Catalyst Rewind, Sunday January 31st

It's hard to believe that just one week from today, we go fully live with our Grand Opening. And yet today wasn't too shabby either. We finished up our Integrate series, focusing on the mental aspect of our spiritual lives.

-We're still working a few bugs out in our facility. While we had no intention of reminding everyone in the auditorium how cold it was outside by making it freezing inside, we kinda did freeze everyone out this morning. We've got a solution to that, and promise that we'll try to keep you much more comfortable temperature-wise next week. We learned, if you change the thermostat at 10am, its WAY too late.

We continue to see new people connect with Catalyst every week.

-I never knew you could start a church service with a Beatles Song, but we did today. If you look at the words to the Beatles Classic, "Let it Be," the message is one of a man searching for answers, to make things make sense in the world. Great connect.

-Band continues to do a great job developing a playlist of regular songs for Catalyst. Debuted two of my favorites today, "Your Love Never Fails (Lake Hills Church)" and "Everything. (Tim Hughes)"

-When Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, it wasn't just knowledge of evil that came their way. They got intimate with evil.

-Knowledge has a deeply intimate power in our lives.

-Knowledge is only as good as what we practice (thanks for the reminder Allen Iverson).

-We announced that we're forming two new life together groups (one in Anderson and one in Summerlake Subdivision) and we announced our total gift to Haiti missions through Samaritan's Purse. Catalyst is already setting the bar in terms of multiplication and world transformation.

-Thanks to all our volunteers, but especially to the load-in crew. It was 8 degrees when we rolled up this morning. And for the crew and band who put it on the line early in the morning to make Catalyst into a worship facility I just can't say thanks enough.

Later this week I'll post a special Grand Opening preview. But if you're reading this, then I want to ask you to join with us in prayer for the Launch. We sent out 10k mailers to our local community, and we're asking God to double the impact of our connections through this mailer. Usually a 1-2% response is pretty good. We're asking God for double that! That would be 300-400 households/families that God might grant us impact with! Huge stuff. So would you join us in that prayer. They don't all have to show up next weekend, but just that God would use us to help connect them to Him somehow over these next days and months.

Thanks for continuing to journey with us. The ride is going to get even more intense and exciting from here!

Sunday Rewind, January 24th

What...a...great...day!

From beginning to end, from the first box off the trailer to the last note from the band, I'm telling you, Catalyst was the place to be today.

*The band nailed it on every song, but especially with two of my favorites, "Take my Life" and "We are Yours."

*Our Catalyst Kidz venues are clicking on all cylinders.

*Teaching focused on how our emotional lives work in connection with our spiritual lives. The key question? Which has authority over the other?

*I also admitted that my streak is over....I got my first ticket ever yesterday! And in typical fashion, rather than accepting my punishment, I looked for someone else to blame.

*The story of Cain and Abel (which was our text for today) is a story about fixing your own junk.

*We also talked about the answer to the question, "Who is the Holy Spirit?"

*I wanna give some major props to our rep from the school, Tina! Tina totally hooked us up today in three our four very significant ways, and we couldn't be more thankful!

*We got some additional new bugs worked out in our setup and use of the school facility. Awesome.

It's hard to believe that our excitement level continues to ratchet up over these next two weeks leading up to Grand Opening. This week we're sending out 10,000 mailers to our four local areas. Would you pray with us that these mailers would find their way into hands of people who need to connect with God for the first time, people who need to reconnect with God in a powerful, life-transforming ways? You cannot imagine the energy, excitement and passion in the expressions of every person in the place today. If you've got no plans, be at Catalyst two weeks from today on Grand Opening. If you've got plans, change'em! God is changing lives at Catalyst. Come be part of the adventure!

Catalyst Rewind, Sunday January 17th

Hard to believe it's been four weeks since we met. But, we'll never have to utter those words again. Our new series, Integrate, is built around the theme that God does not compartmentalize areas of our lives, but wants to bring every facet our lives into wholeness with Him. This compartmentalizing idea isn't new. 2k years ago, a group called the Gnostics began teaching a heresy that basically our bodies were physical and our souls were spiritual, so as long as your soul was connected with God it didn't matter what you did with your body! This "dualist" theology forged one of the first schisms in the Christian church of the day. And even though this teaching was declared heresy, we're still battling the tendency to separate our lives these two millenia later.* So at Catalyst, we're tackling this idea head on, reminding each other that God wants every part of us, and wants every part of us to be One in Him.

**Continue to be amazed at the effectiveness of our teams even so early on. From the guys putting out the signs, to the setup team, to the Catalyst Kidz staff who create venues kids want to come back to, you're doing such a great job.

**Band was right on today. We're finally starting to get some volume issues balanced out with our own system and getting used to the gym as a worship auditorium.

**Associate Pastor Dan Towle brought some great teaching today. Talked about how the physical aspects of our lives contribute thoroughly in the spiritual. Wrapped up with parts of the Nooma Video Breathe.

**Our lives are begun and ended with us speaking the name of God, as we breathe.

**I got to say the words I've been waiting 15 months to say today..."JOIN US NEXT WEEK as we continue the Integrate Series."

**People hung out longer today after service than before. Great stuff. Got to meet several new families today. Exciting stuff.

**We're ready to launch a new group in Anderson as soon as we take care of a few logistical details, which hopefully will be in place by Grand Opening.

It's a great time to be part of this Great New Church. Whether you worship with, you pray with us from a distance, you partner financially with us, or read this blog regularly, YOU ARE CATALYST! God is using you to fuel transformation in Lapel-Pendleton and wherever God uses us in His world.

Next week we announce how Catalyst is going to be part of ongoing love for Haiti. As I mentioned via twitter earlier, you don't have to be a big church or an established church to make a big impact and spread the love to those in need. Check back next week to find out how.

Grace and Peace.

Chris