Where do you go when you have questions about your faith? While many people check out a church or talk to friends, some people run to the internet when they have questions. That’s why Keynote continues to create tools that help people who are searching for God online find the answers they need. We were thrilled to hear about a student named Taryn, who came to Christ through a Google search. Taryn recently shared her story at a winter conference for college students put on by Cru. Here’s a bit of her story:
Jesus hadn’t always intrigued Taryn. She had a great life growing up in Orange County with her Jewish mom and culturally Christian dad and saw no need for God. It wasn’t until high school that she even became curious about Him.
“In high school, I found myself in a group of friends that included what I like to call a ‘super Christian’. She was everything I imagined a Christian to be: super into church, never said a cuss word…and I couldn’t stand her. But, oddly enough, over time we became best friends. She never invited me to church, but she started bringing some of our other non-Christian friends to church and they actually really loved it, which made me feel like I was missing out. Even though there were Christians around me, I still knew absolutely nothing about it because no one was telling me anything.”
So when she heard that one of her friends had “accepted Christ”, it grabbed her attention.
“That was the night, 6 years ago; I was lying in my bed and decided to Google ‘how to accept Christ.’ Thank God that I was sent to a legit site that explained the gospel to me and taught me the basics of what I needed to know. It taught me that there was sin in my life but that Jesus wiped it clean! It showed me that good circumstances will always come and go, but he will be the only constant joy that is offered in this world. They were all things I had never heard of before. I accepted Christ that night in my bed and from there began my walk with this mysterious Jesus.”
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It’s a Thursday night at Minot State University. We’re in a lecture hall surrounded by 80 college students who are hungry to follow God and learn more about Him, eager to discover the plans He has for their lives. We’ve sung some worship songs and heard a few announcements … now it’s Jason’s turn to get up and speak.
He knows there’s more at stake here than just ‘finishing this talk’ and getting out of the spotlight. Having an opportunity to share spiritual truth with these thirsty students, he wants to do his best to connect and get his message across. But he’s worried that his nervousness is going to creep up and get in the way of clearly and boldly communicating what God has put on his heart to share.
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As we begin 2012, we want to take a moment to say thank you for your partnership in the gospel over the last year. Because of your gifts, prayers and concerns tens of thousands of people around the world had an opportunity to hear about Jesus.
Watch the video above for a special thank you put together by Campus Crusade for Christ.
In the summer of 1978, Gary Combs decided to go on a summer project with the Music Ministry (Keynote) of Campus Crusade for Christ. Little did he know that summer would not only impact his life, but the life of his son, Stephen. When Stephen was thinking about his summer plans in 2003, he naturally thought of Keynote. Recently, Stephen told us a little more about his journey and how God has been using what he learned that summer in his current role as Worship Pastor of Wilson Community Church.
“I first heard about Keynote Summer Project through my dad. He always spoke so fondly of his memories with the ministry there, and I had hopes that I would be able to go on a summer project with Keynote ever since I was a kid.
Being a part of Keynote and seeing how passionate the staff were about their lives and walk with God was very inspiring to me. Something that stuck with me from that day was when one of the staff said, “I just keep waiting for the day to come when I get a REAL job, and then I realize that I am working a real job. This is the life.” I knew from that day that I wanted to find a job when I graduated college where I could say that. [click to continue…]
Sometimes the simplest things we do make a great difference in another person’s life. David Pendleton, comedy ventriloquist with Keynote, knows that well.
For over 25 years David has been making people believe anything can talk, sharing the gospel and making people laugh. In that time, he’s received many encouraging comments from audience members. One snowy night after his show, he heard a compliment that he’ll never forget.
A woman approached him with her young daughter, Beth. Beth had a warm smile and was very sweet. The mother told David that she was so glad to be at his show with her two sons and Beth. She said that it was wonderful to be able to laugh together as a family. Her eyes grew misty as she explained that there hadn’t been much laughter for them since her husband had taken his own life. [click to continue…]