Here Comes Summer!

"A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them to Summer Camp."

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Yesterday it hit 100 degrees here in Fort Worth for the first time.  Nothing special.  That's how it'll be until Thanksgiving.  HOT. 

Working with High School students, it seems more and more that my life revolves around the school calendar, and it is officially summer vacation.  I've already been sunburned, my flip flop tan is alive, and my steering wheel is almost too hot to touch.

But summer brings something into my life that I CRAVE each time it rolls around: A break in the routine.  Not that my life would ever be defined as routine, but the summer is so different from the other nine months of the year, that it is just about the opposite of routine.

Here is just a brief glimpse of the summer of a High School Pastor:

GRADUATION WEEK: Yep, that's right, I get to go to graduation.  And not just graduation, but all of the celebrations that come along with graduation.  This year, we graduated 27 seniors.  That's a lot of parties and shuffling between houses and hanging out with ten times that number of students.  It's always a fun time watching these guys and girls you've worked with for three years reach one of their goals.  This year, I made it my goal to congratulate each of them for finishing the easiest part of their lives.  I don't know if they appreciated the encouragement or not.

MFUGE: In two days, I'll spend 12 overnight hours on a 56 passenger charter bus with...yep...56 people.  It's going to be crowded.  We will make our way to New Orleans for a week of camp.  But not just an ordinary camp.  It's a camp and mission trip mashed together into one incredible week.  We will have students ALL OVER the city.  Building, cleaning, working with their peers, hanging out with elementary kids, and so much more.  It is by far my favorite week of summer, and something you look forward to again once it's over. 

ADVENTURE WEEK: If MFUGE is my favorite week of summer, this is definitely the craziest.  Our church will be filled with 700 kids in what can only be described as "Organized Mass Chaos." Singing, Dancing, Crafts, Bible Stories, Water Balloons, Snacks, and my favorite, Rec.  Each day I'll be in the gym with the kiddos playing dodgeball or tag or any number of games to keep them from attacking me.

MISSION TRIP/WEDDING/VACATION: For two weeks in July/August, I'll be back home in Colorado for a mission trip, and then a quick mountain vacation with the incredible Raven, and then I have the honor of officiating the wedding of one of my best friends. 

FUNRUNNERZ: Once a week throughout the summer, we go to an apartment complex in Ft. Worth and work with refugees from Africa and the Middle East, and put on a sort of day camp for the kids there.  It's hot, but it's awesome.

POOL PARTIES, PICNICS, AND THE OTHER CRAZINESS: And, as always, there is the random craziness that will be a part of our summer as we welcome in the new freshmen and officially say goodbye to the graduating seniors. 

Then school starts, and the "routine" begins again.  But between now and then, I'll spend about 14 minutes in my "office", and I couldn't be more excited.  It may be hot in Texas during the summer, but we will be going too fast to notice.