This past Wednesday night, we had an incredible service to celebrate Camp Whatever, our student camp for 6th-12th grade students. Since Chris and I led our first camp at FBCSmyrna until this year’s fourth Camp Whatever, camp has grown in student attendance by 400% (from 100 student to 400 students). There is more than just numbers to celebrate: students trusting Christ at camp, even more students shouting to the world that they are Christ-followers through baptism, and teenagers who are willing to commit their life to serve him vocationally has been incredible. The stories of life-change are simply awesome.

I was thinking today about what I love about our student ministry at FBCSmyrna as I was reflecting on all the "wins" from this year’s camp. I love our student ministry and think it is one of the best ones going because:

• We have engaging environments for middle school and high school students to attend and invite their friends.
• Our student ministry staff (Chris, David, and Melanie) are fabulous. They are great at 2 things which are essential for a strong student ministry: creating environments where students hear and engage the truth of Christ and develop small group leaders who shepherd students and point them to Christ.
• We don’t want kids just to be good moral kids who stay out of trouble. Our student ministry calls students to be bold, crazy, passionate for Christ and raises the bar for them to be influencers, world-changers! (I have seen too many churches who have "youth groups" where they are just happy that kids show up and they don’t drink, smoke, chaw, chew and don’t date those who do.)
• Our student pastors are not building the ministry around them.
• We have high school students serving every Sunday morning along side adults in many of our ministry areas: Preschool, Children’s, Middle School, First Impressions, Production. They do a great job and it has been incredible to see several students who not only serve but take ownership in the ministry and have been elevated to roles of leadership in those areas. My wife who has taught middle school students this past year has had a high school student help her and the student has stepped up time and time again to not only help her but teach the class and has done it with excellence. Also, I was talking to a mom of a high schooler the other day and she said, "I am so glad our high school student serve." Me, too!
• I have always said that "student ministry truly happens outside of programs." The explanation:  a lot of adults think showing up to weekly programs is enough but I propose that it is not. Students expect you to do that. It is when small group leaders, youthworkers, etc. hangout and invest in their students during times that are not church organized activities, deeper relationships are built, students know the adults care, and ministry really begins to flourish between the worker and student. I love our student ministry because we have dozens of small group leaders who have caught the vision and are consistently engaging students outside of programs and on their turf.
• We are going to baptize more students this year than in any year in the history of our church.
• We had over 800 students on campus on one night just a few months ago.
• Small Groups are a priority where students have a place to be known, cared for, held accoutable, and encouraged.
• High school students are giving their lives to ministry, missions, and to use their life to live for Him.
• Our student ministry staff and small group leaders aren’t satisfied.
• and there are so many more…

What do you love about our student ministry?

The first full day of the family vacation is winding down. It was a great day! I had a blast playing with my two girls plus my two nieces in the ocean. My girls discovered "riding the waves" on foam body boards in the ocean. So, we had to grab a couple of body boards for our girls tonight. We spent a ton a of time in the pool, too.

I realized another reason that these times of vacation are priceless for our family. I was in the pool with our 3 kids plus the two nieces. Kelly’s brother-in-law and I were playing with the kids. Kelly, her sister, and her mother were relaxing by the edge of the pool. What I saw was the opportunity for Kendall and I to have what felt like unlimited time to interact with the kids and just have fun with them, which is hard for us to do during a normal day with our work demands. Kelly and the ladies were able to rest and relax which during a normal day they are usually up chasing the kids and working hard caring for them. Good to have needed time with the kids and the deserved time for the moms to relax.

Another reminder, too, that for kids…quality time is quantity time.

2008 has been an interesting golfing year so far. With my Achilles surgery in January, I wasn’t able to get on the golf course as much as usual. Then with all of the work to get on the house on the market and the summer activties, I have been kept away from the course. I have been able to play five times so far this year but I am gearing up for some golfing for the rest of the year.

