Hey everyone its Ally from session 5. Lately, I've been having this need to have scripture with me constantly. It actually is an anxious type of feeling. Anyone have any ideas or ways to have scripture with me constantly even at school, in class, anywhere I go? I've already tried writing the first letter of every word of a verse on my arm, but my parents get upset with me when I write on myself. Any ideas you all have would be incredibly helpful! thanks!

-Ally

To Save A Life

Well it's been a long time since I've posted anything but, here I am! I recently joined the orginization Students Standing Strong (your school may have it if not you should look into it). They held a movie night the other day. The movie was To Save a Life. In the movie a non-believer's friend pulls a gun in a school hallway and commits suicide right infront of his friend and many people. Through this and other traumatic events he is shown the light of god. The movie takes us through his experiances on his spiritual journey. Though faced with so many obstacles he continues to move forward. I won't say anymore but I seriously urge you to watch this movie, it is a bit disturbing but it really makes you think. Afterwards I was sitting in bed thinking about how relevent the movie is. There are people out there having those thoughts going through their mind, but that's just another reason why god put us here isn't it? To help those in need give them comfort and tell them that even when we arent around, our father is! So if anyone you know needs this kind of help please get involved, send them to church, youth, pastors, preachers, counselours even talk to them your self because killing yourself just sends you to a worse place than where you already think you are...

Comment on your thoughts!

Tanner

Testing Him

Hey guys! First of all i just want to say that ive been praying for everyone on here that has been posting. Ok soo im reading through chapter 4 right now of Matthew and there was something that caught my eye. Jesus is being tempted by the devil here. When the devil takes Jesus to the highest point of the temple he states, "If you are the Son of God, jump off!" For the Scriptures say, "He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold up their hands so you wont even hurt your foot on a stone." JESUS RESPONDED WITH: "THE SCRIPTURES ALSO SAY, "YOU MUST NOT TEST THE LORD YOUR GOD." That's what i spent all of my quiet time thinking about...this one quote. Because: 1) It shows us that even JESUS, the SON OF GOD was tested by the devil. Even though he resisted him i think it shows us that we are tested no matter what is going on in our lives. Whether were struggling with cussing or coveting or anything else, we are all tempted. 2) I struggle with not testing the Lord. Every day it's something new, and i dont even think i realized i was testing God's word until now. Sinning=Testing. We all do it! Why is it that it was so easy for the Lord to resist the devil and we fall short allll the time. It stinks! 3) It was so cool to see that once Jesus told the devil to go away at the end of the passage, he did, and God opened the doors. God's grace is unbelievable and amazing. We are so blessed that all he asks of us is to repent, and He becomes present. Ive been praying lately that God makes it known to me when im sinning. That i hear a voice in the back of my head telling me that what im doing is considered "testing" him. And you know what? I think he has really been showing me. Ive held back from conversations with some of my friends when it comes to gossiping and God's word becomes ever so present. "Tame your tongue" is lingering in the back of my head. His word is changing my conversations and my life! My prayer is that God keeps showing me that His word changes me!
Ill post more lata!
Sam

Prayer Request!

Hey quest! If you get a chance, can you please pray for this Bible Study my friend and I are starting at school? Especially pray that God will give us the wisdom needed to lead this Bible Study...and that He will speak and work through us. We've decided to start with James, since we know a lot about it from the inductive study we had at camp. I'll let you know how everything goes.

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it." ~ James 1:5

Thanks so much :)
-Haley

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Hey, its Ally :) I was just reading my favorite verse (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) and was struck by how awesome it is and really wanted to show it with you guys.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is unseen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Those verses just totally describe my life.

Therefore we do not lose heart. I lose heart so much. I'll lose my relationship with Christ, and then everything just caves in after it. I think that our relationship will never be how it was and it kills me. But, after this summer at Quest, I've decided to never let that happen again. I won't let myself lose heart. Because I've made that choice to never let go of God, my relationship with him is stronger than it ever has been.

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. We're dying. Everyone knows that from the day you are born, you are dying. It just happens and its a part of life but with Jesus, we will never die completely. Our earthly body is dying, but our soul, our hearts, our inward self is being born again every day. That just blows my mind. Its amazing how to God we are as innocent and perfect as newborn babies now that we are living in Christ.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Everyday, we stress out about things that matter to us. School, drama with friends, and (more recently) who is asking who to homecoming, are such huge aspects of our lives. But in the long run, things like whether you had all the friends or were the smartest kid in your grade don't matter. God really doesn't care whether or not you are going with someone to Prom or Homecoming, He doesn't care how smart you are, and He definitely doesn't care how attractive you are. He loves you so much its incredible and impossible to fully understand. Everyday, when we decide not to gossip about a friend, or cheat on a test, or drink or anything like that, we are securing for ourselves eternal life in the kingdom of our most heavenly father.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is unseen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. This is the verse that resonates with me the most. So often I find myself thinking more about earthly matters than I do about the Lord. And when I do this, when I fix my eyes on what is seen and am not aiming to bring glory to God in everything I do, I find my positive and happy attitude slipping away. It's truly incredible how much of an influence Scripture can have on your outlook on life. When I begin my day with spending time with the Lord, I find my day going so much better, because I literally think to myself "What would Jesus do?" or "Would God be proud of me if I did this?" You would think that all Christians would try to focus more on God and less on earthly matters but that's hardly the case. And of course, we all slip up often. I know I do. I slip up so very often and every time, my conscience just tears me to pieces and I beg God for forgiveness. He does forgive me, every time I ask because He knows that that mistake was very temporary, but my choice to follow Christ is eternal.

Thanks so much for reading everyone,

Ally

What's going on?

Hey Quest, it's Hannah B. from session11
Just now, like maybe an hour ago, I just out of the blue started feeling really anxious. I'm not sure what is going on, and I feel like something is wrong in my relationship with the Lord. I'm really confused right now, and still feeling really anxious. I don't know if I'm just tired physically or whatever! I'm just really confused on what's happening right now. So if you guys have any advice, or could say a quick prayer, or maybe have time to talk, go on ahead!
I love you guys:)
Hannah

Hey, mom how were you lead to Christ

Hey, it be DJ.
I was in the car driving home with my mom and i was telling her about the Brian Welch "I am second" video and then I asked her,
"Hey mom, how were you lead to Christ?"
"Kinda the same way you were. High school was really hard for me and i didn't know what to do at the time. I went on a church retreat to a Christian summer camp and had a blast! We were kinda doing the same things you do at Sky Ranch. We would go swim and go play games. Then after all of that we would sing worship songs and read our Bibles and talk about what we read. We were singing a song and the most awe-inspiring feeling, the most peaceful sensation just came over me and i started crying and i just felt happy, (at this point of the car ride, she started studdering and tearing up). I just knew that i had to accept Christ in to my heart."
When we got home i ran up stairs, closed the door to my room and started BALLING tears of thankfulness. I then prayed,
"God, I am truly blessed. You have given me such good Christian parents that actually know of your power and un-ending love for us. I can't thank you enough God for everything you do in my life. For the people in my life, the superiors in my life, it's all apart of your plan for and Lord it's better than any plan i could come up for myself. I still pray for the things in this world. But, no matter how many times i ask for something, at the perfect time, you show me that Your Scripture, Your Word, Your Love, Your Peace, is better than anything the world could offer me."
I was choking and tearing up the entire time i was typing this. Everyone continue to seek Christ, and just a little extra: Some time today or tomorrow or whenever you read this, ask someone "What do you know that Christ has done in your life recently?"
---DJ

Conviction

I recently started to read from Romans and before i even got finished with Chapter 1 conviction hit me hard. In Romans 1:28-32 it talks a lot about wickedness. It starts out by saying, "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done." This chapter is about the digression of people when they began to ignore the glory of God. Because people were ignoring his word and going off of their own judgements, their hearts and minds were given over to sin. Although there is nothing more satisfying than following the will of the Lord it is so easy to think that we have it figured out and that our plans will be just fine- obviously our will is nothing compared to His.

