It's been a while since I sent an update out. The last thing we mentioned was that we were on the verge of taking over a retreat center in Tennessee. A lot has happened since November, even though most of it was behind the scenes. That why it was hard to send regular updates out - not much was happening on the surface.

Here's the quick recap. The location we were looking at in Tennessee ended up not being a viable option. It was a great facility, but there were a lot of problems. To even bring the place up to usability, it would have cost us upward of a half of a million dollars. Severe erosion had set in on a rock wall behind the cabins. That alone was about $400,000 to fix. So we had to pass on that place. It was one of those cases where a free item was a waste of money.

However, we still are moving forward on the pastor training & retreat center. We have been scouting locations in North Carolina and Tennessee. There is a source of funding coming along to help with those projects - which is great news. It has been delayed due to international unrest - which is a test of patience. But it is all in God's timing. We believe this is a part of where Defender goes from here. So God will make that happen when it is the right time.

In other news, David Staples - our co-founder and writer/layout guy/communications director - will be moving back to Orlando in June! His wife will have finished her first two years of med school. For years three and four, they have been assigned to FSU's Orlando campus. So that will help all of us at Defender a LOT. It has been hard the last two years, trying to keep things moving with a four hour distance between the team. But we have keep plugging along. Having David back in town will certainly make it easier to get things done.

We have been developing new resources for men and pastors, lately. These ultimately will be offered alongside our children's, student, and parent lines of curriculum. They also will form the basis of our materials at the center, when it is open and running. The Defender Team has been checking out ropes courses as well, trying to get ideas of options to include. It is exciting to see this new vision come into clearer focus.

On July 2, Charles Wise and David will be speaking at Northland Community Church in Longwood, FL as part of their Next Steps of Discipleship series for parents. Each Saturday, Northland will be bringing someone in to teach parents on a particular topic dealing with raising children and teenagers. We will be speaking on "the X Factor" - media, technology, entertainment. It is a very exciting event and we are honored to be a part. Northland is a wonderful church with campuses around Orlando. For years now, we have been meeting with them about doing an event together. They have wanted to and we have wanted to, but the details never clicked until now. So be praying for that night - and the possibility of future endeavors together.

One last thing... On the Causes page for Defender (www.causes.com/defenderministries), there is a quick and easy way to donate money now - and you don't have to pay anything! Basically, if you agree to answer a couple of surveys and watch some advertisement, we get 5-10 cents. It usually caps you at 25 or 30 cents a day. But that adds up over time. So, next time you are cruising around Facebook, stop by there and answer a couple question. Those quarters add up over time.

Thanks again for being a part. Invite your friends to join the cause as well. Enjoy your summer!