Free & Helpful Fall Events!

In the ministry world, there are so many books and conferences that it can become overwhelming.  If we aren't careful we can bounce from one conference to the next without ever implementing anything we learn or toss them all out completely.

At the same time, creating space in our lives to hear from God and to develop our own leadership abilities remains a powerful way to invest in our own future.

With all that said, here are some great upcoming events I would highly recommend.  Some are online and free.  Others may require a plane ticket and registration cost.  Either way, we need to make sure we are investing in our future so we can invest in others more effectively.

Terra Nova (mountains outside of Los Angeles Sept. 5th-7th)

Includes David Arcos, Erwin McManus, among many others.

The Nines (free & online on Sept. 9th)

Featuring Margaret Feinberg, Skye Jethani, Naeem Fazal, Anne Jackson, Nancy Beach, me, and many others.

Southeastern Leadership Forum Webcast  (free & online on Sept. 10th-11th)

Featuring Erwin McManus, Craig Groeschel, Dr. Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Tim Sanders and Jack Welch among others.

Margaret Feinberg Teleseminar (free conference call, registration available soon on Oct. 12th)

Q&A with speaker and author of several books including her new one called Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey.

Origins Pre-Session and National Outreach Convention (San Diego Nov. 4-6)

Includes Dan Kimball, Marlon Wood, and me among many others.

Any other events (online or in person) we should know about?

Free PFP Audiobook in Phoenix, San Antonio, & Houston!

Receive a free download of the entire Peppermint-Filled Pinatas audiobook at one of the upcoming events in the PFP Audiobook Southwest Tour!

All the events are free, and autographed copies of the book will be available at only $10 each.

Phoenix on July 26th (Sun.) at 6:30pm
LifeChurch.TV
4140 E. Baseline Road, Ste. 112, Mesa, AZ
For more info., contact brian.kruckenberg@lifechurch.tv.

San Antonio on July 31st (Fri.) at 7pm
University of Texas at San Antonio
JPL Auditorium
1604 Campus, San Antonio, TX
For more info., contact utsabsm@gmail.com.

Houston on August 1st (Sat.) at 12pm
Join me and Marlon Hall of the Awakenings Movement for a time of insights, training, and connecting!
Taft Street Coffee
2115 Taft St, Houston, TX
Be sure to bring money for lunch at the Café.
For more info., contact sduke@mosaic.org.

Houston on August 2nd (Sun.) at 5pm
Ecclesia Clear Lake
16920 Texas Ave, Webster, TX
For more info., contact loren@ecclesiaclearlake.org.

To get your own copy of the brand new Peppermint-Filled Pinatas audiobook, go to:
Audible or iTunes!

Win a Free Copy of the New PFP Audiobook!

We live in a more complicated and diverse world than ever before, as a result, Zondervan is giving away 30 copies of my audiobook Peppermint-Filled Pinatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love!

Here’s how you can win!

As a special promotion, the first 30 people to send me an email (eric@mosaic.org) promising to listen to the book and promote it within the next 3 months will receive a free copy!

(Promotion ideas could include an online review at amazon.com, audible.com, iTunes, your blog, or encouraging your pastor or small group pastor to use the book at your church).

Be sure to include “PFP Audiobook for Free” in the subject heading.

All who send me an email will receive a sample chapter, so everyone is a “winner.”

I was surprised with the speed (30 responses within 45 minutes) and the volume (130 responses in 12 hours) of your responses to win the free copy of PFP! Thanks for your interest and willingness to read the book, post a review at amazon.com, and most of all help overcome the negative Christian stereotype!

Here are the winners and future reviewers!

Robert from Arkansas; Dave, Ashley, Colleen, Jeff, Kolby, & Kurt from California; Steven & Jeff from Georgia; Isaac from Illinois; Lori from Minnesota; Becky from Missouri; Enrique from New Jersey; Lary from New York; Jason & Karen from OH; the Millers from Oklahoma; J.R. from Pennsylvania; Chris, Daniel, Dave, & Scott from Texas; Brian from Virginia; Ryan from Wisconsin

Canadians such as Tim from British Columbia, Christian from Quebec, Alicia from Prince Edward Island, and Ken from Alberta

From overseas: Chris from Scotland, Luis from Brazil, and James from Australia

I wish I had more books to give away!

For those who want to get a copy, here a few options:

• Discounted copies can be found at www.amazon.com for $11.04 each.
• If you are in Los Angeles, you can get a copy at a Mosaic gathering at the Mosaic discount for $10.00 each.
• If you would like to give a copy of Peppermint-Filled Pinatas as a gift to your friends, small group, or ministry leaders, contact samantha@awaken.org to receive 24 copies for $175 (includes shipping within the continental U.S.). This is a $150 discount! First come, first serve!
• Come to one of my upcoming speaking events as listed at www.ericbryant.org/schedule.
• Keep your eyes out for my next email newsletter with details on the next giveaway.

Thanks to those of you who have spread the word about the message of PFP - embracing the people Christian’s “love to hate” - through your blogs, podcasts, buying a copy for a church leader, or telling a friend!

In the future, to be the first to hear about special offers, be sure to sign up for my free email newsletter at the top right of my website!

Coming soon: Peppermint-Filled Pinatas Audiobook and Peppermint-Filled Pinatas Message Series (CDs or DVDs)…

The Starfish and the Spider

I have really enjoyed reading The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom. In many ways, I feel like I found a book to explain how we operate at Mosaic - a decentralized and catalytic organism. My dissertation is about organizing innovation and raising up catalytic leaders (also see “Avoiding Burnout“).

The subtitle is misleading though.  Actually the organizations the authors describe aren’t leaderless but full of leaders!

Here are some insights:

“The blows to the recording industry, the attacks of 9/11, and the success of online classifieds and a collaborative encyclopedia were all driven by the same hidden force. The harder you fight this force, the stronger it gets. The more chaotic it seems, the more resilient it is. The more you try to control it, the more unpredictable it becomes. Decentralization… the absence of structure, leadership, and formal organization, once considered a weakness, has become a major asset. Seemingly chaotic groups have challenged and defeated established institutions. The rules of the game have changed.”

Centralized (coercive system): clear leader in charge, specific place decisions are made, rules need to be set and enforced or the system collapses

Decentralized (open system): no clear leader, no hierarchy, no headquarters, to influence people is to lead by example, everyone entitled to make her own decisions, rules and norms but not enforced by any one person, power distributed among all the people and across geographic regions

“A leader is best when people barely know that he exists; not so good when people obey and acclaim him; worst when they despise him.” – Lao-tzu

If you would like the full notes and to sign up for my monthly email newsletter, send an email to me at eric@mosaic.org with “Starfish” in the subject heading.  More info at www.ericbryant.org.