There was so much to take in at the Catalyst West Coast Conference, and I don't want it to be just another conference experience where I attend, take a bunch of notes, and not do anything with the content or experience. So, by blogging about it, my hope is that I can digest things a bit more and that those things become a part of me, rather than a bunch of great ideas. I know I won't be able to put into practice all that I heard about, but I trust that God's Spirit will help me grasp the most important things as it pertains to me.

So, here goes...

--"Make Meaning, Change the World" - Guy Kawasaki talked about the businesses that go into it with the motivation of making lots of money and gaining high social status---he notes that these businesses fail many times because the motivation is in the wrong place. Hearing him talk about this made think of my motivations... that I must keep them in check! Do I desire to simply please the Lord and genuinely helps others? Or could there be a part of me that desires personal gratification, praise from people, acceptance, recognition. And the ugly truth to that question at times has any ugly answer. Yes, I do struggle with the desire to people please, be recognized by others, etc. ICK! I MUST fight this motivation and bring it back to one more genuine - to love God and love others! That's when I know God will bless my endeavors.

--"Don't Worry, Be Crappy." Guy Kawasaki's message here was to not worry about having things PERFECT---waiting until you're "positive" that everything will be perfect will keep you unnecessarily stuck. For instance, I have been thinking and praying about starting up a monthly prayer and awareness meeting regarding sex trafficking. There's a part of me that says if I don't have it all planned out and know exactly what it will look like, who's going to come, what we're going to do every meeting, than I just won't start it up. And I know that's just silly! Yes, God desires me to pray about it; yes, He wants me to seek His direction, and, yes, planning is a good thing, but there comes a point when I need to trust God in the unknowns and walk forward. And as I walk forward into something unexpected ("crappy"), I'll deal with it then, with God's help. No amount of planning will keep away problems or challenges--there will always be something that comes up. This brings me to another thing Kawasaki said...

--"Let 100 Flowers Blossom" - We need to pay attention to the unexpected "fruit" or results and let it ride. So, maybe some results occur that I was not expecting or planning to happen, but don't fight it. Rather, ride the wave by watching what God is doing and partnering with those unexpected blossoms. Definitely easier said than done, especially for someone who resists change and anything unexpected!!! But hearing these things again will hopefully help me the next time something like this happens. :)

Okay, that's it for now. Part 3 to come soon--there's still so much more to digest!

"The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." -Psalm 103:8

"May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully." -Ephesians 3:18, 19