Staff Profile: Michael “Bird” Atkinson

When Michael first accepted an offer to work as a boat driver at the Shores in 2008, he had no idea all of the ways God would use Pine Cove to shape his story. From lessons he learned in the Forge to the way he met his wife and the story of his closest friend stepping in when he needed a kidney transplant, God has continued to show Michael His faithfulness through the ministry of Pine Cove. As the Senior Director of Risk Management, Michael makes sure camp stays safe so that campers can have life-transforming encounters with the Gospel! Read about his favorite summer tradition, his love of water sports, and his unique camp name below!

Tell us about yourself. How did you get to Pine Cove, and what’s your job?
The Lord really got me here through my love of water sports. A friend of mine at the University of Texas was like, “Dude, there’s this place where they will pay you money to drive boats and tell kids about Jesus.”
 And I said, “Sounds good! How do I get in?”
I ended up interviewing with Jason Wallace, and was offered a position as a boat driver. I first worked in 2008 and ended up spending five summers total at the Shores. It’s so funny looking back because again, at that point in my life, I’d really gotten into wakeboarding and other water sports, and I think if I would have been offered any other job I would have said no. I wasn’t interested in being a counselor, but I was like, “Yeah, I’ll come drive boats! That would be really fun.” But after I had been at camp for about three weeks or so, I said, “I’ll do anything to stay at this place longer!” I ended up working that entire summer, and then four more after that. I came back as a counselor, as head boat driver, and then as work crew director.

Now I’m going into my 19th summer at Pine Cove. Before I started full-time, I had finished the Forge program and was teaching high school chemistry and coaching soccer. I was also engaged to my now wife, Cameron, who was just starting out as the Tower’s Women’s Director, so I was looking for jobs in Tyler when Pine Cove reached out. In May of 2013, I finished teaching, got married, and started my first job here! It was a full month! I was originally hired as the High Risk Manager for our camps in Tyler. Overseeing the waterfront was my main responsibility. I oversaw lifeguarding and ropes training, and coordinated the construction and installation of the slick track back when we built it. Then, in 2021, I became our Director of Risk and Safety. And now I’m our Senior Director of Risk Management. Oversee risk management, safety, security, staff training, medical, and recently our food and AV departments. 

What is one of the biggest lessons you learned in the Forge?
The Forge was very influential in my life. Matt Lantz was the director at the time, and I learned a ton from him about walking faithfully as a man and about discipleship. I think one of the biggest lessons for me came from our time in Israel. It was from the story of Gideon, where he’s about to lead his army into battle, and the Lord says, “Hey, you have too many people. Your army is too big.” And 
Gideon is thinking, “It’s not big enough.” But God doubles down and tells Gideon twice to significantly reduce the number of men he has.
Then God gives them the victory, orchestrating it in such a way that only He can get the credit. He reminds Gideon that He’s with him and that he doesn’t need anything else besides Him.
 

Oftentimes I find myself thinking “Man, if I just had a few more resources, buildings, dollars, or staff, then think about how much more I could accomplish for the Lord.” God has used this story to remind me that actually, if I had a little bit less of those things and a little bit more of Him, He could accomplish way more than I could dream of. It’s an important reminder for me. I find myself wanting to solve the problems we face on Earth, (which we’re guaranteed to have) with earthly solutions, but there’s this reminder in the Bible over and over again that God’s got us. His presence is the solution. Faithfulness and trust is the solution.

How did you meet your wife? Do you have any favorite traditions that you’ve created for your family?
Cameron and I met at Pine Cove! I worked at the Shores with her older brother and she worked at the Ranch. I asked her out the summer we were introduced and we started dating. We dated for a year and a half until we got engaged. We’ve now been married for almost 13 years and I’m grateful to be on this journey with her. She is an example of humility and genuine friendship, and she also brings so much fun and joy to our family. Now we have four kids! Audrey is nine, Riley is eight, Emmett is six, and
Hannah is four. We’re also fostering a little four-month-old boy right now, which has been really fun. It’s actually been one of the best things we’ve done as a family, this ministry of fostering. Seeing the way that my kids have responded to it and been eager to serve, and seeing glimpses of the picture of the Gospel through this experience has been a special thing as a father. As a family, we also love going on hikes, going to the zoo, going to the beach, and taking tubes out to the ocean and riding in the waves for hours at a time.

Do you have any camp traditions to kick off each new summer?
On opening day of week one, Taylor Jervis and I find each other, crack open two Dr Peppers, and toast to the coming summer! It’s our way of saying, “Hey, we made it to the start of another summer.
Here’s the summer of 2026! Let’s press on!” It started our first summer together in 2013. We had just finished opening day, so we grabbed some Dr Peppers, and after he took a picture and put it on social media, the tradition stuck. 13 summers later, we still do it, and it’s fun every year!

