We’ve been thinking a lot about marriages lately. We’ve watched several people we know get engaged this summer, and seen them seek to build strong, healthy relationships from the start. We’ve also seen other marriages that have hit bumps in the road or have even fallen apart.

No one is immune to troubles, and as Christians we need to regularly and repeatedly seek God in growing our marriages, not tearing them down.

One tool Campus Crusade offers to all of us is the FamilyLife Marriage Conferences. The Weekend to Remember emphasizes a commitment to God’s timeless blueprints for marriage, communi-cation and commitment, romance and resolving conflict. Projects help couples focus on each other and resources are available to take home with you to continue the process.

If you are looking for a weekend getaway for you and your spouse, or find yourself living a life of isolation in your marriage…if you want to point a hurting couple toward help…if you would like to be catalysts for family or friends or church members in equipping homes to be all that God intends… go to www.familylife.com. You will find dates and locations and lots of other info there.

Consider:

Statistics show one in every two marriages fail. Divorce touches us all.

Is God bringing to mind a couple or family in need of help?

Might you be that couple? Does your marriage seem headed down the wrong track?

Are you financially able to scholarship a couple in distress who cannot afford the cost of the conference?

Can you be that person in your church or business that organizes a group to attend a local conference?

Are you blessed with a terrific marriage? Thank the Lord now for your spouse!!

Our Family

has had a lot to be thankful for. Anja just started 3rd grade this month and turned 9 yesterday! We love this blessing of a young lady God has entrusted to us and are praying for wisdom as we seek to teach her how to connect with God personally and grow to love Him, not just His blessings (something we keep working on ourselves). We are thankful for 12 years of marriage as well and for the privilege of serving God with Keynote these last couple of years. And so we are grateful for your partnership with us! God bless you all!

Students and staff shared what God has taught them this summer:

• Our talents and even our voices are not our own – they are tools to bring glory to God
• Everything we have is a gift from God
• He doesn’t need us, but He chooses to use us
• Everything we do, even how we set up and tear down before and after concerts, can show people that God is in us
• Learning to tell our God stories for tour is preparation for being ready to tell our God stories for the rest of our lives
• God doesn’t want us to fix our lives before we come to Him – we come broken to the One who fixes lives

Thank you for praying for the Summer Project, and thank you for your partnership in ministry with us!

Summer Project Concerts

Keynote’s New Media Labs (which includes Karl) has developed an official Campus Crusade for Christ iPhone app. God Tools puts classic resources like Knowing God Personally, Satisfied? and the Four Spiritual Laws booklet directly onto your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The app also includes a searchable library of questions from EveryStudent.com, and, for a limited time, a mobile version of Soularium, A Dialogue in Images. It’s available for free in the iTunes store. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, give it a try!

We’re already trying to figure out how to improve it and create similar tools for more kinds of mobile devices. Please join us in praying for this effort!

Summer Project Students Preparing to Tour

The Keynote Summer Project students, who have been here since June 7, are in their final week of rehearsals before going on tour. The four Keynote bands, along with the Impact Movement’s Level 3:16, will take the gospel to prisons, military bases, and other Campus Crusade for Christ summer project locations.

You can watch the dress rehearsals live online at www.keynotesummerproject.org/live on July 4, 5, and 6 at 7pm Eastern (the time is approximate — doors open at 6:30 with bands performing around 7)

Please pray that the bands would be ready and that God would use them to change lives for His glory!

While there, Mark, still a seeker, heard about the Keynote Golf Challenge and Karen encouraged him to sign up. Mark ended up being paired for the day with Craig Parker, the pastor at BridgeWay. Even though their golfing skills were worlds apart, they ended up having a great time and Craig asked Mark a lot of questions about his spiritual journey.

As Mark was packing up things at the end of the day and walking to his car, the prize he received (a ceramic plate with the words, “You Are Loved” and “We Thank Our God Through Jesus Christ for You” – Romans 1:8 painted on it) fell out of the box. Mark watched as the plate hit the pavement and bounced but didn’t break. It was a reminder to him that God did love him and had given His only Son to die for him.

