Transition & Transformation

Volume 9 Issue 6

Transition & Transformation

Truth be told, transitions are hard!  New ministry assignment, moving to a new state and a new town is no easy task, but with the Lord, He’s given us the strength and grace to forge ahead.  A lot has transpired in the last two months for our family.

Two weeks after moving to Xenia we got on a plane for our biennial Cru staff conference in Colorado.  We jumped into working the conference; it was a privilege to serve our staff.   

The 4,000+ person conference was epic in that we focused in on togetherness -- what it means to reach the world in light of our ethnic and cultural differences.

At the end of August we were a part of the 21 person Athletes in Action (AIA) Leadership Development and Human Resource (LDHR) team retreat.  (Photo to rt. Is team praying.)  This enabled us to partake in the strategic planning of LDHR -advancing the mission of AIA by creating strategies and infrastructures to engage the millions of followers of Jesus on mission.  Our key strategic objectives: sending, oneness, equipping leaders for multiplication, and staff wellbeing.  Our mission at AIA is to build healthy leaders and sending laborers who build spiritual movements through the platform of sports.

Among other happenings we celebrated Benjamin’s 4^th birthday, our 9^th wedding anniversary, and the start of a new preschool year and of course settling into our new home!  Huge praise as we found a new church home near Xenia.

We firmly believe this new ministry assignment with AIA as well as the move to Xenia was God ordained.  It doesn’t equate to being easy though. (Leslie likens it to the title of Shelia Walsh’s book: Life is Hard but God is Faithful.) In all of this transition there have been tears, grieving, new experiences and adventures as well as excitement.  (Who knew driving in town without using a GPS for the first time could feel like a great feat.)   This monumental move for our family is a step forward with courage into the land and life God has prepared for us.

Sifting through our experiences, emotions, and truth from the Word, we believe in faith, we are being transformed.  It is not fun and we don’t see the full picture but there is a process that Jesus does speak to in His Word and it’s about HIS Glory not our comfort.   Romans 12:2  says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  2 Corinthians 3:18  “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

If you are willing to share, we’d love to hear how the Lord is transforming you!

College Athlete Influences her Team

Volume 9 Issue 5
College Athlete Influences her Team

In our April newsletter, we announced that we are transferring to another ministry of Cru.  If you missed that announcement, you can see that letter online at: http://bit.ly/AIARebholz
In this newsletter, we continue to give you a glimpse of what Athletes in Action does by highlighting specific facets of the ministry.

Athletes in Action’s largest segment of ministry is focused on the college campus.  We have over 200 campuses with dedicated ministry to athletes across the United States.  Eric Knodel serves as AIA staff on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, IN.  A few months ago he shared the following story about his ministry on campus.

Jessica is a senior on the softball team. She has been on our AIA student leadership team for the last three school years, but she decided to remove herself from the leadership team last spring semester. She told us that she wanted to focus on studies while she was “in season” and traveling with softball. We were excited this fall when she came back on our team. Jessica approached me saying that she wanted to speak at our weekly meeting a few weeks later. She wanted to talk about some things that had been happening in her life. It turned out that during her message she talked about some serious events in her life that caused her to fall in depression and some bad choices that she made over Christmas break last year. This was the true reason that she had stopped being on AIA Leadership. But the Lord showed Himself to her over the semester and she came back to Him and started to walk with Him even stronger. By God’s grace she came back on our leadership team this fall and started to again reach out to her teammates, many of whom were at our weekly meeting when she spoke! A couple of weeks ago, she texted this message to our Leadership team: God has been working BIG this week! I was able to hold a bible study with my assistant coaches, had 3 girls come to me asking about Christ and wanting to sit down and talk to me about the gospel (even at the library!). I am about to head over to the Christian bible store to help pick out a bible for one girl, and another asked to go to church with me next Sunday!! AND two (one that I spoke with this week) are watching Gods Not Dead with me this weekend..... GOD IS MOVING!!!!!!

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for all the details of our move.  Closing in Indy on June 23rd and in Xenia on June 24.
• Pray: That our transition will go smoothly
• Pray that we would acclimate to Xenia quickly and find a church to be involved with.

