Prayer: the best sign of love

Here's something I've been thinking about a lot lately that I want to share with you guys...

We all have those people in our lives that hurt us, for whatever reason. I've realized that the best thing you can do is to pray for these people. Praying for someone is the greatest act of love. So here's my challenge to you, Quest! When people hurt you, pray for them. Pray for your enemies. Pray for the people you find it hard to love, and, eventually, it will become easier to love them.

"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7

Thanks for reading!
-Haley

Good devotional!

I'm going through my daily devotional and todays was especially good in my opinion. I hope you can read it in the picture.
On the next page it says to:

"* Make a list of three people in your life you consider "unlovable" and look for ways to serve them this week."
1.
2.
3.


Hope you enjoyed it!
Shane

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fancy title here

so the lord has really opened my eyes to how blessed i am. this past sunday was my birthday and i received countless texts, phone calls, and facebook birthday wishes and to be honest it was quite humbling. the lord has blessed me with some INCREDIBLE friends, sisters and brothers in christ and i am eternally grateful. anytime i need encouragement, guidance, laughter, or just someone to talk to i know without a doubt that i have a family that will always have my back.

so anytime youre feeling sorry for yourself, just remember that the lord has blessed you with some incredible people but most importantly he will NEVER leave you or forsake you. trust in that and hold on to it like youre holding on the torpedo!

BOO YA!

If you have a minute... could you give me some feedback?

Hey team... sorry for my extended absence from the blog, you have no idea hos encouraging it is to see you guys running after the Lord. It stinkin PUMPS ME UP!

On a totally separate note... I'm working on putting together a little Bible study for Sky Ranch campers in the future. If you have a minute, could you check this out and give me some feedback. Too long/short? Too deep of a passage? Not enough material? Confusing? Not interesting? Etc...

Romans
Dig It
Paul wrote this letter to the Roman church before he ever went to go see them. All of his other letters he was writing to follow up with the believers, so when Paul writes Romans he is really thorough in explaining the gospel. Romans is SO good and has lots of theology that is thick, but for sure one of my favorite books.

Zoom in
Read Chapter 8:1-17
We are digging in to one of the more encouraging passages in the New Testament today. Paul has just finished explaining how we are all sinners and no matter what we do, all of us have fallen short of God’s glory. He begins with a huge statement in chapter 8 and goes on to contrast the life lead by the flesh and the life led by the spirit. God also goes on to call those who are led by the spirit the “sons” and daughters of God. Not only are we God’s children, he says we are his heirs with Christ, he passes along his glorious inheritance to US?! Crazy!

Live it
What does “no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” mean?


What are examples in your life of living by the flesh?


What are examples in your life of living by the spirit?


Do you walk like a Son/Daughter of God who is a fellow heir with Christ?

One Day

Okay guys, sorry I havent posted in a while, this has literally been the longest, hardest week in terms of school! I just wanted to take some time to share what i've been up to. I really want to focus on the whole concept of "one day at a time" it is nothing new or profound, maybe a little cliche, but very effective. So like many of us my biggest struggle with sin is in the form of gossip. James 3:6- "Your tongue is also a fire, a world of evil to all the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person and sets the course of his life on fire and it to is set on fire by hell." I have always believed that the simple "little" sins are the hardest to fight because they are the most common and the hardest to avoid. What would my life look like with out gossip? I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what exactly qualifies as gossip and that i am still not sure... but i have come to the conclusion that if it isnt something i would say in front of the person then it is not something i should be saying. I have always been intrigued by human interaction and the things that friendships really come down to. I think about the conversations that i have with my friends and I realize that the topic of conversation is always people. This ranges from us talking about ourselves, one another, the people on TV or our peers and classmates and even people we have never met but know so well thanks to their most recent uploads. Thinking about this made me uneasy. Obviously, not all of these things are under the category of gossip but it leaves me with an uneasy feeling. If the main source of our conversations are removed then what else will there be to talk about? If we no longer have anything to talk about then will i still be friends with them? I dont know the answers to these questions and im not sure if i will for a while, but i think its worth finding out.

The thought of eliminating gossip from my life is quite a daunting one, this isnt a simple task. I have obviously tried to work on this aspect of my life but I have not really seen many results. How can i eliminate gossip from my whole life from now till forever? This seems nearly impossible, and it probably is with this mentality. God doesn't call us to be perfect he knows that we fall short and do things that we know he shouldn't. Because of this he calls us to rely on him and ask him for strength. For me it is much easier to wake up in the morning and say- today you arent going to gossip or speak about other people in a negative way, today you are going to live into the kingdom of God and seek to glorify him. Taking things one day at a time makes these impossible tasks seem much more obtainable. If you mess up then it's okay, there is always tomorrow. I have seen much better results this way, take something that you are struggling with and dedicate your day to overcoming it, make it an absolute point not to fall into your same old routine, even if it is just for one day. Chances are that after your first day of success you will realize that it isnt really as hard as you thought it would be. Continue living the life that God calls you to lead and eventually it will become habit. Take everything in small bites, one day at a time; from this you will start to see a difference. God here for us, he wants us to succeed. If it is His will we will be able to overcome anything as long as we are able to rely and trust in him.

Wisdom

What is your definition of wisdom? Comment on this and let me know! I'm trying to learn as much as I can about what it means to have wisdom and how to gain wisdom...

Keep on posting! :)
-Haley

How does God want us to act?

Some characteristics that glorify Him.

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Title

Glad to see everyone is keeping this up. hope all is well with you guys.

