Back To School, Back To School...

"Back to school, back to school, to prove to dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight... Oh, back to school..." Every September (or late August) I always think about this line from a movie. It always gets me psyched for school... even though I don't go to school anymore.

Yesterday, I got to talk to many students and see how their first day of school went (for some of them, it was their first day of Jr. High). What an exciting time, the first day of school, new classes, new teachers, new friends. At the beginning of the day you're all nervous, wondering where your classes are, who your teachers are, who you're going to sit next to. In talking to a lot of you, it seemed by the end of the day, you had made it through and you were relieved. None of you got stuffed into a trash can, or singled out by other students. You all had fun, and saw that school isn't as bad or scary as you may have thought.

I was homeschooled through 2nd grade. It made things easier, because I could just wake up and go to the kitchen table. I didn't really need to make friends, except for my brother. During my home school days, we would go to an academy every Friday, to have class with other kids who were also being home schooled. This picture is from one of the first times I went to the academy (My brother's on the left, and I'm on the right). I was SO excited to be going to hang out and play with other kids. I was excited to be in a class room and learn, and I was glad I had an older brother who could help show me the ropes. But that didn't stop me from being nervous, and having butterflies in my stomache.

It's been a long time since I've taken that picture, but nothing has really changed. When I went into a public elementary school (and when I went into Jr. High, high school and college) I had butterflies in my stomache, yes, but I was excited. I was excited to learn new things, to make new friends, and be another year older.

I hope that you are all just as excited as I was (and still am). I hope that the butterflies in your stomache don't get the better of you, and get in the way of you enjoying this moment in your life.

If you are nervous, then at lunch sit with a students you know from Crash. Lean on them to get through your first week, to talk to, to sit next to. If you need a break from school (and even if you don't) all Jr. High students are welcome to join Crash this Wednesday night as we hang out, get to know those who go to our school, and begin to learn about who Jesus is.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Wow! It's been a crazy summer, which has gone by so fast. It's hard to believe it's almost over. It seems like just yesterday we were gearing up for the beginning of summer and meeting all our new 6th grade students, and now they are core members of Crash. This summer has been incredible. We saw a movie, went to camp, cooked hot dogs for a fund raiser, stayed up all night during a lock-in and even made it out to the beach. It's like the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end..."

But I have good news, it's not quite over yet. Join us tomorrow night as Crash has a blast at Boomers. We're going to meet there from 5-8PM and get an unlimited ride bracelet. All you need to do is be there at 5 and bring $20. That's it. It's going to be so much fun! It's definitely not something you're going to want to miss out on.

Before you head back to school, with the free time you have left, use some of that time and take me up on one of my deals. To remind you all here are the running deals I have with you students:

1. Memorize and recite ALL the books of the Bible.

2. Memorize and recite ALL of Psalm 139.

3. Memorize and recite ALL of Psalm 100.

4. Memorize and recite Philippians 2:1-11

All of these deals do have to do with memorization, but the reward is sweet- a 2 liter bottle of whatever soda you want. So get studying and memorizing, and I hope to see you all at Boomers tomorrow night at 5.

Flashback! White Picket Style!

Hey everyone! We had an amazing time at camp! God is really stretching and growing all of us. We learned about family, and reconciliation and what it all means for God's family. We learned from Steve that being a part of a family is important, and whether they wrong you or you wrong them, reconciliation must take place.

Tomorrow night we will be flashing back (flashback- get it?) to remember all the good times at Summer Camp (at the top of every one's list, is the Alpine slides, broom ball, and the talent night. However I'd also like to add both stories that Steve our speaker told outside of chapel). We'll sing worship songs and review what we learned up at camp. We'll even play a camp game.

For those of you who came to camp, get ready to share all your awesome fun memories. For those who didn't come to camp... You missed out, and we definitely missed you! You'll have to make sure you're at winter camp. All Jr. high students are welcome to join us to get a taste of what Summer Camp was like, whether you went or not. I hope to see you all there!