The Orchestration

Meet Our Friends: Rhymz Suhreal

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

When we moved to Indianapolis in December, we had this mindset of "instant community" by living so close to our Keynote friends. We were deep within community in Dayton with our friends from Apex, Covenant Creek, and Passage. What we didn't anticipate was the timing of our move, as so many of our friends left town for Christmas with families and working at various Christmas Conferences [see our previous post on Christmas Conference]. It worked out well, though, because we had our hands full with unpacking, organizing, and settling into our new home. Thankfully, God had a special bonus for us....new friends!

Zak and Becky and their three kiddos actually moved into the area about the same time as us. They are new staff, too! We seemed to be the only two families in town for awhile! We were blessed by hanging out with them and looking for church homes together.

We wanted to introduce you to them and what they're doing with Keynote. Zak and Becky are hip-hop artists for Keynote! Their band's name is Rhymz Suhreal. In August, they traveled to Kenya for two weeks, to minister to children. They delivered Bibles, taught them Bible lessons, and co-wrote a song with them.

You can learn more about and/or keep up with Rhymz Suhreal from their website.

Enjoy a quick glimpse of their time in Kenya:

Rhymz Suhreal @ Soweto Academy (Kibera, Kenya) from Rhymz Suhreal on Vimeo.

Photo Friday

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

A little more official. Name badges!

Lord, we trust You for our provision of what we need. We know this journey is in Your hands, and You know what we need. We're ready to work from the office now. A few years ago, we weren't ready. Please bring in that last bit of support soon!

"Tewbowing" - a way to start spiritual conversations!

2012-01-25T13:53:00.006-05:00

One part of Keynote that we are excited to help out with is with the yearly Christmas Conferences. College students from all over the US go to different regional conferences between Christmas and New Year's. We both were able to attend our regional Christmas Conference in Indianapolis [Indy CC] several times throughout college.

Indy CC was where I [Jonelle] fell in love with the city of Indianapolis. There was just something special about the city that drew me in. Little did I know that it would be my home someday! Also, Indy CC was where Tony and I really started our friendship [albeit a little ironic, as we both went to the same university]. Little did I know that this guy would be my husband someday!

We are very excited to be able to work at the conferences next year, since they were a big impact on our lives! These conferences also can have a big impact on Keynote, because we use these conferences as a time to share with students about opportunities with Keynote, either on Summer Project, with an internship, or with full-time staff. [This is where we first learned about Keynote!]

This winter, some of our staff helped out at the Denver Christmas Conference, where over 1,000 students from various schools attended. At this conference, students packed thousands of meals to send to Haiti and heard from great speakers during the sessions...but what was interesting to hear was that they did a “Tebowing” flash mob in downtown Denver as a way to start spiritual conversations!

Check out the Denver newscast featuring these students "Tebowing" downtown!

Photo Friday

2012-01-20T19:40:00.001-05:00

The living room transformation is almost finished! It won't be much longer until we post final pictures. We hung these panels today. It was great to get something large up on the walls in this big space! It was also great that it was low-cost, too! (foam insulation panels covered in fabric!)

Photo Friday

2012-01-13T20:48:00.002-05:00

I'm hoping to get back into "Photo Friday" postings, whether they be photos from my DSLR or my phone. Today, you get the phone picture.

When we moved in to our house, we peeked under the carpet to see if we had hardwood flooring hiding underneath all that carpet. We didn't see anything, though.

Fast forward to today. Tony checked again - a little closer this time, and peek-a-boo, look what we found!

What is next?

2011-12-28T14:55:00.000-05:00

We have moved to our new home in Indiana! We just celebrated the birth of our King with family and friends this past weekend. I am sure you are pondering your own life about what is next? That is a great question to ask, especially as we turn a new chapter with 2012 quickly approaching. For us, we are still focused on the last tidbit of ministry partner development as we call it, or rather support raising. We have been in talks with Keynote department heads which allows us to pin down what our exact roles are going to be in 2012. We have high hopes and prayers that we will be finished with support be the end of January! We are very confident in the power of God, He brought us to Indiana and is ready to finish out the mission!

Another idea we had about keeping you our ministry partners in the loop even more frequently is an email/online only update each week. We are still tweaking out the name, but it will be short and sent out on Tuesdays, so keep your eyes out on January 3rd for the first of 52 updates in 2012!

-T

Moving!

2011-11-15T15:57:00.006-05:00

We are moving again...this time it is to Noblesville, Indiana! We found a house that we absolutely love. It's pretty much our dream home. [another post coming about that God-led process] We close on the house this month - on the 28th and move on the 30th!

We are so excited and blessed for this step in the process, yet we are definitely sad to say "see you later" to so many friends here in Dayton. We really do love our community here will be sad to leave...luckily, we will only be 2 hours away, so we anticipate many road trips! :)

We still have support to be raised, though. Even though we'll soon be living 15 minutes away from the Keynote office, we can't go in there to work until we are at 100%! If you are able to help connect us with people who may be interested in hearing about our ministry with Keynote, or if you are interested in support info yourself - let us know! [Click Here ] We'd love for you to help us reach our goal!

One of our faves from our recent "good-bye, Dayton"
photo shoot with Fullam Photography.

The Gap Theory

2011-09-23T14:02:00.005-04:00

In our latest newsletter, we shared with you about a Keynote team [The Gap Theory] who is heading to India in less than a week. We are eager to see how God uses this team for His purposes.

We wanted to share with you a short video that the members of this team created. It talks about this trip to India and how you can be praying for them.

You can keep updated on what is happening during their trip by:

Their blog: click here
Their Facebook page: click here

September Update

2011-09-15T09:31:00.002-04:00

Our excitement is growing as we are inches away from having 90% of our initial support raised! We are beginning the process of looking for housing, which is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. We hope to take a trip out to Indy in October to look at some living options and sit down with some people at Keynote to talk about our placements. The light at the end of the tunnel is growing larger each day. We are continuing to vividly see God's hand and provision through this whole process and are deeply encouraged by Him.

Click here to view our September update!

-T & J

I Told You So.

2011-08-24T12:54:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I was getting ready for a quick trip to the store. Some milk, cleaning supplies, and a few other essentials were on the list. Being big fans of Dave Ramsey and Crown Financial Ministries, I started to get into my cash "envelope" binder while making my list for the trip. Unfortunately, five one-dollar bills looked back at me in the 'grocery' pocket. Boo. It was August 23 - eight days left in the month.

I started thinking: Can we make it eight days with five dollars for food? I mean, I already need a gallon of milk and that is going to cut what I have in half! Aye. I thought about just moving over some other money from another pocket or just putting what I need on the debit card. Was that cheating the system, though?

Then, the still, small voice: Don't worry. Go get your milk. Go run your errands. Don't worry. Trust Me.

Fine.

I will. I'll trust You, Lord. I knew it was You who led us to do this cash budget. And, it was You we looked to as we set it up. I'll trust You.

I pulled out of the driveway with my list of places to go. Starting down the road, I had this feeling that I needed to go to the post office first. I usually always hit up the post office last when I run errands to check our PO Box. No reason, it's just on the way home. This time, I turned around and went to the post office first, even though it was a tad out of my way for where I needed to go. Going through our mail as I'm walking out, I just had to smile. Some Kroger bucks had come in the mail! [We have a Kroger Credit Card that don't carry a balance on, but we use for gasoline & big purchases. It's a rewards card, and we periodically get certificates for in-store credit to Kroger. I call them 'Kroger bucks'.]

If God says "I told you so.", He totally did at that moment. Ha. I was able to get food we needed for the rest of the month with the Kroger bucks. Praise Him!

...and I still have those five little one-dollar bills in my envelope.

Enjoy!

2011-08-10T11:40:00.005-04:00

We really enjoyed hearing all the different speakers at national staff conference. We heard from a wide variety of people - Francis Chan, David Platt, and many more!

We are excited to share that experience with you! Some of the sessions were recorded and posted online for you to experience also. What a treat. :)

Check it out:
http://www.ccci.org/csu/index.htm

August Update

2011-08-09T11:31:00.000-04:00

I think we are finally acclimated back to Dayton after being in Colorado for national staff conference. We really enjoyed being with our Keynote family and look forward to being reunited with them very soon! Click here to read more about our trip in our August update letter.

"Go do something that requires faith" -Francis Chan CSU 2011

2011-07-20T16:07:00.000-04:00

It has been a little while since our last update on the blog. I am going to say it is due to our extra busy lives, but really it is probably due to not knowing what would be intriguing to post. So here is something I think is intriguing.

Jonelle and I are currently in Colorado at Campus Crusade for Christ's staff conference which is held every other summer. Having just turned 30 only a few days before we boarded our plane I have been really apprehensive about this next part of my life. Wondering and praying what the Lord is going to do. I think in the back of my mind where most of the depressing thoughts were coming from were actually me just not seeing the potential I still have to do the Lords work and build my own character in the process. I forgot that all things are in the Lord's timing and not my own. I also forgot that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the only thing that I need to be fulfilled.

That is hard to process when I have been looking forward to being fully financially supported with ministry partners for so long, physically moving and unpacking our stuff and finally being around our fellow staff in Indy. I have to be content with just being a child of God's and walking faithfully in obedience. Because that should be enough to sustain me each day. If I am not abiding in the Spirit each day then I am only being fulfilled by my own wishes and desires. I know I want more, but I only want it if it is truly from God and not from my own efforts. Each day and each step of faith is allowing my heart to understand His will during this phase of life.

So I am learning more and more at this conference, even seeing prayers from my mind and heart being answered. Confirmation of what I am seeking is glorious. Only the Lord can move a mountain in order for His children to experience more of Him. Which means I have to continue to press forward and go do even more that requires faith.

Creation?

2011-04-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

Today is a beautiful day outside, with sun shining bright and temperatures that allow the flowers to bloom and smell wonderful. It is one of those days that make me ponder on what it was like on that first day of completed creation. The beauty we see now in the world is probably only a glimpse of the glorious perfect first day of life.

The verse mentioned above was written by the apostle Paul. It was written probably within 60 years after Christ ascended into heaven. Which means Paul was not there to see day one of life, matter of fact he did not see the death and resurrection of Christ with his own eyes. So what sort of credentials does Paul have to write about something he didn't experience first hand?

Paul did experience the beauty of creation first hand because he lived and traveled all throughout the middle east, Europe and Asia. With all that travel he saw the beautiful mountains and valleys, rivers and waterfalls, animals of all sorts and so much more. Paul also saw Jesus with his own eyes when Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus. Jesus miraculously changed Paul's life and the way he saw the world and its beauty. Even with Paul's glimpse of true beauty through creation and the creator it was enough to change his heart and mentality of whose will to follow.

Paul was without excuse because his eyes were opened to beauty, love, compassion, grace, joy and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Paul believed in Christ and the grace he lavishly poured out, that he wrote, all of us are without excuse. Paul was only following the will of God through the grace of Christ being led by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I wonder why we make up excuses. Have your eyes been opened?

-T

Faithfulness.

2011-04-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

We recently passed through the 80% mark of raising our initial support to get out into the field! Three cheers! It is really surreal to look at our goal percentage. God is faithful to complete what He has started! Throughout this whole process, we've had goals and dates when we've liked to be moved to Indy. It looks like God is preparing us for a summertime move.

You can check out our latest update/prayer letter here: March 2011

Thanks for taking this journey alongside of us!

"Now may the God of peace himselfsanctify you completely, and may your wholespirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Tony & Jonelle

Photo Friday: Cakealicious

2011-04-08T08:28:00.001-04:00

My sister is getting married next month! Her bridal shower is this weekend, so off to BG we go. My aunts and I are throwing her the shower, and I'm in charge of the cake. I have an idea in my head of how I want the final product to turn out - and this idea needed a 12" round cake pan to do it. I've never baked a cake in something that huge - scary! I was very pleased, when I checked the oven this morning to see how things were progressing...

