Get ready—Orange Tour hits the road this week! We’ll be gathering with approximately 10,000 church leaders across the country over the next three months to discuss family ministry and partnering with parents to influence the faith of the next generation.
SAY YES TO THE NEXT GENERATION
When you say yes to the next generation, it means you…
Say yes to tension.
Say yes to collaboration.
Say yes to debate.
It means you say yes to wrestling with questions like…
Should secular leaders influence your ministry strategy?
Is your ministry really pro-family?
Does your church make kids and teenagers feel like they have a place to belong?
Are you losing or gaining momentum in your community?
Should you teach kids the Bible or help them develop character?
Is the culture of your ministry attracting the right kind of volunteers and leaders?
How you answer these questions matters.
It matters for the momentum of your ministry.
It matters for the effectiveness of your strategy.
It mattters for the faith of the next generation.
But just because the questions matter doesn’t mean the answers are simple. In fact, many of the questions you face in ministry are tricky to navigate. Sometimes there are truths that seem to contradict each other. Sometimes two people with the same goal don’t always agree. Sometimes there’s tension.
So every week you have to decide. You can make a statement or manage an ongoing conversation. You can take a side or fight for the tension.
Join us at this year’s Orange Tour and discover the best way to answer these questions.
We’ll be in 13 cities this fall:
Atlanta, GA: September 5
Minneapolis, MN: September 12
Seattle, WA: September 19
Wildomar, CA: September 23
Lancaster, PA: October 7
Washington, DC: October 10
Detroit, MI: October 14
Indianapolis, IN: October 17
Kansas City, KS: October 21
Charlotte, NC: October 28
Austin, TX: November 4
Dallas, TX: November 7
Tampa, FL: November 11
I’ll be at Atlanta, Seattle, Wildomar, Detroit and Indy doing social media, and would love to meet you!
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.
The past few months I’ve been reading my favorite part of the Bible, Exodus through Joshua. I am slightly obsessed with the Israelites’ journey out of Egypt, to their wandering in the wilderness and then long-awaited entrance into the Promised Land. It’s been quite a comfort to me over the years, as I draw so many parallels to my own life. I am following a reading plan, but I find myself skipping days just to intentionally draw out my time with these books. I sort of drink them in, dragging through the Introductions, skimming through all the footnotes, and re-reading certain sections. It may seem strange, as most Christians are drawn to the New Testament with Jesus’ teaching and Paul’s great work. Maybe I’m just old school. 😉
In fact, a couple of young Jehovah’s Witness boys knocked on my door last summer, and tried to talk to me about Jesus. I told them I was a Christian and followed Jesus. I’m sure people use all sort of methods to cut the conversation short, including that one. But they persisted a bit, asking me my favorite book of the Bible. I don’t know if they were testing my resolve or just curious, but when I told them Exodus, they didn’t really know what to do next. They stood there for a minute and then said goodbye. True story.
But it’s true. I think it probably is my favorite book. Moses is my hero. He’s flawed and he’s perfect. I began reading that portion of the Bible during one of the hardest periods of my life, and I kept thinking of how much I was like the Israelites, quick to complain and in need of guidance. I found myself on a similar journey of both wondering and wandering, and completely dependent on the Lord for guidance and provision.
“When Pharoah finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.” (Exodus 13: 17-18a NLT)
There are so many ways God shows His love for me daily. But it was a revelation when I read that passage and really let it sink in. At that point in my life, and every time I’ve read it since, I realized how frustrated I can get with my own wondering.
I wonder when my time will come.
I wonder when my circumstance will change.
I wonder what’s next.
I wonder why someone has it better than me.
I wonder when it’ll get easier.
I wonder. I wonder. I wonder.
And in the process, I wander.
It is a clear demonstration of God’s patience and unfailing love for Him to lead me the roundabout way. It takes time. It takes sacrifice. It takes forgiveness—lots of forgiveness. And, knowing myself, I probably wouldn’t handle the shortest route all that well. I need time to be molded and shaped, as much as I love to jump in with both feet. So, once again, I realize that His timing is perfect despite my ability to see it at work most of the time.
When I stop to reflect and see how much I’ve changed over the years, I still feel sometimes that I am in the infant stages of development. I still see how far I have to go. I think, “Yes, exactly, how can I be ready for that? I’m not yet who I need to be.” And realistically, I know that will always be the case. I hope I never stop growing and learning. But it’s those times that put the wondering in perspective.
“The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and He provided light at night with a pillar of fire.” (Exodus 13: 21)
Goodness knows I wish I had a pillar. And I’ll admit to praying for neon signs. I’m just afraid sometimes I might miss the whisper. But that’s because I can sometimes forget that I do indeed have a pillar: Jesus. He is my guidepost. He is my light in the darkness. He goes ahead of me. I may not be able to speak face-to-face with Him, as Moses did with God, but His Word clearly communicates His character. As I wander, I have the time to discern His will. And I feel His love, through His people and the Bible.
We all have at least one Egypt. I have a bunch of them myself. I have those places and things that I’ve allowed to enslave me, despite the fact that I am a captive who has been set free. Some of them are a daily battle, some were left on the battlefield a long time ago. Some are yet to come. But I am not alone. I am never alone. He has promised to take this journey with me.
This Easter, as many others do, I reflect on Jesus and what He’s done for me. Every day I have the opportunity to open up the gifts of grace, mercy, love and salvation. They are my manna. They are what God provides to sustain me in my wandering. But there are some days that I feel more like a kid hunting for Easter eggs, not sure where to look but overjoyed in the discovery. And honestly, I’m thankful for both. One is ever-present and one is a genuine delight. Luckily, Jesus is so much more than one thing.
