What are you doing right now that required faith?

• The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else.

• Let God be as original with you as He is with other people.

• The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life.

So Catalyst West Coast Has come and gone… What an incredible conference! Changed my life.

Here are some highlights from the talks in day 2:

Craig Groeschel

• Romans 12:2 – Don’t be conformed to the American dream!
• Don’t rely on the package of your church… Trust in the power of the Gospel
• Lukewarm Pastors build Lukewarm Churches
• Church should be a safe place with a dangerous message
• Build your church on what you’re about, not on what you’re not
• Don’t build your ministry and church – build the Kingdom
• Don’t blame yourself for the declines, you might take credit for the increases
• When your identity is in the numbers, you won’t obey God
• How can you accept the term ” ” when there are 4 billion people that don’t know Christ?
• We’re a small church with a mega vision
• People want to join a big mission, not a big building
• Level 1 Believers – Believe in the Gospel enough to benefit from it
• Level 2 Believers – Believe in the Gospel enough to contribute comfortably
• Level 3 Believers – Believe in the Gospel enough to give their lives to it

Erwin McManus

• Our job is unleash people to do good, not just stop them from doing bad
• At your church, can people discover the power to be who they are?
• Before we were pounded into the ordinary, we dreamed of the extra ordinary
• We need to be more committed to the dreams of other, than to our own dreams
• Small acts may not change the world, but they can tilt it to go in the right direction
• Our job as spiritual leaders is to detonate obstacles in the way of others dreams

Rick Warren

• Healthy churches don’t grow fast… fast growth= cancer
• If you don’t  care about numbers you’re telling people  to go to Hell
• We need to Divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually – the world can get along without you
• A crowd is not a church
• Nobody is the model… Jesus is thee model
• Never Compare – Foolish comparison: 1.) Find people better – discouraged 2.) Find people your better than – Pride
• Jesus isn’t going to ask you “How come you weren’t more like your hero? He made us to be us… He doesn’t need doubles
• Learn from Everybody
• The simpler you get, the more God will use you
• Judge your church on it’s sending capacity
• We need to be interested in an army, not a crowd
• You can fake love for a year or two, but you can’t fake it for 30!

Francis Chan

• If you hear pastors name more than God’s name when people are talking – we’re missing it
• We’re picky about going to ball games, plays, restaurants, etc…. People are the same way with our churches
• You can talk people into making a decision… but you’ll have to keep talking them into everything else
• I hate the book of Acts, you never put it down and say, “That sounds like our church!”

Perry Noble

• The size of the vision God will give me is directly related to the amount of pain and discomfort I’m willing to endure
• W/o pain and discomfort – we don’t know how much we need Him
• Dry times allow you to experience God’s provision
• When we learned to be obsessed and desperate for God and trust Him, that’s when we’ll succeed
• We don’t give into God’s vision because of: 1.) Fear 2.)  Laziness 3.) Being obsessed with being discovered instead of Development
• If you’re still where you are, you’re not ready for the next level
• Leadership is as easy as listening to God!
• If you haven’t had a sleepless night over vision – you don’t have a vision from God
• What would you do for God if you knew you couldn’t fail? -> Your a coward if you don’t do that
• Are you scared? If not, God isn’t in it, because you could do it yourself
• Listen to Jesus and when you’re ready – He’ll blow your freaking mind!
• Don’t you dare give up on a God who’s never given up on you

I’ll  probably have a post or two on my whole experience at Catalyst – God changed my life… man! So excited!