A little reminder to persevere

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

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

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

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

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

- Emma

Dive in.

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

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

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

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

Verses

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

there is more

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

I WAS MADE FOR HIM.

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas!

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

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



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

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

Merry Christmas!
-Erin

NOW TESTIFY!

Hey there everyone!

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

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

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

okay, now for the actual post

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

(Just something to think about)

-DJ

Let God Use You

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

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

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

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

something interesting

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

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

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

Stress?

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

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

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

Let's Do It

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

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

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

Who's waiting on whom?

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

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

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

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

For Haley

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

Divine Romance

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trust.

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

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

http://utmost.org/

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

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

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

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

Erin read this!

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

-Haley

Priority

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

love you guys. :]

--Alexa

Let's summarize

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

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

Hope you enjoyed!
-DJ

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

Hey DJ's back!

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Read the next post after this one)
-DJ

QUEST REUNION!

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

THERE MIGHT EVEN BE AN APPEARANCE BY AKTUKAN AND SHAKIRA!

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

IT IS A TACKY SWEATER PARTY!

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

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

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

always,

Lindsey

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

Just an Idea...

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

'Worry Verses'

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

Something to think about.

Alright, so today I noticed something really interesting.

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

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

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

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

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

Just something to think about :)

Keep postinggg!
-Haley

the power of prayer

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

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

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

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

-Hannah

FCA!

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

-Alexa