"....you don't have to come and confess..."

The well-known words to a popular song will hit the stage (literally) at Detour THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  I could reveal how, or who, or what we will be doing, but that would be too much and if you know our team well enough, you know we don't spoil surprises!

Actually, this whole summer has been full of surprises from Detour 500 Battle of the Sexes style, to a Bigstuf experience like none other, and even down to an amazingly HUGE group of students going to Re[Act] Buffalo 2010.  If I look back at it, it feels like it was such a long summer of events, and yet it flashed by.  Every year we see that happen.  We finish out the summer strong, set up the course of a new school year and then watch as every event/series/holiday/trip run past us...and before we know it we are gathering together to say our final goodbyes to one class of graduates and hello to a new set of 7th graders.

If any of you know me, you know I love saying hello to NEW faces, and I hate saying goodbye to loved OLD faces.  I suppose there is a sweet nostalgic spirit that sweeps over me at this time of year.  I look back at a years worth of ministry and smile, wishing I were back reliving some of those moments, but knowing thats not possible. Change and growth must happen for us to move forward, lives to be further changed, and God's name be made ever-more known. The sadness is only temporary. But still, I do get a little sad...possibly because for 6 years, those now graduated once became a part of our family. Perhaps it comes from knowing that those who have graduated are now on a journey to experiencing God in a way that they haven't before which is a little scary and exciting and every emotion all spun in to one. I think its mostly because you come to love those you serve.

But like I said though, the sadness is only TEMPORARY, because it is replaced with excitement of what is to come.

What excites me and motivates me for this coming school year is this: God has something incredible planned for this year and we don't know what its going to be, but we want to be ready for it.

Its in times like these that I think about Habakkuk 1:5 when God said:

" Look at the nations and watch---- be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you wouldn't believe, even if you were told."

I want to be utterly amazed, but that means I can't hold on to the old- instead I have to embrace the NEW.  Don't you want to be like that?  Look back at the old, enjoy the memory and time spent with it, and then embrace what is new to come and be excited for it?

What's holding you back for experiencing something like never before?  Something God has planned for you that you wouldn't believe,even if you were told?

The 80's song "The Heat is On..." from the movie Beverly Hills Copis running through my mind. What a busy couple of months it has been for Detour. Many hours have been poured into what is about to happen in the month of July. We've been promoting and leaving teasers for what is come, but now, just 24 hours away is the long awaited return of Detour 500. We've put a serious spin on things- its men versus women, black vs. pink, and epic Battle of the Sexes. Let me tell you- Between the summer heat (literally it has been the hottest summer that I can remember) and the rising heat of tension between teams Pink & Black, Summer 2010 has proven itself to be the best one yet! Detour 500 is going to absolutely be the climactic point of this year!
Wanna know what I think about it? Well, being given the chance to share some thoughts on here, you better believe I'm going to take advantage to stand firm in my leadership of Team Pink! I think that by the end of Detour 500, there will be those be begging Jonathan to have the teams return to Orange and Blue because the girls on a team to themselves will have beaten the guys beyond recognition! We've cleverly created week by week team challenges that will not only raise the stakes, but it will prove who's the cream of the crop, the top of the top, the BEST of the BEST. Plainly put: If you miss even one week, you'll have missed something amazing!
My blood once ran coarse with the color Orange...but now it pours a powerful Pink. The time has come that we all get down to our roots. That we represent what really makes us who we are. Pink will stand firmly.

The HEAT IS ON.....
Pink: One Team. One Legend.

This is the night we celebrate our seniors graduating from HS and and so we came up with the idea of  senior celeb night to make it your night! I got to say it has been one amazing year as we have seen God do a ton of work in the lives of our seniors...but this is more than just a year, this is the copulation of several years of us moving through life together and it has been an amazing journey. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to invest my life into the next generations of church leaders...I have no doubt that God is stirring up something great through this young generation. I have made some great memories and have developed some amazing friendships and I hope the very best for each one of our seniors. I hope you guys enjoy the last detour service of the school year because it's in honor of you...so have fun and may you never forget God's unstoppable love for you!