20-somethings in the latest Urban Outfitters apparel, TOMs shoes, and the iPhone 4.0 Bible app aptly describes attendees at the zie uber cool Catalystconference. Jokes spouted off via hashtags and twitter streams surprisingly are understood and laughed at—via their iPhone. Anticipatory vibes charge the air while the emo rockers flipped their long bangs to the side before rocking out for Jesus.

The gospel shared. Lives changed. Dialogue conversed. Opinions shared. The Church grows.

On Saturday I stood in a line for the Beth Moore/Living Proof conference at 6:54am with women dressed in khakis carrying burlap totes displaying graphics from their latest attended retreat. Others wore slacks and carried Brighton bags with matching jewelry. And others, like myself, wore jeans and jewelry too big for a Saturday morning. And virtually everyone had a bible. Like one you carry. In your hand. With a cover.

Beth Moore conference at Mariners

I made mental notes of the differences of each conference both held at Mariners Church in Irvine. The campus swarmed with over 3,600 attendees for each conference and the ambition was like the same anthem sung by two different countries: Solo deo gloria. To God be the glory.

In attending both conferences I’ve been given the unique opportunity of voyeur du jour. Yes, I could watch from afar and see if the criticism of the Blogosphere of Haters is true. As we know, when people take stands for a cause or movement, there are bound to be haters; people who cast stones from behind computer screens shielding their identity through anonymity or aliases. But I’m a witness. I’ve seen the work that is being done. And I love it.

On Saturday the gospel was shared. Lives were changed. Dialogue conversed. Opinions shared. The Church grew.

In a great blending of two different worlds, Catalyst invited Beth to be part of their east coast conference in October. If you’ve never attended a Catalyst conference, you must! It’s like a youth ministry lock-in hyped up on Fun-Dip and Mountain Dew… except it’s for adults. In two days you learn a semester’s worth of seminary and real life missional application in labs, main sessions, and conversations with raddest people in church ministry.

At the end of my voyeuristic adventure, I fell some where in between both worlds. Like the ethnically mixed love-child of both ministries. I have an iPhone and carry a bible, wear vintage jeans with high heels, use hashtags and take notes, and yes, teach through relevant issues within a biblically-based context of exegesis and absolute Truth. Oh yeah, I went there.

In the end, our purpose as the global Church is the same: Solo deo gloria.

{If you’ve been to either conference, feel free to share your experiences! Get the word out :)}