NO ONE is more Forgiving

It's DJ everyone! how is everything? (before i get started, this post is LONG, so just be aware)
So i had this spontaneous idea after my last post titled, "NOTHING is more valueble." Notice how NOTHING is in all caps and is the first word in the posts title. I decided to start a series, showing and explaining how NOTHING or NO ONE is more ___ (u fill in the blank) than God. now that i've explained this, time to start the message.

We're watching this film in Religion class called "Five people you meet in Heaven" and it's about this guy who dies and is now in heaven and five people he encounters each have a message to tell him involving a significant event in his life, and one of them has a message of Forgivness. But, as a matter of fact, this is a timely message to me because something happened recently where i was hurt by one of my friends. and that something is:

I wanted to ask this girl to homecoming. Now i went to homecoming with her last year, but that was when i hadn't decided my feelings for her. so we go to homecoming and have an awesome time. the year goes by and we still talked and hung out occasionally. This year, i'm trying to decide who i want to ask, and my friend also asks me who i'm asking and i say "either a girl from Sky Ranch (yes ladies, i mean one of you , HAHA) or the girl i went with last year." Throughout all of last year, i was in an awkward period of my life, and I dont know why i did this, but i was praying for a girlfriend. But now i relize what i was praying for was something to put my IDENTITY in (thank u for teaching me this message guys).
After all of this, I start praying this:
"Hey God, who do i like?"
Just last night around 7:30, something hit me. i realize that i was asking a question God couldn't answer. I kept asking this over and over again but i now know that I was the only one who HAD the answer, or COULD answer that question.
So i pray:
"God, i now understand I ALONE hold the answer."
and the answer is YES
i decide i'm going to ask her to HC the next time i SEE her (pay attention to the SEE) . After this i'm playing xbox with my friends (around 9:oo) and one of them drops a side comment "Hey i asked the girl Dj went with last year" (btw, the girl i asked last year knows all my friends so she's friends with them too)
I GET FURIOUS. really it was just a misunderstanding between my friend and I, but i was still mad. He didn't know i decided to asked her to HC, and they're going just as friends. And then i told him this: (note: the 'fill in the blank' parts are words i would rather not say)
"Listen for a _____ minute! I was going to ask her to HC the next time i SEE, rather than ___ call her and ask. I was going to ask her so that when we were at HC, i was gonna try to ASK HER OUT!!!
My friend understood that i was angry and said he was sorry, but i didn't care. i didn't want to play anymore after and just decided to go to bed. i open sit on my bed just wondering:
There's got to be something God is telling me." And there was!
Trying to forget what happened, i think about my day. i think about religion and the video we were watching, about the part where its about FORGIVNESS. I remember one qoute from that part:
"Hate is only formed inside of us from what we dont choose to say ourselves. Forgiveness is freedom from hate, freedom from anxieties. When you forgive, you are set free."
I'm just gonna say that when i remembered this, it hit harder than a wrecking ball. I have forgiven my friend, and i'm gonna tell him this the next time i c him. Here's one of my favorite videos one Forgiveness: Part 1-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT8U8Us3Qts&feature=related Part 2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6LRrq8A12A&feature=related (PLEASE WATCH BOTH)
I'm gonna leave u guys today with two pieces of advice: 1. Look back at my story, how the timeliness of this message shows how God's says everything He wants us to know at EXACTLY the right time
2: I urge you guys from now on, to Forgive and Forget and Be Free.
-DJ

Playing catch-up

Hey Quest! I've been meaning to post a couple things on here for a while now, but life is so crazy that I'm just now getting to it. I'll have another post hopefully sometime soon, but for now I have a few questions to get you all thinking...and to hear what y'all have to say because i don't have all the answers.It's really humbling to know that God is so complex that we can never fully understand Him, but that certainly doesn't mean we should stop seeking or trying to find answers to some stuff about him. the more i get to know him, the more i love him. i hope it's the same for you! I absolutely LOVE hearing your thoughts on stuff, so please comment or post or whatever this leads to you to do!

1) Can Christ ever be fully pleased with us? Despite our sin, can he really be totally pleased with us? DOes his grace and mercy make up for everything we fail at? Tell me what you think.

2) Belief-conviction or trust that a claim is true. Not necessarily true, but not necessarily false, either. Knowledge- true belief. How are you viewing Christ and all you know about Him? Do you regard it as simply a belief (something that is trusted to be true by your personal conviction), or as knowledge (a belief that IS TRUE. something factual.)? Question yourself. Get down to the root of your faith and determine if you truly feel it is knowledge, or a belief.

3) "If you love to learn the grades will come." Ever heard a teacher say that? Think about it in terms of Christ. If you pursue Christ eagerly to get to know Him, salvation and joy will come. If you pursue Him for other reasons such as, i don't know, just something to believe in, or just to call yourself a "Christian," when really you're acting lukewarm, the goodness and joy will not come. It won't be genuine. Once again, ask yourself why you love Christ, why you pursue him, why you think Christianity is the best. Just ask yourself. Try it.

I wanna know what you all think about any part, or all of this, so comment and let me know!

Love you all,

Alexa

Turning from your sin and turning to God

Hannah’s post below really stirred in me and got me thinking…

Sin really can cause oppression in our lives cant it? But, Hannah is right, God has conquered sin and the control it has in our lives. I LOVED that she said, “We have that promise, since we are not under law but under grace, that sin will never again rule.”

