A little reminder to persevere

Hey Quest!! It has been wayyy too long since my last post, but I have still been reading all of your posts and they are so encouraging!!

So the other night I was reading out of Hebrews, and I think Hebrews 10:32-36 has a really good message for all of us, especially after having such a wonderful experience at Quest this past summer, and now having our busy lives in full swing.

"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

I think these verses are so cool because they convict me of the times I care too much about what others think of me in regards to my faith and the times I fail to joyfully give up my worries and other things in my life. Sometimes it's difficult to stand firm in your faith when you are with friends or family members that don't have the same beliefs, or that think you're "too holy," but I know for me, it was a lot easier at camp and right after getting home from camp - in those "earlier days" after receiving the light. The same thing goes for giving things up with joy... I feel like it gets harder to serve joyfully and selflessly and to give things up to God joyfully and selflessly because it is so easy to get wrapped up in what the world is telling us. Also, these verses make me realize that the early believers had the same struggles we face. They too went through the "earlier days" after receiving the light - the days when they were totally on fire for Christ - and then as time passed, they too needed the encouragement to persevere and to stay confident in their beliefs. As humans, we are going to sin, we are going to fail, we are going to fall away from being 100% on fire for Christ sometimes, but the important thing is that we persevere through our struggles and be encouraged by one another so that we don't shrink away from our calling to draw near to God and to love each other.

Hope you are all doing great!! It's crazy to think that 2010 is already ending. Everyone have a wonderful New Year! Happy 2011!

- Emma

Dive in.

Hey Questers, it's DJ.
So funny thing, I'm in Cabo San Lucas until the 1st i think, so i hope this post doesn't show up in Spanish or something.
Anyway, I was with my friend and his family and my family and we went to the beach. Only one problem, we couldn't swim. we couldn't swim because the water was too rough and there were rocks to close to shore. But that got me thinking about girls on the beach. (Bare with me, I know what you're thinking, but this is completely relevant to the story)

You see girls on the beach, they lay down their blankets, put on sunscreen, pop in the earbuds, put on the sunglasses, and just sit there for hours reading People magazine or something. They do all of this stuff, but never actually go in the water (let's say in this case, the water represents Scripture, and the beach represents church, bible study, religion class, youth group, etc.)

It's not enough to just go to bible study, it's not enough to Just go to religion class, IT"S NOT ENOUGH to JUST go to youth group. I mean, if you just go for the sake of going, You're not going to walk away with anything of TRUE VALUE.

So what I'm trying to say with this post is that, any opportunity there is at a bible study or youth group, TAKE IN EVERY WORD. MAKE THE MOST OF IT.
-D.J.

Verses

Hi everyone!
I just suddenly wanted to know what everyone's favorite verse is. So, if you could put it here, that'd be great! I'd also encourage you to ask people you know for their verse; you get to hear a good verse, it's good bonding time, and, if they don't have one, you're encouraging them to find one and look into the scripture.
So, I'll start: mine is Psalm 27:1 - "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
C'mon guys - answer!

there is more

There is more. There's more to life than family, friends, sports, school, and your whole life. there is more. what i've really been concentrating on the past few days is this: "I am not made for me." God didn't create me to please ME, to make ME happy, to keep ME safe, to satisfy ME. It's all about HIM.

I WAS MADE FOR HIM.

people have it backwards, me included. we get caught up in the lie that our life is about us. as crazy as it may sound, it's not. our desires, hopes, dreams, everything, should all be for Jesus. our desires should be Him and His will. Our hopes should match His. Our dreams should be that His will be done in every part of our lives. it's completely backwards to what we've grown up with our entire lives. and i know y'all know all of this already, but once you let it truly settle into your life, things change. and yeah, it's hard. but remember, we weren't made to live an easy life.

Think about it, God created a LOT of things. i mean, bunches. however, there are only 2 that will remain forever, for eternity, somewhere. 1) His Word and 2) people.

since we know that our life isn't about us, invest in other people. love them, serve them, support them. it's what we were made to do. think of God's greatest commandment, Matthew 22:37-39; "Love the Lord your God with all you heart with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

we are commanded to love God and love people. yet, it's what we were created to do. how backwards is that? so guys, let's get to it. love like crazy. let's do it

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Quest! I hope you are having an amazing one.

As most of you probably did, I went to Mass today (well, midnight), but, anyway, the priest said some really cool things that I wanted to share with you:



Christmas, you might be shocked to hear, is NOT about giving. It's about recieving: recieving God. So, the giving is just something that happens because of our joy at recieving God, and wanting to give something, since he did, too. I think one of the things that happens around Christmas is we get caught up in either the commercial stuff, or we're too busy doing service and getting gifts for others to be with God, which is almost just as big of a problem.

Also, Christmas is the Birth of Life. Because of Jesus, life has come into the world, and it's here to stay.

Merry Christmas!
-Erin

NOW TESTIFY!

Hey there everyone!

First, before i get into my post, please pray for a couple of things:

1. The family of the boy who died at Sky Ranch. pray that they recover and find some form of peace.

2. For Sky Ranch. The family is now trying to sue the camp. This is going to bring my world down because i was lead to Jesus there. PLEASE PRAY.

okay, now for the actual post

It would be really awesome if everyone would post their story of how they were lead to Jesus, how they were lead to Christ's love.

(Just something to think about)

-DJ

Let God Use You

Hey Quest!
This year at my school, we got a new spanish teacher. She's right out of college, and she was pretty nervous about it. She's a really sweet Christian, and she has an awesome genuine love for the kids. At the beginning of the year, I decided that I would write her anonomous letters of encouragement and give her little gifts and stuf- just so she could be encouraged and stuff.

Then school started to get busy, and I kindof pushed the idea to the back of my mind. Then one day in class last week, she told us that somone had been anonomously giving her gifts and letters, and that to whoever it was, she was really thankful for them.

When I heard that, it was like a punch in the gut. I realized that God gave me a chance to be an instrument of his love, and when I blew it off he used someone else. I realized that if God has something he needs to be done, he will do it, weather it is through me or someone else.

This was just a really good reminder for me. I encourage you guys to let God use you, and don't put off any opportunity that you have. It is an honer to be used by God, and I don't want to let an opportunity like that go by again!
-Hannah

something interesting

Just wanted to share something with you guys that I thought was kinda interesting...who would have thought that i would be posting stuff relating to Christianity from a philosophy textbook!? well, here it goes.

I was reading about Plato and it was talking about knowledge and being. it says "The very essence of knowledge is unchanging. What is true is always true. Therefrore, whatever is relative and always changing cannot be true." Looks like Plato got something right. This totally applies to life in a TRUE way! Think about it, the ways of this world are constantly changing: what clothes are in style, what kind of music is popular, even what kind of person to be. Types of movies and tv shows change; almost everything changes eventually! BUT...God never has! He never will! His WORD never will! His word is TRUTH and it ALWAYS will be! He doesn't swap horses in midstream! He remains faithful in his promises and love! It's just awesome.

That's all for now. toodleloo...Alexa :]

Stress?

Hey, guys!
I know all of us have been under a ton of stress with homework and tests and such, and I have, too. Anyway, I read this verse the other day, and it's seriously amazing when we're going through stuff like this.

Matthew 11: 28. It basically says to give your burdens to God. Memorize this verse, it's so useful and inspiring. Somedays, Scripture is the only thing that can keep you going, and this verse is one of those.

Just thought it would help. Like I said, memorize it!
Happy Studying!
-Eirn Walsh

Let's Do It

Alright Quest, I have an idea. I've been thinking about doing it for a while now, but reading Haley's post really made me want to tell y'all about it and see if you want to join in and do it with me.

