Tomorrow, we’ll be leaving town to head to Catalyst ‘09, a leadership conference for next-generation leaders. Technically, (though Catalyst Labs start sooner), the conference doesn’t start until Thursday, but we have to make a few stops in Chattanooga on the way.  I couldn’t recommend Catalyst higher, and would strongly encourage you to attend, but unfortunately, they are already sold out. I’m sure that makes for an exciting moment for my friend Brad Lomenick and his team of highly-talented people.

For us, Catalyst came into our lives in 2005 after my friend Jason Locy insisted that I attend. We went again in 2006 and had our minds blown! We’re a part of a lot of conferences every year, but there’s something special about Catalyst.  They take excellence to a whole new level.

In 2007, we were even more blown away when I got a phone call from Ken Coleman, asking us about the possibility of being a part of the Catalyst Red Carpet Experience outside the arena the morning doors open. Shortly following that conversation, I got a call from Lanny Donoho saying that he was “stealing” us from Ken, and using us on the main stage. I was asked to come up with an illusion that helped them illustrate the theme for that year, and then do a larger illusion. A few months later, we spent about 10 minutes performing in the round for our largest audience of all time — over 11,000 leaders of churches, businesses, and other organizations from all around the world. If you missed our performance, which included one of our signature illusions, Houdini’s classic “Metamorphosis,” you can watch it in full by clicking here.

But it wasn’t just amazing to perform. I learned far more than I could have imagined. I spent an entire afternoon with Lanny and Reggie Joiner the day before the conference, helping craft my small role, and then just became a fly on the wall as they took care of last minute details and funny business. And getting to talk with guys like Dave Ramsey, Craig Groeschel, Shane Claiborne, and many others in the green room was both memorable and enlightening.

Performing for 11,000 leaders is quite an experience, and made for our most memorable Catalyst moment!  What about you? Have you been to Catalyst? If so, what did you think? What was your most memorable Catalyst moment?

Tags: bj harris, brad lomenick, catalyst, catalyst conference, Christian Illusionist, Harris, illusionist, ken coleman, lanny donoho, reggie joiner

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