Mmmm, chocolate. I hope it makes it until Sunday!

-J

Photo Friday: Mr Dignified

2011-04-02T09:49:00.002-04:00

Oops. It's Saturday. Sorry.

Sammy is special to us. We lived with his parents and older brother for nine months, all while he was cooking in his momma's belly. He's a very lovey boy. Sometimes when I hold him, he gives me a big bear hug and cuddles. I appreciate Samuel's concern, because my husband simply does not like to cuddle.

I like to entertain the thought that Sammy will be a high ranking government official one day, possibly even the President of the United States. In the midst of a crazy fun moment, he many times has the most dignified little look on his face.

Remember us when you're big and famous, Samuel!

-J

Photo Friday: Move It, Move It

2011-03-25T09:35:00.006-04:00

This edition of Photo Friday has been brought to you by Two Men &

A Truck [Dayton North]...and my hubbs. :)

Yesterday, Tony & I went to the Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Celebration for our friends' [David & Laurie] franchise of Two Men & A Truck in Huber Heights. We wanted to show support for them - and who wouldn't turn down cookies shaped like moving trucks!

I got the chance to practice photography in a casual, party-like setting. I knew there would be something special at this party because earlier this week, Laurie was asking around for a transparency projector. When we walked into the office, we saw their company's logo transformed into a wooden cutout for pictures! My hubbs snapped this picture of me with the party planner...

Great job, Laurie! We're excited to use Two Men & A Truck when we move to Indy!

-J

Details Matter.

2011-03-23T17:29:00.006-04:00

In December, I learned about a local ministry that was birthed through some people from our church family. I received an invite on Facebook to vote for this organization, Shoes4theShoeless, so that they could win this $50,000 grant from Pepsi. I hadn't heard of the organization, so I went to their website to see what it was about.

While investigating, I saw this story: [Remember, this is December. It's cold in Ohio in December.]

There are thousands of kids all around us who do not have shoes/socks fit to wear. Just an hour ago a school nurse called me because a little girl walked to school (it is 4 degrees here with snow) in shoes with no soles. No socks either. Her feet were soaked and frozen.
Right now, shoes and socks are being taken to her, along with the 90 other pairs we are delivering this morning to 10 schools.

They give hope. Their mission is to provide properly fitting shoes to children in desperate need. They provide kids with brand new shoes that fit, along with a clean pair of socks. For some kids, it's the first time they have ever owned a brand new pair of shoes.

Long story short, I voted for the organization. A lot. So did other people, because they won the grant. Tony and I were able to go on an outing last week to deliver shoes to some area schools. God reminded me of something last week. I know He deeply cares for these kids, all of us in fact. I was reminded that He doesn't just care about us. He cares about the precious details in our lives...even down to the shoes.

I had the pleasure of meeting this little girl pictured on the left. While I was getting and opening her box of shoes, I was talking with her about different things. I peeked in the box, and oh wow, were these shoes pink! I looked up at her and asked her if she liked pink. Her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. She excitedly nodded her head "yes". Then, I dramatically shut the box and gave her a confused-like look. I asked: "Are you sure you like pink? I mean, really sure?" She exclaimed, "Yes! Yes! Pink is my very favorite color!" I will not easily forget her huge smile when I showed her the box of pink shoes. She saw another volunteer's shoes [on the right] and was excited that they were "shoe twins". Yes, she would have been happy for shoes that simply fit. But, God cares about the details. He made sure they were pink.

Another little girl really loved the shoes she had and thought they were pretty, but they were just too small. What a God-thing when she opened the box to see the exact same pair, only new! The picture above is of her new shoes [left] the team gave her and her old shoes [right].

Greg & Tony after a successful shoe fitting!

photos taken by Shoes4theShoeless

Are you in love yet? Want to help out with a shoe drive, a shoe delivery, or just want more info? Email Shoes4TheShoeless@gmail.com

-J

Photo Friday: March Madness

2011-03-18T08:04:00.002-04:00

You can disagree with my opinion. It doesn't bother me. I don't particularly care for March. Yes, I just said it.

Before we got married, I did not have a feeling either way about this month. It wasn't until nine whole months of marriage - our first March together - that I realized the horribleness of this particular month.

March Madness.

Basketball is on the television. All. The. Time.

So, in honor of this crazy month.....

Tony & Allen were shooting hoops one afternoon [in late February, can you believe that?] and I captured this swoosh by my hubbs. Here's hoping my bracket beats his. :)

-J

The Earthquake in Japan

2011-03-15T14:29:00.002-04:00

The recent tragic events in Japan have made my mind wonder what this all means biblically. An earthquake so powerful it caused a tsunami and claimed the lives of thousands. I started thinking about what an earthquake is and how we can be prepared for when one hits. The crazy thing is you can never be ready for an earthquake. Sure we can build strong buildings or try not to live near a fault line, but we will never be prepared for when the actual event of the earthquake happens. Scientists can tell us how strong it was, or explain in science terms how it will destruct the area, but they can never tell us on what day or hour an earthquake will hit.

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Matthew 27:50-53

The bible tells us of the very first earthquake and it happens at a time that filled with spiritual battle. During the death of Jesus on the cross we witness victory. I find it interesting that this earthquake hit amidst most likely the strongest spiritual battle in history. I believe spiritual battle is real and it can affect us deeply and personally.

So I might be concluding that earthquakes could be the result of very powerful and scary spiritual battle. Think about how powerful our creator God really is and when He goes to battle against the darkness that is Satan, how much really goes on. I almost imagine the death-match we see at the end of movies when superheroes fight each other for victory. Terrible destruction and casualties even occur during these spectacles of heroes rising to the occasion of fending off evil. Our God is doing the same thing still. He is alive and fighting off evil and darkness.

It is also no coincidence that these scary and tragic natural disasters happen where darkness reigns. I know we have false gods that we worship in our own country, but I sometimes will think that our safety in worship is incidental because we don’t build statues of idols and the like. Then I realize we do, it is just through fame and fortune, or through engineering and technology, or through pride and protection of ourselves. These natural disasters that happen to the spiritually dark countries are horrific and change lives, but honestly we are not that much different. God is fighting hard to defeat the darkness that resides in Satan’s heart. God is fighting so hard for you and your eyes to be open to the truth that He literally shakes things up.

-T

Photo Friday: Now I Know My ABCs

2011-03-11T08:05:00.002-05:00

When it's not raining or snowing these days, which has been very few days recently, Moses & I typically take a walk around the neighborhood. Even though he sometimes puts on the breaks and won't move, he likes it. He does. His tail usually keeps wagging. I'd like to think that he is not overly out of breath, but just taking in the scenery. :)

On our walks, I've recently began to see letters. [I don't care if you laugh; I can't hear you.] I know my brain doesn't usually think like most, but just look around the next time you are outside. I think you'll start to see them, too.

So, I've decided that on my walks, I am going to capture these letters. I'm not sure what kinds of words I am going to make out of them once I get a good alphabet going. If you would like any words, let me know, I can look for those letters first.

Here is my first letter, Mr. Y. [Does anyone remember The Letter People?]

-J

What is a blessing?

2011-03-07T18:31:00.000-05:00

Luke 5:1-12

What is a blessing? Jesus gave us the Beatitudes to help give us a clear picture. Sometimes I still wonder what the core point was of that portion of His sermon on the mount. It is the opening statement in order to catch the attention of those attending. Jesus is describing parts of life and the choices we make that are either spiritual or tangible. He is describing actions and emotions that we encounter as we make daily decisions. Jesus describes a way of living that is upside down to what the world standard is. It is completely opposite to the American dream mentality and pushes the envelope when He shares, “rejoice and be glad” after you have been persecuted for His name.

Have you ever taken time to reflect if you have actually been persecuted? Have you meditated if you even measure up to the list of blessings Jesus describes? Sometimes the term “I am blessed” or similar phrases get thrown around a lot in Christian circles, but do we really know what the blessing really is? It is easy to see a tangible blessing that makes us live comfortably, or the amazing miracle of growing your family in child birth. Maybe the act of service and sacrifice for others are the blessings you hold onto. But I am still wondering how all this stuff we believe to be a blessing looks like to our Father and his Son Jesus.

The Holy Spirit moves inside of our heart and mind telling us, yes indeed that was a good thing to do. The Spirit is there to determine and decipher what the Lord desires for us. It even lets us know that our motive behind a blessing is either pure or not. This is another grey area of defining what a blessing is.

I am asking the question because I believe there is an answer. The four gospel letters include numerous accounts of when Jesus tells us the truth. The truth is Jesus is the son of God and gave Himself as a sacrifice to pay for our sin. Jesus is now seated with His Father preparing a place for us, who know and believe this to be true, in His kingdom. I think that truth is the core to what a blessing is. Knowing and believing absolute truth is the best blessing we could ever have in our life and helps us be confident in salvation. Absolute truth from God is powerful, sharing that truth with others is important. The absolute truth Jesus fills us up with helps us fight against the world. Believing in absolute truth helps guide our thoughts and actions through the Holy Spirit. If you meditate on how truth through Jesus has changed your life, then discovering what blessings are actual blessings might become clearer.

-T

Photo Friday: Get Comfy

2011-03-04T07:00:00.006-05:00

This past fall, I stumbled upon a half-off coupon for an online photography class through Big Picture Classes. The class, "Picture Fall", was a 31-day class through the month of October. Each day, we were given a prompt to spark our creative juices. Then, there was an online forum that we posted our pictures. I loved sharing my photos and seeing how others interpreted the prompts each day. Granted, I didn't make it the full 31 days, but I saved all the prompts and plan to make another attempt this coming October!

The prompt that inspired this picture was: Get Comfy. This photo encompasses many of the things that are "comfy" to me. Plus, spring is literally right around the corner. Even though this picture was taken in the fall, it reminds me that we will soon be able to enjoy the outdoors without freezing!

-The Velvet Chair. This chair isn't mine, but I seriously hope to own one like it some day. It screams comfy + fun.

-The Mug of Tea. It has to be in the extra tall mug, of course. Hot cocoa would do just fine, too.

-The Book. Growing up, I read for fun all the time. Then college happened. My reading for fun quickly dwindled because all of the reading for classes took priority. I'm finding again that reading can be fun!

-The Outdoors. I LOVE being outside. Walks. Camping. Anything. I constantly tell Tony that when we have our own house someday...I must have a hammock.

What would be in your "get comfy" picture?

-J

Just The Band Girl

2011-03-03T10:41:00.001-05:00

Since this fall, Tony & I have been helping out with a church plant from our local church called Covenant Creek. We both didn't know what we would be getting into while serving there...in a good way. :)

Some weeks while the lead musician is out, I get to be in charge. Pulling music, arranging songs, and leading practices are not anything new for me. Recently, I was on the CCLI website looking up copyright information for a song, and I came across an article. Looking back at my journey of leading music, I can identify with this article. I can identify with it going all the way back to when I was in seventh grade and started volunteering to play on the youth band at my church.

The article, in which I highly encourage you to take a peek here, was written by Paul Baloche. [You may have heard some of his songs...Your Name, Open the Eyes of my Heart, and more.] He starts out talking about his attitude of being "just the band guy". That attitude was mine too starting out in seventh grade! Even though I was the "worship leader" for several groups/events in high school and college, I felt like I was "just the band girl". After all, I'm not a great communicator in the first place, and that is the pastor's job anyway, right? My talents were music, so I played the music. Serve where your talents are, right?

Oh, but there is so much more.

Paul explained that as he led more and more, there was a shift in the "just a band guy" attitude. He said: "As weeks turned into months and months into years I began to grow in my love and concern for the people that I served each Sunday. Instead of fearing their disapproval or rejection of me, I began to realize how important our corporate gatherings were to the spiritual health of our congregation."

