Saturday, April 5th
Saturday was a marathon day (almost literally :)). We began the day around 5AM getting ready to leave the Davis home in Tampa - Judy got up SUPER early and made us a great breakfast that fuelued our pre-dawn drive south towards Sarasota. While we were in Tampa Micah was quick to point out that we were not far from one of his favorite beaches, and one of the "Top 10 Beaches in the World," Siesta Key Beach. That's a no brainer! We had to make a stop... and we had to jump in, even if it was just for 10 minutes! The beach visit was just the start to what would be a day full of road trip stops and fantastic conversations with family, friends, and leaders blazing a trail on the front line of the church...

(a race with a turtle, a cameo appearance in a local parade, and baby blue face paint... a wild Saturday!)

Siesta Key Beach
By 7AM we were turning the corner onto the main road that would take us to Siesta Key Beach. The "powdered sugar" sands were waiting for us, but not before a shocking surprise as we pulled in to the parking lot. IT WAS PACKED! Micah was stunned. It was 7AM on a Saturday morning; spring had passed, it wasn't summer yet, and somehow the beach was overrun with activity. We found out that it was the 22nd Annual Run For The Turtles 5K Race! Hmmm... Catalyst Road Trip racing for the turtles? ABSOLUTELY! We had 5 minutes before the race stated so we ran over, signed up, paid our entry fee, and made it to the starting line moments before the gun went off. Yeah, crazy. Micah was humming the Rocky theme song, LV was running with the video camera in hand trying to capture the chaos of the moment, chords were falling out of the camera bag, we were holding our shoes in our hands, people were passing us... we were wildly unprepared for the moment, which is what made it so much fun.

Catalyst on Vimeo.

Nokomis, FL
We regret to inform you that we didn't finish the race. WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME! (that, and the fact that by the first mile we were quickly reminded of how hard it is to run in the sand... especially when you're pathetically out of shape!) And besides, the ocean was calling our name. After a quick dip in the ocean we got back to the van and headed further south to see Mack Kicthel's family in Nokomis, FL, about 15 minutes from Siesta Key Beach. Our former Vanagon Vagabond, Mack, has a great family, and they welcomed us with open arms... we enjoyed this chance to say hi and share a few moments of conversation, but it was quickly time to take off, so we had to jet. We hope to see the family back in Atlanta at the Catalyst Conference in October!

Lehigh Acres, FL
From Nokomis, we made our way towards Fort Meyers but had one more stop before our visit to see Matt Keller from Next Level Church. If you've seen the Catalyst Team Website you will remember the bio for one of our very own Catalyst Queens, Miss Melissa Kruse. Melissa is from Lehigh Acres, FL and a visit to her parent's house was an absolute necessity. Gary and Cathy Kruse gave us a tour of the Kruse home and told us all sorts of fun and embarassing stories about Melissa - a new blog is under construction: www.embarassingmelissa.com - stay tuned! (just kidding) We had a blast with Melissa's parents and now know why she is such a gem. A big thanks to the Kruse family for such great encouragement. On the way out we had a chance to make a cameo appearance in the Lehigh Acres local parade - we were right behind the Monster Truck Convertible with 10 people waving from the cab... absolutely unreal!

Fort Meyers, FL
From Lehigh Acres we headed to see Matt Keller, lead pastor with Next Level Church in Fort Meyers. Matt met us for a late lunch, and by late, we mean that we were late! The day was already getting away from us, but once he heard the story of the Race for the Turtles, he totally understood. Matt shared with us his Catalyst story and how his ministry has been deeply impacted by what he's learned the last several years, much of which was sparked by the Catalsty Conference. As we heard more of Matt's story, he shared why he is so passionate about pouring into the next generation - he provides a perspective on generational cycles and what that means for the next 20 years... check it out!

Catalyst on Vimeo.

Estero, FL
We said goodbye to Matt and drove to see Todd Milby and Orlando Cabrera from Summit Church in Estero, FL. Summit Church has been around for 3 years has already made a HUGE impact in their community. They have a very unique leadership model void of any traditional hierarchy format; Todd used the term interdependent leadership. 5 pastors serve out of their "functions" freeing each pastor to focus on their strengths and unique gifting. They lead my mission rather than personality. We asked them if it's difficult to sometimes feel casted in a certain role and restricted from operating in anything other than what their identified "function," and their honesty was refreshing. "Yea, sometimes." But they were quick to share that the communication between the team and with the congregation is a critical piece to having a healthy body. Todd and Orlando sat with us for several minutes and shares story after story about what's been happening in Estero and how they are seeing lives changed by God. We are excited to hear more and can't wait to follow up with them soon... we will see them again this coming October for the Catalyst Conference.

West Palm
From Estero we headed across the state to West Palm where our friends Ryan & Sara Grace Wall invited us into their home to watch the North Carolina vs. Kansas NCAA semi-final. Ryan is a die hard UNC fan so Micah & LV decided to get painted up in Carolina Blue & White. Watching Ryan's face as we rolled up into his driveway was priceless - he was so excited! And we were ready to cheer on the Tar Heels. Unfortunately it was a moment short lived... the Carolina faithful were left with broken hearts as the Jayhawks rolled to victory. We knew that we were going to be able to get some quality time with Ryan on Sunday so we spent the rest of the night catching up and enjoying some quality time as friends - the story of Ryan & Sara Grace's courtship and engagement is beyond encouraging... we were blessed to see their example of trust and surrender in the area of relationships.

A long day finally came to an end, but the memories of Saturday will last a long time. More from Sunday soon...

Your Friendly Catalyst Road Trip Team