That’s why I’m such a fan of STORY.

STORY is a conference for the creative class. The theme for 2011 is IMAGINE NATION which speaks to the power of spiritual imagination. In Exodus 35, the artist of Israel came together to build a dwelling place for God. They carved poles, fashioned gold, and constructed curtains “with cherubim woven into them by expert hands.” The job of these artists was to envision the kingdom and use their gifts to heighten peoples spiritual imaginations. An Imagine Nation.

I’m thrilled to participate in a blogging tour leading up to this event and even more excited that I get to share this interview with Ian Morgan Cron, one of the speakers at STORY this year.

An Interview with Ian Cron

What is your best personal definition of a STORY? 

We defend ourselves against ideas that we fear will challenge or deconstruct our assumptions about the way the world is. A story is a sly device that bypasses our defended intellects and sneaks a new of seeing the world into our hearts through the backdoor of our imaginations. A great narrative also calls forth what is best inside us. We are beautiful, loved, and from time to time even noble. Stories are able to carry the heavy freight of those messages in a way that plain old discursive language can’t. Is it any wonder Jesus told so many of them?

What is one way you have found to grow or engage your imagination? 

We’re taught from a young age that our value is tied to our productivity so we feel guilty when we aren’t doing something profitable. Creative’s feel this unrelenting pressure to be innovative or clever and to create things that are useful. The imagination is shy. It will hide if it’s driven too hard. The imagination awakens when we pursue the pointless, “leap to our leisure” with reckless abandon, shamelessly do nothing, play games (especially with children) where the point isn’t to win but to be together, go to parties to laugh and dance not to network, read a book because its beautiful not because it provides cool quotes for our next presentation. A utilitarian mindset will kill a creative soul.

In your experience what is the best nontraditional form of STORY telling you have seen, heard, or experienced?

The best unconventional storytelling I have experienced has been at AA meetings. It’s unconventional because the addict’s very survival depends on his or her willingness to tell their life story without edits or revisions. You have to tell your story secrets and all or die. I am always brought to silence when someone tells his or her life story in a meeting and leave it all on the field. It’s sacred.

If you could encourage a creative person with one tip on being imaginative what would you tell them? 

Meditate twice a day for twenty minutes. We have 5,000 years of religious testimonies and numerous neuro-scientific studies from leading researchers coming out that support this idea. I might talk more about this at the conference so I’ll shut up now.

What is one thing you are excited about sharing with the tribes attending STORY 2011? 

Keep it sacred. Don’t settle for clever.

If you’re a writer, filmmaker, artist, performer, entrepreneur, church leader, communicator, or other type of creative, you won’t want to miss STORY 2011.  Register here or if you need a little more information visit the STORY site.

Yesterday I received a precious “thank you” card in the mail from my friend Shannon.  It was a sweet little card featuring pictures of her and her husband and their two newly adopted precious little boys.  The inside included a scripture and printed thank you, but at the top, scribbled in her hand-writing, she began her thank with a quick apology for taking a bit long to get a thank you card to me for supporting their adoption.

The first thing I thought when I opened that card… well the second thing really, because the first thing I did was ooh and goo over the pictures of these sweet babies… was how amazing she was for even sending a thank you!  And not only did she send a thank you, but she had created these beautiful little cards, printed them and then still proceeded to write me a personal note.  She did all of that while trying to welcome two little boys into her home!

Her thank you was sincere.  It took sacrifice and intentionality.  And for that, it was so special.

There is an art to saying “thank you”.  I have several friends that do this well and I watch and learn from them every chance I get.

My friend Susannah always sends hand written thank yous upon receiving any gift.  Seriously, it’s like clock work.  I can just about predict when a note from Sus will hit my mailbox.  She says that her momma instilled this value into her… either way, I know it’s a big part of her heart and I’m always moved by it.

The amazing Mary Graham has an unbelievable way of speaking thank yous to others.  I was amazed at this when I attended a Women of Faith event last month.  After every speaker, Mary takes a moment to look them in the eye and thank them for how they encouraged us, challenged us and inspired us.  Her ability to look into your soul and say thank you is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.

There truly is an art to a well-done thank you.  It’s not the time.  It’s not the how.  It’s more about the heart.

Do you know someone who says thank you well?  Share their story with us!

(Btw, I noticed that all my examples were women.  There have got to be some good stories about guys who do this well too.)

One of my favorite things to give and to receive is a good book.