"They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them"

That is a lot to take in and it immediately struck me. Wickedness seems like such a harsh word but that is exactly what is trying to be conveyed here. The biggest part that stuck out to me was that it said EVERY KIND of wickedness and evil. I find myself guilty of more than a few of these- envy, gossip, slander, arrogance, boastfulness, and disobedience to my parents. The fact that these were at the top of the list for EVERY kind of wickedness made me really realize the severity of these actions. We clearly know that they are wrong but this puts it on a whole new level. Obviously a lot of us are guilty of these things but i think this offers us more than enough motivation to refrain from falling into these sins. It describes the people of doing these actions as senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless- i would never want to be considered any one of those things so why would i want to conduct myself in the same way as those who are? It is inevitable that we will all slip up and habits are hard to change but i hope this chapter can change your view on the actual seriousness of these things. However, we know that when we slip up and fall on our face we can get back up all we have to do is ask for forgiveness and it is given, all by His grace and mercy. I feel like this passage really speaks for its self but as Christians we are called to behave differently, and set ourselves apart. When sin present we can fight back, God will not let it consume us if we are really willing to push through and soak ourselves in His word and follow His will. You dont have to fight it alone.

God, help me to see the way that these sins can hurt others. I pray that you give me the strength to avoid falling into this. Grant me a heart that breaks for the things that breaks yours; give me guidance and counsel. Please help me to put your will in front of all other things in my life. I know that you have the power to do all things. I pray for others who are struggling with the same things that i am and i pray that they will find peace in your word. We are granted life through Jesus Christ and we thank you for your grace and patience. In your name, Amen.

Prayer Request: Andrew Korst

Hey yall. It's Kyle, Session 5. This is just a quick post ask for some prayers for our fellow quester, Andrew Korst, who also attended session 5 with me. For all of yall who do know him, you know how awesome and how dedicated to christ he is. And if you dont, I assure you, hes a great guy. Anyway, at football practice on Tuesday he got popped pretty good, a helmet collided with his collar bone and now its broken in three places. Hes not going to have to have surgery, luckily, but i know hes in a lot of pain and I know that daily activities can be very difficult when you cant move your left arm..... So Im just askin yall to pray for him and for his safe, quick recovery. Thanks!

In Awe of Him :)

Heyo Quest! There's a quick little tidbit of how awesome God is, and how he continues to be everyday that I would like to share with you.

To start, think of all the times you've prayed to God for something. Maybe it was to make a good test grade, to have better friendships, to be successful in a certain sport, etc. Or sometimes it's more important stuff like boldness, strength, courage, compassion, humility, stuff like that. Now, we know that the Lord is faithful (2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 Corinthians 1:9) and that he works in his own time (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Romans 8:28, Acts 1:7), but do you ever feel like the Lord isn't answering your prayers? Have you ever doubted that he even hears you? Well, he definitely hears you, but I know at some points in life I have doubted that for sure. But back to the answering prayers thing. Do you ever feel that way? Like maybe God is putting you on hold or something?

When I was younger, I would often pray for a sign...something telling what decision to make or which direction to go. And sometimes I would get it, but the majority of the time it appeared as though my prayers were being left unanswered. I got frustrated with myself and with God. I wondered why he wasn't providing for me what I thought I needed. Well, now I've grown an enormous amount in my faith, and I'm on the other side of this and it's so cool to see how God can work in his own timing and in ways we don't even realize.

Here's the mind-blowing part: By not answering my prayers back then, he had begun to answer my prayers now. Let's break this down real quick. So, I prayed for a sign, didn't get it. I got upset because I didn't know why God would leave me hanging like that. Now, one of my main prayer focuses is to learn to live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). If God had given me the signs i wanted earlier in my life, how would I be able to learn what it means to live by faith alone? I would have always been relying on signs from God to get me through sticky situations or hard times. He knew what my prayer would be today. He knew it when he withheld from me the sign I wanted. He began to answer a prayer I had not even prayed yet because he already knew it before I ever did. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! Ridiculously incredible, to say the least. His timing is soooo different from our perception of it! He works for our good (Romans 8:28) and has a purpose for us! He knows us inside and out, and knows every thought that will cross our minds every second of every day for the rest of our lives!! P.S. If you want more info on just how much God knows us, check out Psalm 139. :) But i mean, how breath-taking is that?! Our creator and Savior is more glorious and beautiful than we will ever know, but each day he reveals more and more of who he is, and shows himself to us when we seek Him.

Have a radiant week and keep up the awesome posts....Alexa

Our big bad mistakes broadcasted...

Today I was reading in Matthew chapter 26 and I came upon where Peter denies Jesus. Just previously he has said, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” (Matthew 26:35) But then in verses 69-75 we read how Peter denies Jesus three times. How shameful Peter must have felt, and even more so that his ultimate moment of shame was printed in the Bible. I think about how sometimes we make the biggest mistakes and they are something we want to keep hidden. In fact, we get angry with friends and relatives even when they talk about our mistakes. “Rumors” are started and our shame and guilt increases because the fear of man is upon us.

But switching gears and continuing on in another gospel, John 21, Jesus and Peter begin to talk and Peter’s shame for what he has done comes to the surface along with Jesus’ knowledge of his action. Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter is given the opportunity to confess his love to Christ. John 21:15-19 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Why? Because Christ does not ask Peter to get on his hands and knees and beg forgiveness, but in contrast, “Peter, do you love me?” Peter’s biggest mistake and greatest grievance turns around and we are able to see the beautiful grace and mercy of Christ. Further, we are able to see Jesus’ heart.

My point in sharing this with you today is because we are not perfect, not one of us. (We learn this every day and in Romans, don’t we!?) So, we know we are not perfect, and we also know that God uses all things for the glory of him (Romans 8:28). So, the next time you are so concerned about other people finding out about your mistakes, remember Peter. And how his biggest mistake is printed in the most influential history book to ever exist on the earth. But, not only his biggest mistake, one of the most awesome pictures of Jesus’ heart and grace through his forgiveness. Glory was brought to the Lord through Peter’s denial, as shocking as that may seem, because Jesus was given an opportunity to extend grace. It is yet another demonstration of how awesome Christ is and how much he loves us. There is so much we can learn from our Bible characters and their actions. And remember… they weren’t just characters, they were actual human beings who once lived and breathed just like us.

I LOVE IT! And I love you guys. Take care and you know you can always talk to me! I miss you all.

Lindsey

How do you seek God?

Hey, it's DJ.
The other day i was feeling kinda lost about school and friends and some other stuff, so i try looking the Bible, a self help book, and to some of my Christian friends, but i didn't find anything. The next day, I let this effect me too much and it really messed up my day. At the end of the day, I was packing up my backpack to go home when one of my friends walks up to me and says, "Watch this."
It was a URL for the Rob Bell video "Noise." and I finally understood how to find Christ.
Obviously, the next day i walk up and thank my friend, and my entire attitude turns around.
The URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c96ZsxVj6D0&feature=related
Whenever you feel that you need to find Christ, just be silent.
DJ

Hey everyone its Patrick

hello everyone, its patrick doran from session 7. I have just started to read this book called god in real life. It looks really good and the first chapter has 10 commonly asked questions about religion or bliefs and much more highly questioned topics. The one i read today was about how we know christianity is right considering there are like a million other reiligions that teach great things and sound like they might be right. The chapter talked about how religions are like a map, and you want to end up in the right place, so you need the right map. I thought it was a really good topic and just wanted to share with you guys so i could spread the word!

Thanks so much!
- Patrick Doran

Hey guys!

Hey Guys! I have pink eye right now, which sucks. God will of course, remove the sickness from my body when he is ready. Anyway, I just started school yesterday, and am already working on becoming friends with the other people who I absolutely know are Christians. I saw this thing on the God fan page thing on FB recently, and apparently lots of atheists joined the group/page. I posted a single thing, hoping to make someone think, and I honestly have no idea whether or not it will help, but Facebook is not necessarily a great place for that sort of thing.

