Question...

Hey Quest-
This is a little confusing so bare with me.
There is a guy in my history class that is atheist and has no problem talking about it openly and explaining why he is atheist. I added him on facebook and found out soon enough that he posts videos from youtube all the time by atheists explaining how God isn't real. I watched one of the videos he posted, only one, and I am so confused. This guy that was talking on the video went on for ten minutes going on and on about things that make no sense about God. I have one question, but it's a pretty big question. When God created man, he knew the exact plan of everyone's life that had ever lived, he knew what was going to happen to everything, right? So he saw that sin would be created and everyone on earth was going to sin except for Jesus. Then why not prevent sin from happening? I don't understand why we would all have sin if God could stop it. Sorry if this is a weird question, i've just never thought about this. I would love for y'all to tell me your input on this.

Thanks!
Allie

2 Corinthians....eating it up

okay so 2 Corinthians and I have been in love the past few days, I just want to write down everything I've been writing down in my journal as i read it...

2 Cor 4:1 "Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart." ---Paul and Timothy were severely oppressed and underwent many many trials and hardship, but because it is by GOD'S MERCY that they were even ENGAGED in this ministry-- because, God had mercy on Paul and converted him and allowed him to carry His gospel all over the place-- they do not lose heart. I am encouraged to not lose heart with my ministry with the dance team I am on. It is one of the hardest ministries i've ever had to do and I am pressing forward because I know that God appointed me there because of His mercy and I cannot lose heart because I am furthering His name.


2 Cor 4:5-6 "For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus's sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." ---God shines in our hearts so that we can give off His light. What an amazing thing, thinking about God shining in me. We cannot proclaim anything for ourselves...we cannot proclaim any works we do apart from GOD within us.

2 Cor 4:19-20 "...always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the LIFE of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up in death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh." ---We have to carry in our body the death of Jesus by becoming like Him in His death, meaning that we go through sufferings and trials so that the LIFE of Jesus can be glorified and seen through our living and faith in Him and dependence on Him as our rock..

2 Cor 5:2 "For in this earthly tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling..." ---we so badly want to be in heaven!, but we are here...we have to carry His name and His work here on earth

2 Cor 5:14 "For the love of Christ urges us on" ---if anything, it is Christ's LOVE that urges us to continue on this journey of a Christian walk/life.

2 Cor 5:17 "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" ---everyone rejoice in this...we are NEW...He makes all things NEW.

2 Cor 6 What a commended servant of God has: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God, weapons of righteousness.

amazing quote (:

Okay, so here's my new favorite quote; I hope y'all will like it as much as I do!

"Put your hand in His [Jesus'] hand, and walk alone with Him.
Walk ahead, because if you look back you will go back." - Mother Teresa's mom

Always remember that life is a journey with the Lord. He is always there for us, no matter what, even if it may not seem like it at the moment. Even if it may seem like you're all alone in this crazy world. AND, always remember to live in the moment and to live for each day. Don't live in the past, don't look back...treat every day as a new beginning, a chance for change, an opportunity for improvement.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Haley (:

Struck Down and not Destroyed

Wow. It has been ages since I have posted. No worries, I have kept up with the reading and have been inspired by everything that you guys have posted, but posting takes a lot of time that I NEED to set aside...and I'm starting to realize how much more I get out of what I'm reading when I get on here and post, so with the band season wrapping up, I can't wait to get more involved on here again :)

I guess I'll start with a summation of my depression from the last couple of days and then explain how amazingly 2 Corinthians has been applying to my life (which if you aren't reading...please do, Paul is speaking God's truth in these letters to the church at Corinth, lets soak up as much as we can!)-

We have this weekend retreat at my church coming up in November, and I have been going to this since middle school. Over the last few years, an increasing number of my friends have joined me. Last year, one of my friends came really confused about her faith, unsure of who she was or who God was, but left knowing that there is a possibility discovering who she is by creating an identity in christ. I let her take my bible home with her after the weekend and got a new one soon after, excited that after knowing her and praying for her over 5 years, she might actually commit her life to Christ. Even by the end of the school year things still looked bright...but I didn't stay in touch with her over the summer. As school started back up I grew close with her again, but felt so much peer pressure when I was around her...not necessarily to do anything bad...but to begin putting my trust in other things and people. Finally, with the weekend retreat coming back up, I knew it would be a chance for God to use me again and I bring her the sign up sheet, along with the few other girls who normally come.

Almost a day after I have invited the usual bunch of girls who come, my best friend asks if she can join us at the retreat this year. She is a mormon, and after praying for her for 9 years and inviting her nearlly every year, I am over-joyed...then this week comes. The girl in the paragraph above, Emily, tells me she is not sure she wants to come this year. I find out that over the sumer she became agnostic, and does not want to be converted. She not only tells me this, but goes on to say that I am judgemental and probably do not want to hang out with her anymore and that she worries I will try to "help" her.