Not long after, Mark gave his life to Christ, got involved at the church and has played in the Keynote Golf Challenge every year since, raising more than $30,000!

Over the last 14 years, more than $1,500,000 has been raised through the Keynote Golf Challenge crazy events! As a result, Keynote has continued to offer innovative tools for outreach and training in communication around the globe!

The Keynote Golf Challenge is more than just raising money and playing a lot of golf! As you can see from Mark’s story, even the golfers can have a life-changing experience!

The Golf Challenges in May (California on May 10 and Indiana on May 24) have been one of the biggest ways God provides Keynote with the resources we need to serve as a ministry. This enables us to do concerts for free, turn the lights on at the office, buy needed equipment, etc. As you see, God has provided through many people using their talents (or even lack of talent – there’s a prize for the worst golfer, too) and their willingness to find sponsors to make Keynote’s ministry possible.

If you find yourself interested in ministering in a fun and crazy way, check out www.keynote.org/golf and see what it’s like. And we would love for all of you to pray for those involved in the challenge, the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors. The recent recession has affected so many of our generous supporters that it’s more important than ever for us to see God provide the resources needed.

On a personal note, we had a great time over spring break being involved in our dear friend’s wedding. Anja was a great flower girl, too. Since we’ve gotten back, it’s been non-stop doctors’ appointments for me (they multiply!). I would love for the doctors to have wisdom in sorting out what’s up with me and success in treating it. Karl, as ever, is wonderful and I’m blessed to celebrate 12 years with him as my husband this month! God is good! Thank you all for your care for us and your part in our ministry!

Karl’s had a lot going on this month.  He and a couple of the guys went to a tech conference in Texas to get exposure to the “latest and greatest” in technology and social media.  Since social media changes practically at the speed of light, it’s good to see where things are going so that our ministry can spend time and resources on the best options for connecting with people now and in the future.  He also has been training not only Ryan, but a son of one of our staff, who volunteers after school   And, last but not least, his birthday is tomorrow!  Happy Birthday, Karl!

I have been working with some of our new staff over the last few months as they develop their Ministry Partner Teams and raise the support they need to serve full time with us.  Some have had God lead them away from serving with us, at least temporarily, as God has given them great opportunities to meet needs where they are.  Others are continuing to work hard and I would love if you would pray for all of our new staff to be able to grow spiritually and emotionally as God prepares them for ministry with us during this time.  And we thought you’d enjoy hearing about just one of the exciting things God is doing through our staff at Keynote.

When God uses dummies…

David Pendleton, Keynote’s comedy ventriloquist, spent time on various college campuses in South Dakota and Iowa recently.  Six shows were planned over the course of four days in conjunction with Campus Crusade for Christ ministries (Cru) on various campuses. Most of these ministries are “student-led” and coached by one or two staff members who serve all of the campuses in the area.

More than 600 students heard the gospel through one of David’s shows and 109 indicated a first-time decision to begin a relationship with God!  Many others indicated a desire to connect with a Bible study or meet with someone to talk more about God.

Student leaders have already begun contacting those who turned in cards, to talk more about their decision or their questions.  In fact, a couple of weeks ago we heard that 11 new students came to a Bible study as a result of David’s show!

Thank you for your part in reaching students for Christ as you serve us!  God bless you!

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!

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!

Many people (even friends of mine) think that social networking is a waste of time.? The bottom line for me is that people are connecting and sharing what is important with them.? There are more than 250 million active facebook users!? If we can figure out how to use these tools to connect people with Jesus, we will be �making the most of every opportunity.� (Col. 4:5)

That�s why it�s so exciting that God brought us to Keynote at this time.? Campus Crusade�s leadership has asked Keynote to help coordinate the use of social networking in ministry.? We�re still trying to figure out how to do that, but it�s an exciting time to be here!? People are calling the Internet the �8^th continent�, and we want to find ways to reach the people that spend so much of their time there.

