30 people. 8 churches. 6 vehicles. 1 mission. 3 things I discovered along the way.  

"This summer, the Discover Camp team was sent out on mission in the great state of Texas for the 9th time! In case you are unfamiliar, Discover Camp is our traveling Day Camp program that partners with local churches to bring Camp to different cities across Texas. The heart and mission of Discover Camp is to connect campers to the Gospel, connect families to the local church, and connect staff to each other. You can probably imagine some of the complications we encounter as a traveling Camp program: flat tires, dead batteries, Houston traffic, and Midland dust storms to name a few. These things can be easily seen as roadblocks in the way of the Discover Camp mission, and they are difficult! But they can also be seen as opportunities and not just obstacles. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This summer I “discovered” that those inconveniences and roadblocks are a means to deeper faith and higher praise. God is good (all the time!) and that rings true even when things seemingly go wrong. The adversity that we navigate during the summer is an invitation to trust and depend on God more and more.  

The second thing I discovered is that there is so much value and power in the way that believers love one another. This seems like an obvious statement, but I get to watch it firsthand while being on mission with our college students. When we walk into a restaurant or gas station, we are often wearing matching shirts or just being loud and campy. As you can imagine, this draws attention to us very quickly. Discover Camp staff is not known for flying under the radar in public places. This can be a stressor for me as a director, but when I take a step back, I get to watch the staff engage with each other in a way that draws others in to ask questions. John 13:35 says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” When our dynamics pose a question, we get to respond with why we’re together. We are together because we all have a passion for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with people all over Texas. We get to be the Church everywhere we go (even in a Buccee’s!)  

Lastly, I discovered that God can absolutely use a group of broken 18 to 25-year-olds for His glory. Every week we get to watch lives be edified and transformed by God’s grace. This doesn’t just include the K-5th graders, but also the Discover Camp staff, host families, church staff, and anyone else we encounter along the way. God is so kind to allow us to take part in what He is doing to build His kingdom and give Him glory. It is truly humbling, and such an honor. Not to us, O Lord!  

“If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.” -John Piper "

-Cassie Richey (Discover Camp Women’s Director) 

What a sweet view we have from the front row, watching the Lord move in and through the people and place of T Bar M. We can’t stop thanking Him for all He's done this summer. And this week, we’re especially thankful for you, our Alumni family. 

But first, let's give a big warm welcome to the 248 new Alumni! These Coaches just wrapped up their first summer as T Bar M Coaches. Welcome to the Alumni Family! We couldn’t be prouder of each one of you. 

And to our seasoned Alumni—wow, did you show up this summer. Here's just a glimpse of how: 

Some of the best conversations we shared around the table with you, our Alumni, were filled with laughter, memories of great Camp moments, and the ways the Lord has prepared us all for where we are today. And we know that doesn’t stop with the summer. So, we’re planning lots of opportunities to Let the Fun Continue

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s ahead: 

We cannot wait to see you in the month ahead! 

Each Sunday this summer, Alumni gathered at Base Camp in the Sanctuary to pray for the week ahead. We shared the same story each week because we believe it is worth repeating as well as an encouragement and challenge for us today.

It didn’t take long for a young Camper named Fred to note who to follow his first few hours at Base Camp. The college guys they called Coach. Later that evening at Team Meeting, this young Camper most likely couldn’t even remember his Coaches’ actual names after meeting them just three hours prior. But there was no doubt he was watching them closely.

As the hype of Team Meeting turned to a slower moment of worship, one of Fred's Coaches began to quiet his heart, close his eyes, and focus on the words being sung, the staff behind him noted Fred doing the exact same thing. Fred stilled his body, closed his eyes (peeking through one eye every now and then to watch his Coach), and also began to worship.

Your last Team Meeting/Main Thing could have been two weeks ago or two decades ago, but there is no doubt folks are still looking at you and at your life. Your coworkers, your neighbors, your family, and your friends all see the way your life worships Jesus. Some will mimic your actions, some will ask great questions, some will dive deep into knowing Jesus with you. You might not be dressed in a theme t-shirt, Teva's and shorts, or painted the color blue or red, but we are confident of this ... the impact you have now to show others Jesus is just as important as the days you served within the gates of T Bar M.

We are grateful. Grateful for what the Lord did through you then, and what He continues to do through you now.

