A Crimson Stain

Help.

My friend is in a dark place right now and i wanna help. We all have our issues and personal distractions that take us away from the Lord, well my friends issue is self-injury (cutting). One of her friends was texting her and telling her to throw her "tools" in the trash or something, and she responded "NO!" and then we tried calling her, but she turned her phone off.

Some one please tell how to minister to her cuz I haven't dealt with this issue before.
-DJ

Retreat Continued!

I'm posting a little bit more about what I got out of the Sky Ranch retreat I was at a few weekends ago. The theme here: God is SO HUGELY present in nature it's unfathomable, and we miss out on it more often than we know! This sort of lines up with something I discussed in the last post: taking things, blessings, for granted. To start, check out the lyrics of Phil Wickham's "Beautiful"

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who you are
You're beautiful

While I was at Sky, it rained nearly the entire weekend. Now, at first thought, that sounds like a major bummer. Well guys, it was more of a blessing to me. I can't even really put into words how the Lord worked in my life simply through RAIN (this sounds super crazy, i know), but He DID. it's almost as if i could feel the rain washing away my failures and faults, just leaving me and God and time to share between us. it was AWESOME. one night i even took a walk, alone with God, in the rain. i was soaked and it was dark outside. i walked in pure joy that night, and i talked to the Lord about what i needed to give up to him and confess to him and trust him with. i told him my doubts, uncertainties, and failures. i literally walked and talked with God, in the pouring rain, drenched all the way down to my socks. it was such a blessing that i never even knew existed until i left the crowd of people who were warm inside, and went to the cold, windy rain. sound insane? for sure. but whatever happened strolling in the downpour that night, my heart was renewed, changed, set ON FIRE. i will never forget it. in that moment i felt as close to God as i ever have. that story didn't really do the night justice, so i'm challenging you to find God in nature on your own and meditate on it. let it marinate within you. one of my favorite ways to experience God (other than the rain) is the sky. find something personal this week. something that you can worship God in the presence of his creation. i dare you!

-Alexa

Keep this going!

Hey Quest,

I don't know why but I always like to randomly look at the older posts on here from this summer and even from the summer before that. I just looked at the January posts from 2010 and the last post was on January 27th (today!). Let's keep this blog going! I hope that it keeps going all the way up to this coming summer. I look forward to checking the blog all the time and every post encourages me so much, so please don't stop!

So to anyone reading this, keep posting! And if you're reading this and you haven't posted anything yet, post away!

I hope everything's going well for you guys :)
-Haley

"...whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

What He Saved Us From

Hey guys!
This is a kinda random post, but this has been on my mind a lot lately.
How many times do you think, "Man, I wish I'd never been in this situation, or met this person" or something. I do that a lot. Why did I have to have a pop quiz? Why did I have to have the meanest teacher?

But I was thinking, what if I didn't? I would never know that God saved me from that. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if God didn't save us from some of those people or instances? Our lives would be absolutely horrible, but God probably saves us about 1,000 times a day.

So, guys, thank God for all those things he saved you from that you don't know about. I hope this all made sense, it's kinda confusing. Basically, the Lord is good! :)

Hope you're all having a great second semester!
God bless!

More from the retreat

Hey guys I'm back, just wanted to share a little bit more from the retreat i went to at Sky a couple weekends ago. I'll sum up what I'm gonna talk about with this quote I made up during a moment of being thrilled with the Lord and his power.

"I've discovered that I love and even at times desire the feeling of brokenness. It reminds me of who God is, everything I'm not, yet all I hope to be."

Have any of you felt that way? Have you ever wanted to be broken for the sake of Christ? Ever considered it a blessing to suffer, to share in the sufferings of Christ? it's an odd feeling. but great at the same time. At the retreat (and a long while before that) my heart was, and is, broken. Broken for people who don't know Christ, who don't love Christ, or who just don't want a part of him. several times during worship we sang a song called "Beautiful Jesus" by Kristian Stanfill. Y'all heard it? well, i never had until the retreat. anyway, when they sang that song, we sang the chorus over and over and over again:

Beautiful Jesus,

Beautiful Savior,

nothing is greater,

Brilliant Creator,

Friend of mine.

