2019"Bound"
So to quote Dr. Calvin Firth...“I have good news and I have bad news.”
You might want to sit down for the bad news.......
The bad news is that Impact 2019 is over.
I drove away from campus around 10:50 on Saturday and I thought “this can’t be real? It’s not over already?” It was a unique feeling. I don’t think I have ever felt this way before leaving Impact. It was the first time I have felt this emotion in 28 years.. I felt disappointment, but also accomplishment, but mainly I was just stunned. It was like a dream that went by too fast.
364 days of dreaming. The vision that was “His Majesties Society of Explorers of Adventurers” comes to an end. And so last night I started dreaming about 2020
The Good news is.....this might rank among the greatest Impact ‘s ever.
This theme was born on the first day of Impact 2018.
So many of you ask me,” Where do these ideas come from?” Well let me tell you.
The first day of 2018 LU Impact Dudley Chancey asked me what I wanted to do next year. Dudley is the guy who builds most of our large set pieces and has been on the Impact board from day one. He asked me what I wanted to do next year. Out of hand I said “Maybe the African Queen?”
And that was it, that started it all.....But to tell the story of 2019 I need to tell you a little about 2018.
I walked off the stage after Impact 2018 and thought, “Well, we can’t top that”. I mean we hit on it. Worry, Guilt, Fear, and Shame all are epidemic among teens today. I just knew there was no way we could do a theme that spoke to the heart like “Olly Olly Oxen Free”. The skit, the speakers, it was amazing....
And then one month ago youth ministers all over over the country received a mysterious journal in the mail.
And somehow our team did it again...
So let me give you an inside look at how Impact 2019 came about. I want to recount the whole story.
For a few years I had been kind of thinking about this pulp adventure genre.”The African Queen” was the boat from C.S. Forester's 1935 classic novel “The African Queen” It was also made into an Academy Award winning movie starring Humphrey Bogart and it was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Jungle Cruise ride. Sorry to go all Leviticus Weaterbee on you all
And so it began.
Shelby Kohring and Jessi Ray Kohring and I probably took hundreds of pictures of “The Jungle Cruise” ride at Disney. Shelby and Jessi are all stars.....they both grew up at Impact and now they are two of the people who play a major part in the adventure. This years set was one of the most amazing ever.
Then October rolled around, Jonathan Tucker sent me this advertisement about The Mysterious Package Company....My mind went racing. Something just clicked.
January arrived, and it was time for our annual creative team retreat. It was at some point during that meeting that David Skidmore suggested the Psalms. It did not immediately take. In fact I kind of dismissed the idea as something we would not do it, until about a week later when I could not get the idea out of my head.
The idea of a Father writing his son, and the son writing back. And there it was, a fabulous follow up to “Olly Olly Oxen Free”. Expressing ourselves to God. God is bigger than our anger, our hurt, our doubt. A mysterious journal ends up in the hands of a son.
I immediately contacted Rodney Keeton. I knew if anyone could help me piece together a mystery Rodney could. Rodney and I met one day in Columbia and I explained what I was thinking. Next thing I know we are off and running.
As I worked on the story so the journal and and the skit would intersect, we went so far to have Shelby order certain props to set on stage that would be pictured in the journal. We had Chris Gannon design a secret escape room for those who solved the ultimate secret of the journal.
It was easily the most ambitious theme we have ever tackled. Every aspect of the week, every detail, from sets to shirts to clues, to journals, to worship....it was just awesome.
Then there was that story....the story of the HMRSEA. It was the 25th edition of the Impact skit and it will easily rank among the best. An amazing cast pulled off a very complex story. I was worried it would be too much, but the teens got it. And by “got it” I mean they erupted during each finale. Thank you to the brilliant cast, Lawson Rudd, Easton Curtis, Chamberlin Little, Brock Loyd, Mackenzie Lewis, Hayley Todd Sells, Charlie Sells, Jessi Ray Kohring, Robert Lindsay, Sam Sherrill, Jonathan Tucker, Patrick Chapel, and of course Skid and David Rubio. This team is a joy to work with and every year our time in the “locker room” is always one of my most sacred memories of Impact. I remember almost being moved to tears as Junior Impact danced, cried and sang along to “From Now On”, rejoicing that Ty had found his dad.
