4,200 people committed to serving and investing in the next generation gathering in one room with one heart is an amazing sight. The Orange Conference opened up with session 1 tonight and the tone was set to help us all rethink how God has called us to COLLIDE with our culture…with families…with kids…with those far from Christ. For the next 2 days we are going to process this together and I can’t wait to see how God shapes all of us. Here are a few thoughts from session 1…
from Reggie Joiner…
- When we collide with God, it changes they way we see God.
- People far from Christ are asking…Will you still want to be my friend if I never choose to follow Jesus?
- We need to invite a generation of people into a dialogue so they can process what it means to follow Jesus. We need to walk with people as they work through FAITH.
from Mark Batterson…
- If we are not careful we can stop doing ministry out of imagination and start doing ministry out of memory
- We are all called to a CULTURE MAKING process. We want to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of their people…NOT JUST them be a part of our calling as a church!
- If you want to think new thoughts…read new things, meet new people, go new places!
- Change of Pace +Change of place = Changed perspective
- We are educated way beyond the level of our obedience. We need more relationships and less education. We all need a relationship with people who are far away from God.
from Chris Wiersma
- We’re not just simply called to HELP PEOPLE. We are called to COLLIDE differently with each other.
- We are not called to just be generous…we are called to help people see the WONDER of Jesus Christ. To be FASCINATED with the chance to collide with those around us
- Let’s squeeze our ego through the filter of a child, the humility and wonder of a child. BE REAL and collide with those around us with reckless abandon.
- When we engage people…when we collide we are saying, I know you, I know your maker, I know your story, I know what the Gospel can do in your life
- There are NO one-way relationships