I’m a little ashamed to admit that there are lonely Sunday afternoons when I want, crave, pray for, someone to love.

Lonely Sunday afternoons when I grapple with God.

Why haven’t You granted me a husband or kids to pour into?

Why haven’t You provided an outlet for my overflowing heart?

When will I finally have someone to love?

The devil must snicker to himself as I covet what I don’t have, as I question God’s plans, and as I neglect to see the obvious. The obvious that hit me today like a ton of bricks.

There are no lack of someones to love in my life.

They might not come in the package I expected. But they are here. They are there. They are everywhere.

If I would just open my eyes.

Take Amelia for example, a young girl I fell in love with today at our first Compassion project.

A coy little smile, a shy wave, a tap on the shoulder, and she had my heart. It became quite obvious that Amelia was someone right here, right now, that I could love.

Amelia was someone to remind me of the hundreds of someones I have neglected.

And Amelia was someone to convince me to stop focusing on the WHY and WHEN and start focusing on the HOW and WHOM.

How can I pour out the love of Christ that flows within me?

Who do I have the opportunity and resources to invest in?

How can I leave a legacy of love?

Are you looking for someone to love? Did you know that for just $38 a month you can break the cycle of poverty for a child like Amelia? Did you know that for just $38 you can pour out of the love of Christ on a child like Amelia?

Click here if you are interested in learning more or sponsoring a child from Guatemala.

Click here to read my friends’ beautiful reflections on this journey with Compassion.

Are you ready to stop asking God why and when and start asking him how and whom?

PS – Thanks Keely for the amazing photos.

^"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." - John 17:22-23

In this passage, Jesus prays that all believers would be "one" and brought to "complete unity" in order to "let the world know that you sent me [Jesus]." Unity is more than a feel-good, mushy concept - it is evangelism, it is outreach. How can the world believe our message of God's love & reconciliation when we don't live it?

We are very encouraged by the unity that is developing between different churches (even different theological view points) all around the world.  Let's encourage this growth of unity in prayer this week!

Pray for Unity in the Church:
- get a list of all the churches in your city, and pray for them
- contact them, get the names of their leaders, pray for them by name
- contact the actual leaders, ask them for prayer requests
- pray for a denomination other than yours
- pray for unity in the Church in the US, and around the world
- pray for your own heart to be melted with grace for other Christian leaders
- pray for the boldness & humility to go to another Christian with whom you have an issue or grievance & address it, in love, and to make peace

The NINES Online Conference is coming to your computer this Thursday!  Catalyst had a chance to sit down with Leadership Network’s Todd Rhoades to talk a little bit about what is going on behind the scenes at The NINES. 

Where did the vision for an online conference like The NINES begin?
Well, the inspiration for The NINES came in the middle of 2009.  Leadership Network had just finished a big conference in Dallas called Innovation3 to help celebrate our 25th anniversary.  We brought in a ton of speakers to Dallas to share for 3 days.  It was an expense conference to produce.  So, with the advances in internet technology (especially) on-line video, we thought it would be really cool to try to do the same type thing, only totally on-line.  That's how the NINES was born.  We kind of had a silly concept:  9 minutes per speaker, 9 hours long, on 09/09/09.  From a marketing standpoint, it was succinct and easy to communicate.  We created a lot of buzz from the concept, and had a great experience learning how to (and how NOT to) host an online event.
 
Share with us a little peek behind the wizards curtain--what goes into putting The NINES together and how does it all work?
I think many people would be surprised at just how much work it is!  This year, we worked with about 150 different video submissions (that worked out to nearly 50 gigabytes of video to upload/download, render, and prepare!)  And we really worked hard this year to provide some additional resources, particularly our 125 page color NINES companion book, that offers full written-notes for each speaker.  We outsourced a couple of writers to help with the project.   We collected speaker information, pictures, and bios.  We created marketing pieces and website designs.  And scheduling and loading all of the videos for September 9 was a big job as well.  But you won't hear any of us belly-aching.  This has been a great project to work on... and when we think of all the church leaders that will benefit from the solid content that's been submitted, it makes it all worth it!
 
There are some incredible speakers lined up this year but we'd love to know who you are looking forward to the most? Who do we want to make sure not to miss?
There are a couple that really hit home for me.  I think that when Brady Boyd talks about the gunman that killed a couple of young women during church one weekend and how it changed New Life Church forever, is a very powerful story.  Brad Powell from NorthRidge Church in Detroit also shares an incredible gamechanger of how incredibly important the urgency of the gospel message is for each of us.  Both of those hit me between the eyes.  I'm sure that each person will resonate personally with a few like that.
  
What kind of impact are you hoping The NINES will have for leaders this year?
Here's the biggest takeaway of the day:  Each person will share their ministry gamechanger:  the one thing that changed them personally or their ministry the most over their career.  It is our hope that everyone watching will really connect and learn from a variety of choices; but more important, that God will use one speaker throughout the day to really help them discover a gamechanger that could happen in their own lives.  I have so much to learn... and The NINES will be an unbelievable opportunity to learn from the experience of others.

Catalyst is proud to be partnering with The NINES.  In fact, you’ll hear from many of our Catalyst speakers this year!  You can register (for free) for the NINES right now at thenines.leadnet.org.

Earlier this year I had the chance to meet with Allison Trowbridge and Kevin Austin from Not For Sale, a global campaign with one goal - re-abolish slavery.  I asked Kevin if he would share about Not For Sale and offer tangible insight into how you, and I, can be a part.  He offers a sobering glimpse into the reality of slavery in our world today AND two specific opportunities for us to help...

Re-Abolish Slavery.
By Kevin Austin

"There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history. Real slaves – unable to walk away – forced to work under threat of violence.  Slavery permeates everything from our cell phones, to clothing, to our chocolate, and tires.  Slavery is not just an “over there” issue of Thai girls in forced prostitution or child soldiers in Uganda.  It also exists in our backyards.

The issue of modern slavery affects us all.  Our businesses are deeply impacted, our families are at risk, and our morality is challenged.  Slavery is one of the highest money making criminal activities in the world.

The good news is that we can do something about modern slavery.  There is hope. The abolitionist movement of the 19th century, in one generation, challenged the enormous, entrenched business of slavery and abolished it.  We can do the same.  We can re-abolish slavery in our lifetime.

Learning more and being fully aware is necessary.   But we must move beyond awareness and talk to action.  Talk will not change things.  Books will not change things.  Statistics are cold and lifeless.  What creates change?  Churches preaching and singing, soccer moms casting votes, politicians creating laws, neighbors changing their lifestyles, etc. Slow but steady change is necessary. 

Two specific things you can do to learn more and do more:

1. David Batstone, founder of Not for Sale, will be leading a lab at Catalyst in Atlanta on Wednesday, Oct.6. Attend the lab then visit with Not for Sale staff at Catalyst.


2. Register your faith community for Freedom Sunday, www.freedomsunday.org, and let worship be a change agent, creating new futures for those in slavery.

For more see: www.notforsalecampaign.org."

Kevin Austin is the Director of the Abolitionist Faith Community for Not for Sale.  Kevin is also a Free Methodist missionary, a pastor, and musician.  Write to Kevin: Kevin@notforsalecampaign.org.

SHADOWHANDS (this is a powerful video)