Today ….I don’t have a word that adequately expresses today. Unfortunately, if you weren’t there, it will be impossible for me to fully represent the awesomeness of the day.

Today’s speakers included Andy Stanley, William P. Young (author of the New York Times Bestseller “The Shack”), Jim Collins (author of “Good to Great” and “Built to Last”), Steven Furtick (Lead Pastor of Elevation Church), Rev. Dr. Brenda Saltier McNeil (author of “A Credible Witness”), marketing guru and best-selling author Seth Godin and Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, Craig Groeschel.

A few highlights from the day:

Andy Stanley:

• Moral authority is the alignment between creed and deed.
• Are you doing what you say you’re going to do? If not, you have no moral authority.

Jim Collins:

• Greatness is not a function of the cards we’re dealt. It is a function of choices and discipline.
• The great fall by over reach and exercising an undisciplined pursuit of more.
• The signature characteristic of GREAT leaders is humility.
• Every generation needs to develop its own practices to passionately deliver the values shared across all generations
• Greatness is a function of choices nobody sees.
• For every “to do” there must be a “stop doing”.

Steven Furtick:

• Between promise and payoff is the process.
• God is preparing you for what He’s preparing for you.

Seth Godin:

• Tribes are crowds of people that have a common interest, passion or purpose.
• Tribes are difficult to make both large and tight knit.

Craig Groeschel:

• Most people have lost “it” and need to get “it” back.
• God makes “it” happen.
• We cannot create “it”.
• “It” is not a model.
• “It” has an upside – healing, changed lives
• “It” has a downside – critical response
• Ministry can quench “it” if allowed. Very similar to a tire with a slow air leak.
• You MUST do something drastic to get “it” back.
• God must stretch you, heal you and ruin you.
• You must allow the things that break God’s heart to break your heart.

It is going to be very difficult to top today’s content. I feel so drained from trying to keep up all day and ingest every nugget of wisdom and knowledge that seem so to be common sense and absolute genius at the same time.