Orange
Ryan Reed
You Gotta Make It to OC17

One of the most important events on my annual professional calendar is the Orange Conference.

Why Orange? In sum, when it comes to a student ministry curriculum, I have not found one as powerful, versatile, comprehensive, and intentional as Orange. It cares for the middle school student just as much as the elderly aunt who takes care of him. Orange seeks to equip the entire family, not just the teenage kid, for both individual and familial faith. That simple.

As a user since 2011, I've continually been sold by how well it prepares me to share the Gospel with teenagers and build parent partnerships for faithful ministry in the home. 

You Gotta Make It to OC17
Leadership
Ryan Reed
The Important Role of Self Awareness in ...

This post originally appeared on the Orange Leaders Blog on June 22, 2016. 

What is the toughest question you’ve ever had to answer, and who asked it?

Given that somehow you made your way to this exceptional community called Orange Leaders, I automatically know a few things about you:

The Important Role of Self Awareness in Leadership
Leadership
Ryan Reed
Key Ingredients for a Thriving Ministry Recipe

Not long ago my wife introduced me to the best show on television... Chopped. I love it. Hands down noting beats it. A simple show in concept: four chefs compete against one another using a basket of mystery ingredients - yet so captivating!

Why? Because the ingredients equalize the playing field. Whether the chef be a novice out of culinary a school or a multi-restaurant owner veteran, each chef receives the ingredients at the same time and must respond to them. 

The ingredients are the star of the show. They call out the character of the chef. Not the other way around. It's the ingredients that define the path.

Key Ingredients for a Thriving Ministry Recipe
Church
Ryan Reed
May the Real Me Meet the Real You

Said C.S. Lewis, "The prayer that precedes all prayers is may the real me meet the real you." 

A great friend of mine from college once shared this quote with me. He and I served in Young Life together, leading high school students toward a growing relationship with Jesus. I can recall that he ended nearly every one of his ministry talks with this quote just prior to closing in prayer:

"May the real me meet the real you."

I probably listened to him share this quote with me dozens of times. I think I also used it. But quite honestly, I don't think I understood the meaning behind it until much later in life. Intellectually I understood it. It's simple in structure, but truly profound in its meaning. 

Perhaps I missed it time after time because inherent within this quote lays an assumption that you know the real you. 

May the Real Me Meet the Real You
Orange
Ryan Reed
Rethink Leadership Conference Day 2 #OC16 #RL16

CAREY NIEUWHOF INTERVIEW WITH JON ACUFF

Know your message enough to find the direction, but leave it open enough to let the Holy Spirit inspire new content. 

For humor, build the island, but then make sure that you make a sturdy bridge to and from the island. Satire is about an idea, but mockery is about an individual. We are not called to mockery.

Put handles on ideas so that we can carry them forward. We have enough ideas. Put a handle on them.  

Rethink Leadership Conference Day 2 #OC16 #RL16

social media

Are You Jealous of My (Filtered) Life?

Are You Jealous of My (Filtered) Life?

This past week, a good friend of mine and ministry leader wrote an outstanding post on the implications of social media for teenage girls. It hit close to home, for her post is a response to an observation that occurred at our church. In fact, as soon as I read it, I thought, "I need to share this with my readers."

Rachel is a seminary student at Golden Gate Baptist theological Seminary and serves on my high school AND middle school leadership teams. She is a called leader with years of experience working with adolescent-aged girls. I commend this post to you. Give her your support and read her other posts on her personal blog at BIG CITY small world. As you chew on its hearty content, think about this question, "How can you - a parent, ministry leader, or caring adult - faithfully respond to the girls under your care in such a way that encourages self-worth and vulnerability, not value through the lens of a filter?

I give you, "Are You Jealous of My Filtered Life?" unedited and uncut:

Parenting Connected Kids

Parenting Connected Kids

Occasionally, I read a post or see an infographic that POPS out of the page at me, and I immediately think about how much my readers and subscribers would appreciate this, as well. I saw the graphic below this morning on Doug Fields' website, and it immediately brought to my mind all of my prior conversations on this topic with parents, kids, and other pastors.

I hope the content on this infographic spurns you onto conversation, further knowledge, and ideas about how you - as a parent, pastor, or caring adult - can equip kids about the power of technology.