Isn't this the common misconception we receive as christians? That we go around trying to judge and convert everyone. condemning them for their sins, acting all high and mighty.

This crushes me for several reasons. One, because being labeled as a stereotypical christian when I am trying to be set apart, feels like a step backwards. It's as if I am trying so hard to wave my hands in the air and show my friends how my life has changed with christs, and they think I am just boasting, or trying to show them up as a better person...the second reason? Because she is now attempting to convince my other friends that this isnt the weekend retreat for them, and that they won't enjoy it. Not only that, but my best friend of 9 years, agrees with her. She agrees with all the flaws in my character Emily seems to have become the expert of pointing out in me. My best friend knows me better than this, I don't shove religion down anyone's throat, and she knows I'm not afraid of talking about God...but she goes along with Emily anyways, and I wonder how many people percieve me this same way.

So, Ive gone around sulking the last few days. All the girls are still coming this upcoming November, but I was really down about the whole thing.

So, how this ties into 2nd Corinthians? Well, let me show you :)

Remembering 1 Corinthians 4 I am reminded that God is my only judge, Paul says "I do not even judge myself." You know what? sulking, worrying that my character is not meeting the character I want it to, putting myself down because I did not meet my own expectations...is not worth it. God is our ONLY judge, which means, that Emily's words shouldn't have affected me as they had. Should I cower behind some "veil" as it talks about in 2 Corinthians 3, trying to hide myself as a christian so that I won't be judged by others...NOOO!!! come on, this is like the song we sang in sunday school while we danced around a candle, "hide it under a bushel, no! I'm going to let it shine..."

2 Corinthians 3:18 says "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." When we are saved, our faces become unveiled, and more specifically our hearts. There is no point trying to hide it, God has transformed us. And every day as we grow closer to him, we continue to transform more into his image, meaning that our lives become a display of who God is.

Continuing on into the next verse, 2 Corinthians 4:1 Paul starts out saying "we do not lose heart." This verse alone is the tiumphant stand I needed to pick me back up. I'm not sure why Emily's words cut me so hard, or why I felt like the purpose of my mission for christ was pointless...but that is exactly why Paul was writing to Corinth in the first place, to encourage them to stay on mission through the struggles. Even then, I can't do anything to save Emily, or my best friend...or any of the 5 girls who come with me for that matter. I can try to shine my light as brightly as I want to, but how the light affects those around me is up to the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 4:6 "For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." God is in charge...As far as I can tell, God really has control here, he is my judge, and he has the power to bring salvation to his children. Why have I been worrying so much about things not even in my power?

Is the life of a missionary easy...obviously not. Look at 2 Corinthians 4:8 "We are pressed hard on all sides, but not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed-" When we live our lives for christ, on mission wherever God has called us right now, at home, school, careers...we will be pressed down on, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down...but there is a promise in that too. A promise that we can hold on to, knowing full well that with God we are on the winning team. We could suffer through all those trials, but we will never be crushed. never be perplexed. never be forsaken. never be destroyed.

So reading this in 2 Corinthians was an amazing reminder to me. I hope you took something from reading this, if anything, that God is the only one in control in all situations. I'm continuing to learn so much in my personal journey with christ and every time I open my bible in the morning it' s like another humility lesson, teaching me about the power and love of God.

Please be praying for my best friend, and Emily. I love them both so much and want nothing but a life devoted to christ for them. There is still nearly a month and I believe in the power of prayer. Thank you for reading, please comment :)

tongues and spiritual gifts

a few chapters behind in the reading plan, today i read 1 Cor 14 and i was so excited. i didn't realize that Paul talked about spiritual gifts such as prophecy and speaking in tongues and i didn't know that this topic was mentioned anywhere else in the bible except Acts, so i was ecstatic. i began speaking in tongues this summer but i have not known much about it so i have hesitated in using it. however in this chapter Paul gives basic guidelines to how this type of gift should be used, where, when, etc. I think it's so important that if any of you have these types of gifts that you read this chapter to better know how to use them. we need to honor the Lord and use these gifts correctly according to scriptures and thus in a glorifying way.
speaking in tongues: should be done in private, just you and the Lord, is a work of the spirit; or could be done in groups of no more than 2 or 3 people speaking in tongues if you each have the power to interpret...if not it is better to do it alone...and be careful of using it publicly without an interpreter or around non-believers as they will be turned away... says Paul

The Test

So, my grade and I got back from an AMAZING retreat last week. Seriously - it was so, so, so awesome! But I'll be posting more about that later. I have so much to tell you about it! Anyway, immediately after I got home from retreat I felt kind of "indifferent" about God at that moment...I was disappointed in myself. I mean, come on, retreats are supposed to change a person, making he or she even closer to God. They shouldn't be just a "camp high," and I wasn't supposed to just return to my normal life at home after it, unchanged - especially not indifferent towards my faith. I was just so confused. I had such high expectations for my life after that single retreat, and it seemed like nothing happened - even though SO much happened at that camp (again, I'll post more about that later). So, like I said, I was just indifferent. Even during church that Sunday, I was slightly interested in the readings and songs, but then I got so bored and then zoned out. I only read a few chapters of my Bible on Monday night, and then I didn't really have time to throughout the rest of the week. Slowly, slowly, slowly, I began to realize that maybe there was more to this feeling of indifference than I had realized.