I also wanted to know if something was possible.

All of us in Quest Session 7 have been talking about a reunion on Facebook, and I came up with something that sounded like fun if possible.

Is it possible that Sky Ranch might let us go back for at least a few days? Like during a weekend everyone is able to show up (or winter/spring break for a few days)?

-Tommy Cutler

Never Let Go

Hey quest! Because we're all going back to school pretty soon or have already gone back, I think we really need to be constantly praying to God for perseverance. Along with a new school year comes new temptations and new decisions to make. Lindsey always says that life is a series of choices; in every situation, we can either choose God, or we can choose something else. I hope and pray that we all choose God in all situations throughout this upcoming year...but that's probably not going to happen. We are going to stumble. We are going to sin in one way or another. We aren't perfect. But because we aren't perfect, we can look at each day as a chance to grow even closer to Christ and fall even more in love with Him. So this year, pray constantly for perseverance. Keep reading your Bibles every day, checking the blog, going to Church...all that good stuff :)

I especially pray that we go into this year aiming to be a LIGHT for Christ! "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." ~ Matthew 5:14. Don't let what you learned this summer go to waste! Use every bit of it to bring God glory.

There's this amazing song called "Never Let Go" by David Crowder Band. It talks about how God never lets go...how He is always there, even when it doesn't seem like He is. He never lets go, and neither should we. Keep clinging to Christ. I just read one of the comments on the youtube video for this song, and I really like it. It says "If we are worth dying for, then Jesus must be worth living for."

-Haley :)

Jehovah-Tsidkenu

O hey Quest!

So today, I learned about an awesome name of God. Jehovah-tsidkenu. Now how you pronounce it, no clue. Anyways, this name means the LORD our Righteousness. First off, have you ever noticed in your Bible that sometimes it says “Lord” and other times “LORD”? Lord refers to God as Adonai, which means that He is like our Master, and we submit to his authority. LORD, however, refers to Jehovah which means Self-Existent; basically, He’s everything and more! So, the fact that Jehovah comes first just adds to the power of the name; He has everything we need so there’s no need to try anywhere else! Tsidkenu is Hebrew for to be stiff, to be straight or righteous. So what is righteousness? Righteousness is uprightness or morality. But it’s so much more than mere goodness, it’s rightstanding with God; to do what He says and live in accordance with His standards. Now, how many of us can wake up, decide that we’re going to be righteous for a day, and accomplish a day of beast moding our rightesousness and never sinning a single time? No one. “None is righteous, no not one.” (Rom. 3:10) So how do we get this righteousness? The Messiah, Jesus Christ, our righteousness. He was “pierced for our transgressions…crushed for our sins, the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by his scourging we are healed” (Is 53:5; 1 Pet 2:24) Let’s take a second and check out these adjectives used. Pierced…crushed…chastening…scourging. We have grown up with the story of the crucifixion and have become calloused to the truth of it all. Isaiah 52:14 says, “As many were astonished at you-his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind.” We often picture the crucifixion of Jesus hanging there with a gash or two and some cuts and bruises, but that was not the case. He was beaten so maliciously that he was beyond recognition. Y’all, at any point in time, Jesus could have stopped them. He could have proven who He was. He didn’t have to go through all the beating and mocking…and the DEATH. But, He did all of those things. He died and rose again, defeating death. He became our sin so that by believing in Him, we might be made His righteousness. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21) “having been set free from sin, having become slaves of righteousness.” (Rom 6:18) “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) With that heart of flesh, we have received our Jehovah-tsidkenu! So, can we be made righteous? Only by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matt 5:6)

K bye!!

Keep it Comin'

Hey Everyone:) Hannah B. here from session 11. Just wanted to share a few things that are going on in my life, in the short amount of time I have been home.
So, before I left camp I was really nervous about my consistency, as far as reading the Bible and spending time in the word. I'm typically a prettyyy lazy person, which doesn't really help much. So anyway, that was my main goal; to just be consistent. My other goal was and is to be a light to those around me, and just resist temptation that I would normally give in to. WELL I knew I would be faced with challenges when I got home, but what I expected is totally different from what I have been receiving.
I really thought when I got home, I would be tempted like I have never been tempted before, most especially by my peers, and even my close friends. But what I found was more like a challenge within myself. Like a temptation to just blow off reading the Bible and spending time in prayer. I'll give you the low-down on what happened.
When I got home, suddenly all that energy I had in Quest vanished. I was EXHAUSTED!!!! It felt like all I wanted to do was sleep, and sleep some more. I figured that was to be expected, because you know I was just getting home from a long week, and you know it was normal. But my exhaustion pretty much continued for several days, to the point where it was pretty extreme. I can't tell you how badly I would get home from wherever I was this last past week and just want to collapse on my bed. But I knew I was being tested, and I continued to spend time in the word. I remember one night I was particularly tired, and it was the second night back from camp, but I was filled with this intense excitement to just get into the word that night. I had a plan for how things would go after I got home from wherever I was. I would go home, shower, do my Bible study, and SLEEP!! So..I get home, and my air conditioning just completely DIED upstairs, where my room is. I just got so frustrated, because I had a plan that night, and I wanted it to stick that way...But I figured, no big deal. I'll just sleep on the air mattress downstairs. I can still do my Bible study down there. But still, I continued to be tested. While doing my Bible study, my air mattress slowly started to deflate..for N O particular reason. So I basically slept on the ground that night. But I still did my Bible study, thank you very much!!! And I was completely exhausted, more than before, the next day. haha. I know that's not a big deal to some of ya'll, but it just goes to show how the Devil will do anything for you to just GIVE UP..just that ONE NIGHT!. I can't tell you how tempted I was to just not read the Word that night, and just sleep. So that was the air-mattrress fiasco. But there's more:)
I had All State Choir Camp last week at night. Around like...Thursday, I started having like a sore throat, adding on to the exhaustion. Well, over the weekend it just has gotten worse and worse, and now I can barely talk. And to be honest, I don't have much patience when I'm sick. But still, even when I feel especially sick or TIRED, I pray that the Lord will give me energy, and will help me start feeling better, all for the purpose of me staying consistent.
A word of encouragment:
We ALL are probably being tested in some way or another right now. Whether it's something like what I'm going thru,, or peer pressure, it's happening with ALL of us. Remember what we read in James. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence. Perserverence must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in ANYTHING." James 1:2-4 We are here as servants of God, and it should be a COMFORT that whatever we are facing, if we lean on the Lord in our times of 'trials of many kinds', we will grow stronger in him.
God BLESS, and MUCH LOVE!!!
Hannah Becker

Having trouble with your quiet times?

I dont know about you guys, but a lot of times I wake up and the last thing that I want to do is read my bible. I sit down with my bible in front of me and I sigh real long and think to myself about how bad of a Christian I am. haha.

So I wanted to share a couple of things that have helped me out through the years.

1. Pray. It helps me a lot to take a posture of submission, whether it be kneeling or head down or whatever and remember how desperately I need the words of God in my life. I am real honest in these prayers too and tell the Lord exactly how I am feeling.

2. When I really really don't want to read my Bible, something is probably wrong with my heart so I go on a walk and I take as long as I need to to get things straight.

3. I pray for a list of people to get my mind off myself. That works well

4. I listen to music that helps me get into a mindset of worship.

I hope that helps, love you guys.

HELP!

Hey, guys!
One of my friends just went through a break up, and I told her I would try to find some verses for her...does anyone have any ideas? Anything would be appreciated!
Thanks so much,
-Erin

Progress is good!

