Steve’s Blog

Keturah Boston, Kristen Ivy, and Reggie Joiner joined in an Orange Conference 2023 discussion all about partnering with parents. Here are some of the highlights. There’s a way families should feel when they walk in the room, especially when you take into account of the things they have been through before they got there. Parents … Continue reading Discussion about Partnering with Parents (Orange Conference 2023)

Kara Powell, from Fuller Youth Institute, in her Orange Conference 2023 talk, explained how students are wondering if they can trust us — if we will be there for them. Gens Z and Alpha do not trust institutions. We need what Kara says is a “Faith Beyond Youth Group.” For most of us, faith is … Continue reading Tomorrow’s Trust Will be Built Today (Orange Conference 2023)

God has plans for you. In his Orange Conference 2023 talk, Dharius Daniels said he knows that phrase often sounds cliche, but he know it is true. He also says this through Jeremiah in chapter 29, verse 11, when Israel is in an incredibly tough season of exile. And in the middle of this, God … Continue reading Tomorrow’s Church Needs Some Builders (Orange Conference 2023)

Rich Villodas began his Orange Conference 2023 talk, telling about his upbringing. After making a decision to start going to church on his own, his father surprisingly also started to go to church. Then his entire family came to Christ. And in between church services, Rich began to question what just happened. His grandfather told … Continue reading Tomorrow’s Church is Stronger with All of Us (Orange Conference 2023)

Danielle Strickland kicked off her Orange Conference 2023 talk speaking about the book, The Non-Anxious Presence by Mark Sayers. He writes that we are between eras. There’s an era-shift we are going through, and there is usually a 50-year gap in between that’s called the gray zone when all the things we’re used to don’t … Continue reading Light for Tomorrow (Orange Conference 2023)

On Thursday morning of Orange Conference 2023, Leslie Mack helped us to open our minds and hearts to innovation. She started off having us use our imagination: You are vacation with your family. You’re in a gift shop, and you find yourself standing at one of those racks looking for your name on a keychain. … Continue reading Tomorrow Won’t Look Like Today (Orange Conference 2023)

Thursday morning at Orange Conference 2023 start with an interview with Horst Schulze, the founder of Ritz Carlton. Here is a summary of that interview: How to reach people in today’s culture? You have to have the right product and translate it into their language. You have to learn what you have to offer those … Continue reading Interview with Horst Schulze (Orange Conference 2023)

The president of Orange, Kristen Ivy, opened by sharing a story of her 11 year-old daughter when she didn’t get something she wanted. And as she processed what happened, she wrote down that tomorrow is both wonderful and terrible. Maybe this is why we are drawn to certainty. We need something that is steady, because … Continue reading Tomorrow is Wonderful and Terrible (Orange Conference 2023)

Reggie Joiner started his main session talk at Orange Conference 2023 honoring the volunteer leaders in the room. And then he pointed to the time when Jesus said that when we welcome the little ones, we welcome Jesus. In fact, we need to lean into that even more moving forward. Why did Jesus say this, … Continue reading Tomorrow is an Opportunity to Remind Everyone What Matters (Orange Conference 2023)

Ryan Leak kicked off Orange Conference 2023 with a message that tomorrow is hopeful. For a lot of people, though, tomorrow can be very scary. In fact, it’s really easy to scroll around social media and begin to feel overwhelmed and lose hope. “As flawed and disappointing as human beings are,” said Ryan, “Jesus put … Continue reading Tomorrow is Hopeful (Orange Conference 2023)