You know how we earlier talked about how God often tests his followers...tests their faith just to much sure that we know that He's still there, almost reminding us that we absolutely need Him - and only Him - in life? Well, it seemed like that was exactly what I was going through this past week...a test. Think about it...God had so, so, SO blessed me during retreat; maybe he had planned to "test" me when I returned from retreat, as if he was thinking, Let me just make sure that Haley really got the messages and lessons (from retreat) and is really going to implement them into her life. And let's make sure that she shares what she's learned with others. As soon as I realized this I felt so much happier that there was a reason behind it all! I hope this is all making sense because it sure does for me! I meant to post this as soon I thought about it, but I've just had such a busy week...but then Whitley's last post asking us to pray for her if we can so that "God will show her joy again in all that she does" reminded me of the spiritual "test" I have just had. In a way, throughout this whole week, I was begging God to instill the joy in me again too - not indifference, but JOY, because true joy is true freedom and true freedom is found in Christ alone. (:

Also, I had so many tests this past week (you'll see how this relates in just a second). Before each test, I tried to say a little prayer to God like, "God, please just help me to calm down and do well." Don't get me wrong, it's not like I was saying, "Hey God, give the answers." I mean, I guess I just say little prayers before major tests because it really does calm me down! Anyway, I added to that little prayer not only for him to make me calm for (and at least pass) the physical tests in front of me...but also the spiritual test inside of me. Remember that test I was talking about, how I was being indifferent towards God, and how God seemed to have been testing my faith after granting me SO many blessings at retreat? I consider that my own spiritual test. It really has taught me not to have made retreat just a "camp high" (we always talk about that kind of stuff at Sky Ranch!), but to never forget everything I learned and actively abide by those lessons every single day of my life. I feel so much better after this tiring and long, long, long week because it seems like I really have passed this spiritual test! (: This is making me so happy (joyful) right now to share this little story with y'all...like I said earlier, *true joy is true freedom and true freedom is found in Christ alone.*

Tomorrow, I will begin teaching a religious education class at my church for kids who don't attend Catholic schools and want to learn more about their faith. Please, please, please pray for me if you get a chance, so that I may properly teach them more about God and inspire them to grow in their faith. And any of your comments about this whole thing would be greatly apprectiated. (:

You're in my prayers,
Haley

prayer

hey everyone. i never do this, but if you ever think about it, say a little prayer for me during your day, that God will show me joy again in all that i do.

Consciences

This is a little random, but in my religion class at school, we're talking about what consciences are, how they are formed, how they work, etc, and I want to know what you think about consciences!

I believe that a person's conscience is really the Holy Spirit inside of him or her. It's the "little voice inside our heads," the words that carry us through the darkest of times. To me, this voice is God's voice, but we hear His voice through the power of the Holy Spirit (I hope that makes sense). All I know is that this is such a hard word to define. I think that all people have consciences...it's just that some people can hear them (and listen to them) better than others. I believe that the more we trust in God, the better we are able to hear/to recognize God's voice within our souls. Also, I think that when people say to follow your "gut feeling," they mean to follow your conscience/the Holy Spirit/God's voice within you.

The Catholic definition (I go to a Catholic school; it's in our religion textbook...) says that "conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral qualitiy of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed."

What do YOU think about conscience? Maybe it's like God's voice inside of us...maybe when we need His guidance, he uses our consciences to "speak" to us, in a way, you know what I mean? I don't know!

Please comment!
-Haley (:

My Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters

To my dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. I am so ecstatic and proud of you few who have diligently been pursuing your relationships with Christ as you walk through the New Testament together. What a delight to be in the company of believers. Even though we are not in the present bodily company, this online gospel community is so encouraging and refreshing. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you campers (and counselors) who have continued to stick with this, and your perseverance in the faith.

So I actually decided about a month ago to start the Quest reading plan as well. Even though I'm a bit behind you guys, I'm excited to be going the same route as you. I have just finished John's powerful Gospel and his persistent affirmation of Jesus Christ as the Divine Son of God, and I'm very excited to start Acts.

I want to start contributing alittle on this blog, even though I'm behind you, and definitely keep reading what you guys are getting from your reading as well. I continue to pray for all you guys and I hope that this will be some encouragement to you to keep pursing your relationships with the Almighty. I hope that as you've continued to read the Word, your understand and knowledge of God has grown, and that you are continuing to see and discover His revealed attributes, and that the more you read the Bible you start to get a clearer, deeper understanding of the eternal and top-down perspective of God's ultimate plan for humans and His ultimate glory.