I was in Session 11 so Ive only been home for 8 days. When I got home I felt like I knew I needed to start reading the Bible, especially when Im having issues. So I started at Matthew and I wanted to share a few of my favorite verses in there...
(obviously) Matthew 5:14
Matthew 6:5
Matthew 10:16
Matthew 16:25
Matthew 17:20
Matthew 21:43

Across The Street

DJ here.
So i was in health class and every Friday in health class it's called "Nooma friday" and that's when we watch these Nooma videos of Rob Bell talking about events that go on within his family and how it relates to the way Christ wants us to listen or how Christ mourns when you mourn, or how He tries to teach us something and we can't see it when the answer is right there staring us in the face.
This friday we watched the video "Kickball." and it's about what we think is best for us when God has more.
The URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLPFDWL5GTc
Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'
Love you guys. God Bless you and Sky Ranch,
DJ

Go Hard or Go Home.

Hey Quest!
So I heard this song today, and it's basically about not being a lukewarm Christian. I thought it was really Awesome and inspiring, and I hope you do too!

It's called Go Hard by Lecrae. And yes, I coppied and pasted the lyrics, so i'm sorry for the incorrect spellings or grammer or whatever. I know it's alot to read but i really think it's worth it!!

Go Hard or Go Home(2xs)Lord Use Me Up(2xs)

[Verse 1: Lecrae]Lord kill me If I don't preach the gospelI'm still in my 20's- but I'll die if I got toEh man I''m Already dead- man forget my fleshI done been crossed over, see the full court pressI'm a full court mess if the Lord don't use meRunning from my trials thinkin' everythangs groovyIf the Cross don't move me then I don't wanna breath no moIf I ain't seeing Christ potna I don't wanna see no moRep Him every day without worrying about bruisingI been to china mayne I seen some real persecutionIf U didn't know Christ would ya life look the sameCan they tell you value Jesus by the way you rep his name?man what's the point of living if Im living for myselfLord empty out my life before I put you on the shelf So for God I got Hard I don't wanna die tonightBut It's too many people living who ain't heard about the Christ

Go Hard or Go Home(2xs)Lord Use Me Up(2xs)

[Verse 2: Lecrae]Went to Asia had to duck and hide-for sharin' my faithThey tell me water it down when I get back to statesThey say tone the music down you might sell a lot a recordsBut it's people out here dying and none of em heard the messageTook my wifey on mission trip - in central americaShared her testimony 40 people stood and stared at herWhen she said Jesus shoulda seen it was insanecause 40 out of 40 never heard of Jesus nameAw mayne we ain't focused on the war we just kickin' itworried bout our image and our space up on the internettake me out the game coach I don't wanna play no moIf cant give it all I got and leave it out there on the courtThank you for the Grace for the will and the desiregot me living for your glory stead of living to retireBut I pray I'll never tire of going hard for MessiahI don't need no motivation You the reason I'm inspired.

[Verse 3: Tedashii]Go Hard for the Lord baby 'til He takes us homeGo Hard for the Father baby go on get it onThat's what that is baby/that what that mean/that what that meanThat what That is baby/That what that mean/that what that meanWha-What that mean?That mean that we, should be out up in the streetsNot just in houses with our bible's summarizing what we readMan this ain't deep (man this ain't deep)/why we ain't doing what we readIts like we sleep (its like we sleep)But sinners sleepwalk when they sleepSo why can't we (so why can't we)/the redeemed of the LORDAct out, what He said/and make a scene for the LORDAction-cut, say what, like we was the directorBut you better get a Grip like movie sets, and get to stepping/(Martin)I know you done it/da-done it, da-done-and heard it allYou was going hard for the Lord before you heard this songBut don't play yourself to save ya self/and walk in fearScripture's like a mirror/the truth is closer than it appears

I just thought that this was really challanging.
I hope you were challanged!
love yall,
-Hannah

On and On

This is going to sound a bit like Alexa's post, but there's this song by Tenth Avenue North On their new album called "On and On" that I love. I love how some of their songs on this album are done from God's point of view. Most Christian songs aren't done like that, and I think it's kind of clever. The lyrics are this:

Love, I have waited for you
And love, I was wounded for you
Won't you look into my eyes
Through the pain and through your pride
And find I am true
You're the one I can't deny
And I'll never leave your side
I gave my life for you
So what are you waiting for?

On and on we go
Come love take my hand
On and on we go
Time and time again
On and on we go
Back to where this all began
Come love take my hand

Life is waiting for you
And life I have given to you
Tell me what else can I do
What more have I left to prove?
That I am what you need
Still I will hold on to your heart
Through the chaos and the dark
When your eyes fail to see
So what are you waiting for?

On and on we go
Come love take my hand
On and on we go
As you run away again
On and on we go
Back to where this all began

Broken I was for you
Broken I'm still for you
My broken heart breaks for you
Broken I'm over you

On and on we go
On and on we go

On and on we go
Come love take my hand
On and on we go
Time and time again
On and on we go
Back to where this all began
Come love take my hand
Come love take my hand
Come take my hand

I love how they name us "Love" in God's eyes. The idea that he would look at us and say "Love, don't worry," or something that totally gives me goosebumps. It says, "won't you look into my eyes, through the pain and through your cries and find that I am true." I think that shows how much God wants to be there for us no matter what and wants us to love Him too. It goes on to "You're the one I can't deny (Psalm 86:1-2) and I will never leave your side (Matthew 28:20), I gave my life for you (John 3:16), so what are you waiting for?" The first phrase shows how He'll be there to answer our prayers when we believe that He's there full-heartedly. The second, shows how omniscient God is and that He is wherever we are and wherever we will ever be, protecting us and looking over us. The third, tells how much God loves us that He would send His one and only son to die on the cross for us. The fourth basically says why wouldn't you believe in me? Why wouldn't you follow me if you had the choice?

I know that's only the first verse, and there's a lot more to talk about but I'm kind of in a rush :)

Thanks for reading,

Ally

Ideas?!

Hey quest! My friend and I are thinking about starting a bible study at our school. If anyone has any ideas about how we should run it, what we should teach, what book we should start with, or anything at all, post them as a comment to this. We need help! Thank you. :)

-Haley

Oh My Dear

Heya Quest! I just wanted to share a quick something with y'all tonight. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the Christian band Tenth Avenue North. Well, personally I love them, and one of their newer songs has caught my attention and it's just awesome. It's called "Oh My Dear." It is an incredible song that tells a story that I'll bet some of us can relate to, if not all. It is specifically about 2 people, but it can be related to you and the Lord. The chorus goes like this:

Oh, my dear, ill wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until this guilt begins to crack
And the weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, ill keep you in my arms tonight

To me, it describes what God does for us, you know? He will wait for us; he isn't going to leave or forsake us, ever (Deuteronomy 31:8). His grace will pull us through every single time we fail him (2 Corinthians 12:9). He is there through every tear that is shed, every fear that keeps us up in the night wondering 'how am i gonna get though this?' (Lamentations 3:22-23) He is with us until our guilt is gone away because once again, his grace is sufficient for us. When we let go of our guilt and forgive ourselves and ask the Lord to forgive us, it's just like the song says, a weight falls from our backs. We have no need to carry guilt around. So when we let it go, we are free. We are free from having to try to be perfect and feel guilty each time we fail! We strive to be like Christ, but when we fail, and we definitely always will, (Romans 3:23) we can rely on his grace to get us the rest of the way! And so, during all of this and the rough spots in life, the Lord holds us in his arms. Oh, my dear, I'll keep you in my arms tonight. Then the song goes on and I especially love this part...

You slowly lifted your head from your hands
You said “I just don’t think that you’ll understand
You’ll never look at me that way again, if you knew what I did”
And so your tears fell and melted the snow
You told me secrets nobody had known
Oh, but I never loved you more even though now I knew what you did

It's like when we come to God broken and we tell him what we've done even though we know we disobeyed or failed or turned our backs on him. And we may even sometimes be ashamed to tell him what it is we've done, even though he already knows. Despite what we may think, when we tell him our deepest fears, secrets, and sins, he still loves us. He will never love us any less than he does right at this moment, even after he knows what we've done, no matter how horrible it may be. It's just all so reassuring, you know? It shows how incredible and totally compassionate our creator is for us. :) Anyways, just wanted to share this with y'all and there's a link if you click the title so you can listen to the whole song if you want to! Thanks for reading :)

Alexa

SERVE.

