"Thus says the LORD,
'Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.'"
-Jeremiah 6:16
Over the past seven days I've started and stopped this post more times than I can count and my delete button has taken a serious beating! I just don't know how to say all that I want to say, the right way.
So I will just say it...and trust that deep thankfulness will serve as a waving banner of celebration and honor over the Catalyst team, a group of close friends that have become like family.
Six weeks ago I shared with the Catalyst team that it's time for me to move on from my full time role with Catalyst and into a new season of life "off the road" and in community with healthy life rhythms and deep, consistent relationships. For the last several years I have traveled around the United States meeting some of the most amazing leaders imaginable - blogging for Catalyst, sharing videos, pictures, and stories of what I've seen and learned...all the while stumbling through my own journey of growth and maturation. It's been, by far, one of the greatest adventures of my life. I am speechless as I look back on this amazing opportunity and the privilege I've had to serve on a team (and as part of a movement) that is dynamically shaping the next generation of leaders in the church. To say I am honored is woefully understated.
Take Courage. Be Present.
I had no idea the themes for our 2011 Catalyst Experiences would be so powerfully prophetic for me this year. Both have become personal anchors in this time:
- Take Courage.
When the Lord said it was time to settle and stay in Orange County, CA I knew it meant that my ambassador-like role with Catalyst would need to come to an end. But I didn't know what was next. I spent three days praying, "Lord what's next??? I can't just move on...let me know what's next, and then I'll go." After three days His reply was simple and clear, "I'm not telling you what's next. I'm telling you what's now." I knew He was right; it was about trust and surrender. I told Brad and the team, and then began asking the Lord to clarify my next right step.
"Take Courage to leave when it would be easier to stay," Andy Stanley's opener at Catalyst West & Catalyst Dallas.
- Be Present.
I have no idea what the Lord is going to do in Atlanta, but the theme "Be Present" is one of the scariest and most powerful invitations for a leader to accept. That invitation is what has driven much of this decision-making process. For me, being present requires a forced pause, with time to breathe, and time to listen. As I took an honest assessment of my life and "became present" with the reality of my crazy and sporadic life rhythms amidst an aggressive travel schedule I knew it was time to relearn what it means to be "home." Being present isn't always peaceful, but I'm learning that it allows for greater opportunity to hear from the Lord...and when He speaks, it always brings life. The more present I am the more I know this is the next right step.
God is, and has been, so active in this process that my faith in Him is being rooted deeper than I could have imagined. Next steps are unfolding - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but they are materializing in a ways that continue to blow my mind. This past week I accepted a position with Mariners Church in Irvine, CA and will begin working with them full-time on July 1st. I won't go into that story here but it's more evidence that the Lord really does "work on behalf of those who wait for Him." (Isaiah 64:4). Who knows how everything will continue to take shape, but at this point, I'm willing to trust and believe that He knows and simply wants me to wait for Him to make it clear.
As I've been processing everything I've been asking the Lord to help solidify some life lessons that I can take with me as i move into this new season. Here are just a few that I wanted to share with you...
4 lessons I've learned, and continue to learn, from my time at Catalyst:
- Relationship before opportunity - Pursuing relationship before pursuing opportunity involves a posture of patience and service and allows for a foundation of trust. Opportunities built on trust are deeply rewarding.
- Humility precedes long term influence - Voices and messages come and go like the wind, but those coming from a humble heart seem to settle and stay.
- Embrace white flag moments - Admit need and ask for help when necessary. Surrender is not an absence of strength, rather it's an embracing of the truth that we lack it while appealing to One who defines it. "In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength..." Isaiah 30:15-22
- A positive catalyst is often unknown - Did you know that in many successful chemical reactions involving a catalyst, the catalyst leaves little to no reside of itself? Make a positive impact but do so while surrendering the need to be recognized.
These are just a few; I anticipate many more lessons to take root as I move foward.
I am overwhelmed with thankfulness and hope, and I look at this crossroads moment with so much honor to have been able to stand on the front line of Catalyst for those standing on the front line of the Church. I love Catalyst - the team, the vision, and this movement of leaders humbly serving the Church, and I'm so excited to remain its biggest fan!
And because I am struggling to finish this post as much as I struggled to start it, I will simply just say thank you for the chance to share so much of this journey with you...
Hope to see you at Catalyst in Atlanta!
'til then,
