Wichita, KS

I wanted to take a moment to set down some thoughts about this trip, and first, to say that it was so absolutely packed full that I did not have any time to take an awful lot of pictures, and didn't think to have someone record me speaking, which I did say I would do. I apologize, and next time I will be more prepared, in a lot of ways!

Honestly, this has been one of the most rewarding things that I have done in my life. The weather got rough right before the doors opened, and so the turnout was nowhere near where we had hoped it would be, but the people that were there really got a lot out of it, I think. I was surprised by the fact that I didn't forget any of my points, and did fairly well even without my introduction video, since the power went out and we couldn't get it off of the computer! After the event was over, I spent two hours talking and praying with people, which is always a blessing, but I think that they blessed me more with some of the things that they said to me.

The bands were great. The local act, Of The Rescue, were really a great bunch of guys with a real heart for what they do. Most local acts show up with this home turf attitude and exude jealousy toward the bigger act, but these guys weren't that way, which is odd, but refreshing. And speaking of refreshing, I can't say enough about the time we get to spend with Mikeschair. Their single "Can't Take Away" is number nine on the charts right now, and is played almost once an hour, but they have no egos, no attitudes, no rock star complexes. They have stayed true to why they started, and are the most excellent group of guys to work. It's so rare to see this that I actually kept waiting for them to break character, but they never did. They really are the same all the time.

But the best experience I had from the whole trip, and what I learned the most from, was the traveling here. I had a 2.5 hour layover in Atlanta that turned into a 6.5 hour layover. I was not excited, but I sat down, had some food, and started having conversations with people. I had the opportunity to talk about God with three very interesting and different people during that time, and I think I did more ministry there than I did the entire rest of the trip. God really showed me how I have to be prepared to share my faith in and out of season, to do as Jesus did and go to where people are at and start the conversations.

I am sitting in my hotel room, about to check out and fly home, already excited about next week, not excited about my really long layover, but then again, I probably have a lot more ministering to do before I get home to my wife. The more I live, the more I learn that we are all ministers, at all times, and more than likely the biggest changes we make in someones life will be when we least expect it....