I read all kinds… business, marketing, fiction, leadership, biographies, devotionals…

I love to read.  I love to learn.

And I love imposing this love on others

I do have a couple rules, though about how I choose books.  Any book I read must be recommended to me by someone I know, trust and respect.  There are just too many books out there and I have too little time to waste on a bad book.

So here are a couple of my favorite books this year:

So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore

This book will wreck your world.  I don’t care how confident you are, insecurity has influenced your life somewhere along the way.  This was the best Christian personal/spiritual growth book I read this year.

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

Ok, no big shocker here since I’m such a tennis fan and I had a crush on Andre Agassi in high school.    However this was one of the most moving, honest… appropriately titled “open” autobiographies I have read.  Nothing compares to the power of real stories.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

I love, love, love this book!  Full of contrarian thoughts on usual business models and practice, Rework was a breathe of fresh air and a kick-in-the-pants at the same time.

My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

And for a little fiction, I love this one by Jodi Picoult.  Gut-wrenching and heart-breaking… it’s the story of two sisters and the lengths they go to love and protect each other.  I’m a sucker for that.

Ok, I’ll stop there.  There are so many more that could be listed.

What was your favorite book this year?

Can you say W H I R L W I N D?

And although a few days have past, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to share my thoughts and highlights from Catalyst.

I found myself being very nostalgic about this event this year.  Catalyst was a significant influence in my leadership development.  I was 24 years old the first time I attended Catalyst, and while I didn’t view myself as a leader, it was something that I was aspiring to with everything in me.  10 years later I couldn’t help but walk the corridors of the arena and look at the young, bright-eyed, twenty-somethings and see myself in them.

That’s why I’m so thankful for Catalyst!  It’s simply unbelievable the number of leaders this organization has invested in, inspired and influenced.  Literally hundreds of thousands of leaders!  That kind of influence is simply unbelievable.

Catalyst team – thank you for leading us so well.  I’m so grateful!

Here are a few of the highlights for me this year at Catalyst Atlanta:

• Attending the labs on Wednesday.  I love the space for conversation and connection that the smaller environment of the labs creates.
• Listening to my pastor and my boss speak at the labs.  So proud of you, Pete!
• Worship – always love the worship
• Andy Stanley‘s opening session about the tensions leaders face.  He challenged us to take some time to answer the question: “What do you want to see God do in your life 10 years from now?”
• Scott Harrison‘s story.  Scott is the founder of Charity Water.  Check out this organization.  Scott’s story is fascinating!
• Hosting the Cultivate Her lunch for women leaders.  This was a partnership with Leading & Loving It and Mercy Ministries.  Big thanks to the Mercy Ministries team for sponsoring over 120 women to lunch on Thursday!  I’m so excited about what God is doing to stir up the gifts of women leaders in the church.
• Christine Caine on the main stage.  This is one woman that I would love to have a cup of tea with someday.  Her passion and energy is contagious!
• Meeting and talking with John Ortberg.  Such an inspiring and encouraging leader.  I’m not sure I made any sense but I was grateful for the conversation.
• Perry Noble.  Need I say more?  I don’t know anyone who can shock and inspire in the same breath!  I also loved that a large team from Newspring was there cheering him on.
• The Hospitality of the Monvee team.  I’m a fan of what these guys are doing.
• The conversations, the entertainment, the surprises… that is Catalyst!

Did you attend Catalyst this year.  If so, what did you enjoy most?

… the cool mornings that are a breath of fresh air after a relentlessly hot summer

… the return of routine – school, football, prime time TV, etc.

But one of the things that I love the most about this time of year is the opportunities to gather, network and learn from and with other church leaders.  The next couple of months will be jam-packed with learning opportunities and I absolutely love taking in as many of them as I can.

Here are some I encourage you to check out:

Beginning THIS TUESDAY – My friends at Leading & Loving It are launching their first virtual conference for pastors wives and women in ministry.  It’s free and I know it will be fabulous.  Go HERE to get the details!

THE NINES Conference

THIS THURSDAY Leadership Network hosts The NINES conference, a free online conference for church leaders.  Dozens of great speakers and me will be a part of the day.  Seriously, I’m very excited about what I’m sharing at The NINES this year.  I hope you’ll register and join us.

This year’s class for Backstage Leadership is being finalized as I type.  The speaker line-up is AMAZING, including the most recent announcement of Kay Warren!  If you are looking for an intensive, ongoing leadership incubator, this is the one to check out!  You can get the details HERE.

Where will you be learning this fall?

