Antoine likes points. He is a pretty good basketball player, quick with and without the ball. And in spite of what his small frame might lead you to believe, he has hops. One of the exciting things we have noticed this year with him is that he keeps showing up. And not just for basketball.

We have begun to keep track of points for the guys each program night. If they come to JAM they get points. Learn to Earn, points. Arts Alive, points. God’s Property, points. And these points add up, and if you are Antoine, they add up quickly. At this point (no pun intended) in the year, Antoine is our points leader!

It’s particularly surprising because Antoine was not a faithful Y-Man last year. He came sporadically, occasionally. But now with measurable personal results and a strong start with our programs, he has participated more than any of the young men we have.

The accumulation of points may not mean much to you, but it means that we as a staff have a tangible way to demonstrate to our young men how much they have participated, and (we hope) gives us a stronger sense of who is making an investment in their own leadership.

Antoine, keep leading!

We love this place! Dickson Valley Camp has been a wonderful place to see our young men be young men. In the ‘hood, the environment and influences often encourage them toward negativity. And it’s amazing to me that the same young men — in the great outdoors — can do what boys do and not have to worry with the negative! We ran. We played. We climbed. We wrestled. We teased. We got frustrated (without fighting!) and we reconciled. All of these things set the context of our training on leadership.

Leadership involves values — deeply held beliefs which guide our decisions and behavior. We talked about values and the need to both identify and maintain our values. I made the case with them that the best leaders don’t compromise their values; that perhaps the very thing that makes a leader great is that s/he doesn’t compromise her/his values for anything or anyone.

But leadership also involves vision — both seeing what is and what could be! We discussed our vision for our neighborhood, a neighborhood without trash, without violence and with abiding peace. They have a vision, but it must be encouraged.

And Dickson Valley provided a place for us to reflect upon that vision. In the bucholic fields southeast of Chicago, our young men thought about their personal vision, their values and the one who exemplifies the very best of both: Jesus Christ.

Thank you to those who continue in prayer and financial support for us. Pray that the God’s vision and values will not only infect and inspire us, but that they will spur us to live challenging and “crown-worthy” lives before Him.