Your 20's establish your 70's

This is a post to say thanks to my mentor of many years ago Bob Foster. And also to challenge you who are in your 20's. I was 22. I worked at Lost Valley Ranch just after college for a couple of years as a Wrangler (yes, I rode a horse several hours a day for a living!), I had the incredible opportunity to be mentored by Bob Foster, Sr. the founder of Lost Valley and a longtime businessman and "social entrepreneur" for his generation. His list of accomplishments and awards was a mile long. He served on a number of boards of very respected non-profits, established a footprint globally by speaking and writing, and was part of a circle of friends that included the "legends"- folks like Hendricks, Graham, Troutman, and others. 

Needless to say, Bob had accomplished much in his life and was a hero and mentor to many. 

We would meet together weekly - scripture memory, Bible study, and personal mentoring. One of the things that will always stand out to me from our time together was the phrase he constantly used- "your 20's establish your 70's." Bob was 75 at the time. Basically, the man (or woman) of God you are in your 20's will determine the kind of man (or woman) you will be in your 70's. 

It starts with a foundation. Your legacy is not determined by what you DO as you get old, but is more determined by who you ARE when you are young.

Your 20's are incredibly important to the man or woman of God you will be. The foundation you lay for your life in your 20's is what will determine the impact you have over the next 50 years. It will determine the kind of husband, wife, father, mother, employee, employer, friend, confidant, and leader you will be. 

20 somethings- Create your legacy now. 

Thanks Bob for helping me understand the importance of my 20's. I am a 30-something now, but still working on this.

Catalyst National Tour in St. Louis this week

St. Louis LV Hanson from the Catalyst team is hanging out in the St. Louis area all week, meeting with pastors, leaders, young influencers, and Catalyst VIP's as part of the Catalyst National Tour this summer. If you live in the St. Louis area or are in town visiting, send him a tweet DM or message at @catalystleader. You can also connect with him via facebook or by email at lv.hanson@catalystspace.com.

Interview with Reggie McNeal

The recent edition of the Catalyst Podcast features an interview I did with Reggie McNeal. Reggie is a church leadership expert. He works with Leadership Network, speaks frequently, and is an author of several books. We talk about his new book Missional Renaissance, and also discuss the whole topic of "missional" and why we need to change our view of what it means.

You can listen here or download via itunes.

What is Gift Card Giver?

Part of a board meeting today with Gift Card Giver. This is a great organization that I highlighted a couple of weeks ago.  Gift Card Giver provides a platform for anyone to leverage the unused money/credit on gift cards for good. Think of all the gift cards you have in your wallet, purse or on your dresser at home. Ones you'll never use.

Well, you can send those cards in and the remaining credit on the cards will be used to help those in need. Whether the card is from Best Buy, Home Depot, Starbucks, Target, or Olive Garden, all cards are welcome. Once sent in, these cards are aggregated together and the money is leveraged for helping those in need.

Also, if you are a church leader, ask your congregation to throw their gift cards into the offering plate. Then, put em all together and send them in. 

The video below is a simple story showing the power of the idea behind Gift Card Giver. 

[vimeo 5612738]

Organizations Doing Good, Part 2

Over the next several weeks, we'll be highlighting a number of organizations that we at Catalyst are partnering with through the Organizations Doing Good Series. Several of these organizations will be highlighted at Catalyst Atlanta in October, but for now wanted to provide a running list so you can check them out on your own.  You can see Part 1 here. 

1. Deadly Viper- initiative started by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite, two great friends who are helping leaders pursue radical grace and radical integrity, while also combating the character assassins that attack all of us. 

2. IJM- International Justice Mission. One of the leading organizations focused on rescuing children from sex trafficking around the world. Started by Gary Haugen, a Catalyst speaker in 2005. 

3. Invisible Children- advocacy group dedicated to rescuing child soldiers in Northern Uganda and other parts of Africa. 

4. One Days Wages- started by Eugene Cho, a pastor in the Seattle area. A global grassroots movement fighting poverty around the world by asking people to give up one day's wages to help those in need. 

5. Word Made Flesh- helping and living with the poorest of the poor around the world. Amazing organization led by Chris and Phileena Heuertz.

Young Influencers List- July Edition

Here you go, the July Edition of the Young Influencers List. You can also check out the archives of past editions here. And again, no particular order. 1. Judah Smith- powerful communicator and pastor in Seattle at The City Church.

2. Phileena Heuertz- leader with Word Made Flesh, an amazing organization serving the poorest of the poor around the world. And soon will be releasing her first book.

3. Jon Passavant- one of the world's leading models, and the founder of the Model Home Project.

4. Tony Kim- executive pastor at Newsong Church in Orange County, CA. Creative visionary with a great blog.

5. Jordan Foxworthy- She is the 17 year old founder of the Bite Back Campaign in partnership with Compassion. Raising money and awareness to fight malaria in Africa. Check out the video on CNN.

6.  Garrett Gravesen- one of the founders of the Global Lead Program. Also started an initiative called HERO, aimed at helping children infected by HIV/Aids.

FEE Band- song release today!

Today is the big release day for the song Glory to God Forever. You can buy it right now on itunes. This song is part of the new album from FEE entitled Hope Rising, which will be releasing at Catalyst in October. I've heard the rough cut for the entire album, and believe me, you'll want every single song on your ipod! It is off the charts. 

You can see Steve Fee below talking about Glory to God Forever. Again, take time today and buy the song. 

[vimeo 5682741]

Eat More Chicken

You never know who is going to show up at the Catalyst offices. Recently, we were surprised by some of the folks from Chick-fil-A who brought by some chicken biscuits and gift cards for the Catalyst staff.  Of course, as we always do, we had to capture this on video and create some memorable moments to share. Enjoy.

