Summer and Such

Not much activity on the blog as of late because things have been . . . busy.  And not the self-imposed-too-much-fun kind of busy, but the endless responsibilities and expectations kind of busy. But this too is a good kind of busy.  And it reminds me that many of you might not know what kind of things keep me so busy, so here's an update.

I work for 2nd Mile Ministries where I serve as Director of Community Leadership Development (a title for which I now have business cards, so it won't be changing for awhile, unlike my previous five titles).  Our mission is that we are seeking to see the Gospel renew lives and communities so they are transformed in every way.  

It's a big mission.  It's a big goal.  We aren't just shooting for one type of transformation (i.e. economic, educational, spiritual) or partial change, we want to see total transformation of both the neighborhood we've placed out focus on and dwellings in, along with those we interact with outside of it.

It's not a goal that I expect to see accomplished fully in my lifetime, but rather, one where each day and each year is another brick in the construction of a monument that will radiate God's glory in Brentwood (our neighborhood) and beyond.

My specific role is actually one where ideally, I will work myself out of a job.  Our community needs leaders from Brentwood, for Brentwood.  So, if all goes well, I will be training, developing, and grooming young people to take over my job.

The main way we pursue this is through youth development, so during the school year I direct an after school program that seeks to develop students into growing disciples of Christ who will live the Truth of the gospel, learn as scholars, and lead their community forward, or as the kids call it, "Live, Learn, Lead, ba-by!"

During the summer, we continue that process through a Summer Day Camp filled up with art, dance, education, Bible, and recreation.  Today we have reached the halfway mark of this year's camp.  It is a whirlwind of loudness, adorable moments, and times that make you want to throw something through a window.  But it's great.

This year in particular, I'm excited about the bounds forward we have taken organizationally.  I know that's not exciting to y'all, but from a leadership perspective the smoothness and professionalism of this year's camp is positively thrilling.

I've also been fired up about the reaction and connections with parents thus far (which I think is related to the first point).  Parents have been much more interested what the camp is all about than in past years and many have expressed the desire to continue to be a part and want to know how they can help out.  This is exciting.  This is local leadership development, but of course all of it means nothing if those relationships aren't fostered and followed up on.  So, there's a goal for the rest of the summer.

So, in conclusion, busy, but good.

P.S. Is that not the most fantastic photo ever taken?

*If you want to know more about 2nd Mile Ministries and why we do what we do the way we do it, feel free to contact me, or check out the "Label" above for my series from 2010 based on the book "When Helping Hurts" or read this fantastic document: http://www.ccda.org/about/philosophy All those are great sources.