Every few months, I try to shut technology off and go to a little monastery about an hour away from my home. It has an attached retreat center where anyone can rent day rooms or stay overnight. Talking is optional. I go for the day if, and only if, the St. Anne room is available.
I’m convinced the blanket in that room was crocheted by angels.
Is your ministry overwhelmed?
It’s a fair question, but one I think we often feel guilty asking.
The picture above is of a Bradford pear tree — that has split in two.
This picture captures the beautiful blossoms that grace this particular kind of tree every spring — which is why so many people choose to put them in their yards.
If you’ve ever driven down a road, lined with Bradford pears in full bloom, then you know what I’m talking about. It’s like driving through a path of gigantic Q-Tips that have been cut in two and shoved into the ground.
The North American campus is filled with things — ideas, opportunities, and experiences — that vie for the attention and allegiance of today’s student.
Christians and non will give themselves to something — with the hope that it will be significant, and change everything!
And although there are a lot of great things to think about, opportunities to explore, and experiences to have — these things fail to be understood correctly when placed in Supreme position in one’s heart — and life.
These things aren’t bad in and of themselves, but when elevated to an unhealthy place, they begin to mis-shape and mal-form our students.
Here are a few of the more prominent gods I see on campus today — what would you add to this list?
A few days ago the Pew Forum Research Center released some new statistics on faith in America. And what it revealed was not good.
19.6% of Americans claim no religious affiliation. This includes those claiming to be both agnostic and atheist.
And this number has gone up nearly 5% in just the past 5 years.
Even worse, 33% of Americans under the age of 30 claim no religious affiliation.
* A Catalyst nugget inspired by Perry Noble
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Rome was not built in a day, and neither are leaders.
But in a culture that moves quickly, and feels entitled to — well, just about everything — it can be hard for leaders (young leaders especially) to embrace the leadership process.
What is the leadership process?
* A Catalyst nugget from Patrick Lencioni, Founder and President of The Table Group, and best-selling author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
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Organizational health is the single biggest advantage that any ministry can have — yet it rarely gets tapped in to.
Unlike many other elements that could create an advantage for an organization or ministry — this is available to EVERYONE!
It’s so simple that most people overlook it,or believe it’s beneath them.
* A Catalyst (and TED) nugget from Susan Cain
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So we only had a few minutes to hear from Susan Cain, fellow introvert, and author of the New York Times Best Seller QUIET: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can’t Stop Talking.
She spoke ever-so-briefly about some shifts in our culture away from things that allow us introverts to thrive.
She called those of us in leadership to reclaim space and practices — like solitude and silence — for our introverts, so that they might thrive.
* A Catalyst nugget from Michael Hyatt
In an increasingly noisy world, how will we be heard?
Michael Hyatt suggests that we need a platform.
There are 3 major benefits that a platform can yield:
* A Catalyst nugget from Tim Elmore
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This is the first generation that doesn’t need adults to get information. What they need us for is interpretation.
Research on college students has shown that with each benchmark, narcissism goes up.
8 paradoxes that define Gen iY
* A Catalyst nugget from Jon Acuff
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If life is a choice between AWESOME! and average, would we all choose AWESOME!?!
Of course.
Yet, based on the lives that many of us lead, we must be opting for average instead.
Jon Acuff believes that there are 5 different “lands” or stages that every life must travel through in order to be awesome.