Perfect in power,

matchless in glory,

nothing is greater,

Brilliant creator,

Friend of mine.

I just kept thinking in my head about people who don't have what I have, but they CAN! my heart broke more and more with each word i sang. it brought me to tears and in fact, before the song was over, i was weeping out of a broken heart and hurting soul...for others. now, i am a sinful human just like everyone else, so that love and brokenness was not of me, it was of the LORD. he allowed me to experience it to move me to action for his glory, even though a lot of times i take it for myself.

on a related note, think about how much we take for granted EVERY DAY. i bet every one of us could make a list of the things we don't think to be thankful for and it would be as long as, well, i don't know something long! sorry guys my analogies are lacking, i'm dead tired here...anyways, things like waking up every morning. God is perfectly capable of bringing you home whenever and however he wants to! we don't think about that all the time! every morning you wake up is another chance to serve him, serve others, love him, and love others. it's something i know i take for granted, but i'm working on it.

So, for my challenge to y'all (i feel like i always challenge you with something, so i'm gonna keep it up), every day you wake up, make GOD the very first thing you think of. Wake up and think or even say, "God, THANK YOU for waking me up this morning, for giving me another day to live here. I'm making this day about you and your glory. Help me do that today." Focus on him. just try it. make him the joy you have in waking up early, just because you know the fact that HE woke you up for a PURPOSE. so live like you know it!

-Alexa

Between A and B

Hey guys, I just wanted to give yall some encouragement. I've been kind of distressed lately because a lot of my friends already have their heads in college (we're juniors!). They set their sights soley on their grades and become obsessed with doing whatever it takes to get into the right school. Although acceptance to a good school is very important and rewarding we need to stop living from point A to point B. By that i mean that its important to live in the moment, we are here, in high school so we might as well make the best of it. God has given us simple joys and it is important that we learn to appreciate them. Take a break from studying, go hang out with your friends on the weekends, play sports while you still can. If you live your life putting everything you have into what comes next, you will never be satisfied. What kind of life would it be if we were putting everything we had into the next best thing while we put friendships, family or even our relationship with Christ on the back-burner? Our perspective: Once i get to college i can relax, and that leads to- once im in grad school i can relax, once i have the perfect career i can relax, once i get that promotion i can relax, as soon as i get that raise i can relax... In a competitive world its easy to get caught up in that but its important to realize that life happens between point A and point B. I know that a lot of yall are caught up in all this college stuff (myself included) and you are already mentally checked out of high school but i challenge you to question yourself and figure out what you are really living for. By no means am i saying that we should slack off and disregard our grades but instead i hope that we can take some time to truly be at peace with our current situation.

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

Side note- Take some time to be quiet in front of The Lord, get down on your knees and listen. We often try so hard to fill our prayers with words but God knows our heart and there is nothing we could say that he doesnt already know. Be still and listen.

Help? :)

Hey Quest! I need your help!

My class and I are going on a retreat in February and I'm giving a witness talk about freedom, what it means to be set free in Chirst, and how that is different from the world's view of freedom. The theme of the retreat is "set free." If anyone has any Bible verses or stories or anything at all about freedom that I could use for my witness talk that would be great! Comment on this post and let me know!

Thank you!

P.S. Pleaseeeeee keep this blog going! The last post from last year's Quest group was right around this time...don't stop posting, keep it going! :)

-Haley

the most important book out there

Hey guys! it's been a little bit since i last posted...life is craaaazy! anyways, i've got a quick story and challenge for you guys. i think y'all will like it.

so last weekend my church went to a retreat at sky ranch. it was sweet! one of the messages the speaker challenged us with was about reading the Bible. this one probably hit me the hardest. he asked us, "How many of you have read the Bible?" people began to raise their hands. he continued, "I mean, the whole Bible.."