In Galatians 5:1 it states, “For freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Sin can cause us to be driven into slavery, can't it? We are found to be in bondage to that sin and so unsure of how to get out. But as you said, Christ sets us FREE! It is his blood that covers us and we are a new creation. We are no longer identified by our old bodies, but by a new one. “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be made white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:16)

Also, the awesome thing about grace is that it is not just extended once. We receive grace all the time. I think sometimes we believe once we become believers and accept Christ as our savior, we have to be perfect, and if we make one mistake… we lose salvation. But it is SO the opposite! Once we accept salvation the Lord uses our suffering and iniquities to bring him glory and to turn us to rely on him. Gosh, how often do we turn from God when we sin? But God wants us, so badly, to turn to HIM! He was to make our bodies new over and over again.

Finally... READ THIS!

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1-11)

Guys, turn to God in all your filthiness and let him make you clean and new. When you are afraid of his judgement or of disappointing him... still turn. Turn to him in faith. He is your father and he loves you SO much. He wants you so badly and he alone is sufficient to nourish you. Turn from your sin and turn to God.

I love you guys... SO MUCH!

Always,

Lindsey

new post soon

Hey guys just wanted to let you know that I am going to post a real post soon...so if I'm slackin keep me accountable! Love y'all. Comment on here PLEASE if i have not posted it by Saturday night. I'm counting on y'all to help remind me and keep me on track!

Love always,

Alexa

God answers prayer

Quest!!!!
ok so i wanted to blog about this a few days ago but i havn't had time! But a few days ago i posted about not knowing how to give a certain sin to God and how to be free of it.

But God answered my question that day in Romans 6! It talkes about how yeah, we as Christians will still sin, but God has conquered sin once and for all and defeated the tyrrany of sin in our lives. We have that promise, since we are not under law but under grace, that sin will never again rule.

Theres more to Romans 6, but i think ill let you read the rest!
Love,
Hannah

LIVING His Word

Hey Quest! Lately I've realized that I am not really living God's word. There's a difference between believing in God and living for God. I challenge you all to pay attention to the way you live your life on a daily basis. Is every single one of your actions something that is pleasing to God? Probably not. Of course, we're not perfect, but there's always ways that we could try harder.

I feel like when I'm around other Christians it's so much easier for me to try to keep Christ in mind 100% of the time. But when I'm around people who are lukewarm Christians or who aren't believers at all, it's like I forget to make sure each of my actions is pleasing to Christ. Even in uncomfortable situtations, God calls us to remain focused on and joyful in Him.

I want to learn how to be Christ's light for people every day of my life, not just on certain days or just in certain situations. It's so easy to pick and choose when and where we want to be Christ-like. But we need to realize that discipleship is a 24/7 commitment, a commitment that involves living for God to the best of our ability all of the time.

Also, I've noticed that the days I sit down and read my Bible are the days I find it easier to actually live out my faith. When I forget to read my Bible or don't pray as much, it's definitely harder!

If you have any advice or verses on how I can better act out my faith and actually LIVE His word, let me know. Especially if you find a verse about remembering God in all situations or something like that.

Thanks!

Keeping my word part II

"Blessed are those who keep my ways.

Hear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

Blessed is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains favor from the Lord."

Proverbs 8:32-35

Hey guys! So I posted about this verse this morning and it is something that I think about all the time. How often do we hear the Lord's voice but discount it as something else for the notion that it was maybe just something we imagined. On the other side of things, how often do we know the Lord is speaking to us and we just ignore it?

My dear friend knew the Lord was speaking to her last week to break up with her boyfriend of 4 years. She was headed on the track towards marriage and knew that was the next step. She is absolutely in love with her bf but knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord was telling her to take a pause in their relationship and recenter her life on Him. As tough as this season has been for her she knows she is following in the path of the Lord and living under his word!

How have you listened to the word of the Lord and been obedient to his calling in your life?

Keeping my word

"Blessed are those who keep my ways.

Hear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

Blessed is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains favor from the Lord."

Proverbs 8:32-35

Giving it to God

Hey Quest!
This is hannah from session 5. It's been a while since i've written, I've been super busy! But I love reading your posts.

A few days ago, a guy at my youth group did a sermon about giving your whole self to God. He talked about how alot of times we give God control of most of our life, but we keep one part to ourselves because we arn't willing to give it to him.

I have something in my life that is kind of like that, so I prayed and told God that I wanted to give him full control of my life.

But heres the thing: I have heard this sermon many times, and I have prayed that prayer many times, but that thing in my life still has a hold on me.

When I prayed, I really sincerely meant that I want God to have full control. And i still do. But how do I really give it to God? What does it look like to do that? Everyone always says to give God control, but no one ever says how.
i just really want God to take control and am frustrated with my attempts to give him that control.
Please comment, I am really confused!
Thanks quest,
Hannah

Marriages and God.

Find a Reset Button

I went to a Catholic camp at Notre Dame this summer. One of the counselors there talked to us about having a reset button. A reset button is basically something that you see a number of times throughout your day that reminds you to make sure that you're on the right track. It's something that you choose, and whatever it is that you choose is supposed to make you check if you're living as Christ wants you to live. For example, my reset button is the clouds. Every time I'm driving or just sitting outside and I look up at the clouds, I ask myself, "Have I been living for Christ today?" This all may sound kind of weird, but I think having a reset button has been really helpful! I chose the clouds as my reset button because I always see God's beauty and wonder in them. Find something you see God in and make that your reset button. I guess you can think of reset buttons as "checkpoints" that you come to throughout your day that remind you to be living for Christ.

Keeping on posting, everyone! :)
-Haley

Sharing the Gospel

Hello all!! I think about you guys a lot, and I miss you all TONS. Life here in Austin is crazy, but I'm loving it. The Lord is doing big things!!

