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Catalyst Vanagon

Russia???

June 13, 2008


How do you say Catalyst in Russian? Anyone???

I wanted to write a short note letting you know that I am going to be traveling through Russia for the next two weeks with a volleyball team from Athletes in Action (AIA). You may remember our February 11th visit to the Athletes in Action Headquarters in Xenia, OH and our interview with the President of AIA, Bill Pugh. This is a great opportunity and while it is clear that our focus will be ministry through the platform provided by sports and competition, I am asking the Lord for opportunities to connect with church leaders in Russia and hopefully catch a glimpse of what God is doing on the front line of church in a country where the spiritual landscape has dramatically shifted in recent history.

The AIA Volleyball Team Blog will have updates posted from time to time but because we will have very limited, and at best sporadic internet access, we are unsure how often we will be able to post. The Catalyst Road Trip Blog will continue to be updated each weekday so stay tuned for more news from the Land of the Vanagon!

(What is the most random and off the wall road trip snack you've ever seen? Chad found one last week that I had never heard of; you may have, but it was brand new to me. Still not sure what I think about it - check back on Monday to hear more... )

LV
on behalf of the Catalyst Road Trip Team

Friday Links of the Week


It's Friday, and that means Links of the Week at CATALYST! Enjoy these links below, and post your favorite links of the week in the comments below. Fridays at the catablog are your destination for AWESOME.

COLDPLAY, new album streaming FREE at IHeartMusic.com (and a little bit at MySpace, too).

SIGUR ROS a creative, innovative band from ... not America, also streaming album free, on their website.

Anything Short of Sin - nothing short of awesome.

The future of DIGG: clustering users to help you find content more easily. Also, the Christian version, WWJDIGG is due-out early July.

Donald Miller and the Ride Well Tour. Very interactive site tracking their trek across the country, raising money to build wells in Africa.

NEW iPhone! $199! - um, everybody knows this already, but do you know THIS!

Monkey controls robot arm with brain waves. Next step, monkey world domination. Way to go, science ...

Starbucks now offers 2 hours free wifi - yay! Also, stock in Computer-guys-taking-over-the-comfy-starbucks-chairs just shot-up 10 points.

Clean Graffiti - or Reverse Graffiti, or Graffiti by Subtraction, or Dirtffiti ...

WEEKLY COMMENTARY:
Free is the new marketing strategy. It's amazing to see two major bands offering their music for FREE, and now free-ish wifi at Starbucks. Will giving stuff away for free result in higher sales? Apparently the top level marketing folks think so. Is it that good resources for free are so noteworthy they'll gain free headlines? For the music, is it that everyone will start listening to it at work and then everyone hears about the new CD?

LifeChurch.tv offers all of their content for free, could this explain some of their popularity in the Church world?

Why is FREE the new strategy? Post your interesting links below OR your comments on FreEconomics.

ONE PRAYER: First Weekend

June 12, 2008


ONE PRAYER was a phenomenal success this last weekend! 1,440 churches are involved, with 810,000 in attendence. Christians from around the nation are feeling connected to each other and becoming more aware of what's happening in other churches. ONE PRAYER seems to be creating a tremendous sense of community and the greater movement that we're all a part of - all through shared content and shared participation - AMAZING!

Here are a few qoutes from participants so far. Read the rest of the ONE PRAYER comments, they are VERY encouraging!

"WOW! What an impact this message had on our family. It made me look at things in a new
light. I am not the same person I was just a couple of days ago. I am changed...forever."

"This is such an amazing time that will make history within the Church and it is such an honor and a privilege to be standing as ONE with all of you!"

"Talk about pumped and ready to serve! Bryan Mills at Meadow Heights Church in Fredericktown/Ironton, MO brought it this weekend! We are so excited to join in on this awesome vision and cannot wait to see how God moves in and through all of us! Thanks for being so Kingdom minded! I cannot wait for the next three weekends and for tomorrows fast! God truly showed up and moved in the hearts and minds of many and challenged us in a huge way...HOW AWESOME!!"

