Drive 2006

Well Drive 2006 is over and we're back home...I took some notes but I wasn't as thorough as Tony and Tim. Check those links out for some awesome notes from the conference. I'm hoping that Northpoint offers the sessions online like they did last year.

I did bump into Tony and like the idiot that I am, I thought of several things to ask and say after I walked away. Like "Hey Tony, who else came with you?" And then I would have found out that Tim was also with him...I've listened to every podcast that they've made so far and ....well duh! And I could have told them that the funniest moment on their podcast (so-far) was when they called Kem Meyer on the phone during one of their "What are you doing" segments.....and who knows Kem may have even been there too.... Well at least I met Tony, and I told him that I want to get to Granger sometime in the future, because I want to see their screens and meet Jason, because I've kept tabs on him for a while too. (I knew that Jason wasn't gonna be at Drive because I had asked Tony that in an e-mail before the conference.)

Some other comments about Drive and Northpoint:

Their creativity level is off the hook!

• They had us put our name on a small little white tag which they placed on a chain-link fences on the stage. (There were 2500 people there). (My name tag actually got camera time on the big screens during worship at one point.) Then during the 4th session worship, we notice that all the tags were gone from the fences. Well they had placed all of them on a bigger chain-link fence and then raised it up into the scaffolding on stage and the tags were all put together in the shape of a cross...I can't remember the song that they were doing at the time, but man was the whole effect powerful.
• KidStuf Showcase made me cry again (no shocker there!) During "The Word" they told a bible story 3 times in 3 different ways and man oh man, everyone was on their feet giving an ovation at the end. Awesome.
• Deal or No Deal live on stage, giving away gifts.....
• Videos, videos, videos, live camera shots, lighting, lighting, lighting. Micah, Brandon, Julie and team.....Keep it up.
• They finished their video control rooms since Jan. when we were down there for Sundays at Northpoint and I vowed to Micah then that I wouldn't post pictures of the room or even mention what they were doing. They had the door to the room open and you could see in and Brandon came by and took Mike and I through again....awesome.
• Their folks are very open to talking to you while you're there. You see everything that they're doing there and it makes you feel like a little guy, and they walk around like everyone else (I even passed Andy Stanley in the hall twice, but I wasn't as bold to stop him and say "Hi") and you walk up and say "Hi" and they take interest in you, they want to know where you're from, what you're doing and even encourage you that they started little too. After all......."we're not there yet... "