Thank you!!

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

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

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

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

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

I love and miss all of you!
-Hannah

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



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



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



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



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

Perseverance

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

Remember what Cameron taught us in James.

James 1:12

-Joe

Answer..?

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

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

thanks for posting!

Alexa

Questions...

Hey guys!

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

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

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

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

Thanks, guys! -Erin

Love

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Getting back the "hunger and thirst"

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

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

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

-Haley

Hunger and Thirst

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

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

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

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

Matthew 5:8-12

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

"Hunger and thirst for righteousness"

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

Miss you guys!

-Hannah B.

Being a Good Christian, Continued

Hey, guys!

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

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

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

Nothing for granted.

Hey quest!

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

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

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

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

too cool for school

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

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

Alexa

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

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

Perfect Love

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

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

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

The best way to spread the gospel is through love.

-Haley :)

The Lamp of the Body

Hola, Quest!

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

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

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

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

Love you guys! -Erin W.

Conviction

Hey Quest!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Confused.

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

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

Thank you!
Haley

Yeah, I'm Really Smart

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

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

Story of Your Life

Hey guys!

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

So here it is! :

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

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

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

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

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

6. One Less- About adoption.

7. Two Houses- About living with divorced parents

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

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

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

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

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

-Erin Walsh

infected to spread it

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

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

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

-Alexa

Being a Good Christian

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

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

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

-Erin Walsh

The Decision

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

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

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

wondering where his wonderful plan is

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

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

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

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

Brothers in bond, but not God

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew 10

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

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

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

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

Where are you now?

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

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

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

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

lots of love,

Lindsey Adams

Beloved

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

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

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

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

That would be SO AWESOME!!

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

Keep it up! -Erin W.

Salt

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

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

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

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

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

I love all you guys! Keep trusting him!

-Erin W.

Extremely Exciting News

Hey everyone!

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

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

I am one now =)

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

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