When we started helping out with Covenant Creek...that was it...we were "just" helping out, helping this little church with their transition out on their own. Once they figured it out [whatever "it" is], we could move on, right?

Maybe.

But, now I am thinking more along the lines that we [as in Tony & I] are the ones who had things to figure out...not this new little church. We're pretty integrated now. I've definitely grown in my love and concern for the people we serve each week. Over the past 5 months, I don't fear disapproval or rejection anymore. I am not as concerned with a clutch set list. Paul nailed exactly what I have been feeling and transitioning to..."being more focused on how we could build up and encourage others through music, prayers, and scripture".

So, Covenant Creek. Thanks. I look forward to serving with ya'll for the time we have with you. :)

-J

Photo Friday

2011-02-25T15:09:00.002-05:00

In the past year, I have really discovered my deep love for photography. I think there has always been a spark down in there, but my hubbs really helped to ignite the fire when he got me my first big girl, dSLR camera for my birthday last year. It was such a surprise, and totally great to get something for my birthday that was pure fun, as I usually ask for more practical things. :)

I have the opportunity to do some photo shoots this past year, which have been so much fun! I am still learning the ins and outs of shooting in manual mode. I am especially excited about a day class that I am taking tomorrow with Locke Innovations.

I love creating things that make people happy...not in a people pleasing kind of way, though. But, in way that what I create can capture an essence of something that is dear to someone else....and that something is "fridge-worthy" or even "hang it up on the wall-worthy". Something that will make them smile when they take a glance.

All said, I am going to *try* to post just one picture each Friday. "Photo Friday". We shall see what comes out of this endeavor.

This photo is the first one I took with my new macro lens. You guessed it; it's Moses. I can't help but smile when he comes up close for a lick, even if his breath is so very rank. I saved up for this lens for a while, and am in love with it! I can't wait to take newborn pics for a good friend when her baby is done cookin'. :)

-J

Take Two

2011-02-22T16:25:00.005-05:00

When we completed New Staff Training for Campus Crusade, they sent us off with two things to complete....finish raising our support and finish this New Testament Survey correspondence seminary course. During training, we actually took two courses - Intro to Theology & Bible Study Methods. Both classes were awesome, but this NT Survey was a little more intimidating. With raising support full-time, working our previous jobs full-time, and still holding some big ministry roles [and trying to figure out how to transition out of them]....we got a little lost in, what I still refer to as, the "go eat popcorn" books of the NT

*Side Fun*

I don't remember where the "go eat popcorn" saying originated. All that I remember, is my best friend growing up and I used it to keep the order straight of 4 books in the middle. Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, Colossians. Get it? Go Eat PopCorn. Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, Colossians. Don't laugh - it'll grow on you. :)

*Back to the Post*

So.....we got lost in the middle of this course and didn't finish. Looking back, perhaps we took on a little more than we could handle. Bottom line. We didn't finish.

Fast-forwarding to currently - with only 25% of our support left to come in, we realized that we better finish this course! Instead of starting from the middle where we stopped, we decided to start over from the beginning. Our first "class" was this week.

Re-starting this class is exciting to me because:
*I love to learn.
*Tony & I get to work through it together - things are always more fun with another!
*I've been able to do some good book studies on a few of the NT books over the past couple years, and I'm interested to see how doings those may shed more light on this course.
*How cool is it to take a class on the Bible - FOR YOUR JOB! Yay! I'm really looking forward to being taught by God through this class.

Re-starting this class gives me chills because:
*I don't want to not finish again.
*I am definitely not an auditory learner...and the lectures are non-video mp3s. Aye.
*What if, what if, what if...

All said, "Take Two" began this week. I look forward to sharing neat things I learn and what God teaches me through the coming weeks!
-J

Our Top 10 From 2010

2011-02-21T20:29:00.003-05:00

A little cliché rhyming there? Yep. Actually, I'm not sure if '10' & '2010' technically count as rhyming.

Regardless.

We are constantly telling people that we have been learning and growing so much while we have been building our support team. When 2010 came to a close, we made a top 10 list of our own. Enjoy!

Our Top 10 Things We’ve Learned While Raising Support...

10. God has stretched our faith by putting us in situations we didn’t expect nor prepare.

9. Across the USA, there are many ways of how to ask for a carbonated beverage.

8. The answer is always “no” unless we ask. God has provided through people we had only known for about 10 minutes!

7. God is a great multiplier! We are living on the absolute lowest income ever, and we’ve been blessed to give the most ever to Kingdom things.

6. I think I’ve tried about everything on the menu at Panera while at support meetings.

5. Raising support is definitely not about the money. It’s about spreading His fame.

4. John 15:5 has been made so real to us. “...for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

3. God orchestrates every specific detail in order for Him to be glorified.

2. A car can make it from Florida to Ohio with a broken catalytic converter. Just make sure there is enough speed going down the hills in Kentucky so you can get back up.

1. We are humbled by His specific provision through the great partners He has brought into our path so that we can carry each other’s burdens along this unique journey!

It's February!

2011-02-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

Hello world? Anyone left out there? If you are still following our blog...you should let us know. I think you deserve a prize or something since our last post was October. :)

For our February update click here.

-J for the Utts

October Update

2010-10-18T15:32:00.002-04:00

Click here for our update for October.

In this update, we shared about a team from Keynote who went to Colombia. We also wanted to share with you a couple short videos from the trip as well. The videos are not easy to share in a letter. :) Enjoy!

This first video is from a concert that the team did at a school for kids aged K-12. The entire school was there - even teachers! The principal asked the team to speak in English from the stage so that the students could practice. Mia, the lead singer, actually speaks Spanish quite well. So in this clip, she’s singing in Spanish, but speaking in English. The kids loved it. :)

The team's drummer, Dave, also made quite the impression on the kids in Bogota. Everywhere we went, this was the reaction Dave got:

Taking the Truth to the 8th Continent

2010-09-16T16:10:00.003-04:00

Keynote is all about using innovative resources and creative communication to spark life change. This past year, the door has been blown open for Keynote to pursue ways to take the Gospel to the 8th Continent.

Don't worry. No one has added another physical continent to our current 7 like Pluto has been nixed as a planet. :) The "8th Continent" refers to the Internet and social networking. It is a very real place for those of the "Generation Z". This generation of people were born between the early 1990s and the late 2000s. Their nickname is the "Net Generation" - and they are all about the Internet, social networking, texting, etc... Many parents of these kids are finding it typical to see their child connecting with a friend on Facebook chat, while texting to someone else on their cell phone, all while carrying on a conversation with their parents or someone in the house.

Some research is showing that many of this generation simply aren't leaving Facebook's website. They are finding the answers to questions that they have within the Facebook site.

Interesting.

If the poor and homeless downtown in our city need the Gospel - then we, as the Bride of Christ, need to go to the downtown of our city to connect with them.

If the students on the nearby college campus need the Gospel - then we, as the Bride of Christ, need to go to the nearby college campus to connect with them.

So...........if these teens are connecting with people and looking for their answers on Facebook.com - then we, as the Bride of Christ, need to go to Facebook.com!

And, that's where Keynote comes in! Keynote has created a screencast tutorial that will help you to have life-changing ministry resources like everystudent.com and startingwithgod.com on your Facebook profile page. This video outlines the process necessary to put a Facebook app tab on your Facebook profile page and to help bring some of the answers that Gen Z are searching for to where they are looking: Facebook.

Click here to watch the tutorial.

We'd love for you to leave a comment after you've watched the video to let us know what you think!

How's Your Digital Footprint?

2010-09-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

Our friend, Nick, is on staff with Campus Crusade. He works with Global Media Outreach. His ministry is doing some awesome work in using the Internet to spread the Gospel. Nick recently wrote a great article on digital footprints and why it is important to reflect on our own digital footprints. Click here for a link to the original article or read below:

How's Your Digital Footprint?
by Nick

If you aren’t familiar with the term digital footprint , let me fill you in. Two things make up your digital footprint: the evidence, or traces of your presence that you leave behind while you browse the web, and the number of people connected to you through online social networking communities like Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I’ve been considering my own digital footprint recently. What information is out on the web about me and my family? What should be out there? What needs to be removed…if that’s even possible?

I thought that I’d post a few tips that I’ve come across for you to keep in mind while you’re posting photos of your kids and messaging people with your home address for that upcoming birthday party.

Security is a myth
-Chris is our Technology security expert here at Global Media Outreach, and he’s a genius. His last job was working for a firm that paid him to hack into some of the largest banks in the world to test their security systems. 100% of the time he was able to break through to the point of being able to access money. In the field of online security, Chris is what we call an expert. According to Chris, being hacked is not a question of “if”, but “when”. So, how do you keep the odds in your favor?
Use Strong Passwords
-Make passwords strong by using a combination of letters, numbers and characters. Don’t use the same password for all of your accounts. I have a rotation of 3-4 strong passwords that I combine in different combinations, but even that isn’t enough. Password management software will allow you to use ridiculously complicated passwords without having to remember them.
If you don’t want your Mom to see or read it, don’t post it.
-Everything is available to everyone someday once it is online. Don’t believe me? Refer to #1. So, be careful what you put out there for the world to see.
Know Your Settings
-Adam Savage, the host of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel, recently took a photo of his car in front of his house and posted it online. What he didn’t realize is that the photo was geo-tagged, and he had just posted his home address for the world to see. Know the privacy settings on your phone, computer, and social media accounts. It is also good to know how long a company will keep your data in their systems. When they dump it, how is it deleted? This brings me to my next tip:
Take it Slow
-A lot of the mistakes are made by moving too fast. (Ever send an email that you wish you hadn’t?) Take the time to think through a post or hastily written email. Don’t write things when you’re angry. Also, take the time to browse through your security settings. A lot of talk has been circulating recently about Facebook privacy settings. It only takes a few minutes to keep yourself safe from amateur hackers and prying eyes.
Think About the Children!
-My kids are cute. The kids in your family are cute too, but think twice before posting those naked baby photos. When your kid runs for President one day, you don’t want his/her chances at becoming the ruler of the free world to be derailed by an embarrassing pic in your Facebook archives. Ours is the first digital generation, and the digital footprints of our kids is beginning to be formed by what we’re doing today. It begins with us posting responsibly, and also teaching our kids digital responsibility. It sounds funny or overbearing to consider when they’re young, but this stuff doesn’t go away. Everything lives forever online.

Some good news!: According to Internet World Stats, the 2 Billionth Internet user will log on in the next few weeks. That means that unless you’re some famous person, from the 2 Billion people online, you probably won’t make it onto most hacker’s radars. But, it is still a good idea to be careful.

What other tips do you think are helpful to share?

10% Christian Living

2010-08-06T18:45:00.002-04:00

A friend recently posted an article that caught my eye. When I read it, it really resonated with some things that I have been thinking upon lately. I even read it a few times because I couldn't believe that the words that I was reading were so strikingly similar to what has been rolling around in my head.

Even though Tony & I are being financially supported by generous ministry partners so that we can work with Keynote full-time, we are still called to give our time, talents, and resources back to God. When we were newly married, I created our budget - giving always came first. We truly believe that God blessed our giving. We tried our best to give - and give sacrificially.

Recently, my mind and my heart have been in an inward battle between the importance of being wise stewards of the money that God has given us, saving, etc....and give, give, giving for His kingdom. For a while I think: is it wise to give everything away to the point where we can't even pay our bills? Then, I jump to the other side and think: that nothing is ours anyway, so it's not really my call to decide what I do with anything, it's God's call.

While we've been raising our initial support, God's been doing some pretty cool things. We have definitely had the "smallest" income that we've ever had in our married lives. But, during this time we've been able to financially give the most that we've ever had in our married lives.

Go figure. God is just so cool like that.

All said, this article is a great article to read if you're ready for your beliefs in giving [and basic Christian living] to be shaken up.

