Jason Bedell Online

I was very appreciative that Forefront gave our staff the opportunity to head to Catalyst and experience the conference as a team. With great leaders, amazing worship pastors & bands, and a firehouse of knowledge coming at you... it's hard to process and take it all in.

Over the course of multiple posts I'll share some of the things I learned, gathered, and thought over this last week. The first day we attended the labs section, which is multiple leaders, 30-45 minutes each, and you pick who to go and spend time with and learn from.

Lab #1: "Off The Blogs" with Anne Jackson, Jon Acuff, and Carlos Whitaker

Now, I follow all these individuals blogs, but honestly... only Jon was able to impart anything that really hit me and stuck. He shared his journey of sarcasm, pride, book deals, and trying not to get a big head because God is the only one who matters. Here are some of his thoughts I jotted down...

• You have a story to tell, and God designed you to tell it to everyone you meet
• The devil will try to take your story and ruin it. He doesn’t want you to tell it
• Satan wants us to discount our story
• Satan wants us to think that other people are better and who am I to tell my story? Their story is way cooler because they have this big fall they overcame- and I'm just a kid who grew up in church and followed God. Who wants to here that boring story?
• When we feel like that, we need to hand our stories to God.
• The alpha and omega knows your name, you’re as famous as you are ever going to be. Don't think a blog, anonymous replies, Google Analytics, or your Facebook or Twitter follower count is any indication of how cool or valued you are. You are His. That is enough.
• If you believe in those other things; I'm sure God is looking down and wondering, "Whose praise and mention is going to overshadow Mine?"
• We need your story and want your story. Your story matters.