In the partnership between parents, other parents, and New Beginnings Church there are many secrets. In the "Spy World'" we secret agents don't divulge everything there is to know. Some secrets are too important to release, unless they will serve the purpose of the assignment (Thanks to Julie Kahlil for taking these photos below).
Below are some top secret, high security, spy secrets.
Secret #1
This first class, top notch Spy Academy would not have been possible if it had not been for the 100+ volunteers from New Beginnings Church who gave tirelessly, served unselfishly, led and loved effectively. You know who you are, even if your secret identity has not been revealed! Most of the 100+ volunteers are not highlighted in photos below, but that does't mean that they are not appreciated nor highly influential of the young lives they assisted this week at VBS Spy Academy.
 |
| Smiling VBS 2014 Leadership Team. |
Secret #2
Any top notch Spy Academy has a top notch leadership team. These 3 secret agents leaders are (from left to right) are Katherine Plumlee, Katie Wallace, and Kerri Bowman. They are all 3 volunteers who gave countless hours, plenty of energy, and served well with positive attitudes.
I have had conversations with several others who all agree that this job is among the most difficult in the church. Our fearless leaders faced this challenge with grit, determination, and faithfulness. VBS ran as smoothly as it ever has and these 3 were responsible to provide a memorable experience for south Tulsa families.
 |
| Tammy Butler and Becky Even |
Secret #3 When skilled and experienced Spy Academy Spy Trainers commit them selves to the cause - great spies emerge! The training was fun, creative, and the spies learned eternal truth about our One True God!
Typically, when parent's kids grow too old for VBS, parents retire from VBS, never to return. But Becky and Tammy are not typical. They agreed to serve at VBS together and the spies were blessed.
Becky and Tammy are both school teachers during the academic year. Like all teachers, they treasure their summer for resting, relaxing and reenergizing for the next school years. Yet Becky and Tammy blessed the kids and their families by voluntarily sacrificing another week to train these kids with life changing bible truth. Thank them for setting the example for the rest of us empty nesters.
Secret #4 Tracy Finch is another school teacher who voluntarily sacrificed another week of her summer. The thing we learned about Tracy this week is that she will do anything if it will bless the kids.
 |
Tracy Finch as
Agent Marsha Mallow |
Her main task this week was to provide funny and interesting "sight gags" as Madame Fluffy-pants scientist genius assistant.
She emerged on the stage in goggles, holding a rubber rat in tongs, stalking Agent ZZ with martial art threats (presumably to hone his defenses), and generally doing whatever she was asked.
Tracy and her husband Scott were faithful, fun, and dependable to serve the Spy Academy.
 |
Cheryl Plumlee as
Snack's Leader |
Secret #5 Cheryl Plumlee has been the VBS snack leader since Sean Connery was Agent 007. She has been training as an International Spy Leader for many years as Charlie's wife. Charlie is a a charming mixture of
Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau and Cato Fong. There are two secrets about Cheryl that must be disclosed:
1) Cheryl arrives hours before VBS to prepare the snack for 200+ VBS kids and 100+ VBS adult leaders. This week, while she was hand stirring the largest bowl of pudding in recorded human history, she simultaneously asked the pastor a question about how to explain the Trinity. Cheryl didn't want to give the spies any misinformation about the nature of God.
2) Although she doesn't consider herself a polished public speaker, she grabs the mic each time the snack rotation changes and does a terrific job explaining the secret meaning to the creative snack she prepared for them hour earlier. Wow!
Thank you Cheryl for putting up with Charlie, for serving faithfully as VBS snack Czar, and for blessing our kids for generations.
 |
| Japanese Dojo of Ninja Spies |
Secret #6 Joel Rogers must have studied
Bruce Lee and
Jackie Chan when preparing for his role and Japanese Spy and Dojo leader. Joel is a hero for a number of reasons:
1) Joel is a life long preacher's kids who has been manhandled into attending VBS his entire life. If anybody has a good excuse for avoiding VBS it is Joel Rogers.
2) Joel is one of several adult males who volunteer to sacrifice their time to bless our kids. It is not uncommon for VBS to be primarily led by women. Although VBS would't function without the essential role on women, it is always good to have an excellent example of strong, spiritual, male leadership.
 |
| Joel Rogers and son |
3) Joel is Darla Roger's husband (see Darla below). He and Darla have served our preschool as partners in ministry for a long time. They have provided calm stability and dependable leadership to an essential part of the church - preschool.
