Karl & Liesl Kranich

Hey, y’all!  We’ve told you a bit about how our bands and artists go to college campuses and help the Campus Ministry.  We’ve told you how we partner with the Military ministry as well.  But I’m not sure if we’ve told you how in the last couple of years, we’ve been able to partner with ministries outside Campus Crusade for Christ who work with inmates.  Here are a couple of great stories from those times.

blue sky nine (bsn) played in Ellsworth Correctional Facility (a medium security prison), in Ellsworth, KS in April 2009. While there, Laura (bsn’s lead singer) got in a conversation with one of the inmates, Tom (name changed). He kept talking about how he was 28 and hadn’t done anything with his life. She could sense that he really wanted to turn things around. Laura encouraged him to press into God and ask him to help to stay away from the friends that steered him towards the life he didn’t want to lead anymore. Then she and other band members prayed with him and encouraged him to take steps towards God. After they returned home, God led Laura to pray for Tom every day.

This past fall, bsn returned to Ellsworth. Tom was still there, and he was surprised when Laura remembered him and their conversation in April. Before the band left, Tom handed Laura a poem he had written about his relationship with God.

Fastforward to Christmas: Laura received a card in the mail from Tom telling her about how things have been getting better for him. He’d been able to mend some of the bridges he burnt with his family — they even came to see him on Thanksgiving. He said he wanted to write and let her know how much blue sky nine and our conversations helped him.

David Pendleton & Co. (David uses ventriloquism and comedy to share with people)

David Pendleton performed at an Indianapolis prison as an outreach for the Indy Christmas Conference. After his performance, the students spent time sharing one-on-one with the inmates. Here is a story from a student at Miami University (Ohio):

I have shared my testimony several times, but I have never really told someone how they can accept Christ. Before Christmas conference I didn’t really know the words to say. I had the amazing opportunity to witness someone being led to Christ first hand. I went on a prison outreach during conference. I was extremely afraid and was highly doubting my ability to share the gospel to an inmate…. I ended up with an 18 year old kid … I was completely overwhelmed….I tried reading the cards they gave us but it wasn’t going anywhere. Then a staff guy named David Pendleton sat down with us. He saw that I was struggling and ended up sharing the gospel with the kid. It was absolutely amazing to see the Spirit speak through him….David made a great illustration. He told the inmate, “It’s as if I were to walk into the prison and change clothes with you. You would walk out and I would stay here and serve your sentence for you.” It was at that moment that I saw in Robert’s eyes that he truly understood.

I love how David not only led the prisoner to Jesus in a way he could understand, but also opened the student’s eyes to how he could learn to share his faith better. God is so good! Praying we’ll all see the opportunities to reach out to others around us. God bless you!

Karl and Ryan

I’m excited to let you know that the Information Technology team is now a team of two! Ryan Menzer was the percussionist for blue sky nine and was ready for a change. Everyone agreed that he would be a great fit in IT, and it’s working out well. He’s already finished some projects that I hadn’t been able to focus on.

Even with Ryan, though, we know that there are more computer needs at Keynote than the two of us can handle. Our plan is to train a person in each Keynote team or department to be the “level 1 tech” for that team. Please pray that we can communicate clearly and encourage people throughout this process. Please also pray that I lead and teach Ryan well.

In addition to being Keynote’s IT Director, I’m also part of a new team called “Keynote New Media Labs”. Our purpose is to help other Campus Crusade for Christ ministries use the Internet more creatively and effectively. We are starting to build a library of resources at www.mediaforministry.org. We’ve also helped the ministry at the University of Iowa create a new web site so that students, leaders, and even alumni and parents can stay more connected:

One of the staff from Iowa wrote this to Sam on our team: “to say thank you doesn’t even begin to express how thankful I am to what you have done for us. The site looks amazing and you’ve given us the tools to maintain it as well. Sam you have been so giving and helpful to us! Thanks for setting us up for a huge win on our campus in reaching students more effectively online at iowa!”

Please pray that God would lead us to the best tools and strategies, and that we would be able to connect people in the wide world of Campus Crusade for Christ who are also developing new ideas.

Personally, Liesl has had a hard time as the allergy doctor has made major changes to her diet. No more dairy, sugar, vinegar, or a bunch of other things. We’re hoping for health benefits eventually, but for now it’s been very difficult with no apparent benefits. We appreciate your prayers!

Hey, Y’all!? With today being the last day of school before Thanksgiving break our house is full of thankful energy!? Seriously, though, we have so many things to be thankful for and wanted to share just a few of them with you.

First and foremost, we are thankful for our Lord.? Every earthly and spiritual blessing we all experience comes from Him.? Every comfort in trials, every hope for the future, and we want to honor Him by acknowledging that He is truly worthy of our loyalty and respect.

Next most dear to our hearts is our family.? I am so thankful to have a husband who has chosen to love the sometimes very unlovable me as Christ has loved the church.? I am so thankful to have the privilege of mothering our little girl and see God grow her into the young lady He is developing her to be.

Dr. Kim

And we are so thankful to have been given the privilege of serving God with Campus Crusade for Christ for all these years.? We recently learned that Dr. Joon Gon Kim, our national director for Korea for over 40 years, had passed away.? This man barely lived through two wars and suffered greatly, yet he grew with God to become one of the most outstanding Christian leaders Korea (and the world) has ever seen.