Go one night without (or maybe with very little) sleep. Spend the night in prayer and intimate conversation with the Lord! Then, the next day when you are probably going to want to fall apart and be grouchy and lazy, depend only on the Lord to sustain you. Because we all know he can! It's just a super practical way to let the Lord work and learn to trust him fully. I mean, think about it, what if you had NO SLEEP from a Thursday morning until Friday night? you would definitely not be able to handle everything on your own for that Friday. You would NEED God, and you would be able to see and feel that need if you already don't.

Someone once told me that the Lord uses you most when you have nothing left to give (on your own strength). So this is a way to let God's strength show through our weakness. Who's with me!?

Who's waiting on whom?

Hey Quest! Last week at church, our priest reminded us that before Christmas we are preparing for Christ's coming. Then he asked us all this question: are we waiting on Christ? or is Christ waiting on us? Well, that really hit me. If Christ isn't your number one in life, and if you put Him off to side while focusing on the things of this world, then Christ is waiting on you. Quest, I encourage you all to really think about the way you live on a day-to-day basis, and see if you are truly waiting on Christ and preparing for His coming or if you are making Him wait on you while you do what YOU want to do, while you give into temptation and sin and turn away from Him, leaving Him waiting for you. Sorry if this is starting to sound really preach-y, but I think this is a really good question to ask ourselves and think about.

Are we waiting on Christ or is Christ waiting on us?

Good luck on all your tests/projects/papers/finals...wow these have been some busy weeks!
-Haley

P.S. One week and one day till the QUEST REUNION! :) Anddd two weeks till Christmas!

For Haley

Hi Haley!
I'm really sorry I wasn't at the club meeting today. I headed out to SU2, but you weren't there...did I get the date wrong or something? Please let me know when the next one is!
Thanks, -Erin

Divine Romance

I'm sure many of you have heard the song Divine Romance by Phil Wickham, but if not, I urge you to look it up! I posted the lyrics below:

The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life

A couple nights ago, i was completely overwhelmed. I had some family stuff dealing with a relative that I could not stop thinking and worrying about. School had taken its toll on me and I had barely been getting enough sleep to keep everything going. Swimming was getting tougher and tougher every day, and I was at the breaking point. It was about 12 that night, and I was laying in my bed, trying to memorize a thing i have to say from memory for church's Christmas program this weekend. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't handle (felt like i couldn't handle) life any more at that moment. i wanted life to pause in that moment and just give me a break. so i quit what I was doing and grabbed my iPod. this song, Divine Romance came on. I cried like a baby. We have a Jesus, a Savior who wants to be with us and love us and receive the glory he rightfully deserves! This song just reminded me of that. It made me wanna sing for him, dance for him, rejoice in his presence, and show him my love in whatever way i could. guys, look what Jesus did for us! he died for us, yet he continues to FILL US each and EVERY day. no matter what. he never stops, even when we want to.

Romans 8:38-39. Rejoice in the divine romance we get to have with Jesus!

Trust.

So before i start i just wanted to share with everyone a blog that i have come across.

It has been really helpful and there are daily reflections. Check it out!

http://utmost.org/

So I haven't posted in a while so i just wanted to check in with all of you.

It wasn't until a couple months ago that I started getting involved in a church. I found one that has been working out really well- one that i really seem to like. This had been a long time prayer of mine and it is amazing to finally see it come true. More than that, i had been praying my heart out for a group of girls to be in community and accountability with as well as an older mentor to look up to and learn from. I honestly thought that this would be impossible, when i first started praying about this. Its funny how God seems to laugh at the seemingly "impossible" gifts. I was randomly talking to a girl at my school who has been a teammate of mine and she asked me, out of the blue, if i wanted to go to a bible study at her house. It took off from there and I am now apart of a small group with like 7 other girls and two leaders! I have already learned so much and I am so amazed that this worked out the way it did. It is honestly unbelievable. God has also managed to work in my life in another incredible way. I have been given the opportunity to work with Sky Ranch in the dallas day camps! I am sure this goes for most of us in quest but it has been the biggest dream of mine to be a Sky Ranch counselor ever since I was a little Sky 1 girl. The fact that God has placed me in a position where I can be an example for these girls is quite amazing. I know that it will be challenging at times when I have to wake up early and will be missing out on events with my friends but it will pay off in a much bigger way. There is no work more important than doing the work of God. We are all called to be representatives of his kingdom and we have to do that all for His glory.

These are huge prayers of mine, guys. I never imagined that they would come together in the most perfect way but I guess I just forget how truly amazing our God is. He really does want us to succeed and will give us all the tools we need to do it. If you guys are not in the place where you can really see God working in your life, I pray that you hang in there and cling to Him even tighter because he will provide. Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled." God WANTS to fill us up, he loves us so much that we cant even understand. Do not be discouraged and dont fill your hunger with other worldly things, because they will not be satisfying. It is better to wait for something great than to be distracted by things that will lead us away from greatness. I know what it is like to feel forgotten about and left behind. God does not forget, we are called to be patient and trust that he has a plan for us. Isaiah 49:16 "See, i have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Trust him to fill up your spirit and bestow his strength on to you.

I love you all; i cant wait for the reunion!

Erin read this!

Hey Erin our bible study is actually going to be on Friday during club time at school! NOT Tuesday after school. I hope you can come! :)

-Haley

Priority

Hey quest just a quick word of encouragement to you all. I love this blog so much and I really hope new posts keep popping up! Just want to encourage you to make God your priority this week. Be intimate with Him. We don't have to do life alone, and we shouldn't! The Lord is here for us so give him control and watch as he works. I know life is crazy busy, especially since school is almost over before Christmas (HALLELUJAH! what a blessing!) and teachers and coaches are piling up the work load. I know. but it's not an excuse, even though I've been using it as one. So just stop what you're doing, slow down, and listen to our precious Lord. he speaks in the silence. "Cast your cares on him, for he cares for you." Don't let life get in the way of you and Jesus this week. Just spend time with him; every second counts.

love you guys. :]

--Alexa

Let's summarize

Let's Summarize: these are the lessons that i got out of how i was lead to Christ.

1. Everything happens for a reason.
2. When you sacrifice something, think about what you gain rather than what you lose (I lost Taylor, but gained my relationship with Christ)
3. Love nevers dies, it just takes a different form (The love for Taylor turned into the love for God)
4. The journey of how you are lead to Christ does not happen through 1 person or event alone. It requires multiple things. (people: taylor, timmy, marcus. Events: the relationship, the prayer, Sky Ranch)
5. God breaks us down, He lets bad things happen to us, in order to bring us up and bring us closer to Him.
6. Your identity should be put in who you are in your faith, rather than earthly items.
7. God answers all our prayers at exactly the right moment.
8. you don't have to be special to have a relationship with Jesus. Christianity is about having an encounter with Jesus Christ and having your heart changed through this encounter.

Hope you enjoyed!
-DJ

J.O.Y. (why I'm a Christian)

Hey DJ's back!

I think i need to share with you guys my testimony of how i was lead to Christ. There are multiple lessons that i learned later on that relate to this story.

I was agnostic up until i hit my seventh grade year. I didn't really think that God could interact in my life or have power in it in any way. I was in a new school my seventh grade year and i didnt really know how to start. There was this girl in my grade named Taylor, and i started to 'like' her. So we start talking, getting to know each other, then i decide i wanna ask her out. I have this plan of how i'm gonna ask her, but then she pulls me aside and says, "So.... wanna go out?" I was like, "Heck yes!!!!"

So we date for about a month, and for that month, I'm happy. But this was a bad thing because i put this girl and our relationship at the center of my universe. I put her before everything because i made this my identity. It's like if i were to get a name tag that said "Hi, I'm ___," i would put 'Taylor's boyfriend' in the blank.
So we date for a month, and on the day i was going to try to kiss her, she breaks up with me (irony much.. haha). and after that, I'm depressed for the rest of the year. I had lost the only thing i could put my identity in and i hated it. I felt that i had nothing in my life to bring me happiness.

