Amy J. Bennett

Radical Chapter 5

October 12, 2010 by Amy 5 Comments

The concept in Chapter 5 that has stuck with me is this:

If we were left to ourselves with the task of taking the gospel to the world, we would immediately begin planning innovative strategies and plotting elaborate schemes. We would organize conventions, develop programs, and create foundations. We would get the biggest names to draw the biggest crowds to the biggest events. We would start megachurches and host megaconferences. We would do…well, we would do what we are doing today.

Er, 4 days ago, actually Pastor Platt. Now I’m not knocking Catalyst. Trust me, to experience what I experienced and come away with what I did, no one will ever convince me there is not worth in what they are doing. But that’s what we jump to don’t we? I mean, since leaving I think that’s what I’ve been trying to do…strategize and plot and organize and just…figure out a way to make a difference. And not saying organizations are bad either. But Jesus gave us this clear picture of going alongside just 12 guys and changing the world.

Even through Sisterhood of the Traveling Belt I’ve learned you just need a handful of people to make a difference. (over $1,000 raised!) It doesn’t have to be complicated. If you yourself can just use your own talents and gifts for him it’s enormous. I just think so many people are stuck in trying to use their gifts and talents for themselves. They’re still stuck in attaining that American Dream. But if we we didn’t? What if we banded together with our friends that had the same mindset and just WERE the church? There are no limits. I love David’s closing comments:

A community of Christians each multiplying the gospel by going, baptizing, and teaching in the contexts where they live every day. Is anything else, according to the Bible, even considered a church?

Man, I pray that me and you and you(!) and(!) you (!) would come alongside each other and be the church together. I don’t need to create anything brand new. I just need to jump in where God is already moving. I love what my friend Dani wrote today…she’s working on being more frugal because people even at her own home church are being turned away. I’m learning there isn’t a magical formula for making a difference. It’s just me using my passions and you using your passions and us doing that together to meet needs we already see. I love what Christine Caine said at Catalyst. She said the Samaritan in Luke 10:33 had compassion and then he went and bandaged his wounds. The passerbys before had seen the man too but they did nothing. Christine said compassion is only sympathy until we cross the road and do something about it. Guys, I’ve seen. If you’re reading this, you’ve seen some of the needs. Are we going to be sympathetic or compassionate? Jesus says in Luke 10:37 “Go and do likewise.”

Today I printed our Shoebox labels and had the kids watch a video on it (going alongside my family). I also volunteered to man a Compassion table at a concert next week with my friend Becky (Attention locals: Jeremy Camp/Carlos Whittaker/John Mark McMillian in concert in FM next week!). I’m not saying that to boast but to let you know I’m not just spouting this stuff out to you. I’m challenging me too. What if we did stuff like that every single day and not just once a year. You know what I think?

We just might end up being RADICAL.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Catalyst Takeaways

October 12, 2010 by Amy 6 Comments

Yeah, so I’m going to be talking about Catalyst for a while I suppose. Just to start I thought I’d make a list for you (but mostly me) of organizations that Catalyst promoted. I’m planning to research many of them in depth that I feel called to but you might have a heart for a different ministry. Here’s a quick overview.

Operation Christmas Child. No stranger to many of us. Fill a shoebox for a child for Christmas.
Compassion. Definitely not a stranger to this blog or to you probably. Sponsor a child for only $38 a month. Catalyst had a graduate of Compassion there who is now sponsoring another child. Do it. Do it, do it, do it. I LOVE Compassion.
CharityWater.org. They reminded me a lot of blood:water mission who we are supporting through the Sisterhood of the Traveling Belt. Very worthy cause to say the least.
A21Campaign.org – Helps women who have been a victim of human trafficking.
Street Grace – Atlanta based group that help children who have been victims of trafficking.
Tronie Foundation – Survivor led organization to support survivors of trafficking.
First Response Team – A group that responds to United States natural disasters to aid local responders do their jobs.
143Million.org – Brings awareness to the 143 million orphans across the world that need adopted.
Project 7 – A company that sells COFFEE where a part of it goes to charity.
aHomeInHaiti – They provide shelter to homeless Haitians.

Here’s the thing. I KNOW that’s a lot. But as Helen Keller said, “I may not be able to do everything, but still I can do something”. Yes, I feel overwhelmed with all the ways we can help make a difference. But not understanding all the ways doesn’t mean I can’t understand at least ONE way.

So pick one.

Do something.

