Tag Archives: steve cullum

Why Go to Orange 2012?

Posted on September 22, 2011 | 1 Comment

Today marks the opening of registration for The Orange Conference 2012. Many of you might be wondering why I am pushing this conference so much on here. Well, here you go…

If you are like me, it is easy to get in a ministry rut. Days go by, and you continue doing ministry the same way you have been doing it. Occasionally, something will come along to challenge you, but you typically stay the same. The Orange Conference, for me, is all about confronting myself. I get to sit at the feet of many who have walked before me and gain from their God-given wisdom. At the same time, I get to rub shoulders with others who are doing ministry. We get to talk and figure out what is working and not working in their setting. These times open my mind to the much larger world out there and how we can better reach them for Christ.

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Favorite Speakers at Orange: Doug Fields

Posted on September 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

One of the reasons I love going to any Christian conference is gaining from the wisdom of others. The Orange Conference is no different. One of my favorites is Doug Fields. Many of you in the youth ministry world probably know who he is already. For those who do not, you should get to know him. He was the lead student minister at Saddleback Church in California for many years, before his recent resignation. Now, he continues to write and speak about student and family ministries all across the country.

Photo from whatisorange.org

Doug speaks from the heart, and he speaks from experience. Not only does he keep things interesting with lots of personal examples, he is a great communicator.

One of the things I have learned from Doug is the importance of putting family first (behind God of course) after ministry and the church. As a minister, your first priority should be on helping your family know, serve, and glorify God. Then, you should go help others do the same in the church and world. If your family is not healthy in their relationship with God, your ministry is suffering. This is a change of mindset for many in ministry, but it is crucial. Sure, things get busy and tough, but a minister needs to lead at home before the church. In turn, he lead better at church.

One other point I have learned from Doug is to move out of the spotlight and put others in it. This should happen in many ways. For me, it has influenced me in two ways. I have placed more importance on our small groups and small group leaders, with the goal of allowing the students to connect with them and seek them out for spiritual guidance (in addition to their parents). Secondly, I have also been trying to help the students realize their own spiritual gifts and talents, and in turn, begin using them in the ministry. Doug has helped me step out of the spotlight and place others in it, so that the ministry does not depend upon me.

To find out more about Doug Fields, head to his blog.

For more on The Orange Conference, head to their website.

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Posted in Orange

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Why Orange?

Posted on September 20, 2011 | 1 Comment

As we kick off Orange Blogger Week for September 2011, I’d like to address a simple question of “Why Orange?” For those of you who have been in ministry situations for a while, or just starting, I know a new idea like this could be confusing as to why to change it up.

For me, it is all about the heart of the Orange philosophy. The idea of Orange is combining the heart of the family (red) with the light of the church (yellow). These two institutions were began by God, and it is important that they are brought together. Too often in churches today, we are fragmenting our ministries. The student ministry, children’s ministry, worship ministry, etc. have no clue what is going on in each others’ area. On top of that, parents often have the mindset that the church is the primary spiritual influence for their kids, instead of themselves. The Orange philosophy is about dismissing these two concepts. Instead, the idea is to get all ministries on the same page, partnering together in support of families being the primary source of spiritual influence. The church should partner with parents and families to make this happen.

This is why I have chosen to support Orange, this is and why our church has adopted this philosophy. Specifically, for student ministry, this means that I am working with parents more and championing the family. In the end, it seems like a “why not?” decision for me. Why not partner with families in helping them serve Christ? That’s why orange.

For more about Orange, check out http://whatisorange.org.

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Register for the Orange Conference 2012

Posted on September 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

Today official kicks off Orange Blogger Week for September 2011, To start with, I just want to let you know about The Orange Conference, especially since registration opens this week! Below is a TON of information about the conference straight from the ones who put the event together.

What is The Orange Conference?
OC is premiere gathering for church leaders in family ministry (preschool, children’s, student and senior leadership). There were nearly 5,000 people at OC11 from all over the world.

When is The Orange Conference 2012?
April 25-27, 2012

Where is OC12?
The Gwinnett Center in Duluth, GA (a suburb of Atlanta)

Where can I get more information?
www.TheOrangeConference.com

When does registration open?
Thursday, September 22, 2011

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Ten Years Later: 9/11 Thoughts

Posted on September 12, 2011 | Leave a comment
Tribute in Light, 9/11/03

Image by Brendan Loy via Flickr

It is hard to believe that it was just ten years ago yesterday when our country was hit by one of its biggest terrorist attacks. As with many others, I remember like it was just a couple years ago. I was sitting in my dorm room, and our head resident came and told us what was going on. I don’t think I really understood the impact it would have at the time. I just remember thinking that it was horrible. I knew that there were tons of people who just lost their loved ones in the attack.