Eventually, my birthday comes around, and i turn 14. Coincidentally, my school has chapel that same day, and the message was: What ever you are going through, what ever questions you have, give them to God, who is always with you.
So i prayed (just a heads up: This is my FIRST prayer. I mean my VERY FIRST PRAYER): "Father God, if you know what i'm going through, if you are truly almighty, if you truly love me, then answer this: Why did me and Taylor break up?"
God didn't answer me for a while, But when He did, i was changed forever.

My friend, Timmy Cheatum (who also went to Quest this summer) took me to Sky Ranch for a week. we were campers in cabin 25 (which was Denton Hall back then), and on June 13, 2008, I was lead to Christ.
We were sitting in the cabin watching a video for Bible study and the video was of a girl going behind a changing curtain and changing into a bunch of different outfits, and when she would come out she would have a name tag that read "Hi, I'm Athletic" or "Hi, I'm Goth" or "Hi, I'm Preppy" (remember the name tag reference from earlier).
and the Message was what we put our identity in and what we put at the center of our lives. This got me thinking about my prayer from earlier, then my counselor Marcus said this:
"J.O.Y. stands for Jesus. Others. Yourself. meaning you can not put anything before God."

I. Was. Speechless. When i heard this, I was inhaling. and as soon as Marcus had finished that sentence, I could feel something change as i was inhaling. i could feel a Pure, Holy escense enter my body through my Breath. it felt like i was Breathing for the First Time, I had Breathed Christ into me. As soon as i felt this, i became warm and tears started falling i ran into the bathroom stall and puked. I was Crying as i sat on the floor of the stall and i couldn't stop. I walked up to Marcus and i was talking like a crazy person saying,
"Marcus, what's happening to me? I heard what you said and i felt different , like something came into me and then i felt-"
Marcus: "DJ, (he pulled out his pocket Bible and turned to Colossians 3:10) 'and you've become a new person. this new person is continually renewed in knowledge to be like it's Creator.'
Me: "Marcus, I think I believe in God." then the tears really started to fall.

(Read the next post after this one)
-DJ

QUEST REUNION!

hey guys! WE ARE FINALLY DOING IT! everyone needs to come... i don't care if you live in Kenya... i don't know who lives there (no one actually from our group) but i am trying to make a point here... everyone needs to come! all you LA girls (and I mean Louisiana, not Las Angeles, we are we kidding, we're not THAT cool) all you crazy ladies better be there!

THERE MIGHT EVEN BE AN APPEARANCE BY AKTUKAN AND SHAKIRA!

I am so looking forward to it! AND..... wait for it...

IT IS A TACKY SWEATER PARTY!

so whip out your FINEST! we aren't pretending anymore... hey maybe dana will dress up as Santa and do the DANA!!! I vote YES!

This message is a little hyperactive because I am just SO EXCITED!

love yall! cannot wait to see you soon!!!

always,

Lindsey

p.s. RSVP on the facebook event page! invite all your quest friends!

Just an Idea...

Hey, Quest!
I've been reading my bible a lot lately, especially the Matthew, and, after a while, it just sorta became routine, you know? Like brushing your teeth-it's good, and you know you should do it, but it's more out of habit then not being able to wait.
So, what I started doing is reading the section and doing the inductive bible study. I would find out the literal meaning. (I'm reading about a lot of miracles right now.) Then, I would look for a symbolic meaning. For example, if I read about the cure of a blind person, I would read it first like it is, then read it, pretending that the 'blind' could refer to us, who can't see God or the way.
Anyway, don't know if this is new, but I think it helps me get more out of it, because I can apply it more to my life.
Keep up the good works, guys!
-Erin Walsh

'Worry Verses'

Hey guys!
I have a friend who worries about EVERYTHING- school, sports, her mom, everything! She could spend 100 hours on an essay, and she'd still be worried about the grade.
Anyway, I just feel like this has got to be just so tiring and degrading, so I was going to compile a list of verses to help relieve worry and fear and give it to her as a Christmas gift. Obviously, I don't have time to comb the whole Bible, and I know you don't either, but if anyone has a verse in particular that they love, that would be great!
Thanks, guys!
-Erin Walsh

Something to think about.

Alright, so today I noticed something really interesting.

Have you ever noticed that people who say they are Christians don't act like Christians, but people who aren't Christians do act like Christians?

One non-Christian I know always encourages me. Today she was telling me that I was so nice and such a great person and that I shouldn't ever let anyone tell me otherwise (I'm not bragging about myself, that's just what she said haha). So I was obviously so happy when she said that, especially since I've been trying to minister to her lately through my actions because she's an extreme atheist.

And another non-Christian I know calls me all the time to see how I'm doing...and she's always there for me no matter what, and she's sooo incredibly loving.

I'm definitely not saying that all non-Christians are like this, obviously, and I'm not saying us actual Christians are not like this. Of course, there's a little bit of everything on both sides. Does that make sense? haha

So...are YOU saying your a Christian and then living as a non-Christian? I bet if you look hard enough you'll find people in your life who say their non-Christians and yet they live like Christians (through their love, encouragement, empathy, service, etc.)

Just something to think about :)

Keep postinggg!
-Haley

the power of prayer

hello again!
ok so while i was at quest, we talked about praying for devine appointments, which is basically just what it sounds like. anyway, when I got home, I made a prayer list, and i began praying for devine appointments.

theres this guy in my youth group who has been depressed and cutting himself, and i don't know him that well, but over our youth group's retreat a few weeks ago, God just had it on my heart to pray for him. I have been praying for him for a few weeks, and tonight at our youth group we had a night of worship and sharing testimonies and stuff, and he sat by me. I realized that many of the songs being sung applied directly to his situation. I began praying fervently that God would break through his cold exterior and show him his love. I really felt God moving as I was praying, and I realized that he was singing along... something he NEVER does! After it was over, I heard him tell his friend that he fell in love with God again. It was amazing to be able to be used by God to pray for him and be able to participate in this milestone for him. it was awesome that God actually let me SEE my prayers come true! I know that I had a devine appointment tonight.

it says somewhere in Esther, (i dont remember exactly where...) that if God needs something to be done, he will find someone to work through. I am so glad that I had the privilage to be used by God in this situation!

So I encourage you guys to be prayer-warriors, cause it is such an amazing honer to be used by God in any way!!
I hope that made sense... it did in my head at least...

-Hannah

FCA!

Hey guys I know this is kinda late notice, but if anyone reads this before 7:45 tomorrow morning, please please PLEASE be praying for my high school's FCA meeting tomorrow! Me and another leader (my best friend) are doing the lesson so just pray that it goes well and that God gives us the words to say and the people there ears to hear! I'm so excited but nervous and i just hope and pray that it's gonna turn out well. I really need something good right now so prayer would be beyond AWESOME! love you all!

-Alexa

Thank you!!

Hey Quest!
I know I havn't posted in a while, but I love reading your posts!
I just wanted to share the amazing things God has been doing in my life since camp!

Normally, I go to Sky Ranch, get a camp high, and read the Bible for a few weeks then kinda drop it. But this year, its been different. I'm still consistantly reading my Bible, and have stayed on fire. I have probably experianced more spiritual growth in these few months than in the past five years of my life combined! God is really revealing himself more and more to me, and teaching me how to recognise his voice. I'm really learning what it means to walk with Christ, And I love it!!

I thank god every day for letting me experiance sky ranch, because quest was really the thing that woke me from my spiritual sleep.

So thank you so much Cameron, Dana, and counselors for being so encouraging and doing the inductive Bible studdies and all that, because it really and truely changed my life! I can't even imagine where I would have been if not for quest!

And thank all of you questies for posting on this blog and encouraging me!!

