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October 5, 2006
Catalyst 2006: Day One
Simply put, there's way to much information to even begin to cover what the speakers at this years Catalyst conference are talking about. I'm sure there are people that are live blogging and they'll give you a good idea of what's being talked about, check technorati.
Instead, I'm just going to talk about the experience in general.
The day began with a VERY early wake up call. I se a 5:30 wake up call when I checked in because I knew I wouldn't do it once I was in the room….it's still dark at 5:30! By the time I got out of the room, it was still dark, but a more reasonable hour - about 6:15. I drove over to Atlanta Bread Company for breakfast and they were CLOSED! Gah...So I hit Chick-Fil-A instead.
I arrived just at the arena just a tad before 7. The sessions start at 8:30, but they advised that there will be special things happening beginning at 7.
First thing I notices was they had limos to ferry people from the parking lot to the door. I parked real close and didn't need to use it. In one of the parking lots, there was a hot air balloon set up so I wandered over to see what has happening there. Good move, they were giving out rides...you only went about 75feet up, but still, very nifty. Click on the balloon to see other photos.
After that, I headed for the door. They had a red carpet greeting, complete with people cheering your arrival. Also available were fresh omelets. Nice touch!
They opened the conference with a group of break dancers, then a really good drumline. After that, the worship session started and included a choir (complete with robes).
That led into Lanny and Reggie doing their co-host thing and revealing that there were 10,208 people in attendance!
The first speaker was Andy Stanley (I'm disappointed that he'll only be speaking once this year). Mark Batterson has a good summary of his talk, which was focused on a phrase from Daniel: "The most high God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and he gives them to who he wishes."
The key notes are that leadership is stewardship, and it is temporary. So leaders must be diligent, fearless, and humble.
After the break there was some giveaways, which lead into some Beetles songs, and then knights and horses to introduce Marcus Buckingham.
Marcus works(ed?) for Gallup, and lead their research into the worlds best managers. He talked about the need to focus on people strengths, and the differences in managers who do so.
He also revealed two common myths: "Your personality changes as you grow" and "You will grow most in your areas of weakness."
After lunch, there was an interview with George Barna, a back and forth with Lanny and Reggie involving a monkey, and then Andy Stanley interviewed John Maxwell. Lots of good points in both Barna and Maxwell's talks.
Following Maxwell, which ran over a little, Lanny introduced a friend of his and an unscheduled guest, Jeff Foxworthy. Hopefully, he'll sign the speaker consent form and they'll be able to add his stuff to the DVDs and maybe CD. His talk was different and comedic. He talked about rednecks, of course.
Defiantly look for someone who blogged about his act!
Before the final speaker, we got to see some of the different talents that Catalyst attendees have.
First up was Dave the horn guy. He wears horns and plays them...go see the video on his site (under press), it's a better explanation.
Next was a beatboxer. He started with noises similar to teh guy on Police Academy, then did a beat...really good, at times it sounded like 2 or 3 people.
Last up was a lady who could take what you say - and say it backwards. The human brain is amazing, she was even able to sing (they did U2's with or with out you.)
The evening closed with Gary Haugen from International Justice Mission.
Posted by Jesse at October 5, 2006 11:29 PM