If you would like our new address, please leave a comment here (our comments are moderated so it will not appear) and I will reply back with our Xenia address.

Sports– A Universal Language

Below you will find our May 2015 newsletter. In our last newsletter, we announced that we are transferring to another ministry of Cru. If you missed that announcement, you can see that letter online at: http://bit.ly/AIARebholz

We want to give you a glimpse of what Athletes in Action does, so we will attempt to use the next few newsletters to highlight specific facets of the ministry.

Volume 9 Issue 4
Sports– A Universal Language

“Sports ministry provides the greatest opportunity in our time for global evangelism and creating sustainable discipleship movements through national staff and volunteers who can use the platform of sport to connect with the lost and reach their communities and their nations for Christ.” [Quoted from: Athletes in Action Annual Report 2014 pg 6]

With staff and a ministry presence in 40+ countries and volunteers working in another 20+ countries, AIA is taking great strides in global evangelism. AIA uses a model of ministry that includes: reaching top sports influencers, empowering churches to reach their communities, utilizing media, and leveraging global sporting events.

An example of this ministry is the country of Brazil. It hosted the 2014 World Cup and will host the Olympics in 2016. Local churches rose up to provide ministry in eight of the twelve cities where World Cup events were hosted. City coordinators trained 2,639 volunteers from 351 churches. They had 66 AIA church fan zones in the eight cities. The fan zones provided outreach parties that capitalized on the excitement of the soccer games.

The media component was also a key part of the strategy in Brazil. The Prize film, which features world class soccer players from around the globe sharing their faith in Jesus, was shown as well as handed out in the fan zones in partnership with the Brazilian Bible Society. Elsewhere, the film was also broadcast on national television in numerous countries (including several in Northern Africa and the Middle East).

Watch: The Prize - Under Pressure:

[See more about The Prize - Under Pressure at the website: http://www.theprize.com/]

Even though the World Cup is over, the network of churches and volunteers have what is needed to build on the momentum and prepare for the Olympics next year. The goal is to see these churches and volunteers expand ministry movements in 27 cities by the time the Olympics come to town.

Athletes in Action desires to see that what has occurred in Brazil becomes a model for sports ministry around the world. Our hope is to have more than 100,000 volunteers servings with AIA in the 250 largest cities of the world.

Prayers & Praise:

• Praise: Our Indy home sold in just 7 days.
• Pray: For all the details of the pending sale of our home in Indy. Closing June 23rd.
• Pray: Details for the move to Xenia, OH. Closing on home June 24
• Pray: That our transition will go smoothly

A Story of Faith - Traevon Jackson

ESPN just did a great story on a Wisconsin Badger player's faith...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2015/story/_/id/12600400/wisconsin-badgers-guard-traevon-jackson-leans-faith

Our own God story in the making

Volume 9 Issue 3

Our own God story in the making

 Spring has sprung: flowers in bloom, kids playing outdoors and so forth.   As with our lives a new season has begun, a new chapter in ministry for us!  In our last newsletter, we hinted at a coming change.  We want to share with you the BIG NEWS that has been developing for us in ministry.  We will be moving (in the coming months) to serve with another ministry of Cru- Athletes in Action!

First, the back-story: Over the last two years or so, we have had occasions to for us to be involved in a scope that is much larger than our roles with Keynote.  About a year ago, we began to put feelers out looking for a change in our part within the ministry of Cru.  Thus allowing for this larger scope to be part of our normal jobs (rather than added on).  Months rolled by with very little being a good fit or peaking our interests and gifting.  But we still felt like God was leading to something more.  It’s a God story, really!  In November, Mike had interactions with the Human Resources Director of AIA (whom Mike knew all the way back from 1998 when they joined Cru staff together). In talking with this ministry’s leader about HR related matters, Mike discovered a potential role that sounded like a good fit.  The more we investigated the possibility of these ministry roles with AIA, the more we got excited.  The experiences and trainings that both of us have had, were exactly what AIA was looking for and in need of!

