2 Peter 2

Hey Quest, it's Emma from session 6! I just finished reading 2 Peter, and the second chapter really gave me alot to think about.

2 Peter 2:20-21 says, "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." Those verses really hit me hard because I know that in the past I have gone to Sky Ranch or on a retreat and had really awesome experiences, where I truly felt like nothing in this corrupted world mattered other than the love of our Savior Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him. But then I get back home and go back to school and I get caught up in the busy day to day and slowly begin to fade away from the Lord and back into my old ways. The verses then go on to compare this behavior to a dog returning to its vomit... which (though not the prettiest analogy) makes perfect sense. A dog throws up whatever is causing him discomfort/dissatisfaction/distress, right? Then why in the world would he want to return to it? He has experienced the torment already and knows that it was bad for him, so why would he want to go back to it? I think this is us sometimes. We have experienced the distress of a world without Christ, so once we come to know Him and see how awesome it is to purge ourselves of the weight of the world, why would we ever want to turn back? And that is something I have to ask myself sometimes too... I have experienced firsthand how wonderful life is with Christ. Knowing that He has a plan for you and that He is always there for you is so comforting! I find so much joy with Him in my life! When I have tried to go through life relying on the world instead of Him, it's terrible and extremely difficult. It is SO worth it to resist the temptations of the world and the things that you see in the media and the things your friends do, and live in Christ. Not only is the final reward greater than anything we could ever imagine, but it makes living in this corrupted world so much better.

Love you all!
Emma

Connor

Hey Quest! I was extremely blessed to be able to go back to Sky for session 9, and I just want to share something really cool that I saw through one of the youngest campers at Sky that week.

So one of my favorite activities throughout the whole week is that Stonewall gets to go hang out with the youngest guys cabin on camp, Rockwall. I love those guys, they're so much fun. Anyways, one of the guys I had the privilege of hanging out with was named Connor. He was such an awesome kid, and even though he was almost a decade younger than me, he really impacted me session 9. Besides being hilarious, he was one of the kindest kids you'd ever meet. He wasn't mean to a single kid there, he'd let people cut him in line while he was waiting on me, (which doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you're 6, it's gigantic) and seeing the way he treated people was so awesome. But also, he said one of the wisest things I've heard in a little while while we were hanging out. We had a swim race in the pool, and I let him win, then acted sad that I lost. First off, he tried to make me feel better, because he genuinely thought he had hurt my feelings. That goes back to how caring he was. But he looked at me and said, "Don't worry Joe, being last can be a good thing. Sometimes, I like to be last." I asked him, "Why do you think that Connor?" And like it was no big deal, he said, "Because when you're last, you get to see everything unfold in front of you, and see how it goes, so you can be prepared for next time." I asked where he had heard that, and he said he made it up and kept it in mind whenever he lost a competition or anything like that. That absolutely blew me away that he had a mindset like that, and he was in Rockwall.

Fast forwarding a little bit, while we were waiting to go to closing show in the AC, Connor ran through the doors and bear hugged me, and said he'd been looking for me forever, and that he wanted to say goodbye, because Sky 1 and 2 and just had their closing show. He then pulled me outside and said he wanted me to meet his parents. And so I got to go talk to his parents for maybe 5 minutes, and explain just what he had taught me this summer, even though he was in the youngest cabin. And as I talked to them, Connor was standing right there, and was just beaming. And his parents were so proud of him. And before he left, I wanted to give him something to remember me by. So I asked him what he wanted, and he just looked up and said, "A hug and a silly band will be perfect." And that's exactly what he got. A hug and a cross shaped silly band. And that was probably the last time I'll ever see Connor. I didn't know what city he lived in, I didn't know if he was coming back to Sky, heck, I didn't even know his last name. But besides my counselors, saying goodbye to Connor was probably the hardest goodbye I had to make, because that 6 year old kid taught me so much in such a small amount of time. I wish I was more like him when I was his age. He's someone I barely knew, but I'll never forget.

-Joe

Music

Hey Quest!!
Its Hannah from session 5! Ok so for the past few days I've really been thinking about how much music can influence our moods, what we think about, our attitudes, and sometimes our actions. I used to listen to the music you hear on Kiss FM, even if it was totally inapropriate. I just told myself that it had a good beat, and its not like i was going to do anything said in the songs. But in filling my head with that kind of garbage, I started to be more selfish and worldly. I know that not all secular songs are bad, but since I got home from camp I've started listening to Christian music alot more. It has been so awesome to worship God through just jamming on my ipod! filling my head with praises to God has made me have a better attitude and just really changed how I think. I encourage you to try listining to more Christian music if you don't already. It's really been awesome for me!

1 Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Love you Quest!
-Hannah

Sexual Sin

1 Corinthians 6 Talks quite a bit about this issue. Paul says that the body was not created for sexual immorality, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. And just as God raised Christ up, he will raise us up! "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?"

It then goes on into even more detail of why sexual sin is so detrimental. It's a good passage for us with the world we live in. The songs, movies, media, and our friends push sexual sin all the time and it is so good for us to see what the Bible says about it.

"Our body was created for the Lord and the Lord for our body." (I'm not even positive what that exactly means but I like it!)

Something to think about...

Today I saw a book called "The Christian Atheist" at the book store. On the cover it said, "believing in God, but living as if he doesn't exist." I read the inside cover and it talked about how the author realized that he had been believing in God but had never really proved his faith through his actions. This really made me think...do I show my faith through my actions? This is something I'm going to start working on more every day, especially as school starts up again. I hope you guys do too!

"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does." ~ James 1:23-25

-Haley

Preach the Gospel Always and if Necessary Use Words.

Hey my fellow Questies!
Its Andrew Korst from Session 5! This being my first post, I decided to lay out something that has really hit me this summer. The title of this post is a quote by Saint Francis of Assisi. I had heard it many times through youth group but not once had it ever meant something to me before. This summer, through Quest, mission trips, and Choir Tour, I have realized that many Christian preach the gospel by mouth but the ones that have had the most impact on me are the ones who preach through their actions. This has become increasingly evident in my life, looking at the people who I uphold as my role models in my church. Anyone can say that they follow Christ, but to truly follow him is another thing entirely. Jesus called the disciples to drop everything and follow him. Basically give up your lives and follow some guy that you hardly know. Pretty intimidating thought. But they did it. And because they did it the world was changed forever. Could you imagine how much better the world would be if everyone who claims to follow Christ actually did? That would be Earth shaking. We can make a start though! By truly following Christ and becoming the Christians that Jesus Christ intended us to be, we can set examples for others to follow. We can truly be the lights of the world. Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it give light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." So this is my challenge for you Questies, as the school year quickly approaches, be prepared. We must walk in the light of God's word so that people will see the way that we live. As a good man Will Harris once told me at the end of camp, "Keep following Christ, people will notice you are different."