Special thanks to Sam Sherrill for being our costume manager, and being a sounding board. During the year Sam, MacKenzie Lewis, Jonathan Tucker, and Seth Madaris, serve as my listening ears as I get skit input.
But that’s not even close to all that happened.
I mean we had amazing teachers, speakers and worship. Jeff Walling, David Fraze, Derek McClardy, David Skidmore, Jordan House, Jeremy Swindle, Kendra Greenwald, Justin Peach, Kristen Shoulders, Sean McAfee ,Jeremy Kughn, Danny Gregg, Andy Frizzell........My teens gained something amazing from each.
Then there was Ken Medema on the last night of senior......and we were all blown away. My teens are still singing his tunes. That last night of Senior Impact will rival the atmosphere of 2005’s Lt Col Robert Ingvulson’s ovation. And it fit so perfect....so perfect.
Then there’s Morning Impact.
This was the 23rd year of Morning Impact. The 22nd year Skid and I have hosted together. And the 18th year since Rubio joined us. Hundreds of special moments, thousands and thousands of laughs,
I have three words for you that can sum up Impact 2019 MI...”Three Faced Baby”. It literally felt like old times when we would film those videos. It was always so late and I laughed so hard. It was almost like FBT was back. David Knox and I sat alone in Impact Central one night, with a basket of puppets while we waited for guys to get back to campus......by the time the others arrived the idea was formed. I love brainstorming with David Knox, we are kindred spirits.
Then there was The Impact Office, Leviticus Weathurrbee, Pipi Longstockings, and all our old pals....so many great things. Really it was an amazing year.
So many great things this year. I want to thank Aubrey Wood for taking a lot off my plate. Since he started organizing Morning Impact it has been a game changer for me. The Impact Creative Team has so much talent it’s crazy.I mean I feel like Phil Jackson sometimes. Between Aubrey, Skid, Rubio, Tucker, Mackenzie, Brett Michael Ellis, David Knox, Steven Hayes, Patrick Cordell Chappell, Robert Lindsay, Greyson Tucker, and Brian D'Herde. So much creative talent it is amazing. I mean how many camps have Super Bowl winning quarterbacks measuring calf sizes lol? I mean that happened!
So what else can you say about Impact 2019? I mean maybe “Two Wolves”? You guys raised $12,650 for charity. Since 2008 Impact has raised $165, 000 for charities all over the world. Justin Moore does a great job running our Impact store and it all goes to charity. We have sold thousands of buttons and T-shirts over the last two years.
Shout out to the folks who don’t get a lot of accolades....folks like our stage manager Corey Callis. Folks like Jon Micah Richardson who arranges entertainment. Chris Harrell who tackles the hard stuff, Mike Shepherd who manages the Roadies, Our counselors, and Jim Cox and his security team. Mike Smith in concessions, Teressa Maxwell who is Steve’s right hand, and Darren Brown our long time catch all guy.
Before I wrap up let me brag on you....the Impact family. Impact is a special place. Sure there are other camps, other Universities hosts events. But Impact is different. It’s a spectacle, it’s an event, it’s a family. and you can’t really understand if you have not been here. It’s run by a group of the most caring youth ministers I know, under the leadership of Steve Davidson who deserves the only accolade that can describe him clearly....a man of God.
So the bad news is this....it’s a long time before this family assembles again,
But the good news is, we are “Bound” together by this unique experience we all share together. We shared an awesome time together no one can take away.
I hope you start a journal to God, I hope you wrote your first psalm, but most of all I pray you had an awesome experience that prepared you for the greatest adventure........that waits at home.
Love you guys and gals....see you next year.
Todd
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