Hey quest, it's Emma. I just wanted to share with yall something that the Lord did in my life the other day, which I thought was pretty cool. :)

So the other morning, I woke up with this indescribable urge to serve - my family in particular - so the first thing I did that morning was pray to God that He would give me the opportunity to serve that day, in whatever way it might be. Since my mom just so happened to be out of town, I felt like it would be helpful to my dad and sisters if I cleaned the house.. do dishes, laundry, sweep, just whatever needed to be done. I really can't explain why I felt like I needed to do this, and actually had the desire to do this, but I did.. I just really felt like God was calling me to help out more than usual that day. When I walked into the other room and saw that our housekeeper (who rarely ever comes) had just arrived, I'm not gonna lie, I was a little discouraged because, well, everything I was planning on doing to help out my family that day was what she was also going to do. I started to brainstorm what else I could do that wouldn't interfere with her working, but I concluded that I would just leave her to her business and then promise to serve some other time. It was in that moment that the Lord really convicted me, because next thing I knew, our housekeeper got a phone call from her daughter saying she was sick and needed her to come home. So sure enough, my housekeeper left after only about 10-15 minutes of being here, leaving me with many, many chores to do... Which, strangely enough, was just what I had prayed for! God answered my prayer and gave me the desire and the opportunity to serve that day.. I was able to do everything I had planned on doing and more, and I was happy to do it because I was confident that that really was what the Lord wanted me to do that day. I just encourage all of you to never doubt God's ability and willingness to answer your prayers. He answers in awesome ways! And never let an opportunity to be of service to those around you pass you by.

Love you guys!!

Emma

Philippians 2:1-4
If 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, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Patience

Hey quest, if anyone has any good verses about patience post them as a comment to this. Lately, I've been having trouble being patient with my family...which obviously isn't good because we need to be treating our family the best. But I think some verses about patience would help me!

Thank you!
-Haley

Troubled

Hey it's DJ here, and i'm a bit confused. today at school i was sitting down next to my friend, who was doing his homework at the time, when this girl came up and said,
"DJ move, i need Jack's help with the homework."
i didn't really feel like getting up, so i just said,
"Well, that's unfortunate."
"No wonder u can't get a girlfriend." and then she squeezed in between Jack and i. now i don't know if i was the bad guy here or not, if i was then i'm sorry... i guess. But for some reason what she had said really bothered me and kinda distracted me the rest of the day and i don't know why i was so troubled by this.

If you guys happen to read this, and you think you know the answer to this, then please comment a Bible verse or just some advice or answers.

Till next time, DJ

School... Meh.

Hey Quest! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been dealing with some technical difficulties. But I'm back, and I want to share something with y'all.

So I know a couple of y'all start school tomorrow. I do to. I'm not really looking forward to it. But one thing that I was thinking about today is how I wanted to improve myself from last year. The first thing that came to mind was Matthew 5; 13-16. I absolutely love this passage.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.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 gives 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.

Ugh, I absolutely love that. I always come back to this verse whenever I'm in a funk or feeling let down. First off, I love how easily this shows we are called to be tools of God. We're not supposed to act well so people will look at us and say, "They are always nice." and then just leave it at that. We act to glorify God with our actions, not ourselves. And sometimes I have trouble with that. And I always come back to this verse. And so while you go back to school, I just want to encourage all of you with this. To go back, and for you to be the salt and the light of the Earth. To be set apart for a His will. To be different, not to bring attention to yourself, but to Christ. Remember, you are supposed to live in this world, but not of this world. Draw attention to yourself, and in that way, you will draw attention to the Lord.

Breathe

Hey guys it's DJ again. now i found another video i think you guys will love because it shows how God is with us all the time.

This video will effect you in such a way where you just want to take a long, deep, breathe. This video, in a way, represents how i was lead to Christ. I was taught the definition of the word 'Joy.' I learned that JOY stands for: Jesus.Others.Yourself. At the moment I learned this, I had realized that I had put someone else before Christ and that's why Christ had to take them away from me. But, when i heard this, when I inhaled (breathed in), I could feel a purer, holy essence enter me. I'm begging u guys to look at this video. The URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REkFU4X5HXs

Take care and God Bless,
DJ

1 Corinthians 4

Hey everyone!

Yesterday I read this amazing chapter that spoke to me so much -1 Corinthians 4. It talked about so many things and brought it all together in one chapter. First off it talked about judgement. This has always been har for me because often I find myself talking poorly about people who have lower morals and standards than I do. It just slips out of my mouth and i realize how judgmental I am being, sometimes I try to justify it but clearly that is useless. In verses 3-5 it talks about being judged. It goes both ways for the people doing the judgement and the people being judged. It says how we shouldn't care what other people of earth have to say about us- and how we should not even judge ourselves. It is the responsibility of God and Him alone to make judgements on our character because he is the only one who can see it fully and know our true hearts. "He will bring to light what is in darkness and expose the motives of men's hearts. Also right after that it says "at this time each will receive his praise from God." This part kind of throws me back because it's hard to believe that God would praise us. That is yet another example of his amazing love for us. As christians, obviously we have it rooted into our brain not to pass judgement on others but that is the hardest thing for me to avoid. Whenever I am feeling down on myself I always remind myself that God made me exactly how he wanted and I receive peace from that but I don't always apply that to other people. It's hard to stop in the middle of an annoying encounter with someone and think wow, God made this person with the same care that he created me, and the people I love. I am learning, slowly, how to love people well, like Jesus did.

The main reason that we judge other people is because they are not like us and honestly it's because we think we are better than they are. "For what makes you better than anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did not receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" If we remember this then we can eliminate the source and need for our judgement. This verse, to me, is kind of a reality check. It reenforces the idea that nothing we have is truly ours. ALL of the things in our life come from God. I just think about God sitting up in heaven and creating me and deciding what family to put me in, obviously nothing he does is by accident but I just think that with the flip of a coin I could have so easily ended up in a whole other life. When he is asking what do we have that we did not receive he is saying that God allows us to have everything that we do, it all comes from him so we have no right to brag about it because it is not really ours. Recently, I heard someone say that nobody is more blessed than anyone else which I think proves to be very true when you think about it. A lot of times people who talk about their fabulous lives and say well I was very blessed with a wealthy family or a great education or whatever else but that doesn't mean they were more blessed than anyone else. Is this making sense? Obviously God wanted them to have an easy lifestyle but he can also bless people with a hard life. A life that is constantly falling apart, a life of sickness, homelessness, abuse, failure, just to name a few examples. People who face these trials often come out stronger on the end- just as we learned in James. This just goes to show that everything comes from Him and we are no better than anyone else. With that, it becomes easier to see how judging others does not make the most amount of sense.

There is a lot of other great points in this chapter but I'm going to skip a few verses to the part that might just speak to me the most. "The kingdoms of God is not a matter of talk but of power" this just really makes Gods kingdom seem real. It's not just something we talk about and dream about but the reason that God is so mighty is because he has all the power. Nobody can rule over him. I am trying to put into words what this verse makes me feel but I don't think I can actually describe it. It mostly leaves me feeing awestruck by his reality and power. I imagine all the successful people in the world and I think of everything they can do and have done and the effect they made on our lives and to think that Gods power is not even comparable is amazing, and to know that he is on our side of our day-to-day battles makes it so much sweeter.

God, I thank you for my life and how you have blessed me. I pray that you give me humility and the desire to love people more like your son. Take away my desire to judge others and help us to see the way you are working in their life rather then focus on the negative things. I thank you for the love that you give me and the way that you fill me up. Give me the motivation to stay rooted in your word and to search for truth rather then listening to the crowd. I thank you for the community of this blog and the ability to post freely and talk about your beauty. You are so faithful, God.