Ten years later, it is tough to remember what life was like pre-9/11. While it was such a big change at the time, it has almost become second nature to expect all the security and paranoia. I believe the saddest of all changes, though, is one many of us expected. At the time of the attack, and after, our country bonded and turned to God in a way many had never seen in their lifetime. Nonetheless, that has faded over the years, and we are back to our normal ways of bickering and arguing over petty things. In that, many have even ran away from God.

As we move forward, I only pray that our country will turn to God on their own. I know He has called me to help make sure that happens, but it is definitely overwhelming at times. I was reminded of that as I tried to encourage our high school students this weekend — a group who have a really tough time remembering what life was like before 9/11. We now live in a world where people are starving for hope. We who know Christ have that hope. Let’s share it!

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Posted in Thinking Out Loud

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Surviving Our First “Hurricane”

Posted on August 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

Doesn't look that bad to me! At least for our area. #Hur... on Twitpic As you know, Hurricane Irene was the recent scare that hit the east coast. In the end, this category-1 hurricane was downgraded into a powerful tropical storm. That did not stop it from tearing into part of the coast and making its way north to New England.

My wife and I prepared as best as we could by getting a gallon of water, some ice and a cooler, and batteries. However, in the end, it was not much for our neck of the woods. Irene did not turn back toward the ocean, so she kept moving northwest, which means we here in southeastern New Hampshire did not get much more than a typical rain storm. Only a few people we know got their power knocked out, and we only know of one power line that fell. Our power only surged a few times, but it never went out. In fact, it is a beautiful day today, the day after.

Many churches in the area canceled, but RCC still had our worship gatherings on Sunday morning. The crowds were down, of course, but we still had a great time worshipping God.

Nonetheless, our prayers go out to the many people who were not as fortunate. Many people throughout New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and western Massachusetts are without power. On top of that, we have heard some people did die in the storm. We pray that our God of comfort will especially be with them in their time of need.

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Posted in Personal, Prayer

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Our First Minor League Baseball Game

Posted on August 24, 2011 | 1 Comment

On Monday night, Yvette and I were able to go to our first Minor League baseball game in Manchester. We saw Trenton Thunder take on the hometown New Hampshire Fisher Cats, a Double-A team with the Toronto Blue Jays. Unfortunately, they lost 4-3, but it was a fun time. They had activities going on throughout the entire game, between each inning, giving away lots of prizes. We even played BINGO while we watched the game. Unfortunately, we were a “shortstop getting walked” away from scoring a win. We are not sure what we would have won, but it would have been cool, nonetheless. On top of that, our seats were fantastic. Opposed to Major League seats in the “nose-bleed” section, we were right on the first base line, about seven rows up. No foul ball souvenirs, though. Maybe next time. We were treated to a really great firework show at the end of the game too. We are looking forward to going again someday.

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Posted in Personal

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Gungor declares “The Earth is Yours”

Posted on August 19, 2011 | 2 Comments

Earlier this summer, I read that the David Crowder Band was calling it quits after this year. While that was bad news, I also read their last tour would include the band, Gungor. At that point, I had only heard a little bit of their music, but I did like it. Today, I used my recent invitation to Spotify, and listened to their entire “Beautiful Things” album. Overall, I highly recommend that you check it out.

The song that stands out to me so far is one called, “The Earth is Yours.” It’s a fun song that captures the idea that God is over all. The chorus shouts, “Holy, holy, holy, holy Lord. The earth is Yours.” It’s one of those tunes that I can just imagine singing over and over again in worship to God.

Instead of me rambling on and on, I will close with the song, and I want to encourage you to check out the rest of “Beautiful Things.”

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Posted in Music

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Social Media and the Church

Posted on August 17, 2011 | 4 Comments

Following my thoughts on Google Plus, I have been thinking a lot about social media the last couple days. Maybe it has to do with my involvement in the redesign of our church’s website. Maybe it is because there seem to be so many social networks out there today. In fact, I believe I am up to about 13 apps on my iPhone that could be considered a social network in some way or another. I have another relative, who seems to be signing up for a new social network every month. I know this because I get the invitations in my email.

So, that leads me to think. Where should our churches be in all this? I will not even begin to pretend I am an expert. However, I have learned a few things.

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Posted in Tech-Talk

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Early Thoughts on Google Plus

Posted on August 15, 2011 | 3 Comments

Many of you know that I’m pretty much a tech-geek. Not only do I enjoy video games, I’ve been interested in technology in general for as long as I can remember. Recently, the topic of social networking has been on my mind. On top of my personal presence, I’ve been wondering what type of presence our churches should have online. Aside from that, what do you all think about this new social network, Google Plus?

Currently, G+ is still in “beta,” so it is not completely open to anyone and everyone. Although, I do have 150 invitations I can send out. If you want one, let me know. This makes it different, right of the bat, from Facebook and Twitter. However, after several weeks checking this out, I’m ready to share some thoughts and also hear yours.

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Posted in Tech-Talk

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