Right now, I’m in Deuteronomy, Moses’ last hurrah. He’s speaking to a new generation of Israelites, because the older died in the desert. So, he has to remind them of where they came from, tell them about where they’re going, and explain to them their lasting covenant with God. It reminds me of Easter. This weekend, from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday, communicates all three of those things. The person of Jesus, the Son of God, is the culmination of those things.
And despite who He is and what He’s already done, He’s still willing to lead me the roundabout way. I matter. Little ol’ me. He saved the world. He saved generations. And He saves me daily.
I need to remember that what Easter symbolizes can’t be confined to a day, or even a weekend. It’s a life-long journey. And it’s my privilege.
So, if you’re looking for me, I’m taking the long way around. I wonder where it’ll take me next.
The third day of The Justice Conference is a film festival. It’s literally a 12-hour day of movies back to back. My kind of day! And, of course, cool to see so many movies focused on justice all together. I’m not great about watching documentaries either, so this was a good chance for me to stretch myself.
I didn’t love them all, but there are some real gems in here. Give them a try when you get the chance. (Some of them are less than 10 minutes.)
There are over 12 million orphans in the sub-Saharan Africa. Every year thousands audition for the chance to escape poverty and travel for the African Children’s Choir—only 20 make the cut. This is their story
Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Skid Row is a 50-block community that over 4,000 people call their home. Jubilee Project spent a day in Skid Row asking people on their streets on question, “What is your dream?”
It’s quickly becoming the most populated country in the world, but India holds a dark secret. Men and women who make their homes in poor villages throughout the central region are forced to make decisions that no parents should ever have to make: sell a child into slavery or watch your children starve to death?
A documentary that investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions for the problem. Featuring music from The Civil Wars.
When a Palestinian boy loses half of his home to Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem, he joins his community in a campaign of non-violent protests. Efforts to put a quick end to the demonstrations are failed when scores of Israelis choose to stand by the residents’ side.
Undivided is the hop-filled, challenging and inspiring true story of how a church and a public high school forged an unlikely friendship—initiating a beautiful transformation for both he school and faith community.
The Kingdom of Swaziland hosts the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world, leaving 1/3 of its population orphaned or vulnerable. Never a Neverland documents the reality of a kingdom moving towards extinction and the hope of a people to ensure it never becomes a “Neverland.”
Get inside the lives of people affected by the world’s most compelling causes; witness the Sevenly team, a sylish Southern California company race the clock to implement a life-changing solution for a deserving charity every seven days.
A young man from a fractured family and a troubled past went traveling through India without a plan. Then he met a group of HIV positive children living in an orphanage—a meeting that changed everything for him.
After selling herself at fourteen to a brothel inside her home of Svey Pak, Mien takes and undesired path all over Cambodia for the remainder of her teenage life.
Competing in a white man’s sport, reserved for the privileged, a rag tag group of cyclists coached by the first American to ride in the Tour de France is transformed into a powerful symbol of hope for a country recovering from one of the world’s most devastating genocides.
One winter, a South Korean pastor finds a baby on the church steps, and decides to build a “drop box” to rescue future foundlings. This inspiring story takes place after the box was first installed and documents the incredible changes that take place.
Two weeks ago I headed to LA for The Justice Conference. Any excuse to head to SoCal is a good one, but this event on social justice issues was extra special to me, and at the top of my vacation list this year. So, it made for a great trip!
I posted my Pre-Conference Highlights last week, and now I’ll move on to the main event, held at the beautiful Orpheum Theater. It was a really great day, full of fantastic information, inspiring speakers and like-minded camaraderie.
1. We need to commit ourselves to proximity. We must get close to those we want to serve. It will show you things you’ll never otherwise see.
2. Change the narrative. Behind every un-truth, there is a narrative saying it must be this way.
3. Be hopeful to create justice. Sometimes it’s easier to be faithful than hopeful.
4. We have to choose to be uncomfortable.
I do what I do because I’m broken too. God is there for the broken. I understand the broken because I am one. God’s grace and mercy fills the broken places.
We will not achieve justice with just the thoughts in our minds.
Lynne Hybels, Author of Nice Girls Don’t Change the World
Too many times we think justice work is calling fire down from heaven. But the reality is much more mundane that than. There are small, daily jobs to do.
Motivation matters. Check yourself.
To stay grounded, stay connected to people.
We must fight giants: ego, exhaustion and emotional toxicity.
Too often we think justice is talking AT people. Our justice work has become disembodied. It should be incarnational and not third-party.
Bernice King, American Baptist Minister and World-Renowned Speaker, Daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.
Conflict is a weapon of growth.
True peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of justice. – MLK
Never forget God is on the side of justice. Start there and keep it in sight.
God made from one brotherhood all nations.
MLK’s strategy of nonviolence will always work because it’s based on Jesus.
Courageous people are nonviolent.
Nonviolence shouldn’t seek to defeat people, only injustice.
We must stop and pray. We are often too busy or in a rush to action to do it, but it will best equip us.
N.T. Wright, Professor at University of St. Andrews, Retired Bishop of Durham, UK, Author
Justice is what love looks like.
We need discernment because when we think we’ve got justice down, we become arrogant. (Tower of Babel)
Lynne Hybels, Author of Nice Girls Don’t Change the World
Ask, “What is mine to do?” and let God help you figure it out. Otherwise you may be overwhelmed by all the causes and issues that need us.
God will empower you to do what is yours.
God created all the beauty in this world. Fight for it and help it flourish.
That’s all I got! Hope you enjoyed my notes. Fingers crossed that I’ll be able to attend The Justice Conference again next year. It’s a great event, and I recommend going!
Mental Post-Its 