How it came to be… see below.
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How did this become life lessons?
How a silly meme got me to look at a new way to share life lessons to youth.
Origin Story: Built For Love
The 6:7 Project
From viral meme to lasting meaning
Long before the 6:7 Project had a name, a curriculum, or a website, it had a history.
Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, I served as a youth pastor and associate pastor in several small churches. That season shaped me in ways that never really left. I’ve always had a heart for kids, for youth, and for helping them navigate life with a little more wisdom and perspective.
As the years went on, life changed. I moved deeper into the business world. I became a husband and a dad. And along the way, my love for entertaining and connecting with kids took a different form through magic. Magic has always been a way for me to open doors, lower defenses, and create moments where people are willing to listen.
Fast-forward to early 2025.
That’s when the “6-7” meme started showing up everywhere. What began as a silly fad didn’t fade like most trends do. Instead, it grew. Teachers were frustrated. School administrators were worn out. Businesses were annoyed. As a parent, I wasn’t personally overwhelmed by it, but I could clearly see the ripple effects it was having on classrooms and communities.
Out of curiosity more than anything, I asked a simple question:
What does the Bible say in chapter 6, verse 7?
When I pulled together all 36 of those verses, something clicked. One verse in particular stood out. I remember thinking, half-jokingly, that it would be a clever comeback if a kid tossed out “6-7” as a joke. Not to scold them, but to flip the moment and make them think. It was playful, a little curmudgeonly, and honestly, I never acted on it at the time. The idea just sat there.
Then came November 2, 2025.
It was a Sunday. It was also the night we set our clocks back for daylight savings time. I was preparing to fly out that evening for a Discover Magic conference in Las Vegas, so the night before, I left the clocks alone, figuring I’d grab an extra hour of sleep.
Instead, at around 3:00 a.m., I woke up wide awake.
Not groggy. Not half-asleep. Fully alert.
There was a very clear thought pressing on me:
“You need to work on the 6-7 project.”
At that point, I didn’t even know what “the 6-7 project” really was.
I got out of bed, went to my computer, and started working. From about 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., ideas poured out. Structure formed. Themes emerged. By the time I stopped, I knew something real was taking shape. I grabbed a couple hours of sleep, went to church, came home, and went right back to work on it.
Before heading to the airport that evening, I reached a point where I could honestly say, “This is a curriculum.”
After returning from the conference, the project continued to grow. I refined the content. I reached out to graphic designers. I shared early versions with educators, youth leaders, and students. I gathered feedback. Some things were affirmed. Other parts were reshaped. The goal was never speed. The goal was clarity and usefulness.
Between the holidays, revisions, and real-world testing, the project matured.
And now, after months of development, prayer, refinement, and feedback, Built For Love – the 6:7 Project is ready.
It’s designed to take something disruptive and turn it into something constructive. It uses a familiar phrase as a doorway into conversations about choices, identity, integrity, service, and faith. It’s meant to equip youth leaders, teachers, and parents with a tool that meets kids where they are, instead of just telling them to stop what they’re doing.
Built For Love – The 6:7 Project didn’t start as a big plan.
It started as a question.
It grew into an idea.
And eventually, it became something meant to serve.
That’s how it came to be.