13 people out of 180 had read the entire Bible--every word. i haven't. he shared with us that as Christians, we have a HUGE credibility problem. how can we claim to believe the Bible if we don't even know entirely what it says? if we haven't even given our best attempt to read it all? so, i challenge you all, every one of you, to read the whole Bible. i am. and even if you've read most of it, start over and read the whole thing. if you have read the entire thing, AWESOME. do it again. you can never read too much of the Bible.

hopefully i can keep posting little things i learned and encountered from the sky ranch retreat last weekend. keep me accountable, PLEASE! text me, comment on here, facebook me, whatever. i'm working on priorities so i need y'all's help with this! love you guys so much

-Alexa :]

Off the top of my Head

hey everbody.

So last night was my school's talent show, and if you guys saw my last post "Help me find our reason to live instead," i asked for verses that said Christ is our reason for living because He died on the cross. I want to share with you guys my speech before we started our performance.

"'Hebrews 12:2-3: Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of faith, for the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary or lose heart.'"

"This verse is one that brings me joy, but the part that gets to me is the first part, 'Fixing our eyes on Jesus.' There's so much distraction in our world today that we don't remember Jesus nearing at all. So, at this time, PUT ASIDE EVERYTHING. put aside your cellphones, your side conversations, all your stressors. EVERYTHING in your life that is bringing you pain, put it aside for three minutes, and lets remember what our reason to live is."

I didn't rehearse that speech at all. The words literally came to me as I was up on the stage. I felt so good after we performed and so at peace with God.

As soon as you are done reading this last sentence, write down everything in your life that is hurting you on a piece of paper, and throw it in the trash. Give it to God.

I love His deliverance!

Hey Quest! I just wanted to give y'all an update on the Bible Study my friends and I started at my school. It's going sooo well! About 10 or 15 people come to each meeting, and we have really good discussions! And we're still going through James. So if anyone's looking for a prayer request, pray for the people in our Bible study! That their faith may be strengthened and they may serve as Christ's light in our school, in their families, and in our community. Thank you!

And Erin thank you for coming to the meeting! I hope you can come to the next one! I just love that we go to the same school! :)

I hope everything's going well for you guys! Keep this blog going!
-Haley

For Erin!

Erin, we will have a Bible Connections club meeting this Friday! I just sent out the email. If you didn't get it, the meeting will be in SU1 during club time. You can bring your own Bible if you want to, but Ms. Killian will have some in her room. Let me know if you didn't get the email. Hope you can come! :)

-Haley

Something to live by :)

1 Corinthians 16:14

"Your EVERY act should be done with LOVE."

Keep that in mind this week and always. Love never fails (1 Cor 13:8).

-Haley

Help me find our reason to live instead

Hey people, it's 11:30 at night and i thought to myself...... "'hey the Questblog." (i know that was random)

anyway, i had band practice today, and it turns out that we're changing songs for the talent show and i need to find new verses to give the song kind of an intro.

So do u guys know any verses that tell how christ is our reason for living because He died for us.

-DJ

Not-Sure-How-To-Title-This

Hey guys!

This is a little random, but how do you guys memorize verses? I can usually remember what it says, and often the book, but I have a lot of trouble remembering the chapter and verse, so I can't go back to it if I need to. I've tried doing the first-letter-on-my-arm thing, but I'm still having this problem.

Thanks!

Trust and Heaven

Hey guys! Just thought I'd share some things God has been showing me lately.

I don't know why, but recently I've been really trusting God with everything. I'm not going through anything really difficult or anything, so it's not really leaning, as much as not worrying about things I can't control. It's seriously such a great feeling to know that God has you in his hands, and if you can't control it, he will.