Being Romanced by God

Hi everyone!

In Session 8, we talked about how God was romancing us and we heard some stories about different 'gifts' that God has given us (not like a talent, but more like a sign). One person saw a whale, one thousands of starfish, and Moriah saw 12 butterflies in a day at camp (one even landed on her nose!) I had something like that happen to me, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

That day at camp, I saw three dragonflies. Two hovered in front of my face, and I basically held another before it flew away. I was so happy because I knew it was a sign that God loved me.
When I came home Saturday, one of the first things I saw was a dragonfly. I was so excited that God had reminded me that he wasn't just at camp, he was always with me and I should always be with him.

About this time, I was kinda wishing I had a dragonfly necklace or bracelet or something to remind me of this. That's why I flipped when my friend came over on Sunday with an extremely belated graduation gift: a dragonfly bracelet. It just overwhelmed me how God had had her pick out that certain one for me, and then make her forget it until after camp, when I would really appreciate it.

Today is Thursday, and I have seen dragonflies every day since I got back from camp. And even if I don't see them one day, I will not forget what happened because of the bracelet.

I hope that this inspired you as much as it did me! I love you all, and so does God! Keep looking for those little miracles. -Erin W.

Inception

Hey Questies! So I just got home from seeing the movie Inception and it blew me away. Who comes up with this stuff?! Like who in the world could think of something that in depth and crazy insane?! I won't give the details of the movie so I won't spoil it for any of you who haven't seen it (which I highly recommend because it's a thought-provoker for sure), but it was the craziest movie I've ever seen! Crazy in a good way, of course. I cannot even fathom coming up with that basic idea that the whole movie was built off of--getting into dreams and such! Gosh, I mean, I was just really impressed, honestly.

Anyways, it got me thinking about how somebody could think of that and make an entire 2 and a half hour long movie out of it! What a clever and creative mind that person must have to imagine that entire movie! Inception. The beginning or commencement of something. Well, the mind that began the production and plot of the movie is, to say the least, incredible. And to think, our God created that mind, the very mind that created the awesome minds of the characters in the movie. I just found that thought crazy, again, in a good way :) This movie is the inception. Yes, that's what it's called, but for real...this movie is just the very beginning of what the mind of our God can create. If he created the mind of the person who came up with the idea for that movie, just imagine for yourselves what other things that mind of his can do! And I know you may be like, "Ok, I know that God is so much greater than me, his mind included. I already knew that Alexa, so what is your point?" Well, I know that, too. But when you experience something as awesome as that movie (trust me, it was awesome, to me at least), it just hits you. OUR GOD IS SO BIG AND SO INCREDIBLE THAT NO PERSON WILL EVER BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE HIS COMPLETE AWESOMENESS. To put it simply. Anyways, I just thought it was super cool how you have those moments when God reveals even more of his awesomeness (i don't know how else to describe it) to you, and you still know that it is but a sliver of his entire being. It's just so cool to me. So, I hope this post got you thinking too...!? Oh, and one more thing...

"O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?" ~Deuteronomy 3:24

Job and Creepy Voices

So for those of you who don't know, I golf. A lot. Haha I was actually at a tournament today, the first part of a two day tournament, and it was at my home course. I was all psyched to do fantastic and everything, because the last time I played this course, I shot a 78, which is really good for a high school sophomore girl, especially one who has only been playing seriously for two years. I shot a 101, the worst I've shot all year, and definitely the worst score I've ever put up in tournament play.

It wasn't as though I was flipping out either. I was praying on every hole, asking God to just show himself in me and let me play to the best of my abilities. I didn't let my emotions come out and start cussing, as some golfers I know are prone to do. I didnt throw my clubs or act like a little baby because I was playing horrible, I controlled myself and just put my focus on what came next.

And yet I was still playing horribly. Why? That really bothered me. I was doing everything right, spiritually as well as literally playing-wise, but I was still getting no result. This made me think of two different things as i trudged along the eighteenth hole, putting up a 9 on the last hole and heading towards an 8 on the final par five. The first thing was Job. He lived his life righteously, keeping to all of the Lord's commands, and yet the Devil still destroyed his home, his family, his livelihood, and his health. He did everything keeping to God's commandments, and I know that, even though I thought I was doing the right thing out on the golf course, I was still sinning by questioning God's authority and judgement.

When life starts getting us down and we think to ourselves, "Now why on earth is God doing this to me?? I have done nothing wrong. I pray and read my Bible and do everything a good little Christian should, and yet life still stinks," we need to remember James1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man." Our failures and shortcoming are not caused by God, because God cannot exist near imperfection. We cause ourselves to fail by doubting God's abilities to lead us.

The second thing that I thought of was much creepier. I heard Nick, the CORE leader from Quest 2009, saying his lesson from "The Impossible Boat Quest." Okay the short explanation of The Quest was that we had to build a boat and get our whole tribe on it and swim halfway across the lake and back in thirty minutes. In essence, an impossible task that Nick knew we would fail. However, what he said to us afterwards has stuck with me ever since: "I gave you this task so that you would be okay with the fact that you failed. You have to be okay with the idea that you simply COULD NOT HAVE SUCCEEDED. Because you will never truly succeed in life. Period. There will always be someone better than you, smarter than you, faster than you. You will always be fighting to reach a new bar in this world, which takes your focus away from where it should be. You, as Christians, need to be okay with the fact that the only real success you will ever have is going to be in Heaven, in Christ, which is a success invisible to the rest of the world."

Don't be focused on winning here, because you will only set yourself up to lose next time. Be competitive and have fun and love what you do here, but never forget the finish line of your life's race.
Philippians 3:13-14: Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Addicted to Jesus

Hey Questies,

I've just had this idea for a while and thought i would share. All of us have heard songs, have seen fashion, have played a sport ect. and thought I'm addicted to that! But i think how often do we say, "oh hey, I'm adddicted to jesus." For me at least, I want for jesus to control what I do. I want to wake up and right away want to dig into my bible and talk to jesus.

