After Catalyst West, Bubba and I stayed in So Cal to do some sight-seeing. It was a nice way to relax, though I’m certain I made Bubba uncomfortable with a lot of awkward silences – he hates that, and frankly I love some good silence from time to time, especially when I’m thinking. But we did have some great conversations and it was fun to hang out for the day. Here’s the things we saw and a few pics:

- Ronald Reagan Library: we actually got to walk through the Air Force One that Reagan used. There is a real piece of the Berlin Wall at the library too. Reagan had a dream to end an idealogy – communism. That’s a huge vision. I loved that about him. The other thing I took away, was how madly in love he was with Nancy. The letters he wrote her while he was away on business were moving. His words had to make her feel like she was the most important thing going on in his life even though he was the leader of the free world. Awesome stuff.

- Next stop, Hollywood. Ok, so you can see Hollywood in 45 minutes. Kodak Theatre, Graumann’s Chinese Theatre, Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign. See them and leave. I was disappointed with Hollywood. It’s a dump. It really makes you feel how superficial the idea of Hollywood is. The cameras do not give you a feel for the real Hollywood. Two other highlights here:
1. I got totally ripped off by a woman dressed as a pirate and a dude with a Yoda mask. I’m embarrassed. I’ll blame it on the jet lag.
2. Bubba saw a sign for a museum. It was partially blocked by a palm tree. But his exact comment was “That’s weird that they would have a ‘Wood Museum’ here.” If you aren’t laughing yet, then just think about it a littler harder.

- Santa Monica Pier & 3rd Street Promenade. So you can’t be that close to the ocean and not say you saw it. We saw it. The Promenade was great. Tons of shops and restaurants. Our restaurant served a 24oz hamburger. Two words: Jamba Juice. Everyday in Cali I got my Jamba fix.

- On Sunday we also visited Mosaic (Erwin McManus’ church). Maybe a separate post on this later. I left feeling about as creative as a rock. There are a lot of really talented people in his church.

- We rounded off the trip with a day at Universal Studios. The best ride there is the Simpson’s Ride. It was crazy fun and it lasted for like 5 minutes.

You can checkout more pictures here.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the first Catalyst West conference with some good friends. For those unfamiliar with Catalyst, here’s their self-description:

Catalyst conference is the largest gathering of young leaders in the country, but it pains us to call it just a conference. Catalyst is more than just a three-day event – it’s a movement, a convergence, an experience where you find yourself fully immersed in learning, worship, and creativity. Catalyst brings people together – the influencers, the do-ers, the cultural architects, and the change agents who will reclaim our communities and culture for good.

The conference lasted 3 days, with 2 days of main sessions and a day of labs with a variety of different leaders. It was by far the greatest multi-day event I’ve ever attended. The list of speakers was arguably the most complete list of top church leaders you could pack into 3 days (though it certainly wasn’t exhaustive). Here’s an partial list of speakers and their topics:

Andy Stanley – Uncertainty
Ravi Zacharias – Pillars of Apologetics
Brian Houston – The Church as God Sees It
Erwin McManus – Helping Others Find and Fulfill Their Dreams
Craig Groeschel – I Was Taught and So I Thought
Rick Warren – Interview by Andy Stanley
Perry Noble – You Can Do This

I’ve been sharing nuggets randomly on Twitter (follow me here) this week and will continue for the rest of the week. There were so many takeaways and nuggets; it’s hard for me to pick any one thing as the most impacting. If I had to pick, the most inspiring speaker had to be Nick Vujicic. Nick was born without any limbs (arms or legs). The theme of his message was “you can do anything”. Chew on that for a bit. It blew my freakin mind.

Every trip, I try to pick a Kodak moment. Sometimes it’s an event, a conversation, a site etc. This time, my Kodak moment was meeting Erwin McManus. I admire him so much. His books have challenged me to live my most heroic life by helping others live their dreams.

This post could go on forever. I felt like dry cracked soil that was saturated beyond capacity by the end of each day. I’m still digesting things.

Special thanks to Mariners Church in Irvine, CA for hosting the event and to all the speakers who see the benefit of developing others and who took the time to speak into my life.

This past weekend, we made a trip west to visit our good friends the Purvis family in Denver. Once we got there, it was a great trip. But getting there had it’s frustrations. No need to focus on that now, and if you follow me on Twitter, you know the story anyways. Here’s a recap of the emotions experienced on the way there: praying for an earthquake in Philly to delay our connecting flight (for real), wanting to choke a United gate attendant, and wanting to hug a customer service rep in India.

Here’s a quick, not detailed rundown on the weekend after we arrived:

Friday:
Upon arrival Dave and I high-tailed it down to Colorado Springs to visit theMILL (the 20-something ministry at New Life church). It was awesome. I was a sponge absorbing the full scope of the ministry they have. Pastor Aaron Stern was great. We missed worship (thanks United) but caught his message (the last in a series called Man in the Middle). You can learn more about theMILL by clicking here.

Saturday:
So one of the reasons for the trip was that Dave was turning 30 and his wife Amanda was planning a surprise trip. So after breakfast and some shopping, I was designated as the distraction for Dave so that the party planning committee could get to work. Amanda bought us tickets to see the new Warren Miller film, “Children of Winter”. If you’re a fan of winter mountain sports you probably already know Warren Miller. If not, you gotta check him out. The movie was awesome.

After the movie, Dave was lured to the site of the surprise party. Too much to cover here, but maybe Amanda will give the scoop.

Sunday:
So Sunday was one of those days where you can’t really summarize the experience in words. Dave borrowed one of his client’s airplanes (a Piper Mirage). We had planned to fly to Steamboat or Vail/Eagle in the mountains but our hosts were concerned about Lish and the altitude. So instead, we charted a course for below sea level in Page, Arizona. Page is home to Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam. And really, that’s about all Page is home to. We did have a nice lunch. And really the trip wasn’t about Page, it was about seeing some beautiful scenery from 18,000 feet during the 2 hour flight. It was a long day and we wrapped up with some Chinese at about 10PM.

Monday:
This was departure day. But Amanda and Dave planned one last activity for our visit. Amanda took Lish to the Aveda spa in Castle Rock for a pregnancy massage. I don’t know what that means, but apparently it was something every pregnant lady should experience. After that, it was off to the airport.

There’s just too much to cover. The Purvis’ are great friends (if you’re reading this we love you!). It’s always so good to catch up with them. I’m so proud of them and the huge risk they’ve taken with starting their own company. Danica and Tre had a blast and even today Danica woke up saying “wanna see Tre!”. Danica was an amazing traveller. She apparenly loves flying. To the point where, during our Az trip, we hit some turbulence entering the Rockies. Tre was upset and Lish puked, but Danica had her hands up in the air saying “WEE!!!”. All she wanted to do (besides see Tre) was fly.

Thanks again to the Purvis family. They are awesome hosts and great friends. Can’t wait to go back.

I’ve posted pictures at the Faction Galleries. Check them out (there’s 3 pages worth). There’s a picture of Lish with her puke bag in case you don’t believe me.