This doesn�t mean that Keynote will stop ministering via music.? We are organizing ourselves into three outreach efforts:? bands and artists, creative communications and training, and virtual (Internet) ministry.

If you want a better explanation of social networking, check out Social Networking in Plain English.

p.s.? ? We have a great opportunity for you!? Every November Keynote invites anyone who is part of our ministry or interested in it to join us for our Vision Dinner, a time of sharing what God has done through Keynote.? We have found this type of event, just like our Christmas Conferences for students and our Staff Conference in Colorado, to be an amazing time for encouraging us and increasing our vision for how God is moving.? If you can possibly be in Westfield, Indiana on November 7, please let us know, because we don�t want you to miss it!? This year�s theme is Igniting Life Change v2.0: Reaching the 8th Continent.

The summer started out with the Keynote Summer Project.? Forty-two students participated.? God’s classroom for each of them involved faith risk to stand before their peers and tell their story as part of their communication training.? Some of those stories became part of the concerts and helped set the stage for the gospel message.

Not only did our students take life-altering steps of faith, but more than 8,000 people heard the gospel through the four Keynote bands and two Impact bands during their outreach tours.? 812 people responded to the gospel and gave their lives to Christ!? We were especially excited to hear that some of the staff and students led a door-to-door salesman to Christ in our house this summer while we were away in Colorado!

At Campus Crusade�s US Staff Conference in Colorado, the theme was �Connect�.? The main messages focused on connecting with God, connecting ourselves and others with the Gospel, and connecting with partners to fulfill the Great Commission.

The picture to the left shows Moby Gym on the campus of Colorado State University in the midst of being transformed into our meeting place.? Screens will cover the scoreboards, a stage will be built, more screens will be hung over the stage, and dozens of lights will be hung.

And here it is, full of Campus Crusade staff worshiping God.? My favorite part of the conference was getting to hear from Pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.? His first message reminded us of the wonder of the Gospel � we haven�t just been forgiven of our sins; justification means that we have the righteousness of Christ!

Pastor Keller also spoke about what it means to be a messenger of the Gospel, and about ministering to the poor.? There was enough in those messages to keep me busy thinking for a long time, and that was only a small part of the conference.

Thank you so much for the part you play in our ministry.? You had a hand this summer in encouraging most of the US staff of Campus Crusade for Christ.? Many of them will serve more effectively and enthusiastically because of the training they received this summer.

Thanks for all of your prayers.? Organizing the New Staff Training worship teams had a lot of details that I�d never worked on before and many others that were just out of my control (like hoping the sound system would be there and that a sound tech would be there to run it, for example ), and yet God brought it all together.? We even picked up a couple of extra instrumentalists at the last minute (the piano player we had turned down for lack of having a keyboard, but then found a piano at the meeting site and called him to come!)

For me the biggest blessing of all is getting to know these people.? It�s a special time to hear their stories as they begin in full time ministry.? Many of them have done internships on campuses around the country, some working with different people groups (like internationals with our ministry Bridges,? Asian students with Epic, or African American students with the Impact Movement).? ? ? I feel privileged to have met them and worked with them.

You can pray for them to continue to be able to manage their full schedule for New Staff Training with the addition of extra practice hours for leading worship.? And of course, pray that their service would help all the new staff worship in the midst of such a daunting schedule.

Another neat thing is that, through Facebook, they have formed a community for communicating important info, like practice times, but they�ve also used it to build themselves into a community and are building friendships as a group .? God is so good!

And an update from Karl:

These ladies are helping people get checked in as they arrive for four weeks of training.? This was our biggest registration to date, with about 600 people coming through.? We make sure they�re set up with housing, meal plans, and childcare for their kids.

Because people can choose between class rosters that last from one to four weeks, we have a registration period almost every weekend.? My team sets up the computers and then steps back and makes sure that any problems get solved quickly.