Start a small monthly donation to one. And then add another when you can. Having any number of options should not lead us to no options. Do something.

So I’ll start the thinking process for you…which one jumps out at you as you read the list? Go ahead, put it in the comments.

For me, obviously Compassion is really close to my heart but sex trafficking has been heavy on my heart for weeks leading up to Catalyst. A21Campaign, Street Grace and Tronie Foundation were a big bright neon sign to me. I’ll be posting more about them in coming days. Stay tuned!

Read more Top Ten Tuesday posts over at ohamanda.com.

Overwhelmed

October 11, 2010 by Amy 8 Comments

Overwhelmed. That’s the only word I can come up with 3 days after Catalyst. I’m not exaggerating when I say I came back a different person. I’m thinking about things differently. I want different things. I don’t know, a little of my spiritual DNA changed a little last week.

And then life happened.

Saturday morning I did a charity walk. Saturday afternoon we went to the Renaissance Festival. Sunday was church. Today was work.

None of this was bad stuff. But I went from two days on a high and wanting to change the world, back to life. Just life. And not that my life is bad. But it just…is life.

And I know I can make a difference with just life but I don’t know. I’m having a hard time processing it all. Last night I was exhausted and just went to bed, cried and took a nap. It was the only thing I could do. And then I got up and went back through all my notes and made a list a page long of takeaways.

And somehow, some way I have to make it my life.

Carolina Renaissance Festival

October 10, 2010 by Amy 8 Comments

Yesterday was the Carolina Renaissance Festival. I’ve never been and I sort of expected the normal fall/state festival. Lots of tents of food, maybe a few stages with different shows. Well, boy was I wrong. This thing was like a mini amusement park. Not necessarily roller coasters but all the buildings were permanent and it was so much larger than I thought, winding back into the woods with food vendors, stores to buy the Renaissance related items, small rides, stages and even a little arena for some jousting. This was the common view:

Lots ‘o people! What should have taken us no more than 45 minutes to get to, took us THREE HOURS to get to this thing. You have to go out to the middle of nowhere outside of Charlotte to get to it and there is this two-lane road that was 6 miles between the interstate and the festival that took us 2.5 hours to get down! That’s literally going 2 miles an hour. And that’s about what we did. But it was one of those things where you’ve gone 1 hour and then 2 and you keep saying maybe it will get better and you really don’t want to REALLY waste your time by turning around and going home.

We managed to get in 45 minutes before it originally was supposed to close and then they extended the time an hour just because so many people were trying to get in. So yes, it took twice as long to get there as it did to be there. But it was quite the experience. The first thing that wowed us was this:

Because yes, that’s a person, not a statue. And performers would randomly show up along the path and a crowd would gather like for these two…uh, not sure what to call that…guys that stand on each other in weird positions.

But of course, we were pretty much there for the food. The almighty turkey leg.

We also had some sweet potato fries and Heather got some pesto pasta salad that was pretty yummy.

We also let the kids do one activity. Hello, budget! Emma picked the jumpy thing that she did back at the beach this summer. She went SUPER high and the guy twisted her rope right at the end so she would do a flip.

And Lexi picked this huge rocking horse. And no, it wasn’t motorized, the ladies working it had to rock it for us!

But REALLY what we were there for is to see all the pretty costumes. The environment is like none other I have ever seen. Workers are all dressed up but festival goers can also come in their own costumes or rent ones there. And the really kinda weird part is they LOVE having their pictures taken. Scott walked around and just started snapping pictures and many obliged with a pose.

All the workers were so nice to the kids.

This one reminded me of Belle from Beauty and the Beast!

Even the ducks had costumes on!

We’re assuming King and Queen?

Weirdest one definitely went to this guy:

So Scott was in a really silly mood on our way out and walked by this guy and said, “My wife wants a picture with you.” So I played along and this guy went for this posed that cracked me up. Can you tell?

We were a few yards away and Lexi says, “Daddy!” and swatted him on the butt. That’s the way to take up for Mommy, baby!

All in all, a trip that is certainly not worth 3 hours of travel for but definitely worth experiencing!

Catalyst 2010 Day 2

October 9, 2010 by Amy Leave a Comment

Driving into the arena Friday morning I turned to PJ and said, “I really don’t think today could every top yesterday.” Well, I couldn’t be more wrong. Friday had some of my favorite speakers.