Click here to read the article...thanks for listening. :)

-J

August Update!

2010-08-05T20:44:00.001-04:00

We're excited to share this month's update with you! We hope that you're blessed by reading about Keynote's recent trip to here in Dayton! :)

Click here to read our August Update!

Tony & Jonelle

May Update!

2010-05-27T11:52:00.005-04:00

For our update this month, we sent out a postcard. Seemed fitting since we were on the road.

You can see it here: click here

Keynote's summer project started this week, and we can't wait to

share stories of what God is doing through these students!

[Summer project is a time where college students from all over

come to Keynote, form bands & media teams, then travel and

share the Gospel like full-time Keynote staff does year round.]

Thank you for taking this journey with us,

Tony & Jonelle

We love partnerships!

2010-05-11T15:41:00.006-04:00

Keynote artist, blue sky nine, was recently in Arkansas for some work with Prison Fellowship - their 3rd prison gig in a few many weeks.

The contact person with Prison Fellowship, "L", has done much of the detail work to make these events happen, but, this was L's first time to actually meet any of the band in person or to even see one of our bands live. He was completely thrilled with the experience of working with blue sky nine as they ministered to the gals in a women’s correctional facility. So, in addition to great responses from the church and prison gigs where he booked the band, they made a huge new fan out of L himself.

God works in neat ways - connecting people so that they can partner together to glorify Him & make Him known. This connection paved the way for an even greater partnership with L for the future!

And, Keynote loves building partnerships!

From the shows in Arkansas, L expressed how much he appreciated how Keynote has served Prison Fellowship by providing quality outreaches in several facilities....and not just an expression of words. How exciting is it that L just invited Keynote to attend a conference consisting of 33 prison and prison related ministries? This conference is geared towards helping reach and minister to prisoners and their families.

So, this fall, Keynote is able to join & collaborate at this conference to make these other ministries aware of what Keynote does and how we might serve them!

Praise God for making connections & partnerships!

Adjusting to full-time ministry!

2010-05-10T17:44:00.003-04:00

Hello family and friends, we have been on a crazy ride since May 1st. We are learning so much on how to be raising support full-time. We hit the road ready to find those ministry partners that the Lord has set out before us. We ventured down to Texas of all places and have been discovering a lot about the atmosphere down here. They call Banana Peppers by a different name.
Anyways, we are learning what it takes to be on task about telling people about Keynote at any given moment. We are also finding out that not only the drive down to Texas was a huge step of Faith, but actually sharing about our ministry is just as huge. We are thankful for what the Lord has provided so far, and eager to see what comes the next day. Time management is a big element we have to consider because we are only planning on being here for a short time. There is so much to do, and if you could, please pray that those we are connecting with receive us and our ministry with open arms.

-T

In Like A Lamb.

2010-03-03T14:53:00.004-05:00

March already? Did this new month seem to sneak up on you like it did us? We had our share of crazy winter weather during February, but I noticed that these first few days of March have come "in like a lamb". All of the snowy, cold, wintery stuff [which many have had our fill] all of a sudden seemed to stop. Today, the sun was shining for the first time in a while! I began to roll my window down to enjoy the spring weather....eh, then realized that it is not that warm yet.

All that to say...is it is refreshing that if my spiritual journey is having a crazy time, the true Lamb can come in swiftly and quickly. He can change my attitude and thoughts from cold and icky to new and sunny. He can put our focus back on Him, where it should be. He can renew our strength so we can keep running.

To read our latest prayer letter, click here.

In our letter, we mentioned a video that is sparking spiritual conversations about forgiveness. Check it out here:

Thanks for taking this journey with us!
Tony & Jonelle

Glorious Frustration

2010-01-18T12:24:00.003-05:00

That is what I see today. Reading through the book of John, I can see that the disciples experienced this as well. They know fully that Jesus is the savior of all, but at the same are confused with his teachings and interactions.

Jonelle and I are on this journey and so much has happened that we can only give God all our praise. But yet when something trivial comes along, we just get bummed and frustrated. We do not know why something is happening or even how to fix it (if there is fixing). So we are in this period of what I call a Glorious Frustration. When we still praise God for the large easy things and those little difficult and almost stupid things we have to go through each day. But I am encouraged to know that Jesus knows the greater picture!

-T

God & Keynote & The Utts

2009-11-17T20:16:00.001-05:00

Check out the November edition of our update letter here: click here

October already!

2009-10-01T20:05:00.003-04:00

I just can't believe it is October already. The chill of the autumn air just hit me this week and it seems like fall isn't waiting for the leaves to be off the trees first. I am trying to grasp on to the rush the Lord has us on for this month. I truly believe that October is going to be a big month for us and the mission of finding ministry partners. Looking back into the month of September, I feel astonished in how we finished the month. The lord provided with so many opportunities to share about Keynote. This month our prayer is to watch the Lord work and believe it can be an amazing month! We have a dollar amount we are praying for this month and are diligently pursuing the Lord's guidance in how to achieve it. October is going to be awesome!
-T

Making a Difference.

2009-09-25T13:29:00.000-04:00

We have all had the thought run through our mind: "Am I really making a difference in (fill in the blank)?" I really don't know, and I'm not trying to answer that question for you....sometimes we probably are, and sometimes we probably are not.

I recently read something about how Christians sometimes think, "Oh, I really want to do something great for God". Or, we even ask God to have us to do great things for Him. Well, then we've missed the point. What I was reading pointed out that "the purpose of our being here is for God to use us for His greatness. A wiser prayer is probably to ask God to do great things. Then, we can be profoundly humbled if we get to participate in the process in any small way."

That way certainly is a different way to think. But, I like it.

Sometimes, what God is doing is like a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle...and we're just suppose to help with one or two pieces in the whole puzzle....not necessarily knowing what the puzzle is even suppose to look like in the end. [If you haven't read our September Newsletter update, please do. Our friend, Scott, talks more about this. Click here to download a .pdf]

All said, hopefully you are encouraged! Here are a couple jigsaw puzzle pieces currently happening....ask God if you're suppose to participate in any way:

*A Keynote band is gearing up to spend a month in Asia - Click here to take a proactive journey with this team, covering them in prayer throughout the month they will be overseas.

*Buddy Walk - Click here to meet our nephew, Connor, and see what we're so jazzed about this weekend! We'd love for you to pray for this event as you think about it on Saturday. If you are able to give financially, there's a place off of that link to do so also.

Thanks for listening!
Love,
Tony & Jonelle

Make a difference on the other side of the Earth!

2009-09-22T15:45:00.006-04:00

Really? Yep!

One of the Keynote bands, blue sky nine, is heading to Asia for month long tour to partner with different ministries and help them connect with their target audiences! They fly out next Tuesday, Sept 29 at 6am!

Thank you for joining us in praying for Keynote and things that we relay to you. Your prayers certainly do make a difference! Here are some highlights about this trip [and how you can pray specifically]:

***One concert on a campus will possibly be recorded for a local TV station. Pray that this will happen and will be used throughout the country.

***The band will be helping a local music ministry with training [sound tech & music evangelism training]. Pray for clear communication and that 'blue sky nine' can help equip the local ministry.

We look forward to letting you know how God moves while they are on tour! Do you want to have a bigger investment? CLICK HERE ...to download a prayer calendar that highlights each day that the band is on tour and how you can specifically pray for them!

blue sky nine thanks you for being intentional....

Buddy Walk for Connor!

2009-09-17T15:37:00.003-04:00

Meet our nephew, Connor:

Connor is a funny little dude. He just discovered the dog’s water dish. He also recently discovered the drawer in the kitchen where his mom keeps her Tupperware. ☺

Our family is walking in the Buddy Walk this year on September 26 to show our support for Connor and the other 400,000+ individuals with Down syndrome in the USA. The money raised goes towards advocacy programs that benefit and serve people in the Miami Valley with Down syndrome and their families.

The walk was started in 1995 to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. There are now 260 walks – at least one in every state and in five different countries!

Please consider making a donation towards our Buddy Walk Team for our little Connor-Man! No donation is too small - seriously! Click here to donate online!

September Update!

2009-09-16T11:03:00.001-04:00

Click here to read our September update!

Just a Story?

2009-09-16T10:23:00.003-04:00

This summer, one of Keynote's summer project bands Young Isaac had the exciting opportunity to connect with ministries and people in Australia! During concerts, one of the band members, Ryan, talked about how he learned to trust God after the death of his best friend.

Here is a snapshot of what students wrote on comment cards about Ryan's story:

“I know what it’s like to be mad at God, since my dad died it hasn’t been the same.”

“I really liked your show and Ryan’s story changed my perspective on life.”

“I still don’t understand why God takes our loved ones away from us, especially when they are young. This is what annoys me.”

“I liked your music. Ryan’s story was touching—made me realize the importance of life.”

“Thanks Ryan. You have opened my eyes to things I didn’t realize before.”

“Ryan’s story was very inspirational—gave me a lot to think about. I have a lot of problems with God and religion since my mom died.”

It is really neat to see the impact of what a story can have. This story, this piece of Ryan's life that he shared with others...it opened doors into comments and conversations that don't typically happen in your " 'hi, how are you doing'...'fine'...'okay great' " conversations. This summer, Ryan's story probably didn't help every person who heard. But, I bet it did encourage many people to think. To think about their life - to think about the questions they have about life - and to think about how God fits [or isn't fitting] in their life.

Don't be afraid to share your story. You do have one. Everyone has one. Isn't it worth it if it helps someone else to wrestle and really think about spiritual things?

blue sky nine: Back to Prison

2009-09-09T10:17:00.003-04:00

A fellow Keynote friend posted this on his blog on Saturday. He plays the guitar in blue sky nine, who is currently on tour. They partnered with Bill Glass Prison Ministries back in the spring, and had the chance to partner again. Enjoy!

Last night, blue sky nine found our way back into Ellsworth Correctional Facility in Ellsworth, Kansas. We had played here over the weekend of April 24th and 25th, working in partnership with the great folks from Bill Glass Prison Ministries, and had a great reception. Since we were in the neighborhood on tour, we hooked up a return visit.

With the Bill Glass outreach, we were just a band playing as part of someone else’s program. This time, it was all us, and in addition to playing our music, I shared my story and how my relationship with Christ has changed my life.

We played for about 200 guys, and as always, they were very receptive and excited for us to be there. Not always for the right reasons, but we’ll take whatever chance we get to share with them. ’On the inside’, the guys feel very much forgotten by the rest of the world, and any contact with someone from the oustide is welcome.

We had a great time, and saw many dozens of the guys indicate interest in talking more about spiritual things or studying the Bible. And a small handful indicated they either made a decision to begin a relationship with God, or re-dedicated their lives to following Christ. Cool. We had lots of good one-on-one conversations afterward, and we used some comment cards to get feedback that we could leave with the chaplains there. Below are a few quotes from those cards…

“Thank you- I’ve never been a religious person- but some of your words really got to me today—Thank you.”
“I have had some hard times in my walls and your music and talking helped me with some of my problems.”
“My wife left me today, so your concert was God sent. Thank you for lifting my spirits.”
“I really don’t know where I am at, with my relationship with God, Jesus Christ . . . I’m not for sure . . . Yes, I pray, I read my Bible and all. I believe in God & that Jesus is God’s son. I’m not for sure if I am saved or not’?”
“Really enjoyed & appreciated your concert & all you shared. Been having relationship issues & you all were right on time.”
“I was inspired on April 24^th, 2009, to walk the path with Jesus. Thank you for everything that you have done…”
“You have no idea how much we all love your group… Please please please please come back!”
“I love your sound. It helped me forget where I was. But I got right with God. Thank you for helping brighten my day!”

Play music. Tell stories. See lives changed. Still can’t believe this is my job.

August Update!