One of the exercises in the book is to describe how you would spend an ENTIRE DAY if you could do whatever you wanted?

Here’s mine:

On a beach… in the fall

Sun is out, but temp is moderate

Walking, reading, praying

Sitting in silence

Not hurrying

Not worrying

What would your day look like?

I remember the first time I attended Catalyst. It was Catalyst’s 2nd year. I’d heard crazy good things about the first year and I was hungry to soak myself in an environment that would feed the leadership development monster that was growing inside of me.

Over the last 10 years, Catalyst has become a staple in my leadership development. I DON’T MISS IT! And you shouldn’t either. If you’ve never attended, this is your year! I promise. You’ll thank me!

Hear from leadership authorities including Andy Stanley, Seth Godin, TD Jakes, Craig Groeschel, Francis Chan, Beth Moore, Perry Noble, and Christine Caine, along with several innovative thinkers and practitioners like best-selling author Daniel Pink, charity: water founder Scott Harrison, Gabe Lyons, First Response Team founder Tad Agoglia, and Rani Hong, winner of the United Nations Human Rights Award.

Plus, Catalyst Labs will feature innovative thought leaders like Michael Hyatt, Pete Wilson, Mark Batterson, Anne Jackson, John Ortberg, Mike Foster, Jud Wilhite, Reggie Joiner, Jamie Tworkowski, Alan Hirsch, Gayle Haggard, Chris Hodges, Jon Acuff, Tim Elmore, Charles Lee, Chris Seay, Chris and Phileena Heuertz, and others.

Best Rates on Catalyst tickets end this Thursday, June 24th, so register now. Call 888.334.6569 to speak to a Catalyst Concierge, or register online at www.catalystconference.com. You can use Rate Code FOB for an additional discount off your ticket price. Catalyst will sell out, so make sure and register early!

Who’s “in”?

I also struggle with choosing which books to study with my staff.  There are a lot of good business books out there from which you can draw some applications to church work, but is it worth having the staff read it too or should you do the homework and share the clif notes with them?

So help a girl out…

How do you clear through the clutter?

Do you have a system/process for determining what you study and/or what you study with your team?

What’s the best resource (book, blog, magazine, etc) that you’ve found this year?

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of silence.  See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls. Mother Teresa

Every couple of weeks I find myself growing silent.  Not by choice… I guess by necessity.

I can sense my need for silence in the absence of something to say.  You can measure it in my lack of tweets and forced or non-existent blog posts.  I feel it in my impatience with people and lack of desire to chit-chat.

Perhaps it is exhaustion.

Perhaps it is just the rhythm and pattern of my life.

Perhaps it is God calling me to silence.

But all I know is it’s becoming predictable and I’m recognizing how much I need it.  I’m learning not to fight it, but to embrace it.

There have been times I’ve felt guilty for longing for silence.  I’ve felt compelled to stay among the noise.  I’ve felt responsible to stay engaged.

But if what Mother Teresa says is true – that God cannot be found in the noise and restlessness, and that we need silence to be able to touch souls – I’m ready to embrace the silence.

How about you?  Do you have trouble going quiet?

This comes as no real shock to Merlyn.  (Well, and probably not to you either.  It’s no secret I read a lot.) Other than maybe rolling his eyes because he knows this will be longer than “a minute”, he kindly indulges my inability to pass a bookstore without going in.

Immediately I dash off.  This time I’m a little anxious and in a hurry.  I quickly start scouring the store looking for the Christian book section.  I figure this one has to be easy to spot.  Surely it’s on an end cap.  It’s only by one of the biggest Christian authors of our generation.

“Yep, there it is.  Oh man, right smack in the middle of the store screaming the title So Long, Insecurity.  Ok, quick just read the back cover and grab a copy.  Maybe people will think I’m getting it for someone else.”

There I was being insecure about buying a book about insecurity.

Yep, I guess this one’s for me.

Even later when my husband asked me what I was reading, I simply said “Beth Moore’s new book.”  Even still, in my own home, with my husband of 11 years I was afraid to admit that I was reading a book about insecurity.

And while I’ve just started it, I’m convinced that this may be one of the most important books Beth has written for our generation.  As I talk with, mentor and encourage other women leaders, I’m becoming more and more convinced that our disease of insecurity is eating us alive and sabotaging the dreams God has for our lives.

If you even think there’s a chance you need to read this book, I want to encourage you to take the leap and get it.

Are you ready to say so long to insecurity too?