May God Bless your faithful service to Him.

Through, For and By His Glory,

Grant

Women can no longer speak...or post

Since blogging is like modern day speaking I am going to ask the girls on this blog to stop posting. You can comment, (as long as you wear a covering on your head) but that is all. We need to establish some Biblical hierarchy here.

women in the church

Ok, as a woman who will [most likely] be moving and attending Denver Seminary next year (!!!!) to prepare for going into ministry... the part in 1 Corinthians 14 naturally struck a chord with me.

For girls who are reading this and confused, let me try to clear things up with the help of my commentary. :]

v. 33-35 - "As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church."

Paul isn't saying that women shouldn't speak at all in the church. The first part of this chapter discusses prophecy and tongues and how if one person prophecies, another should "weigh what he says." Since Paul seems to permit wives to pray and prophesy, as long as they do not dishonor their husbands by the way they dress, it is difficult to see this as an absolute prohibition. Paul is likely forbidding women to speak up and judge prophecies (this is the activity int he immediate context), since such an activity would subvert male headship. For the part "the Law also says...," Paul is probably thinking of the woman's creation "from" and "for" the man, as well as a general pattern of male leadership among the people of Israel in the Old Testament.

So ladies, if you want to go into ministry, GO FOR IT!! Just don't judge prophecies out loud in church. ;)

the way of love.

Lately I’ve been so convicted of my selfishness. Yesterday we read 1 Corinthians 13…. “The Love Chapter,” one that is used over and over in weddings, etc. As beautiful as the verses are, how often do we really sit down and analyze what that chapter says? How often do we match ourselves up to these qualities of love, of the love that Christ showed us? How well do we display them? How well do we genuinely and selflessly live them out?

Let’s look at it.

verse 3: “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

The whole delivering your body up to be burned is referring to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how they willingly put themselves in a fiery, blazing furnace for the sake of the Lord God. If you do something so sacrificial… if you “give away all that you have”, but do not do it out of LOVE… you have nothing!! How convicting is that! You can act all you want. You can show others that you’re a good person. But if you’re not doing it out of love… displaying that incredible selfless love that Christ showed us on the cross… it will fade faster than you can say the word “love”. It’s LOVE that drives us to do the things we do, or at least it should be. Not selfish gain. Not a better name or reputation for yourself. But genuine, selfless LOVE. I don’t think you can truly love someone and be selfish.

Let’s look at the rest of the chapter:

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” -verses 4-7

Let’s think of this kind of love as in the way you love your family and friends. Love is patient. Do you consistently show patience to your parents, especially when they get on your nerves? :] Do you consistently show patience to your friends? Do you show them grace when they are bothering you or do you snap back at them? Think about it. Love does not envy or boast – do you get jealous of the people you love? I’m convicted of this. I definitely get jealous of the people I love, especially my closest friends. Love does not boast. Do you brag about yourself to your friends or family? Are you prideful in the way that you think towards them? Do you think, “Well, I’m just better at this than you…” If you truly love someone, you meet them where they are. You rejoice with them, not just for them.

“It is not arrogant or rude.” – Arrogant – same thing as pride… along with boasting. Rude… self explanatory. Think about the comments you make to your friends that may be considered rude. Even if it’s just sarcasm… be careful. You love people through the way you speak to them. Remember we are called to build one another up! (Ephesians 4:29)

“It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” – Love is not about what you want and what you get. It’s about the other person. You put their needs above your own. That’s the selflessness factor. ;]

Irritable. How often do you get irritated with the people you love? So often. Next time you’re feeling irritated, remember this verse and ask the Lord to show you how to love that person through the irritability. It’s tough.

“It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” – Love rejoices with the truth – living out the Gospel. Love rejoices in doing things that glorify the Lord. Love rejoices with brothers & sisters in Christ and shares in their victories. As I mentioned above, it’s a lot easier to rejoice for someone from a distance, but it’s so much more rewarding to the other person when you rejoice with them… meaning you’re right there, at their side, celebrating their victory or blessing.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Notice the wording here. “Bears” and “endures” are synonyms. “Believes” and “hopes” are somewhat synonymous too – believing in something and hoping in something, right? Love believes in the best of others and hopes the best for them. Do you love your friends through hoping the best for them and helping them get there? Do you endure the painful times with them, or are you a “fair weather friend,” only around when things are good? Life is tough! We need each other to help us endure those hard moments. Love endures fights. Love endures arguments. Love bears one another’s burdens. Think about it.