I love and miss all of you!
-Hannah

i was studying greek with a friend last night and during one of our many breaks she brought up something that really challenged me and honestly opened my eyes.



she said that she is realizing that no one is intentional anymore. she was saying that as christians, we arent taking advantage of the community around us. its like we know that other christ followers are struggling with the same junk that we struggle with but so often we dont care to hold each other accountable or encourage. we know that we arent alone but yet we act like we are.



im not sure if that made sense to you or not but i know that deep in my heart on a certain level she was right. somewhere along the way, we have lost sight of community and real accountability and sharing each others burdens and victories and walking through this battle together. we think we're alone but we arent and so often we choose to live that way.



so this is my challenge: be intentional with someone who is going through this battle. encourage each other, rejoice with each other, walk with each other, hold each other accountable. its gonna stink at times but we werent meant to walk alone. just remember not to rely on them; rely on the lord.



i hope some of this made sense in some way, shape, or form. love you

Perseverance

Hey Quest! I'm sorry it's been a while (maybe a little more than a while) since I've posted, but I've been reading and I love reading everything y'all have to write. I don't really have anything to share with you, but I do want to tell you all thank you. All the writing y'all do is really encouraging to me to be able to see how other Christians are persevering in their walks. When ever I'm going through a troubled time, I love to get on the blog and read all that you have to say. I'm sorry this isn't a huge post, but I just wanted to thank you. I want to see this blog kept alive and running and hear all the awesome things y'all have to share. Hopefully next time I'll have more to share.

Remember what Cameron taught us in James.

James 1:12

-Joe

Answer..?

This post is for Erin's question about "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" in Matthew 9:13. For some reason, I couldn't comment on your post, Erin, so I'm putting my answer here! Okay, so i dont know if this is 100 percent correct, or correct at all, and I can't take the credit for it either. I checked out some websites with commentary and stuff, and this is basically what I have in regard to your question...

First off, if you want a cross reference, Hosea 6:6 is a great one. "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings." That verse already begins to clear things up. I think basically what Matthew 9:13 is saying is that mercy is preferred to sacrifice. Check out this quote from a website I came across: "I am more pleased with acts of benevolence and kindness than with a mere external compliance with the duties of religion." So God prefers us to act the way he calls us to, in love, rather than simply "follow the rules" of religion. In this case, not sacrificing because you know you're supposed to, but instead being charitable toward the oppressed or something. Is this making sense? Or for another example, when we were little, I'm pretty sure most of us went to church just because. Maybe because our parents did or maybe we actually enjoyed it, but either way we knew we were supposed to go. so maybe it's saying that God would rather us go out into the world and follow in his footsteps than be a "good Christian" and go to church every Sunday because we have to. it kinda seems like the motive behind actions to me. but like i said, this could be totally wrong, so keep searching...

thanks for posting!

Alexa

Questions...

Hey guys!

I was reading my bible last night, and I didn't really understand something. And it was a direct command from Jesus to understand this. So, I was a little worried.

"'Go and learn the meaning of the words, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."...'" -Matthew 9:13

This is Jesus speaking to the Pharisees after they doubted his ability to forgive sin. I'm really confused about the meaning of the words, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice", though. Does anyone have a clue on this? I'm not even sure if it's supposed to be God saying this, or us.

Also, does anyone have a way to memorize bible verses? I tried writing just the first letters on my list, and I usually remember the words and, usually, the book, but I can't remember the chapter and verse, so I can never find it again.

Thanks, guys! -Erin

Love

Hey QUEST! Hope life is going great for all of you and that y'all had a fantastic Thanksgiving! We have a lot to be thankful for...

Anyways, just a quick word for y'all. The other day I had an "aha" moment. we are called to LOVE. To love God, to love people, to love goodness, to love light, to love the rich, to love the poor, to love our family, to love our enemies, to love when we want to, and to love when it hurts.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:34-35

Love is so important that it's our calling card as Christians.

There's a song called "By Our Love" by Christy Nockels and it says in the chorus "they will know us by our love." So this is what I realized, if there's one thing I want to be known or remembered by, it's my love. And honestly, right now i'm not doing so great with that. So here's my challenge to you. Go and find somebody right now to love. It can be a family member, a friend, someone who annoys you, or even someone you just haven't talked to in a while. Be a light in their life.

But here's one problem I have come across...sometimes I don't know how to go about loving people. Some people like to be encouraged and talked to, but other people like you to respect the silence they enjoy and find comforting. So how do we know what to do?

PRAY. when in doubt, pray day in and day out.

if we pray for another, the Lord will deliver. he will work in their heart and change yours, too.

" ¹ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13

Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nQy-aP_Koo

By Our Love by Christy Nockels http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJN7kXvEnDw

Getting back the "hunger and thirst"

Camp seems like so long ago, doesn't it?! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I miss sky so much...but one of the things I miss the most is how close I was to God at camp. After reading Hannah's post below, I started to realize that I really have lost the "hunger and thirst" I had for Christ at camp. I longed for Him and lived each day for Him. To be honest, now I only do that when I feel like it. And I read my Bible and pray when I feel like it. What happened to the days when I couldn't wait to read my Bible and pray? What happened to the days when I was thinking about God all the time, instead of the things of this world? That "hunger and thirst" I had is fading, but I'm going to try as hard as I can to get it back. I've noticed that my life has a certain cycle to it that I really want to change: I mess up/sin then I run to God then I get closer to Him and live for Him, but then I don't run as hard towards Him and I fall away from Him and to the things of the world, and then I mess up/sin again and the cycle repeats itself. I think we tend to turn to God only when we need Him, only when it's convenient for us, like when we're struggling or going through something that requires Him to pull us out. So Quest, how are YOU doing? Are you turning to Christ in your daily life and living for Him, or are you only turning to Him when you need Him?

This might sound weird, but pray for me, that I can get that "hunger and thirst" I had at camp back. And I hope and pray that y'all didn't just make Quest a camp high, but that you're working on making it a reality. And if you fell away from Christ after camp and you haven't been with Him since, it's never too late. Get back up and run towards Him. "Get Back Up" ~ TobyMac

And I love how people are still using this blog! It encourages me so much! So if you're reading this, pleaseeee don't stop posting. Keep it up :)

-Haley

Hunger and Thirst

Hey you guys! Hope everything is going well!:)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Matthew 5:8-12

Okay, so I send out daily Bible verses thru text (thanks for the idea, Julianne! :D ) And I sent this verse out ..when reading this again tonight, a part of the passage definitely spoke to me.

"Hunger and thirst for righteousness"

I think that when someone hungers and thirsts for something, they are desperate for whatever it is they are hungry or thirsty for. As Christians, it's extremely important for us to have our quiet time with Christ daily. But our relationship with Christ, at least I don't think, should be about routine. I think reading the Bible every day is just as important as having a deep longing to know Christ on a personal level-to have that hunger and thirst to do his will, and to trust in him! Christ wants us to love him passionately, and want to do everything we can to share the gospel with those around us. Well think about it this way. If we don't really feel passionate about doing what is right...and we just do our Bible study because we feel like we have to...is that enough motivation to go out and be a light for Christ? (Matthew 5:14!) I know I have this problem sometimes, where I feel like I HAVE to read the Bible. Don't get me wrong, it is so SOOO important to spend time each day set aside for the Lord. But I encourage you guys to pray constantly for a deeper hunger and thirst to do what's right:)

Miss you guys!

-Hannah B.

Being a Good Christian, Continued

Hey, guys!

A while ago, I asked what made us different from people of other religions. The bible says they will know we are Christians by our love, but non-Christians are often a lot nicer than us.

