After 817 miles, 17 hours, and several gallons of Mountain Dew*, we've arrived at BigStuf!

You parents would be incredibly proud of your teenagers. They're behaving beautifully, following directions, acting respectfully in restaurants, and even sleeping . . . a little, anyway. They were patient during a really, really, REALLY long check-in process and didn't complain when it was time to take a break from the beach for our first main session. In short, they're great kids, and we're having a ball hanging out with them!

After settling in to our rooms, getting a quick bite for dinner (or skipping dinner in favor of a long-anticipated shower), and playing on the beach for a bit, we experienced some great worship and heard some challenging teaching from author and speaker, Stuart Hall. The camp theme is "Think," exploring the truth that life change has very little to do with our actions . . . and everything to do with our thinking. Stuart talked about how the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) is a process, not an event; it's about identifying all the junk that's cluttering our minds and replacing it with that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8).

Now, wanna hear the really cool part? MSC's launching a new message series this weekend on the very same thing: The 4:8 Principle. Nice, huh? Coincidence? We think not!

It's 1:04 am and breakfast is in just six short hours, so I'm out for tonight. Watch for at least one post each day through our departure on Sunday morning. I'll also be updating the BigStuf album on our Facebook page regularly, so be sure to visit that page frequently over the next several days.

*You think I'm exaggerating about the Dew, right? Not so much. It turns out that the southeastern states are a bit more sensible than Missouri and have set the minimum age to purchase energy drinks at 18. Not to be deterred, our favorite teens (mostly middle school boys) opted for entire two-liters of soda. And, in some cases, jumbo cans of vienna sausages. Eww is right.