At Catalyst Dallas, Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK) discussed wisdom for the older and younger generations.

I believe God wants us to work together as younger and older generations. I believe the devil wants to add division between generations.

To The Older Generation

• Don’t resent, fear, or judge the emerging generation. Instead, believe in them.
• You were different at one time from those who went before you.
• If you aren’t dead, you aren’t done.
• Don’t be threatened by younger generations. Realize that they need you.
• Many of us don’t know how to delegate. We think delegating is giving people something to do. Delegating tasks creates followers. Delegating responsibility creates leaders.
• Younger generations need your wisdom.
• Just be yourself. Don’t try to be cool. Authenticity trumps cool every single time.

To The Younger Generation

• You need those who have gone before you.
• Studies show that the younger generation is most often described by employers as entitled.
• Because the emerging generation feels entitled, when it comes to ministry, you feel you need to do it all now.You want to be in leadership, but you can’t speed up maturity.
• You often overestimate what God wants to do through you in the short run, and you often grossly underestimate what God wants to do through you in the long run.
• Always show your leaders honor. Honor publicly results in influence privately. Do not treat your leaders as common or ordinary.Dishonor and faith in the leaders before you limit your church.
• Some people need to repent for dishonoring the God-ordained position above them.
• Your generation is the most cause-driven generation of modern history.You are a chosen generation.
• I believe that you can do what I couldn’t do.

I am doing what I am doing right now because of the previous generations that have invested in me.

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During Catalyst Conference, Seth Godin discussed resisting compliance.

The masses couldn’t know what time it was until 200 years ago. We didn’t get time zones until 150 years ago.

Our economy drives our culture. When the Roman empire showed up, it demanded a different way of living. The economy changes the way we see things.

School was created by Andrew Carnegie and other industrialists to train kids to do what we want. Doing what you are told was invented to feed the factory system. Our systems have been built to run on interchangeable people that can be replaced.

Do you know why the factory wants you to fit in? So they can ignore you.

The fact is that in the world of Google, competence is no longer a commodity. When based on competency, I can always find someone to do your job cheaper.

The problem with factories is they will die because they are racing to the bottom. Stores are racing towards the lowest price. Churches are racing towards the nearest building. But often there is someone cheaper or closer.

What we can count on now is because we are more connected than ever before… because we can make more than ever before… all that is left is doing work that matters. So what is left is:

1. Are you going to be more obedient than everyone else?
2. Are you going to be more graceful than everyone else? (that is doing work that matters)

What we have created at work, at school, at church is a mindset that we must be more compliant than everyone else. But reality is we need to be more connected. Because in a world where people have choices, people will leave if they don’t want to do something.

The more change we can make, the more likely the tribe will join us. If you were gone, would people miss you?

Change is made by individuals who stop seeking deniability (proof it wasn’t your fault). Change is made by people who can accept responsibility.

When we think about what art is, is it really important that we prove we are better than everyone, or is it more important to just be on the winning side?

If you are involved in high-impact humanitarian action or non-profit causes, you should attend The Ideation Conference (Long Beach, CA) on April 5-6, 2010. To me, this is one of the most exciting conferences of the year.

For its inaugural year, The Ideation Conference focuses on humanitarian action with insights from many of the world’s best humanitarian thought leaders. Topics covered include best practices in branding, grassroots movements, social media, non-profit governance, partnerships, advocacy, policies, sustainability, establishing presence, networking, and more.

Speakers Include:

• Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission
• Danny Brown of 12 for 12k Challenge
• Eugene Cho of One Day’s Wages
• Lee Fox of KooDooz
• Jake Harriman of Nuru International
• Scott Harrison of charity: water
• Beth Kanter of beth.typepad.com
• Keith Kall of World Vision
• Ben Keesey of Invisible Children
• Wade Kawasaki of DUB Publishing
• Nisa Islam Mohammad of Wedded Bliss Foundation
• Hannah Song of LiNK
• Lotay Yang of The Black Card Circle Foundation

Available spots are limited. If interested, you should register today to guarantee your spot at The Ideation Conference.

:: UPDATE :: You can get a $25 discount for registration by using the code “BLOG” during registration. Also, $25 from each registration will go to a charity of choice.