Well, I haven't quite figured it all out yet, but I have realized a little bit. What makes us different is how we love OUR ENEMIES. They all are super nice to their friends, and even people who they don't know, but we don't retaliate against our enemies! We don't gossip, cuss people out, or say anything mean to people. (Or at least we shouldn't, I know I'M not perfect.)

So, I was pretty happy when I realized that, just thought I'd share. Love you guys! -Erin Walsh

Nothing for granted.

Hey quest!

So recently i've been really into this artist, Brendan James. He isn't a Christian singer but he is just one of those good hearted, down to earth kind of guys. I actually got to meet him and it was awesome. Ive been encouraged by one of his songs lately called nothing for granted. I love music because it is so powerful.

"Leave you worries, leave your fears, leave the doubt you're holding dear. Leave them there love, by the door, they're no good anymore..... Run with me down these midnight streets, we will take nothing for granted, nothing for granted. Stop the seasons drifting by, stop believing there's no time. Stop your heart from closing off, I think you deserve it all. Love your future, love your past, love your body it's all you have. Love your secrets bottled up, but love them more when you give them up."

That is pretty much the meat of the song. I literally love it. It is a reminder to love life and love it well. We can leave our worries and our fears- we do not need them because we have a God that is willing to run hard right along side us and that is so encouraging. Love your future and your past because God has a plan for us and it is good, pleasing and perfect. In church last week we were talking about how we should look at the good things in our life and not love them for what they give us here but we should love them because they are a little piece of what God gives us. We love our friendships because they are a small example of the way that God cares about us. We love our parents because it is an example of Gods fatherly love. We love music because it reflects the emotions that God has blessed us with. I love Brendan James because his songs reflect the love for life that I admire. Dont worship idols of the world but love what you love because it is a reflection of God and his kingdom. Joy can be overwhelming and it can only come from one place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiVB73oans0

too cool for school

quesssstttttt. quick little story for you guys. so i was in philosophy class one day and i was about to leave to go take this boring thing called the plan test. basically, it's like the ACT's cousin. anywho, before i left, this girl in my class asked if she could borrow my textbook because she forgot hers (she always forgets hers...). so i gave it to her and said i would just get it back on friday. well, later i found out that we had a quiz on friday on some pages in the textbook that we were supposed to read, and now i didn't have a book to read it because i let somebody borrow my book. i felt kinda good and kinda bad...good that i let her borrow my book, but bad because now i was gonna pay the price...(that's exactly what Christ did for us, meaning we should sacrifice for others like that all the time...AND not complain or worry about it either...). so, i tried to get in touch with her to get my book back by thursday so i could read the chapter, but she never responded. i get to philosophy on friday, the girl hands me my textbook, and our teacher got ready to hand out the quizzes when suddenly, she decides to let the quiz be OPEN BOOK! the Lord came through like he always does, even when i doubted and worried he wouldn't! guys, GOD ALWAYS DELIVERS. it's awesome. back to the story...i take the quiz, it's super easy, but then i realize that the same girl i let borrow my textbook doesn't have hers with her again. then she whispered to me, "can i borrow your book?" i slipped it to her.

y'all, it's the perfect example of what Christ does with us. he has what we need...he IS what we need. we seek him out and he provides. and even when we ask multiple times, he STILL comes through. really, he is quite amazing. well that's my story for today...keep posting! I LOVE IT :]

Alexa

so i was reading through psalms and ran across 51:16-17. it says that "he does not delight in sacrifices...the sacrifices of our god are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart" so i wanted to see what you think a broken spirit is.

what do you think it means to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart? ready. set. go.

Perfect Love

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. So one who fears is not yet perfect in love." 1 John 4:18

With love, we can never go wrong. Love is always the answer. I'm sure we've all heard these kind of statements over and over again. But right now, in this moment, I encourage you all to look at your life and ask yourself whether or not you are truly trying to love. Love your family, love you friends, love your enemies, etc. And our love for other people must be sincere and genuine.

Right now in my life there are people that I would rather not love, but I know that's what we're called to do. How can we share Christ with others if we don't love them? "This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35

The best way to spread the gospel is through love.

-Haley :)

The Lamp of the Body

Hola, Quest!

Last night, I was reading my Bible, and I came across a section that was kinda difficult for me to understand, but I prayed about it, and God helped me understand, so I thought I would share it with you in case it's confusing for you.

The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will your darkness be. Matthew 7:22-23

I was really confused on how the eye was the lamp of the body. Eventually, though, I realized that it meant what you see, and how you see it. So, if you're surrounded by good things and look at it in a good way, it makes light in your body, if that makes sense. But if you look at everything around you in a negative way, you're not letting any light in. You have to look at everything as God would see it, and you will have light within you!

I hope that made sense, but anyway, I just encourage you guys to look at everything in a positive light, and look at things like God would! After all, if your light is darkness, how great will your darkness be!

Love you guys! -Erin W.

Conviction

Hey Quest!

I'd just like to say that this encourages me all the time. I love hearing what you guys are discovering, I love having to think of answers to questions, and I love getting answers to my questions, so keep it up!

Anyway, the other day, I was thinking how Scripture applys to everything. Well, almost everything. I mean, the little things, like which shirt should I wear or what should I have for a snack don't really matter, so I guess they don't count. (This is my thought process here.)

THEN, I remembered the verse in Matthew (I think chapter 7?) about how we shouldn't worry about what we wear or eat. But, being me, I kept going. Well, what about whether I should shower or go to bed and do it in the morning? Well, there's verses about washing your face and keeping clean. Should I put my books in my locker? There are verses about giving your burdens to me.

So, pretty much, as hard as I thought, I could not think of ONE situation where Scripture didn't apply, or you couldn't relate it back to Scripture. I kinda felt like God was laughing down at me from heaven saying, "Nice try, but what did I tell you?" (In a friendly way, of course.)

Anyway, I encourage you guys to think about this a lot. Yep, no situation. Get over it.
I also encourage you to try to apply Scripture to every situation in your life. This is a really big problem for me; I just kinda get wrapped up in my day and forget God, and I HATE it after I realize what I did! So I encourage you to do MUCH better than me.

I love you guys! You're amazing!
-Erin Walsh

Confused.

I was talking to someone about the Bible today, and she told me that she didn't take the Bible very seriously because she said it had been rewritten a number of times (this girl isn't a Christian). I was pretty confused. So of course I asked her who told her that. I'm Catholic and I go to a Catholic school and so did this girl. She said that the religion teachers at our school told her that, but I doubt they did because that's definitely not the Catholic teaching. So then I asked her if books like Matthew were rewritten. And she said yes! Well that doesn't make sense because why would someone rewrite what Jesus himself said? And when she says rewritten she means that their meanings were changed completely each time.

I know the Bible wasn't rewritten a million times. Translated differently but not rewritten, right? But I guess I'm just wondering what I should say to this girl to help her understand the Bible more. So if anyone has any advice for me, that'd be awesome!

Thank you!
Haley

Yeah, I'm Really Smart

Um...does anyone know how to publish a draft? I made a whole post, then pushed the wrong button, so now it's saved as a draft, but I don't know how to publish it and I don't want to rewrite it. Plus, it won't let me highlight and copy.

Thank you! Whoever you are, you are amazing!
-Erin Walsh

Story of Your Life

Hey guys!

I don't know how many of you know the singer Matthew West, but I love him! Anyway, he came out with a new CD called "Story of Your Life" and it's encouraged by letters he got from his fans telling their stories. So every song on the CD is based off someone's story! Anyway, since they're from real people, they're really good at speaking to you, so I thought I would give the list and if any of the affect you or are basically ABOUT you, you can look up the song and the story. Or you can just buy the CD, it's really good.

So here it is! :

1. The Story of Your Life - Basically about deciding how to spend the rest of your life.

2. My Own Little World- GREAT song about going out and living for others instead of just yourself.

3. Strong Enough- About how God puts us through really hard things, but we really have to just rely on him. This song is probably the one that speaks to me the most.