Amen.

Why I Became A Christian

It was just another day in pre-school and I was playing with lincoln logs with a girl who had joined my class recently. We talked about our favorite animals and games and such when she asked me a question that started to change the way I viewed myself.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Purple," I responded.

"Purple? That's weird. You should like pink. Pink is SO much better," she said.

That's when I started to become aware that people wanted to change me.

When my parents divorced right before kindergarten, that only strengthened my fear of being not liked because I was different. I was worried that my parents didn't love each other anymore because of something I did. That I was the reason behind it, and they didn't love each other enough because they didn't love me enough. Looking back, I realize how silly I was. I know my parents love me, they tell me so everyday, but the mind of a 6 year-old is easily bended.

Ever since I can remember, I've had friends that were always very different from me. I was always the 'angel' of the group. My old group of friends could be kind of... different at times. Different from me I mean. I can't explain it, they just were. And I always felt like they were trying to change me. I hated it. They'd suggest clothes for me to wear, ways for me to act, make fun of me because I didn't swear, and do things that their parents would not be happy about. But even though they did these things, I still loved them so much. They were awesome people, though most people couldn't see it. I'm not really friends with them anymore though, I guess we kind of just grew apart.

Though I'm not friends with them anymore, I still have a friend that I have had for forever and has changed the way I think of myself. She can be very judgmental and have very strong opinions, and I may hate her sometimes because she can make me want to change who I am, but she's also one of my best friends. I've also grown apart from her because she switched schools, but she is still a huge influence in my life.

Sorry, I've gotten kind of sidetracked, I need to back to the purpose of this post.

I was nine when I first went to Sky Ranch. My family wasn't very religious. We called ourselves Christian, but we weren't really Christian; we were lukewarm. We were very aware the Sky Ranch was a Christian camp, but I didn't really think about it. I had always liked the idea of God, that there was some higher power that was watching over me and keeping me safe in all I did.

During that first bible study, my entire life was changed. The bible study was mainly centered around the fact that God loves us more than we could comprehend. That He cares for us more than anything, and He always will be there for us.

That He would never want to change us.

When I realized that God was what I had wanted for my whole life, that He was someone who didn't want to change me, who loved me for who I was, I became a Christian. That week, I accepted Christ as my Lord and savior and my whole life was changed forever.

God loves us so much; it's incredible. He wants us to be happy and joyful and faithful and loving and caring and to follow him. Words can't describe how grateful I am for his everlasting love. It awes me. It also shows me that there are things in this world that I will never understand. How could someone so perfect and omniscient and sinless love someone like me who is so imperfect and sinful?

Our God is so amazing.

Psalm 136 is one of my favorites because it really hammers in the fact that God loves us; Every verse ends with for his steadfast love endures forever. And it truly does.

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. -Psalm 136:26

Loving the Lord,

Ally

Being Bold in Prayer

Hello friends!!! I just want to start out by saying I miss you all A TON, and I think about y'all every day! I miss Sky Ranch so much, but unfortunately, we can't stay there forever :/

I just got back from Ignite last night (a Christian camp for incoming freshman at UT), and the Lord continued to refine me and teach me new things just like he did at Sky. Probably the biggest thing I was convicted of was how much I continually put God in a box. Looking back on this summer, I have realized that the Lord worked in BIG ways, and did so much more than I could have ever dreamed. A lot of times when I pray, I pray really vaguely and I don't pray for really crazy things because in the back of my mind, I don't REALLY believe that the Lord will deliver and answer those things. That mindset is ridiculous. I am serving the same God who raised Jesus from the dead and who heals the blind. Of course He can work in miraculous ways! I have seen Him do it!

Last night, when I got home, I was hanging out with my sister before bed. I had been praying for awhile (but especially this past week) that God would stir in her heart and move in her life because she isn't walking with Him. As we were talking on my bed, she started opening up and confessing all these dark struggles that had been taking over her life; she began to confess a life that she had kept secret for about 6 months. In that moment, I was broken, but I was also so joyful because the Lord was answering my prayers in a BIG way right before my own eyes! I am still blown away by the fact that He let me in on His plan, but I was able to lay out the gospel for my sister. We walked through what it means to be made white as snow (Isaiah 1:18) and that now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). This is just a condensed version, but long story short, my sister is ready to start seeking the Lord and ready to start finding her comfort in Him and Him ALONE. Only He can redeem our life from the pit (Psalm 103:4).

So basically the Lord answered my bold prayers for my sister! And not only did he answer them, but He did it in such a way that was better than what I could have ever thought! He is so good!

I just want to encourage you guys to plead with the Lord for Him to move in huge ways because He can, and He will! But have faith when you ask; our doubtful prayers are pointless! Be bold in prayer, and have confidence that our Father can move in mighty ways.

I LOVE YOU ALL

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

-James 1:6-8

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

-Eph 3:20-21

Trials and Suffering

Hey guys! I miss you all so much already! It brings me so much joy to see y’all are already blogging. AWESOME!

So I was talking to one of my Sojo ladies this morning and we were discussing how there are going to be things that happen in our lives that are tough. Finding out a friend doesn’t approve of your decision to follow Christ, learning a parent or sibling is depressed, or being shot down by someone you love and feeling as though your joy is being sapped from you. All of us deal with tough things every once in a while, don’t we?

My Sojo lady found anti-depressants in her mom’s bathroom this morning and it left her feeling scared and concerned. We can all relate to those feelings, can’t we? This should be our response:

First off we have to battle fear. Fear is not of the Lord.

"For I give you not a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self control" 2 Timothy 1:7

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I shall not be afraid." Psalm 56:3-4

Second, we cannot take this on ourselves or blame ourselves for anything because the Lord has a plan, for all of us, "for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans not to hurt or harm you, but plans to give you a hope and a future." jeremiah 29:11

If we keep reading that verse it tells us something AWESOME... "...then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I WILL HEAR YOU. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord..." Jeremiah 29:12-14

He promises if we give ALL things up to him he will hear our cry. He hears our every thought, he knows them before they are even on our mind. But he also tells us he has a plan. The Lord knew our precious girl would find those pills, maybe her mom needs encouragement and that is something she can give her!

"be still befre the Lord and wait patiently for him" pslam 37:7

Trust the Lord. He is the divine healer, and will show us the way. We must wait patiently for him to lead us and guide us.

Also, when it comes to our rents making us angry or upset, or anyone for that matter we need to keep this in mind: "let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." James 1:19-20 this also tells us to be quick to listen. We must go to those who are hurting and deliver our joy to them. We also must comfort and listen.

As an encouragement to those who are hurting this scripture comes to mind. I absolutely LOVE it. "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and delivered the, from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and burst their bonds apart. Let them thank the Lord for his STEADFAST LOVE." psalm 107:13-15

Finally… "and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. so then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are the household of faith." Galatians 6:9-10

Stay the course guys, remain strong. Be the light to those in the world who are lost. Always encourage and combat struggles with scripture. The BIBLE is the love letter the Lord has left us!!!!

I love you all SO very much!

Always, Lindsey

P.S. I'll leave you with something to think about. In Psalm 107:13-15 I says, “Let us thank the Lord for his STEADFAST LOVE.” (See the whole scripture above.)

What is steadfast love?

