Last week their was a rumbling in Central Florida as many leaders from around the globe converged to make up Humana 2.0. Humana was a conference led by Alex McManus and other great leaders, professors, and pastors from various ministry settings.
I always love hearing what the McManus brothers have to say. They look at God with fresh, unaffected eyes. Their passion for mission and the permission they give leaders to run are unparalleled. Leaders from Canada, Germany, England, and the US (to name a few) converged and discussed how God is using them and their teams to make an impact. Each had a different story, with a different strategy, in a unique context. This was not a one size fits all conference. This was a “listen to God, follow your dreams, and reach out around you” conference.
Unfortunately, I was careless at the airport when we landed in Orlando, and thus I received a bone contusion on my right hand. Stuck in a splint for the duration of the conference, I was unable to take notes… and thus, the quotes below are sometimes paraphrases of the sessions. So, allow me a little liberty. But, below are some great thoughts speakers gave us, along with some personal commentary on them.
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01. The highlight of the trip was Katie and I getting to hang out with Alex and many others at the Vox World Music Jam on Saturday night at the “House Blend Cafe” (houseblendcafe.com ~ Ocoee, FL).
02. Alex: “Innovation is always de-synchronized with the perceived present.”
::This makes perfect sense, but so many of us are afraid or hindered from doing things “differently.” Why? Because it’s never been done before? It might shake up the system? Because you don’t have the permission? Difficult steps may have to be taken…but you always have the permission.::
03. Alex: “What are you doing that requires an explanation?”
::This was based on Peter’s explanation (Acts 11) for reaching out to Cornelius and gentiles. Sometimes, God doesn’t make sense. Often, God doesn’t make sense. But, why does this shake us up so much? Everything we’ve ever known about God is outside of the rational. We are so desperate for the box and fitting everything into it, that we try to put God there too. Sometimes God will call you to do things that don’t make sense. But, take heart, He rarely does. And this is more than ok with me. If God makes sense to me, He’s not much of a god. Maybe it’s time we embrace more the idea of entering the Kingdom of God “like a child.” A little naive. Full of faith. Giving it our all.::
04. Gerardo Marti: “It’s not how many people you welcome in to your home. It’s how many people welcome you into their home. Are you the kind of person others would welcome in?”
05. David Arcos: At Mosaic (LA), “We create art because it’s a matter of life and death.”
::David, the creative arts director at Mosaic in L.A., was stating how important art is to their church community. In essence, they create art because it’s what helps lead their friends to Christ. It’s not about being cool or hip…it’s about people seeing Jesus.
06. Dean Sharp: “We, those of us up here on stage, we are a bunch of failures. And that’s ok.”
::Dean (dean.voxtropolis.com) was pointing to fellow “Makers of Fire” who were joining him on stage for a breakout session. He was referring to the numerous times that they had all tried new things in ministry and the many times they failed. But, that there were also times that they succeeded. And those times of success happend because of the experimenting and innovation they were willing to work out. Essentially, failure will happen. But keep innovating.
07. Thorsten Moritz: “Depart from the center…the synagogue. Decentralize and be where the people are…We are God’s people in the world.”
::Thorsten walked us through how the Christ Event fulfilled the law and therefore we were not bound to it or to the centralized form of spiritual government being formed. We, those in Christ, are God’s people in the world. We are the priesthood of all believers. Where we are, God is there.::
08. Erwin: “A church can be successful and have no effect in the world.”
09. Erwin: “Stop responding and create. Decide what gets engaged by the world.”
10. Erwin: “I want to live my life on behalf of someone nobody cares about.”
11. Erwin: “Create environments where people who are seeking God can interact with people who are seeking God and know Him.”
-I loved this quote. Too often, in Christianity, we try to tell everyone how much we know and try to act like we’ve arrived. Let’s just admit it…rather, let’s embrace it…WE’RE ALL SEEKERS. We’re all seeking God. We all want to know Him more deeply and more profoundly. That’s healthy.
“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.” -AW Tozer
Thoughts?
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