Reason for Colorado

The reason for our being in Colorado this summer has been two fold.

In June, it was for Hubby to teach a Bible study methods class to New Staff with Campus Crusade for Christ.

Then we went to Kentucky to raise support.

Now, we're back in Colorado for the biennial National Staff Conference with Campus Crusade. FamilyLife is a part of Campus Crusade.

The first night was the best because there were no meetings. Just a free carnival. Super fun. Did you know Dippin' Dots are made in Kentucky? Love that state.

First ride as a family...the slide. I screamed the entire way down. I think I scared all 16,000 kids at the carnival.

We had so much fun at the carnival. All the games were free and Mr. Intensity "won" (mostly consolation prizes) many trinkets and ate too much sugar.

The next morning, as we recovered from our sugar buzz, the adults met in Moby Arena, on the campus of Colorado State University. It is the meeting place for the majority of the meetings. About 4,000 people are here for the meetings (from 9:00-11:30AM and again from 6:30-9:00PM.) The children are at "kids camp" at various local elementary schools. Mr. Intensity is in heaven being with so many kids.

The day I took these pictures, the main speaker was Tim Keller who's the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Three times he spoke to the staff and his messages were very powerful, changing paradigms for me.

He's also written The Prodigal God and The Reason for God. I recommend both books.

Commedian Tim Hawkins entertained everyone Friday night.

One of the most inspiring speakers was Tim MacKenzie, who spoke nothing but memorized Scripture for about an hour. It was a multi-media presentation and you can see an example of it here. Uh-may-zing.

There are also seminars to experience in smaller groups. Like How to Write Better Prayer Letters, also helpful would be Listening: The Spiritual Art of Discernment or the one I'll attend next week, Delighting in Your Child presented by Josh McDowell's wife, Dottie.

The summer has been fun. I'm glad we're here but also very ready to be home, in a routine.

As for Mr. Intensity, he's still LOVING playing with the kids in the courtyard. This morning he made his first sale...rare bottle caps.