Middle School Mission Trip Update!

Middle Missionaries had a great time worshipping yesterday with the church plant that they will be serving throughout the week. Afterward they had a blast hanging out at a Red's Baseball game. Here is a pic of them in front of the field. Continue to pray for them as their work begin today!

SLU 201 Comes to a close

Our students have had an intense 5 days in Washington, D.C. Whether touring the monuments, sitting in the church where George Washington worshiped, or visiting the Holocaust museum and speaking with survivors, students have been challenged to become strong and devoted leaders that live out their faith as our forefathers have. Only two more sessions this morning and we will be heading back home!

SLU 201 Day One!!!

We arrived at the Hilton Hotel ready to check in and get settled. We were surprised by a familiar face when we arrived. Who knew that our good old friend J-Mac was on SLU staff!

Also unexpectedly, we spent about 3 hours waiting to receive our room keys. However, we were treated to a personal tour of the Presidential hallway and elevator so it was totally worth the wait!!

After a delicious dinner we had our first two sessions. Then we were able to sit by the fire on the terrace and discuss the ways God has already spoken to each of us.

Pray for our girls to have open hearts as God presents challenges this week that will push them and stretch them to become better leaders for Him!

Final Camp Update!

God done amazing things in the lives of the students that went to camp. As a final update, I just wanted tolet you know that there were 20 students baptized at the Celebration Service, many of them having accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior earlier in the week. There are recap videos as well as other camp vids available at www.youtube.com/firstnorfolktsm Thanks to all of you that allowed your students to go. God will do BIG things with the impact He made this past week!

An Incredible Message with an Incredible Response

Tonight Jeremy Kingsley, our camp speaker, communicated the truth of the Gospel with great clarity and conviction. The Holy Spirit was moving in powerful ways and many students responded. Some responded by giving their lives to Jesus for the first time. Others rededicated their commitment to follow Christ with everything inside them. Still others were moved to respond in various ways that honor God. More than twenty students were counseled at the conclusion of the service with six students asking Jesus to be their Lord and Savior for the first time. Praise the Lord!

It has been a GREAT day here in Wake Forest. Please continue to pray that God will keep pouring out His presence just as He has done in every step of the way since we arrived. Your prayers are making the difference!

God Is Moving At Camp!

Greetings from Wake Forest University!

We have now come through our first two days of camp! Yesterday we arrived to beautiful Wake Forest University. Students moved into the dorms and then enjoyed "the best camp food ever". Afterward we jumped into our first worship service. The Matt Papa Band is leading worship this week. If you have never heard of Matt before you may google him to find a thin guy with a shock of red hair and a huge heart for worship. God's Spirit was evident as students worshipped God with incredible abandon. Seeing them sing out with everything inside of them was truly an awe-inspiring moment.

Jeremy Kinglsey opened up our week by driving home great biblical truths in ways that are relevant and applicable to students. One of the phrases that he has already seared into the minds of our students is that "you don't read the Bible to finish... you read the Bible to change". At the close of day one it was apparent that God has huge plans in store for our week together.

On Day Two, Camp breakfast came early at 7:30am in the caf before students had their quiet times using the devotions in their camp booklets. By 9am, we were back in full force worship as Jeremy talked about R.O.T.C = Rely, Obey, Trust, Cling. Students were challenged to Discover (our theme for the week) what is pleasing to God. Small groups came next. These are an essential component of our camp experience. Having so much truth poured into your brain and heart in such a short span of time can be overwhelming. Small groups are meant to connect the content of the messages to everyday life.

After another quick bite to eat, student reported for REC. Their first assignment... begin practicing for the LipSync competition. After last years incredible performances, this years acts are sure to be something fantastic! Then outdoor rec with team building games. There was some good competition going on between teams and the students had a blast.

Our evening session was phenomenal. Jeremy spoke of the Leper Jesus touched to heal (make clean). He likened it to being left out or leaving others out. Following his message, students poured through the auditorium asking forgiveness of each other and confessing their hardened hearts to one another. It was one of the moving moments in the time that I have been here as student pastor. One older brother ran to his younger sibling and asked forgiveness for the way that he had been treating him. Brokenness abounded and God was glorified.

For "Late Night", our middle schoolers visited the pool while our high school students played Capture the Flag. Then it was time for Guy/Girl Time. This is the time of the day when a couple of our adult leaders shares some insights about being a man of God to the men and a woman of God to the women. Susan and Jordan did an great job.

Please continue to pray for us. Tomorrow night, Jeremy will be sharing the Gospel and inviting any student who does not know Jesus to accept Him as Lord and Savior. Pray that any student that does not know Christ would be drawn to Him tomorrow night by the Spirit of God. Pray for changed lives and an awakening that will change the culture of students in Hampton Roads.

More to come tomorrow...

The Blog Is Up! SLU 101!

My apologies for not getting the blog up sooner! We had some technical difficulties. From here on out, this blog should be up and ready to go for the rest of the summer's events! Now to the important stuff...

We have had a blast here in Orlando at SLU 101!

Day One

Students arrived and were immediately thrust into intesive leadership development. Dr. Jay Strack (who has spoken to more teenagers that anyone else on the planet)challenged our students to consider themselves as leaders and begin taking basic steps in building their leadership journey. Having Dr. Jay here with us was especially nice, considering that none of our previous SLU 101 experiences have included a session with him.

Day Two

We started off the day in Shamu stadium and throughout the Seaworld theme park learning abotu the value of relationships. Using the amazing visual and experiential illustrations of killer whales and their trainers, sharks, and dolphins, our students learned the value of lasting and meaningful relationships as leaders.

We came back to the hotel and it was GAME ON as our students blitzed through the DISC personality profile (the single most proven personality profile used in fortune 500 companies today). Each student learned their giftedness and personal traits in a way thtat will allow them to maximize their strengths.

This was also dream session day... Just ask your student what their dream was when they get home. Some of them will blow your socks off. These students are awesome and here at SLU they are encouraged to chase their dreams no matter how big they are. Please encourage them as well... These are big dreams for a great generation!

Day Three

Your students sat through INTENSE Christian Worldview training with a great scholar, Dr. Bill Brown, prsident of Ceaderville University. They were challenged to consider how a leader may think Christianly in this day and age. They also heard from one of our nation's leading evangelists, Scott Dawson, on how leaders lead others to Jesus. Sessions were wrapped up with a little froggy that had a big meaning... I'll let your students explain.

This was also Universal Studios day. We cut out a little before 2pm and headed to the park. I want to tell you that for me personally, it was so much fun. Not because of roller coasters or shows at the park. It was because I got to spend time with your students and hear their hearts and dreams after an intense week. These are truly amazing students that you as parents should be overwhelmingly proud of. Thanks for sending them here!

Also, don't forget to ask them about how I was ice cream ambushed.... :-)


Today

We are coming home this afternoon, but not before we are scheduled to meeting with the corporate leadership of Chick-fil-A, the VP of Orlando Magic basketball, and hear from the VP of Student Leadership... Pray for traveling mercies and our group would finish this expereince strong! See you all at 7:30pm this evening!