Here are my notes from some of the sessions of Catalyst 2013.

Andy Stanley:

• It’s naturally in you to be known. “There is a little lady gaga in all of us and we live for the applause.”
• How known is known enough? There is no amount of known that will satisfy your desire to be known. People want to be known and recognized.
• It starts with a desire to be famous with our fathers and likely we never got famous enough.
• It moves from Father to coach, teacher, girl, boy, peer,
• Metrics are tricky. We try to make them applaud or cheer for us even though they are just numbers or metrics.
• There is no amount of applause or known that will fully satisfy you…it will just make you hungrier.
• What’s applauded is expectation the first time will be expected the next time.
• Your desire to be known will drive you to do things you never imagined until you start to be recognized.
• Applause is intoxicating. Intoxicated people don’t make great decisions. Those mores applauded for feel most entitled to.
• Applause is addictive. If you get it once you want it again and we start looking for it. If we can’t find it we will manufacture it.
• When this gets out of control you become a victim of known.
• The solution is not to stop being known.
• In order to lead you must be known and as a leader you have been called to be known.
• So how do we keep it from ruining us?
• John pointed people to Jesus…then people started to leave John to follow Jesus. John replied with:
• “A person can receive only what is given to them from heaven.” John 3:27
• Surviving Known requires us to remember who its from and who it’s for.
• Your appetite for known will not be satisfied by a number it will only be satisfied by a name. It’s about a WHO not a HOW MANY.
• What does the one person you do it for think about it? That’s what matters most.
• Don’t let known screw you up because God allows you to be known so that you can make HIM.
• Work hard, do what you do extraordinarily. Become more and more known as long as you remember who its from and who its for but make sure you listen to the applause from Heaven, from the one who knew you first and knows you best and has given you the responsibility to steward known-ness so that you can make Him known.

Malcolm Gladwell:

• David & Goliath – The story was the entire reason for the book. A story of how we never know our own strength.
• Single combat was often how ancient battles were settled. Goliath was engaging in single combat.
• We call David the underdog in this story traditionally.
• Underdog is an upset.
• Archers – “slinger” Rock flow approx. 35 meters per second. Stones are twice the density of normal stone in that region. Slingers had amazing accuracy.
• Goliath’s strategy is built around hand-to-hand combat. “Come To Me” requires proximity. David could shoot a bird out of the air.
• David – Filled with spirit of the Lord and having superior technology was far from an underdog.
• “We radically underestimate the power of the heart.”
• Know yourself, know your history & know where your power lies.
• Don’t believe you are an underdog just because people are underestimating the power of your heart, faith, and tools.
• What made the giant amazingly intimidating was also the point of his greatest weakness
• 2 things to remember: Giants are not always what they seem & nimble feet, superior technology, and the spirit of the Lord should never be overlooked.
• Do we start with our strengths or the weaknesses around us?
• Be creative. Come up with an alternative strategy – Being forced out of the normal way – the grounds for innovation.
• Should we be looking for contrast?
• Your obstacles and your moments of weakness are the moments of our greatest opportunity.
• David is marked by his refusal to be passive and he does not let it define him. He was the only one who understood who he was and the power of his faith. David knew what he had that made it hard for him to be defeated.
• What do we look for first? Fresh eyes
• The David position was a high-risk position. Keep that in your mind and be forgiving of those who have failed. If it fails you will get another shot.

Jason Russell – Invisible People.

• We to often let the mistakes and the shame define us.
• The only way to truth and freedom is through vulnerability.
• God is the greatest storyteller ever. He has 7 million stories going on at the same time and He loves each one of them.
• How do you break the control?

Angela Ahremdts

• Protect / explore / inspire
• Innovate with and through your heritage
• Pitfalls/fears of a brand that must evolve
• 1. There is a customer – unless you have them it doesn’t matter.
• 2. Have a servant leadership mentality. It will let you know what needs to disappear
• 3. Keep evolving as fast as the consumer is evolving
• 4. Just because something has to go away doesn’t mean it has to go bad. Do more in transition or the brand won’t reshape
• Creating culture is critical
• Hard strategies around brand soft strategies around culture
• Culture is uniting people
• Have a Simple vision
• Be open and honest about where you are and where your going
• Write new cajolery and respect the novel already written
• Remove dear
• Trust intuition and belief live.
• Innovation won’t happen without freedom to dream
• How do we unite anyone who touches the brand
• Use your instincts
• Give back to the employees. Make them owners.
• Consider all customers not just current ones.
• We were born to do something and our job is to put ourselves in position.
• Without authenticity how can people trust you…. or your brand?
• Trust matters
• Legacy – 1. Great culture for people. A great company requires a great culture. Core values, foundation.  2. Check cares…the look can be an icon for inspiration.

Judah Smith 

• Mathew 11:28-30
• Come to me – everything could change forever when we come to him.
• Come to Jesus in simplicity.
• A child like faith not a childish life.
• 1. Luke 15 – prodigal son. Jesus hangs with the unlikely. You are a son by birth not by worth. And you’re his because of it.
• If god throws a party because your home just dance. Don’t ever be the older son. It might take a lot but get on the dance floor and just dance. The reason we are dancing is because Dad still loves us. A lot of us stopped dancing a long time ago and the truth is we dance because he loves us. Being known by god means dancing min after you get home
• 2. Peter Mathew 14 – Peter failed and was soaked but worshiped Jesus. Sometimes we have to worship wet. We don’t want people who have been dry be wet but Jesus just wants anyone who is soaked. Sometimes being known by god means worshipping when you is soaked.
• 3. Peter John 21 – while they tried to go backwards and run away, Jesus made them breakfast and forgave the betrayal. Come to me.

Reggie Joiner 

• 1 you will die sooner than you think.
• 2 you will be forgotten
• 3. You will only be remembered by the people who know you now.
• Your influence is with the people you are around today.
• When you see the time you have left you will value the time you have now.
• Psalm 90:12
• When you see how much time you have you make what matters matter more.
• Do what you can do and control and trust God to do the rest
• Our job is to love our neighbor not change our neighbor
• When you see how much time you have left you will spend more time with a few.
• A legacy is what you leave in someone. An inheritance is what you leave for someone.