I don't know how many of you have close friends or family who are addicted to drugs, achohol or cigarettes. I know from personal experience that these things control what they do. They make decisions on that addiction. I've watched people sit outside in 15 degree weather in the snow to smoke a cigarette. And I want to live my life the same way, but for jesus. I want to be willing to go into uncomfortable situations because god calls me there, and I'm so deeply in love and addicted to him that I would follow him to the ends of the earth!

Hope this encouraged ya'll,

Maddy

Romans 8:18

"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed to us." ~ Romans 8:18

I was reading in Romans and found this awesome verse. I love it, and I just wanted to share it with you guys. Quest, no matter what you're going through, always know that we have to keep living each day for Christ because our faith in Him and love for Him will bring us everlasting peace and joy.

And if you're looking for a book to read, read Romans!

-Haley

Challenge...you up for another?

So I sorta built off of and got this idea from Madi's post about the Proverbs 31 woman. I have always loved 2 Corinthians 4:8-18. I just love it. And today I couldn't help but just read it over and over again. Then I came on here and read Madi's post and I got to thinking....verse 16 stood out to me because it reminded me of the proverbs 31 woman being clothed in strength and dignity. Verse 16 says "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." And that is so true! Outwardly we are wasting away; our bodies won't last forever. They will perish when we die but the Lord renews our souls despite that. Every day that we wake up is a blessing from God. He is renewing us on the inside, the part of us that really counts.

So that made me think...if it's the inside that really matters in a person, and that's the part of us that God chooses to renew, then why don't we show that part of ourselves more often and worry more about the beauty of our souls than of our bodies? How can we make evident to all that we are the Lord's and that he is where we find our worth and identity (like we discussed at quest)? So my challenge for you is: Think of ways that you can show others your inward, renewed self. What are some ways that your inner beauty can be shown on the outside? That to me is such an important thing to do because you discover what makes you beautiful, truly beautiful! In doing that (by whatever ways you can come up with) you radiate the light of Christ for all to see! You become a city on a hill that cannot be hidden! How sweet is that?!

So the challenge: How can you make your inner, renewed soul show on the outside to others?

Challenge.

Hey guys, OK, if you were SOJO session 5, or ever were in a cabin with me, you've most likely heard my rampage about the Proverbs 31 woman, well today I was reading and my favorite part really stuck out to me (obviously there is a reason why it is my favorite), its Proverbs 31:25 and is says "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come" Here's a little tidbit, fun fact, about me. Like most 15 year old girls I am in love with clothes, but I think I take it to a whole new level, I'm passionate about them, I seriously like will go and plan out outfits when I am bored, I hang out with my clothes when my friends are busy because I love them so much....OK maybe not that obsessed but its pretty close. Well in Proverbs 31:25 when it talks about how strength and dignity are her clothing, I was thinking about it and WOW! guys like strength and dignity were so evident in her conduct and character that they were practically like her clothes. I mean I wont lie to you, I have some pretty spectacular outfits, but hers take the cake. Like obviously she was voted best dressed in high school or something because her clothes are so much cooler than anyone elses I know. Its so cool that it says that, like clothes are something that people look at and admire and that's what the bible says clothes her. When people look at her thats what they see. I asked myself the question, "what clothes you?", so guys what clothes you? I challenge you to explore yourself and decide what clothes you?
also, it says "she laughs at the time to come" meaning unlike others who were worried and fearful of what the future held in store she laughed and was joyous because she knows that what is to come is coming from Him, and that he will provide. When I think of laughter I think of Sarah in the bible (Genesis 21:1) and how her laughter of doubt about not being able to concieve a child turned into laughter of faith when the lord provided. Proverbs 31 woman had laughter of faith, not of doubt. So my other question for you quest is are you laughing out of doubt or out of faith?

I just I want to challenge you guys to figure this out, like I will be honest when I though about what clothed me the first thing that came to my head was selfishness, I'm figuring out what im laughing out of, if its doubt or if its faith, I just I want to say its faith but when I think about it, there are so many times that I doubt God. It's hard to think that your dressed in selfishness and you laugh out of doubt, but it just means that those are things that I need to work on and that I need to improve.

So heres my challenge: Decide on two words that you think best clothe you, mine are selfishness and unkindness (strange one, i know) then pick two words that you want to clothe you, mine are Boldness and Gentleness, and every morning put them on and work on them, pray that God gives you opprotunities to be those things.
The decide about you laughing, if you have a laughter of faith like the proverbs 31 woman or laughter of doubt like Sarah. Keep in mind that if you have a laughter of doubt, that can change, Sarah's did, and yours will too. Pray that God will give you opprotunities to prove your faithfullness.

I hope this post was helpful, or challengeing? I just I challenged myself to do this and I wanted to challenge yall. Let me know how things go. I yall got something out of this and if you guys ever want something good to read you should def check out Proverbs 31, shes such a cool lady, and we have a lot to learn from her.


I love you guys

-----MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADi

the Little Giants

I started 1 Corinthians today. At the end of the first chapter, Paul starts talking about how the Corinthians are not the wisest or strongest people according to the standards of the world. Then it talks about how even the least of the Lord is strongest than anything men could ever do. Then he says he uses the foolish to shame the strong.

I started thinking about who God chose to use over the history of the Bible: Shephards, tent makers, fishermen, tax collecters, and prostitutes. It's totally true, God loves being the coach of the Little Giants! He picks the weak for his team and elevates them to the highest places of honor... shaming the world.

So whenever you are tired, know that's when the Lord wants to use you. Know that when you are broken, he wants you. When you are not the smartest, the strongest, the prettiest, that is when God wants to use you. Our God is so cool and ridiculous.

90 Minutes in Heaven

Hey quest! Tonight I started reading 90 Minutes in Heaven...if you haven't already read it, I really suggest reading it. It's so amazing. I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE hearing stories about near-death experiences and people visiting Heaven. So awesome that God has given us true evidence of His Kingdom! What more could we ask for?! This one's about a Baptist preacher who died in a car accident and went straight to Heaven. Here's some of the things he said about Heaven.