Tad Agoglia – This CNN Hero presented his organization First Response Team. They have huge tractor trailers and trucks and respond to all major catastrophes across the country. This guy basically gave up all his possessions to start this and now Caterpiller and Peterbilt have donated all kinds of equipment and they are normally in before local first responders.

Perry Noble. I saw Perry when we were at the conference in Lexington, KY. I knew we were in for a treat. And that we were. Perry talked about not giving up on your calling. He talked about the invitation (to lead) and how we should just “do what the Lord told you to do.” And if our results are explainable, it’s not of God. He talked about Elijah and how God provided food from the birds and water from a brook and how the brook dried up. And many leaders are in a time where their brook has dried up. They want to quit. They feel punished. But Perry says God is not punishing he’s preparing. He’s teaching him that the source is not the brook but it is God. We must learn how to depend on Him. Don’t run from a situation God reigns over.

Gabe Lyons – I wasn’t familiar with him before we came but this was one of my favorites. Gabe has an interesting angle. We works with leaders to understand and lead culture through his group Q Ideas. The stuff he presented was almost like all this stuff I’ve been working through and feeling and trying to understand, he categorized and organized and helped me understand this shift in culture and my role in it. So historically we’ve had a very church-centered country. Ideas and decisions were brought forth from the church but now in this post-modern world people are discussing at work and with friends. It’s happening in schools and communities. And we can either fight back and try to get church back in the center or we can work with what we have. There are 3 different viewpoints

Separate – The church huddles up and pushes culture out. It’s the church against the world.
Culture – The church looks just like world. They’re doing good stuff and blending in.
Restorers – This new culture understand that there is a difference but instead of fighting back they seek it out to restore people to their place in God’s story.

As a restorer you understand that there is a full picture of God from creation to the fall to redemption and restoration. So much before it was just fall and redeem. Get as many people saved as possible and move on. Or some would stop at creation—God created the world and we should take care of it and are consumed with doing good deeds but are disconnected with the Gospel. Restorers are not offended by culture but provoked to engage. They are creating culture with magazines and movies and blogs and school and organizations. They believe that God has called them to reshape the world.

So many Christians are struggling with meaning and purpose. They feel disconnected. We need to understand that people are already on mission where they are. The pastor needs not to inspire people to work within the church to make a better church but to inspire people to be a missionary where they are now. So many people are leaving churches because they’re trying to find a church that will teach them how to BE the church. YES. Yes, yes, yes!! I’m a restorer!! I’ve never had a name for it but that’s what I’ve been striving for. I see the social injustices but I don’t want to do them just within the world. I want it to be connected to the Gospel. I think so many people in my generation and younger are SO THIRSTY for this direction from their churches.

Craig Groeschel – Craig talked about the tensions between older and younger generations. He encouraged the older generation to keep going. You’re done until you’re dead. But also not resent the younger generation but pour their wisdom into them. He encouraged the younger generation to honor the older generation. While that boils it down to the bottom line, I so enjoyed Craig’s enthusiasm, passion and humor.

TD Jakes – I of course knew of TD Jakes but had never read or watched him in any capacity. I was just thrilled with his talk. He was super funny and passionate. He talked about leading outside your comfort zone. He talked about getting out of our comfort zones because we can’t change the world “from our corner”. But in order to change the world, we must learn the languages of many kinds of people. We have to on the forefront and learning to speak these cultures. You need to understand what types of people you speak to/draw. Do the cell phone test and see what kinds of people are there. If they’re all like you, it’s time to reach out. God does not allow sameness to procreate. When differences come together, it brings fruits and blessings. We all must work together to make a difference.

Andy Stanley – The closing session was directed at church leaders but it could be any organizations. He talked about tensions that come up over and over in churches – going for a longer service time vs. not having preschool volunteers quit, building a new facility vs. caring for the poor, attracting new believers vs. discipling mature believers. He suggests that the tension between the two are GOOD. Not one group should win. These problems should never be resolved. But there are times in a church where one will need to be put on hold and the other comes up more. Use the terminology “we need to manage this tension”. Be able to say, right now the church needs more music or right now the church needs to concentrate on attracting new believers. There is a season for everything.

Also amazing on Day 2?

The trampolines

And human canon ball. Talk about tension!

Oh, also you MUST check out Gungor. They had the most amazing worship time I experienced there. And no one was even singing a word.

I found Tim Schraeder has some AWESOME notes from the conference. And again, check out more of these cool pictures here.