I challenge you to write down this passage somewhere and look at it daily. Ask the Lord to help you love those around you in the way that Christ has loved us. Look at these verses carefully – think about how Christ has loved us through each verse. His patience with us when we are stubborn and go our own way… His kindness… His humility (dying on a cross… wow)… He is always with us – He will never leave us nor forsake us (love bears all things… endures all things…)
Let us strive to imitate Christ through the way we truly love those around us. :]
In His love ~
Keri

BTW – I think this video is incredible. You may have seen it, but watch it again. It seriously almost makes me cry every time I watch it. :] THIS is LOVE, people!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

1 Cor 9?

anyone with a study bible have a better way of interpreting 1 cor 9:19-23? I think that it is talking about how Paul would adapt himself to certain types of people or groups in order to get on their level, in order to then share the gospel with them and have established a rapport and comfortable community with those groups of people before doing so. i feel that this is a huge insight into the way we ought to evangelize but it also confuses me a bit. i do believe that we are supposed to establish a sort of relationship with someone that enables us to share the gospel with them more meaningfully and relationally, instead of thrusting a pamphlet about heaven and hell in someone's face as they are walking downtown. i believe that Paul has a true point there. however, it's the next verses that confuse me:

Paul writes "to those under the law, i became as one under the law so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law i became as one outside the law (though i am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that i might win those outside the law. to the weak i became weak, so that i might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that i might by all means save some. i do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that i may share in its blessings."

are we supposed to do this too? to become all things to all people, weak, outside the law, Jews even? Paul writes that hebecame a Jew in order to win Jews! What does that mean? Is going to a party and drinking alcohol underaged but having a spiritual conversation with someone okay, even if it's outside the law, because you are "becoming all things"?

any insight on this would be much appreciated, or any insight on evangelism in general.

how much

i received a text message the other day from someone that said, "instead of reading in your bible today, could you use that time to pray for ____..." etc.

now i am not ragging on this person because she is a child of God and i love her, as do many others, and God loves her more importantly. however, her request has sat funny with me ever since...why can't we, as christians, do both? read AND spend time in prayer? read, spend time in prayer, worship, talk to God, etc.? why is our time always so limited and why do we limit the time that we spend with the creator of the universe, our personal creator, who gave up His son, who gave up EVERYTHING just to be on that tree for you and me? i find it so odd that we always are stressing for time, yet we can spend hours clicking at pictures on facebook. i am so guilty of this. why do we not give Him the time of day that He deserves? we ought to do that.

and, the beauty that comes from spending time with Him? priceless.

Man vs. Woman

I need some help understanding 1 Corinthians 11, verses 3-16. These verses basically say that man was created for God, and woman was created for (and from) man. And then it goes on to say that man should pray with an uncovered head, while woman should pray with a "veiled" head. It even goes as far as to say that it is better for a woman praying with an unveiled head to shave her head entirely. Why does it say that? You know how little kids always argue that boys are better than girls or girls are better than boys and all of that other childish stuff...well, I never thought that the Bible would go into that kind of thing! But I know it really isn't saying that boys are "better" than girls...so then what is saying?! Anyone want to help me answer this question?

Thanks (:
-Haley

Now It Makes Sense

Hey Everyone. It's late, I'm tired, excuse me if I rush through this. I was starting to read 1 Corinthians 7 , and as soon as I read the first sentence, I recognized it. My Bible study group has been through this chapter, and thought, "ah, maybe I should skip through this; I know it." I decided against that, and boy did it pay off. You see, ever since I read this chapter, I thought Paul was telling everyone to not get married, but if you're already married, you're cool, don't worry. 1 Corinthians 7:8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. It confused me. But reading over it again, and putting together a couple of the other verses, I think I came up with something better than what I thought before. I think Paul was actually telling them to just stay where they were. Like, if you were unmarried, don't start looking to be married, or don't make your purpose to become married. And vice versa. He was saying don't worry about it. Live your life right now and God will take care of what's ahead. But this doesn't only stick with marriage. This can be applied to your entire life. Just do what you need to do now, and stop stressing over the future. It'll get taken care of. Now, that doesn't mean be totally care free, thinking your responsibilities will just disappear. But if you live for God, and give your 100% for Him, then you'll do just fine.

Feedback would be much appreciated, thanks guys. I hope I got that right, it makes that chapter so much more clearer. To me anyways.

Humility, Judgment, and More

Some verses that really stuck out to me...
1 Corinthians 1: 25 ~ "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human faith." Enough said. No words need to explain this one. Gosh, this verse is unbelieveable. Just think about it, read it over a couple of times, really let it sink in...(:

1 Corinthians 2:9 ~ "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him." SWEET! This gets me super excited, haha. What do you think?!


In chapter three, Paul describes himself as a "planter" (the planter of the faith of the Corinthians). However, he says in verse seven, "Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth." Wow. Paul is so humble. Here he is, traveling all over the place, preaching the gospel, working day in and day out to spread the message of salvation, and yet, here he is, owing it all to GOD. He literally says the words, "I am not anything." Think about that. I.am.not.anything. Nothing at all. Can you image what it would've been like to meet Paul? Someone so humble, so devoted to God...what an inspiration. Whenever you feel like boasting, think of Paul. Think of his humility. Try to imitate his actions. It'll be challenge, but let's all give it a try. (: Also, when you think of boasting instead of remaining humble, remember 1 Corinthians 1:31, "...'Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.'"


