September

Connect Middle School Program: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9. For the month, of September, our middle school students have been working on memorizing this verse. The topic that received the most votes from the students to learn about was the topic of confessing sins. We looked up verses about what sin is, learned not only the ten commandments, but also a plethora of other sins. They each took a "Life Test", as if in school where they answered relevant yes or no questions such as, "Have you ever cheated on homework before?" The point of this activity was to show them just how difficult and even impossible it is to live a perfect life. We all "failed" our tests. A perfect score gets us to heaven; a test with even one wrong bans us. I showed the students what the test of Jesus's test might look like. All of his answers were "No" and he got a 100%. I asked the students that if Jesus was willing to trade test scores with them, would they do it? Students gave a quick "Yes!" Confessing sins should be a consistent practice. If I can't think of at least one way I sinned today, that is not representative of a life without sin, it is probably a representation of how little I consider my sin nature in every day life. We at Connect have continued to write our sins on our giant wooden cross which hopefully will be completely covered by the end of the year.

Another thing that's been incorporated into the program is Read to Lead, a computer program that allows the students to become a boss of a non-profit organization that solves community problems. This month, they learned how to delegate jobs to others based on their experiences and expertise. There was a devastating flood in this fictional town and medical and food supplies needed to be transported to a community center. This program is awesome and I recommend it for anyone teaching middle school and up.

Learning how to put together a basketball rack

Leadership Development: I'm not sure if I've mentioned this is a previous blog, but if so, it's still good to remind you of this. Since the beginning of summer, 2nd Mile has put together a committee of students (ranging from elementary all the way to high school) to help plan our annual Family Fall Festival. In an attempt to encourage students to see themselves not just as future leaders but as present leaders, we filled a giant white board wall with ideas for food, activities, attractions, strategies, etc. Some good, some great, and some very creative but impractical. (Not sure if we could get celebrities to come, but I like the way they think). Since becoming a father, leadership development has been closer to the forefront of my mind. Any time I do something, I want Max with me, seeing me do it, naming the tools or items being used, and if he's able, I have him help me. Max helps me put clothes from the washer into the dryer, he helps me put forks, bowls, plates away from the dishwasher, he brushes his front teeth, then his bottoms, then his tops, then his tongue, then he spits. I've even seen him try to teach his stuffed animals how to brush their teeth, how to put "their" toys away. This is the whole point, teaching kids something new, so that one day, they have the skills to teach the next group of kids. My hope with the middle school students is to teach them how to set up the projector and how to prepare snack not to make my job easier (many times it makes my job longer and more difficult), but in order that they too can become teachers of these different skills. I'm hoping to incorporate more types of leadership development, giving them the chance to teach everyone a game, or even lead a Bible lesson.

Max update: What would a blog entry be without something going wrong with Max. He broke a bone in his left hand falling down a few steps at a playground, so now he is sporting a pretty solid blue cast. It will come off in a couple weeks. Probably more traumatized than hurt, Max is living life so full that you wouldn't even realize he hurt himself (save for evidence of a cast).

Finally, if you are a giving person, we have compiled a list of sports equipment that we'd be interested in. Since having more open courts and people coming through our building, things get worn out more quickly. Check it out! Some things don't cost much at all.
2nd Mile Sports Equipment List

And so it begins....

There aren't too many signs in Jacksonville of seasonal changes, no spring flowers, no leaves changing colors, no fluffy white snow or bitingly chilly air.  From about April through October, it seems to be either hot or very hot. There seems to be a bit more precipitation these months, especially with potential hurricanes and tropical storms. With Dorian working its way towards Florida...or Georgia, South Carolina, or North Carolina, the students of 2nd Mile have most of this week off of school...just in case. One part of the year that does yield a feeling of seasonal change is the beginning of a new school year. Some kids get bumped up to the next program in our Leadership Development Pathway, depending on if they go on to middle or high school. It is my privilege as a ministry worker to witness this growth and see relationships and trust build over the years. Let year nine begin!

Connect Middle School Program- The school year in Duval County began August 12th. I have a big prayer request. There are many middle school students that we've had in our programs over the years, but for various reasons, only about four to six have been available to attend Connect so far this school year. Pray for the knowledge of this program to reach many ears, that God would put a willingness, a need, and a desire in middle school students' lives to come to a place where they can have fun, grow, and learn what it means to live for Christ. So far, we've had Bible studies on Thursdays about the definition of the gospel, how and why to memorize Scripture, and we will dive into new subject lessons each month voted on by our students. On Monday nights, we hope to have a game night once a month, in order to chill out, invite new students, and just grow together as a unit. We have also started a Read to Lead program on the computer. Each student gets the opportunity to be the boss of a non-profit organization and they learn how to solve problems. They each get staff members that have different tasks and they learn how to lead and work together as a team. This last lesson had them figure out how to search for a missing child from a shelter after a hurricane struck his neighborhood. (This hurricane scenario was strangely relevant to what's been going on in the Bahamas). Please pray for more numbers at Connect. Those that have been coming have a special place in my heart. We have an 8th grade girl destined to do great things. Natural-born leader comes to mind. One of our 7th grade girls has had her grandmother and her grandmother's sister pass away in the past couple weeks. She has been having a rough time and might be questioning the goodness of God. There are a couple of 6th grade boys, new to this program, that have a ton of energy, can barely sit still, have huge hearts, but can get on other kids' nerves. There being a small number of kids has been great for having more conversations per student, however, we'd love to impact more students. I guess you could pray for discernment as well as this might be what God wants for the time being.

two:fiftytwo After School Program- We've been through two weeks of the elementary school program and so far, it's been a fun time. There are six new students, a family of three brothers and another family of three sisters. Each family has been great to get to know, seeing how they interact with each other reminds me so much of my siblings. The bond was strong, whether it was having fun or having arguments. Thankfully, there are a lot of 5th graders this year, seven to be exact. I'm excited to hopefully get to work with all of them once they get into middle school. Many of the students are behind in reading. They don't have the basics for sounding out, it's all word memorization at this point. They don't have the tools to accomplish all that the school district demands of them on standardized tests. Pray for a willingness to focus and learn how to read better. It breaks my heart to think that one day they won't be able to comprehend the Bible, much less, read it. If you know of any programs that have proved to help increase literacy, we are all ears. One of our students got tested last year to see what exactly he needed help with. The results were very helpful and specific, but the couple month long program costs like ten grand, not possible for families in Brentwood. When I went in to this amazing facility out in a nice neighborhood with personal tutors and computer programs designed to help students who were behind, I did not see one student that looked like our student. "The harvest is plenty....." as they say.

Personal Update- Max is eating and drinking now! Well, kind of. Successes from the last month include:

-Drinking water (from us dropping it in his mouth with a straw to him holding a sippy cup and sucking on his own)

-Putting all sorts of different foods in his mouth (from brats, to cheese, to bananas, to sausage, to apples, to popsicles, etc.)

-Spitting out his food without struggle (he used to just hold it in his mouth not swallowing it and not letting us take it out)

So, progress I guess. He's not swallowing any food yet, just kind of tasting and spitting. Please pray that tasting leads to swallowing food soon.

On vacation at the end of July, I got to play a couple rounds of disc golf with family...and my body did not shut down on me. Granted, I may have taken lots of ibuprofen, but I didn't lose sleep as I've grown accustomed to over the past couple years. I'm learning my aging body better, doing yoga more than I care to admit, and trying to make healthier decisions. Thank you for your prayers!

We had the most beautiful purple sky last week that included a huge rainbow (or "Wambow" according to Max)