I am indeed back from ATL.  Eric kept uttering rap lyrics about Decatur, but I had no idea what he was talking about.  The trip itself was short.  We got in at about 8:30 am to the hotel.  The Labs day started at noon, so we begged for an early check in.  The only way we could get in was to take a smoking room.  We took it.  Killed the cockroach on the door when we went in.  We crashed for around 3 hours, and set out on one of the most formational events we had ever been to.  Scot McKnight was so dead on that it hurt.  Finally seeing Perry Noble was captivating.  I saw him in a hallway and was too embarrassed to say hi.  The dude is like a rockstar to me.  Never saw Tony.  I wanted to give him a hug just to freak him out.  Mark Batterson has really challenged my idea of what it means to be on mission at home.  NCC’s work in DC is simply amazing.  And then everything really started to unravel.

We went to this optional breakout thing with Mike and Judd from Deadly Vipers.  Their whole thing set up the next two days in a way that rocked my core.  I’m only three months into vocational ministry, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way for God to set me straight before I jack everything up.  It’s so so so so easy to work in our own power.  It kills us.

Before I really let loose, I have to mention that Eddie Kirkland led worship that night, and I had never heard of him.  He led again on the main stage the next night.  This guy takes the cake.  His willingness to drop new songs and weave them into a set in a way that puts you at the foot of the throne, alone, alive, washed, and soaked.  The song “How He Loves Us” wasn’t written by him, but has changed me.

I really want to dump a ton of notes into here from all the speakers, but I am going to resist.  When I said that it was one of the most formational events I’ve ever been to, I wasn’t exaggerating.  This is what I’m going to do.  I’m going to go into this next season with these notes, these thoughts,  and this training by my side.  I’m going to reference them often, and as they begin to be a true catalyst in my life, causing changes, I will blog about that.  I am creating a new category called “Catalystized” that I will use whenever these things play out in my life and change who I am, how I live, and what I do.  It was good, but I’m not going back.  It was too good and too expensive for me to consume more of it in just one year from now.

On the upside, if you are interested in being rocked, they are coming to the west coast in April.  It has the potential to fundamentally change you, how you see God, and the ways you allow God to use you.

I’ll leave you with this song that Eddie sang.  I have asked God for this song for years.  I’m so glad it is finally here.

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