This year, I am leading a Missional Community for freshman girls at UT through my church. Basically, it's like a small group (but a lot more!) We serve our campus, serve the city, and live life missionally together while studying scripture. I am co-leading with an amazing sister in Christ, and our first meeting is tomorrow night! So be praying for the Lord to move in mighty ways. :)

Anyways, during leader training last week, we were challenged to share the gospel 2x with one person over the course of a week. I didn't realize how hard that would be! As I lead a Missional Community, I must be practicing what I preach. I have to be bold for Christ if I'm telling my girls to do the same. As I fumbled through sharing the gospel with a friend in one of my classes, the Lord revealed to me my idol of approval. Why am I so scared to share who Christ is and what He has done in my life? It's because I don't want anyone to think I am weird, awkward, or just plain annoying. That is NOT okay. I already have the approval of the King of Kings!! Why should I care about what man thinks?! Also, if I truly care about other people's salvation, and if I really want them to know truth, awkwardness shouldn't matter AT ALL. Thankfully, I serve a gracious, loving God who pursues me despite my desire to please men. And thankfully, He still wants to use me in His perfect plan, even though I have so many flaws! I can't say I'm perfect at living missionally or sharing the gospel, but it's definitely a beautiful, painful process. He is teaching me a ton about living boldly and passionately for the glory of His Name. After all, that is the calling on our lives. As children of God, we are called to "make disciples of all nations" (matt 28:19) and how are we going to do that if we never share the Good News??

So... what's stopping you?!

Are you choosing comfort over the Great Comforter? Are you seeking approval when you already have it from the One who matters most? Are you trying to control things when the Lord is the only one who is ultimately in control? Are you chasing after your own success and power instead of aiming to make Christ's name known? What idols are you bowing down to?

I'm challenging you guys to be bold in your faith this week. Try sharing the Gospel with someone! (Don't beat yourself up if you mess up, or if it doesn't happen. Know that the Lord's love for you is not dependent on how well you proclaim His name. His love is unconditional... and He saves souls without our help all the time!! He doesn't really need us!). I'm just challenging you guys to step out of your comfort zone and live out the calling placed on your life. IT'S WORTH IT. Also, it would be selfish to keep such good news to ourselves!! We have been set free from the bondage of sin!!

Get uncomfortable. This isn't our home. Our reward is in heaven!

Your sister in Christ,

Mary B

What Faith Can Do (followup to comment on DJ's post)

Hey guys! Tommy here from Session 7! I commented about this song on DJ's most recent post, and here is a link to the song.
(click on the title, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE listen to the words)

NOTHING is more valuable

Guess who's back? Yeah! It's DJ.
It's been a while since I posted, and some of you may remember that post. this post is a follow up to that post.

So I was reading yalls comments, and in a way, I felt like I was being reprimanded, or being given a lecture by you guys. I go tdone reading the comments and thought to myself, "I got MORE important things than this," and shut down the computer.

That night I was going to go see some of my friends. I was walking down the street to my friends house with my iPod in my ears listening to music. Then a thought came to my head, "I wonder what would play if i put on shuffle." I never put my ipod on shuffle cuz i always have a playlist i like. at the same time, I was thinking about the comments you guys posted and i started praying, "GOD, WHERE ARE YOU?" i put it on shuffle and the VERY FIRST SONG that started playing was "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North.

"Cuz I'll be BY YOUR SIDE, whenever you fall
in the dead of night, whenever you call
and please dont fight these hands that are holding you."

At that point, I stopped dead in my tracks. I could feel Christ calling out to me, telling me that He would always be there, even in the hardest of times, He would be there.

I feel now i have to apologize to you guys because I did not take your advice as a valuable lesson, and for that, I'm sorry. God has blessed you guys with the knowledge of His love for us. NOTHING is more valuable...

EVERYONE!

for some reason ive been wanting to hear and understand what the definition of salvation is according to other people and see what i can learn from you guys. can people just respond to this with their very own version of what this word means to them please?

Water Skiing, Jesus, and disappointment

Hey you guys, it's Hannah Becker! Just thought I would share with you a couple things that happened to me today!
Alright, so my family bought a boat at the start of summer. So today we decided to go out on the lake! We were with a couple of our family friends, and we decided to start water skiing. So I went first (and I ACTUALLY got up, thank you very much! :) ) and then our friend's daugher Jenny (who is like 21) decided to try to ski for the first time. So before she gets in the water, I he ar my dad say,"Water Skiing can be pretty hard at first, but you just have to remember one thing. The boat is going to pull you up. Your instinct is going to be to pull back, and pull yourself up. But if you try to get yourself up on your own, you'll end up falling." Now, transfer this over to our life in Christ? See the connection?
"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." ~Isaiah 41:10
So many times in life, we try and 'get up' on our own. We try and do things by ourself, thinking "I got this" or, "It's okay, I really don't need to pray for this. It's no big deal" And then what happens? We fall on our faces! Wee have to understand that the LORD is in control, and without him, we will be lost, and we will 'never stand up on our skiis' this can be applied whether we are nervous about something, or maybe feeling over confident! Just like the verse says, If your feeling anxious, GO TO GOD!! Know that no matter how big or small your problem is, he can deal with it! But at the same time, if you're feeling confident about something, or maybe you let pride get in the way of a struggle you're going through (ex: "I can't go to God for this. He would never forgive me) GO TO GOD ANYWAY!!!!! He will always forgiveyou, and he WANTS and LONGS for you to come to him, because he knows that we are broken without him, and we will fall without him! And I know personally I struggle with giving him control. But it's for the best:)
One other thing I thought I should share! It kind of points back to what I was talking about.
You know my friend? The Unitarian Univ? I invited her today to go to a student led Bible Study at my school tomorrow morning, and, unfortunately she declined. She told me she didn't think that her mother would allow her to go..that's so sad to me! I don't kno wif that is true or not, maybe she just didn't wanna go. But anyway, please keep her in your prayers, and pray for the Holy Spirit to work in her heart! I love her dearly!!
Love you all:)
Hannah

Forgiveness and Stephen

Hey guys!
I'm reading Acts right now, and I just had an amazing experience with this story, so I thought I'd share.

