"Catalyzing Community" Audio is Up!

The teleseminar from Tuesday was a great time! Thanks to all who joined us from Germany, the U.K., Australia, El Salvador, China, and across the U.S.!

Here were some of the key points for Catalyzing Community:

Principle #1: Cause creates community.
Our cause = moving people to become the person God created them to be.

Principle #2: Meet the needs of those around us.
We need to seek to meet the physical, emotional, economic, and spiritual needs of those around us. We should be pursue helping change the environment and change the individual who is looking for change.

Principle #3:Reach out to Xenos
Hospitality means loving strangers. A similar word, “hospice,” means “a safe place.” Our homes, our businesses, and our churches should become safe places for strangers to experience kindness and love.

Principle #4: Develop authentic friendships with those you know.
OIKOS is the Greek word for household (family, neighbors, co-workers and friends)

Principle #5: Allow people to belong before they believe.
We should never allow our convictions to become a litmus test for friendship. In fact, we should actively pursue friendships with people – even people with whom we may disagree. Go to www.mosaic.org/faq for more on the staff process at Mosaic.

Principle #6: Raise up a team of leaders to replace you
MPAC = Ministry through a pastor, assimilator, and catalyst
We need to make decisions based on who is not yet here rather than who has been here the longest.

Principle #7: Start Over

Listen to the conference call at my site’s audio messages at Catalyzing Community Audio

As always, special thanks to Daniel Decker for putting this together!

Send an email to teleseminar@ericbryant.org if you would like to join us for the next one:

“Moving People from Brokenness to Wholeness” on Sept. 10th at 10am (P.S.T.)- based on Uprising (a.k.a. The Character Matrix)

"To Write Love On Her Arms" at Hot Topic!

A new friend of mine, Jamie Tworkowski, started a non-profit called To Write Love on Her Arms in order to “give hope and find help for those struggling with depression, addiction, cutting, and suicide.”

It has been amazing to see word travel these past couple of years through their myspace page, bands wearing their shirts on tour, interviews on television and conferences, word of mouth, and now in malls across the country at Hot Topic.

It all began when Jamie and some friends were reaching out to their friend, Renee, who was struggling. The t-shirts were a way to raise funds to get her the help she needed. Check out To Write Love on Her Arms for more on this amazing and beautiful story!

Share Your "PFP Moment"

It’s been great to receive so many positive emails and blog posts from people who have read Peppermint-Filled Pinatas. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to share.

If you’ve done something in your neighborhood or with your church that may be inspiring to others, let me know! I will post it on my blog. The author of the post at the end of July which has received the most comments will receive a free copy of Erwin McManus’ new book “Wide Awake” or the new Wide Awake DVD.

Post your “PFP moment”

(as Dana Evans one of the leaders at one of the Mosaics in New Zealand has called them) on your blog or you can email me at eric@ericbryant.org with a brief one to two paragraph description of your “PFP moment.”

Summer Reading

Did you ever participate in those summer reading campaigns at your local library? Do you enjoy reading while on an airplane or in the back of a mini-van or on the hammock in the backyard? There is something about summers that make me want to read!

I have been getting some kind emails from people who have been reading Peppermint-Filled Pinatas on their vacations this summer.

Chuck sent me a really encouraging email and posted this on his Dangerous Dreamer blog: “i put the book down and began to weep. i was so broken…. i was convicted that my ability to “connect” with people doesn’t always have the right motive. i’m sometimes more interested in my agenda and motives than i am in them as a person.”

Joseph at “Seasons of Change” mentioned “Peppermint filled pinatas was a really good reminder of what it means to be relevant to a culture” in response to Craig Groeschel’s post on “Vacation Reading.”

Thanks for the kind emails and posts!

During my vacation last week, I enjoyed reading Seth Godin’s small is the new big and other riffs, rants, and remarkable business ideas plus listening on cd to Wikinomics.

My other summer reading goals include:

Tom Peters’ Thriving on Chaos and The Circle of Innovation
Seth Godin’s Free Prize Inside: How to Make a Purple Cow
Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges
Wide Awake by Erwin

What are you reading and recommending?

Free Books and Free Seminar!

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For those of you who are interested in using copies of Peppermint-Filled Pinatas in your small groups or as gifts to your friends, family, or church community, we have worked out a special deal!