And now we have chapter four. 1 Corinthians 4:4 ~ "...the one who judges me is the LORD." Say that over and over and over again to yourself. Everyone, get that in your minds! God is the only one who can judge us. Basically, no other opinion matters but His. Personally, I've dealt with such rude girls judging me and gossiping about me behind my back, and this verse has helped me realize that they do NOT matter. Their hateful views are meaningless and trivial in the eyes of God. Focus on God's opinion only. Spend more time aiming to "impress" God (impress is not exactly the right word to use, but at 1:08 in the morning, it's good enough), and less time worrying so much about what other people think of you. Be confident; God believes in you. (:

Lastly, I'll leave you with 1 Corinthians 5:13 ~ "...Purge the evil person from your midst."

If you haven't read 1 Corinthians yet, I really encourage you to start because it's AMAZING. And I'd love some feedback on all of this if you get a chance to comment. Oh, and my sophomore class and I are going on a retreat for the next few days...pray for us?

You're in my prayers,
Haley

Struggling with Sexual Immorality???

Shoot... yes. I live in America.

Fellas, if you are down in the depths or even on the surface with sexaul sin... shoot me a little facebook message and I would love to talk more about Chapter 6 and "Fleeing from sexaul immorality."

Ladies, same thing but don't facebook me... I will be creeped out and really uncomfortable. Shoot Keri a message.

Act on this.

Cool fact of the Day

Chapter 6 Verse 3. "Do you not know we are to judge the angels?"

So sweet...I'm excited

It Only Takes A Little...

Hey everyone. I wanted to say real quick that 1 Corinthians 5:6 stood out to me. Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Now, in a lot of 1 Corinthians before this, Paul was pointing out a couple flaws in the early church. Mostly though he was writing to the people who wanted to ignore all the problems in the church. See, the members of the church didn't know that when no one has a problem with all the sin going on in the community, it effects the entire church, not just that one person. The cause of the entire church is being put down. Paul didn't expect them to not sin; they went through their own struggles with sin every day. He was talking to the people who would go out and sin on purpose and then not give a second thought about it. Those people and their actions were undermining the purpose of the church. This is where the verse comes in. Just a little bit of yeast will make the entire batch rise. The entire batch is affected by it; every little bit. So when they sinned on purpose and then couldn't care less, it make the new forming church really chaotic. Paul was telling everyone that this had to stop of else the church wouldn't be created in the way it was supposed to. But that doesn't mean we can stop sinning on purpose now that the church has been formed. We have to keep on truckin, and give our best to not give in.

Please give me some feedback guys. It'll help a bunch. Thanks!

What do you think?

Hey campers what do you think about 1 Corinthians 5? Particularly about who to not associate with. I would love to hear your thoughts.

-Cameron

Encouragement

Hey Quest!-
It's been a long time since I posted on here. I read the posts for the first time today in a week. And to be completely honest, I haven't read my Bible in 2 weeks. Well, until last night. I would like to share with y'all some things that have happened.
Ok, so for the past couple of weeks i've been super stressed; my grades aren't what I want them to be and I haven't been working as hard as I should in tennis. I've really pushed God too the side. I know that's horrible, but its what i've been doing. I haven't been making God my number 1 and I really didn't care. I wasn't going to church and I wasn't going to youth group. I was acting at school like I was being a devoted Christian when really, I wasn't.
So every Sunday night, my church has a program called The Yard and it's a youth group type of thing. We go, and worship, it's pretty much like a church service for high schoolers. I usually go, but I hadn't gone in 3 weeks. My friend called me last night and asked me if I wanted to go and I said I was busy. She asked why and I couldn't give her a straight answer, because I really wasn't busy. I just didn't feel like going. She convinced me to go finally, and when we got there, it was the same and we started worship. The first song the band sang was "How He Loves". I was looking up at the lyrics and they really hit me.

He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me.

I finally realized, He is jealous for me. He cares about me and wants me to love Him so much. And it's not good at all to be putting Him to the side, because He deserves to be number 1 in my life. No matter what. At this point in the song, I was balling. Like BALLING. Sometimes we just don't realize how much God really does love us! It's crazy.
So I got home and I opened my Bible, and I started to read 1 Corinthians. It's AMAZING. I encourage you all, if you aren't reading it, please do.