Also, I've been really excited to go to heaven, which sounds kinda weird, but it's really not. I'm not gonna go kill myself or anything, because I know God will take me to heaven when he wants to, but I've just been thinking about it a lot. Nothing on Earth can compare to heaven, and I'm just looking forward to it so much!

I think that's pretty much it. The Lord has blessed me so much the past couple weeks with just a feeling of happiness when I think about him, and I really wanted to share it with you.

Keep posting! You guys rock!

happy new year or at least happy two weeks into the new year. better late than never. i just want to share what is going on in my life in hopes that you will be encouraged, challenged, and that you would pray for me.

well for beginners, i start off my last semester with two new roomates. both are godly women who love the lord and want to glorify him in all they say and do. their personalities are completely different yet they mesh well. quite funny actually. and then you throw me in the midst of that and you get a reality tv show. and i bet it would be awesome! ;)

second. there is a part of me that dreads this softball season with every fiber of my being and i think its because im just burnt out. i think 21 years of one sport is enough time to become weary of it. but instead of seeing this as an incredible ministry opportunity, i see it as a dreadful thing im obligated to do. it is incredible selfish of me and thats not ok.

numero three. im in a season life where i must decide what to do about my future. do i go to grad school for sports management or do i go to seminary? it may not sound like that hard of a decision but i often feel like i must make a decision that will affect my whole life...and im only 21! i know that the lord has placed before me different opportunities to glorify him and i pray that i choose something that will stretch my faith and that will glorify him, but at the same time i have these sweet moments where i freak out...quite funny.

so i close with this. i need prayer. i need you to have my back because we are a bevolution. we are a family. brothers and sisters in christ. i need you to pray that the lord takes my perspective of softball and turns it upside down. not so that i will enjoy it more but that through my enjoyment, he may be glorified.

i need prayer for discernment for my future. pray that i will choose something out of my comfort zone so i have no choice but to rely on him and that doing so, he will provide ample opportunities to glorify his name.

any ideas?

hey quest!

you may remember alexa's post a while ago about her idea to stay up all night and pray. well i thought that was a really good idea so i told my youth pastor about it and said i thought it would be a cool thing for our youth group to do together. Anyway, we're going to do it with our church and a few other churches in febuary, and i have the task of making like an hour by hour schedule of what we're going to pray for, and when we're going to have worship and stuff like that. we also have 4 rooms to use so things can be going on in the other rooms too.

anyway, if anyone has any suggestions i would greatly appreciate them! and thanks alexa for this idea in the first place!

-Hannah

it's all about progress.

I just found this awesome song called "Change in the Making" by Addison Road. Listen to it if you get a chance! I think sometimes when people want to be a better person, they expect to get better immediately. This song is really cool because it talks about how it's all about progress, and change won't happen right away. It takes time. This is something that has really played out in my life recently. I'm constantly asking God to make me more patient and loving...and I kind of got mad at God when I didn't become patient and loving right away. But it takes time. Every day things get better, and eventually we'll become the person we want to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU2drg8FtBg

"This is redemption story, with every step that I'm taking. Everyday You're chipping away what I don't need. This is me under construction. This is my pride being broken. Everyday I'm closer to who I'm meant to be. I'm a change in the making."

-Haley

Please read, Haley!

Hi Haley!
It's club meeting time, and I can't remember if the Bible study is on A or B week! I know it's probably to late now if it's B, but please let me know! Thanks!
-Erin

LIVE IT.

Alexa's post below inspired me to be honest with you guys too. So to be honest, I'm really disappointed in myself right now because I'm having such a hard time actually living out my faith. If we believe in God and all He did for us, that's awesome. But if we don't actually LIVE out our faith, then what is the point of believing in what we believe in? This is reminding me of what DJ said back at the Quest reunion..."God can't be just a part of your life; He has to BE your life." Sure, God is a part of all our lives. We all go to church, youth groups, Bible studies, etc. But are we actually LIVING it out? Are we actually turning Biblical truth into ACTION? It almost seems as if the things we learn at these places are a waste if we don't actually live them out, if we don't actually try to live with loving, generous, selfless hearts that want to glorify God.