2009-08-14T19:42:00.003-04:00

Click here to see our update newsletter for August! We hope you are encouraged by reading some of the things that have happened this summer!

Swerve comes to Target Dayton

2009-06-30T10:34:00.008-04:00

Even though we are officially on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ's ministry, Keynote, our assignment is to raise our initial monthly financial support. We are just over 1/3 of the way to our support goal, and are continually growing in excitement for when we can be working directly with the ministry in Indianapolis!

This weekend, we had a special opportunity to work with Keynote - even though technically, that's not our assignment currently. :) We had the opportunity to work with one of the Summer Project bands.

[Summer project is a time at Keynote where college students come from all over the world to do what full-time staff at Keynote do on a smaller scale. They spend their first few weeks getting to know their band members, practicing, and learning how to share the Gospel using the platform of music. Then, they hit the road for a few more weeks to partner with ministries to share God's love!]

Swerve came to Dayton to do an outreach concert at Target Dayton Ministries, a local ministry that reaches out to the poor and homeless. We are rejoicing that through this partnership with Keynote & Target Dayton, we now have 30 new brothers & sisters in Christ! Praise Him!

We wanted to give you a picture of how Keynote musicians intertwine their life stories with Jesus and the Gospel. In the video below, Chelsie, shares some of her story. After a little bit of her story, the band plays a song ["Temporary" by Slaid Cleaves]. Chelsie then finishes her stories with how God rescued her and how He will do the same for anyone. [We apologize for the footage not being visually clear - the lighting wasn't the greatest and we weren't using a video camera.]

Here are some more glimpses into the evening.....

Setting up!

Jay, Fredric, & Arwen

About 250 people came to the show!

The concert is fun...but that's not what the night is about...

...it's about hearing people's stories and sharing Jesus!

Of course, a flat tire is the other ingredient in a quality tour, right?

Click here to see more pictures from the concert!

Summer Project Chain Reaction = Spiritual Multiplication

2009-06-19T11:19:00.004-04:00

It isn’t often that we get to see what happens years down the road and how ministry to one person compounds on others. But recently we discovered this story:

For several years before coming to Keynote, one of our new staff discipled Ashleyne in NY State. Ashleyne came to Keynote’s summer project last summer with some hesitation and resistance where she was further discipled and challenged. But she accepted the coaching and training and was the student who shared the gospel message during her band’s (Young Isaac) concerts on tour.In Ohio, there was a 16 year old girl named Katia*. She and her brother Leonid* were adopted from Russia when they were 4 and 6 years old. By the time Katia was adopted and brought to the US she was a bit young to remember her life in Russia, but Leonid has many vivid memories and really struggles with abandonment and all that ntails having been adopted at an older age. Katia feels very close to her brother because he is her only blood relative, but because of his struggles, their relationship is very strained. Fortunately, they have a wonderful family with parents who are very loving. They go to church, but Katia has never been able to relate her church experience to her teenage life.

Katia's neighbor, Maryellen*, is very involved in Student Venture and has often invited her to activities, so when she heard about the Young Isaac concert (Keynote Summer Project band) last summer, she brought Katia along. Ashleyne shared her experience with a strained relationship during the gospel presentation. Her friend was struggling with depression and self-destruction. Eventually this friendship was broken off. Because of Katia’s relationship with her brother, she really connected with this story. When the gospel was shared that night, she didn't have to think very hard about asking Christ into her life.

Bethany (from Student Venture) has followed up with Katia and has continued to disciple her throughout the year. She also now attends a Bible study led by a college student. Katia has brought at least two of her friends to Student Venture meetings who have both accepted Christ! One is Katia's best friend, whose mother is fighting alcoholism. The other is a German exchange student! All three are truly growing in their faith.

(* names have been changed)

Keynote has several summer project bands again this year. In fact, they started their summer tours this week! Please pray for these summer project students: their safety as they tour during these next few weeks and opportunities to share the Gospel!

June Newsletter Update!

2009-06-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

Click here to read our June update!

Keynote Golf Challenge

2009-06-12T15:05:00.005-04:00

Last month, Keynote had their annual Golf Challenge fundraising events on opposite sides of the states! In the events in California & in Indianapolis, God provides more than $130,000 in sponsorship through our 55 golfers!

These golfers accepted the challenge of playing at least 100 holes of golf in one day in one of the two Golf Challenges. That's right - ONE HUNDRED HOLES!

Fox 59 (an Indianapolis TV station) covered the event on the Morning Show. A surprise "frost delay" made for creative action shots to take the place of golfers actually beginning their rounds. We're thankful for the exposure for both Keynote's ministry and the Golf Challenge. Unfortunately, you cannot view Fox 59's coverage of the event, but we'd love to share with you the promo video for this fundraiser!

Giants of Silence Rocks Europe!

2009-06-10T09:49:00.003-04:00

In May, Keynote's aggressive rock band, Giants of Silence, partnered with various ministries in Germany, Switzerland and France for an outreach tour. During the course of the tour, God used them in the lives of college students, high school students and military personnel. The band performed 10 concerts (two of them were worship events) in eight cities. Response cards were not used at each event, but we know that more than 60 people indicated significant spiritual decisions!

Misconceptions about God and Christianity as well as pressures of the culture around them, set the stage for these students to question a lot of things and become disillusioned with life. Jill's story about how God changed her life and helped her overcome depression really made an impact. The band's evanglelistic CD was a popular item as well as a photo postcard containing the gospel.

In Ferney, France the band had the opportunity to work with some "third culture" kids whose parents are diplomats or business men. While some of the students already have a relationship with God, others are searching for a place to belong as they move every couple of years. Many seeds were planted as the band members spent time with the students after the shows.

Band member, Bryan [left], talking after a show.

Keynote partner, Pepe Tolenen provided sound equipment and transportation as well as "moral support" throughout the tour. A recent email from Pepe gives a glimpse into the spiritual climate of Germany; "...I could not believe my eyes when I saw our listeners giving applause after the gospel presentations. I thought, this is NOT Germany when something like this happens!"

We can all relate to the tension between pleasing God and being accepted. "Adam", the teenage son of a concert host in Bamburg, Germany, was dealing with this same issue. He wrote on his comment card, "I want to please God but I also want to be cool around my friends".

Giants of Silence director, Ethan Ehrstine stayed with "Adam's" family. As they were leaving the next morning, Ethan remembered the comments and took time to talk with "Adam" about his struggle to please God and his friends. "Adam" was delighted that the band's guitar player not only took notice of his comment, but took time to talk to him and encourage him to take steps of faith.

Thank you for praying for Giants of Silence during their time overseas. The band members have been home for a couple of weeks and are now busy with helping to run Keynote's Summer Project. The band will tour again beginning in August.

Some of the band members in between shows.

One Thing After Another...

2009-04-06T10:43:00.002-04:00

The last half of March seemed like a whirlwind month for us. First, Tony was sick and out of commission for a few days. Then, Jonelle sprained her knee and was on crutches for about a week. The latest is that Jonelle's allergies flared up and took her out for this past weekend. We'd appreciate it if you'd take a moment and pray for our physical health. It's been a crazy month, and we're praying that April brings more than shower....that it brings a season of renewed health for us!

blue sky nine talks about...blue sky nine

2009-03-24T16:20:00.002-04:00

Keynote is constantly educating people about what exactly it is that we do and how different ministries can effectively use our artists to reach people for Christ. So, Keynote's Media Team and blue sky nine recently teamed up to produce a promotional video for concert hosts. Posting the video on youtube.com gives easy access and broader exposure. Enjoy!

Year In Review.

2009-03-10T14:41:00.005-04:00

Here is a 4-minute video highlighting everywhere Keynote went in 2008. We are excited to be directly involved with this ministry, and pray that we can be there very soon!

Latest Press.

2009-03-04T12:25:00.003-05:00

As our society continues to connect and explore over youtube.com, Keynote is realizing the potential to share more than just humor. With a passing suggestion and bit of editing, they took an already existing Gospel message from our ventriloquist, David Pendleton, and posted it to youtube.com. This link has seen over 3,400 hits in two months (with very little advertising)!

Keynote's full-time bands are spending a significant amount of time exploring how to further their impact using technology. They are not only developing Internet marketing; they are also creating online ministry opportunities. God is opening up doors for our communication training to potentially equip thousands of Campus Crusade staff to better reach millions of college students around the world....and our international influence has never been greater.

We are so excited about the vision of Keynote and cannot wait to report to Indy to begin working! Thank you for taking a jump and moving through this journey with us!

Brazil Music Ministry

2009-02-27T10:05:00.002-05:00

Janie (Keynote's friend & partner in Brazil) just sent us this video link a few days ago. This is her 4th year to host a BMM (Brazil Music Ministry) Summer Project, and this song will give you a glimpse of how she’s doing as she is developing her ministry. This footage is from one of their summer project concerts.

It is so exciting to see what God is doing through music around the world! We love to see how other music ministries oversees are using their own music to share Jesus with their culture!

Could you pause for a moment and pray for Janie - that the Lord would provide resources for the ministry and real monthly support for her? Thanks!

BMM Summer Project Video

Making Sense out of Transition...

2009-02-26T09:27:00.002-05:00

We are still in the midst of learning what life "should" look like now that Tony has a part-time job. This job is certainly way different from his previous job working with houses and appraisals, but that is okay! His co-workers at the branch are nice and they all work pretty well together, which is a plus! This week, he is going to "teller school". After this week is over, he will have a more concrete schedule, which will help us out so much as we continue to build our base of ministry partners and raise support. He'll be working 30-35 hours to start with. We are praying that the branch will be quick in their hiring of another teller so that Tony can drop his hours a little lower.

With all this transition, we are learning that God's timing is perfect. It's been one year since we've started this journey of building our team of ministry partners & raising support. In our minds, we would love to be closer to our goal than 30%, but we know that God's timing is perfect. When things happen that don't quite make sense or doubts creep into our mind about if this path is the path we should be taking....God "wows" us with provision that could only be from Him. He confirms that we are in His will, even though our concept of time is certainly not His!

On a side note, I wish to take a second and brag on my awesome husband who got me the most beautiful flowers for Valentine's Day! After working at a greenhouse for 10 or so years, I did not think that I "needed" flowers. I was wrong!

February Prayer Letter & More!

2009-02-13T12:33:00.011-05:00

February prayer letter: click here

As you read [or will read soon] from this month's letter, we recently had the opportunity to help lead music and serve with friends for Target Dayton Ministries. We had a great time with the band, but we really enjoyed spending time with the people who we served dinner to afterwards. They had some interesting stories!

Below are clips of some of the songs we did that evening. Tony is back there on the drums, Jonelle is singing and playing her synthesizer keyboard, and the rest of the band is made up of good friends from our church! [We apologize for the loud buzzing you may hear - one of the joys of "live music". :)]

Mighty to Save

Lead me to the Cross

Here I am to Worship

From the Inside Out

Swagbucks.

2009-02-10T09:36:00.002-05:00

Our latest love has been for Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a search engine that uses results found by Google & Ask.com. Through using the site as your search engine, you are awarded Swag Bucks just for searching. We haven't redeemed any of our Swag Bucks yet, but there are some neat things that you can get like gift cards, electronics, etc... It is just really fun to get a Swag Buck for doing a normal search. [For you fans of The Office...I feel that it ranks right up there with a "Schrute Buck"!]

Interested? Click on the picture at the top of this post to get started!

Our child...

2009-02-09T22:18:00.003-05:00

This update is dedicated to my mom, because she faithfully checks our blog and told me I need to start updating it more than once a month. I said that we don't have kids that do crazy things that other people would find interesting.

So....you get a video of our dog! It's from this past Christmas. He's doing his trick, the only trick he knows.

-J

New Year! New Prayer Letter!

