Tuesday, October 31, 2006

CBS Evening News to feature Campus Crusade

{UPDATED 11/2/06} CBS Evening News With Katie Couric Will Feature Campus Crusade

The CBS film crew just finished shooting at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The crew was on site for a story about the increased spiritual interest of college students and their involvement with Christian groups.

The feature was scheduled to run on November 1 on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. It's been rescheduled for sometime the week of November 6.

CBS shot the entire University of Wisconsin weekly meeting with footage of students streaming in. They also filmed an entire freshmen girls' dorm Bible study.

Two students were interviewed sharing how they left the party scene when their lives were changed by Jesus. Now they are leading Bible studies.

Find out the time it airs where you live.

(Information courtesy of the Campus Crusade Staff Web)

Monday, October 30, 2006

$15 a month Challenge - Update

Well, we have a little more than 24 hours to go in our November 1 deadline. So far, we have only seen about 8% of the envelopes returned from our $15 a month ask letter.

We have seen our support percentage go from starting at 64% to being at 67% . We have also received $520 towards our goal of $2,500 in special one-time needs.

Leslie and I know that God is in control. We are seeing the miracles in the midst of this. But, it is discouraging as well. Can God still provide? You bet!! Are we prepared if He doesn't? Yes. Support raising is a process and we don't desire to circumvent anything God might be trying to do in or through us. We know and recognize that He may not choose to provide in this timing.

Right now, Leslie and I are in a hard place. We trust God can answer our pray in the affirmative and see our entire support raised in less than 24 hours from now. But, humanly, we are thinking it isn't going to happen. We know that God has three basic answers to our prayers "Yes", "No", and "Wait". We know and believe that God desires for us to have our support raised. It is just that He might be saying wait.

For over a month Leslie and I have felt called to pray for the completion of our support by November 1. We have taken bold steps to make our need known and to do the work that God has called us to do. We have been praying name by name for each recipient of the $15 a month ask letter. We have been praying for favor, a quick reply, and for each person to follow God's calling in how they are to respond.

We know that not everyone who was sent a letter could give. We know that there are recipients who it would be a huge faith step to give $15 a month. There are others, who could quite easily give ten times that without even blinking. However, we are seeking that people respond to God, not to us. I would raither not have our support raised than to have our support raised through someone's disobedience to God.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

$15 a month Challenge

15 dollars
The $15 a month Challenge has been sent out with much prayer on Leslie's and my part.

What is the $15 a month Challenge? Well, Leslie and I are trusting God to raise up our remaining support by November 1. (Just 9 days from now.) The basic idea is that Leslie and I had a list of people we intended to contact and try to meet face-to-face with to invite to be a part of what we are doing.

Most likely, it would have taken us at a minimum 3 months to get the appointments with this list of people. I believe as I was in the middle of writing a letter that God impressed upon me to just send a letter to each of these individuals (whom many of them have recieved my newsletter for the last 8 years) and ask if they would support us for $15 a month. If each person who recieves a letter will give $15 a month, Leslie's and my support team will be complete!

So, in our letter, we asked each person to pray about what they felt God was calling them to do. If they couldn't give monthly, would they consider a special gift for some of our one-time needs. If they couldn't give financially, would they pass the letter on to someone who would support us at $15 a month.

The hardest part in all of this is that the letters have to be reiceived, read, decide the action, then a reply sent all prior to November 1. Leslie left our apartment to deliver the letters to the Post Office at 3:45 PM today. We are praying that some people will recieve their letter tomorrow and immediately respond and that we will see our first responces on Wednesday. (One week prior to our November 1 goal.)

To some people, $15 a month is just a little bit. To others, $15 a month is a lot. We know that there will be some that could do more and others who can do nothing. But, we know that our support comes from God and it is in His hands.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Michigan Conference

Leslie and I returned from being in Michigan at Michindoh Conference Center for four days for a support raising follow-up conference. It was a good time to be around other Campus Crusade for Christ staff who are raising their support. Along with reminders about our support raising process, we took part in a financial stewardship seminar called Good Sense. Though Leslie and I have been living on a budget since we got married, it was good to sit down with an advisor one-on-one and look at our budget and talk about our finances. Leslie and I desire to be wise stewards with the money God entrusts to us -- not just in how we spend our money, but even how we give to our church and other missionaries.