"I am so excited about this message and the remaining weeks to come in this series, uniting all of us as one!! Seeing the videos of Craig's street interviews was absolutely heart wrenching. To know there are so many people who see our churches as divided, to see us as divided and to say they do not know any Christians breaks my heart. I believe it's not just where Craig was interviewing, it is all around us."

"I was so moved by the "what if" time line that Craig laid out. If we, as the bride of Christ, actually did as we should and joined together as ONE, the world would be completely changed, transformed, and by the end of the week when it was time to worship together-- all I can do is close my eyes and imagine the overwhelming glory and presence we would experience."

"This week, through One Prayer, God revealed to me that not only should I unite with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, but that I should work my hardest to unite my family as One. I was so blessed this week when my little sister finally decided to come back to church and give this whole "God thing" a chance again. God answered my prayers."

"It was AMAZING to hear how the 1365 churches participating in ONE PRAYER are pooling our resources together to do 500 new church plants in 4 different nations! PRAISE GOD!!!"

"I have been in the same place as Christian, knowing that the way I believe every scripture was the only way it could be interpreted. This put all other christians as an enemy to be converted to the truth. If a non christian at work was being witnessed to by another believer from one of these "false" denominations I considered it my duty to intervene and set them both straight - ending in everyone being confused and no one growing stronger in their or any faith.
     This lead me to pray and seek God as to why we are so fragmented, and how we could be united in one Faith as Jesus prayed. I have since learned we must first come together under one faith in Christ, before any honest dialouge can be started on the points on which we differ."

 

Catalyst Vanagon

Broken Voices


As you saw in yesterday's post (complete with a new highlight video) we have spent the last several weeks in Atlanta connecting with several of our local Catalyst friends. The question we've been asking since we hit the road in January follows the theme from '07 Catalyst, "What Will You Do?" People are making a difference and choosing to step out... we love hearing stories of what God is doing, and what God has been doing, with people who are available to be used by Him. Through the all too common experience of meeting new friends through current friends we were able to meet Andrew Morgam from a new ministry called Broken Voices. After straining to take my eyes off of his ridiculously cool hair I was able to focus as he shared about the story of Broken Voices - in short, a ministry birthed out of Ephesians 2:10 purposed towards "awaken[ing] young adults to who God created them to be." Purpose, the search for purpose, and the familiar battle against apathy... Broken Voices exists to help free the voice we have been given by God to shout loud amidst the unavoidable and undeniable brokenness of our world.

"Through the use of films, live events, and online community Broken Voices is seeking to create environments and resources for young adults to explore, discover and live out exactly who God created them to be."

Andrew and the Broken Voices Team are hitting the road in a road trip ride that looks like it could fit two or three vanagons inside - crazy! You've got to check out what they are doing. "... this summer we will be living in an RV for three weeks traveling across to country to capture the real life stories of God using ordinary people in his extraordinary story. Also while in each city we will be hosting gatherings called 'house parties' in which we will be gathering local campus and church leaders to share the vision of the events we want to join with them in hosting next year."

Broken Voices Blog


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"What Will You Do?"
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Catalyst Vanagon

No Place Like Home - back in Atlanta!

June 11, 2008


It's true - there's no place like home, and that's where we've been over the past several weeks. We decided it was time to meet some of our local fans and get some face time with our Catalyst neighbors. Admittedly, this is but a snapshot of all of the people we would like to meet face to face, so please receive our sincerest apologies if we have not had a chance to knock on your door... feel free to blame LV for that one, he's putting together the schedule. :-)
From Duane Nisly at the Spanish speaking Canzion Institute to Scott, Michael, and Mark at the Delta Headquarters we had a chance to catch up with leaders that are truly serving as Catalysts in their communities. Take a look at some highlights from our time in Atlanta - Ben Arment had his first experience in the Vanagon and now knows how to provide Vanagon CPR - yeah, check it out!

Stay tuned for more updates on our next road trip into OH, NY, MA, and down the coast!

Atlanta Highlights

Catalyst on Vimeo.

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