We�re already preparing for the big US Staff Conference, when 4500 people will be here for connection, encouragement, and training.? We�ll be setting up computers all over the place, and helping broadcast the conference over the web to people who can�t be here.? Thank you for your prayers!

Karl and the rest of the guys are already unloading trucks and working hard to set up the office facilities for the rest of the Staff Conference Team.? They show up in a few more days and then the various trainings start just a week later.? So, you could pray for the computer stuff to work the way it should the first time and for good health (hauling boxes isn�t always the best work for some of us) so that everyone else can hit the ground running once they arrive.

You can also pray that we would reflect Jesus to the people here in Fort Collins (especially as we deal with college students living in the apartments � we tend to have to deal with some �college� behaviors, but always want God to be glorified more than just to get problems to stop).

I am also going to be organizing the worship teams for the New Staff Training this year, so please pray that God would organize the teams for me so they work well together and can lead the rest of the new staff in focusing on God while having so much new information thrown at them.

Now for some cool praises from the Keynote summer project! The students and staff had an outreach day.? In addition to surveys and “Knowing God Personally” booklets, some students used the new “Soularium” tool and others used their laptops to show “Wreck” (produced by last year’s film track) and two other short films.

• One team forgot most of their materials at the office, but saw God bring just the right verses to their minds as they shared the gospel with people.
• Silja, our student from Germany, was in a mall when she heard two girls speaking German behind her! She shared with them and they were very interested in the booklet and in coming to the dress rehearsals. (Silja stayed with us for a week between serving this spring at Purdue and starting the summer project.? It�s been great to hear how God keeps bringing Germans across her path in Indiana, one who received Christ with her in May!)
• A Carmel High School student named Tyler trusted Christ with Ryan, who was sharing his faith for the first time!

I love being able to serve with this ministry (both Keynote and Campus Crusade for Christ).? Whether it�s unpacking boxes or helping a student to share his faith for the first time, it is such a privilege to be a part of how God is growing His kingdom!? Thank you all for being our �behind the scenes� ministers!? We pray that you would reflect Christ and see God greatly this summer where you are.

We�re not the only ones who�ve been busy.? We�ve had our bands out touring.? Blue Sky Nine was �in prison�.? Keynote likes to serve other ministries when possible, so this was a great opportunity.? Band leader Scott Naylor said, �The �Weekend of Champions� effort put ministry teams at 9 different facilities throughout Central Kansas, and for the weekend, over 600 inmates indicated a first-time commitment to trusting and following Jesus, and over 400 indicated a re-dedication. We�re thrilled to have been part of that.�

Meanwhile our other band, Giants of Silence, headed to Europe.? They�ve performed in 3 countries to locals and to our servicemen at some of the bases and seen God at work (even down to keeping the lead singer able to sing despite being sick most of the trip). After one particularly unusual concert in Germany with mostly non believers, Ethan Ehrstine said,? �At the end of the night 2 people indicated decisions to receive Christ, any 16 purchased CDs (which all contain the gospel) and many, many more took our little mini-posters (which also have the gospel printed on them).? It was a great night!!�? I�ve got to tell you, for that to happen in Germany is wonderful!

The Boyds took time out of touring to speak at another Family Life marriage conference in Seattle.? 354 people attended and 46 of them received Christ that weekend.? Comment cards shared of marriages that were �over� now being willing to change and grow together again.? God is so good!

Our solo artists have been touring as well, but I�m running out of room since I want to let you know what�s coming and what needs prayer.? For Keynote, the biggest things happening are the Golf Challenge and the Summer Project.? The Golf challenge is where golfers get sponsors for their playing 100 holes of golf in a day.? Please pray for all the details of these events (one in California and one in Indiana in May) to go well and for God to provide for the financial needs of Keynote despite the economy.

The summer project is where college kids come for the summer and learn how to do ministry Keynote style.? We have 4 different bands forming this year (plus two Impact Movement bands for the African American community) and one film team.? It is such a great way to minister, but to be honest, the biggest work is in the lives of the students themselves.? This is one of those places God works to set their course for Him and so I would ask for prayer for the students to fall madly in love with their Father and for Him to grow them in great and lasting ways.

