Dreamsicle Orange 2.0

No day like Sunday to talk about our dreams for children’s ministry and life.


I write a blog every December called “Between the Dreaming and Coming True”. It’s kind of nice to read it and reflect and see where I am. I will never forget a sermon I heard from Andy Stanley called Asking Big. I listen to it quite often. Are we honoring the size of our God by asking Big? If you can accomplish your dreams without God or a team chances are you are dreaming too small.


One of the dreams for my life was to take a missionary trip out of the country. This August that dream came true when I went to Haiti. We did 10 services in 3 cities and served 1000+ kiddos. I wrote a letter to my family and friends and God met me at the corner of faith and trust. I am dreaming of the day I take my 17 year old daughter there for her first trip next May as she ends her senior year of high school. She has a dream of being a missionary to Ecuador. I have a dream that Orange will be international. That God will lead orange leaders around the world to change the way families see Him and serve.

Another dream is to take children on missionary adventures. That dream came true August 2009. We took 10 kiddos to an Indian reservation in Kayenta, Arizona. In 2011, we will be taking more children on their first adventure to Montana. It is my hope that through missions their faith would be ignited. That they would serve without fear or reservation.

I dream of a day when parents lead their children to the Lord. Two Sunday’s ago a gentleman that started attending our church about 2 months ago, was in the main service and our Lead Pastor asked him who led him to the Lord? They sent someone to our preschool room and asked his 5 year old daughter to join her daddy on stage. It was then he introduced his hero to the congregation– his 5 year old daughter led him to the Lord.

I dream of a day when everyone in our congregations would realize their gifts and talents and they would no longer hide them. That they would serve with passion and many would come to know the savior.

I pray and hope that my 5 children would find their purpose and realize their God given talents early in life that they would be life long followers of Christ. I have the privilege of leading children to the Lord every week. If my own children were to never find the Lord and their purpose that would be an Epic fail.

I pray and dream of all the children’s ministers in my community working together. So that we could sharpen each other and encourage one another in the work that we are called to and it is happening one connection at a time. I love serving a Big God. He answers and longs for us to dream bigger. To dream of things that only He can do.

Orange is His idea!

I am still between the dreaming and coming true!

Resources at Orange Conferences #thinkorange

The resources at Orange conferences are unbelievable. I bought a lot of books but one book that I didn’t buy was Collaborate by Michael Chanley (and many others) . I didn’t buy it because I waited too long and they sold out. So, how did I get the book? I won it! Twitter became a very valuable tool during and since Orange10. Kenny Conley had one copy left that I won by heading up to the Orange Leaders Lounge and finding him. My husband also won a comic book and Lads CD. All he had to do was tell Kenny that he too didn’t like Avatar. LOL


One of the many books I did buy and read was A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller. It was a fantastic book. I plan to reread it again this week. The Goff family was one of my favorite families in this book. The story about Iron Mike was very moving also.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is –

“A good storyteller doesn’t just tell a better story, though. He invites other people into the story with him, giving them a better story too. “


The book truly is a must read. I read it aloud to my whole family on a three hour car ride. I choked back tears, I stopped to explain and I listened while my kiddos asked me questions and answered mine. That day was one of my favorite family days sharing together as we read about how to live a better story.

Donald Miller was a great speaker at Orange10. He has a project going right now to save Blue Like Jazz the movie. You can check it out here – http://savebluelikejazz.com/

As #kidmin we have the high honor of sharing an Epic story every Sunday. God has invited us to be storytellers but not only storytellers, characters in the story. Are you inviting families and children to become part of the story? When we do invite them to be part of the story it will change them forever!

The resources were great tools I still use since Orange. I love getting the packages from Orangeleaders. They are always awesome surprises.

Michael Chanley, founder of cmconnect.org has also just launched a new resource for all of us #kidmin called imakidmin.com it is a great tool to find other #Kidmin that are close to you. I look forward to networking with other #kidmin by using this tool.