- He said it was just glowing with light.
- "My heart filled with the deepest JOY I've ever experienced."
- "Never have I felt more loved." He said he experienced perfect love.
- "Everything felt blissful. Perfect."
- He said he experienced a "happiness he didn't know was possible."
- "I had never, ever felt more alive than I did then."
- He said the very first thing he saw when we went to Heaven was a huge group of people that immediately ran towards him and embraced him. He said all of these people were family members or friends who had already died. And he said all of them had, in one way or another, inspired him and guided him in his relationship with the Lord. He said every single one of them hugged him. He said he felt an immense amount of love from these people. They all said they were so excited to see him. And he said it was the "greatest family reunion of all time."
- He said that everyone he saw in Heaven looked just the same as they did on earth. Except there was one difference: his great-grandmother, who had osteoporosis on earth and had an extremely hunched back, and who had no teeth on earth, had the straightest, strongest back and the brightest teeth in Heaven. He said everyone looked so healthy and in such perfect condition.
- He said that, on his way to the gates of Heaven, he heard constant hymns of praise. He said he heard the "wings of angels" and the voices that sang that hymns he heard were absolutely beautiful. He said it was great to see his loved ones in Heaven, but the sounds and songs he heard were like nothing he had ever heard before.
- Also...one of the most important things he mentioned..."I wasn't conscious of anything I'd left behind and felt no regrets about leaving family or possessions. It was if God had removed anything negative or worrisome from my consciousness, and I could only rejoice at being together with these wonderful people."

While his body was still on earth, everyone thought he was dead. Another priest at the scene of the accident felt that God was calling him to pray for him, so he did. He prayed and prayed for the whole 90 minutes that the man was in Heaven (while everyone else still thought the man was dead). The preacher praying started singing after he said some prayers. He sang a song that goes like this, "Oh what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!" Then, the preacher who had died started singing with the other preacher who was praying for him! And the man came back to life.

I just started reading this book tonight, and as you can probably tell, I've already gotten SO much out of it. Sorry for giving away the entire first 50 pages of the book if you were planning on reading it (still read it anyway, please!). I don't know about you, but this gets me so insanely excited for Heaven. And it makes me think of that verse, "For to me, life is Christ and death is gain." ~ Philippians 1:21. If we live for Christ on earth we get to experience this AMAZING place in Heaven! Wow. Live each and every day for God...that's all we have to do. It's not easy, but we gotta do it.

One more thing...
"But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them." Hebrews 11:16

Love you all :)
-Haley

Worthy

Hey Quest! This is my first post and I'm stoked. I wanted to share with y'all a poem I wrote whenever I finally came to the realization that my identity is not found in this broken world, but in Christ alone. I know that we all have past failures that are full of agony and regret. DO NOT let past mistakes inhibit you from your present and future pursuit of Christ.

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." James 4: 14-16

O Lord God you say that you love me yet my heart remains numb
My mind focused on my reflection rather than your grace
Lord swiftly destroy my wickedness do not tarry to come
Let me gaze to your sacrifice for my worthiness rather than my face

Your son endured the cross for the joy that it brought
How could it be considered joy that I be reconciled to you?
Right now my thoughts can hold it but my heart can not
Reveal your spirit and the hardness of my heart cut through

God I confess of my wickedness yet my mind screams in pain
How can a God so mighty call me worthy to be in your sight
You have seen my depravity and I’m broken under the weight of my shame
Lord please don’t turn a deaf ear to my plight

I need you for I can’t see through the tears of my eyes
Instill your forgiveness in my soul because all hope seems lost
Why is it that I am in this place of desperation and cries
Your son paid my ransom and endured The Cross

You overwhelm me with your grace but I refuse to acknowledge your love
How am I so foolish to believe I can resist your will
Father put in me a new heart given from above
For I am nothing without the compassion you instill

Dad my worth is from you alone for I know that you satisfy
How amazing it is that you would care for me
That you would spill the blood of your son so that I might die
To the past present and future sins and set me free

Daddy you tenderly wrap me in your hands as you rock away my sorrow
Graciously stroke my wounds and heal them complete
Though my heart may be trouble your joy comes tomorrow
Yet you heal today so that for you I will seek

Beloved I chase you, I need you I yearn for you
My hope is not in myself but solely rests in your glory
For I knew truly I am nothing apart from your calling it’s true
But now I know that because of your blood I am called worthy

Quest...you are worthy in the sight of the Lord not because of your works or your effort to please Him. You are seen as His precious sons and daughters by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Praise His name. Praise His name. Praise His name.To Him alone be the glory. Amen.

Taylor Morgan

Just Do It

Hey Quest! It's Alexa from session 6 again and I just wanted to share a quick bit of life with yall. I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but usually when I'm around family the selfish side of me comes out, and I feel far from the Lord when I act like that. This needs to change. Also, when I am on vacation or just out somewhere, anywhere but home, it's always been harder for me to get into the Word and spend time with God. I don't know why exactly, but it's something I have been working on since Quest this year. So, since Wednesday I have been at my grandparents' house until I came home last night. And everyday since Quest i have been at home pretty much, so it was easy for me to dig into the Bible everyday for as long as I wanted to. But then I went to Arkansas to spend some time with my grandparents and cousin. I do this every summer, but i hardly ever spend any time with God at all while I'm there! It's terrible! Usually cracking open my Bible is the last thing I think of when I'm there, but this past week, the first morning I was there, i literally woke up, ate breakfast, and felt like I was missing something major. Like, I don't even know how God made me feel what he did, but I knew something was wrong. Then I walked into the kitchen again and saw my grandpa reading his bible, Job to be exact. That's when the light bulb in my head went off and I knew what was missing. It was time to spend time in the Word and get some more insight from James! So I went and got my Bible, a pen, my notebook, and a mini dictionary that i brought and sat at the dining room table and continued my inductive on James. And I did the exact same thing every morning I was there. God really surprised me, because in the past, i guess it just seemed like such an effort for me to get out of the chair and away from the tv to have my quiet time with the Lord everyday. But it was so easy! Anyways, what I'm saying is I encourage you to figure out the situation or time when you feel like you always feel distant from God, or when it's hard for you to spend time in his Word. Figure that out and the next chance you get, work on it. Try to conquer whatever it is that trips you or makes you struggle when it comes to reading the Bible.