I don't know if you know the story of Stephen, the first martyr, but it's in Acts 6, if you want to read the whole thing. Basically, Stephen was preaching to the Jews, and they got mad and sent him to court. Then, in 6:13, "They presented false witnesses who testified, 'This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law."

They PERJURED against him! And he DIED because of it! I don't know about you guys, but I was so angry at those false witnesses right then, I could barely control my rage. How DARE they! I was so shocked at them and just total, utter rage filled my whole body and soul.

And then I started thinking, 'You know, I wasn't even THERE. I wasn't friends with Stephen. I wasn't sitting in that court. I didn't watch him get stoned. I didn't know him. And I'm THIS ANGRY!!!" So can you imagine how the people who were his friends felt when they sat there and WATCHED this unfold? How could they not just jump out of their seats and strangle these people? And what about Stephen, knowing these people perjured against him and were now going to kill him?

But you know what Stephen said? He said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against him." He forgave them, after all that. He was not angry. I was angry, and I wasn't even there! I think that this is just an amazing example of how God wants us to forgive. If they could forgive that, then we should be able to forgive anything.

Hopefully, that had as much meaning to you as it did to me. Keep trying to learn to love as the Lord did, because I know I'm going to now.

-Erin

Why The Bible is True

Hey, Quest!

Last year (when I was in Morph still), we had a Bible X day where we talked about how we knew that the Bible was true. Our counselors gave us a list, and I LOVE having it on me, and I thought you guys would, too. I have it written on the inside of my Bible, because I figure if I need the list, I probably need the Bible!
Here goes:

Unity: It's consistent! (You'll notice when you're cross-referencing that there's a lot of 'repeated' verses...that's good because it shows that we have a certain message that we're teaching...if that makes sense.)

Prophecy Fulfilled: He built in proof! (Did you know 29 prophecies from the Old Testament were fulfilled on Jesus' birthday, and over 300 during the rest of his life? Pretty cool, huh? That's my fav reason)

Intellectually Honest: Archaelogically and Historically correct (Even atheists can't deny it when they find evidence of the battles fought, the kings, the countries, even the walls of Jericho falling outward! The fact that it is historically correct just proves that it's true! All that stuff happened!)

You Can't Destroy It: (People have tried to wipe out the faith a bunch of times, and you can't! You can't get rid of the Bible!)

People Died for It: (Would all those people have died for something that wasn't true? And it's not even just a couple, it was, like, thousands or something!)

People You Trust Believe It: (I mean, you're bound to know at least one smart, logical, trustworthy person who's a Christian, and if they are willing to believe it, you know it's at least worth some thought...I'm not sure how to word that, but you can figure it out.)

Also, here's a list on How we know God exists:

Testimony of Believers: (It's unlikely that so many people could be led off-track...noone can deny that.)

Design: (There are way to many "coincidences," big and small, for them to all be coincidences. God's proof is also everywhere in creation.)

O.M.V: Objective Moral Value (There are many things that everyone knows are evil, like murder and rape, so...if there is definitley total evil, there must be total good and love! Hence, GOD!)

Anyway, I hope that helps, I have used that a lot when I have doubts. Hopefully it's useful! Keep on searching for him!

-Erin

Circular Reasoning

So tonight I have been doing some blog catch up. Every single post on here is AWESOME. Y'all are awesome. I just want each and every one of you to know that. Also, seeing all these great questions and insights into problems in life and Scriptures and stuff reminded me of a question that I meant to bring up a lot sooner.

The other day I was sitting in my philosophy class at school and we picked where we had left off with our discussion of fallacies. To clarify, a fallacy is technically defined as statements that might sound reasonable or superficially true but are actually flawed or dishonest. Basically it's a wrong way of thinking or reasoning; it's an illogical, unsound argument. So we're flipping through this packet of tons of fallacies to learn, and we come to one called "circular reasoning."

Just so we are all on the same page, circular reasoning is a pretty simple fallacy compared to some of the others. It's when the conclusion is also its own premise. If you know what that means, awesome, if not, don't worry about it. It basically argues that A=B, therefore A=B. For example, if someone said, "A table is a surface supported by 3 or more legs," they are using circular reasoning. Since the definition of a table is a surface supported by 3 or more legs, they're basically saying a table is a table because it's a table. That is circular reasoning.

Alright, so we read about all that and I see a diagram showing an example of this fallacy. Here's what it said:

A: God exists.

B: Why should I believe that?

A: Because the Bible says God exists.

B: Why should I believe anything the Bible says?

A: Because the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

See what's happening here? There's this skeptic of the existence of God (B). When trying to find out why he should believe that God is real, he ends up nowhere because person A used circular reasoning. If he doesn't believe in the existence of God, then the fact that the Bible is the inspired word of God means absolutely nothing to him. It's a huge circle that leads to nowhere, obviously. So my question is, how do we get out of this circle? How would we deal with this situation if it ever came up? I understand that a great deal of faith is involved that wasn't mentioned in this little example here, but what would you do?