Romans 3:10-11
"As it is written: There is no one just, not one, there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God." As humans, we are so sinful in nature. And it's our natural inclination just to learn about the Gospel but not actually live out the Gospel. It's natural for us to "seek God" while we are at Sky Ranch or church or whatever, but we completely forget about seeking Him when we are out in the real world.

James 1:22-25
"Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He seems himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does."

Titus 1:16
"They claim to know God, but by their DEEDS, they DENY Him. They are vile and disobedient and unqualified for ANY good deed."

I posted about this a long time ago, but once I saw a book called "The Christian Atheist." Under the title, it said, "Believing in God, but living as if He doesn't exist." Think about that...

Love you!
Haley

honesty time.

I'm just going to be completely honest with you guys. This may end up sounding super cliche or typical but I'm putting it out there anyways. I'm sure a lot of you are in the same boat as me right now, struggling to get through midterms/finals, end of semester stuff. I just want to be honest with y'all right now and say that lately, I have been talking the talk without waking the walk. and it's killing me. i have been telling other people who are freaking out over their midterms that they have to take that it'll all be okay, don't worry about it, just do your best, that kind of thing. i've been trying to encourage people to lay their burdens on the Lord and let him help and deal with it all. i mean, it is overwhelming, i know. but i haven't been doing what i've been offering to other people to do. i haven't really prayed for strength or help to get through these next 2 weeks, and I haven't really been relying on the Lord alone, if I'm being honest. i've been going at it alone (or so i thought) and getting hardly anywhere. it's tough, not gonna lie. but here i am, deciding way too late to find peace and rest and security in the Lord's sovereignty and strength, even in something as trivial as a midterm...ok well actually 8 of them haha. so this is just a reminder (a slap in the face-freakout reminder to me) to RELY ON THE LORD. he can handle it much better than we ever could. and despite the fact that every part of me knew that, i wasn't living it out. so focus on living out your faith these next few weeks. really focus on doing that. i am!

-Alexa

Wow!

Hey guys!
I know this is kinda random, but I'm just so amazed at how many posts there have been recently! For a long time, noone was posting. I mean NOONE. It was probably 2 weeks between each post, if not more.
Then, all of the sudden, there have been so many I can hardly believe it. There must be 2 a day! God must really be working through you guys.
Anyway, I just wanted to say how excited I've been over this. Keep it up!
-Erin

Prayer requests

My family friend's niece was recently diagnosed with leukemia. She's only 19. I've never met her, but my family friend, who is pretty much like an uncle to me, tells me stories about her and how brave she is being through all of this. Please keep her in your prayers! Pray that God continues to help her be brave and pray that she relies completely on Him through this ordeal. Also, a senior at my high school was diagnosed with leukemia at the beginning of Christmas break. Her name is Michaela White. Please keep her in her prayers as well! And of course, let's all keep praying for Grant's brother. I don't know any of these people personally, but it's crazy how all three have the same illness. Please pray for them!

But even in hard times, God never lets go. Always remember that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx5Y9DhoLJQ

-Haley

Help me find peace

Hey everybody!

So guess what, I'm in my school's talent show!!! I'm performing "The Stand" by Hillsong United with my friends playing the drums and guitar while I'm doing my thing on the bass. So I'm talking with my friend, and he said that he thinks it would be pretty cool to open up with a little 20 second devotion or something. He says he just wants to say a couple of Bible verses about finding peace with God, and then just relate those verses to the song.

