Memorial Day begins summer

Summer has arrived in Missouri and I have the mosquito bites to prove it. Warm days and lots of grilling out and swimming. Today is Memorial Day and I feel fortunate to have the day off from work. I have been enjoying the weekend with the family. We spent the day at the lake Sunday afternoon. It sure would have been nice to be out on a pontoon boat but we still had a great time at the swim beach. Justin is back home on summer break from college and just started a new job at the local water park. A certified lifeguard, a great job for a college kid.

Shelterwood officially started pre-summer break last Friday. It should be a relatively quiet week to catch up on some paperwork. We wrapped up the chapel season on Thursday morning and will resume in late August with the conclusion of summer and the start of a new Leadtime class. I admit, it will be nice to have a few months off from planning the weekly chapel service. Following pre-summer break, we will begin the summer schedule. Half-days of school Monday through Thursday with various activities throughout the week.

Camp Galilee 2010

We had a great last week at Camp Galilee down in El Dorado Springs. About a 2 and 1/2 hour drive south from campus. You can see some pictures on the Shelterwood Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/Shelterwood?ref=ts

Each morning we worked together serving the campus staff with various work projects such as clearing brush and raking leaves. During the afternoons it was all competition. We were divided into teams for some "friendly" games and competition. The theme this year was the TV show '24.' Team building, relay races and a variety of ways to earn points. I was on team Red this year. Once again, we won the skit competition on the last day and pulled from third place overall to first. Camp champs two years running now. Did I say "friendly" competition?

The evening "club" time (or chapel) included creative videos by our house directors, a message/testimony from one of our big brothers or big sisters and worship time led by myself. I included a few humorous original songs about Shelterwood life along with worship. Surprisingly, the kids did an amazing job engaging and worshipping. Made for a pretty cool week. It was nice to sleep in a real bed last night. I love camp but you can only survive so many nights in a humid cabin on a thin bunk mattress. Overall, it was a great week. I had a chance to spend time with kids and house staff in a personal and unique way.

The Wild Wood

Things have been quiet on the Blog front for a few weeks so you kinda knew stuff was brewing at Doulos. Indeed it was. We just concluded the Spring Parent's Weekend. The weekend schedule included the usual things like parent groups, fancy-meals-that-make-the-parents-think-we-eat- like-this-often, and lots of quality family time. The Kansas City property is amazing. Each of the lodges is furnished with rocking chairs and benches on the porch. A front row seat of the huge "Shelterwood Oak Tree" and the western horizon for sunset. I watched family after family rebuilding relationships on those rocking chairs as I passed in and out of the lodge throughout the weekend.

One event, in particular, that deeply impacted my life was a graduation held on Friday night. I had not yet witnessed a Shelterwood graduation during Parent Weekend. Mostly due to timing but it worked out last weekend. One of the boys that I spent much time with, Michael. One of the main guys on my worship team and young man loaded with talent. Wonderful parents. A heart for Christ. A teacher and role model to other residents. A transformation to a level I have only seen a handful of times. I had the privilege of sharing at Mikey's graduation and I spent hours talking with his sisters, his parents, his grandma, aunt and cousin. All in attendance from Wisconsin. The ripple effect of Mikey's graduation was felt by all the families at Parent Weekend. Hope for the dads who would get few or no words from their sons during this weekend. Hope for moms who desperately miss their daughters and wish them home. Hope. I will miss Mikey.

Next week is Camp Galilee, an annual house trip with both guys and girls, and I will be making the trip. I'll lead worship each night, hang out in the boys cabins and join in the team games. Last year was a blast. On the heels of Galilee will be Pre-summer break at the end of May before we roll into the summer schedule.

California Adventure

Jena and I spent most of last week in Southern California at Disneyland Park. We took two of our boys, Kaiden and Corey for a first time visit. It was a nice mix of walking, rides, parades, and pool time. If you haven't been before, two parks are literally across the way from each other: Disneyland and California Adventure. It was my first time to the newer park, California Adventure, and being a California kid myself, it was an amazing experience. The whole park is dedicated to California. As far as favorite rides, it was a tie for Kaiden between Buzz Lightyear and Pinocchio and for Corey is was the Haunted Mansion. I think Jena most enjoyed Indiana Jones and my favorite still remains Space Mountain. One of the best vacations I have experienced. You are welcome to view pictures on my Facebook page.

I can honestly say that I don't have much to report from Shelterwood. Life is moving in full speed at Doulos and I will eventually catch up. With or without me, plenty of drama and activity goes on. Next weekend is Shelterwood Parents Weekend.

Bloom

One of the things I have always enjoyed about Kansas City is the distinctive seasons. Spring has arrived and the signs are everywhere. The grass is green and the hum of mowers can be heard almost every day. The trees are in bloom and the flowers and plants are emerging. The Royals season has begun with hope of a miracle season and traffic has picked up on the local bike paths. You get my drift. Of course the spiritual parallels of new life are everywhere, but I will leave those to your creative imagination. What looked dead and dormant, buried in snow and ice a few months ago is now fully alive.

As mentioned last week, Jena and I will be taking off for a family vacation. We leave tomorrow for California.

He is Risen

I am pretty sure I used the same title for my Easter Weekend blog last year; "He is Risen," but it still applies and never gets old. Our family celebrated in true Christian American style. We attended a city-wide egg hunt sponsored by a local church on Saturday. It was pretty crazy. Tons of eggs and people from all sorts came out of the woodwork for the free stuff. Sunday we attended church and Sunday afternoon Jena and I colored eggs with Kaiden. The true meaning of Easter was certainly not lost in all the cultural celebrations. He has risen, indeed.

Some Quick Hits:

-The co-ed volleyball league started last Thursday. I quickly came to the realization that volleyball is much harder than it looks. We had a great time playing, though (staff, residents, big brothers and sisters). By the way, we lost too. Team Yellow got roughed up by Team Green.

-During our weekly chapel service last Thursday, Larry did a fantastic job sharing his personal testimony. He served in Leadtime last year and is currently an intern.

-Coming up at the end of month, the Killer B's, once again, have another concert. I am losing a key musician and it will be his last "gig." More to come on that...

-Our numbers have shifted a little. 12 girls and 15 boys. It always seems to come in waves.

-Jena and I will out of town next week on a much needed family vacation.

You are deeply appreciated as members of our ministry team!

Disney on Ice

Last Sunday, Jena and I took the boys to see Disney on Ice at the Sprint Center. Whether 13 years old, 4 or even 40 we all had a blast. Disney seem to have that effect on you.

Shelterwood life is moving forward at the usual pace. On the horizon is Parent's Weekend, Camp Galilee and Pre-Summer break. For now, the new volleyball league is about to begin. Similar to basketball, this is another c0-ed all property league. 25 folks are signed up and games begin next Thursday. To add to the team spirit , this time around we have color's and jersey's.

I shared this morning during our weekly chapel service. With Easter just around the corner, I took a page out of the Josh McDowell school of thought. Specifically Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. Jesus was no ordinary man. He claimed to be God. Lots of people like to downplay it by sticking with the old "Good Teacher" position. Not gonna work. No only did he claim to be God but he was tried and executed for that very claim. I addressed the issues, the facts and the validity of the Bible by taking a non-spiritual approach and no scriptural references. The Core of who WE are is centered around who we believe Jesus to be.