Over 6,000 of you will be joining us in Atlanta next week! And while we’d love for everyone reading this to be here in person, we realize that’s not always possible. So, we’d like to offer you the next best thing: tune in online! FOR FREE! You’ll be able to see on- and off-stage action, including session streaming, speaker interviews, mayhem and hi-jinx, resource updates and giveaways—and maybe even win a ticket to OC15!
Be sure to RSVP for the Live Stream to receive additional information and special offers. We will not spam you, or sell your info. That’s just rude.
And don’t forget to invite your friends to watch with you!
A full Live Stream schedule will be posted just prior to the conference on this blog.
And if you’re super excited about the Live Stream, but tend to get a little distracted, text “LIVE” to 404-445-2198. We’ll send you text updates about what’s happening, reminders and important info. But we promise not to message you like a sixth grade girl at a One Direction concert.
The Orange Conference, a conference for entire family ministry teams, will be held April 30–May 2, 2014, in Atlanta. Over 5,000 key influencers—senior, next gen, student, children’s and preschool leaders—will gather to experience the power of “Yes,” and learn new insights into influencing the faith and character of the next generation. For more information, please visit www.TheOrangeConference.com.
I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks since I was at Catalyst East. It’s been a whirlwind since then. But hey, I guess the countdown continues until next year!
This year’s theme was “KNOWN,” which was awesome because there was a lot of talk about identity and foundational faith issues alongside leadership, which is the conference’s main focus. Good, deep stuff.
I would say of all the main stage speakers, my favorite would be Malcolm Gladwell. And really, I can probably say that any time he speaks. If you’ve never read his books, you’re really missing out. Utterly fascinating. I definitely feel a lot smarter after reading them. And, well, I’d like to say he’s someone I’d like to sit down over coffee with, but honestly, I don’t think I could keep up with him. But I’ll listen to him all day long!
The only way to Truth and freedom is vulnerability.
Declare your priorities and make them so.
I think God’s first miracle was at a wedding as a reminder to live abundantly.
Reggie Joiner, Founder of Orange (This is the company I work for.)
Make what matters, matter more.
Sometimes we get confused on what God is supposed to do and what we’re supposed to do.
The Bible doesn’t say change your neighbor as yourself.
Love over time is believable.
Legacy is about others. It’s about what you leave in others.
Until a person is known, they can’t feel love.
Jud Wilhite, Author and Senior Pastor of Central Christian Church
Love the calling you have, not the one you wish you had.
Go and love your calling. Go and love your church.
God didn’t call you to fruit, He called you to faithfulness.
There were some other great speakers I didn’t get to hear as well: Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry; Lecrae Moore, Hip Hop Artist; John Piper, Founder DesiringGod.org; Judah Smith, Lead Pastor of The City Church and Author; Priscilla Shirer, Founder of Going Beyond Ministries. You can follow @CatalystLeader on Twitter or search the hashtag #Catalyst to find notes from these amazing people, and dig deeper into my highlights.
And if you missed my Labs recap, have a gander here.
Hope you feel smarter, more insightful and ready to take on the world. That’s what Catalyst does for me!
I wish you could all be with me this next week at The Orange Conference! But, if you can’t be with me, do the next best thing: watch the Live Stream.
Mark your calendar for April 24-26! We’ll be streaming content from OC13 throughout the entire conference—from main sessions to live interviews with your favorite authors and speakers to antics, mayhem and hi-jinx to yes, lots and lots of giveaways. You’ll get to see the best of our annual family ministry event right from the comfort of your desk chair (or recliner or bean bag chair…whatever your prefer). Who knows, you may even win a ticket to OC14! Be sure to invite your friends to watch with you—we’re going to have a lot of fun!
Conference speakers include: Reggie Joiner, Andy Stanley, Charles Jenkins, Perry Noble, Bob Goff, Sue Miller, Kara Powell, Doug Fields, Jon Acuff, Amy Fenton Lee…and many, many more.
It’s been a long couple of months. Honestly, I feel like like I’ve been in a haze. It’s just about “go time” for me with my job. The days have been long, the nights have been short, and the work has been steady, sometimes overwhelming. In my day gig, I’m the event marketing director at Orange. And most of my year, about 80% or more actually, is spent on The Orange Conference.
I can’t believe it, but we’re only 11 days away from hosting people at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga! Yep, just me and 5,000 of my closest friends gathering to learn and have a little fun. My company, Orange, will be bringing together church leaders from all over the world to rethink the traditional church model’s approach to family ministry. We are all about partnering the home and the church to work together to better influence the faith of the next generation. (Red represents the heart of the family and yellow represents the light of the church. Orange is a bridge.)
Sure, we’ve got some big names like Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel coming, but usually the more exciting people to hobnob with are the people I haven’t heard of, and hearing stories from church leaders implementing the Orange Strategy in their context. It’s always touching to hear how our work is affecting local communities, as well as brainstorm, troubleshoot or simply listen to their stories. Some situations are the same, and many are different, but it’s cool to be on the journey with these churches as they minister to others. It makes the long work days with it.
We’re going to laugh a lot, and learn a lot. We’ll have hijinks and heartwarming moments. We’ll be more tired than we are now, but it’ll all be worth.
So if you aren’t busy April 25-27, make plans to join us. And if you’d like to come and serve as a volunteer, that’s available too. We’ll be glad to see you either way.
Mental Post-Its 