Catalyst 2012 From My Eyes

What I did last week.

Flew to Atlanta with my sweetheart.

The door was closed but I walked right in anyway.
I’m such a rebel.

Day before Catalyst.
Working out the beats for the emcee opener with Tyler Stanton & Tripp Crosby.


Worked the boom mic for this last-minute video shoot.
It involved cigars, cigarettes, and a lot of snappy comebacks.
Ended up not using it during the conference.

Rehearsal on Wednesday afternoon.
Looked the same on Thursday except for the 13,000 people.

Went to the Blogger Meetup on Wednesday night.
Shortly after this pic I got my “Erica Allain’s Husband” name tag on.
Love hanging with my peeps.

An hour before the doors open on Thursday.
Final rehearsal for the opener.

Watched Bianca Olthoff and Ken Coleman rock the pre-show at 7am.

Ate a free omelet, drank some free coffee, and DID NOT ride the pirate ship.

Met Mark Burnett (creator of Survivor, The Apprentice, The Voice).
You may also recognize his wife from Touched By An Angel.
Mark’s story of faith and persistence was incredibly inspiring.

Tripp and Tyler rehearsing their dolls bit on Day 2.
Rob Bell, Craig Groeschel, Andy Stanley, and Barack Obama were all involved.

And here they are performing it for a few more people.

Three years earlier I sat with Jon Acuff and we talked about speaking on main stage.
Was such a thrill to see him up there nailing it.
Proud to be a fan and call him a friend.

A 3 song surprise set with Michael W. Smith?
Why not.

Finally, a picture with the dude who drew the cover of my next book.
Great to meet you Wes!

There was lots more goodness I didn’t get a photo of…

Talking to a bunch of great bloggers at the Meetup including Jeremy, Darrell, Matt, Paul, Julie, Charlie, Sonny, Seth, and I’m sure I’m forgetting at least one person…getting the Heisman from Claire Diaz-Ortiz in the hallway backstage…dinner with Jeff Shinabarger and the gang on Thursday night, cool to get to know him more and hear about how Plywood People is rocking it…hanging with Tyler and Amy all week – so good to have great friends like that…talking with Justin Wise for a few minutes in the Atlanta sun about book deals and the influence of Ben Arment…picking Carlos Whittaker’s brain for five minutes and getting invited to sit in on his coaching session this week…chilling with good people like Hannah, Bianca, Brad, Chris, and Ken Coleman (who delivered the funniest line of the week that I won’t repeat here)…spending quality time watching Tripp and Tyler do their thing, and even chipping in a joke here and there that may have made it on the stage…and of course being with my amazing wife all week, which was the bestest part of the trip.

Always a highlight of my year, and this year was no exception.

Such a fun week! Put it on your calendars for next year!