The word of God hidden in the heart is a stubborn voice to suppress.--Billy Graham

In his pure and holy embrace forever,

Alexa

it took me about twenty minutes (no lie) to figure this thing out but i FINALLY got it! i know what youre thinking...you are completely computer dumb and youre right!

i just want all of you to know that it was a complete joy and honor to get to know each and every one of you. i hope and pray that you are pursuing the lord and that you are running hard after him. remember that it is ok if you fall...just get back up! remember there is nothing too big or too small for Him.

love yall!

amber

My first quest vlog!

I need yall's thoughts!

Meet my friend David...

Hey guys, Madi here,
I've been studying the life of David recently and I would love to share what I have discovered.
David was known as a man after the heart of the Lord, he was anointed and he was special. In 1 Samuel 16:18 someone describes David like this "...A man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence and the Lord is with him" also in 1 Samuel 17:47 it says "and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand" You guys! I'm so blown away! First of all I want people to look at me like they looked at David and know, with out a second thought, that the Lord is with me, I want a good presence, and I want my speech to be prudent and wise. I want to be woman of valor and boldness. Second, if you know me personally you know that I try to fight all my battles on my own, but the Lord has already wing the Lord taken care of my battles and has given them to me. David goes into all his battles confident in the Lord and knows he will take care of things, I want that mentality so bad, think of how incredible and how easy things would be if we just already decided that every trial was taken care of and that the Lord was already making things right? think about it! One more thing that makes me want to be like David, in 2 Samuel 6:14 and it says "and David danced before the Lord with all his might..." that really hit me and let me tell you why, when I worship sometimes I just kinda go through the motions I don't really put my whole heart into it or care enough to give all my worship to Him, but David danced with all his might before the Lord, I'm starting to think of worship kinda like a perfume, I want to poor it all over the Lord, nothing left over, and David really poured out all his praise on the Lord. Y'all I want a heart that beats like Davids, a heart that beats for the Lord and Him only.

Ok enough about David, let's talk about GOD! In 1 samuel 16:7 it says ..."For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward apperance, but the Lord looks on the heart" Guys God looks at the heart of man, he doesnt look at how we look or how we dress or walk or talk but at out heart, He doesn't see the other. Guys he doesnt measure his love for us by how many verses we memorize or how many times we go to sky ranch. God values the heart of man. Who is like our God, who measures men from the inside out?


Amazed by Him

-Madi

A Joy-Filled Life

There’s a new movie coming out this summer, highly anticipated after years of development and round the clock camerawork: it’s called “ME”, all directed, written, produced, acted, and filmed by yours truly. Is this a picture of what your life looks like?
Many times we can become so self consumed, that we have begun living life as if we are the axis around which the earth rotates and that everything that happens around us or to us is some way connected to something we did or reacted to. The problem is simple: we’re self-centered sinful beings. There are millions upon millions of occurrences in our daily lives, some direct and others indirect. If you start to think about it, it can be quite disturbing. Think of a recent sin: lying, cheating, thinking poorly of another, lusting… all of these acts tie back into one central fact: we were aiming to reach some sort of goal for ourselves. Lying to avoid getting in trouble, cheating to get an A, thinking poorly of another to feel better about one’s self, lusting for self-pleasure at the cost of another. There’s something backward about this way of thinking.
What does God to have to say in this matter? Let’s take a look at Phillipians 2.

“1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”

Let’s dissect this a bit. The first two verses are talking of our purpose, “making [His] joy complete” by being like-minded with Christ. It’s definitely a tall order, but where do we even begin to start? Verses 3-5 begin to detail how to do so, by renouncing our “selfish ambition” – did you catch that? – and “consider others better than yourselves”. It’s not exactly part of our sinful nature to do so, but with help from the spirit, we can drive ourselves to live outside the norm and follow the example of the most humble Man and greatest Servant that ever lived: Jesus Christ.
Going to Kanakuk for 7 years as a kid, and for anyone else who has been there, Joe White drilled into my head this concept of the I’m Third lifestyle, or as some of you may have heard it called living out JOY (an acronym for Jesus 1st, Others 2nd, Yourself 3rd). Living life in this way can and will produce greater joy and happiness than you could ever imagine attaining by following your selfish ambitions that Satan has tempted you with. Now let us not get confused by what it means when putting others second. Edward Welch describes the way to live beautifully in his book When People are Big and God is Small:
“Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more. Instead of looking for ways to manipulate others, we will ask God what our duty is toward them. This perspective does not come naturally to any of us, and many of us need to look at this truth from several angles before we can see it… This truth is another of Scripture’s divine paradoxes – the path of service is the road to freedom” (Welch 19).
It is a matter of loving others and not yourself. Living a joy-filled lifestyle is learning to love in the way God has commanded us to. John Piper does a good job of illustrating the joy-filled lifestyle in his book Don’t Waste Your Life:
“Not to aim to show God is not to love, because God is what we need most deeply. And to have all else without him is to perish in the end. The Bible says that you can give away all that you have and deliver your body to be burned and have not love (1 Corinthians 13:3). If you don’t point people to God for everlasting joy, you don’t love. You waste your life…” (Piper 35).
This message should leave you disturbed and wanting to change, as I know it sure did me.
To finish, remember that to die for Christ is to live, and we must die to ourselves before we can truly live. I’ll leave you with a thought to ponder from Piper. “So here is the question to test whether you have been sucked into the world’s distortion of love: Would you feel more loved by God if he made much of you, or if he liberated you from the bondage of self-regard, at great cost to himself, so that you enjoy making much of him forever?” (Piper 36)

The Sin of Omission

Hey QUEST!!
so I've been reading James, and James 4:17 really made me think. It says, "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." At first I didn't really think about it. I mean yeah i know if you don't do the right thing then that is a sin. But then I read the note in my Bible about that verse. It basically said that not only is doing something wrong a sin, but not doing something right. In my Bible they called it the sin of omission. In other words, if you don't technically do something wrong, but you do nothing when you should have done something good, then you are still sinning. I had never thought about it this way before. It was really convicting to me, because alot of times, I just don't do anything when I should have been doing something else.
I hope this made you think too!
Love you quest!!
-Hannah

Sharin the truth!