2009-01-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

Thanks for continuing this journey with us! Here is the link to our latest prayer letter: January Update

Also, an added treat for checking out our blog. [We haven't emailed this news out yet.] Keynote has a new website. It has been totally redone and is loaded with info, videos, quotes, and more! Check it out! Click here!

Thank you for continuing to pray for Tony's job situation. We should hopefully hear something this week about both of last week's interviews!

Thank you!

2009-01-09T12:59:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much for continuing to journey and pray with us about Tony's job situation. We are really looking forward to him finding a part-time job so that he can spend more time with support raising and ministry partner development. We are so excited to move out to Indy and work with Keynote full-time!

He had a few interviews this week, and the different places said that they were going to be making their decisions within this next coming week. We're trusting God that He opens and closes the right doors for us with this job situation!

A Time For Reflection.

2008-12-29T15:29:00.006-05:00

We hope that your Christmas time was relaxing! We returned home to Dayton last night after spending time with family & friends. We have been thinking and thanking God for all that He has provided for us this past year. We have been putting our trust in Him, and He has provided for us in awesome ways! At church this weekend, it was said that "when we're younger, we anticipate Christmas...but as we become older, Christmas is a time for reflection." That thought has been so true for us this year!

Oh, and if you aren't ready to put away the Christmas music & decorations....

Some friends from our house church during our Christmas party.

Tony and our nephew, Connor.

Jonelle got to take her sister to take her driver's license test - she passed! :)

Merry Christmas from Keynote!

2008-12-21T17:01:00.010-05:00

We'd love to share a short note and Christmas video from Keynote's director, Chris...

We want to take this opportunity to say thank you for your partnership with us! Whether you’ve served as a prayer supporter or a financial partner, your involvement with Keynote has blessed us and allowed us to move forward in ministry.

Here are a few highlights:

International outreaches: Mexico, Egypt, Israel and New Zealand (35 events, 4600 people in attendance)

Global training: Panama (several Central American countries represented) and our own International Leadership Summit where we hosted creative outreach leaders from 13 countries representing all six populated continents

Eight Summer Project Bands; our first ever film team during a summer project

Continued partnership with the Impact movement (reaching out to African American students) and a new partnership with Destino (Campus Crusade’s outreach to Latino students)

More than 400 concerts; nearly 70,000 lives touched and almost 3,000 decisions for Christ!

As we close 2008 and look to 2009, we wanted to leave you with a video greeting from our house to yours!

Have a very Merry Christmas! We look forward to more ministry highlights in 2009!

Merry Christmas from the Utts!

2008-12-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

[click on the picture to see the full-sized card]

November Update...

2008-11-19T12:15:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to our November newsletter: click here

In the newsletter, you'll read about Keynote's annual Vision Dinner. You can read more about the evening of "igniting life change". Praise God with us that He provided almost $80,000 to be raised at the dinner! Those funds will help ensure that Keynote can continue to take the Gospel to the world!

Here is a more recent picture of our nephew, Connor:

It's Been Awhile...

2008-10-29T21:46:00.001-04:00

...since we've updated. Woah! We have been working very hard, and God has been blessing us so much! We're at 22.4% right now and still plugging away! Praise Him!

Thank you so much for praying for the missions expo that our church had a couple weekends ago. It was very fruitful and such a blessing to us. We have met many new people who are just as excited about our journey with Keynote as we are! We have been very busy following up with those people during the past two weeks. We have had an appointment almost every night for two weeks!

Some current prayer requests:

*Please be in prayer that we are continually meeting new people who are excited to hear about what God is doing through Keynote.
*Please pray for our strength & endurance. It gets tough at times when we're not
*Please pray for Tony's job situation. The project that he is working on now is coming to a close soon. They are not sure what they are going to have him work on next. It is possible that he may have to do some traveling again.
*Please pray that God is glorified each day as we continue through this ministry partner development process!

On a fun side...
Some friends had a costume party this weekend. It was great to relax and laugh with friends for the evening. Here is a glimpse into the evening:

Yabba Dubba Do!

Straight from the movie, "Juno"...

Kip & some groom...

My favorite from the night.....the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe.

Noise Trade

2008-10-03T14:30:00.001-04:00

We were introduced to a new website a few months ago, and it has been neat to see how it has grown since! The site is called Noise Trade. You can download albums from many different artists. The genres range all over the place - from folk to gospel to pop to jazz, etc... To pay for the music, you either tell five friends about the site or you pay the amount you think the album is worth. 90% of the money that you pay for the album goes directly to the artist.

Check it out! While you're there, check out the albums from Matthew Mayfield, Derek Webb, and Alli Rogers. We've enjoyed them!

October Prayer Letter!

2008-10-02T13:23:00.000-04:00

Praise God for the beautiful fall weather! :) Thank you for continuing to pray for us on this journey. God is our foundation, and we can feel Him preparing something big real soon.

We're really looking forward to an upcoming "ministry expo" at our church. Details are in this edition of the newsletter. We'd love to see you there with a friend!

Click Here for our October Prayer Letter.

In Him,
-The Utts

Back Online.

2008-09-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

Whew, Ike, what a mess! Praise God, our power came back on today! We're so blessed to have great friends - both with and without power. Last night, we went over to a friends' house who had power. We had four families there altogether. We brought the food that was still good out of our fridge and had a smorgusboard of a dinner. Chicken nuggets, tater tots, mac & cheese, turkey, popcorn, etc...

We're praising God for keeping us safe. We're praising Him for keeping our fridge & freezer cold so we didn't lose a lot of food. We're praising Him for community and friends who constantly check up and make sure we're okay.

Keep praying, though, because there are still many people and friends who are without power. The electric companies are working so very hard, but it could be the coming weekend before all the power is restored. Pray that through this whole mess Ike left us with, we can draw closer to our Protector & Provider.

Powerless.

2008-09-15T20:12:00.000-04:00

...just a quick update. Good old Ike blew threw Dayton this past Sunday afternoon. Whew - so much wind! Long story short - we're without power. About 200,000 people in Dayton don't have power and 600,000 some a bit south of us are powerless too. Luckily, there are pockets of people who have electricity, and they're taking care of us! The electric companies are saying it could be 2 more days or it could be the weekend before power gets back on. We'd love your prayers!

Everything.

2008-09-13T10:44:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I saw a drama performed at two different events. They were a tad different, but essentially the very same message. Both were so very powerful, though. It's just a great, vivid reminder of what Jesus thinks of us.

This video is actually from the original time the skit was done on a Saturday night in 2006 at Winterfest in Knoxville, TN.

Ready. Aim. Fire.

2008-09-07T21:06:00.000-04:00

We've had the chance to meet tons of new people while we're sharing about our ministry and developing our support base. We're so blessed to have a bunch of new friends to share life with! Our newest adventure was going to a shooting range with friends, Suzzi & Alex. Tony had a little previous experience shooting with the guard, but not with moving targets! The clay targets go fast!

So...what, uh, am I suppose to do here.

Tony did a great job!

What you don't see is me stumbling back three or so steps after each shot. Pretty powerful. I hit one target, though!

See the rest of the pictures from the afternoon: here.

Back in Ohio!

2008-09-05T12:03:00.000-04:00

Tony is back to work today in Ohio. Praise Jesus! He's at a meeting today for info and training for what he is going to be doing for the next two months. It's great to not have to dread the very early Monday mornings anymore! Pray that we come across an abundance of new supporters during this month of September.
-J

Prayer Letter Update

2008-09-04T16:56:00.001-04:00

We just finished up our latest edition of our prayer letter. To view the September update, click here.

In the newsletter, we shared about the wrap-up to summer project. We have loved hearing updates from the student bands and sharing stories with you. For you visual ones like myself, a marketing & media intern, Josh, has a clip of a student band on his website. click here to see MangoFish in action while on tour in California this summer.

Also - if you're interested in seeing the short film that the student film team created this summer, click here. The film they made is called "Wreck" and is about five minutes long. They combined their stories with this film to share the Gospel at a variety of short film outreaches this summer.

One more praise - as I type, Tony is driving home from work in Indiana! He is done with that out of town project for work and will be working in the Dayton area for the next couple months! Hurray!

-J

Praising Him!

2008-08-26T15:59:00.001-04:00

Work Update
This is the third week that Tony has been working out of town. He's been working in Brazil...well, Brazil, Indiana. It's a three hour drive from our place, due west. He'll have to go out to Brazil next week [luckily it's a short week because of Labor Day], and that is it! After next week, he'll be working back here in Dayton. We're so thankful that God has continually provided for us in this transition time. It is definitely an awkward time. We're praying for monthly supporters to jump on board quickly so we can work on Ministry Partner Development together full time and get over to Indy soon! We just hit 16.1% this weekend.

Praying Specific
This past weekend, I was looking ahead to one appointment we had set up for that evening. I prayed that these people would support us financially somehow, whether monthly or through special gifts. I prayed specifically, though, that we would walk out of that meeting with a check in our hands [being the 1st month's giving or the special gift]. Praise Jesus, we had a great meeting and at the end, we left for home with a check in our hands.

We're working on our next edition of our monthly newsletter...stay tuned!
-J

Story of Stuff & Free Music

2008-08-08T09:22:00.002-04:00

We stumbled upon a site recently called "Story of Stuff". It's about 'stuff', how we get it, and what happens to it when we're done with it. Working in the schools the past couple years, I've seen a lot of 'save the planet'/'recycle now' videos and what not. This one is pretty good. It's about 20 minutes to watch online, but I think it's worth it. Post a comment with your thoughts after you watch it. I'd love to hear what you think!

Also...you should go to philwickham.com and download Phil Wickham's new live album, "singalong". It's really great...and it's free! It's pretty much just him and his guitar....and a whole bunch of other people singing in the background.

On the Road with Keynote Summer Project

2008-08-07T10:17:00.000-04:00

In our August update letter we talked a bit about what God was doing with the students in the Keynote Summer Project.....well, is officially over now. The project celebration banquet was this past week. God did great things this summer in and through the students! If you’d like to read some of the stories that students sent in throughout their tours, click here.

Growing...growing...

2008-08-06T14:46:00.001-04:00

Connor is growing fast! Here are just a few more pictures of the little one...

Just chillin'...

Just snoozin...

Connor with Tony & Randy's Godfather, Jack.

Prayer Letter Update

2008-08-02T11:47:00.001-04:00

Hi friends! I cannot believe that August is here. The past few months have flown by so very fast!

Click here for our August update. In the letter, we shared a bit about our new little nephew, Connor Lee. Here are some bonus pictures of the little guy for checking out our website. :)

Proud Uncle Tony

...just checking to see if there's enough going on to warrant completely waking up.

Final New Zealand Update!

2008-07-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

The New Zealand team will be headed back to the states tomorrow. Here is their final update:

The Queues have rounded out the overseas ministry tour in New Zealand. Praising God for His goodness, protection and endurance. We fly out tomorrow (Mon.) evening (New Zealand time).

Here’s the recap of our last week of concerts:

Tuesday evening we played a concert at a church close to campus. The university students bugged their campus director at the Student Life Conference to have us come and play. So needless to say they were psyched! There were about 40-45 in attendance, mostly first year students. Out of the 31 comment cards filled out 4 indicated they were interested in learning more about spiritual things and 6 indicated they were interested in Bible Study.

Comment card highlights:

“I think your performance was a blast. You guys reminded me that my relationship with God is very important and you guys also blessed me so much.” –Audrey 19

“Thank you, your [Mia] story blessed me. You’ve made me realize spiritual things and Bible Study that I need to reconsider my priorities.” – Jess 22

“The Queues RULE- below God that is.” –Vanessa 21

Wed. night we played at a pub on the University of Auckland called The Shadows. Our 8pm show was part of Reorientation Week on Campus. In fact there was a sign in the bar that had us as The Keynotes (USA) and a different sign said The Queues (USA). So that night this was really a “get the word out” type of setting. From stage Mia was able to plug the weekly meetings of Student Life and how people search for happiness. We encouraged the audience to check us out as we played Thursday night.