4. Family Tree- About living in a disfunctional family. "No, this is not your legacy. This is not your destiny. Yesterday does not define you. No, this is not your legacy. This is not your meant-to-be. I can break the chains that bind you."

5. To Me- About how God values us and will be our friend even when the world doesn't and won't.

6. One Less- About adoption.

7. Two Houses- About living with divorced parents

8. Survivors- About cancer (but it's uplifting, talking about defeating anything)

9. Broken Girl- About girls who have been sexually abused, and how God can still fix you

10. The Reason for the World- Possibly my favorite song. About...well...the reason for the world. I'll let you look up the lyrics; it's really good.

11.The Healing Has Begun- Pretty much what it says.

Anyway, I hope you at least find one song that you like. I didn't really make it sound as good as it is, but it's worth the 5 minutes to look it up on Youtube. Enjoy!

-Erin Walsh

infected to spread it

Hey Quest. hope all of you are doing great. so, as of monday, i've had this really odd infection in my lower left leg called cellulitis. it's really pretty gross and swollen and just ick... not fun at all. despite that, the Lord has used it to get his point across to me. as most infections go, this one spread for a while. it has kind of died down since i went to the doctor about it, but it still looks pretty spread out. i mean, it's an infection. that's what they do. so you're probably like, alexa, what the heck are you doing talking about an infection, that's weird and gross. well, if you wanna think about it this way, we are all infected with Christ. he has come into our lives and infected us with his love. just like in The Tempest by Shakespeare when Prospero says to Ferdinand, "Thou art infected." He meant that Ferdinand was infected by love for this girl. anywho, we are infected by the love of Christ. once we first experience it, we see that there's nothing else like it. it's so deep it's unfathomable how great the Lord's love is completely. and after that initial spark of his love in us, it spreads throughout our entire being, just like an infection. then, we spread the love of Christ to others...like an infection. and this is what i'm wondering and it made me a bit upset and it might some of you, too: if we aren't spreading the love of Christ, why not? what is wrong with that picture? does that mean that we need to have a little talk with the Big Guy and say, "Hey, what's up with me?" because it's sure not his fault that this astronomical joy and love that we have is not spreading to others in our every day lives.

so i challenge you to go out and let the love of Christ shine from you and spread it like an infection. i dare you. let the love out and see what happens. it's phenomenal.

peace out my sweet brothers and sisters in Christ...y'all are super!

-Alexa

Being a Good Christian

Hi Quest!
I know that title was pretty lame, but I couldn't think of anything. Anyway, I had a couple questions, and I was wondering if any of you could help.

First of all, one of my close friends is Hindu. I sit next to her in religion class, which is GREAT because I pretty much get to tell her about God every other day. I had a couple questions about this, though. Sometimes I explain something to her, and she says, "Oh. Well, I don't believe in it." Or, when I explained to her how Jesus wants us to get to know him, she said, "Well, sorry, Jesus, I don't believe in you." I know she's just kinda joking, but I'm not really sure what to say to that. Also, she is such a sweet girl, nicer than a lot of my lukewarm Christian friends. If we Christians are supposed to be different because of how nice we are and how strong is our love, but she's like that and she's Hindu, how are we supposed to stand out?

I feel like there was something else I needed to ask, so I might have to add it in later, but I can't think of it, so if you could please help me with this, that would be great! Thanks!

-Erin Walsh

The Decision

When I pushed publish yesterday on my blog entry, I literally felt the peace of God like I have never felt before in this entire process. I breathed deeply, sat back and the anxiety feeling was gone. My hopes were not in Teach For America offering me a postion, my hopes were completely in the Lord's will for my life.

I refreshed my browser on my email and TFA was in the subject line. My heart skipped a beat and a opened the email. I was at peace. "We are excited to offer you a postion in Colorado teaching high school science." Haha I could not believe it. Colorado is one of my favorite places ever and they offered me pretty much a dream job, where I get to go work with inner city high school kids and live in the coolest state in the country.

I have two weeks to accept/reject the offer, but I am pretty confident this is the Lord's will for my life. I will let you guys know when I decide. I love you all deeply.

wondering where his wonderful plan is

Today is the day that I find out if I will be doing Teach For America, a program that takes college graduates and gets them emergency certified to teach in the worse school districts in America. I preferenced Wasington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco.

I have been battling anxiety for the past couple of weeks since my last interview. It is one of those feelings inside the bottom of your throat that just kind of stays there and feels heavy. I know that the Lord has a perfect plan for me but I often slide into thoughts of why I am qualified for a position or why I am deserving of something.

However, the Lord reminded me this morning of his sovereignty and truth. I have always said that I will leave College and go work at wherever the Lord pleases because I have seen how wonderfully he has provided so far in life, and he promises that he will keep on prospering my ways. "Prospering" meaning the Lord's will, how rich or poor, easy or hard it is, will bring me the most joy in life because it is his will.

Therefore this evening is just a chance for the Lord to detirmine his will for my life. Is it teaching in the U.S.? I don't know, but I guess I will find out tonight. He has a wonderful plan, and I trust it.

Brothers in bond, but not God

Hope you guys didn't think i was gonna stop posting, cuz I'm back. I've had so mush to do the since i've last posted and i finally got into a youth group so i can keep up my relationship with God so that's good. I've learned SOOO much since i started going to my youth group but i'll share those stories with u another time.

So this kinda sux. i ws at my youth group meeting and to my surprise i see my best friends younger brother. We were both like "Whoa!! man great to see u. How are things going?" (I haven't seen the younger brother in 2 years). He changed so much since i last saw him. when i asked "Why doesn't Jude (my best friend since i was 7) go here?" the little brother didn't give me a straight answer, and he kinda tried to avoid the question a little. after the meeting, i told my mom i had seen Jude's little brother there, and this was our conversation:

Mom: wow.... I guess he's not following his brothers ATHEIST ways.
Me: (pause) WHAT?

Abviously this was shocking to me. I had no idea my best friend was not a believer. It ruined my mood for the rest of the night. i was upset, mad, and confused. I had then realized that i never actually talked to my friend about God. Now i feel that God has given me a mission. something important to do: To be a witness to my friend

One problem: i need some help with finding scripture passages, verses, stories, lessons, etc.

Can you guys comment some on this post. I'm gonna be looking to cuz I need to be a witness to my friend cuz i feel like i dont know him at all anymore
-DJ

Matthew 10

hey quest! so recently i have been reading through Matthew and have learned so much. i always kinda thought i knew the gospels because we had always learned about them in church so i sort of avoided them in my reading, but i started reading Matthew and was totally blown away by how much more there was to learn and how little i really knew from the basic stories i had heard. i encourage you all to read them or to read a book you think you know front and back because you can always grow and learn more about the lord.
i also wanted to share something that really stuck out to me. chapter 10 is talking about Jesus sending out his disciples. he tells them that he wants them to share the message and then he says...

"i am sending you out like sheep among wolves. therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged by synagogues. on my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and and to the gentiles. but when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. at that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the spirit of your father speaking through you."

i think this really spoke to me because although in the story Jesus is speaking to the 12 disciples, we are disciples of Christ. i think we all sometimes hold back on talking to someone about our faith or sharing the word with them because we worry we wont know what to say or how to say it. i can only imagine how freaked out the disciples were when Jesus was giving them this giant pep talk but it was what they were called to do and its what we were called to do. but we all no that its not as easy as it sounds and a lot of us struggle with finding ways to share the gospel. but like he says we need to be on our guard, and it wont be easy. people will reject it and question us but he will be with us through it all and we should never worry about what to say or how to say it because the lord will speak through us.
he tells the disciples to go to the lost sheep and proclaim his message but as his disciples we need to be doing the same.

i love you and miss you all. keep posting and encouraging each other and your friends.
-Jocelyn

Where are you now?

