Meeting New Friends
I love conferences. I’m on my way home, but had a blast! I’ve spent the last two days at Sea Coast Church in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Multi-Site Exposed Church conference.
While each session was awesome at helping us wrap our minds around the mulit-site model, the best wisdom gained has been through the conversations we’ve had with friends in other chuches.
Between sessions Gary Lamb gave me some incredible words about an area of my life which is out of balance.
I had a wonderful dinner on Monday night with Dinno Rizzo, Mark Batterson and Greg Surratt and their teams. In one dinner these guys made my head spin as they challenged and encouraged me in so many different ways. After dinner I laid in my hotel room bed just trying to process it all. This group of pastors is on the front line of changing the church culture in America and around the world.
On Monday I had the opportunity to be interviewed by @murphy24 and @sarahgad on the topic of church leadership. Had a great time and they are developing an amazing tool that is going to impact Seacoast and eventually church’s around the world.
I also got to hang and converse with new friends like @joshsur, @dawnnicole, @geoffsurratt, and @shawnwood. They’re all fantastic individuals who are a lot of fun to follow on twitter.
Thanks to everyone for the advice, the wisdom, but most importantly for being the original person God created you to be. I look forward to sharpening each other more in the near future.
Have you recently met anyone who challenged you to look at something differently?
some of my new “blog friends” have given me some great new perspectives on what’s going on in my life right now.
I echo alece’s comments: I’m really grateful for my blog friendships & this amazing wireless community. I simply can’t get to many conferences and rub shoulders with the people whose books I read (well, most of them are dead) or those who blogs I love – like yours!
… one day we’ll all hang out.
Recently I received an “anonymous” comment on my blog that catorgized me as a, and I quote, “Let me guess…..you’re one of those Left Coast, Gun hating, Gay loving, Tree hugging, Oprah praising, Woman rights Liberals. ”
After a good laugh, I realized that I too, group people together, and in a sense judge them based on where I think their motives are and how their views must align with or contradict mine.
Big mistake…lesson learned!!!
Hmmm…yes. A blog friend who helped me change my view of strength and weakness in dealing with illness. God bless Gitz!
I am with some of the previous…I am starting to change some views based on some of the blogs I have picked up.
It is amazing how sometimes there is a challenge in life and sure enough one of the blogs in the roll is discussing it.
And Pete, Thanks. Many times it is you who brings something to light that I needed to hear.
As a matter of fact i’m heading to KC this Thursday for a big leadership conference and I CANNOT WAIT!!!! CAN’T WAIT!!! I hope to come back with some amazing ideas, challenging thoughts, and some brand new friends.
@Anita… right back at ya, girl!!!
I’m actually amazed at the number of people I’ve met since starting my blog who have enriched my life. I’m so grateful for the connections.
I appreciate the new blogging “friends” I have met. I look forward to hopefully meeting some of them personally at theSticks in November.
I gotta say you Pete. I was talking about your blog to my spiritual buddy at work last night and how it makes me really think outside the box when it comes to spiritual issues. I love my Sunday traditions (I’m Episcopal) but coming here is just as important.
And then like the others said……..other’s blogs too. Reading the comments on here and just other blogs I read have really opened my spiritual world for me.
Thanks!!
one of my best friends is on staff with dinno – small world!
I believe each facet of God in human creation holds some perspective that can play a part in the sculpting of this human soul. I try to look everyone in the eye, listen to what they are saying, and dig a little deeper by listening beyond their words. I still enjoy your blog Pete. Have a great autumn day!
While I don’t have quite as much to hang out in blogland now that I am back at work, when I was on sabbatical, my life was really enriched by conversations with other bloggers. I met the most incredible people this way whose writings really did impact my life. Yours and Jenni’s included in that. I met Anne during that time as well and the level of leadership ya’ll – and other bloggers – bring to the table really encouraged me. Also, in the last two years I joined a retreat community with no one in it that I knew! They literally kick my rear – they hold my feet to the fire and don’t hold back when it comes to speaking the truth. That group of Christian leaders that I meet with quarterly had really challenged me and it has changed my life.
I hope someone that meets me could say the same.
Alex McManus, wow..that guy is thinking some wild thoughts!
Pete, it was great getting to meet you and the others from your team! I am so thankful for the friends that I have made via blogging and twitter… God is connecting people and I just love how he does it!
My current church has (and is still) taught me to re-examine the way I look at corporate worship. I came from a very contemporary church in AZ to a conservative southern baptist church in VA. While I still prefer the contemporary style I’m learning that I can also worship God with fellow believers in a different ways.
Hey Pete, it was great connecting with you & your team as well! What an amazing, talented group…
Looking forward to getting to know you guys better & seeing what God’s going to do next through CP.tv
Every day I meet God and He challenges me to re-evaluate me, my thoughts, my direction and where He wants me to be. Life is amazing. Even though He is the same, I view Him with different eyes each day. Sometimes every minute. He challenges me and is always guiding me to the truth.