My Worship Revolution

So day one of Catalyst actually wasn’t Catalyst.  It was the pre-Catalyst labs put on by the beginnings of The Origins Network being developed by Erwin McManus, Dan Kimball, and Dave Gibbons.

It was a great day of teaching, art, and hanging.  Here’s some notes and quotes from some great sessions I attended.

Erwin McManus
Erwin, author and lead pastor at Mosaic Church in L.A. shared at the opening session and wrapped it up some in the closing session as well.  REALLY great stuff that I think will stay with me and even shape some of my language in the future.

Here’s the gist of his message:

He used Acts 17, Paul in Athens for his text.
Paul reasons in the synagogue first, then the marketplace, and then was invited into their space to share.
The point:
We tend to start in the first space where we feel most comfortable.  This is where people think and look like us.  For us, this is church.  No matter how well you do in the first space, it’s never going to dramatically effect other spaces.
The second space is the market place.  This is where we interact with people who don’t agree with us.
The third space, however, we must be invited into.  This is where others invite us into their first space.  This is where true change and influence happens.

Here are some quotes that were worth writing down as Erwin shared:

• We can feel the warmth of another persons skin and still be light years apart.
• What kind of first place are you creating?  Exclusive, or a space for humanity? Because everyone needs humanity.
• Is it possible for us to create a first space for the world, not just for Christians?
• When people ask me how to get their people to engage culture, I ask what they ever did to get them to disengage from culture.
• I’m a pastor. That’s like saying I’m a cannibal. Wanna have lunch?
• Marketplace people aren’t looking for information, they’re looking for presence.
• God sounds like you. Except when He’s mad and he sounds like your wife.
• In the second space you have to live a life that earns you the right to be heard.
• By the time you get to the 3rd space you will lose the confidence of those in the 1st space.  To reach the 3rd space, you need to be willing to lose your reward and respect in the 1st space.

Naeem Fazal – Essentials Of Transformational Growth
Naeem is the lead pastor at Mosaic Church in North Carolina.
First of all, I was way stoked to walk into this session and see a good friend of mine Nate who is the worship leader at the church.

Naeem shared a whole lot about his own story of moving to the U.S. from Pakistan and eventually being converted from the Muslim faith to faith in Jesus Christ.  Very good, very powerful story.  He went on to share a bit of the story of his church and talk about transformational growth.
Some quotes:

• I really loved progress and a packed house more than I loved following God.
• I was a leader that hoped more than he prayed.
• I tried to delay the inevitable.
• The reason our church is big right now is transfer growth, not transformation.  I wish I could say that wasn’t the case, but it is our current reality.
• I can’t keep talking to God and avoid the conversation about transformation.
• I don’t have all the answers, but I don’t think we are asking the right questions to begin with.
• I really don’t think we have the guts to look at ourselves as leaders and say, I suck.
• If we’re gonna see transformation take place in our churches, we need to discover our voice, and not be someone else’s echo.
• What is the 1 line message of your life?
  • What has God done in your life and why aren’t you talking about it more?
• We need to be led more than being driven.
• When is the last time you heard God say something to you personally?

The Origins Network

Like I said, Erwin, Dan, and Dave finished by sharing about the new Origins network that they are starting.  Feel free to check it out over here.