Hey guys! Wow... I miss you all so much. Sky Ranch and this past summer seems so far away doesn't it? I read this scripture this morning and it really resonated in my heart:

"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:8-12

Are you seeking peace and are you pursuing it? Are you staying strong to the mission you have set before you? Never lose your passion and drive for Jesus Christ! Never hesitate to return to the Lord no matter how long it has been since you have spoken to him. Just go to him... broken and desperate for healing and repair. He longs to heal you and make you new. Time which has passed does not matter. Let him use it to his glory. Because he will. Put away your pride and run into the arms of the steadfast love of the Lord!

I love you all SOOOO much and am praying for you. You are all so wonderful and beautiful children of the King.

lots of love,

Lindsey Adams

Beloved

Matthew 4:17 says, "And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." That's from the Baptism of Jesus, where the dove comes down from the cloud and comes upon him. Nothing new, really. Jesus is amazing, Son of God, free of sin.

But I just kinda zoned out for a minute and was thinking, "that must be really cool. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to be called God's beloved child. I wish I could hear him say that he was well pleased with me."

So, being the sarcastic person I am, I thought, "Well, better get started on that."

Because, really, I know I can never be perfect. But, I can at least try. And maybe, then, God will say that he was well pleased pleased with me.

That would be SO AWESOME!!

So that's your goal, Quest: do you accept the challenge?

Keep it up! -Erin W.

Salt

Hey Quest!
I've been really busy, so I've had a couple things I've been wanting to talk about, so I'll probably make a couple posts.

First,I've been kinda discouraged lately, because I seem to have lost my passion for God. People talk about falling more in love with God each day, but no matter what, it seems like I'm not in love with him. I read my Bible, and I pray, and sometimes I feel him, but I would rather have just a small amount of love constantly than huge bursts sparatically. And my life is great right now; I should be praising him constantly AND I JUST KEEP FORGETTING!

So I was reading my Bible last night, and it was the parable about being the salt of the earth. Anyway, I was cross-referencing, and I read Luke 14:34-35. "Salt is good, but if salt itself loses its tase, with what can its flavor be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out." Now, this really scared me. Because, frankly, my salt had lost its flavor. Was I only fit to be thrown out?

Then God said, "Dude, I can split seas and make the lame walk. You think I can't restore the flavor of salt?" So there you go. Nothing on THIS world can restore salt's flavor, but GOD can do ANYTHING! He can restore your salt!

I was so encouraged by this, guys, and I hope that, if you're going through the same thing, you're encouraged, too.

I love all you guys! Keep trusting him!

-Erin W.

Extremely Exciting News

Hey everyone!

For those of you who still remember who I am from quest two summers ago I mentioned that one day I was going to be a counselor at Sky Ranch. At the time it seemed like it was just a crazy dream....

BUT GUESS WHAT!!!!?!???!??!

I am one now =)

God has done amazing things in my life ever since I came to college and He never ceases to amaze me!

That's all for now.
His truly,
-Ryan Folkes
--aka Folkesie

lets be real for a sec

hey everyone! i hope everything is going great and that you are growing in your walk with the lord more and more everyday and that you are being christ to others.

honestly lately i have felt so weighed down by school and school work and just life in general. i know that i shouldnt stress or worry about any of it but its easier said than done. its extremely tough to put aside those thoughts and pursue the lord so im asking that you would just pray that the lord would take all my fears and thoughts and the future and my career and that i would trust his plans.

i love each and everyone of you so much. please please dont give up. keep on keeping on my sweet brothers and sisters in christ.

Listen in the Silence

Hey, Quest! It's been WAYY too long since I've posted, and I figured that just wouldn't work:)
So I'm involved in a weekly Bible study at my school on Monday mornings before class starts! And last monday we watched a video on youtube..that I can't seem to find right now... on hearing God's voice. If any of you all have heard of it, feel free to post the link on here. But this is basically what it is.
"The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."
Okay! So I want to point something out. Elijah stood on that mountain, waiting for the Lord to reveal himself to him. But the Lord was not in the earthquake, or in the fire or the wind. He was in the sheer silence. Sound familiar, guys?
It makes me think about how many 'earthquakes' and 'winds' we have in our life. I know being in highschool and college, we are all surrounded by noise.
When I came home from camp, I became almost immediately frustrated by my inability to hear God's voice in my life. Then school started, and I started getting re-involved in theatre and choir...And yet I still was sort of frustrated with God, because I felt like he wasn't 'speaking' to me. Here's the thing. We are SURROUNDED by noise in our life. How often do we drive in the car without turning on the radio? It's almost nearly impossible to get pure silence. But as we saw with Elijah...God doesn't always reveal himself through the big things in our life..It's all about that quiet time. Listen for that still, small voice. And don't be afraid of what he has to say, because like Haley said in her Trust post above, what he does is ALWAYS for the best:-)
Don't wait for God to reveal himself through the earthquakes and the winds.and the fires. Listen for his gentle whisper.
Love you all! Hope you're doing well
-Hannah B.

TRUST

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." ~ Romans 8:28

So many times I find myself worrying about the future. If I'm going through a hard time, I worry that the next day or even the next hour will only make my situation worse. Verses like Romans 8:28 help to wipe away my fear...in ALL things, God works for our good. So why should we be afraid of anything? God loves us so much. When it seems as if God is taking something away from you, you have to know that He's doing that for your good.

We are called to trust in God's plan for us. Even when it seems like things aren't working out for our good - they are. God works for the good of those who love Him.

I heard a great quote today that I think really goes with everything I'm talking about..."All pride, idolatry, and lust for control, stems from a lack of trust in the love of God." Quest, we only have a certain amount of control over our futures. The rest is up to God. So we have to trust in His plan for us and know that He loves us and only wants what's best for us. TRUST in Him.

-Haley

P.S. All these posts on here are so awesome to read! Keep it up! :)

Why do you sing?

Hey Quest! I hope all of y'all are doing well!!

So this is gonna be a quicky post, but I hope it gets you thinking....

Why is it you sing?

When you are singing songs in worship, why are you doing it? Is it because you know the words? Is it because you have to sing or you'll get in trouble? Is it because it's just a habit?

I was convicted of this recently. Why do I sing? Because everyone else is doing it? That has been the case. Thankfully, God has revealed to me why I sing. I sing because God is so very very good!! In worship, singing is my favorite part. Why? Because I am expressing my love for my King and my Savior.

So, why is it you sing?

Love y'all!

Krista

Washing Feet

At QUEST, we all got to experience the act of foot washing, rather, having our feet washed. I don't know about y'all, but for me, that night was one of the greatest ever. I had never felt so close to the Lord. When our counselors lowered themselves and literally washed our feet, it showed so much of Jesus's love and servant hood. For a while, I took the whole foot washing thing too lightly. Guys, IT'S A BIG DEAL. It's the ultimate example (other than the crucifixion) of how to serve others....and to what extent! Foot washing was typically performed by the lowest of servants, and Jesus did it!

John 13:16 "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." That verse is at the end of the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet, but it's what really got me thinking. No servant is greater than his master. Obviously, WE are the servants and JESUS is the master. yet Jesus was a servant. If our own master, the Lord of all that we are lowered himself to be a servant to others (meaning everybody!), then how much more should we serve?

That thought really hit me hard. We always hear stuff such as "serve like Jesus did" or "act more like Jesus and put others before yourself," but guys, we should not only be striving to serve like Jesus, but to go beyond even that! We should work to serve more than Jesus! Not to say that we ever will achieve that, but think about it! We need to lower ourselves, humble ourselves and SERVE OTHERS!

So i challenge you right this minute to find some way to serve somebody ...now! Make it a habit. Love on people. Serve them. Lead them to Christ, the ultimate servant king!

