It’s here! It’s here! OC15 is this week! My company, Orange, hosts the largest family ministry event, The Orange Conference, and it’s all going down this week. We’ll be joined by almost 7,000 of our closest friends!
Not going to be here with us? No problem! You can still tune in to our Live Stream. We’ll be streaming a few of the main sessions, give away LOTS of prizes, conducting speaker and author interviews, and generally having a good time. So, you should make plans to hang out with us.
A couple pointers:
Check the Live Stream site for the schedule. BUT if you can only watch one thing, tune in Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET to hear our founder, Reggie Joiner. It’s going to be a great message! Plus, it’s the opening session so there will be lots of fun things happening.
Be sure to RSVP for additional perks and offers you won’t see anywhere else.
Get your game face on! You could win a variety of fantastic prizes just for watching—including a ticket to next year’s conference!
If you aren’t familiar with Jen, you need to become part of the fold. She’s funny and smart and honest, and most of us regular Christian gals just wish we could be friends with her. Jen’s most popular book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, is one you may be more familiar with. It was where I first formed my girl crush. Or if you are an HGTV junkie, you may know her from My Big Family Renovation.
So, she recently re-released Interrupted, and I thought that now was finally the time for me to read it. Soooo glad that I did. It is an inspiration to me for sure, and maybe it will be for you too.
It tells the story of her entry into social justice, and consequently, how she and her husband, Brandon, formed Austin New Church. Her story resonated with me on so many levels. We grew up in church, lived pretty comfortable lives, did lots of ministry work, worked our way toward what we thought was success . . . and were still left believing that, even though life was very good, there had to be more to this life of faith. We were both sort of blindsided with social justice, but now see it as a calling and glad it has wrapped itself around our hearts.
If you are a Christian and at least curious about social justice on some level, I highly recommend this book. It’s a great starter and entry point. She does a beautiful job of laying out scripture on social justice, and telling you of her struggle to basically allow God to interrupt her very comfortable life for this new venture. She could’ve say no thank you, but she chose to see God’s leading and embraced it. She lived a life many of us are familiar with, and may need to question in one way or another. She prayed a very simple prayer, and it changed everything. So, let that serve as your warning. 🙂
And even if you are a seasoned social justice advocate like me, you’ll love this book. For all the reasons that I’ve already outlined, and so many more, you’ll find a kindred spirit on this journey. It’ll remind you of where you started, and more importantly, why. And it’ll inspire you to continue your great work. On the days when it feels lonely and hard, you’ll remember you’re not alone.
So, check out Interrupted. Just be prepared for what may come next.
It’s finally starting to feel like spring! Well, in most places at least.
Nonetheless, it’s a great time to get outside and shop local. I was craving some fresh air and even fresher veggies this morning so I hit my favorite farmers market, the Marietta Square Farmers Market, for the first time this season. Take a look at my beautiful haul! I can’t begin to describe my love for arugula.
Anywho, I often talk about social justice here on my blog, and farmers markets are a great way to keep the supply chain short. They also help stimulate the local economy and provide income for our neighbors. And, if you have kids, it’s a great place to teach them about where actual food comes from, as well as meet the folks that grow it. Plus, it’s so much more fun to walk around than a grocery store. (Note: This is coming from someone who really loves to walk around grocery stores.) Oh my, and if you’ve never had food this fresh, you’re missing out. The tastes are so much stronger and delicious.
So, get out there and enjoy your local farmers market! You won’t regret it!
Don’t know where your local farms, farmers markets and CSAs are? Check out Local Harvest. It’s a great resource.
It’s here! It’s here! OC15 is this week! My company, Orange, hosts the largest family ministry event, The Orange Conference, and it’s all going down this week. We’ll be joined by almost 7,000 of our closest friends!
Mental Post-Its 