New Testament

Hey guys! My names Sam and i was a quest camper last year and it was awesome, seriously a life changing experience, and so this year i worked as a lifegaurd at Sky Ranch! I learned so much about my walk with Christ-mainly that a relationship with him takes so much work. Anyway i say all this because im going to try and finish the new testament this year. Its a goal i want to achieve very badly even though it's already been a challenge to get in the word when our lives get crazy. Im starting with Matthew, and am going to read chapter 5 tonight! if anyone wants to join its definetly not too late. I just finished chapter 4 and wow.. ive already learned so much and have so many questions. Ill come back and talk more about what im reading later:D

It's only the beginning

Hey quest! It's Haley from sessions 6 and 11! Yesterday morning, me and all of the session 11 people woke up early, exhausted and so not ready to go back home at all. But literally the minute I woke up, I heard a voice inside my head saying the same sentence over and over again: "It's only the beginning." I don't know about y'all, but when I first wake up I'm so tired, and I don't really think about anything at all...but for some reason, I heard that sentence again and again Saturday morning. It was the weirdest thing. But I know God was trying to tell me something. We are meant to leave camp; we can't stay there forever (even though that would be awesome). The purpose of camp is to take everything we learn and use it to bring God glory. So now, it's only the beginning of what we are capable of accomplishing with Christ. I hope and pray that each and every one of you applies everything you learned to your daily lives. Through quest, God has made each of us new creations! From here on out, we can live differently, actually walking with the Lord instead of falling into the things of this world like we used to. We can live for Him! "Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11) Never forget what quest taught you! IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING. :)

-Haley

Truth Over Comfort

Hey everyone, it's Emma! I just got back from Sky Ranch yesterday. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go back to Quest session 11. The Lord taught me so much that I can now share with you guys.

Something that we frequently talked about was choosing truth over comfort, which is not always easy, but is so important because that is what God calls us to do. He calls us to a live at a higher standard. We are so blessed to be part of his chosen people, to have had the opportunity to accept Him and to grow in relationship with Him. At Sky Ranch, the comfortable thing is the truth because we are surrounded by a body of godly men and women who are constantly building us up and encouraging us to pursue Christ above all else. At home and in our daily life, it is so easy to fall back into the "comfortable" thing, which is most likely what our peers are doing and may not always be the right thing. It's hard, and it will be harder as the school year starts, but man, the Lord has chosen us! He has chosen us to spread His love to everyone we meet, everywhere we go, and not only to spread it to others, but to kindle our own flame and make it bigger and brighter. And to do that, we must choose truth. We must serve others and the Lord to the point of exhaustion. We must live each day striving to impress God because He is our only audience. I challenge you all to keep that in mind as the school year approaches.. BE who God created you to be! :)

I hope you're all doing well! Love you guys!

Emma

"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 gives 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." - Matthew 5:14-16

Be a light in God's world

Hey Quest, it's DJ from sessions 7&8. So, i was reading everyone's post and how they describe God's power in our lives. I was remembering my two weeks at Sky Ranch, and then I remembered what the Quest program was about: To become a leader who is centered in Christ.

a day later, i was on youtube and i looked down at my hands as i was typing on the keyboard and i noticed my Sky Ranch bracelet on my wrist. I thought of everyone i met at Sky Ranch this year and i thought about Quest and about how that was my last year at Sky Ranch and i started to tear up a bit. I looked at my bracelet again and i thought about being a light in a world of darkness. I searched youtube and found this video about being one of Gods creations and examples.
The URL to this video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0cuOawD_I8

Everyone, please continue to be Christ-centered leaders. I hope and pray that everything you guys go through you will turn to Christ and know what to do

God Bless and I'll never forget you guys,
DJ

Just Be Still

Quest! How is everybody?! I keep y'all in my prayers and I hope that each one of you is really yearning and searching for more of the Lord everyday. I just wanted to share with y'all one thing that the Lord has really been setting on my heart lately, and I wanted yall's thoughts on it, too.

So basically for the past few weeks, the last bit of our summer, life has been getting busier and busier my the minute. It seems like so much has to be done in such a short amount of time! But I figured it was alright since it might help get me back into a sort of schedule so I'll be a little bit more prepared for when school starts back. Anyways, life is getting back to that schedule of sorts and it's just crazy! Things for school that need to get done are coming to my attention, sports are getting started again and some already have, and church is just buzzing with excitement since this is the time when everybody moves up into their new small groups. And in all of this, I have been faced with decisions that will greatly impact this coming school year. And for the majority of these decisions, I have no clue what to do about them. Not even the slightest idea to be honest. I have prayed about it, and I know that I want to do what God wants me to do, but still, not knowing what the future holds can be a scary thought, at least for me. And God knew this and put this quote in my path:

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." -Corrie Ten Boom

So even though i may be sort of anxious, nervous, yet excited about all these situations that i have to choose to do one thing or another or not do anything at all, I know that I can trust the Lord to handle it. He reigns and is totally capable to take care of my worries and fears. And i know that, but then after I've been praying about it for some time now, I still don't know what to do and I feel like maybe God is speaking, but I'm not really listening because I have been so caught up in the business of life lately. So, I did some listening and some more praying, and it was as if God said, "Just be still." It comforted me. Then the other day I ran into Psalm 46:10-"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Woah baby. That's exactly what he had been telling me, and then he revealed it to me in Scripture! It's just ridiculously incredible.

My only remaining thought on all of this is, how exactly do we listen to God? How does he speak to us and how can we be sure we hear it? Sometimes I think it just takes stopping whatever you're doing to spend time with God. Sometimes he speaks through reading his Word. He can even reveal stuff to us in nature. But I wanna know what y'all think. Please comment and let me know...love you guys

-Alexa

hey quest!
this is my first post since I've been home from camp but i have been reading all of Paul's letters and have learned a lot. i encourage you all to read them if you haven't already. i was reading in Galatians today and came across a few verses that really hit me, so i thought i would share.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
Galatians 4:8-9

why, if God has freed us from the things of this world, do we still turn our backs on him every day? we choose ourselves when we should be choosing him. without God we were slaves of this world, but although he has saved us we keep going back to it. who wants to be a slave when the alternative is freedom and eternal life? do we wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

in verse 7 it says: so you are no longer slaves, but Gods children.
my question is, if we are Gods children, why are we acting like slaves?
we need to be turning away from the weak and miserable forces of this world and not turning away from the Lord.

its crazy how the lord can reveal things to us through his word. crazy how something that Paul taught the Galatians so long ago can apply to our lives today. but it just shows how great the lord is.

love you all!!!
Jocelyn

Checking Up

Hey Guys it is great to be back on the blog again band and summer reading is taking up much of my time but i am still staying in his word. Matt and i have been spreading the word of christ to a few of our closer friends to build a strong group of believers but our goal is to go outside our normal circle of friends pray for us.
Love, Andrew

no more excuses

so today the lord used a friend to open my eyes of my laziness. she was talking about how she didnt have time to spend time in the word and with the lord. as soon as she said that i was somewhat judgemental and thought well of course you have time, you just have to make it a priority.

the lord really used her situation to show me that i am so lazy in my walk with him and i make excuses and try to convince myself that its ok when its not!

we have all the time in the world, we just choose to fill our time with other things when the lord is ready and waiting to fill our cups with amazing gifts and opportunities to glorify him. my challenge to you is to join me in finding time to seek him everyday and know him better than we did the day before. its about time we match our walk with our talk.

ambert

Headed up to Sigmaland

My dudes, I'm going up to Ute Trail Colorado to help out with family camp on saturday and I'm most definitely going to be using some of my time to pray for you guys as you continue to be lights among the darkness. A lot of you will be taking the next step in becoming a Sigma and I am super pumped to see where it all goes down.

I miss you dearly and I am praying for you often. You are the next generation of leaders. Continue to grow in the word and love the people around you.

Blogging... Blog On my friends!!!

POWER!

Hey, Everyone!

It's Erin from Session 8, and God showed me these verses and it really inspired me, so I thought I'd share it.

The other day I drove past a Church, and they had a sign about Acts 2:38. I really wanted to know what Acts 2:38 was, so I looked it up when I got home. It says, "Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sin; and you will recieve the gift of the holy Spirit." It's a really good verse, but what really struck me was the part about how if you repent and are baptized, you will recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit. You see, Acts 1:8 says, "You will recieve power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses."