I have a younger half-sister who's 8 years old. I probably only see her and my dad about once a week. Last night, she slept over my mom's house with me. My dad's an atheist and my half-sister's mom is kind of lukewarm Christian I guess, so my half-sister (Maya) isn't really being raised in a Chritian home like I was with my mom and my step-dad. Whenever I see Maya, I try to share a little bit of my faith with her, when I can. I've found that one of the best ways to share my faith with her is through my actions. She asked me last night, "Haley, how are you always so nice?" I just smiled at her...it made me really happy to realize that my love for her and everyone around me was noticeable. It's like that quote, "Preach always, and if necessary, use words." I had been trying really hard to share the love of God with her through my actions, and I guess it worked!

Some of you already know this, but I wear a key around my neck that means that God is the key to life! Maya noticed my key a while ago, and I told her the story about how I got it and what it means (if you want to know how I got it just ask me!). She really liked the story. So when she slept over last night, she told me she really wanted a key she could wear too. I was so excited! I had a few keys in my drawer that I was planning on giving to her or my younger cousins if they asked for some. So now she wears a key that means that God is the key to life too! And she's a little girl who didn't even grow up in a Christian home! She told me that she's going to wear it everyday and won't ever lose it.

Then last night we were making bracelets, and Maya wanted hers to say "Peace of God." And then we were getting ready to go to bed, and she started asking me all these questions about God...and then she was looking at my pictures of my cabins from Sky Ranch on my walls, and she kept saying how much she wanted to go to Sky Ranch AND how much she wanted to start going to Church like I do.

I know my dad wont be happy when he sees her today with a key around her neck that means that God is the key to life and a bracelet that says Peace of God. But that doesn't matter at all because she is already really wanting a relationship with God at such a young age...it's so awesome! So I guess what I want all of you questers out there to realize is this...

Our efforts to share the love of God with other people can't just be with our friends at school. We need to be sharing God with EVERYONE! Our friends, our familys, random strangers, everyone. Especially with a younger sibling who knows nothing about God. And trust me quest, it's the best feeling in the world to know that you are making a difference in someone else's faith life. Our counselors must feel incredible all the time, in that case! haha :)

Love you all!
-Haley

God Never Leaves You

Hey Questies! Hope all is going well after camp and everyone is seeking the Lord and living a glorifying life:) Well I recently went to New Orleans with my church choir group for our annual Choir Tour. I wasn't participating in the singing, but was going along to help with the sets and stuff, but I was only staying for half of the trip since I had a volleyball camp to go to. So, all the kids in my grade at our church have been friends since we were very little. We've all known each other a long time and are all part of a big circle of friends.
So on the trip, I noticed one girl that's a grade older than me start sitting with another older girl and two guys that are in my grade. At first I was like, "Whatever it's just one meal..."
Then at every single activity or meal we went to, it was the four of them together. They HAD to sit together no matter what. I got really frustrated at the girl initiating the whole thing because I wanted to hang out with the two guys, too! Then she started talking to a girl that was hanging out with me. She said things like, "Erin come sit with us!" "Erin why are you over there? Sit with us!"
And she didn't so much as look at me or my sister once. We used to be great friends with this girl, but we grew apart. Pretty soon, the guys were talking to my sister and me less, along with our other friends and I felt like they were ignoring and excluding us BIGTIME. It seemed like they just didn't like us anymore.
I felt so alone and upset. One night I was crying. I prayed to God so much during this time, asking Him to help them see what they were doing and that it wasn't right. Nothing seemed to change. I felt empty and so mad. Church is where you should always feel loved, and that's not how I felt at all.
Then I texted several girls from my SoJo cabin, session 6, telling them my story and asking for advice and bible verses. They came back with the perfect verses! They told me that nobody should make me feel that way, and that God was still there with me. They said the only thing that matters is what God thinks of me and that He will ALWAYS love me. I had to focus on God. But what was harder, was they said I still had to love them. I agreed, because they are God's children just as much as I am. So that's why I prayed for them. The next day, I left for another camp. I'm so glad that God gave me a way out of the situation so I could think about the whole thing.
I'm so thankful for the girls in SoJo for helping me get through this and sharing God's word with me. I know you all will be there for me 100% of the way, and so will He. God will never leave you, even when everyone else does.

Proverbs 13:20, Psalm 1:1, Romans 12:14

Stay strong

hey everyone im mark from session 7 an i want to share sumthin that happened not too long after i got bak home well my parents went out to go to a wedding an my X friends must hav noticed thier car was gone or sumthin but they nocked on my door an i could immediatly tell they were high an they asked me if i wanted to go with them an they persistently tried to get me to go get high wid them again just like i did in my old life but i used all the teachings i learned in quest an god helped me say no so im happy to say i still hav a 2 month sober streak an i plan to keep it up im really glad i went to sky ranch again because it rly helped get my relationship with the lord back on the right track since all the bad stuff i had done and went through now its gona be alot easier to just say no thanks so much everyone and god for helpin me through someday i hope to minister to kids that are going through the same things i did and hopefully i can save some of them before they get into it too deep like my old friends are and i almost did im so glad i can look back and say im not doing that anymore and im stronger in my relationship with the lord then ever before

Start the day right :)

Hey quest! If you aren't already doing so, I really encourage all of you to start your day in His word! It is literally the best way to start the day. And it's awesome because you can read something from the Bible in the morning, and then apply it to your life as the day goes on. Try spending some time with God every morning, not only in prayer but reading the Bible too. It's the best beginning to the day!

-Haley

ESV Study bible for cheap!

There's probably a lot of you out there that want the crazy awesome ESV Study Bible but don't know if your ready to shell out the 40-60 bucks on one. Well if you have a kindle/iphone/computer/android phone your in luck! You can get the kindle version for just $10 bucks on amazon! And if you don't have a kindle don't worry, you can buy the kindle version and download the app on your iphone or on your computer. I'm pretty sure its exactly like the book version of the bible except digital. And on the app you can highlight, bookmark, and make notes. So if you don't wanna buy the paper book then you can save $40 and buy the digital one :)


Click here to go the the amazon page

Hope this helped anyone who wanted an ESV SB!

On a side note- I'm thinking of starting some kind of weekly vlog (video blog) in which i discuss my journey through the bible. Basically like everyone is already doing here except in video form. What are y'all's thoughts on this idea? would any of you watch it?

Yours in Christ,
Shane

IDK WHAT TO TITLE THIS! SO I TITLED IT THIS!