Catalyst 2010 Day 1

October 7, 2010 by Amy 3 Comments

OK, hang in there for this one. But basically I’m going to treat this like I’ve called you up on the phone and I’m going to tell you all about my day with a very excited voice, barely pausing between to breathe at which point you’re just going to go uh-huh, uh-huh, really?, that’s awesome. But not in the bored way. K? Here we go.

So first thing, I have to talk about the crazy stuff outside. They had a stage set up and they were doing dance competitions. Besides it, they had a huge tub of bubbles where people were wrestling. It was just all-around fun before you even went in. Oh, and someone proposed on the stage outside. She said Yes!

The praise and worship was amazing all day. I especially enjoyed this morning’s session where they started off with this Eminem song and I don’t know, the talent and creativity just in the worship kind of blew the hinges off the doors right out of the gate. It’s just one of those times where you just go God, you are so awesome that you gave these people these gifts and it’s so amazing they are using them for You. I don’t know who this guy is but he needs an album if he doesn’t have one and then I need to buy it. AMAZING voice.

Ok, so as for the speakers, this REALLY would be a long post if I typed up every single thing I wrote down but I’ll give you all some highlights.

Andy Stanley. I loved him. He was really funny and real and did a really great job of weaving Scripture in with application. He talked about our appetites. To be loved, appreciated, wanted, respected, for fame. And it creates a vocabulary of “more”. They are never fully and finally satisfied and always whisper that it must be satisfied NOW. He used the story of Esau selling his birthright to Jac0b and how his appetite for the stew was so strong that he traded not just his birthright, but possibly his legacy for generations to come. Instead of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau it was Abraham, Isaac and Jac0b. Our appetites get blown out of proportion but we must reframe them and see what the cost will be. Ask yourself these questions: What can’t you say no to? What are you talking yourself into? What are you contemplating that your spouse is uncomfortable with? What is not illegal or immoral but you don’t want anyone to know? Learn to control your appetites.

Scott Harrison – He spoke on behalf of Charity Water. This guy came out of New York as a very successful nightclub promoter and has now started and runs Charity Water. Amazing stories and charity.

Daniel Pink – Daniel’s talk honestly was probably more geared towards businesses and church administration. I found myself connecting the dots based on my work environment versus church. But basically his idea is a person’s real creativity and ownership comes out when they are given 3 things. Autonomy, mastery and purpose. Autonomy basically means letting your employees dictate what tasks they work on, when they work on it and the technique they use. It’s the opposite of micro-managing. Mastery we need to set goals and give yourself feedback. Especially the millenial generation is very feedback oriented. You also must marry purpose and profit. It’s not enough just to say we need to raise profit share 2%. He closed by talking about people’s lives are one sentence. Like Lincoln’s was free the slaves. Is your life an amazing sentence or a muddle paragraph? What’s your sentence?

Christine Caine – She blew the roof off the place. She was so passionate and talked about the church being the church instead of attending church. But it must be born out of love for Christ. We are not to judge and condemn but to love and find the lost. When people get lost, they don’t plan on it or maybe they just make a miscalculation. It doesn’t matter, we must have compassion and show them the right path. We have to be God’s GPS. And true compassion only starts when you do something about it. Otherwise, you’re just getting emotional. She talked a lot about sex trafficking and she has started A21 Campaign. I’m so excited about this and can’t wait to get more information.

After Christine, they did more presentations for sex trafficking. Atlanta actually has 2-300 children that are trafficked every month. An Atlanta based group has created a film about it that you can have shown in our city. Find out more info at stopthecandyshop.org. The Atlanta based group is Street Grace.

Rani Hong – She’s a trafficking victim for India. She was sold at SEVEN. SEVEN. That’s Emma’s age. It BREAKS MY HEART. She ended up getting out of India and adopted by a mother who ended up dying of cancer when she was 16. Her story is amazing and she has started the Tronie Foundation to be the voice of victims.

Seth Godin – Honestly I don’t think I’m smart enough to recap Seth Godin. He talked a lot about industrialization and how the factory mindset has taught America how to create things faster and in the same way and have people be replaceable. We’ve lost the ability to solve problems creatively. We must change and become indispensable people. We must learn to connect. We have to learn to try new things and not be afraid of failure and to not be afraid of emotional labor. Emotional labor is all those hard emotional places you don’t want to go like giving someone a call that you know will hurt. When we find our “art” we will become those a person that people will miss when you’re gone.