We head out for vacation in Orange Beach, AL with family this weekend which usually allows for a few rounds of golf with my father-in-law and brother-in-law. I then have a charity tournament on the calendar and will play with Rodney, Mac, and Nathaniel, it will be a blast. In September, we will have our 3rd Annual Golf Staff Extravaganza where about 8 of us staff guys take off for four rounds in 3 days. Always a highlight of the year. Not done yet. For fall break, we head to Myrtle Beach, SC with the Hales where Nathaniel and I will be sure to fit in some golf on the incredible yet affordable courses in Myrtle Beach. There is 100+ courses.

For this week, I have my trusty Bridgestone e6s packed. Although I have a few dozen, I plan on using only one! Bombs away.

“If Scripture is clear the church should be as well.” -Perry Noble

Clarity in communication is one of the highest values we have. This applies in all areas of our communication but especially when it comes to communicating the incredible truth of God and Scripture.

We had a fun treat as a family tonight. The girls finished up two weeks of swim lessons and did an incredible job. They got most of the new skills the first time but for the ones they didn’t, they had a good attitude, worked hard, and eventually did all of them. Great life lessons for my girls. They both advanced to the next level. The giant part of the day was Em, who can be a little timid at times, took a huge step. In her class, the instructors did the test at the end of the two weeks to see who could advance to the next level. They chose the kids who they thought were ready. Em was not one of them. When they finished with the hand picked kids, the instructors were asking themselves, ‘is that everybody?’ When Em heard that, she spoke up and said, "I haven’t done it, yet!" She then preceded straight into the pool, did each skill just as she was supposed to, mastered the test and advanced. And she was a year to year and half younger than the rest of the kids in her class, too. Way to go, Em! Way to be courageous and confident.

So, to celebrate the girls we had ice cream for dinner. Thanks to a gift card we loaded up and headed for Baskin Robbins to yes, eat ice cream and only ice cream for dinner. Bman, with his blue mouth, and the girls I think liked…they loved it. You should try it some time!

If you were having ice cream for dinner, what would your flavor(s) be?

No not my waist size, actually hit the gym this morning to burn off a few July 4th calories. Smyrna is growing and you are probably like me and want to know what is coming next. Cracker Barrel is considering a 2nd Smyrna store right off of exit 70, close to our campus! The new Publix down the road opens in the 4th quarter of this year. A real big one is the new 14 screen theater to open around the end of the summer. Another hotel on Sam Ridley and a few more things you can read about here. Grow, baby, grow.

Happy 4th of July! Here is a little humor for you Independence Day celebration. This is from a few years ago at Northpoint Community Church and Lanny Donoho:

Great news! Great news! Spoke this morning with a friend who is a Verizon Sales Store Manager and asked her about the latest rumors that the 3G iPhone working on Verizon’s network. She immediately responded telling me that what she has been told is that Verizon is “working on” have the ability to use the iPhone with Verizon this summer. She said it might take longer but that is what she is hearing.

It might just a gleam of hope, but hey, atleast it is a step in the right direction. Seems a little superficial, but I am getting close to making it a prayer request

We have been playing with web streaming over the last few days around the Worship Programming office. We have come across a couple of web companies where you stream, record, and save video on the web for free. The possibilities are amazing! The company we have used the most so far is UStream. My UStream site is here.

We have had fun streaming Chris’s camp haircut, streaming our student services last Wednesday, watching David paint his kitchen, and more. Last Wednesday we had 3 streams going at one. One application we are researching and working on this week is how to use the technology to have a 24 hour web stream at Camp Whatever next week. Excited about the possibilities.

My first stream and recording was tonight as I attempted and succeeded in giving Bradley his summer hair cut. A little wrestling, distractions, Barney, a popsicle, and more and we got a nice summer due on my boy. You can watch the recorded stream here. Sully was watching and chatting with us live as we were finishing up (you will see that at the end). I think Kelly is working on posting some pics on her blog. See you on the next stream!

Pat mentioned a book in his message today called Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis. I read some of it many years ago and have heard a talk on it. Great stuff for dads with sons! I am glad he mentioned it because I need to grab it again and read it now that Bradley is 2! You can buy a copy here from Amazon.