Hello fellow QUESTers.... My name is reid corbin from session 7 (represent)! Anyways lately I have been having trouble with my relationship with God! I have grown up in a Christian home and I go to a Christian school! this was my second year at quest and i had the same problem last year! The great Cameron Cook told me that i needed to work at the relationship like praying, meditating god's word (not jut reading but understanding it), etc.... But i was being unwise and did not listen to him!
So the year imbetween my quest experience my reltionship struggled because of that (and some other stuff that is not important right now)! After quest experience number 2 I was on track but my relationship was still lacking... All of this made me question my belief.... So i was praying the prayer "Lord I BELIEVE, help me with my UNBELIEF!" Which was a prayer John Morgan told us about that some dude prayed in Matthew... I dont remember the verse cuz im currently reading James.... Anyways he helped me with my belief last night when i went to a restaurant in hawaii... Thats where i am right now.... And we were talking to the waitress about this book that my moms making me read and sh said i should do the work book because (and this is what hit me) "It is one thing to have knowledge and know what the book is telling you but its another thing to actually work at it" she said something like that..... Anyways that was God smacking me in the face being like, "reid it takes two people to work at a relationship"... Anyways thats kinda whats going on right now! God told me once through cameron but i was stubborn so he told me again through Julie the waitress and now i realize i am holding my relationship back from God!
Anyways I hope that made since.... it did in my head haha! GOD BLESS YALL
~REID CORBIN

Song and awesome verse!

I was in Quest Session 7, and I found a verse that has really helped me so far while reading the Bible one afternoon. It said:

"Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you."

-1st John 3:13

Just a verse that is interesting right? Nope, more than that to me. I have had problems with people seemingly disliking me for no reason SO many times. When I read through 1st John, I realized why it is that they disliked me (I will not tell what the book is about because you should just read it yourself).

I also recently watched a youtube video of Kutless performing a favorite song of mine live, and I posted the link to the song, so you should watch it when you have the time.

Through Jesus Christ I Live and Grow,

-Tommy Cutler

Revelation 5

So today God lead me into reading Revelation 5, and I have no idea why. As I read, I pretty much had no Idea what I was reading. So I'm turning to yall to help me understand. Any help would be Great!

~Kyle

More on Faith and Works

QUEST. I'm sure most of you read the post by Hannah that explained the whole faith and works deal in James. That was an awesome post; I got so much out of it! But I still needed some things cleared up and maybe some of y'all do, too. So...one of my past counselors sent me this link to a podcast on the whole faith and works topic. I've only listened to the first 15 minutes of it and I am appalled at how much I have learned and how much clarity there is for me now. So I wanted to share it with you guys. Here's the website:

http://breakawayministries.org/resources

Go to the Podcasts tab and scroll down until you see one called "Faith and Works." It's awesome. Hope it helps!

~Alexa

Ephesians 2:1-10

Ok so I think every one of you should read Ephesians 2:1-10 over the next couple of days. It walks through the doctrine of being saved, who we were, what we become, why we can be saved, and the struggle between evil and Christ. The grace of God and our faith that saves us, not works.

It is just a really good explanation of salvations and understanding what God did for us. If I had to explain the gospel to someone who never heard it I would probably use this scripture.

Side Note: I amin Colorado this week and I will be on the blog alot so if you have any prayer requests or questions I would love to focus some of of my time this week doing that. Love you guys

We All Have A God-Given Purpose

Last night I was reading in Esther and I came across a verse that I love!

Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

-Esther 4:13-14

I love that. It just shows us Mordecai's undying faith that everything will be okay and God will keep His people safe.

But, the part that inspires me the most is this: "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?"

God knew exactly why he made Esther Queen of Persia. It was to save the Jews. It was her purpose in life, the reason she was born. Because she stood up to Xerxes, though doing so meant almost certain death, she saved millions of lives and her memory has been an inspiration to more over the years.

During the Holocaust, when once again the Jews were being persecuted, they were going to celebrate the Purim festival, regardless of the Nazis. They kept Esther's memory in their hearts, knowing that once again, they would be saved by God, perhaps even by one women. And because of their hope, Hitler feared Esther. She posed one of the greatest threats that he could face when it came to the Holocaust. She gave the Jews hope and a reason to keep going on. Even her memory threatened his regime.

"Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just a time such as this?"

We need to be ready to be able to accept our purpose in life. Whether it be to save a child from peril or a nation of Jews from genocide, we all have a God-given purpose.

And one of those is to be a "light of a world. For a city on a hill cannot be hidden."

-Matthew 5:14

With Love,

Ally

I choose love

Reading this morning in Colossians, and I came across a verse that was really cool.

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, Holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another firgiving one another, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all things put on love, which binds together everything in perfect harmony"

That last phrase encouraged me to be better in the way that I treat others and act in difficult situations. When I am frustrated with someone, I choose love. When I am stressed and tired, I choose love. When I wake up in the morning I choose love. Love is the greatest weapon I have in this world, for the enemy can not stand it. All men were created to desire love, and may the words of my mouth and the actions of my heart display the love of Christ.

"And above all things put on love."

Paul

Hey Quest! I just wanted to share something with y'all that I read through the other day.

To me, it was a great example of how we should have a different mindset as Christians.

Philippians 1:21-26

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

In this passage, Paul is in prison and debating between the benefits of life and death in his situation. In the end, he sees that even though to die would mean he would be sent to heaven and wouldn't have to go through these worldly struggles anymore, to live would benefit those around him more. That, even though he isn't in the best of situations, he still knows and remembers his purpose to spread the word of God. To me, that is an awesome reminder on perspective. If I was in Paul's situation, I would have had a very selfish view on it, and I would have just wanted to get the heck out of there ASAP. But Paul saw the brighter side of his situation, and remembered others, instead of just himself. Paul also talked to the guards about the Word, making the most of his time in prison. But that's a whole different story. Anyways, that's what I wanted to share with you Quest. Keep the right perspective of things, and there will always be a benefit to your actions. Keep up the awesome posts everyone, I love reading all you have!

P.S. If you want another awesome example of the way Paul looks at things, just go back a couple verses to Philippians 1:15-18. He sees the best in seemingly negative situations. Paul kicks butt.

-Joe

Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause

Wow.