My favorite story about Joel this week occurred on the very first night of VBS. A little first grade boy suffering from debilitating shyness and separation anxiety (from his mom) was brought to Joel's Japanese Spies spy training group. I explained the complexity of this little guy who didn't want to stay and was in the verge of tears. Tears are an effective strategy in parental manipulation. Joel, with a black belt tied around his head and a fake black polyester mustached glued to his lip, bent over and barked to this little dude (with a thick Japanese accent). "
Welcome to Dojo!" The little guy followed Joel to the group and never looked back. Later that day he flinched threatened me with a Karate chop. All was well. This shy spy was being trained well!
 |
Darla Rogers VBS
Preschool Leader |
Secret #7 Darla Rogers is the epitome of secret agent. She has served New Beginnings and VBS behind the scenes for many years. She and Joel saw a need in our preschool area and took action to become a part of the solution. It may have been easier for them to see the need and avoid it. Perhaps they could find a church where there weren't these needs? But they didn't take the easy path. They took the gospel path!
I am so thankful for Darla!
Many don't know but Darla recently lost her father pre-maturely to cancer. She is still grieving this tremendous loss. Still, as before, she saw the need, she knew she could fill it at VBS, and she served VBS volunteers kids with the same - behind the scenes, calm stability and dependable leadership that parents love and expect.
 |
| Agent Zig Zag and Spy Academy CEO Agent Fluffypants |
Secret #8 Carol Sallee was the Spy Academy's Chief Inspector Madame Fluffy-pants. What most learned over the week is that she patterned her character after
Judi Dench’s top spy character, "M," in the spy classic "James Bond 007."
Of course, Chief Inspector Madame Fluffy-pants was a younger more beautiful version of "M." There are at least two secrets that most don't know about Carol/Chief Inspector Madame Fluffy-pants
1) Carol rewrote the entire script of the curriculum. Carol writes professionally for Lifeway Christian Resources. In fact, she has written VBS curriculum for Lifeway. No one asked her to do this. Carol intuitively saw how the opening and closing assemblies could be more properly targeted to our young spy audience so she began writing. The new script was spot on, humorous, and engaging. Her gifts and abilities never cease to impress me. Carol is a volunteer like so many other volunteers. She serves with joy and giftedness. But that is no secret.
2) Carol has been through two of the most difficult weeks of her life. The past two weeks her parent's health faded fast and simultaneously (please keep them in your prayers). Carol's mom was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer and has begun chemotherapy to shrink the cancer prior to surgery. Last week she had to rush her mom to the emergency room on the same day her father was have emergency gallbladder surgery. Each day, the week of VBS she left for work early, after work she would stop by her parent's house or the chemo clinic to check on her/him/them, and finally she would rush straight to New Beginnings Church to kick off the opening assembly which she scripted last week in her spare time. She remarked the week prior to VBS, "
I'm looking forward to being in this skit with you." She amazes me. Spy Academy's Chief Inspector Madame Fluffy-pants was a hard hitting, no smiling, serious spy instructor. If you know Carol she was playing that part which was very foreign to her. She is funny and charming. But that is no secret either.
Secret #9 The
Next Level Students are always a great help during VBS and this week was no exception. Next Level is a training program for selected high school students. It's like VBS for young adults except it is all summer long. They receive training and tackle assignments. They are learning to become a church who gives and leads. Kids look up to teenaged students (literally and figuratively). We can be thankful that the Next Level students are worthy of their admiration.
Secret #10 The New Beginnings Spy Academy was a huge success. A successful VBS is sum total of a church that invests in families + families that trust their church + volunteers that invest themselves + plus a Lord and Savior that makes all the time and effort worth it. Way to go Sankie Lynch! Your team has completed it's spy training and the mission is underway!
The
response that seems the same in Illinois as it is in Louisiana, as it is in the
Oklahoma boys we are raising is this: when a mistake is made by these young
players, unnecessary pressure is immediately applied to try to make up for that
mistake. So if a kid makes an error that leads to five unearned runs to put his
team behind, he immediately tries to make up for that with one swing of the bat.
The problem is, there’s no such thing as a 5-run homer. Making up for our
failure isn’t always possible in that way. Sometimes one can only do what he
can do. A player must move forward with the hand he’s dealt. Unfortunately, I
saw so many young players boot balls around the infield and have bad at-bats,
only to return to the field or batter’s box determined to avenge their blunder
with the very next pitch. Baseball doesn’t work that way, and neither
does life. 
