"Wyld Life is chill."

A basement crammed full of 7th and 8th graders ready for Wyld Life Campaigners is a beautiful thing. When kids show up I get to see my students and kids from other Junior Highs who I haven't seen since the last time we met. Today I freaked out when new kids walked in too. 

Earlier today in class I was giving a couple kids the address for Wyld Life and I overheard one of my guys say, "Dude, you've got to go with a friend. You can't just show up alone. There are SO MANY GIRLS." That boy showed up tonight along with a crew of his friends. 7th grade boys-- there's nothing else like them.

Meanwhile our 8th grade boys are regulars at this whole Wyld Life thing. When we announced that our Camp trip location and dates will be revealed at our next Club these guys FLIPPED OUT. They were screaming and jumping out of their seats because they just couldn't hold in the awesomeness of camp. They had to share it.

Our 8th grade girls make me so happy. All year I think I'll just keep loving when kids from FCJH and HIJH are reunited-- I miss when we were all in the same building last year. But here at Wyld Life, we're just all in the same family again.

When we break up into small groups I'm with mostly 7th grade girls who come from four different schools. They're silly and insanely social and smart and relational and eager to learn more. Leading a group of 7th grade girls is a completely different ball game then leading a group of Junior girls-- but I love them both. 

Tonight we talked about prayer-- why we do it, where we do it, what our purpose is. My favorite verses tonight came from the message version, "Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. Then the focus will start to shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace." Matthew 6:6

We took five minutes at the end to write our prayers while I played some music. There was a sweet stillness and peace in the room that only comes from the Holy Spirit. We want to build a culture a prayer, a community where we're about relationships with God, not just memorizing theology or following rules. Every time a kid walks away from Wyld Life, we hope that they'll know Him a little bit more.

One of the things I'm so excited about this year is having Laura Lackey as a Wyld Life kid. I've know her for years and we were so sad when we found out she wouldn't get to be my student because of redistricting. But thanks to Wyld Life our lives will get to Overlap in significant ways. I love her heart and her joy that shines out of her. I'm so thankful for this girl.

In the past few months I've become friends with Jessica. She's a 7th grader at my school but I won't have her in English Comp. She's hilarious and ridiculous and somehow we became friends. She visits me in my room and walks with me during passing period and I'm such a fan of her. After much convincing, she showed up at Wyld Life and I actually screamed when she walked in the door.

 

"Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well." 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 This is Wyld Life.