Francis Chan of Cornerstone Church (Simi Valley, CA) discussed suffering during Verge Conference’s 6th session. Here is what he said:

Good ministry is full of suffering. Yet we are surprised when we suffer.

Do not be surprised when people persecute you (1 Peter 4:12). In fact, you should be concerned if people speak too well of you because that is how the false prophets were treated. At the end of the day, it is all about the Holy Spirit and what He has called you to do.

Jesus did not come to bring peace (Matthew 10 ). Blessed are you when people hate you because of Jesus (Luke 22). The world hated Jesus before it hated you (John 15). The apostles rejoiced at the opportunity to suffer for the cause of Christ (Acts 5). We are heirs of Christ provided that we suffer with Him (Romans 8). For the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in Him but suffer for Him (Philippians 1:29). Share in the suffering (2 Timothy 1:8). Let us bear the reproach that Christ endured (Hebrews 13:12).

If you are not suffering, there is a problem. Imagine how close you’d be with Jesus and how safe you would feel had you suffered alongside Him. Then you would know this is real.

You must learn to love people who betray you. The highest form of love is to love people who betray you.

If we really are serious about wanting Christ - to experience Christ, to know Him - we must be ready for suffering.

Dave Gibbons of NewSong Church (Irvine, CA) discussed loving your neighbor during Verge Conference’s 5th session. Here is what he said:

If we really break it down, the mission is clear. What is the mission: Love God and your neighbor. The problem is our definition of our neighbor. We define our neighbor in America as someone just like us. The genius and the brilliance of the church and when it becomes the most illuminous is when you love someone different from you.

Embrace the theology of flow and blessing.

FLOW: Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. See what God is doing. Pray for your community and let yourself be broken. Great vision will come from your brokenness.

BLESSING: When you unpack blessing in the Scripture, it is to see how special you are. Notice how special people are. Affirm people’s destiny.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What’s in your hand?
   A lot of times you think about serving God, you think you don’t have the eloquence or resources. But God has given you a unique story. He has given you the Holy Spirit in your hand. You know how much you do by how much you pray. If you don’t pray, you are depending on your own power and not that of the Holy Spirit. Your pain is your gift. Tell your story, and let it be used by God.
2. What’s on the outside of your hand?
   Who are the outsiders in your community? If you want to know how civilized a society is, look at how they treat children, women, and the elderly.

Jeff Vanderstelt of Soma Communities (Tacoma, WA) discussed living with gospel intentionality during Verge Conference’s 5th session. Here is what he said:

We are being active for Jesus’ sake and glory.

LISTEN: Part of our job is to listen well to the Word of God and the SPirit of God. We are good at talking to God but not listening to God. Scripture says where words are many, sin is not absent.

CELEBRATE: In every culture there are celebrations going on. Your job as a christian is to engage in the celebration with the people. We are to bring what is lacking.

BLESS: Bless your food. Physical hunger reminds us that we have a spiritual hunger for something external (God’s Word) to feed us daily.

EAT: Do what you already do but with gospel intentionality. You should be opening up your table regularly to those who don’t know Christ.

RECREATE: We should enjoy life and joyfully create and work as though its unto the Lord. What if Christians were the more creative, playful, and caring people in your community.

John Burke of Gateway Community Church (Austin, TX) discussed what is really missional during Verge Conference’s 5th session. Here is what he said:

If your unchurched friends are not finding faith and becoming the church, you are not missional. You aren’t really living on the mission of Jesus. If the world is not coming to Christ, can we really say that we are part of the Body of Christ? If we are being the Body of Christ, what would it look like? Very messy.

I think God could care less about our ministry efforts if we don’t have love for people.

3 Question to Ask Yourself

1. Am I serving the spiritual and physical needs of my neighbors?
   Everywhere Jesus went, He met people’s needs. So if we call ourselves missional leaders but do not meet our neighbors’ needs then we are not missional. If people think you are for them and not against them, they start to believe that God is for them not against them.
2. Do I point out God’s work in them?
3. Are my unchurched neighbors now leading the church?
   If you are on mission with Jesus then your friends will find Jesus and start leading the church. And that’s exciting!