 

There is a race run at Camp Travis each Wednesday of the summer. In looking through the epic photos, we can't help but see God's Word coming alive. And if we listen closely enough, we see how it reminds us how to run the race we are in daily (just with less mud ... hopefully).

The course is set for the Dual Dash. Partners are tethered together. The Start is lined with those cheering. The bibs are on. The hearts are pumping. It's time to run the race.


Some Campers are all in to compete. Some step in hesitantly perhaps, pushed by a bit of FOMO. Some are convinced by a Camper or Coach who believe in them. And some don't know how they got to the starting line. But they are all there. They are all about to compete in the Dual Dash.

As those competing line up, the other half is lining the sidelines. They are waiting for their heat, their time to run. Their waiting is productive as they hand out water and cheer on those taking the next hard steps in the race.

They are an important part of the event, the morning, and the experience, there is no doubt in that.

As an adult, you see the photos of the race and think about how much fun these Campers are having, how proud you are of them for doing this hard thing and how there is NO way you could ever do such a race at your current age.

And then you lean back in your chair and let your mind settle in and you see those photos transform into the race you are running right now. The race that the Lord has put in front of you ... your life.

Like the Campers at the mud obstacle, some look all in ready to go. Some look hesitant and timidly taking the next step. And some look like they tripped right into the situation. Our days have hard, messy things in them. Sometimes we feel strong enough, in step enough, with the Lord to dive straight in. While other times, we timidly take the step with The One (God) we are tethered to, and realistically sometimes, we feel thrown into the race, not really ready.

In the same way our Travis Campers do, we keep going, taking the next wise step. Sure, sometimes we feel like God is pulling us faster than we wish, and that's why we tether ourselves to Him. We scale the hard climb, we lift the heavy burden, we move through the obstacles and when the time is right, we cheer on the ones in the race.


Those competing take step after step to get to one place. The finish line.

And we are doing the same, tethered to our Author and Perfecter of our faith, we take one hard climb, one burden carried, one more obstacle.

It's worth every step, our finish line is Heaven! And as hyped as a Camp Travis Finish Line party is ... Heaven is going to be even better. And there we get to give God all the Glory!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2

And sometimes ... we just need to suit up in the right way for the race ... at least at Camp Travis we do!

Braxton Zella, former Camper, Coach, and Director encourages and challenges us while sharing his journey and the impact T Bar M has had in his life.

"We’re all on a journey. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan illustrates this journey by telling the story of a traveler or pilgrim in a foreign land heading toward a celestial city. This journey truly begins as the kindness of God transfers the traveler from the domain of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

The journey toward heaven involves joy and triumph, accompanied by triall and tribulation. My journey involved fear; it sought to rule me. Conquering fear in my life began on the heels of some moms talking about a summer camp in New Braunfels at a little league baseball game. This was the catalyst for God to work in the hearts of my parents to send me to camp, which was the ultimate medium God would use to capture my heart and begin my journey with Him. In 2006 (D’Vine Impact) I walked through the gates of T Bar M for the first time as a camper riddled with fear. I left a week later more confident than I’d ever felt.

Throughout the rest of my adolescence, and many more summers as a camper, I ended all of those weeks of camp with similar strides in confidence and Biblical identity formation. Mid-way through college I found myself serving for a couple of years on summer staff. Then I took the leap into a year on the Timothy Team, and shortly after that my journey led me to take a job as the Discover Camp Men’s Director.

That scared kid in 2006 didn’t know that his journey would lead him to grow up to be a camp director for a few years, but he dreamed of it. That scared kid also didn’t believe that his journey would ever see that day that the kindness of God would have him conquer fear, but he certainly believes it now. If you’re reading this it’s likely that God has used camp to impact your journey also. I’d challenge you to reflect on God’s kindness, patience, and mercy – all freely given to you (Ephesians 2:8-9) – along your journey.

Lastly, let me remind you that the Christ-centered adventure never ends. That list of core values that we all signed in the staff handbook every summer while we were dreaming about our next meal (or our CC’s) wasn’t just a formality or a spiritual waiver. Living out the Christ-centered adventure (Colossians 3:17) demands that you be a servant leader (Philippians 2:1-11), that you excel still more (1 Thessalonians 4:1), that you practice God’s truth in relationships and conduct (2 Timothy 3:16), that you grow in wisdom, physical fitness, and in relationships with God and others (Luke 2:52), that you remember that it’s all about His kingdom, by His power, for His glory (Matthew 6:13), and that you never stop having fun along the journey (John 10:10).