This brought up a lot of questions in my head about stuff like this. I mean, if that circular reasoning example is how people who aren't Christians and are skeptical view God, then how do we break the circle? Please share what you think...i love hearing everything y'all have to say.

Peace out rainbow trout....alexa

Oh, how I love Acts!

Hey Quest! I just wanted to share something with y'all that found this Wednesday that really convicted me.

So I was looking at Acts and how awesome it was, and I saw Acts 11:26:

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

At first I didn't think anything of the verse, thinking that it didn't have any deep meaning. But I thought about the last sentence, and it really caught me. It says the disciples were called Christians. That they were named Christians. Not that they gave themselves the title. They didn't say, "Yeah, Christians sounds like a good name." People labeled them that. I think that's so awesome that others gave them the name Christians. People knew that they were Christ followers just by their actions, and through the ways they treated others. And that made me think about us today. Can people do the same thing? Can someone look at us, and by our actions, know we are Christians? And that really convicted me. It made me think about all the times were I haven't shown Christ in the way I act. And I hated that I could think of so many situations where I failed there. And so, just thinking about that, I want to keep that in mind all the time, so that people will see Christ through my actions. And I encourage all of you, to try to keep that in mind.

I hope that y'all got something from this, and I love reading what all of you have to say. Keep it up guys!

so heres the deal pickles. im thinking of doing a bible study for my team but im not sure what would be a good place to start. my teammates claim to be christians but dont live it at all and im trying my best to find a balance between what they hear every week in chapel and out of pure love for them.

i dont want them to think im trying to shove it in their face because thats what they get every week and they are sick and tired of that and are closed off to the idea. so if anyone has any ideas i would LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Struggling...

Hey Questies! I just have a few things that I have been needing to get off of my chest... Sorry if it is kind of dumb, but I needed to talk to someone about it.

I am in volleyball season right now, and I am in an extremely tough situation. My team, which consists of six seniors, 5 sophomores, and 1 freshman, is probably the most negative team I have ever been on. Every single practice and/or game, I go into with 100% positive energy. However, when I leave the gym, I feel like I come out with 100% negative energy. I am definitely one of those people who is always happy, and every time I finish volleyball I feel as I am going to cry. The thoughts running through my mind are so negative and awful and I hate that! I try so hard to be myself but I just can't! Every time that I try to think of something happy and hopeful during volleyball, such as God, I find myself pushing him farther and farther away. I don't want that to happen! If anyone could just keep me in their prayers or has advice, I would GREATLY appreciate it.

Thanks to all!

-Hayley (HayField:))

People of other religions...

I just read Hannah's post below this, and it made me think about people of other religions. What do we believe happens to them? Hannah said that her friend's religion believes that people of any religion can go to Heaven...this might be a stupid question, but why can't they?! I mean, I definitely think that Christianity is the right religion for me and the most reasonable faith out there, but people of other religions aren't "wrong" in their beliefs, right? Who's to say that we're the only ones who can go to Heaven? Comment on this and tell me what you think!

-Haley

How can I improve!

Hey, guys it's Hannah!! I just have a couple of questions, comments...all that:)
Okay, so a lot of you know about me trying to witness to a friend of mine, who is Unitarian Universalist (means she believes that any religion can get people to Heaven) But she has no particular religion at the time...I keep on hearing people tell me to be a light, and to pray for oppurtunities to be a light to her and to everyone around me! But it seems like no matter how hard I try, I just don't seem any different, and like nobody really notices it. I have tried REALLY hard to stop gossipping, and just negative talk in general. That in itself has improved. But I don't know exactly what to say when my friends are saying things that aren't pleasing to the Lord. I pray every day for wisdom in situations like this, but I just don't seem to have any words when my friends say things. I don't know if I should be like.."Stop gossiping, because it's wrong" or if I should say something good about that person in return to the negative things they are saying. But I don't know what I need to say....so if you guys have any advice, that'd be great! Also, I completely and TOTALLY understand that God is NOT a feeling, but lately I just have not felt his presence. That's really frustrating as well!
IF you guys have any advice, PLEASE help!! And please pray !

Cookies and Jesus

Hey Quest!

So I was baking cookies from Peru for my spanish class today, and I was reminded of how God created me.

Now these cookies weren't my usual slice-and-bake so it took time to mix it all together correctly, put it in the fridge to let it set, and then roll it out, cut it and bake.

As I was molding the dough into a huge ball to get ready to roll it, I was reminded of the potter and the clay. The dough was definitely not disagreeing with the way I was placing it. Why? Well number one, dough just doesn't talk. Number two, I can see the end result...it can't. Which reminds me of my relationship with God. So many times I think my plan is the ultimate. However, God knows so much better than I do! His plan is PERFECT! I have often seen that when my plan fails, His becomes apparent, and His plan is so much better than mine ever was or could be.

So after I got the dough ready, I rolled it and cut it in circles. Pretty painful stuff for the dough. It's the same for us. Remember in inductive we talked about rejoicing in our trials? Bingo! If I would have left the dough as a big blob, I would have either undercooked it, our burned the entire apartment down. Cutting the dough was my only option. Trials are no fun for us. They hurt. They are uncomfortable. We don't understand why the God who loves us puts us through them. But it's for our benefit, and we will result in something more beautiful. Think about a potter. If he merely does a little round out of the middle, he has a bowl. Sic 'em. But, if he delicately cuts and molds and pokes the clay, something intricately beautiful is made.

