Catalyst

Well, I got back from the Catalyst Conference 2007 late Friday night. It was an amazing experience. Last year was a brand-new experience for me, so it was all surprising. This year I expected Andy Stanley to be good (duh!), but really didn't know who else would challenge me. Well, in between Patrick Lencioni (funny, but lost his place a lot!), Francis Chan, Rick Warren, Craig Groeschel, and Andy Stanley again, it was better than last year!

There seemed to be a lot of speakers talking about what the church is DOING now. We seem to work so hard on making sure that our church is growing, our church is getting a new building, our contribution is coming in, our people have things to do. Maybe the focus should be (at least 50% of the time) outward. There are so many problems in the world: diseases, massive poverty, hunger, the sex trade, and so many more. We can all chip in. There are so many good charities and organizations that we can give to that will help with all these problems.

But there are also so many people that need our help right around us. While poverty in the U.S. is nowhere near as dire as it is in Third World countries, it still affects so many. The challenge for me is not only to help those around the world, but also to be reaching out to those around me who need help. For me, that should be easy - there are neighbors of mine who are very unfortunate. It's not as easy to help people face-to-face as it is to give to a charity, but it is just as important. If not more so.