MinstryCOM wrap : Things I've Learned

<quick sidenote> Okay, I am totally behind the eight ball with updating this. I think a new term is emerging in reference to time:

"Blogspeed" n. Speed in which events are being written about as they occur; typically by lightening fast, influential individuals.

Now granted, I had given my Buzzword dictionary to a friend in need so this may not be new or the correct definition, but hey.. it works for this post.

<Back to your regularly scheduled post>

What an event! I had a chance to do a quick once-over of the feedback forms before heading home and it looks like the vast majority is looking forward to coming again next year and plan to bring their teams.

There were so many great things I learned this year, but I think I can sum up a few of the top nuggets in a quick list: [in no particular order]

• Enhanced "contexual intelligence" [an acute ability to spot trends, read the times and seize opportunities] will enable the church to have a much bigger impact. <Mark Batterson>
• Success is measured by your level of effectiveness, not volume of output. <Kem Meyer>
• Stories bring the illustrative and abstract to life. <Brad Abare>
• It's important to ensure the restaurant doesn't charge for water when planning a dinner. (It's even more important to ensure the restaurant doesn't run out of chairs)
• Discussion panels are a great way for the experts to share their knowledge in a setting where the audience drives the content. <Dan, Jami, Kirt, Amber & Bill all did a stellar job>
• It's a good idea to put the list of award winners in a briefcase handcuffed to my arm for safekeeping in the future [they had been lost, but fortunately found moments before they were announced]
• Arizona is a lot nicer than Sycamore in September. [okay, probably the other 11 months as well]

As many of you know, we're already thinking about 2007, so if you have any ideas or upgrades for next year, pass 'em along! We'd love to hear your thoughts.