Lastly, we will be heading to Colorado to work with the Conference Team again this summer! I can�t believe we�ll be heading out in a month.? Conference team does all the behind the scenes work that makes it possible for all kinds of trainings (New staff, Leadership, Bible classes, etc.) to take place in one location, culminating with our biannual all Staff Conference.? Karl, of course, works with the tech guys.? I�ve been asked to organize the New staff Training worship team.? We�d love your prayers for us to be healthy and serve well this summer.? Thanks so much for being our �behind the scenes� team.? You make our ministry a reality!

Blessed Be Your Name In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out? I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s �all as it should be� Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out? I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

This song, for me, sums it up.? This is what life is about.? Learning to trust our God enough to bless His name in all circumstances.? Two years ago, we were in probably the darkest time of our lives thus far.? I couldn�t even sing it, but I could choose to believe it.? Had I written this letter yesterday I would have said how the sun is shining down on us and we can still praise our God.? Indeed, Karl and I are in a place where it is easy to thank God, He has given us such blessings.? Today, though, I�m reminded of the sacrifice of praise God sometimes calls us to.? A fellow CCC staff member has stage 4 cancer (and a wife and two small children).? We would love it if you would pray for Chris and Jo and the kids.

But in all these places (and because we�ve been there) we can truly say that our God loved us through them.? Sometimes He did it personally and other times He used the love and care of other believers. We wanted to share this song with you because if you and I were sitting down with coffee having a heart to heart discussion, you would have your joys and trials to share.? Some of you feel blessed and some of you undoubtedly are hurting badly right now.? Where ever you are, please know that you are LOVED.? God is there and won�t let go.? And we are here, too.? If there�s any way we can share your burdens (or joys) we want to.? Just let us know.
Praising God,

Holly Reconnects with Student from Fall Concert in Iowa

Holly sings in our band blue sky nine and was working at one of our College Christmas conferences when this happened…

I knew I�d see some old friends at the conference in Minneapolis, but I didn�t expect to see her…I first met Dania at a concert we played on her campus in September.? She came up to talk with me after our show and had lots of questions about God. We had a great conversation� I told her my story and told her how she could know Jesus, too.? She didn�t pray with me to receive Christ that night, and I wasn�t sure I�d ever see her again or if she�d ever become a believer.? Then I found myself standing next to her in a hotel elevator in Minneapolis.? She asked me if I had time to talk again.? We found some empty chairs in the lobby and chatted like old friends.

�What you told me that night really made a difference in my life.? When you said that God knows every hair on my head, that made me think that God must really love me.? I went home and prayed that night [to receive Christ].? ? I thought there would be a miracle and everything would suddenly become easy, but actually in some ways life got harder…

I try to talk to some of my friends about God, but now they think I am weird or something.? But then I think about the cross and how Jesus suffered for us, and then I think it�s not so bad…I started studying the Bible with other girls on my campus, and I really want to help reach out to my campus and tell my friends and family about God.�

Isn�t that a great story?? And while we�re on the subject of conferences, here�s another story that we love especially because of how technology was used directly by God to change someone�s heart…

Mike Rebholz � Though receiving lyrics for the projector system only three hours prior to a concert was stressful, God allowed Mike to see how his role mattered at the Impact Conference (ministering to African Americans).? ? Later Tia (one of the MC�s) came up to Mike and asked, �Did Aaron tell you that one of the kids brought a friend of his who said as he was reading the lyrics on screen he realized he needed to receive Christ?�

Mike is free to do work like this because Karl came to Keynote (as a skilled tech, Mike was called on to help out with computer troubles regularly, which took a lot of time away from his assigned ministry).? And Karl loves doing it.? He�s been doing a lot of creative upgrading � making things better on as little money as possible.? Meanwhile, I have been plugging in to the Human Resources department, which I�m pleased to be able to do, mostly serving by caring for staff needs (personal or helping with events).? Thank YOU for being our team!? Just as Karl serves Mike, you serve us through your prayers and support and we are blessed and thankful!

religion vs. relationship…
Monday, November 17, 2008 at 9:01am
(published by a friend, used with permission)

One of my favorite things is when one of my daughters will come and sit on my lap and just hang out. We don�t have to really do anything. Just sit there and be together, and watch Hannah Montana for the 17th time, or talk about their day, or whatever.

