This one doesn’t require any explanation.

READ

Whether paper back, iPad, online, ebook, kindle, phone whatever.  Find time to Read…it’s how we grow.

This is one of those little personal ‘wiring’ things but man being in Atlanta with tons of sunshine and warmth was EXACTLY what I needed after a long, grey, snowy winter here in Indiana.  I’m not one of those people that gets all depressed because it’s winter and snowy but growing up in Texas I’m definitely a glutton for sunshine.

Which leaves me to #5 of my post-Orange11 posts:

Get in the sun!

Superman was completely re-energized when he flew out to space and soaked in some rays and you can do the same from time to time.  If you live ANYWHERE except Granger, IN you have NO excuse for not getting out in the sun.  I’m convince this is the only place that the sun doesn’t shine half the year.

#Orange serves as a reminder for all that we are engaged in one of the greatest works on the planet!  I loved my job like crazy before #Orange and I love it even more after #Orange.  That’s a subtle yet BEAUTIFUL thing.

Watching and Listening to Andy Stanley teach session one live was a sight to behold.  The man’s got skills!  SUCH a good communicator.

It occurred to me somewhere during his talk that he has had years of practice.  You don’t just one day stand up on a stage in front of 5,000 and just be THAT good.  I bet  Andy in the early years was a little different than the “Andy Stanley” we now know.

One of the themes I noticed woven into Andy’s book “Communicating for Change” is the importance of preparation.  Watching Andy at #Orange reminded me of the importance of practice and preparation.  This quote from Zig Ziglar says it perfectly!

“It’s true. Spectacular preparation precedes spectacular performance.” Zig Ziglar

Want to be a better communicator…put in the preparation.

Been thinking a LOT since Orange a just a few days ago and another big take away I had was this reminder that we preach to students, parents, volunteers….AND OURSELVES!  If I had to write a quote I would say:

“The Message always points both ways!  In preaching to your church, you also preach to yourself!”

This is a great way to always approach the craft of preaching/teaching and leadership regardless what venue you’re in.  Orange served as a great reminder for that!

My only regret from Orange this year was that I didn’t take my DSLR camera and take more pics!

I can’t believe I thought it was a better idea for me to “pack light” and not bring all my camera gear!

WHAT WAS I THINKING! …that’s right, I wasn’t!

HELP OTHERS

I’ll just give you a handful of reasons why this is a MUST and jumped to my mind all throughout my time at the Orange Conference this year:

• Helping people has a ripple effect. The Ripple of #Orange will last for YEARS as thousands of students will be affected  by what their leaders heard this week.
• When people are helped, they’re more likely to help someone else. Lots of people were “helped” this week…now I’m compelled even more than I already was to “help” someone else.
• It can change you in ways you never expected. There were some great blindside LAYOUT hits this year! I love it!
• Your relationship with that person will become stronger. I’m looking forward to some one on one convo’s I need to have over the next few weeks.
• It’s the most fulfilling thing you can do on this planet. This doesn’t require any further thought.
• You might be able to call in a favor later when you need some help. We need other and #Orange provides TONS of networking/connecting opportunities with like-minded people!
• Because there are more people in this world than just you.  Sometimes ministry can drive you into a whole where you think all there is…is you! FALSE! #Orange is a great reminder of that!

Lot’s of these perspectives coming in the next few weeks (Ripple Effect).  Tune in and share/like/tweet them if any are helpful to ya.  If you got anything to add/contribute just comment.

Thanks for stopping by.

Great thoughts from a doug Fields newsletter I got today.

This is regarding helping equip
Your students to serve.

PUT AS MANY HOOKS OUT AS POSSIBLE
Neither of us really like fishing (although we like the “catching” part), but it definitely makes for good illustrations: The more hooks in the water will eventually deliver more fish in the boat. Do whatever you can to let everyone in your ministry know about the serving opportunities you have available. Cast a wide net (another fancy fishing illustration) and let everyone know about the serving opportunities–you never know who will respond—it may be the most unlikely people.

I just drove past a school playground while running errands and NO JOKE it resemembled a prison yard. The only reason that imagery jumped into my mind is because I recently watched an episode of “Lockdown” on Netflix so forgive the metaphor but I noticed a striking resemblence. About the only difference I saw from my vantage point was that the kids weren’t conficted criminals and serving different sentences for the consequences of their actions.

The only thing these kids did was be born in the United States where we’re required to go to school. Doesn’t seem like much of a crime to mind, I’m quite fond of education….ANYYYYWAY!

I drove by and pulled over for all of maybe 3 minutes to just watch and observe from a distance what was happening on this playground and I was amazing at what I actually saw. Not because it was bad or anything, just because of what it was….A slice of America!

Here’s a glimpse into what I saw:

Chain-link fenced in area, big open fields, a soccer field where hispanics were playing soccer, basketball courts were blacks (or African-Americans if you prefer), some groups throwing a football (mixed), huddles of girls (about 7 different pockets of them).

Some say 11:30 on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in our country. It seems like 8-4 weekdays might be pretty similar.

I have nothing else I really want to say about my observation at this point because I could say too much BUT I thought it was worth sharing.

Vantage Point and perspective are everything and what we see isn’t always reality but sometimes it is…then what do we do about that!!!??

You gotta check this out from The Resurgence

(My homie Brad Cooper tweeted this over the weekend.)