Staff Profile: Michael “Deli” Miller

Michael Miller has multiple layers—he’s an avid traveler, skateboard enthusiast, devout disciple, and hilarious storyteller! Enjoy learning more about Chimney Point’s Men’s Director below to be encouraged and spurred on.

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m from Watkinsville, Georgia. I went to the University of Georgia where I studied advertising, and I worked at Pine Cove after my sophomore year in 2018. One of my best friends had worked at Pine Cove in Texas and then worked the opening summer of Chimney Point in South Carolina. He told me to come work with him but I wasn’t super interested. After some convincing though, I went for it. I fell in love! I worked four summers, and halfway through my fourth summer, I became the Men’s Director! I also love to travel, and try to travel as much as I can. I just got back from New Zealand because some of my friends moved there. I love leaving the country and experiencing new places! 

Where are some of your favorite places you’ve traveled to?

The first time I ever left the country was in high school, when I went to Brazil for a mission trip. After that, I was like, “This is addicting. I have to do this as much as possible.” Brazil was wild and very different culturally. I went on a safari in Kenya while I was in college, which was sick. Iceland was probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Italy is my favorite country ever. 

You mentioned you studied advertising at Georgia. Do you get to use any part of your degree in your Men’s Director role? 

Yes, I run Chimney Point’s social media! I started to do that after my 2019 summer. My director needed someone to run the pages throughout the year so I jumped in. Then, when I became Men’s Director I was told, “Well you’ve been doing it, do you want to keep doing it?” It’s really fun for me so I continued!

What different roles have you held in your six years at Chimney Point? 

I was a Counselor my first summer, then I was the Crew Senior Counselor (7 to 11-year-olds—I love them), and then I was the Program Director for two summers until I became the Men’s Director. 

What’s your camp name story? 

My full name is “Fast and Delirious.” One time in high school it snowed, and it doesn’t snow in Athens, Georgia frequently. My buddies and I were having all sorts of fun in the snow and at some point, we went to our church and I was doing donuts in the parking lot. Someone called the cops on me, so we drove away… fastly. Then there was a time in high school when I was skateboarding—I love board sports and action sports!—and I fell and hit my head. I had a brain bleed and was in the hospital for a bit. So during that time, I was… delirious. So put that together and you get Fast & Delirious! I go by Deli, so most people think I just like sandwiches, which I do, but that’s not a part of my name story.

Because Chimney Point is near Atlanta and you grew up in Georgia, what are some things you like to do in Georgia? 

I love going to Hawks games and doing things in the city. We also have beautiful mountains in North Georgia. But I love the beach and we’re about five hours from the beach I grew up visiting. Athens is close, so I love going to Georgia games. So overall, watching some of my favorite sports teams in Atlanta is the best. 

Are there specific things you’re excited about this year? 

I’m not a huge resolution guy, but I would love to learn something new. It would be cool to learn how to play an instrument or learn a new skill. I live with a family and the father is a really talented home renovator, so I would love to learn to do some of what he does. I also have been learning how to surf for the past year, so getting better at that would be fun to focus on. 

What keeps you working at camp? What’s your why?

If my life is going to be marked by Kingdom impact, I have yet to experience an opportunity that offers more for that than Pine Cove. Being able to disciple college guys and pour into families for a week of their summer so that the 51 other weeks of their year are better—it’s the best job. As a college student, it was transformational for me to learn how to serve and put myself last. So if I get to walk alongside 60 college guys that are learning the same thing, I would choose that ten times out of ten. 

That is so encouraging. Can you share a funny or meaningful camp memory? 

There are so many! I’ll start with the meaningful. The coolest thing about family camp is that you get to interact with and learn from many different ages. There are a few families throughout the years who I’ve been able to continue doing life with even when summer ends. Some of the dads I’ve met have now become some of the most influential people in my life, and I spend a lot of time with them outside of the summer. It’s such a great picture and reminder that what happens at camp doesn’t just have to be at camp. I’ve been discipled by these dads, gone to their kid’s baseball games, and celebrated with them year round. 

A funny memory from Chimney Point is when we had a skit character named Reginald Skullinsky. He became an absolute icon. We even sold merch with him on it! The next year, during a Parent Banquet Night, all 32 couples (even the couples who hadn’t been to camp before) signed a petition to bring Reginald Skullinsky back to save the day for the skit that week. The skit was completely different and it didn’t really make any sense, but all of the parents signed the petition so of course, we brought him back! When he came out, just imagine adults all standing on their chairs screaming. One mom even had literal tears in her eyes! That was for sure one of the funniest experiences I look back on. I am so glad that memory lives in my brain because it was unreal. 

Okay, last question: what’s been your favorite thing recently? 

Oh, this is good! I had a grey Nike hoodie for years and then lost it. One day I went to a Nike outlet just to see if they might have it because it was a few years old. There was one left on the rack for 11 dollars and it was my size! I was almost in tears in the Nike store. I probably wear it at least four days per week now. So I’ve just been on top of the world every time I see my grey hoodie.