“My name is now Christian, but my name used to be Graceless.” -John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress"

--Braxton Zella

Each week, we see many of YOU, former T Bar M Campers and Coaches, bringing your Campers (and we are banking on future Coaches) through the Gates. Sure, we reminisce about the "good ol' days" ... pointing out what cabin we were in, talking about the "walk to the dock" before there were stairs, laughing over pranks, and remembering how God changed us all. This week, watching you all catch up with one another, invest in bringing your kids to a place that shows them Jesus, and tearing up over who God is in your life, reminded us that YOU are indeed not just living in the "good ol' days" ... but living in the Glory Days.

The quick reconnect and meaningful conversations we are a part of is where we see it the most. It's how we see God shining (and we imagine He is smiling too!). As we gather all together and welcome the Alumni, their kids, and their spouses, we tend to kid that this "reunion" will be easier than a High School reunion: We are way more fun! One "new to Camp" husband shared his first (and very quick) impression, "y'all go deep on conversations fast. No shallow talk, straight to the heart and care ... I love that! I have never experienced that anywhere."

I suppose it might be us falling back into our old roles. Talk fast, while you wrangle 12 campers to the Chuckwagon. Sincerely ask how you are doing, as you harness 20 teenage boys. In the "good ol' days of summer". We learned to care fast and mean it. It was one of the biggest lifelines the Lord gave us at Camp ... one another.

It's a T Bar M core value lived out: God's Truth, practiced in relationships and conduct. (1 Timothy 3:16)

It's this year's theme lived out: Glory Days, now and forever. What we do gives God the Glory. (Psalm 115:1)

It's not just living out the "good ol' days" ... it's living out the Glory Days. And y'all do it well!

Take another practice from the past ... huddle up with your people.
How do you see your lives give God the Glory through your relationships and conduct?

Most young adults are going through a period of studying, learning, and training for their lives in the workforce. But what about our walk with Jesus? What ways are young adults are studying, learning, and training for their lives as followers of Jesus?

For over 25 years, the Timothy Team has been helping young adults be better equipped to walk with Jesus. The Timothy Team is a community of people learning how to be better apprentices of Jesus in a 9-month paid discipleship program. We take 10-13 young adults and spend 9 months orienting their lives around reading the scripture together, training in the spiritual disciplines, working in service toward others, and fellowshipping alongside each other.

If you know someone who would love to set aside the time to join our team, please have them apply through the link.

Kaiti shares how her experience as a Tim Teamer shaped her life.

It feels a bit like Thanksgiving as we gathered with our Alumni families before they dropped off their kids at Base Camp. It makes sense: We are family. In one area, there was a kids table and an adult table. At all the tables you heard laughter, telling stories of "remember when", and catching up on the past year. While we didn't all serve the same summers or sing the same theme songs, we had a lot in common. It was the same thing that the young, college Coaches across the room will have in common in years to come.

A summer of life change.

Some of us might still sing the elbow song at our dining room tables or bid the kids to do "hi hos" on the weekend while we really want F.O.B.

But the way our lives were changed then, is still being lived out now because of how we lived the summer we served at
T Bar M. We know how to ...

We are just ending Session 2 and have LOVED seeing Alumni at our Sunday lunches, Saturdays in the Loft, and around Family Camp tables. Those bringing campers this summer ... our hearts are FUAGNEM to see you. Those that are passing by Camp ... head through the gates, we would love to catch up!

You might remember him as Super Mike ... the families at Prestonwood Schools know him as Superintendent. Mike Goddard shares how his days at T Bar M were used to shape him as he continues to run fast after Christ in the field of Education.

"After serving as a Coach and in Leadership in college at Camp, my dreams of playing in the NFL didn’t pan out, so the day that Jaw-Knee-Poke and Randy Sims called me to work at T Bar M as the Men's Director at Sports Camp, they did so in a way that wasted no fun. They “drafted” me, T Bar M style around the same time the NFL draft. That decision changed my life forever. I fell in love with a Christ-centered impact, never wasting fun, and the joy of seeing others impact kids' lives for Christ. After my time at T Bar M, I worked in Dallas for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In that role, I saw Christ make a Kingdom Impact happen on 85 junior high, high school, and college campuses and was the chaplain for area professional sports teams. God then led me to teaching at 30, where I walked into a classroom, and I felt like I had met the most significant opportunity for missions I’ve ever seen. It’s been over 25 years, and I’ve seen lives change in many ways for the better.

