The lights are on but nobody is home. #kidmin

Long before Orange Conferences and before the book Think Orange there was Reggie Joiner. I will never forget going to a #kidmin conference in Tulsa, Ok. called Dream. My mentor in books and tapes, Jim Wideman was the children’s pastor at COTM. The general session speaker that night was Reggie Joiner. It was the first time I had ever heard about yellow and red in the context of #thinkorange. I totally knew that when you mix the two colors you get Orange. *Smile* I listened intently as Reggie used the lamp, the orange cones and the gumballs (3000/40). He talked about the lamp stand’s purpose in the temple. The purpose of the lamp stand in the temple was to illuminate the table of shew bread. It was the job of the priest to make sure the lamp never burned out. It was their job to make sure the lamp never moved. The lamp or the color yellow symbolizes the church. It reminds me of how Reggie explained our purpose as the church. We are to illuminate the word of God. If we move the lamp to illuminate our programs we lose purpose and we lose effectiveness. As the church we have one goal and that is to illuminate the word of God. By illuminating the word, God will draw all people unto Himself.


Have you ever heard the phrase – “The lights are on but nobody is home?“ I have but it was used in a bad ”blonde joke” kind of way. This idiom reminds me of the stance most children’s pastors take and families for that matter. The lights are on. As #kidmin we are doing our job. We are shining. We are pouring into the life of a child BUT nobody’s home is our thought. What happens when the child gets home? Is there anyone there speaking into their lives? Some families believed that we (#kidmin) were the only ones equipped for the job of spiritual leadership in the life of their child. I believe that parents love their children and want only the best. That is where red comes in to play. Red symbolizes the heart of the home. It’s not that nobody is home it’s that most parents don’t feel qualified to lead their child spiritually. I believe it was out of that need that Orange was birthed. It was to shed light (pun intended) on the fact that we are to partner with families. We are to so mix yellow with red that all anyone sees is Orange. It is not yellow against red or red is better than yellow or vice versa. We are to unite with one end in mind and that is to reach generations and help them become the spiritual champions that God intended. We are to be mentors in the lives of the families we serve.

I want to say thank you to Reggie Joiner and the whole #thinkorange team for continually stretching me as a #kidmin. Thank you for continuing the conversation.

Thank you also to Bro. Jim Wideman for being one of the leading influences and mentors in my life.