The Orange Strategy

I was reading a website the other day that talked about the "Orange Philosophy." I copied this from their website in case you haven't heard:

"An Orange thinker asks, “What if church leaders and parents synchronized their efforts to fuel wonder, discovery and passion in the next generation?” By combining the critical influences of the light of the church (yellow) and the love of the family (red) the Orange Strategy shows a generation that God is more effective than either of us alone. Think of the Orange Strategy like a big fire poker. If you stoke up a fire, it burns brighter and longer. We stoke the fires of children and students with wonder, discovery and passion."

Here are some highlights of some of the training sessions that they do in different churches nation-wide:

* Teaching alone does not equal discipleship. Discipleship is teaching within a RELATIONSHIP.

* Until you allow kids to do something significant, they will not understand their own significance.

* The Gospel is transformational. If kids participate in The Great Commission, their faith will stick.

* As a leader, it's not about what I want from people but what I want for people.

* Kids need leaders who love and value them for free.

* No one has the influence that a parent does, but others do have influence. Who will the "others" be and how will they influence our kids?

* It's less about our ability to be appealing and more about the ability to be authentic.

Even though I haven't been to an Orange Thinker seminar, it seems that the bottom line is this: Whether it's with my kids or someone else's children, the most important things I have to offer are my time, my love and authenticity.

Are you an "orange thinker"?