Where the magic happens.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

covering yourself with light as with a garment,

stretching out the heavens like a tent.

Psalm 104:1-2

Our last day after a month at The Malibu Club in British Columbia, Canada.

Those of you who know us well know that our little family has been off the grid for some time. This last month, we have had the pleasure of serving over 1,000 high school kids and leaders up at The Malibu Club in British Columbia, Canada.
If you're not familiar with Malibu, it's a Young Life camp that is famed for it's beauty and tradition. Campers have been coming to Malibu for seven decades to have "...the best week of their lives," and it's located in an inlet that has been chosen year after year as one of the top 10 places to yacht to by leading boating publications. Mountains jet out of the water and meet the sky in snowcapped magnificence. The water is clear during the day and lights up and sparkles at night (due to the phosphorescence). This month, we were sitting mouths wide open as we watched Orca Whales breaching as we ate lunch one afternoon and in the evening we looked in wonder as seals glowed in the water while they chased fish just 2 feet away from us. Malibu is magical. It's hard while experiencing Malibu's beauty to deny a Creator God.

The other great thing about Malibu is that you are completely off the grid. Malibu was built into a rock island in the middle of nowhere, and will remain off the grid for the unforeseeable future. New York Times best selling author of the book Love Does, Bob Goff, neighbor to Malibu and lover of Young Life has bought all the surrounding property (yes, mountains and all) to ensure the view and secluded nature of Malibu remains the same for kids decades to come. Simply, this means no phones, no internet (well--clarification, extremely limited internet for assignment team members) and little connection with the outside world allowing kids to be fully present, fully engage in pure joy and fun and consider God...to truly consider him for many, the first time in their lives.

One of the most magical things about Young Life is the element of surprise. You never know what is going to happen next -- which is a little bit scary, thrilling and exciting -- a lot like living a life of faith. We asked kids over the past month to leave their comfort zones, because that is where the magic happens. It was a beautiful thing to watch. Every week, I would pick a few kids to watch and pray for throughout the week who would come off the Malibu Princess (Malibu's boat) with bewildered looks on their faces wondering who the hoard of crazy people were dancing, clapping and singing in celebration (Work Crew, Summer Staff, Assignment team) as they stepped off the boat and onto the dock at Malibu. It's as if they stepped off the boat, arms folded, walls up, closed down. Yet as the week went on and they attended dance parties, a near-riot neon celebration dinner, jumped in the pool with their clothes on and fist pumped for Wizard Khalifa's theme music (yeah, don't ask) those walls began to shatter. Hearts were opened and laughter rang through the air. In club every night, they'd dance and scream out the lyrics to Taylor Swift jams and throw arms around a friend to sway to classics like "Lean on Me." Then, they would listen intently to our camp speaker Jeff as he clearly presented the gospel of Jesus Christ and His deep love for each one of them. Pins were heard dropping at this point in the evening...it was the pinnacle of each and every day. Night six of each week, I watched many of the kids stand up and profess a newfound faith who I watched walk off the Princess arms folded and walls up...nothing short of miraculous. We laughed, we cried, we danced and we rejoiced as hundreds of kids decided to lean into Jesus and experience true joy, pure laughter, life to the full and new, changed lives. Jesus was glorified and we got to be a part of it all. It was a joy and a treasure we won't soon forget.

We are still processing and chewing on all the Lord spoke to us in the quiet beauty of Malibu and are grateful for the gift of Young Life assignments. Yet, after working 16+ hour days as a head leader, I am beat and so is Joey as he ran after Gavin for a month and filled in as our fifth head leader many crazy nights. So, for now we rest and consider that this kind of exhaustion is the best kind of exhaustion.

Malibu in photos: