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

lets be real for a sec

hey everyone! i hope everything is going great and that you are growing in your walk with the lord more and more everyday and that you are being christ to others.

honestly lately i have felt so weighed down by school and school work and just life in general. i know that i shouldnt stress or worry about any of it but its easier said than done. its extremely tough to put aside those thoughts and pursue the lord so im asking that you would just pray that the lord would take all my fears and thoughts and the future and my career and that i would trust his plans.

i love each and everyone of you so much. please please dont give up. keep on keeping on my sweet brothers and sisters in christ.

Listen in the Silence

Hey, Quest! It's been WAYY too long since I've posted, and I figured that just wouldn't work:)
So I'm involved in a weekly Bible study at my school on Monday mornings before class starts! And last monday we watched a video on youtube..that I can't seem to find right now... on hearing God's voice. If any of you all have heard of it, feel free to post the link on here. But this is basically what it is.
"The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."
Okay! So I want to point something out. Elijah stood on that mountain, waiting for the Lord to reveal himself to him. But the Lord was not in the earthquake, or in the fire or the wind. He was in the sheer silence. Sound familiar, guys?
It makes me think about how many 'earthquakes' and 'winds' we have in our life. I know being in highschool and college, we are all surrounded by noise.
When I came home from camp, I became almost immediately frustrated by my inability to hear God's voice in my life. Then school started, and I started getting re-involved in theatre and choir...And yet I still was sort of frustrated with God, because I felt like he wasn't 'speaking' to me. Here's the thing. We are SURROUNDED by noise in our life. How often do we drive in the car without turning on the radio? It's almost nearly impossible to get pure silence. But as we saw with Elijah...God doesn't always reveal himself through the big things in our life..It's all about that quiet time. Listen for that still, small voice. And don't be afraid of what he has to say, because like Haley said in her Trust post above, what he does is ALWAYS for the best:-)
Don't wait for God to reveal himself through the earthquakes and the winds.and the fires. Listen for his gentle whisper.
Love you all! Hope you're doing well
-Hannah B.

TRUST

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." ~ Romans 8:28

So many times I find myself worrying about the future. If I'm going through a hard time, I worry that the next day or even the next hour will only make my situation worse. Verses like Romans 8:28 help to wipe away my fear...in ALL things, God works for our good. So why should we be afraid of anything? God loves us so much. When it seems as if God is taking something away from you, you have to know that He's doing that for your good.

We are called to trust in God's plan for us. Even when it seems like things aren't working out for our good - they are. God works for the good of those who love Him.

I heard a great quote today that I think really goes with everything I'm talking about..."All pride, idolatry, and lust for control, stems from a lack of trust in the love of God." Quest, we only have a certain amount of control over our futures. The rest is up to God. So we have to trust in His plan for us and know that He loves us and only wants what's best for us. TRUST in Him.

-Haley

P.S. All these posts on here are so awesome to read! Keep it up! :)

Why do you sing?

Hey Quest! I hope all of y'all are doing well!!

So this is gonna be a quicky post, but I hope it gets you thinking....

Why is it you sing?

When you are singing songs in worship, why are you doing it? Is it because you know the words? Is it because you have to sing or you'll get in trouble? Is it because it's just a habit?

I was convicted of this recently. Why do I sing? Because everyone else is doing it? That has been the case. Thankfully, God has revealed to me why I sing. I sing because God is so very very good!! In worship, singing is my favorite part. Why? Because I am expressing my love for my King and my Savior.

So, why is it you sing?

Love y'all!

Krista

Washing Feet

At QUEST, we all got to experience the act of foot washing, rather, having our feet washed. I don't know about y'all, but for me, that night was one of the greatest ever. I had never felt so close to the Lord. When our counselors lowered themselves and literally washed our feet, it showed so much of Jesus's love and servant hood. For a while, I took the whole foot washing thing too lightly. Guys, IT'S A BIG DEAL. It's the ultimate example (other than the crucifixion) of how to serve others....and to what extent! Foot washing was typically performed by the lowest of servants, and Jesus did it!

John 13:16 "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." That verse is at the end of the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet, but it's what really got me thinking. No servant is greater than his master. Obviously, WE are the servants and JESUS is the master. yet Jesus was a servant. If our own master, the Lord of all that we are lowered himself to be a servant to others (meaning everybody!), then how much more should we serve?

