Second Students Serving @ VBS!

As many of you know, the North Campus has been taken over this week by the children’s ministry. It is that special time of the year where we all get “Powered Up” for Second’s amazing POWER UP Super Hero VBS! It has been fun to watch all of the pastors, staff, and volunteers come together for the same mission: to share Jesus with Second’s Kids. However, as a youth minister, it has been even more fun to watch our countless teenagers step in and serve alongside the adults.

Vacation Bible School offers many opportunities for our Second Students to lead. Every day over 2,300 children come together for the “Big Show,” where dozens of students lead them in worship through the Jump Team. Additionally, our JHigh kids are serving preschoolers daily as the GIGL team dances, works puppets, and overall just loves on these precious kids!! Our North Campus students serve as co-teachers in the classrooms from age 5 – 6th grade. These students have led in everything from the cheers, to the Bible Stories, to the games, and plenty more. Also, a handful of our upperclassmen students were chosen to serve on the Rec Team this summer. The Rec Team leads the games for our VBX (5th-6th grade) program every day. It has been exciting to see these particular student leaders manage game stations, and of course, hand out the coveted spirit stick at then end of each day.

Second’s VBS program is certainly second to none. However, our church is only able to pull of such an amazing program because of the hundreds of volunteers, including our students. I am thankful to serve in a church that not only loves kids, but also loves students enough to provide them opportunities to lead.

I encourage everyone who reads this to come to Worship this weekend, so you can capture a small taste of what God has been doing this week at VBS.

This week: Power Up Pete

This week @ VBS on the North Campus of Second Baptist Church i'm having a "Super" time as "POWER UP PETE" (thanks Kurt Taylor for the name)...honestly, I'm honored to have a part in shaping young minds for God and reaching families for Christ by loving on their kids!

Second Truly Does Love Kids

RANCH DAY

Livi, Ben, myself, many of our SBC North members, and 100 Chinese Exchange Camp students spent today at one of our dear church member's ranch, here are some pictures...

Bringing up my boy!

I'm so proud of all my kids, but especially proud to be the Father of my boy Benjamin. Not because he's the best behaved, not by far. Not because he's the smartest, toughest, bravest, or sharpest looking, but because God has entrusted ME to be HIS dad. He will get MY last name, MY legacy for Christ, MY values - for good or bad.

As I live out this calling called Dad here is what I'm learning.

5. TIME- there's nothing as valuable to my boy as MY time.

4. Bedtime is when I can have the best communication time with him everyday. I should be there for that time EVERYDAY.

3. Time around the dinner table is as valuable for teaching as it is listening.

2. Wrestling is his love language (I hope that changes before he outweighs me by 50+ lbs!) but for now I'm scheduling it weekly.

1. He's learning even at the age of 3 how to treat women by watching how I treat his Erin, his mom.

Over it all I'm learning that I have to always MODEL the things of God for him before I TEACH them.

Here's to the adventure/ challenge of raising boys...for me Ben.

Picture: Ben and his bearsy-wearsy....bens name for him.

100 Chinese Students visit the North Campus

Last Night we combined our 100+ @Second_Student volunteers with 100+ Chinese Students for both a pizza party (very American) and Wednesday Night Lights. Such a fun night....here are some pictures!

If summer is the super bowl of student ministry then influence is your QB

Students in session on JHigh Catalyst (8th gr leadership team) Retreat

This summer we have already held 3 of 4 retreats we host each summer. Beach Retreat is the biggest, baddest, and boldest, but we also see tons of influence (read leadership) opportunities in taking smaller groups of potential carrying leaders away for 1-2 days to invest in those students. Here is what we do each and every summer:

Summer retreat / purpose / who

Beach Retreat/ outreach&influence/ any student

Fish Camp/ HS prep&influence/ freshmen and upperclassmen leaders

Catalyst Retreat/ JH Leadership&influence/ 8th grade

HS Leadership Retreat / HS student leaders&influence/ any HS student

How are you using this summer to influence those around you for the cause of Christ? Your family, your spouse, your kids, your church?

5 Reasons I love to run...

5. My Health - Studies have shown the health benefits of running to be tremendous, reducing your chances of everything from the common cold to cancer. Running is among the best aerobic exercises for physical conditioning of your heart and lungs. It helps ensure the efficient flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body, things that are proven to help to decrease the risk of a heart attack. Plus I like drive-thru's to much to not try and offset all that with some good habit.

4. My Humility - running reminds me that I'm human (esp lately hitting 30). With every ache or pain after each run I'm reminded that while I might be able to knock out a 26.2, one day I will not be able to. I think God uses my running to check my pride, and according to the Bible I read, that's good for me. Need a dose of humility - try cranking out 7min miles for 26.2. Running makes me feel my humanity; my mortality. No wonder I can praise God so powerfully on a run!

3. My Hobby - ever since I was 13 I have been athletically superior at, well nothing, but today with my 3 kids, my wife, and my ministry as my focus, all I have that even comes close to athletic competition is running. I hate the word hobby - for no real reason I guess, but if I have one I guess it's strapping on my shoes, grabbing my iPod, and hitting the trail here in Kingwood for an hour or so.

2. My Hangup with Technology - iPod, running watches, GPS, heart rate monitors, technical running gear, are all things I love // although I normally can't afford them. This year as I'm training for the ING NYC Marathon in November I've found Nike+ to be a HUGE help in my running motivation as well as tons of fun to play with. Check it out @ nikeplus.com. Running let's me be nerdy and athletic at the same time!

1. My Habitual Drug of Choice - don't drink, don't smoke anything, but apparently I do drugs... According to a NY Times Article and recent research experts have shown that running produces drug like addictive endorphins in your brain. No wonder I actually look forward to my daily drug use - running; which incidentally is most sport's punishment!

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

I think the apostle Paul would agree with that statement as well when it comes to our living for Christ - don't you?