We have been offered and accepted roles with the Leadership Development and Human Resources department.  Mike will become the associate national director of the department.  Leslie will continue to serve as an application evaluator and a new staff support coach.

As the Lord would have it, since we LOVE what we do, these new roles are almost exactly the same we had at Keynote.  Our scope will now have influence in training and equipping 460+ AIA staff worldwide as well as sending out new laborers in the gospel work!

We will need to move from our home in Indianapolis, to the AIA headquarters located in Xenia, Ohio (near Dayton).  Our goal is to start the new school year there September 1st.  We are excited to be part of what God is doing through the ministries of Athletes in Action.

For those that give financially to our ministry, this does not change anything in how you give.  AIA is part of Cru.

Should you be interested in more details we would love the opportunity to talk further with you.  Please comment on our blog (all comments are moderated, and will not appear directly) and leave your contact info.

Prayers:

• The Joy of the Lord (Neh. 8:10) would be our strength in these months of transition.
• The Lord would provide opportunities for us to talk with new partners who would be interested in the ministry of AIA.
• The Lord to go before us and prepare a house/home for us in Ohio.

TIMELINE

April-June: Prep house for the market and sell our home. Pack.

July: Cru biennial staff conference in Colorado

August:  In faith sell our home, move to Xenia and find new house.

September 1: start new roles at AIA.

Training up

Volume 9 Issue 2

Training up

She was trying to protect the information in the ministry office as armed guards ransacked it.  “They beat her to the point she almost died. We had to flee the country.”  I (Mike) sat in shock as I heard this husband share his story of why as a national from this former Russian State; he and his wife were coming to the United States to work at the Cru headquarters following a season of serving in a Middle Eastern country.

We had the opportunity to help train this couple in how to raise support in the United States.  Obviously having served in a country where they couldn't publicly disclose what they were doing, their style of raising support was VERY different.

 

The above photo is the workshop/class we (Mike and Leslie) had the opportunity to help teach and train these new laborers for the Gospel to go forth.  Leslie and I have counted it a privilege to be part of equipping such a diverse group of Cru staff members when we have served at New Staff Training (as we did last month).  In fact, we have enjoyed these opportunities so much, we have been taking intentional steps to increase the scope of our ministry beyond Keynote (but you will have to wait till next newsletter to hear about that). 

Praise & Prayer:

• Strength and His peace during a season of  transition.  (more     details to come next month)
• Together we are coaching two families. Pray for them to meet their April deadline so that they can partake of the international training for their fall assignment overseas.
• Praise: For the opportunity to train 60+ laborers at Cru’s New Staff Training in early Feb. and we all got to go as a family.

Erica's Story

Volume 9 Issue 1
Erica's Story

In our work in Human Resources, we often get just one opportunity to speak with a person and help them in the process of deciding if full-time ministry is for them.  Then there are other opportunities where we get to have multiple chances – like Erica…

Erica had just completed her freshman year at Michigan State University when we first met her on the 2009 Keynote Summer Project.  At Cru’s Christmas Conference in 2011 we talked with her about internship options (Keynote, overseas, back at Michigan State…) upon her graduation.  A few months later Erica applied to do an internship with Keynote.  Leslie had the privilege to pour into Erica as she evaluated her internship application.  In 2013-2014 (the year following her time at Keynote) Erica spent a year with Cru overseas.  In the fall Leslie met up with Erica at a follow up conference for new staff with Cru. Erica has recently reported to her full-time assignment in Boston.  We asked her to share a bit of her journey with you.

When you met with Mike and Leslie, what solidified your decision to intern with Keynote?

From what I remember of our conversation, I appreciated being able to ask you both many questions and felt cared for in an unbiased way. I'm sure you guys wanted me to intern with Keynote, but it was very important to me to feel cared for in whatever decision I would come to make and I felt that way with you guys. That care actually helped me make the decision to intern with Keynote.

As you look back on the past years, is there anything that the Lord used to confirm you calling to Staff?