Thursday night was our last official evangelistic outreach concert. We played 7:30 pm at the Post-Graduate Lounge on the University of Auckland campus. It was a fantastic turnout 65 people! 48 comment cards were filled out: 9 indicated interest in learning more about Student Life ministry, 5 indicated learning more about a relationship with Jesus Christ. A unique thing about this concert was how people heard of the concert: 3 through facebook and about 17 were brought by friends. A trend we see time and time again is that students tend to come when their friends actually bring them.

Comment card highlights:

“Today was my first time coming here. I had so much fun and the stories really touched me.” -Sarah

“Had such a good time, really inspiring.” -Michael

At the close of this incredible overseas ministry opportunity we praise God for: sustained health, flexibility, restful sleep, gracious hosts (homes where we stayed)

A lawn concert outside a student flat prior to the big Rugby match between
New Zealand and South Africa. Students brought out their couches.

Click Here to view more photos from the New Zealand team.

Goin' to the Chapel...

2008-07-27T10:06:00.001-04:00

I think that last week was one of our final weddings of the season. We were really excited to be a part of Jeff & Nikki's covenant to start their new journey. We met Jeff from being youth leaders at Apex. We've also had the chance to lead music for the youth with Jeff as well - he's a great bass player! We're happy to have Jeff & Nikki as 'married friends' now. :)

Life, Love, and Why A Donut Cake.

2008-07-16T09:33:00.002-04:00

I don't know, but it was really cool.

We have loved updating you on the Israel & New Zealand teams as they are out on tour, but we also want to make sure we update you on what's going on with our life. :) This past [extended] weekend was a big one for us:

SATURDAY - We traveled to Indianapolis to see two fellow Keynoters, Arlee & Sam, begin their life as hubby & wifee. Arlee was the first person from Keynote I met. She was the contact for Chasing Elvis, so we spent planning and chatting time on the phone each time we brought the band to BGSU. She introduced and encouraged us to joining staff with Keynote. It was so neat to be a part of this special day!

Just after they were "official" - Sam is saying: "We're married!"

Sam & Arlee Leo

Their wedding cake - Tony loved it!

MONDAY- We became an uncle & aunt [thanks to Tony's brother]! Connor Lee decided to make his debut....about 5 weeks early. Good thing, because he was just a tad over 8 lbs! He's in the nursery at the hospital still, but we can't wait until he can come out to play!

TUESDAY - We are officially debt free! Praise Jesus! We made the last payment on the Brave Saint Saturn, and the title is now in our hands. No more school loans. No more car payments. It's really a great feeling!

-J

Update from New Zealand - with pictures!

2008-07-10T08:57:00.001-04:00

We heard from our friends in New Zealand. We hope you are encouraged by what God's doing in New Zealand and continue to pray for the team!

Yesterday we flew from Wellington, NZ (north island) to Dunedin (duh-nee-din) the south island. It’s where the penguins are (as to how cold it gets). Anyways, Praise God for Gavin the guy at the airport check in counter yesterday. Let’s just say we spent about 45 min. talking through how to handle the extra weight kgs that is-with the instruments and luggage. They didn’t charge as much as they could of.

Tonight, Thurs. is our first outreach concert here in Dunedin. Well, we could definitely use prayer as we will be playing at 10:30 PM. Might I add that it is outdoors. That means in the 30s Fahrenheit! EEK. Pray that we would stay warm and that the Holy Spirit would strengthen us to persevere despite our bodily temp. This outreach is supposed to be a BIG event for Student Life (Campus Ministry) as Dunedin is a campus town. The students are typically out late at night- going from bar to bar and such. Our prayer is that hundreds of students would hear the concert as they walking around town and be drawn in to then hear the Gospel message.

The next two days we will do two more concerts here. One venue is in a Crypt and the other a parking lot of a guys flat (apt.)- where 20-30 student flats are! The staff and students here just did outreach surveys this week on campus ”Tune- in”. What is neat is we (our band “The Queues”) have the privilege to piggy back/enhance theses surveys with a visual/concrete venue to help promote their campus ministry. We continue to pray the Lord will bring those to the concert He Wills and that many will be drawn in to hear the Gospel message.

Thank you for your prayer and encouragement!

Reporting for the Queues, Live in NZ

Since their band name is "The Queues", they thought this Café sign was appropriate.

Setting up for an event in Wellington.

A concert at Victoria University, Wellington

New Zealand Update!

2008-07-08T08:57:00.000-04:00

We heard again from the New Zealand team last night! There is limited internet access, so it is taking them longer to get emails out. Read on - they have specific prayer requests at the bottom:

Sunday, we went to church at “The Street”. Quite interesting they way they sing some songs we (Americans) know. After lunch, we evaluated the equipment that they had and what we would need for our concerts while here in Wellington. Another God thing, the guy who is a volunteer there hooked us up with extra equipment that we had to rent-definite answer to prayer.

Last night, Mon., was our first outreach concert at Victoria University in Wellington. This was the first day of classes at the university since winter break started up again. (remember it is winter in NZ). The concert was held in the Union Hall. A small crowd, mostly students already involved in the Student Life ministry on campus. BUT, there were 2 people there that heard the Gospel for the first time. Students shared after the concert how they were encouraged by what we do and the message we have to share about Jesus. It was quite a sight to see the locals jamming out to “American top 40 songs.”

Tonight we will be leading praise and worship for students who are here from the US for summer project, locals who are involved in the Student Life ministry, and people from the local churches. In between sets will be prayer time. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work and move the students to reach out to others on their campus. This concert is also in preparation for Student Life’s outreach on the campuses Wed. am called “Tune in.”

Prayer requests:
-Pray that the Lord would protect us physically from sickness (colds, soar throats...) -who would of thought one could have sniffles in the middle of summer- hehe
-Pray that God would bring to the concerts the people who he wants and hearts would be open and receptive to the Gospel.
-We also continue to pray that the details of the equipment that God would provide in miraculous ways.

Israel Team - on the way home

2008-07-08T08:56:00.001-04:00

Got this one overnight...

Thank you so much for praying for us, for the conference, and the outreaches. Your prayers sustained us throughout and broke through many barriers. Last night we had our closing ceremony/celebration on a mountain top just across from the Mount of Olives, overlooking all of Jerusalem.

Imagine if you will, a few hundred people of differing dialects all praising Jesus together...where He once walked. At one point I stood in the back and turned and saw the Dome of the Rock shining in the night. I was overcome by the thought that Jesus will one day be right there, what is represented there now will be no more. Wow!

I am rejoicing knowing that I have a relationship with the One who created us, rejoicing over the many who came to know Him through the series of outreaches, rejoicing in the life-change that has been experienced by participants in this conference, and yet my heart is grieving. As I looked out from that mountain top, the thought of all the people here who are blinded by the false religions and all the people around the world who are bound by the evil one, my heart became very heavy. I am burdened to pray for these lost souls, I am burdened to pray for the laborers who are diligently sharing the Good News, and I am burdened to pray for more laborers for the harvest.

Will you join me in these prayers?

Our time here has come to an end. We have made many new friends and we have been blessed in abundance. At 11:30 tonight we are slated to take off...please pray for our arrangements to get to the airport (traveling arrangements have been challenging to say the least), that we would get through customs quickly, for safe travels for all, that Dan and I could get on a standby flight with the rest of the team (our flight is to leave Atlanta 2 hours later than the rest), and for quick adjustments to the time change and being back in the good ole USA.

We are so looking forward to being home with our friends and families.

Thanks again for going to battle for us in prayer...much has been accomplished as a result!

Israel Update - it's almost over!

2008-07-07T09:53:00.001-04:00

Thanks so much for taking the journey along with us and the overseas summer teams! Below is an update we received this weekend from the Israel team. Today is their final day - a celebration ceremony on the Mount of Olives! The team will begin the treck home on Tuesday and will arrive in Indy at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. Continue to be in prayer for the team in New Zealand. We hope to be able to share an update from them with you soon!

It's 1:00 am here, thought I'd take a quick moment to update you on the last of our last evangelistic outreaches here in Israel. This day like many others was met with much battle and confusion, it's been obvious that the enemy has not wanted these outreaches to happen. In the midst of this battle, God is at work!

The audience tonight really enjoyed what we were doing. They engaged in conversation, seemed familiar with a few songs, and clapped along with us. Chris, as usual, gave a clear gospel presentation. When the concert was done they clapped and then came to chat with members of the band. Quite a few folks spoke english so communication was a bit easier.

We loaded up the van and were taken to "Mickey Donalds" for dinner...we all have been craving McDonalds and each time we've tried to go, it's been closed. It was there that we got a little glimpse into what God did tonight.

Nancy Wilson (staff gal whom many of you know) sat at our table and shared that she & some friends had walked thru the neighborhood prior to the concert to invite people. At one point they came across a group of guys who were hanging out drinking & smoking. Nancy wanted to approach them and someone in her group said ; "oh no, don't go to them, they are drinking & smoking"... Nancy replied with a resounding; "that's who Jesus went to, so should we!"

This group of guys came to the concert and afterwards she and a friend hunbg out talking and laughing with them. Her friend shared the Gospel with them again...and 6 of them came to Christ right there...Go God!!!!! That's all the info we have right now on this. McDonalds was good...ask Dan about his double cheeseburger...it was huge.

Tomorrow is a day off, we're going to Galilee. Please pray for continued strength, for more changed lives, for rest and refreshment, and for our celebration ceremony on Monday when all conference attendees gather to rejoice over what God has done.

We look forward to our return home...everyone is missing their family and friends...very much. Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer on our behalf...please don't stop!

Another Israel Update

2008-07-06T08:17:00.000-04:00

I know it's a little long....but it's an interesting story! Read on:

Thank you so much for going to battle for us. We need you!

After a 45 minute or so drive, we arrived at the site in Haifa. It is said that Haifa is the most beautiful area...we couldn't tell ya. Our concert site was on a tennis court in the middle of a bunch of run down buildings. We wondered if people could find it as we had difficulty getting to it. As we arrived I saw the rest of our teammates sitting on some steps looking concerned. The equipment/sound company were nowhere to be found. They were to arrive at 3pm...it is now 4pm. Boy were we praying!

So back to the tennis court...there's no electricity, and no drums...and no keyboards. One of the guys ran across the street to ask someone if we can run our equipment off their power. They stretched multiple extension cords across the road to the tennis courts with the fence holding it just above car level. We're laughing as we envision a truck flying thru the street in the middle of our concert, taking everything out.

Lights...one guy walks up with some lights in his hands that need to be attached to the fences...with what you might ask? They are all like McGyver...seriously, they are! They find some old metal strips and small pieces of rope in the street and they're hanging up lights. More extension cords are used to connect them all to each other. What a wonderful invention!

Chairs...a truck arrives and they start unloading the plastic chairs...you should see this process! One man lines his back up with a stack of 25 high, reaches his arms backwards and grabs on to the chairs while he's bending forward...and aha, he's hauling 25 chairs like it's nothing...amazing! Lots of chairs are set up, very few people are around. Finally, the sound guy arrives with all of the equipment. A couple of trips to different churches brings about keyboards and eventually a pieced together drum set.

All along we're praying..."Lord please bring people to hear your Word, protect us from the evil one, don't allow him to hold people back, protect us from the heat, sing & speak thru us, may Your name be praised."

One of the staff comes running up to us with cold bottles of water and some snacks (by the way, meal times have been...let's say...interesting). Ahhh, thank you Jesus! Some folks that we recognize from the conference show up (they were all sent in small groups to different cities). It's like a family reunion. It's fun to see some familiar faces, people from S. Africa, Russia, India, etc. We were told that they gave out flyers about the concert...today...so not much advance notice. Again, we all pray and ask God to bring the people in who need to hear.