That thought really hit me hard. We always hear stuff such as "serve like Jesus did" or "act more like Jesus and put others before yourself," but guys, we should not only be striving to serve like Jesus, but to go beyond even that! We should work to serve more than Jesus! Not to say that we ever will achieve that, but think about it! We need to lower ourselves, humble ourselves and SERVE OTHERS!

So i challenge you right this minute to find some way to serve somebody ...now! Make it a habit. Love on people. Serve them. Lead them to Christ, the ultimate servant king!

Keep on keepin on,

Alexa

fancy title here to convince you to read this

just giving yall a little update on how the bible study is going. the first time we met there was about 15 or 16 girls that showed up...blew my mind! the lord really opened my eyes to how lost my friends are and the fact he is using me is beyond me but im grateful for the opportunity. he is breaking my heart for them and i find myself weeping for them time and time again. needless to say, the lord is breaking me and i love it.

i want to encourage you with this. this thing that we exprienced at camp this summer is not just a one time ordeal that gives us a little boost so we can coast. it is something that is worth following and fighting for everyday. you know that it is the only thing that satisfies.

its time for us to step up to the plate and be what we believe. we all talk about how we want to change but we have to put forth the effort. and know you are not alone!

love you and miss all of you like crazy

Intimately Acquainted With You!

Ahhhhhh I just miss you guys! The Lord has been doing crazy things in my life these past few months! I feel like I am constantly going and going. But it is good! The Lord is good and is teaching me sooo soo much! I have been thinking about yall a lot and how awesome it would be to spend next summer with you! I know I want to come back but I want to ultimately do what the Lord wants! Who is all coming back and are you doing Sigma or Quest? Please pray that the Lord would just let me know what He wants me to do this summer! :)

I am involved with a christian girls sorority at Texas A&M and I get to speak to my girls (160 of them) weekly. I love it! It has been so cool to trust the Lord and go to Him for what He wants to talk to them about. I want to share a little bit about what we talked about tonight. Psalm 139 is played out in this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhDdNCEsfA

I just love that video! Psalm 139 just talks about the Lord knowing us! He isn't this far off big God! He cares about what we care about. Read it for yourself and inductive study it :)

In this life you are going to suffer... wouldn't you rather suffer with the Lord than by yourself? Run to Him! He longs to pick us up in his arms and squeeze us tight!

He's always there

See the cross? I saw this the other day, and I just had to take a picture! It was a great reminder of how God is always there, watching over us, even when we feel like He's not.

"Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." ~ Joshua 1:9

Plans

I read Erin's post and it made me want to post something. It encouraged me! I feel like there is so much going on right now that I could talk about, so I just picked one thing that i think we all can relate to. Sound good? Awesome.

I'm fairly certain that each one of us make plans. Even those of us who aren't exactly what you would call "planners." I mean, short term plans like going to the movies on a Friday night with friends still counts. Question: Do y'all ever just stop and think about the future? Like, honestly stop, drop what you're doing, and wonder what your future holds? I know i do it all the time. Sometimes it's overwhelming. Mostly because i'm the kind of person who has not a clue in the world what the rest of my life is going to look like. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Except, i do know that the Lord will be in control of it.

So this thought, the image that comes up when i think of the future--a big, black hole full of who knows what--can throw me off sometimes. Do any of y'all feel the same? It's horrifying and thrilling at the same time not knowing what you will be doing and where you will be in 10 years. Or 5 years. Or even tomorrow. Life as we know it could drastically change any second. It's like riding a roller coaster...it looks awesome, you hope it will be awesome, but fear can sometimes cloud your view and throw off your intentions of riding it.

My roller coaster is in pitch black right now. And to be completely honest, that thought really does scare me at times. But that's the moment when I have to remember that God is in control of this ride, and it IS gonna be awesome if i let him make it awesome. Because I sure can't do it. So ask yourself: are you letting the ride be awesome? Or are you afraid when faced with uncertainty and big decisions that you have no idea what choice to make? "Never be afraid to trust and unknown future to a known God." ~Corrie ten Boom. Don't let fear take the fun, thrill, and joy out of your roller coaster. Ride it with the confidence that God will come through and work in your favor!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.

HE HAS CALLED US. Answer his resounding call and "take every captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:5) And then "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter5:7)

Take him by the hand and walk into tomorrow knowing that HE is in control, and that you don't have to worry one bit, because God's got your back. Love y'all...keep on rockin.

-Alexa

Sky High?

Hey guys!

I noticed that after July, there seemed to be less and less posts per month. I just want to say that, if you read this, DON'T STOP POSTING!! I don't know about you guys, but I rely on this blog a lot for encouragement and help.