Leslie and I are continuing to trust God in seeing our complete support raised by November 1. As it stands as of the writing of this message, we have pledges totaling 64% of our goal. It is amazing to me to see how God works. Before Leslie and I left for Michigan, we were at 62%.

Leslie and I often look at the goal that we have and we wonder, "How in the world can we see it all come in by November 1?" And yet, even when we are away and not making phone calls, God provides another 2%. How awesome is that?

Leslie and I continue to seek God in the midst of this time. Even when one of us seems to lose hope, the other is able to step in and help bring the Godly perspective that we need. Marriage is wonderful that way.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Receive Blog as e-mail

You can now receive our blog as a daily e-mail. Please see the subscription box on the right hand side of our blog page. Or, you may do it here:
Subscribe to L & M Monthly - Leslie and Mike Rebholz by Email

Friday, October 13, 2006

Wedding Photos

Leslie and I have recently gotten the link to our online proofs of our wedding photos (the professional photographer). If you would like to view them, they can be found here:
https://www.marathonweb2.com/shoppingcart/shared.php?MjEyMjN8cmViaG9sel93ZWRkaW5nc3w%3D

If this does not work then try this: Go to http://www.karenbowlingphotography.com/sessions.html That will bring up a passcode page. Type rebholz_weddings

If you would like to see our casual photos sent to us by family and friends, you can find them here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rebholzwedding/

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Stories from the Road

Volume 1, Issue 2
Stories from the Road

In August, Keynote's acoustic rock group--blue sky nine--opened their fall touring season at IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University), a commuter campus in downtown Indianapolis, IN. Even though two key students dropped out of the ministry just one week before school started, the campus director decided to go forward with the scheduled outreach event. School administrators kept overhearing comments from the students: "Who is that band?" . . . "I want to hear that band again" . . . "They're really good!" The administrators were so intrigued they decided to find out more about the band, and asked if they could come back at the end of September. In addition to that, there were many great conversations about spiritual issues after the concert, and lots of good connections between CCC staff and new students.


The Boyd Family Band traveled to Lebanon in April. Bruce, Julie and their three young sons, Brandon, Shaun and Ryan, have performed 35 concerts; sometimes five in one day! This is their second time working in partnership with Student Venture in Lebanon, performing at assemblies in high schools throughout the country. Brandon, Shaun and Ryan share their testimonies, and have connected well with the audiences (students their own age). The Boyds have performed for thousands and of the 7 performances where they were able to use comment cards, nearly 1200 students indicated decisions to commit their lives to Christ and 781 wanted more information on a relationship with Jesus! One really incredible thing about all of this is that many of the students come from Muslim homes. And now it's amazing to think that these students are carrying the power of the gospel throughout Lebanon.

Mike’s musings:
Recently, I was reminded of a lesson that I used to teach when I worked at Camp Good News. The application of this lesson is one that I hold very dearly.

When sin begins, it is like a clothespin that you put on your finger. There is a little pressure — you know it is there, but it doesn’t seem to be a big deal. If you don’t deal with sin, it grows. It then becomes like a mouse trap. When a mouse trap snaps on your hand, it stings pretty bad, but you can live with it. If you don’t deal with sin at this stage it grows again. It then becomes like a rat trap. If you don’t deal with sin in your life the consequences and pain of sin can really be large. At this point in my lesson, I would take a pencil and trigger the rat trap which would result in the pencil breaking in half.

Sin is a dangerous thing and especially when left unchecked, it grows and grows into things we never imagined would be possible.


Prayer Requests:

  • We would complete our support team by November first, beginning of the placement year in Keynote.

  • Mike and Leslie would continually seek their first love, the Lord.


Thank You


For your continued support and prayers. We greatly appreciate your partnership!



Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
- Leo Tolstoy

Welcome


Welcome to our new ministry online home. Leslie and Mike work for Keynote, the music and creative arts ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.