And then it happens...a local gentleman runs in screaming at us. We can tell he wants us out (boy could you tell). He runs over to the staff who are with us and he is just incensed. It was a bit scary to see. He apparently had been scheduled to play tennis there and had not been told that it had been booked. He and one of our armed guards (we have guards at each outdoor event as they do not know how people will react...thank goodness they were there!). were going at it, yelling and pushing...emotions are running high all over. Finally, one of the staff guys steps in between the guard and the angry guy just to create space. They start calling people on their cell phones and get the guy to talk to whoever it was that they contacted. The man walks off the court flailing his arms and screaming. This whole thing was a bit unsettling. The guards were on their toes.

Again we're praying...for protection on all, for people to come, for God to be glorified. People start coming...and coming. This ended up being the largest crowd we've seen yet. They responded very well to the music and to the message. We don't have the exact details on the results yet, but we do know they were happy with how things went.

I forgot to mention that just behind the band, on a hill, stood a temple...a gorgeous gold temple. The area we were playing in, is the Baha'i capital of the world. The Baha'is believe in all religions mixed together...so basically whatever you believe to be true is true sort of thing...and we wonder why we experienced such battle??? There are a lot of strongholds in this area of the world, hatred between people groups, varying religious beliefs, oppression, etc. It is very sad...but we know that our God is at work!

July Newsletter

2008-07-03T13:04:00.001-04:00

Hello! Below you'll find a link to our latest newsletter. We hope & pray that you're blessed and encouraged by what God is doing around the world!

July Newsletter

In Him,
Tony & Jonelle

Israel Update

2008-07-03T12:38:00.001-04:00

The Israel team hasn't had great internet connections, but we just got an update from them yesterday! Read on...

Hi friends,

We know that Jerusalem hit the news yesterday, that all happened after we left and were nearing Nazareth, we are all safe! Pray for those who were directly affected by that one man's actions...how sad.

As I said earlier, we made the trek to Nazareth yesterday. A funny thing happened. As we were nearing the city our driver asked where we were going...we had no idea! We were told the driver would come and take us where we needed to go...unfortunately, they just told him Nazareth. You should have seen the look of confusion on his face. We all burst into laughter thinking of getting dropped off "somewhere" with all of our luggage and guitars, etc. Now that would have been worth a picture! We had the cell number for one of the leaders so it got straightened out pretty quickly.

Our concert last night in Shefar'em (sp?) was the first concert I've been to with armed guards surrounding the area. They were there for our protection and will be at all of our outdoor events. There were around 100 people who attended, but as I looked around, there were plenty of people on the roof tops and cars pulled to the curb to listen to the band. The concert went well. We haven't gotten the results yet, we'll update you as we hear.

Tonight we have a concert in Nazareth. Pray for many to come and hear the Good News, that the Messiah did come, and He came for them...so that they might have life...pray for lifechange! Pray for the team (from differing countries) that's been assembled to work/minister throughout Nazareth.

Pray for physical endurance...it is extremely hot and humid here, we pulling long days, and the team is feeling it. We've had to flex quite a bit as organizationally things aren't always communicated to us in a timely fashion, pray that we continue to go with the flow. We've learned to laugh as we go and just enjoy the moment. Pray for the staff here, for their protection and for their ministry efforts to be fruitful. Pray for more laborers!

New Zealand Update

2008-07-02T14:59:00.001-04:00

We just got an update about the New Zealand team last night that we wanted to share with you. See below:

Hello from Waikanae!

That's a little town just north of the capital of Wellington. We're at a camp here for the all-NZ student conference where we're leading worship this week. So far it's been great- there are about 375 college (or 'youknee' as they say here) students here from all over NZ.

Everything here seems to be about 75% 'normal'- that is, what we're used to in the US. One big difference so far has been the lack of central heating! It gets down almost to the freezing mark at night, but the room we're staying in has a little space heater, so it isn't too bad (except for cold fingers while we play!).

After this conference we'll be hitting up the major campuses in NZ to do outreaches, and there are students from all those campuses here at the conference. Yesterday we played a 'preview' concert to show them what we'll be doing when we come to their city. It was really awesome- about 150 students came out to see us!

We're really excited because THEY got so excited about us coming to their campuses. They really caught the vision of how what we're doing is such a great way to reach their friends with the Gospel. We're trusting that they'll take that excitement back to their campuses and invite all their friends who don't know Jesus personally.

Please pray:

...that the students' excitement will carry back to their campuses!
...that we would have all the equipment we will need in all the cities we're going to
...for our drummer Jeremy as he's battling a cold/sore throat
...that God would prepare
the hearts of those we'll be playing for in the coming weeks

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support!

New Zealand & Israel Tours.

2008-06-27T16:58:00.003-04:00

As I type, two of our Keynote teams are overseas partnering with various ministries in Israel & New Zealand! You'll find a little blurb about both teams below and a link to a prayer calendar for each team. I encourage you to print those calendar's out and join us in praying for these two teams. Each day there is something specific to be praying for. We'll update you on how the teams are doing as we get email updates [depending on the internet access where they're at].

NEW ZEALAND

Last night we got an email from the team in New Zealand. After over 25 hours of travel, they made it to Wellington, New Zealand! Their trip was great overall. The only interesting thing was one of the flights was delayed because apparently one of the toilets on the plane "exploded"...so they to wait for that to be cleaned up. :) The team will be partnering with various ministries doing outreach concerts all over New Zealand. One additional prayer is for Mia [singer and bassist], as she is in her 5th month of pregnancy while on this trip!

New Zealand Prayer Calendar

ISRAEL

The Israel team [and their luggage] all arrive safely on Wednesday evening. From the update email that we received, they are all very tired and trying to adjust to the time change. As you can see from their prayer calendar, they have a full schedule! For the first half that the team is in Isreal, they'll be leading worship music for the Jerusalem 2008 conference. Then, for the second half, they'll be doing out reach concerts in the Galilee region.

Israel Prayer Calendar

Happy Two Years!

2008-06-24T09:46:00.004-04:00

Today, we are celebrating our two-year anniversary! It has been so neat to see God’s hand in the midst of our dating, engagement, and marriage. These past two years have gone by so fast, but they have certainly been fun and a great learning experience for both of us!

A Party & A Visit.

2008-06-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was my sister's high school graduation party. It was fun to see everyone come out to congratulate her!

When we were heading back to Dayton after that weekend, we had an extra passenger....Kadie! She came back with us to spend a couple more days. Her and I went to see the Bodies exhibit at the Cincy Museum on Monday. We spent the rest of the time hanging out, shopping, and playing with Moses!

Moses really loved to see his Aunt Kadie too! Now, all the parties, trips, our youth ministry commitment, and school is over. I'm sure that more things will creep up, but right now, so many things have recently been taken off our plates. We are attacking MPD [ministry partner development]! We have been steadily working on contacting people to see if they are interested in joining our ministry partner team through prayer and/or financially. God has provided us financially with 11.2% of our monthly support goal and many, many people on our team in prayer. Praise Him! We can't wait to see what He's going to do next!

-J

Prayer Letter Update

2008-06-05T17:47:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday! Here is a link to our latest prayer letter!

June Prayer Letter

In Him,
The Utts

Encouragement. Take Two.

2008-06-02T20:18:00.003-04:00

So, I log on to Crusade's "Staff Web" today to see if there is any news I need to be aware about in the Crusade world. There's a section that answers a frequently asked question from staff members. There's a new question each week. I had to laugh to myself when I saw the title of this week's topic:

MPD During a Difficult Economic Time

[MPD = Ministry Partner Development - what we're doing right now with developing our ministry partner team of people supporting us prayerfully & financially.]

Thanks God for thinking of us in our last post and giving us encouragement with this article. You are amazing! :)

-J

p.s.....If you're curious what the article is about, here it is. [There's a quote that I love that I put in bold/italics. Ellis said that same thing at our new staff training]:

Question

A staff member asks:

"Food and gas prices are up. Many homeowners are in trouble with their mortgages. The dollar is falling overseas. How would you encourage staff members who need to raise support during these troubled economic times?"

Answer

This is not the first time we have faced a challenging economy as a ministry.

During the 1970s and 80s, we lived in a period of rapid inflation, we were in a recession, mortgage rates were increasing drastically and gasoline was scarce due to the oil embargo.

Christy and I were living in New England with a 7% loan on our home. Then I transferred to California where the interest rate on our mortgage doubled to 14%.

During difficult economic times we need to keep a proper view of what is true -- that God really is in control.

I love what my friend Ellis Goldstein says, "From the beginning of eternity, God's net worth has remained constant." None of this has taken Him by surprise -- He still owns everything.

Raising support in today's economy is challenging because many ministry partners are feeling the impact as we are.

But God has blessed this ministry with incredible partners. Our donors are committed to God's work, advancing His Kingdom and the staff members they love and support. They are not rushing out to drop their giving.

In fact, giving to staff members is up about 2.3% compared to this time last year, while overall giving to the ministry has remained about the same.

That tells us that during this tough time, our ministry partners see the importance of continuing to support you, our staff members, while project giving is down slightly.

I would encourage each of you to look at I Chronicles 29 where David talks about how wealth and honor come from the Lord. Also look at II Corinthians 8 where Paul talks about the generosity of the Macedonians.

These two chapters help give a Biblical frame to this discussion and keep our perspective on God's timing, not our own.

Encouragement.

2008-05-31T17:09:00.001-04:00

We are praising God as He has blessed us with different appointments with potential ministry partners that have been really encouraging lately! It is so encouraging to share our vision and calling to a small group and have people come up afterwards as say that they were excited and want to hear more!

This encouragement is much needed because, reality is, God has called us to be raising support as a time where the economy isn't really doing that great. It's tough at time and, yes, we do ask ourselves: why now?

Sorry, we don't have the answer. One idea could be that perhaps God is pushing the world to begin to live more simplified in order to gain more glory for Himself. We don't know the big picture. We can't even begin to wrap our mind around God's plans. We just know that He has provided for us all along this journey. He is drawing us to Keynote, and He is our Ultimate Provider.

Reflecting back on just a few recent provisions:
-He provided us with a great community of believers with our church after just one week of living in Dayton after we got married.
-He provided a job for Jonelle for the last half of this school year that was contracted at the exact amount remaining on our car loan so we can be debt free.
-He provided us a place to live that will let us get out of our lease with no penalties when we need to move to Indy.
-Ultimately though, God has provided us with a way to live out our faith and allow Him to be glorified as we encourage others of what Christ's death has done for us.

Maybe it's not a big theology lesson. After all, it could be as simple as God saying something like: Hey, look at everything that I have provided for you already. Look where I have led you. Please don't doubt that I can provide for you in this stage of you lives as well. Just trust me and walk.

-J & T

Sacrificing

2008-05-15T11:56:00.000-04:00

I finally got word on what the rest of my summer is going to look like. My supervisor cleared for me to do some short term TDY in lovely Portsmouth Ohio. I will be away from Jonelle during the week and come home thursday evenings in order to spend some time with her on weekends doing some fun MPD. It is a sacrifice, but I am okay with it, I just ask that you could pray for us during these next weeks while I am away. After that I will work in Montgomery county (where we live) doing some hearings for new home values, I know sounds exciting. That starts in July. So the outlook on my position will be done near the beginning of August. It is good to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but yet, we have a long way to go with support raising. Being away sounds like a bummer, but it will free up my fridays in order to commit a whole day towards MPD, so that is a blessing for sure. Jonelle will be finished soon with school and she can commit a lot more time to MPD while I am still working. Some might ask, why keep working, the answer is so we can pay off the lovely Saturn and help our Ministry Partners feel relieved that they are not paying towards our debt. It is almost paid for, we just need to see our government surplus check!
-T