I just wanted to share that with y'all!
Allie

Hinnainee

cameron & whitley- you two are studs! the passion y'all have encourages me so much.
anyways, i don't have long post, but a friend from A&M posted this link on facebook, i read it, and it really spoke to me. i just want too go shout Hinnainee-- its pretty cool.
much much love, miss all y'all,
evi

p.s. if the link didnt post i'll comment it on

early sunday morning

i know this is long.....but i would love to share this with you quest.

oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh. God is the most incredible, amazing, faithful God. He is everything. oh man. i am just filled to the brim; my cup is overflowing.

for one, i second Cam's intense enthusiasm about 1 Corinthians...it is baller. i am loving it so far and this morning at church i dug into it a little deeper. this morning i woke up at 7:30 and dragged myself out of bed after a loooooong day on my feet yesterday. dancing from 11am-11pm is a long day my friends. lest to say, i only got about 5 hours of sleep and my body wanted to kill me this morning. "Should i text mark (our worship pastor at church) and tell him i'm not feeling well and can't come this morning?" it was like Satan was running that thought through my head over and over and refusing me to get up or something. but by the grace of God i got out of bed, got ready and headed over to church to practice at 8am for worship.

craziness abounded because the monitors weren't working, mark's electric acoustic's battery died, and none of us could figure out what channels any of us were connected to. it was a crazy practice and mark was flustered as all get out. service finally crept up on us at 9:30 and our first song?? "Not For Us" by Chris Tomlin. uhhhh. hello..."it's not for us, it's all for You"

kind of a humbling moment, huh? mark kind of took a step back and was like, what are we doing here? why do we always make everything about us when it isn't? it's about Christ.....and the rest of our worship was so encouraging as well.

"God of my hurting, God of my healing
Be my everything"

"You are my strength, strength like no other
You are my hope, hope like no other
Reaches to me
In the comfort of your grace
In the fullness of your love
You lift me up"

so so so beautiful. God moved me to tears after our service today because He was just overwhelming me with His heart and compassion. We talked about global outreach today and spreading the word of Christ to the nations...turns out there are hundreds of millions of people in India alone who have never even HEARD the gospel, who aren't even AWARE there is a Christ or a Bible. I was just sitting there crying...why haven't they? Why can't they? Who are we to try? How can they live without knowing the God that loves? it broke my heart...

then i thought of the passage in 1 Cor 1 that Cam talked about, about preaching the gospel not with eloquent words of wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. these people, these unreached nations-- they don't need wisdom and words, they need the CROSS...they need God's love and how He loves them. The crazy thing that Cam didn't mention the verse's context is that Paul was writing to the Corinthians about divisions in the church and how he did not desire anyone to say "I follow Paul," but rather "I follow Christ." He did not want anyone to have the ability to say they follow Paul or were baptized by Paul...He says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent words of wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power." ok bam.

it is NOT FOR US....it is ALL FOR HIM....and the power of the cross is mighty to save, let us not be discouraged. I just want to remember that my heart for these untouched people is 1) a reflection of God's heart in me, for He loves them and has compassion on them and sees their hurt and heals them 2) is not in vain because i realize that I cannot do anything about it but CHRIST can do something about it, and He can do that through me if He desires that for my life 3) broken, and we are called to live a life of purpose and of spreading the gospel and story of Christ. so how am I doing that on daily basis? how are we doing that on a daily basis?

i guess now i'm just trying to figure out where God needs me and wants me to further His kingdom and do His work. i am an elementary education major and i do love to teach, but i don't know if that's what He wants right now. and i don't know where He wants me to go or what He wants me to do, but i am just going to remember that the cross has power and God's foolishness is greater than any human wisdom (1 Cor 1:25).

and, in 1 Cor 2: 12 it says: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God." i feel that because i have received the Spirit that is from God, i can better understand why He has given me certain gifts (teaching, evangelism, faith, mercy, exhortation, knowledge) and maybe that will make it clear where He wants me to be.

Its a wonderful Saturday morning to be getting in His word

Quest,

If you are not reading 1 Corinthians then start. I have been encouraged tremendously by the first two chapters and I want you guys to be digging in with me. I don't care if you are behind, make time and jump on the Corinthian train... CHOOO CHOO!

Ok so I could once again talk about the amazing and encouraging first 5 verses but I won't. However, these are the verses we talked about having this kind of attitude that we see Paul have when we talk to our Non-Christian friends.

The next chunk is so encouraging to me. I have historically had a hard time wanting to be in heaven more than this earth. I know that's weird and definitely bad but i'm being honest. There are alot of things that I have enjoyed on this earth and several things that I am looking forward to: like dating and being married, raising kids, traveling, and such. Sometimes I cling to those things too much and I am like for sure looking forward to heaven, but I would rather experience those things first. But, verse 9 says:

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared to those who love him"

I don't know about you guys but I can imagine some pretty cool things and for the Lord to say that I can't even imagine how great it is going to be.... incredible. Better than dating, better than marriage, better than sex, better than raising children... So I think I am ok if I don't get to do those things, because I trust God and his truth. Me wanting to do those things is my selfishness in our very materialistic American world. I want nothing apart from the Lord and if it his his will for me to do those things on this earth, I would love that. But all I need is him. He straight up told me that his plans are better than mine and I trust him because he is the one that hardwired me.

My prayer and challenge to you today is that you would let go of all the things and desires you have for this world and cling to Christ alone.

