Catalyst 2011: Andy Stanley

Notes by Chris G | see Twitter hash #cat11 for more conference quotes

A single act of courage is often the tipping point for something extraordinary.

It's the single act of courage bible stories that we love to tell--Daniel, David, Moses

The story you are going to tell is when you sensed God moving you, and you were scared, but you stepped forward and followed Him. It may not ever be read, but those are the moments you'll look back on and see as the defining points of your life.

Three faces of courage:

1) Courage to stay when it would be easier to go

- Story: Charles Stanley starting at First Baptist Atlanta

- - very difficult start; tried to drive him off

- - everything said "go!", except God

- - it would have been easier if he'd known what was coming later, but he didn't

- if ministry is hard, it just means you're in ministry; it's supposed to be hard

- those things are your Pharaoh, your Nebuchadnezzar, your Goliath

- your decision to stay may be the tipping point in your community, your family, your life

2) Courage to leave when everything around you says "stay!"

- Story: Andy going to start the campus out in the suburbs

- The Tale of Three Kings: "beginning empty and alone frightens the best of men, but it also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them"

3) Courage to ask for help when it would be easier to pretend that everything is okay

- more men and women get in trouble because of failing to do this

- secrets are dangerous; secrets in the life of a leader are extraordinarily dangerous

- you haven't invited anyone in because you're afraid of what others will discover about you, and because of what you will discover about you

- the issue is fear ^

- Andy: I don't know a church leader who hasn't been in counseling

- when you are at the point of the spear, you encounter more resistance than those behind you

- - we wear out quicker, yet people think they can do it easily

- - we do our most difficult work in front of our friends and family and everyone can tell us what they think

- we are the least open to help

- has your friend/spouse/etc said, "I think you should talk to someone about that"?

- we are afraid

- do you know what hangs in the balance? No. We don't know, which scares us.

- Andy: as smart as I think I am, I would have never reached where I am

- if you are in this for the long run and want to finish well, you may need to step up for help

We should fear waking up one day and not knowing if we are in the center of God's will for our life

- "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of [wisdom, truth, strength]" (OT)

- we should be afraid of realizing we missed out on what God wants

- yet we get afraid of it being clear and knowing we have to do something with it

- the people in the bible that God spoke to, it didn't turn out so well :)

- what story do you want to tell? What story do you want your children to see?

- you obey God and you trust God with outcomes

- the tipping point for all of us at some point is a single act of courage

- that's why we remember that we walk by faith not by sight