We’re sitting here on the first Saturday in Fall (though the temperatures haven’t quite figured that out yet 😉 enjoying Gator football (courtesy of the Internet and my techie husband who can get it to play on the TV!) and feeling really thankful.? Right now, our circumstances are pleasant, but our God is good all the time, and so we can always be thankful.

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!