So, do you guys know any verses that talk about finding peace with God or God's peace or something like that. Anything would be great! :)

Prayer Request

Hi everyone:) It's Hannah Becker, from session eleven. I'm sorry if this is kind of a redundant thing you have all heard about that went to the quest reunion..but for those who didn't, and those who did too..I am in need of prayer..like majorly.
Basically right now I'm dealing with a lot of like..inner conflict as far as jealousy. Without going into too much detail, I got my hopes up because of something the teacher said.. I auditioned for varsity choir and, although I really shouldn't have..I allowed myself to somewhat put my confidence in what others said, instead of relying on the Lord. Well, the auditions come and go..and I move up, but not to varsity. I mean, I should be happy I moved up. And I am. But it makes it even more challenging, because two of my friends..one being a best friend of mine moved up to varsity, a class ahead of mine. I don't know why it's such a big deal to me..but now I just keep on wondering what I did wrong, and how I can improve..but they have a rule that for the December auditions we aren't allowed to ask them or talk to them about the auditions..so I"m kind of in the dark now.
You guys, I have no idea why Christ allowed this to happen. I'm really confused, and I'm trying to be optimistic..because we have another audition in May, where we do this whole thing all over again. I'm really hating all the jealousy I'm having towards my friend, and it's affecting my attitude a little all over. But really, I just want peace, you guys. I want to stop being jealous and wondering what I could have done better..and why I didn't move up further. One way I've been trying to look at is the passage we know so well from James. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
I wish it were as easy as just reading this verse and just immediately being able to have a new outlook on the situation. But I know as well as anyone that I'm human..duh..and I can't do this without Christ, and without prayer from other people. I love you guys so much, and if anyone is free to call and talk anytime, just let me know!
:)
hannah b.

Answering Prayers

Hey guys!
I've been reading Matthew lately, and I came across this section:

"Then he made the disciples get on a boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came towards them, walking on the sea...after they (Peter's with him now, I just skipped that part) got into the boat, the wind died down." Matthew 15:22-25, 32

I know we've heard this story countless times, but when I read it last night, the Lord showed me a couple things that I'd never thought of before.

First of all, Jesus was ALONE on a mountain. People probably didn't know where he was, because there would have been a crowd following him. And, finally, he was busy praying.
SO...if there couldn't have been a messenger, noone was keeping watch, and Jesus himself was praying, how did he know the disciples were in trouble? The only answer is that either Jesus knew by himself or his Father told him. Either way, Jesus knows when we're in trouble and need him, and he's willing to help.

Also, I thought this was a good metaphor, in a way (I mean, it's not meant to be, but it works as one.) Sometimes, Jesus sends US out on missions. Sometimes, it's smooth sailing, but other times, it's difficult, and it seems like everything (and everyone) is fighting us. We may feel like Jesus is no longer with us, but, man, he still is. He still heard the disciples prayers, and he can still hear ours now! All we have to do is let him on the boat with us.

Bye, Quest! God bless!

A Cause for Creation

Hey Quest! For as long as I can remember, I've always loved to write. Poems, stories, anything. Since this past summer, I've started writing religious poems too. I only share what I write with a few people in my life, but I wanted to start sharing stuff you guys! This one's called "A Cause for Creation." It basically talks about why (I think) we were created in the first place and what we're called to do in this life we've been given. I hope you like it!

A Cause for Creation

We were created to love and be loved by You,
And Your love is the only thing that is stable and true.

It consumes my soul, my entire being,
And equips me with faith, gives me a reason for believing.

Love alone proves that You indeed exist,
It enlivens me with a kind of peace that I just can't resist.

Every question can answered with the simple response of "love,"
And a true representation of this gift can only come from Heaven above.

Everything points to love, it's the reason we're here,
And if we have love what have we to fear?

It's our call and purpose as God's most holy creations,
To love and be loved in all situations.

Love is the answer.

"God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16

Thanks for reading!
-Haley

Everyone has a starter verse

Hey everyone.