I’m thankful God planted that seed when I was a college kid with 13 to 14 Campers each as I served as a Coach in Winchester Cabin. That’s the time in my life that God laid on my heart to do what I do today.

I’ve since had the chance to be named CEO of the year, superintendent of the year, and every accolade that the world would say shows success, but my most tremendous success remains in the picture that I have behind my desk, and those guys from the Winchester cabin way back when.  That’s what makes me want to serve. That’s what makes me want to make a difference. That’s what gets me up every day. That’s what helps me work through the hard times and the good times as I celebrate. It’s what Christ can do through me and in me when we give Him everything."

In God's unique and FUANGNEM ways ... the story continues. Mike's son (Brock Goddard) attended Camp, worked as a Coach and leader at camp, and … married a girl (Brooke Tomlin) who attended Camp and worked at Camp (her dad, JD Tomlin, and Mike also worked together at Camp in college). And now they have a future T Bar M Camper in their new granddaughter, Olivia. 

Working at T Bar M brings a lot of intangible benefits that help make up for the low pay and plastic mattresses for a summer.  We all walked away with:
...a deeper love for the Lord,
...heightened work ethic,
...great memories,
...changed lives.

The Lord changed our lives through the people we served alongside. Those people, those relationships, sure make the end of the summer a bit harder when we are called to go on our own paths and say goodbye.

It happens for those of us that work here year-round, too. Sometimes we, as “adults”, get to say goodbye as God takes us on new paths.

Chris Shelton, who has served as our Director of Camps and Camp Travis Director, has his current season at
T Bar M coming to an end.  (But yay for us … the Shelton Family is remaining in New Braunfels).

Much like we all experienced with relationships in our summers at camp, Chris’ impact in leading the Camp Travis staff and the entire Director Team is dear because the Lord uses His people to sharpen others … just like God intends it to be.  “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”  Proverbs 27:17.

Chris (and his “camp relationship” turned wife, Rachel) have sharpened many people as they have served at T Bar M. Below, the staff he serves with now share how they have been sharpened while working with Chris.   We gladly share this list with you and hope it is a challenge for you too!

14 things we learned from Chris Shelton

"He is so caring and thoughtful not only in the workplace, but he and Rachel have invested in me personally. Which makes me want to shepherd and steward the people and work that I am involved with in every area of my life."   – Kenna

"I have learned the balance of being a leader and a friend. He pursues me as a team member & friend. Chris models what it looks like to be the hands and feet of Jesus in caring for the people around him as he jumps into action when things are hard."  – Chris O

"I learned to always believe the best about people!" - Cassie

"I learned more about the importance of prayer through the way he modeled it for us." - Will

"The way Chris leads out of vulnerability and honesty is encouraging, challenging, and inspiring."  - Emily

"Taking care of your people is the best way to take care of your ministry." - D

"Three words true of Chris – Belief, Vision and Activator. He leads with strong beliefs, holds fast to his conviction, and is excellent at capturing and casting vision for the mission. He initiates action in others, calls us to “excel still more” while instilling deep faith in us as a team. These qualities are highly impactful to our team as it has cultivated a team culture of passion, purpose, and being proactive!" - Jena

"Through Chris Shelton, I have seen 1 Thessalonians 2:8 lived out. He doesn't just lead our team but shares his heart and life with us." -Nola

"Chris has taught me that anything worth fixing or correcting is worth every bit of the time, energy, and resources needed to make it happen. His work ethic is admirable and something I strive for!" - Ryan

"Chris embodies the principle that "if you love someone, you show up." He is there for others in times of need, going out of his way to make them feel cared of, regardless of what it cost him." - Austin

"Chris models a supreme example of hospitality, a passion for the Word of God and graciousness in hard conversations." -Matt

"Every time he finishes a meeting he says, 'I like you, guys'. That, along with him and Rachel inviting me into his life expresses his genuine 'I’m glad you are here.'" -T ori

"He is a great example in being the hands and feet of Jesus." - Jordan

"I learned to invite people into my life the way he and his family does." - Drea