In the midst of MPD [Ministry Partner Development], I've been reminded of the need for people to know Christ for the future (eternity) and immensely here on earth. I've been refreshed hearing countless stories of students who've made decision to follow Christ and hearing how Jesus has brought them fulfillment and purpose. I've been reminded of my deep desire for getting the gospel out to students who might not have anyone in their life who follows Christ. I've had times where I've rejoiced at knowing my life matters because I have Christ in my life no matter what the circumstances and this fervent desire to make this possible for other students has further confirmed my calling on staff. And in general, I really enjoy Cru. :)

See the FULL interview at: http://bit.ly/erica_interview

Prayer Requests

• Wisdom and unity as we gear up to work on support full time in the near future.
• As we travel next month to training new staff.  Strength for the long work days.
• Prayer for Chelsey (whom Leslie is coaching) as she is walking through a challenging season in her life.  (grace, wisdom, forgiveness)

An Interview with Erica...

In our January 2015 newsletter, we shared a couple items from an interview with Erica.  Here is the full interview:

What part did your Keynote summer project experience play in growing your faith?

God used my time on summer project with Keynote in 2009 in incredible ways to grow me. I look back on that time remembering a few significant things. One was about God's forgiveness of me and with that my ability through him to forgive my sister when she hurts me. Another thing I learned was spending time alone with God each day. I watched another student all summer read her Bible in the mornings and that's when I first started that spiritual discipline in my life. This was also a time learning how I could use relevant things like music to share Christ with others.

When you met with Mike and Leslie, what solidified your decision to intern with Keynote?

From what I remember of our conversation, I appreciated being able to ask you both many questions and felt cared for in an unbiased way. I'm sure you guys wanted me to intern with Keynote, but it was very important to me to feel cared for in whatever decision I would come to make and I felt that way with you guys. That care actually helped me make the decision to intern with Keynote.What role has Cru, its trainings, experiences played in your Spiritual Growth/ walk with the Lord?SO MUCH. I would say the past 6 years of my life have been extremely life-changing as God has used 2 Summer projects, 5 Christmas Conferences, discipleship, and 2 years of interning to equip me. I feel like I've learned so much about who Jesus is and the life God has given me through him, in the midst of my trials and errors, in the past 6 years. I've seen people who don't give up on me and the reflection that is of how the Lord will not give up on me. Learning to walk by the Holy Spirit was something He taught me and is continuing to teach me all the time. 

Tell me a bit about your year overseas?  What did you do while there?

While overseas in the Middle East I was a part of a team doing campus ministry in a large city. We went to 5 different university campuses and would have conversations about life, God, and the gospel. God gave us many opportunities to share Christ and we had spiritual discussion groups and English clubs each week. My favorite part was getting to think through and create a few digital strategies that helped us get in touch with students who may have never had another opportunity to share the gospel. For example, we had the Falling Plates video translated and advertised on Facebook. In the first two weeks, there were over 17,000 views by college students in our country. Crazy!! 

As you look back on the past years, is there anything that the Lord used to confirm you calling to Staff?

In the midst of MPD [Ministry Partner Development], I've been reminded of the need for people to know Christ for the future (eternity) and immensely here on earth. I've been refreshed hearing countless stories of students who've made decision to follow Christ and hearing how Jesus has brought them fulfillment and purpose. I've been reminded of my deep desire for getting the gospel out to students who might not have anyone in their life who follows Christ. I've had times where I've rejoiced at knowing my life matters because I have Christ in my life no matter what the circumstances and this fervent desire to make this possible for other students has further confirmed my calling on staff. And in general, I really enjoy Cru. :)

Jesus has changed Erica’s life!  Through these different ministry opportunities (Summer Project, Internship, and joining staff with Cru) she is helping others see the life-changing message of the Gospel in their lives as well. What a journey it has been to walk alongside the next generation as they are called reach people for Christ.  Erica is just one of the many people we’ve had the opportunity to pour into, to equip, and to train so that the Gospel goes forth. Thank you for the opportunity to not only help change lives but see young men and women use their talents, vocation and to help build the Lord’s Kingdom.