[vimeo 5645035]

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Being Creative

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Creating an environment for "being creative" takes work. It takes energy and preparation. You don't just show up and flip the creative switch on immediately. There is a reason that certain groups and organizations are ultimately more creative than others- it's because they are on purpose when it comes to creating the right kind of environment for creativity. They are intentional with creating the creative environment.

Here at Catalyst, we are very intentional about our creative process. It's part of our DNA. See this post from last year about "turning ideas into reality."

When it comes to creating the right kind of environment, we've established some "rules" (suggested behavior) for our "creative" meetings:

1. set the expectations for the meeting up front. be very clear, even if there are no rules.

2. there is no bad answer

3. "yes, and" and never "no or but"

4. respect everyone's participation and their thoughts- no one can dominate the conversation

5. allow for movement- standing up, walking, sitting down, whatever works for people- especially those with shorter attention spans!

6. provide creative "extras", such as toys, sports items, collectives, visual effects and other "enhancers"

7. Take mental breaks every 30-40 minutes, and physical breaks every 90 minutes

8. take VERY detailed notes. capture everything. gotta have a dedicated notetaker.

9. always allow for rabbit trails, but have a facilitator who keeps things moving.

10. Keep the fun meter above 50%. If it drops below that, stop and re-establish the fun factor. 

Hopefully these are helpful as you create in your own environments.....

An interview with Darren Whitehead from Willow Creek

LV Hanson recently sat down with my good friend Darren Whitehead, one of the teaching pastors at Willow Creek Community Church, for a quick video interview in his office.  Check it out. 

[vimeo 5605942]

LV is out on the road over the next several months visiting leaders from all across the country- hearing their stories and connecting with them in their environments.

Good Wisdom

"It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead -- and find no one there."  - Franklin D. Roosevelt  "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."  - Harry S. Truman

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."  - Howard Thurman

Interview with Blake Mycoskie from TOMS Shoes

Check out the most recent issue of the Catalyst Podcast, featuring an interview with TOMS Shoes founder and Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie. Blake has an amazing story, is a true inspiration, and throws down some solid business and leadership principles as well. 

You can stream live here or download from itunes. 

We are also joined in studio by Ben Rough from Compassion International, discussing our most recent trip to Rwanda and the great work of Compassion in lifting children out of poverty all over the world.

Organizations Doing Good

Here at Catalyst, we have the opportunity to partner and work with a number of leading organizations focused on different areas of "doing good." We'll be highlighting a number of these organizations and their initiatives at Catalyst Atlanta, but I thought over the next several weeks I would list them so you could check them out and see more of the great work they are doing.  I'll be listing 4 per week over the next 8 weeks, in no particular order. 

1. Compassion Art- an initiative founded by Martin Smith, lead singer and founder of the band Delirious. Their Compassion Art music project has already raised over $120,000 from the sale of the CD towards poverty initiatives around the world.

2. Advent Conspiracy- started by good friends Chris Seay and Rick McKinley, this campaign encourages consumers to forego putting money into gifts at Christmas, and instead give that money to clean water projects and other worthy initiatives, fighting against the grip of consumerism on our culture. 

3. Gift Card Giver- started by Jeff and Andre Shinabarger. Focused on collecting gift cards that still have credit on them, and turning that credit into money that can be used for worthwhile projects. You can host a Gift Card Giver House party in your community, or just simply send in your unused gift cards.

4. Hope International- the leading microfinance Christian organization. Providing small loans to individuals around the world to help lift them from poverty and give them a job and sustainable income. Peter Greer is doing a great job leading this top-notch initiative. 

Let me know if you are aware of charitable organizations, businesses or initiatives that should be highlighted. List them in the comments section and I'll add them to the list. 

Cult like crazy companies

Chick-fil-A, Zappos, Burton, Apple.  These companies have an incredibly devoted employee base. Staffs are committed. Their businesses are successful. They've become legendary. Why? 

One reason: a cult-like crazy culture. They are 110% in. To those outside of the organization, it may seem a bit weird or over the top. But to the employees working for these types of organizations, it is normal. They wholeheartedly believe in what they are doing, and it permeates throughout everything they do- their culture, their identity, branding, marketing, customer service, etc. 

Simply put- it is part of who they are. 

Other companies that come to mind?

The WOW factor

Really excited about Michael Hyatt's soon to release book on the power of WOW. In fact, he had a great post on his blog recently about "learning to recognize WOW." It's worth the read. Inspiring.  As I was thinking about WOW moments in my life, a couple of thoughts came to mind in explaining why a moment is considered a WOW moment:

1. expectations were exceeded, not just met.

2. a deep emotional connection was created.

3. it was "picture worthy," meaning the aesthetics, environment, conditions and surroundings justified capturing the moment for long term reflection. 

4. outside the norm; different than what I'm used to; distinct.

5. I wanted to tell everyone I could about my experience.

 

Now, think about your business, church, organization or initiative..... do people say these things about what you offer?

Artists - Make Your Mark

Artists Make Your Mark Are you an artist, designer, photographer, sculptor or painter? If so, we would love for you to be part of the Make Your Mark Campaign.

Once again this year, we are looking for Artists interested in submitting their best expression of our theme "ON YOUR MARK" through ART. If your submission is chosen, we'll feature on the Catalyst website, through multiple outlets, showcase at the event in October, and create prints for limited release. 

More information on the project is available at our website. 

And if you know of artists who also might be interested, please pass on to them.

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