With each passing anniversary, it's hard to remember the young man with big glasses and a goofy smile standing next to my wife in our wedding pictures. But she insists that it's me. Tonya and I were married in Memphis, TN, on a rainy night in December (the 21st to be exact, in case you're wondering). It was the culmination of a year-long engagement and the beginning of a life-long adventure. A friend sang "I Will be Here" and Tonya's father presided over the ceremony. A grand night indeed. As a pastor, I have always loved performing weddings because every wedding is unique and yet there are common threads running through each of them. Threads of love, anticipation, hope, and promise. Most of all, there is joy. This weekend we'll be exploring a parable Jesus taught that revolves around a wedding feast. It's about more than wedding cake and dancing;…
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At dinner last night I had the privilege of sitting next to Charlie, a young boy with autism and suffering from cerebal palsy. Over baked ziti we discussed the pro's and con's of Obamacare, the rising national debt, and why people are selfish. All at his prompting. Most other kids would look at Charlie and decide he's too goofy or odd to hang around with. But not here at Opportunity Camp. Charlie walks around with three or four other guys, guys he didn't know before camp and may not see afterwards. And he models friendliness for them. On the first day Charlie won a Golden State Warriors blanket. Then he gave it to kid who was cold. I told him he was a leader because leaders lead by example. He seemed to like that. Just another reason I believe in Opportunity Camp. Posted from WordPress for Android
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Today at Opportunity Camp I had a chance to visit with one of our first-time counselors. Alex is thirty-eight and is doing a great job with the kids. What many of the campers and staff may not know is that Alex first came to camp thirty years ago as a camper. He attended Opportunity Camp for five years, missing a few years here and there. The last year he attended was when he was seventeen - and he wasn't planning on coming. He was dropping off his nieces when the director asked him to stay. It was a decision he still is very thankful he made. He told me of growing up in a rough part of the Bay Area, running with gangs, and dealing drugs. The years at Opportunity Camp made a difference; he didn't want to stay like that. He knew there was something better. He had seen…
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The kids arrived Sunday, many without toothbrushes or sleeping bags -- another ordinary start to camp. We have around one hundred campers this years and over one hundred staff. That's a good ratio! Opportunity Camp has a tendency to work its way into your blood. I'm always grateful to see familiar staff faces, many of whom have been coming to camp far longer than me -- and that's been fifteen years on my part. They come from NYC, Texas, Seattle, Portland, and, of course, California. And now Colorado. Our theme for this is simple: The Life of Jesus. It's my task to tell the story of Jesus to kids ranging in age from eight to sixteen. Each day I'm telling a different part of the story, beginning this morning with the birth of Jesus. I shared with them the ordinary circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus. How his mom rode…
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