My life has never felt this amazing before. Last year, Quest was awesome, but my sky high lasted about two or three days after camp and that was about it. This year, I feel like I will never, ever leave this place I'm at now. I feel so much stronger...so firmly planted in the Lord. And now that Quest has showed me what my true purpose in life is and why I'm on this earth at all, I live each day differently. Nothing else matters any more. Nothing scares me any more. He's all I live for now. I am fearless and joyful now because of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength! I don't think there are words to really describe just how much God did in my life through Quest. And I'm still learning so much every day, through this blog and through reading the Bible as much as I can. I just wanted to share this you guys, and I hope that you never stop pursuing Christ. Make Him the cause behind every step you take in life. Live each day for Him.

"...and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us." ~ Romans 5:5

Love you. :)
-Haley

Lord, Hold My Heart

recently, I've started this new thing where instead of turning on 106.1 or 93.3 in the morning, I get out my ipod, go the Sky Ranch playlist, and start off my day the RIGHT way.

here's the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by TENTH AVENUE NORTH. I was listening to it one morning, and if you listen to it, and actually hear the words and think about what he's singing, the song is so relatable.

How long must I pray, must I pray to You
How long must I wait, must I wait for You
How long 'till I see Your face
See You shining through

I'm on me knees Begging You to notice me
I'm on my knees Father, will You turn to me, yeah?

One tear in the dropping rain
One voice in a sea of pain
Could the Maker of the stars
Hear the sound of my breaking heart?

One life is all I am
Right now I can barely stand
If You're everything You say You are
Would You come close and hold my heart?

I've been so afraid, afraid to close my eyes
So much can slip away before I say goodbye
But if there's no other way
I'm done asking why

'Cause I'm on my knees
Begging You to turn to me
I'm on my knees
Father, will You run to me, yeah?

refrain (bolded words above)

So many questions without answers
Your promises remain
I can't see but I'll take my chances
To hear you call my name (2x)

refrain (bolded words above)

Hold my heart
Could You hold my heart?
Hold my heart

This song is so powerful for me because it simply shows us that we are small and we will fall without the support of God. Even when we hurt and we feel like we have nothing left, we can reach up and hold on to our Lord. He will be there forever, keeping his promises to us.

Listen to this song if you haven't heard it, and if you know it, listen to it again. and think about the words.

LAUREN BASKETT

Faith Without Works

So a few days ago, I was reading in James, and I came across the section about how faith without works is dead. I was a little confused at first, cause I knew that we wer'nt saved through works, but by grace through faith like it says in Ephesians 2:8. I was especially confused when I came to James 2:24, which says: "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." A first it may seem like the Bible is contradicting itself. But through the notes in my study Bible and different cross references, I came to this conclusion: true, real faith in God will result in good works. therefore goodworks are evidence to real faith. So if a person does not do good works and follow God's laws, he does not have real faith. James is not saying that works save us. Works alone can never save us, because we make mistakes, and if you break one part of the law, you are accountable for breaking the whole law. (James 2:10) That's why we need Jesus! Works do not get us into heaven. Our faith, givin by God's grace gets us into heaven. But our good works is proof of our faith. Merely believing that God sent his son to die on the cross so that we may be saved is not enough to get to heaven. Even the demons believe that! (James 2:19) It is when we give our lifes to the Lord, trust that he will take care of us and love him that we are saved. And if we do all these things, we won't be able to help doing good works!

In this way, faith and works are inseperable. That is why James 2:26 says, "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

I found this truth really challenging. It really made me see the importance of following God's word. I had never understood this passage before, and now that I do i just wanted to share it with you so that you won't be confused!

love,
Hannah

Hi! I'm Molly from session 6. I'm pretty new to all this blog stuff but here it goes.

Looking back two weeks ago right before i was headed to sky ranch i was NOT on the right path. I was feeling as if i knew the Lord and i have been saved and everything it's just that i wasn't living up to the relationship i should have been having with God and i knew that.

Every summer i go to sky ranch and i can probably speak for everyone when i say that i got a sky high every single year. Well this year doing quest was so unique and awesome for me. Its been about a full week that i have been home and i seriously feel like i have a stable relationship with God again. It's just like the activities we did at lows this week. Without that tree I would've fallen off. It was my center and what i had to have to stay on course.

That's pretty much it. I am just loving this experience i am having where i can come home and be so open with my friends and family about my bible studies and relationships i made. I am just loving life right now and I can't wait to start posting on this blog regularly to tell my Sky family all about it :)

-Molly

Finding a Way to do What is Right

Over the past few weeks, I have faced situations where it appears that sinning is the best way to not hurt anyones feelings and yet still solve the problem. I have been wondering, what are we supposed to do in these situations. One common example is any time that one person asks a question like "How do I look" and the other person responds with a lying "good" in order to not hurt the first person's feelings. I could only think, Is it truly right to sin in order to save someones feeling? Today, God showed me the answer. As I was going through my daily bible devotional, I was cross-referencing the verses that I was reading when God lead me to this verse:

Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right.

-Ecclesiastes 8:5

If we are wise in the Lord, we will find some way that we can solve certain situations without sinning. God will always give us the opportunity to do the right thing and not sin! So anytime you face a situation similar to the one told above, trust that God will definitely get you through.

-Kyle

P.S. I have a quick question about Inductive Bible Study. While cross-referencing, I have come across verses that don't appear to relate to the verse I am cross-referencing. What do I do then? Ignore the verse or what?

God through a Telescope

Hello my dearly beloved Quest campers. As I sit in a Dairy Queen on my night off reading the posts from all of you, and reading about how God is moving and stirring in your lifes, I am overwhelmed with indescribable Joy. Hallelujah to his name, that our God is so big and majestic. My heart bursts with joy, that God is removing the scales from your eyes to slowly reveal His glory to you. As you continue your summers and start your year, I challenge you to look through the Lord through a telescope. Whats the difference between looking at God through a microscope vs a telescope. With a microscope your looking at something so small and enlarging it. It is blasphemas to look at God this way. We look at God through a telescope, because we are trying to grasp how huge something is in relation to how small we are. We must understand how small we are, in order for God to continue to be bigger. Look at God through a telescope. We forget this often. We put God in a box and think He is not big enough. But as you can see through what He is doing the summer, He truly is! My prayer all year long as been that God would move and do things so big this summer, that we counselors or COR could not take any credit for. He is moving in huge ways. His Spirit is evident every week. Praise Him!
I miss you dearly.
May God bind you in his Providential Love, and give you the Spirit of courage.
-Grant