Oh yeah, camp.

Found out my route for camp this summer, and let me say I am excited. Never in my life have I been further west than Nashville, TN. My team got assigned the Texas and Louisiana locations. Meaning that I will be spending my summer as a production director for WinShape camps as follows(as long as nothing changes).....

June 6-10: FUMC Killeen, TX

June 13-17: East Bayou Baptist Church Lafayette, LA

June 20-24: FUMC Frisco, TX

June 27-July 1: FBC Pasadena, TX

July 4-8: Cross Church, Rogers, AR

July 11-15: Summer Grove Baptist Church Shreveport, LA

July 18-22: FBC Covington, LA

July 25-29: Trinity Baptist Church Lake Charles, LA

August 1-5: FBC West Monroe, LA

...and a map. http://bit.ly/hFYHdO 

In case you were wondering, this means I will not get to see much family or friends during the summer. Be praying for me and my team as we prepare for what God has in store for this summer. So pumped to go love on these communities. 

Lessons for a Fourth Grader

Every other week I build up the courage to enter a small group full of about twenty or so fourth grade boys. Now don't get me wrong, I love being around these guys. A lot of times their answers to my questions blow my mind and sometimes even open my eyes to things. The view from the stance from a fourth grade boy can be interesting at times, Even more often, I catch myself figuring out the answers to the questions I am asking them. Almost every week, I learn a lesson through what I am teaching. I hope to share some of these over the next couple months before I prepare for camp.
      The last month has been centered around the idea of determination. That is their "virtue" of the month. Today's lesson was pretty heavy stuff for anyone let alone a fourth grader. We looked at 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 where Paul is talking about what he has been through. Finishing it off with Acts 20:24
 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace."
    That first half of the verse gets me. Paul had no ounce of selfish ambition. His single goal was to continue to testify the good news! He cared about nothing else but completing his task. Despite the beatings and danger that Paul faced in 2 Corinthians. That's some pretty awesome determination. 

Door Holder

So the first BCM Fusion of the semester is but a week away, and although it stresses me out more than anything sometimes, I am super excited about it. I have thoroughly been changed through my experience with BCM over the last couple of years.
I've been really wanting to share that experience, even though I know that it is not how some people are meant to serve. But I had the idea, what if we show people what BCM has done in the lives of their peers? What if they see the impact that they can have through our student lead ministry? What if we quit depending fully on the people who are paid to help and started depending on people serving because they want to see change? Our first week back, we will be doing video testimonies. Stories of how people, like me, have been changed through BCM. My prayer is that it shows those at Fusion the impact they can have.
One thing that helped spark my thought was seeing the shirts that volunteers at Passion 2011 were wearing. They had shirts on that said in giant letters "Door Holder." If you haven't heard Louie's message about being a door opener for Christ, make sure you are at Fusion next week because we will talk about it. The reason it strikes a chord in me is because we have done Door Opening ministry at BCM for years. It's where we simply go and open doors on campus and smile at people going in them. If they ask, we tell them why. But we just serve them. Take time out of our schedule. Nothing more, nothing less. For us, it serves as a reminder. First off, standing there and just looking in people's eyes as they pass is powerful. What is their story? Second off, as Louie talks about, we are to be door openers to the Kingdom. To be the person who invites them in, and let God do the work. It's an awesome analogy that us holding doors is a reminder for.. It's based on some unlikely characters from the old testament who's names you have probably never heard but they are mentioned in God's word simply because they were gate keepers/door holders. I'm not going to give them away yet. More to come on this later. But can I ask you to pray with us for the first worship gathering for the year at BCM! Much Much Love.