The effects of his faith and leadership and God’s Spirit resulted in 100,000 people committing to being involved in missions at the World Evangelism Crusade in 1980.? In 2001, a survey was done and discovered that 80 percent of all people working in missions departments of Korean churches had been involved in Korea Campus Crusade for Christ.? God chooses to show His power when His people act in faith and Dr. Kim has left a great legacy of faith for all of us to follow.

The last thing I’ll share is how thankful we are for you!? God uses you to provide for our family and enable us to serve with Campus Crusade for Christ.? We can’t say often enough how grateful we are for your generosity to provide for our financial needs, for all of your prayer cover and the encouragement we receive every time we think of you.? We pray God would bless you with every spiritual blessing as He has promised and that you, too, will see God work a legacy of faith in your lives.

In light of that, we wanted to offer a gift of sorts to those of you who are married.? In the past we’ve sent out brochures for our FamilyLife Conferences (Weekend to Remember).? The reality is that marriage can be a lot of work sometimes, and we are concerned for how many Christians are throwing in the towel.? Whether yours is doing great or on the rocks or anywhere in between, this kind of conference can be a great time for you to really connect with each other and see God work in your lives. FamilyLife is allowing us to offer to our supporters the opportunity to attend these conferences at a discount and so we couldn’t pass up sharing it with you! You can attend for only $69/person — almost half off the regular rate. There are over 100 conferences across the U.S.? Contact us if you’re interested in the promotional code.? Your marriage is worth it!

Thank you to everyone who prayed for my trip to Turkey for MinistryNet last week – it was great!

It was inspiring to gather with 166 people from 37 countries on 5 continents to talk about how the Internet can be used to spread the gospel.? I enjoyed conversations with new friends from India, Singapore, Poland, Germany, the UK, Norway, France, and more.

Roman ruins at Perge (photo by Mick Haupt)

I especially appreciated the emphasis on integrating Internet-based tools with traditional ministry.? It’s not about the new replacing the old.? One leader said that our focus needs to be on “reaching real people in the real world who have real needs using virtual, online methods”.

Our CTO Keith Seabourn says, “This conference was a special time for me.? God reminded me that when I was asked to step into the Chief Technology Officer role in 2001, I asked God what he would have me work towards.? I wrote down 4 things.? One was ‘Identifying emerging leaders with a pioneering/ entrepreneurial spirit who are willing to claim a part of the Internet world for Christ.’? This conference was part of God’s gift to me to see it happening.”

Next comes Keynote’s annual Vision Dinner on Saturday, November 7.? We wish you all could be here!? Last year’s was amazing.? Please consider watching it online beginning at 7:30pm at www.keynoteconnection.org (click on “Vision Dinner 2009”).? It will be an exciting time of hearing about what God is doing through Keynote!

Armageddon Experience record

A few weeks ago one of our staff members got to hear how God used one of our bands from back in the 70’s, Armageddon, to change her life. We thought you’d be encouraged to read her story in her own words!

It was July 7, 1970 at Downey High School (in California) and a couple of friends had invited me to hear a heavy rock band. (I don’t remember the name of the [Campus Crusade] band, it might have been “Armageddon”.? All I remember is that I liked them or I wouldn’t have stayed around.)? The music was good, but really loud so I went outside to sit on a table in the quad. Even out there I could hear the music and speaker, but at least I was alone and could think.? Crowds were too much for me at the time. I’d done quite a bit of drugs and was a little paranoid.

While I was sitting there a guy with long hair came up to me and said, “You want love don’t you?”? I wasn’t a virgin, and he was really good looking.? I thought he was trying to pick me up, so I said “YES!”? He asked me, “Did you know Jesus loves you?”? I remember my heart came alive, and I started to cry. I said, “Yes, I know Jesus loves me, but I’m too far gone, too dirty.”? He just spoke what I had heard at church for years, but this time it went so deep and all the hurt and self disgust came pouring out.? He gave me a tract with an address on the back, told me there was a Bible study the next night, and asked me to come.

I left and went home after that, but when I did, I sat on my bed and told God that if He was real, I needed Him and asked Him to make me clean. I asked Jesus to love me and let me feel love, promising Him everything, because I had done such a lousy job with my life so far. I was 14 at the time and although I was extremely intelligent, my brain and body had been abused and used since I was five. Then I said, “If you’re not real, I need to paint my walls.? Amen.”

I got up went into my mother’s room, where she and my older sister were talking and told them I had just accepted Jesus into my heart. They started to cry and told me my sister had done the same thing a couple hours earlier in a different location. My older brother came in a short time later and said he had just done the same thing. God rescued all three of us on the same day!! …-Bev

Isn’t that a beautiful story?? As you partner with us to serve Keynote, we trust that God continues to allow us reach out to even more people like Bev every day. We may not always know the “rest of the story” but we know God is at work. Thanks for being a part of Keynote’s ministry around the world.

Speaking of ministering around the world, we have a lot going on overseas in October!? One team will be going to Panama to do communication and team training.? Blue Sky Nine will be heading to South Korea and Mongolia for 3 weeks to serve the ministries there.? And last but not least, Karl, Chris Zaugg (Director of Keynote), and a coworker are heading to Turkey for an Internet ministry conference from October 18-23! So there’s plenty going on to pray for, from health and safe travels to God directing every word and every note of these times and making them into “more than we can imagine”.? Thanks for praying!