You read this blog, right?  You know that this week I’m heading out of town to write, blog, listen, and talk Family Ministry at The Orange Conference, right?  But I know what your’e thinking…

“I’m not attending the Orange Conference!  I feel so alone and isolated.  I’d love to participate, but it’s not gonna happen this year!”

Well, you might not be attending Orange 2010, but you can still participate.  I have some exciting news!
We will be broadcasting live from ORANGE throughout the entire event! You can watch the opening session, meet our speakers, hear short messages, AND get in on some pretty cool offerings – just by watching the live stream. For all you deal seekers, this one is a freebie!

Tune-in at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28th for the Opening Session of Orange ’10 at www.MakingofOrange.com. You will have exclusive, behind-the-scenes access on Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and again on Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Please note all these times are Eastern Daylight Saving.)
Here is the line-up of speakers and interviewees (Thanks to Sam Luce, for doing all the linkage work on this list!):

So, there you have it! We’re delivering Orange to you this year. Now spread the word. Twitter it, Facebook it, put it up on a banner and fly an airplane around with it… Just get the word out! See you backstage!

I have a dream for my iPhone.  I dream of an app on my iPhone that listens in on my daily conversations and then automatically sets my alarm clock in the morning for what it determines is the best time for me to wake up.  I dream of an app on my iPhone that would buzz in my pocket when it hears me committing to things I don’t have the time for.  I dream of an app on my iPhone that would turn my $1 bills into $100 bills.  I dream of an app on my iPhone that would be all the greatness of my church in iPhone mobile glory.  I know that the church cannot be contained in an iPhone app, but wouldn’t it be great to find a church app that wasn’t just a duplication of their website?  Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were a church app that took all that awesome content my pastor puts out every week and made it readily available?  What if life group leaders could share discussion questions, parents could followup with what their kids learned, and attenders could signup for events all using the app on their iPhone?  But the iPhone isn’t enough…I need this app for all my Blackberry, Android and Palm friends.  I dream, I dream.  Oh wait… that last one is possible!

Check out R04R. Haven’t heard of them yet? Probably not, their official company launch will happen at the Orange Conference. Trust me, after you see what R04R can do for you, you’ll want them to develop both your app and an app for your church. They’ll knock your socks off.

So, how will R04R help you build a quality app that’s worth keeping? I’m glad you asked.

First of all, R04R is not a web development company that’s dabbling in this new “app development market.” R04R is a company dedicated completely to mobile apps.  Their mission is to get as much Christian content onto mobile platforms as possible. R04R will not develop a duplication of your website as an app, R04R will develop a quality application built on a solid platform. Actually, R04R’s platform is the same one that both Ashton Kutcher and and Taylor Swift’s apps are built on. It’s a reliable and quality platform that your users will like and feel comfortable with.

Second of all, R04R will build into your platform a clearinghouse of of your media content. Built into the app is a place to import your tweets as well as other people’s tweets or mentions of you, a place to import your videos, a place to play music, messages or other content directly from the app or a link to import music, videos or messages as podcasts through iTunes.

Thirdly, R04R takes advantage of the many features of your phone. The platform connects into location based services so you can find events, small groups or other local gatherings in relation to your current location. You also have the ability to enable push technology where you can message all your app users about updates or with key information they don’t want to miss. With push technology, you’ll get information to them even if they forget to open your app in a few days.

Fourth, R04R is versatile. Right now you R04R app will work on any iPhone and Android phone.  That’s right, you upload your content once and you can have both apps updated at the same time. A few months later your app will also be available on Blackberry and the Palm. Why shoot yourself in the foot with trying to get an iPhone app when you can have your app on every major platform. Inclusivity is what you want, right?

Retail for an app this powerful can’t even be touched for less than $1,500. With R04R, you can get your first app up and running in a matter of weeks for a decent set up fee of less than $1000 and $35/month. Sure, you can get an app for less. But does it work on more than just the iPhone? Does it include push and location based technology? Does it offer support? Does Ashton Kutcher know it exists? I don’t think so . If you’re really serious about having your own app, this is the best deal you’ll find anywhere for the features you’ll get.. Click here to order your new app.