So if you repent and are baptized, you recieve POWER! Power to go be God's witness. (Note: also, if you weren't baptized, don't sweat it to much...there's a story in Acts 10 about how some un-baptized people recieved the Spirit and were even speaking in tongues.)

So go out there and use the power that God has given you through the Spirit! Go be a witness to God!

Good luck and God bless,
Erin W.

God works in crazy ways

Hey there Quest! I hope all of you are doing splendidly and that the Lord is continuing to teach everyone of you more and more each day. I have been praying a lot about just life in general lately, and I keep you all in my prayers. Recently I have been sort of overwhelmed by the chaos of life. Just having a lot of stuff to do in a short amount of time...it wears you out! I sorta felt bombarded with stuff to do, stuff for school, for a Bible study group, with friends, just stuff that normally wouldn't bother me, but it all piled up and I felt like I was at the bottom of it. So thankfully, I have an awesome group of friends, a truly committed body of believers that got me back on my feet and encouraged me, and comforted me to get me through. So today, God revealed himself to me in such an obvious way and reminded me that the things of this world are not NEARLY as important as he is, and by worrying about them, I am turning away from Him.

This morning I woke up, the feeling of Monday morning hit me in the face, and I just asked God to take my cares and worries for the day, and let my focus be solely on Him and his word. Well, he did just that. My internet has been down all day, so I could not do the school projects that I had been worrying about and that needed to get done. I couldn't get distracted by facebook or the new music on iTunes. I couldn't get caught up in emails. I was free from the internet for a day. So today was basically me and God day, which is honestly what everyday should be. It reminded me of a sermon our youth pastor once gave about not letting what's urgent distract you from what's important. And God showed me just that. So today I read and studied parts of Ephesians, Ecclesiastes, and Revelation. I did a significant prayer journal entry, and actually prayed in silence for more than 5 minutes like normal. Today was a day where God told me, "Just be still and know that I am God." And I did. Today was not a busy day; today was a day spent with the Lord. And I am so thankful that our internet wasn't working, because if it had been, today would have just been like any other day, with me caught up in the chaos of life. So I leave you with this,

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

Alexa :]

God's plan beats our plan, anyday

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been on in a long time! So as some of you know, I play competitive volleyball (club, school). So August 2nd, we started tryouts for our school JV team and I wanted to make it SO bad with all of my heart. I'm a setter, and they already had two from last year, plus a freshman they were looking at. I was pretty sure we'd all make it since we were all pretty good. So I was shocked when I didn't. I was devastated. I cried for an hour after I found out. The other 3 setters made it, and I was offered the manager job. I accepted it...so I get to do every single thing the team does, except play. I was so jealous of the team at our first few practices, especially when they got their jerseys..

I was mad at God, because I wanted to be playing on the team SO BAD. But guess what? God's plan beats ours EVERYDAY. No matter how bad we want something, it's God's decision, and we have to go with it. I'm still not exactly sure why He didn't want me to play school volleyball this year, whether it was so I could observe and get better that way, so I could get a better attitude, or just so I can be of service to the team and coaches. (This is a good time for me to try out Shane's bracelet challenge!) But now I'm learning to accept my disappointment and know it was for the better. I love all of you and miss you dearly.

With love, Kelly:P

Little Things are so BIG!

The past few weeks have been great! God's really slapped me in the face and turned me around. My whole life I've always been waiting and wanting that BIG spiritual moment, such as having the opportunity to share the plan of salvation to someone or g0 on a mission trip over seas. But lately God's been questioning me and let me realize that I'm not being obedient in the littlest things which can sometimes be the most important. One thing I hear alot of speakers say is which is so true, "How are you going to serve in Africa or China when you're not even serving in your own home or city?" Taking that, the past 3 weeks my focus has been just serving my family and the places I go around my hometown. One of the things is just washing dishes so my Dad doesn't have to do it when he gets home everyday from a long day of work. I'm trusting God that through me being obedient to these little things that he is preparing me to maybe oneday go spread the gospel in Africa or have multipule opportunities to spread the gospel. We're obedient to God not because it's the right thing, but because we love God who first loved us! I actually hope I'm in a wheelchair oneday because I've served God so much!

Psalm 19:14

-Ben Jones :)

I MISS U GUYSSS!

So I'm terribly sorry I havent been on the blog at all but I didn't have a computer at camp! I'm home now so I can read and keep up with yall! How is everyone doing? Is it hard? Getting harder?

I am not ashamed

Hey everyone, it's Haley from session 6! I just wanted to share a little bit what I learned during quest. At the beginning of the week, our counselors asked us what we wanted to get out of that week. I said I wanted to learn how to not be ashamed of my faith and to be able to share my faith with anyone at all. That week, I decided to start reading Romans for some reason. Immediately, God pointed me to the verse that change my whole perspective on my faith..."For I AM NOT ASHAMED of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." ~ Romans 1:16. God was clearly and plainly telling me to be proud of my faith! After learning that at quest, I feel as if I can share God's Word with absolutely anyone. Whether that person be my brother or my friend at school or a random stranger, I have the confidence to do that now! God has given me the strength that I have prayed for for so long to be able to share my faith and my story with everyone I know. If you were at session 6, you heard me talk a little bit about this at campfire Friday night.

God gave me another incredible sign that told me not to be ashamed of my faith and be bold enough to share it. Saturday morning at the closing ceremony, we were all signing this year's camp song together. And for the first time, I really focused on every single word. "I am not ashamed to wear your cross your name. From this world I'm not set apart and now I'm not the same. I'm not ashamed to take you by the hand, with you I'll make my stand, with you I'll make my stand." And it all hit me once again...I AM NOT ASHAMED! Again God was clearly and plainly telling me to be proud of my faith. Isn't it amazing how whenever we need something to make us stronger all we have to do is ask God for it, and he immediately delivers?!

Another thing: I saw this video a few days ago, and now I watch it almost every day. It's to the song "O Praise Him" by David Crowder Band. It shows this random guy walking down the busy streets of NY, listening to this song. At first he just lip syncs a few of the words when no one is looking. By the end of the video, he is singing at the top of his lungs in the middle of the street on the median for everyone to see him! And could care less about the weird stares that some of the people give him! He praises God in front of everyone! Quest, I want to be like guy. I want to be BOLD. I want to learn how to live each day for God and only God, not worrying about the people around me who may disagree with my beliefs. And I feel like I'm slowing learning how to do those things. I am no longer ashamed of my faith!

Here's the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpVsF4W8V2Y&feature=related
The best part is 3:33-3:49 :)

Philippians 1:14, "...DARE more than ever to proclaim the word FEARLESSLY."

Love you all :)
-Haley

no height, no depth

so tonight me and my friend were riding back from our night off and listening to a christy knockles song that talked about the lords love for us. it talked about how nothing can keep us from his love. nothing at all. no height, no depth, no chain.

how comforting is it to know that nothing in this world can keep him from us. not even our deepest darkest secret, sin, or stain.

praise god for his love. praise god that we are blessed enough to be in the shadows of his wings. i hope and pray that we can experience his love head on!

keep on keeping on

in christ,
amber t

Thank You

Dear Qusties, in the attempt to echo Paul at the beginning of his letters, I want you to know that I thank my God and prayer for you every time I remember you. I cant begin to tell you have much you have encouraged me by your posts. I learn so much from you guys. I got choked up reading about Joe's story about Conner. You guys really give me so much joy, and are a constant reminder to me why I LOVE MY JOB. I thank God that he has used me, a broken, helpless, little man, to be part of His huge kingdom, by allowing me to be in Quest with you guys this summer. Words cannot express how proud of you all I am. May God continue to shape you in to the man and women that you [insert name here], were created to be. Continue to Aspire to Greatness. My brothers and sisters in Christ, may you be encouraged, and may God bless you in your faithfulness to Him.

-Grant

Psalm 145:4-5

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵ On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.