Examining minds want to know.

I've been doing some writing for Examiner.com over the past month as their Kansas City Extracurricular Activities writer.  Here are the three articles that I've had published so far.  Also, I get some pennies in my bank account every time someone checks out my articles (Hence the tacky lime green font).  If anyone out there has some solid ideas for next things in the Metro that you'd like to see me attempt, drop me a line.  Peace!

http://www.examiner.com/article/from-farm-to-fridge 

http://www.examiner.com/article/fall-fun-at-liberty-corn-maze-and-carolyn-s-country-cousins-pumpkin-patch 

http://www.examiner.com/article/safe-halloween-activities-for-little-ghouls-1 

Navigators Revel at Kansas City Main Event

On the weekend of October 19^th, college students descended upon Crown Center for the Navigators Main Event Conference.  Main Event is an October tradition for students in the Midwest and 2012 marked the fourth straight year that the conference was hosted at what is now the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center.  Students were housed for the weekend in both the Sheraton and the Westin Crown Center hotels.

According to Mark Day, the Navigators Heartland Regional Director, “The Navigators is an international organization devoted to helping college students become deeply rooted in their relationship with God so that they might thrive and bear fruit for the rest of their lives.”  The Navigators was founded by Dawson Trotman in 1933 while serving aboard the USS West Virginia.  Through discipling and mentoring his fellow shipmates, 135 sailors on the ship became Christians before it was sunk at Pearl Harbor.  The Navigators proceeded to direct its work on college campus beginning in 1951 at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln through Mr. Trotman and a group of students in the Sigma Ep fraternity house.  Now, the Navigators has spread to over fifty campuses in the United States and many more around the world.  The Navigators is based in Colorado Springs, CO at Glen Eyrie.

2012 marked the 18^th anniversary of Main Event.  The conference was held in Cedar Falls, IA at the University of Northern Iowa through 2007.  In 2008, Main Event was held at Creighton University in Omaha, NE.  In 2009, Main Event moved to its current location in Kansas City, MO.  The theme of this year’s Main Event was #Revel’12.  The theme encouraged students to take advantage of Twitter in order to share their experiences from the weekend.  The 900 plus students were assembled from schools including the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Northwest Missouri State University, Iowa State University, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and the University of Central Missouri among others.  The students were divided into 119 small group averaging eight to nine students in each based upon their schools.  Each small group is invited to partake in a dinner with a host family from around the Kansas City Metro area.

Peter Trautmann served as the primary speaker for #Revel’12.  Mr. Trautmann currently serves on staff with the Navigators at New York University in New York City, NY.   Worship music was also present at Main Event.  Paul Zach served in a capacity as worship leader for the weekend.  Mr. Zach toured with the Christian band Remedy Drive until 2010.  According to Northwest student William Quinn, “Main Event provided a safe context full of resources designed to help me deepen my trust in God.  I don't know why, but He just shows up at Main Event year after year and moves people in big ways.  Back at campus, I see young people hungry and eager to step out in faith with Christ.  I think Main Event is the cause for this.”