Once I was done...and flour was all over me...I felt His joy. I laughed at myself and the mess I had made when the rolling pin got away from me. Praise Jesus for baked cookies and nothing burned down! I love how He makes Himself apparent to me even in the little things, like baking cookies. I need to give myself whole-heartedly over to him, letting Him mold me and make me into His will, His perfect plan for my life!

Love yall!

Krista

The Sower

So I started going to this Bible study here on campus at Arkansas and tonight we studied the parable of the Sower. This is now my new favorite parable. Let me explain why.

The story is about a Sower (farmer) who spreads his seeds on a paved path, in the rocks, in the thorns, and in good soil.
**Thats the super condensed form of the story

So lets take a look at a few key symbols including the Sower, the seeds, and the different types of ground.
1.) Sower- Tonight we determined the Sower to represent Jesus but we also concluded that the
Sower could be anyone who has accepted and understands Jesus Christ.

2.) Seeds-The seeds in this story represent God's word

3.) Ground- The ground represents the hearts of the people.. all people.


So here we've got Jesus who spreads God's word to the hearts of all the people. Notice that Jesus does not limit God's word to just the good soil but also spreads the word to the non ideal surfaces as well. Why? Because God loves EVERYBODY!!!!

So what happens on the different surfaces.
Paved road- the seeds sit and are eaten by the birds (oh no)
Rock- The seeds attempt to grow but are not rooted down (no foundation)
Thorns-The seeds grow and are rooted but are suffocated by the thorns (failure to commit)
Soil- The seeds grow to be full pieces of fruit and as a result drop more seeds (Yay!)

How do we know if we are the soil?
Its quite simple really. You can either a) have a friend or outside party to watch your progress or b) realize yourself if you are spreading God's word. If you are doing this you are the fruit.

You can find the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-23

Please comment if you have anything to add. This story is so deep that I have no doubt that I missed something. Also if you interpreted it differently let me know that too. Thanks!

applying for day camp?

Hey guys this is Tommy Cutler from Session 7! I am just wondering about the whole application thing. Isn't the minimum age for day camp 16? B/C I'll be 16 by the time summer hits, but the years only went up to 1993, not up to 1995. Also, was I even looking at correct site or is there a seperate one for me? I was looking at applyatsky.com. I even saw required fields that do not apply to me, since I am in high school.

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You want to know why I love this blog? It creates a opportunity for us to post how we really feel, the areas that are hard, and the areas that we suck at. We don't have to pretend like we have things under control. We are all in the same boat... we all have our struggles. But here, we can live in the light and oh how much healing the light brings. Jesus Christ is glorified in our shortcomings when he is the healer and makes us new again.

Living in the light and sharing my struggles with my brothers and sisters in Christ is one of the greatest things that I do. It is never fun to talk about how much I suck but the result of healing and having nothing to hide is so wonderful. We were meant to live in community and praise the Lord we have people around us that God redeemed just like me and you!

Worry

Hey guys! Sooo ive been reading through matthew still, but i feel like i really want talk about how much music has influenced me the last couple of days. To start off.. i worry about everything. From something really stupid to something really big. I dont know what it is, and i think its hard for me to just give things up to God. I'm not sure i even know how to do it. There are things in my life.. like friends..and drama.. and the future that i think about ALL the time. How do i know that everything is going to be okay? Can we all really give EVERYTHING up to God? Now i know how to give up some things, but not everything. After i ask for a peaceful heart, certain subjects come back in small ways. Can we escape it? I mention music because to me..it calms me. Bands like Hillsong and Shane & Shane bring me an overwhelming amount of peace, and a willingness to connect to God. Listening to the words and phrases just poke at my heart. But sometimes it doesnt work. I still have that feeling of, am i treating my friends and parents well? Was there something today i shouldnt have said? Am i being forgiving? Do i show grace? And i dont want to sound like a crazy person on here asking all these questions but there some that pop up sometimes..and i know some of you girls out there know what i mean. Its hard!..
Sam

The Reasonable Faith

This totally is a common assumption that you can't really be "right" based on common standards. But, after reading people who love the Lord and who are a lot smarter than me, I learned that it is not necessarily who is 100% right, it is who is the most right comparitively. When you line up all the data and facts next to each other (like all the different religions), who has the most credibility?

Now I'm no scholar but I have taken a handful of non-Christian religion classes, philosophy classes, and psychology classes. I found that Christianity is leaps and bounds more believable and factual compared to ANYTHING else.

We are called to have faith like a child and blind faith sometimes, but it is reassuring to know that it also is a reasonable faith.

Peace Homies, Patrick you da' man.

How do i know whats right?

So for those of you who read my last post, ive been reading this book, and the first chapter is about how someone can say they know the truth. It talks about how the common assumption is how nobody can say they know the truth, and how truth is reliative. Well in the books explanation it says that Christianity has truth throughout it, like in this verse. " If you hold my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free" John 8:31-32. I thought this really hit home for me because i have always had that thought in the back of my head that is thinking, Whose to day im right? Why can something else be right?
Thanks guys!
Patrick Doran

Music Station

Hey Quest!
I was just thinking about how much music influences us, and I was thinking we should have someplace where we can go and find some great music when we're feeling down...
SO...I made this post! Anyone can post any groups, albums, songs, whatever, that they felt really touched them and they think we should hear about.
I'll start...my favorite groups are Third Day, Steve Curtis Chapman, and Matthew West (Matthew West's songs are especially inspiring...most of the ones I know are about forgiveness, and I LOVE THEM!)
Also, 94.9 FM is contemporary Christian, and I like listening to that if you want...
So go on! Post away! Hopefully this will be useful...