If interested, type “Jonathan Cliff” in the referral code blank and you’ll get the best price they offer!

Wanna see a R04R for yourself? Click here to download the app for Northstar church which is a great example of what you could have. Know that you can get an app that looks a lot like this, similar to this or R04R can custom build an app to suit your needs.

If you’ve not registered for The Orange Conference, then go ahead and kick yourself.  You’ve missed out on a great special that expired last week.  However…it’s not too late.  In fact, there is still time to register and still save some money on those that might wait until the absolute last minute to register.

Register your group between February 22 and March 18 and pay $280 per person.  That’s $20 off the regular price of $300!  Let’s do the math for a minute.  If you take 3 people to Orange you can save $60, but you could save $1,000 if you take 50 people!

PLUS, that is not all…

Your church or organization will get 6 months of free curriculum from OrangeLeaders.com!* This leadership material is an incredible resource to use with your volunteers during training events as well as for your own personal growth.

*Access to your OrangeLeaders.com subscription will be available beginning on April 1, 2010. Access to download your materials will be given for a period of three months, although the materials may be used in your environments through December 31, 2010. This offer does not apply to current subscribers to OrangeLeaders.com. Coupons to access the free materials will be emailed to each qualifying group leader during the week of March 22, 2010. Questions? Call 877.313.9826 or email orangeconference@rethinkgroup.org

I’ve been absent from this site for a few weeks.  But I’m still here!  No worries.  Today I’d like to share some of what’s been going on in and around my reading over the past few weeks.  From books to blogs to magazines:

BLOG: If you’ve ever worked with curriculum of any sorts (good or bad), then you need to add your two cents to the discussion happening at www.childrensministryonline.com Listen as Kenny rails against the system, or the man, or the whatever you want to call it… It’s blogging at it’s best.  An Open letter to Curriculum Publishers. In true Kenny Conley fashion, it’s about 10 posts long; but worth every minute of reading.

BOOK: I’m not sure how this has slipped my reading over the years, but somehow I’ve just now found myself reading through The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School by Aaron Reynolds.  This book is blowing my little teaching mind right now.   At risk of sounding like a total tool, I’ll say that I’m a pretty comfortable storyteller and public speaker; but Aaron’s book has been really challenging my setup and structure for teaching kids the Bible.  I’m reading through it right now with my Elementary Ministry Coordinator, and it’s really been fantastic!

BLOG: Sam Luce and I have a little ministry secret.  I’ll let the cat out of the bag…we’re both recovering Pentecostals.  That being said, he might have some Holy Spirit blogging gold on his hands with some new posts on the Holy Spirit this week.  Check it out:
The Role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Child
What is the Holy Spirit’s role in Children’s Ministry

MAGAZINE: I electronically opted out of the swimsuit issue in Sports Illustrated.  I didn’t tell my wife, but when she got the card telling us that we would be missing this issue; it turned into a great gift that she still talks about today.  Do it guys, just do it.

BOOK & BLOG: Henry has hosted a special Think Orange blogging tour over the past week.  Go to www.ElementalCM.com and see what everyone else is saying about what I’ve already said a ton about!

BLOG: Warning: Shameless Self-Promotion!!!!   My wife is the editor for our church’s women’s ministry blog.  Anyways, she wrote something nice about me and my daughter for Valentines Week.  The Love of a Father

I’m out.  Now go back to something more important.

What do you think when I offer you the chance to see the making of an Orange?  What if I change one of those words and offer you a chance to see the Making of The Orange Conference?  Trust me.  You do NOT want to watch this video on how to make an orange germinate and grow much faster.  Really.

You do however want to visit www.makingoforange.com

It’s MakingOfOrange.com and it’s a way for people to follow along and participate in the process of planning The Orange Conference.  They will be giving daily updates of what the teams are working on and asking for input along the way.  They will be putting up videos of meetings and posting pictures as well.

Then when the conference is happening, there will be interviews with the speakers streaming live from backstage on this site.  Lots of good stuff going on with this site!  Go check it out now!