Okay, so this post my get you guys thinking a little.
Think back to the day you were lead to Christ (If you have believed since birth, then think about your most recent moment where you felt one-on- one with God).
Remember how you felt, who you told, and what you gained from that experience. But also, try to remeber this: What verse did you discover/hear at that moment? In my opinion, There's a bible that everyone can call their "very own, little, personal verse." If you go done to the posts: "Let's Summarize", and "JOY (why I'm a Christian).", you guys read my testimony, and my favorite bible verse (which is also my starter verse): Colossians 3:10- "and you've become a new person. This new person is continually renewed in knowledge to be like his Creator."

So if you got the time, post your starter verses.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :)

The Glorious, Mysterious Unknown

Just wanted to share a story with y'all. A few days ago I attended a funeral for a lady who died after heart surgery. She was only 51. Her daughter is a freshman in college. They go to our church and last year, when her daughter was still in high school, Mrs. Teresa (the lady that passed away) was one of our high school choir sponsors at church. She was my small group leader during our mission trip to San Francisco, so I had the privilege of getting to know the wonderful woman of God she was. She was our own Mother Teresa. Anyways, at the funeral, her favorite verse was read aloud, and it was none other than James 1:2-3, a verse that we are all quite familiar with~"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Those words shot me back to my week in Quest and my mind was racing. I recounted all we learned from James 1, especially verse 5 about wisdom: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." When I got home after the funeral, I prayed: God, give me more wisdom, because I am lacking and you are generous to give. Please, Father, give me wisdom.

The next few days were pretty rough for me. I focused a lot of time on the topic of predestination. I searched for truth and still am. I found an explanation backed up by Scripture, and it blew me off my feet. I couldn't understand how God could work like that with predestining people and such. I was confused and frustrated (and honestly, I still am to a degree). So I told God this. I went to him and said that i was confused and frustrated, and that i couldn't understand. Part of me knew that I wouldn't be able to comprehend it. I just did. So as i sat there, racking my brain and spouting the prayers of my heart to the Lord, and it hit me. This is GREAT! Even though I don't understand completely and I doubt, God is still good, and i still trust him. He has a plan that I have not the slightest idea what it is! It's glorious! My feeble human mind cannot envelop or contain the Lord! what a shocker. he is mysterious and astounding, and i will never be able to know the depths of his being. it's beyond me and all of us. for the first time, I experienced, i felt, i understood what it truly means to fear the Lord. It's like nothing i've EVER experienced. in that moment, i knew that just knowing God is not enough. i want to not only know him, but give myself to him even when i am not at all sure of what his plans entail! i want to share in his sufferings and bring him all the glory! I felt his sovereignty and goodness and I FEAR HIM. I revere him. he is beautiful and abounding with so much mystery and glory that we don't even know.

and to top off this glorious encounter with the living God and learning what it means to really fear him, this verse came to mind, Proverbs 9:10. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Told ya he delivers. now that's what I call an answered prayer :)

-Alexa

15 Minutes

Hello Quest!
Happy New Year!

I've been meaning to post this for a loooong time, but I'm actually glad I waited because the message is just now beginning to sink it.

The other day I went to Confession (which is where you confess to God, through a priest, your sins, and he forgives you.) One of the things the priest told me is that knowing God is truly a way to a happy life. If you DON'T know God, you don't know who you are. If you don't know God, you will start having bad thoughts, and, hence, bad actions.

This just set in this week, though. My parents made a comment about how mean I was to my siblings. I don't know why, but it just really hit me. Why am I so mean to them? Why can't I just...not retaliate, or just keep my thoughts to myself or something? And God reminded me of this message. If I don't know Him...I have no reason to be nice to them, you know? If I wasn't Christian, I could do this, and this is my chance to prove that I am a Christian. Does that make sense? The only way you can ALWAYS be nice is if you know God.

The priest encouraged me to take a break every day, and spend 15 minutes completely devoted to God. It's hard to leave whatever you're doing, especially if you're really busy or stressed, but that's no excuse. So I encourage you to do this, too, if you don't already. (I always just prayed at night, but I think I would be more awake if I did it as a break.)

So Happy New Year! I hope it's amazing for everyone. God bless!