...have been busy! Here are some highlights:

In March,

I went to get my wife (at that time my fiancé ) from Northland. On the way back home to Missouri I had the privilege of speaking at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. As a Northland alum, I was able to shed some much needed light on what Northland students really think about Maranatha. FWIW...I am very excited about the future of Maranatha and hope to return there again soon. There seemed to be a fantastic spirit among the staff and students. We had a great lunch with Luke McCarnan and Danny Howe, too. (What a dining hall!)

In April,

I got married to Sarah Zimmerman (now it's Roberts) and went on a Honeymoon to Northern California. Here's a link where you can view some of our wedding pics. Our wedding day was truly blessed and we praise the Lord for allowing this "tree of life" into our lives (Proverbs 13:12). My good buddy Will Galkin gave the charge and he obviously felt great liberty to poke fun at me throughout what was truly an eloquent biblical challenge.

Seriously folks, it was the best wedding I've ever attended. And I've been to many!

Our honeymoon was wonderful. The house the Lord provided for us was spectacular and one would have to wonder why we purposefully chose to spend one night sleeping outside on a sidewalk next to a busy downtown street in a big California city. If you see one of us, feel free to ask...it's a great story.

Later in the month, I made an unplanned trip to Michigan to attend the funeral of a dear pastor friend and mentor--Steve Tipmore.  Pastor Tipmore faithfully served in Fremont, Michigan for over 20 years. He influenced my life greatly. He lived life with zeal, passion, and a bit of righteous gusto. He always made time for others and was a true disciple-maker. When I was in college, I did my internship at the church he pastored. I'll never forget the coffee-shop moments and the life-touching-life ministry Pastor Tipmore had with me. I miss him greatly.

In May,

Sarah and I traveled to Oregon and Washington state promoting Kids 4 Truth. We had a great time with Pastors Mike Hanafee and George Steikes. In Oregon, nobody pays sales tax. In Washington, nobody pays state income tax. Doesn't it make good sense to live on the border in Washington and do all your shopping in Oregon? I think yes.

But one thing you won't want to buy in Oregon is a haircut. I received the worst haircut of my life while staying there. I told the barberess, "I'd like my sides like this..." and went on to explain how I wanted it. She told me "No, no...you don't want that. It wouldn't look right." As I glanced toward my wife I think I caught a devilish grin as she quickly lurched over and buried her face in a newspaper. Folks, my hair got butchered. But thankfully, Mike Hanafee is a marine and still wears his hair as such and his was the church I was at that week. I told his congregation the night of the bad haircut: "Your pastor has had a profound impact on me and I am quickly moving his direction; though I have not yet attained his measure of fullness" as I motioned with my hand to the top of my head. They understood.

In June,

Sarah and I had the privilege of serving at the Wilds' Junior Boot Camp in North Carolina. I was able to serve on program and also preach during some of the weeks. Sarah remained busy by creating a memory DVD of photos and video snippets of each of the respective weeks. On the weekends we were able to minister in several different area churches and promote Kids 4 Truth and also help equip those who will begin using the clubs this fall. The Wilds is very gracious in that they allow me to set up a prominent Kids 4 Truth display and promote our materials there. Every week, leadership from several different churches are exposed to our stuff.

I also took a trip to Southland Christian Camp during this month and had a great week of ministry there. Thank you, Todd Sasek! I actually got to fly back to my home church (Tri-City in Kansas City), drive a busload of juniors 13 hours down to Southland, and then serve as the camp speaker for them. Don't think I'm a servant for doing this. This is just how desperate I am for an audience.

In July,

It was more of the same save a brief jaunt up to Michigan to Camp CoBeAc..."Come, Believe, Accept...Camp CoBeAc!" Jeff Kahl, the director, joked with me that they were thinking of changing the name to Camp CoReBeAc. Why? "Come, REPENT, Believe, Accept. That'd be okay by me. What a week we had there! Over 400 juniors packed that campsite out. This week was the first time ever I was simulcasted because chapel space was at such a premium. Jeff Kahl and his faithful staff are doing a great job up there in Prudenville, Michigan.

Speaking of Michigan, it's my home state. I grew up in Western Michigan and I'll be the first to tell you that my side of the state is nothing like Detroit and much of Eastern (the union-side-of-the-state) Michigan. Sarah and I were able to steal away the day before camp began and visit my old hometown and some of my old childhood friends. I was so excited to show her the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, one of the great tourist attractions of Michigan and the place where I worked as a teenager. I just knew she'd be impressed by those huge dunes. But I'd forgotten that my wife had grown up as an MK in the Sahara Desert. She wasn't impressed by my dunes.

We also had a great time with pastor Edd Bowen at Faith Baptist Church in Davison, Michigan. Thank you friends for the hospitatily and opportunity to minister with you!

In August,

I had the high honor of being the first speaker ever at the Wilds of New England. What a privilege it was to be a part of the premiere week of the Wilds  of New England. I was humbled at the opportunity to minister along side of some incredible servants and to preach God’s Word to over 150 juniors, sponsors, and camp staff. Many of these young people were unaccustomed to the “camp experience,” and their excitement was contagious. Several boys and girls exhibited astounding maturity yet childlike simplicity as they clearly articulated God’s specific work in their hearts during their week of camp.  One young man summed up his week at camp by saying, “I realized that my whole life has been all about me, but I don’t want to go that direction anymore. I’m going God’s direction instead.”

We're back home in Kansas City now, going into the Kids 4 Truth offices every day. Sarah is now a full-time employee, um, er, volunteer for Kids 4 Truth. She has told me repeatedly that she enjoys what she is doing. I'm glad.

We love married life. We love serving with Kids 4 Truth. We're very excited about the future. I'll say more about some current and future vision of the Kids 4 Truth ministry within the next blog post or two. Until then, consider yourself updated.