I just found my new favorite chapter in the Bible

Seriously though I was beyond encouraged this morning.

3 reasons:

1) I do not need to preach the gospel was eloquent wisdom unless the Cross has lost its power... last time I checked it was still pretty powerful praise Jesus.

2) God's foolishness shames the wisest of the world. God puts the wisdom of the world to shambles. ITS SO TRUE! After 2000 years millions have not been able to even start a leak in the Yaweh God boat. How amazing is that. They try.... and they just look dumb amen? I was at a extra credit presentation of Rational Theology by a grad philosopy student at A&M... it was the most foolish, sad, confusing thing listen to this guy try to explain the "ultimate good" without God.

3) We don't need miracles to prove God. I was struggling with this and then it slapped me in the face in this chapter and I love it. The signs Jesus has given us and the credible testimony we have leaves us with no excuse to not know God. We don't need any more evidence!!! We already have enough


Thanks and gig em (Yeah, that's right, three posts in one morning... WHOOP)

1 Corinthians here we come!

So today in the reading plan we start 1 corinthians. I am pretty excited about it. I love how we read Acts 18 yesterday and got to see what it was like for Paul when he visited the city for the first time. It is when he met Priscilla and Aquilla, when he heard about Apollos, and where he ministered for a year and a half. I like how God spoke to him in and said "There are many of my people in this city..." and told Paul to stick around.

I did some background on Corinth for us and I will give you a really brief summary. Corinth was a Roman port city in Greece.They are famous for all of their temples to the Roman gods. So the culture is pretty pagan. Paul actually mentions writing a letter before 1 corinthians dealing specifically sexual immorality and division in the church. So these things are clearly big issues because he is going to talk about them again in 1 corinthians. Something my background commentary said that I want to share is that the big issue wasn't necessarily sexual immorality, marraige conflicts, or false prophets... it was a deeper heart issue of not being a holy "set apart" people in a very pagan culture. Anyways there is some background.

You guys have a wonderful weekend! Get in the word, love well, and rest in our joy that can never be taken away!

Cam's Confession

Ok so I have realized that I have not been getting a whole lot out of what I have been reading the past three weeks, just being really honest. I've kept up with the reading plan but it was more just to keep up with it than to actually dive into the life changing word of God. I have been going through the motions and im fed up with it. One of my friends asked me if I was getting things out of what I read and I honestly had to say no.

Ok so I also know that if I post on this thing about what I read then I for sure get something out of it, I mean thats the point. I guess I didn't want to take up too much space on this blog and wanted you guys to really run with it and you have been which is so encouraging and amazing. So I the spirit has convicted me and I am going to be intentional about my time in the word. Im telling you this hoping my words to you will help keep me accountable. You guys are awesome. Miss you and feel privileged to walk through God's word with you.

1 Thessalonians

Hey everyone, sorry I'm a bit in the catch-up mode, so I just now got around to reading 1 Thessalonians...but here's what I think about it.

First, when I started reading the chapters of this book, I started to think of my grandpa for some reason (he passed away in January). I don't even know why, but it was just all of a sudden my mind drifted to that topic. But then - I kept reading and came across the last part of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which talks about "Hope for the Christian Dead." Not only was that something that I completely needed right then and there to make me feel better, but also that passage was one of the readings read at my grandpa's funeral. And my grandma put me in charge of picking out each reading, so stumbling across this when I randomly needed it really made me smile! Man guys...He works; He's always there right when you need Him, and each moment I feel farther away from Him, each moment He proves to be there, pulling me closer.

Anyway, then I got to 1 Thessalonians 5: 9-11! "For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him. Therefore, ENCOURAGE one another and build one another up, as indeed you do." Wow - awesome verses! Basically, they say that it doesn't matter if you don't even know God at all because God will always be with you no matter what (no matter if you "asleep" or "awake," He's always there). So many people in our world haven't encountered God yet, but they don't realize that He's with them at this very moment! And then the next part of the verses....encourage each other, build each other up. We are all here (especially on this blog) to help each other - don't bring people down, lift them up. (:

May God make you strong today (stolen from Cameron...).

You're in my prayers,
Haley

The Husband and WIfe in Acts 18

I thought the relatioship of Priscilla and Aquilla was such an cool example of a husband and wife submitted to the Lord. He was the center of their relationship. They travelled around with Paul and proclaimed the gospel to the world together. Everytims it talks about them they are together. They knew their stuff too. When the great orator, Apollos, was speaking they took him aside and explained the part of the gospel he didn't know yet and mentored him into ministry.

I hope and pray that my wife and I are completely submitted to the Lord like they were. be Just imagine how cool it was to see a Godly couple who worked together like they did. I hope all of us have examples of a husband and a wife who has completely submitted their hearts to the Lord.

May we pursue relationships with this attitude of having Christ above all. If you are pursuing somone who doesn't pursue Christ as their number one... then should you be seeking after them? I think they are a pretty neat example of what we should seek to imitate.