I’m curious. What is the most memorable conference you’ve ever been to? Who is the most memorable conference speaker you’ve ever heard? And why? What made it so memorable?

As I travel and speak at conferences I’m cognizant of the fact that most of what is said at conferences is forgotten the moment leaders get back into their normal routine. Frankly, I don’t want to waste my time or waste their time. Inspiration isn’t enough. Best practices aren’t enough. In my experience, the greatest value of a conference is when you get a God idea and then act on it when you get back into your context. The great irony is that those ideas don’t always come from the speakers. In my opinion, the momentary inspiration of a great speaker has value. But the greatest value is the take-away. What are you going to do with what you’ve heard? Does what you heard actually translate into new habits, new initiatives, new experiments?

If you don’t do anything with what you heard then you wasted your time and your money. Actually, you wasted God’s time and God’s money. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a conference junkie. And I think part of the value boils down to the simple equation: change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. Conferences set the stage for change because they get you out of your normal routine. But you’ve got to act on it. That’s why I always try to walk away with three applications ideas. Sometimes it’s more. Sometimes it’s less. But I try to focus less on what the speaker is saying and more on what God wants me to do with what the speaker is saying.

A penny for your thoughts.