I love them like crazy � and I hope they know that.

Please understand that it is important to me that they are grateful for what I provide for them. It�s important that they show respect for me. And it�s very important that they learn to listen to my voice and obey me. But, those things � obedience, gratitude, respect � they are the products of our relationship. Those things are based on my daughters’ trust of who I am and how much I love them. The relationship itself is what transforms them and causes those attributes to develop.

So they can come up and sit on my lap whenever they want. Which, to be honest, doesn’t happen as much as I would like.

So here�s the deal. I don�t REQUIRE them to go through this little litany of telling me how great I am, telling me how sorry they are for not obeying me, and telling me how grateful they are BEFORE they can just sit on my lap and hang out. I don�t REQUIRE that because if I did, I believe something terrible would happen.

They would begin to believe that their relationship with me was based NOT on who I am and my love for them, but on whether or not they had �properly� done those things. Just as soon as they began to perceive that our relationship was based on �doing those things� instead of who I am and how much I love them, they would have done what I believe people have done with God.

They would have lost a relationship and settled for religion � and religion itself does not transform us.

In the grand sense, there is more to it than that, and those things are worth talking about. But that little shift in understanding, from �religion� to �relationship�, has made all the difference in my spiritual life. That in turn has made all the difference in my day-to-day life.

Truth be told, that is why my wife and I walked away from our former careers (Social Work and Information Technology) and went into vocational missions work � because helping people make that little shift in understanding is the most important, most enduring thing we could do in this world.

That was written on Facebook by one of our Keynote staff.? He now shares his stories about real relationship with God on tour with blue sky nine.? Reading this so blessed me that I couldn�t think of anything I would want to pass on to you more as we head into this blessed, but hectic season.? Our prayer is that you would KNOW how much your Daddy in heaven loves YOU� special you.? I want this to sink in deeper in my own heart and mind as well.? We truly have so much to be thankful for.? God bless you!

Hey y�all!? We�ve had so much neat stuff happening I didn�t know where to start.? Over the last month, Keynote artists have been traveling to various parts of the U.S. with stops at military installations, juvenile detention centers, college campuses, high school settings as well as a few community events. More than 1300 people indicated a decision to begin a relationship with Jesus as a result of the 38 events during the month of September alone!? Here�s an abbreviated �news feed� of what Keynote has seen God do in October so far:

10/1/08:? �One of our most memorable concerts was at a substance abuse center called Teen Challenge in Maryland.? During the show something amazing happened.? When Robert shared his testimony, a lady started screaming at the top of her lungs. �John!? John!� We could hear the desperation in her voice and everyone started looking around trying to see what was wrong.? Seconds later a few men took off running toward the street.? The lady was screaming because her little boy lost control of himself while running downhill toward oncoming traffic, and she was too far away to catch him.? But for some reason, the boy suddenly stopped a few feet away from the road.? We believe it was God who kept that child from his certain death.? This concert was an on-time reminder of God�s ultimate sacrifice for us.? How, like the child, we are running towards our certain death but our loving and gracious God stepped in to save us.? We praise God upon every remembrance of this powerful, real-world illustration of His love for us.�? Impact Band

10/8/08:? �The neat thing about partnering with this small campus was that their administration actually came to the Cru group and asked them to plan some events for homecoming!? In our experience as students involved and staff with the campus ministry, this was completely astonishing and totally worth us driving all the way.? As a cool side note, the student leader of Cru got elected as Homecoming King!� Blue Sky Nine