Keep on keepin on,

Alexa

fancy title here to convince you to read this

just giving yall a little update on how the bible study is going. the first time we met there was about 15 or 16 girls that showed up...blew my mind! the lord really opened my eyes to how lost my friends are and the fact he is using me is beyond me but im grateful for the opportunity. he is breaking my heart for them and i find myself weeping for them time and time again. needless to say, the lord is breaking me and i love it.

i want to encourage you with this. this thing that we exprienced at camp this summer is not just a one time ordeal that gives us a little boost so we can coast. it is something that is worth following and fighting for everyday. you know that it is the only thing that satisfies.

its time for us to step up to the plate and be what we believe. we all talk about how we want to change but we have to put forth the effort. and know you are not alone!

love you and miss all of you like crazy

Intimately Acquainted With You!

Ahhhhhh I just miss you guys! The Lord has been doing crazy things in my life these past few months! I feel like I am constantly going and going. But it is good! The Lord is good and is teaching me sooo soo much! I have been thinking about yall a lot and how awesome it would be to spend next summer with you! I know I want to come back but I want to ultimately do what the Lord wants! Who is all coming back and are you doing Sigma or Quest? Please pray that the Lord would just let me know what He wants me to do this summer! :)

I am involved with a christian girls sorority at Texas A&M and I get to speak to my girls (160 of them) weekly. I love it! It has been so cool to trust the Lord and go to Him for what He wants to talk to them about. I want to share a little bit about what we talked about tonight. Psalm 139 is played out in this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhDdNCEsfA

I just love that video! Psalm 139 just talks about the Lord knowing us! He isn't this far off big God! He cares about what we care about. Read it for yourself and inductive study it :)

In this life you are going to suffer... wouldn't you rather suffer with the Lord than by yourself? Run to Him! He longs to pick us up in his arms and squeeze us tight!

He's always there

See the cross? I saw this the other day, and I just had to take a picture! It was a great reminder of how God is always there, watching over us, even when we feel like He's not.

"Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." ~ Joshua 1:9

Plans

I read Erin's post and it made me want to post something. It encouraged me! I feel like there is so much going on right now that I could talk about, so I just picked one thing that i think we all can relate to. Sound good? Awesome.

I'm fairly certain that each one of us make plans. Even those of us who aren't exactly what you would call "planners." I mean, short term plans like going to the movies on a Friday night with friends still counts. Question: Do y'all ever just stop and think about the future? Like, honestly stop, drop what you're doing, and wonder what your future holds? I know i do it all the time. Sometimes it's overwhelming. Mostly because i'm the kind of person who has not a clue in the world what the rest of my life is going to look like. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Except, i do know that the Lord will be in control of it.

So this thought, the image that comes up when i think of the future--a big, black hole full of who knows what--can throw me off sometimes. Do any of y'all feel the same? It's horrifying and thrilling at the same time not knowing what you will be doing and where you will be in 10 years. Or 5 years. Or even tomorrow. Life as we know it could drastically change any second. It's like riding a roller coaster...it looks awesome, you hope it will be awesome, but fear can sometimes cloud your view and throw off your intentions of riding it.

My roller coaster is in pitch black right now. And to be completely honest, that thought really does scare me at times. But that's the moment when I have to remember that God is in control of this ride, and it IS gonna be awesome if i let him make it awesome. Because I sure can't do it. So ask yourself: are you letting the ride be awesome? Or are you afraid when faced with uncertainty and big decisions that you have no idea what choice to make? "Never be afraid to trust and unknown future to a known God." ~Corrie ten Boom. Don't let fear take the fun, thrill, and joy out of your roller coaster. Ride it with the confidence that God will come through and work in your favor!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.

HE HAS CALLED US. Answer his resounding call and "take every captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:5) And then "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter5:7)

Take him by the hand and walk into tomorrow knowing that HE is in control, and that you don't have to worry one bit, because God's got your back. Love y'all...keep on rockin.

-Alexa

Sky High?

Hey guys!

I noticed that after July, there seemed to be less and less posts per month. I just want to say that, if you read this, DON'T STOP POSTING!! I don't know about you guys, but I rely on this blog a lot for encouragement and help.

This is really the big test guys. Was it a sky high that you had at camp? Or was it serious faith? Because just because we're in the middle of the school year, and we're in the thick of things, trying to balance school, friends, rest, and God, doesn't mean that we should lower God into just another one of these things. I'd actually like to reword it so that it's balancing GOD...plus school, friends, and rest.

Keep on believing guys! Hold on to the feeling! :)

-Erin W.

so everyday i send a texty text to a group of girls (yes, its a mass text but it is just as heartfelt as sending a personal one to each and every one of them) in hopes that it in encourages them to be jesus to someone. well the other morning a sent one out that went a little something like this: " love on someone you normally wouldnt love on. remember we have a love worth sharing."

well low and behold im sitting in my night class and the lord really put a fire under my butt to do back up my talk with my walk...catch my drift? i had been thinking about starting a bible study with my team but honestly i was too scared to bring it up, so i just ran away from the idea in hopes someone would come along and pick up my laziness. so i decided to text my girls and see if they would be interested in meeting tonight and there were only three or four who didnt respond or cant come beacause of school work.

the point to all of this is this: god flat out told me that my teammates need him now more than ever and i cant wait for someone else to pick up the slack...HELLO GREAT COMMISSION! so let me encourage you by saying do what youre called to do...be jesus to someone..now

Faith or Stupidity?

ok so theres this mission trip at my church and its going to mexico. I really want to go on it, but my mom might not let me because she thinks it isn't safe. I mean, I think that God is in control, and he will protect me if it is in his will to do so. What do yall think? When does faith cross into recklessness, if that can even happen?

Money Box Gospel.

Hey guys, I am back again with a tidbit of new delight...well, i found it a delight :) So, my Spanish class is made up of a diverse group of kids. Really. I've never seen anything like it. Today, this guy goes up to the teacher and at first was talking about some worksheet or bookwork of something, but in his hand is a box full of shredded money. $10,000 worth of shredded money apparently. He just came out and started explaining to our teacher all about this mysterious, clear box filled with pieces of dollar bills. He said stuff like how much it was and where he got it; to my surprise, she actually got interested! She asked him something about taping it all back together, then he informed her that it was a federal offense to do so. He knew nearly everything about that little box of money. I thought it was weird and cool at the same time. Then God hit me with a super duper analogy for this guy with his box of cash and us sharing the Gospel.

We should be like that guy when it comes to sharing what we have. Yes, I know he had some shredded money and we've got the truth and faith that leads to eternal life, but they are comparable despite the obvious differences. He was so excited, eager, and knowledgeable about his box of bills. Are we excited, eager, and knowledgeable when it comes to sharing the Gospel with people? Fortunately for him (although i don't think he would have been seriously hurt if someone had rejected his little box of fun), the teacher enjoyed and listened intently to what he had to say. And sometimes it's the same for us. However, when he returned to his seat and shared the same knowledge and facts with his neighbor, the response was different. And i didn't notice it by the response his mouth gave, either. It was the look on the other kid's face. His expression was one of utter boredom and annoyance. He couldn't have cared less about that box, even if he didn't verbalize these feelings.

But did that stop the guy with the money from sharing about it? ABSOLUTELY NOT. He continued and eventually stopped, but he was filled with pure happiness over that box! It amazed me. WE should be like that. WE should share Christ with people even when we know they might reject us or think us weird for serving a God we can't even see. But should that stop us? Heck no. So take this example set by the awesome guy from my Spanish class and go out into the world ready to share your box of joy. Don't let fear or nerves stop you. if we do, Satan wins. We cannot let him and his evil plans defeat us. Never. CHRIST WILL PREVAIL. :)

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37.

alexa