Tell us about your camp name and how it differs from another nickname you go by!
My official camp name is “Iron Eagle,” but I go by “Bird” around here! I’ve actually had the nickname “Bird” since long before my Pine Cove days. My middle and high school soccer teams first coined it, and it just stuck. When I got to college, enough friends from home were still around for the nickname to follow me there too, and then it was one of those friends who told me about Pine Cove. If you tried to call me on the phone back then, you’d get “Hey, this is Bird. Leave a message,” as my voicemail. So, when I got to Pine Cove staff training, people were like, “Oh, you were the guy who said your name was Bird on the phone!” So, for my first three or four days on staff, people would call me that, even before I had received a camp name.
Then I think people just began to assume that was my camp name. Eventually, I was named “Iron Eagle,” which is an excellent camp name! There are actually a few people who still call me that just to beat the system, but even my official Pine Cove name tag says “Bird.”

What do you like to do with your free time?
I love to exercise!
 I also really like playing pick-up soccer or basketball games. One of the things I love most at Pine Cove actually is playing sports, especially team sports. There’s a very unique culture around competition at camp. People are gonna play hard and be competitive, but they’re still able to laugh at themselves. I love that if I make a mistake or if a friend does, we can laugh at it. It makes games really fun. I also still love water sports. I like wake surfing, and I love the new flight boards at the Shores. Those are really awesome! Beyond those things, I also love doing activities with my kids!

How did you see God show up in your experience of having a kidney transplant?
Over the last few years, my kidneys had slowly been losing function, from a disease I’d had since birth, and would need a transplant. My closest friend, Ben Stalvey, who I met in the Forge and who stood as the best man in my wedding, ended up being a match, so on July 21st of last year, I went into surgery in Dallas. They took out both of my kidneys, and gave me one of Ben’s. Things have been going great since!

I learned a lot of important lessons through that experience. First, I was reminded that this Earth and this body are not my home. This is not the way things are supposed to be. And what a blessing that we can hope in a future where all things will be restored and made right. I was also reminded of the ways we, as people, tend to think of ourselves as being so independent, but in reality, we’re incredibly dependent creatures. When that organ in my body was failing, there was no amount of willpower or strength or grit that was going to heal it. I was completely dependent on the Lord for that. And I am completely dependent on Him for every breath that I take. That truth became so much more real to me while going through surgery and walking through this experience. I was reminded in a much deeper way of God’s provision, timing, and faithfulness. 

Lastly, going back to Ben, I know I’ve experienced true friendship in all of this. Ben was willing to sacrifice so much for me, and what he did reminds me of the scripture that talks about a friend who is willing to lay down his life for another. When he comes to town, I clear my schedule! And what’s fun is that we have a great sense of humor about it all. This past fall, we went to the Alabama vs. Tennessee football game. My wife graduated from Alabama and Ben went to Tennessee. When I was trying to decide what to wear, Ben said, “You can wear an Alambama shirt, but you need to cut out a little orange kidney. That part of you is rooting for Tennessee!”


What is your favorite part of your job, and what has kept you here all these years?
Well, first and foremost, it’s the incredible people I get to work with. Next, would be getting to see God’s faithfulness in people’s lives. There have been countless stories of campers over the years, and certainly of staff, in which God continually showed up, and I’m grateful He continues to want to use this place. Initially, one of the biggest parts of my job was overseeing the boat drivers. Getting to see young men grow up and mature in Christ, and getting to inspire and push them towards Biblical manhood was definitely one of my favorite parts of my job. Now, I think what’s really unique about my job is that I get to see the scope of Pine Cove in a pretty unique way. Seeing ministry taking place at a bunch of different camp properties and a bunch of different City churches throughout the summer is amazing. I’m constantly reminded that there is so much powerful and effective ministry happening here. And I’m grateful to serve a God who allows us to participate in it!

What is something God has used the ministry of Pine Cove to teach you?
As a summer staffer, I recognized for the first time that we, as people, tend to choose the path of least resistance. We always want what’s easiest and most comfortable. But when you come to camp, I think you’re forced, in a really good way, to choose the better and more difficult thing, and you learn to be disciplined and intentional. You grow and develop and mature. The things I learned at camp have made me into a better husband and father, and into a more Christ-like man. Thanks to the Lord’s grace in my life, but also to lessons I learned at Pine Cove, I now want to choose what’s right even if it’s what’s harder.