10/26/08:? �We wanted you to know the [Family Life Marriage] conference ended up going INCREDIBLY well!? Not only did my voice completely come back, but we heard from the conference team that 47 people out of the 500 who attended indicated a decision to receive Christ! � The Boyds (family band with Keynote and speakers at CCC marriage conferences)

Pretty great, huh?!? And there�s more.? Not only do we see God at work here in the U.S., but many of our partner ministries are seeing amazing things happen in their spheres of influence. We have the unique opportunity to gather some of these leaders for the first International Directors� Summit at our facility in Westfield, Indiana. On November 1st, over 25 leaders from 12 countries (such as Brazil, South Africa, Germany and Australia among others) will join together for this historic event. This four day summit will allow us to explore how we can work together to use training and creative outreaches to help build impassioned spiritual movements in many countries around the world.

Karl and I are excited to be hosting a couple from South Africa while they attend the Summit.? We will also be diving into Keynote�s new staff training for most of the month of November, so you can pray for good health and energy to stay high as we add a lot to our schedules for the next few weeks.? Please pray for the Summit, as well, since so many people will be traveling to get here and will need to function in their second language and be healthy to get the most out of this time.? Pray that God would work �beyond our imagining� in what flows out of this time.? God bless you!

Now that Anja�s in school, I can go into the office (I�ll be getting trained in applicant evaluation this week!? Pray for me and hear first hand when our bands come back and share what God�s doing through Keynote.? Since you aren�t able to come in with me, here�s a letter our Director of Development, Rich Dundore, wrote recently that was full of reminders of God at work:

As I reflected yesterday on the events of September 11, 2001, I was reminded about the special place in my heart for our military personnel and their families as they operate in this ever-changing world.? As a ministry, Keynote also has a strong desire to reach out to these men and women who serve our country so selflessly.

While pondering this historic anniversary in our nation’s history, I received an email from Rahlo, Keynote’s hip-hop artist with the blackSoil project.? He shared with me that he had performed at a military base a few weeks ago.? ? Approximately 2,200 soldiers filled the auditorium for the two outreach concerts that day.? The chaplain provided the following results from the comment cards that were turned in:

123 individuals asked to speak with someone about spiritual things
119 expressed interest in studying the Bible with someone
56 indicated that they gave their lives to Christ that day!

The chaplain’s office also mentioned that the number of lives impacted was much larger than they normally see in outreaches there.? And they added, �We can only hope and pray that the ground is fertile and they will blossom fully into beautiful trees.�? Let’s all join them in that prayer!

Keynote’s aggressive rock band, Giants of Silence, also visited there just last week.? In their two outreaches at this post of 23,000 soldiers, they were able to connect with another 2,000 men and women who responded very well to their music and message.? While the band was not able to utilize comment cards this time, the responsiveness of the soldiers was evident.? Lindsay, the band’s drummer, made the following observations:

After presenting the gospel, we always play ‘All Around Me’ by Flyleaf.? Soldiers were holding up their hands, singing along and yes… worshipping God all over the place.? Here are some of the lyrics from that song:
‘My hands are searching for you, my arms outstretched towards you,
I feel you on my fingertips… this fire rising through my being, burning… I’m not used to seeing you
I’m alive, I’m alive.
I can feel you all around me, thickening the air I’m breathing,
Holding on to what I’m feeling, savoring this heart that’s healing…’

God is at work in our military!? Thanks so much for your support and prayers that allow Keynote to share God’s love with these spiritually hungry soldiers.? If you would like to learn more about these two Keynote groups as well as all of our other artists, please visit www.keynotefuel.com.

God is so good!? No matter what we hear on the news about the war or the economy, God is in control.? We can trust Him, with our fears and our realities.? These soldiers understand fears and realities well, and so we pray for them, and for ourselves to grow in our ability to cling to God through everything.

As for us, we have been enjoying watching Anja with her new big girl Bible.? She can read now, so we got it for her birthday and have been amazed at how often we�ll find her looking up a scripture reference to read it for herself.? We pray she will continue to grow in her faith, and that we�ll parent by example.? God bless you!