Beth Moore – Beth! She talked about fear and insecurity. She talked about how leaders are dealing with instant scrutiny with social media these days and this inner war of insecurity starts. This leads to self-focus and narcissism. We have to rely on God and follow Him wherever He goes. We usually start well but Satan tries to render us ineffective. We need the Spirit to give us staying power.

At this point they did a presentation on adoption and Compassion and I was a MESS after that. You’ve read that we are considering adopting and there was something an adoptee/adopter said that is going to stick with me. He said there is a child that God has ordained to be yours, he’s just not under your roof yet. That SLAYS me to think our little boy is already out there somewhere. It makes me want to run off to Haiti or wherever, just yelling to find him. I mean, if Emma or Lexi were lost I would go to no ends, spend as much as I had to get them home. Why am I not willing to do the same for this child?

Francis Chan – Francis Chan tonight was impossible to contain or summarize. Man was on fire. He leaves in 2 weeks to go to India with his whole family (FOUR kids) for an undetermined amount of time. You could just see and hear how in love with God he is. He’s being completely led by the Spirit and it’s just amazing to see.

And in closing, let me show you a funny video. These two guys who were basically comic relief I guess had these awful bowl cuts. They were making fun of all the different hair styles of pastors and then tried to get others to do the bowl cut and said Chris Tomlin had one which of course no one believed. Then they showed this video. Hilarious!

Check out more awesome pictures here.

Mini Bloggers Meetup

October 6, 2010 by Amy 8 Comments

Even before I was 100% sure I was headed to Catalyst this week, I was emailing Amanda about a possible meet-up. I’ve been a “fan” of Amanda for quite some time. Probably before she even knew I existed. But for some reason she was always one of those bloggers I connected with. I felt like we were just “the same”. Yes, many differences but just one of those people I wanted to be friends with in real life. Through Amanda I “met” her childhood friend and blogger Mandi and knew she and I, too, would hit it off.

Well tonight I got to meet those two wonderful ladies. They picked me up at my hotel and took me to a local French bakery for some yummy dessert. Yes, I know it’s kind of a scary thing that I had two practical strangers pick me up and drive off with me in a strange town. But it’s certainly not the first time I’ve taken that kind of risk and every time it’s paid off. I love my bloggy friends! And once again, it paid off in leaps and bounds.

We talked for a solid 3 hours about everything from Francis Chan to Justin Timberlake and just as I expected they are every bit as lovely as they seemed. I had a BLAST talking blogging and social media with them. I’m so grateful they were willing to take that risk with me. What a way to start my Catalyst experience!

Radical Chapter 4

October 5, 2010 by Amy 4 Comments

Live right.

Gain favor and blessings.

Be happy.

Do good in God’s eyes so that he gives you a pat on the back by blessing you. You, therefore, have a better, happier life. Your emergency plan grows, your retirement grows, you get a nicer house, better clothes, etc, etc, until we are sated and happy. That’s the American way right? Even the American, even Christian American, way, right? I’ve been guilty of thinking this way but I’m becoming more and more convinced we’ve got it wrong.

I think the American way gets us all tripped up because we assume first of all that our blessings are contingent on our actions. Look, I know a lot of people that are good, good people that have hurt really, really bad. It’s not Biblical to say our actions determine our blessings. I mean, I know there are natural consequences and all and God’s ways do keep us out of a lot of those. Until they don’t. Just take a look at Job if you want a Biblical example.

Blessings come and they go. I don’t know why He chooses to bless us sometimes and other times we are hurting more than we can bear. But somehow we think our blessings are meant for us to make us happier. Period. But I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The real blessing comes when we take that and then connect it to God’s purpose. He wants to bless us so we give him all the glory and men may know him. And in fact, it is in the hard times when he wants us to glorify him too. I think the list should look more like:

Accept pain and blessings
Give God glory in all
Others see God at work

I love the closing paragraph of Chapter 4 which is part of an email from Jamie, a lady who had just returned from Guatemala:

All my life I have completely disconnected God’s blessings from God’s purpose, and now I realize what I had never seen. God has blessed me to show his love to Domingo. God has blessed me to show his mercy and grace to children in Guatemala. This is why God has given me income and education and resources. God saves me so that the nations will know him. He blesses me so that all the earth will see his glory!

So the question of the day is how do we use our blessings…income, education and resources so that nations will know him? Well, thankfully, we’re only on Chapter 4 and there is more to come!