Anxiety sucks

Ok, i don't get whats going on.

A couple of days ago, i was feeling happy and social and just any positive feeling you could think of. But, i don't know what happened, but lately i have been feeling anxious and pressured by everything. Friends, girls, school, anything that could disscourage a sixteen year old. But that is just part of it...

I don't know where God has been for me during the past few days. I've been feeling that He's distant and ignoring what I've been asking:

"God, please relieve me of this pointless anxiety I have felt for a while now. I feel that you have been away and ignoring what i feel like i need. I have felt like your not there and that your never going to pull through again. And God, this is tearing me apart from the inside because I KNOW I'M WRONG and I just can't function without your power and love in my life. I know you're an all-loving, omnipotent God but lately I CAN'T FEEL THAT. Please put me on a path back to you and may it lead to my faith and relationship with you be stronger afterward."

It's been a week and a half since I prayed this to God and I have not felt an ounce of His presence return to my life.

Philipians 4: 6-7 says, "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ."

I DON'T KNOW HOW to turn my anxiety over to Christ or to make my request known to Him. I feel like I can't put my heart, like actually put everything that's on my heart into a simple prayer anymore. I can't pray Passionantly to Christ because I dont FEEL Passionate about Him anymore. I truly hate what has happened to my reletionship with Christ and I only have myself to blame for it.

I need your guys' guidance, advice, wisdom because i feel so LOST without Christ in my life.

READ THIS!

For a looong time I've been praying for my dad, brother, and sister to find God (all three are atheists). My sister is a sophomore in college, and my brother is a freshman in college. This summer, I prayed that something - anything - would happen to them while they're at school that would help them find God. I mean, when you go to college, especially for the first time, I'm sure things are totally different then they were when you were in high school back at home. I just prayed that God would help them finally realize that they NEED Him, and that He is real and active and living in their lives.

TODAY, GOD ANSWERED MY PRAYERS! I'm still waiting to see what's going to happen with my brother, but today I learned something amazing about my sister. A few days ago, my mom told me that Rachel (my sister) is having a lot of friendship issues at school. Her roomate, who she's been best friends with since middle school, is being really rude to her for no reason. So my mom and I have been giving Rachel advice and helping her out a lot these past couple of days. My mom is a Christian, and she's been praying for my sister too. And she was telling me how she thinks Rachel is going to find God somehow through this situation...because when we're broken and alone, we realize we need Christ. And lately, Rachel has been extremely alone because her own roomate and former best friend won't even be nice to her. Her roomate is basically turning all her other friends against her too, so Rachel has pretty much no one to talk to her but her family. Today my mom told me that she told Rachel to try turning to God and try praying to Him for comfort and guidance. She said Rachel had actually tried praying before. At this point I was like, "WHAT?! She's atheist, how has she tried praying to something she doesn't believe in??" And my mom said that Rachel recently told my mom that she is AGNOSTIC! And trust me, that is a major difference from atheism. My mom said that she is actually open to God now!

So I was completely freaking out, and I immediately called my sister. We talked about random stuff for a little while, then I found a way to bring up religion. And she said she believes that there is a higher power, but she doesn't see the point of learning more about him or studying him or doing anything about it. I guess you could call her a "lukewarm" Christian. Well I've never been so happy to be able to call someone a lukewarm Christian! Usually we think of that as a bad thing because being a lukewarm Christian means you don't care about having a relationship with God. But I am SOOO happy that she is even that much! God totally answered my prayers! I mean, now that she's actually open to God, that provides so many opportunities for her to grow closer to him...I am so insanely excited to see what greater things God has in store for my sister!

So then I said something like this to my sister after she told me that's she agnostic..."Rachel you have no idea how happy I am to hear that you are open to God now! I know you say you don't feel the need to learn more about God or anything, but if you ever have ANY questions about anything just let me know...not to say that I'm wise and know everything about God, but I'm always here for you if you ever need anything." And she seemed really grateful after I said that! QUEST, THIS IS INSANE! This isn't the sister I've known all my life...the sister I'm used to is one that doesn't want to hear anything about my faith. Whenever I used to talk about my faith to her, she would say, "Haley, I don't want to talk about it." And I would always feel like I was forcing my beliefs on her, so I just wouldn't say much.

She also just told me that she had started believing in a higher power a few years ago...but this is the first time she's actually admitted that to me! All along I thought she was a hardcore atheist like my dad! And because she now admits that she believes means that she secretly wants to know more about God. Before, she believed in Him but completely blamed Him for everything that went wrong in her life, which is why she never wanted to talk about Him with me. Now things are different, and she is finding Him and learning more about Him and ADMITTING that she believes in Him when she is broken and alone.

Sorry this is extremely long, but this is probably the most important thing I've ever posted on here...what I learned today is that GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. Never ever doubt that God can deliver. But when you pray (like it says in James), pray knowing that He WILL deliver. That's probably the main difference in the way I pray now...this summer, after camp, I started truly believing that God was going to answer my prayers. And he totally did with my sister! SHE IS SAVED!

If you have an advice on how I can minister to my sister now that she's admitted to being a lukewarm Christian, let me know! Or if you have any comments about this I'd love to hear!

Thanks for reading!
-Haley

Looking for a good book to read?

This week I started reading an amazing book called "A Life God Rewards for Teens" by Bruce Wilkinson. It talks all about how everything we do matters...about how we are going to be rewarded for everything we do once we're in Heaven, so living for Jesus every day is totally worth it. Anyway, if you're looking for a good Christian book, read this!

"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his father with his angels and then he will reward each according to his works." ~ Matthew 16:27

-Haley