This has been rattling in my mind for quite a while and it all kind of poured out of me during Catalyst in my journal. This is an idea. A catalyst. Some primal desire for change, but nothing we do should be outside the scope of community. So, my friends, readers, critics… I need your help. I want input and ideas. Let’s make this some sort of collaborative conversation. I’m looking for change. I’m looking for something more. I’m not even sure why I’m writing this, but I’d like to hear from you about this manifesto.

A Manifesto of Revolt and Activism in a Journey

Out of the Cluttered Woods of Faith

This is a clearing, a walk in spiritual anticipation for a tribe of earth shakers, lovers and heretics.

1. First and foremost, we are followers of Christ, lovers of God and chasers of the Spirit.
2. We the people are discontent with the way churches are today.
3. We want to do the work of Jesus and join in the healing of a broken world.
4. We are fueled by compassion, driven by love, and broken by God’s unfathomable grace.
5. We will not complain or bicker or dissent about the current state of the broken church, but we will incite change through our actions, meditations, prayers, and love.
6. We will pray and seek the Lord in the world around us.
7. We will break the mold of religious traditions and the American dream because we are sojourners, aliens, nomads following in the steps of a wandering Aramean.
8. We are social and religious heretics who are only accountable to the sovereign creator of the universe.
9. We are lovers of change, hope and compassion and will shake the status quo by how we step outside the herd and barbeque the sacred cow.
10. We will work out our faith in transparent community of broken followers stumbling after Christ.

Hey all, I’m looking for a song. Here it is. I think it’s “Glory to God” played by Steve Fee. We heard it at Catalyst, but I can’t find it anywhere. Any help?

It’s been really resonating with me, but I can’t find it for the ol’ IPod…

So help me Obi- Wan… you’re my only hope.

Evidently the folks at Catalyst were worried about our sexual orientation. Good thing they had these signs around.

I’ll just recap my experience by saying this… Catalyst was the best conference I have attended. In many ways it put YS to shame. One problem I’ve experienced with YS is that there’s no real cohesive theme – aside from “youth ministry”. It feels like a shotgun approach. I loved how for Catalyst they brought speakers (Christian and secular) together with one singular purpose in mind. The results were fantastic. My favorites were Craig Groeschel and Andy Stanley. Craig was simply powerful and Andy was full of wisdom. I gleaned much from this and am still unpacking it in my mind…

I also got to connect with the Kevin twins (Bussey and Twombly). Bussey and I go way back and spending time with his is like a family reunion. Twombly I only knew through the blogosphere. We talked, prayed and had lunch together. Getting to know him better was a blessing to me. Spending time with new and old Kevins is always a good thing.

So to bring this Catalyst recap full circle. Here’s my vote of confidence… I’ve already got my tickets for next year. Enough said.

Oh man, what a day. It pays to have good friends. Kevin Bussey scored us some VIP seats, sweet cushy seats on the floor of the Conference hall. All the action happened 6 feet in front of me. It was awesome.

I’ll say this, I’m not a conference guy. They’re okay, I just don’t get real excited about sitting all day and not doing much. YS is great, but I’ve been once and don’t really need to go back. So, I carried this mindset into Catalyst and was blown away. The day passed so fast – it was amazing. Great speakers, it was incredible.

I was really hit by Craig Groeschel. He is a phenomenal communication, and I’ve never seen someone so powerful and transparent. He really shook me and leveled me. I’m still unpacking much of his message in my heart. The basics: we need to continue to be stretched, pushed and ruined by God. We need to pray for that. If we’re not face down and broken on a regular basis, then something is wrong. Powerful message.

And we were also part of making the world’s largest ball of Floam.

All is well on my insane 11 day road trip (pray for my wife!) of the South. I’ll hopefully update you more as I encounter more internet hot spots. I’ve spent time with family that was good, had a retreat with some friends, and, yes, I’ve seen the king (as pictured above). He sends his love (the hunka, hunka burning type).

Tonight, after some spelunking in Tennessee, I’ll be speaking at a youth group, then heading to Atlanta (my old hometown). After the Chaco incident, I’ve absolved my hometown roots of the ATL – I’m a Northwesterner who just happens to follow the Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs and enjoys the occasional Chick-fil-A sandwich. So I consider myself a visitor in this large Southern metropolis.

Catalyst starts Thursday and I’m excited to connect with a bunch of you guys. See “ya’ll” soon.

Note: I still have no accent.