This is really the big test guys. Was it a sky high that you had at camp? Or was it serious faith? Because just because we're in the middle of the school year, and we're in the thick of things, trying to balance school, friends, rest, and God, doesn't mean that we should lower God into just another one of these things. I'd actually like to reword it so that it's balancing GOD...plus school, friends, and rest.

Keep on believing guys! Hold on to the feeling! :)

-Erin W.

so everyday i send a texty text to a group of girls (yes, its a mass text but it is just as heartfelt as sending a personal one to each and every one of them) in hopes that it in encourages them to be jesus to someone. well the other morning a sent one out that went a little something like this: " love on someone you normally wouldnt love on. remember we have a love worth sharing."

well low and behold im sitting in my night class and the lord really put a fire under my butt to do back up my talk with my walk...catch my drift? i had been thinking about starting a bible study with my team but honestly i was too scared to bring it up, so i just ran away from the idea in hopes someone would come along and pick up my laziness. so i decided to text my girls and see if they would be interested in meeting tonight and there were only three or four who didnt respond or cant come beacause of school work.

the point to all of this is this: god flat out told me that my teammates need him now more than ever and i cant wait for someone else to pick up the slack...HELLO GREAT COMMISSION! so let me encourage you by saying do what youre called to do...be jesus to someone..now

Faith or Stupidity?

ok so theres this mission trip at my church and its going to mexico. I really want to go on it, but my mom might not let me because she thinks it isn't safe. I mean, I think that God is in control, and he will protect me if it is in his will to do so. What do yall think? When does faith cross into recklessness, if that can even happen?

Money Box Gospel.

Hey guys, I am back again with a tidbit of new delight...well, i found it a delight :) So, my Spanish class is made up of a diverse group of kids. Really. I've never seen anything like it. Today, this guy goes up to the teacher and at first was talking about some worksheet or bookwork of something, but in his hand is a box full of shredded money. $10,000 worth of shredded money apparently. He just came out and started explaining to our teacher all about this mysterious, clear box filled with pieces of dollar bills. He said stuff like how much it was and where he got it; to my surprise, she actually got interested! She asked him something about taping it all back together, then he informed her that it was a federal offense to do so. He knew nearly everything about that little box of money. I thought it was weird and cool at the same time. Then God hit me with a super duper analogy for this guy with his box of cash and us sharing the Gospel.

We should be like that guy when it comes to sharing what we have. Yes, I know he had some shredded money and we've got the truth and faith that leads to eternal life, but they are comparable despite the obvious differences. He was so excited, eager, and knowledgeable about his box of bills. Are we excited, eager, and knowledgeable when it comes to sharing the Gospel with people? Fortunately for him (although i don't think he would have been seriously hurt if someone had rejected his little box of fun), the teacher enjoyed and listened intently to what he had to say. And sometimes it's the same for us. However, when he returned to his seat and shared the same knowledge and facts with his neighbor, the response was different. And i didn't notice it by the response his mouth gave, either. It was the look on the other kid's face. His expression was one of utter boredom and annoyance. He couldn't have cared less about that box, even if he didn't verbalize these feelings.

But did that stop the guy with the money from sharing about it? ABSOLUTELY NOT. He continued and eventually stopped, but he was filled with pure happiness over that box! It amazed me. WE should be like that. WE should share Christ with people even when we know they might reject us or think us weird for serving a God we can't even see. But should that stop us? Heck no. So take this example set by the awesome guy from my Spanish class and go out into the world ready to share your box of joy. Don't let fear or nerves stop you. if we do, Satan wins. We cannot let him and his evil plans defeat us. Never. CHRIST WILL PREVAIL. :)

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37.

alexa

What's New?

QUEST. Y'all, I really want to hear what's going on with you guys. Prayer requests, rough spots, anything. One thing I've got for y'all is some food for thought to keep those noggins active.

If you could save a family member's life by risking or losing your own, would you do it?

This was in the question box in my philosophy class Friday. It sounds easy enough, but I was surprised by some of the answers people in my class gave. What would you do and why?

Love you guys....Alexa

Living in the moment

Yesterday, our school's priest passed away. He was getting pretty old, but it's just so shocking to me that he won't be at school or celebrate Mass with us anymore...He had such a positive impact on our community, and his humility and gentleness was so inspirational to us all.

Through losing this priest, I think God is trying to tell me something. Our lives are so incredibly short. We aren't promised the next day or even the next hour. All we have is this moment, right here, right now. So often we get caught up in our little trials each day, that we fail to live with this teaching in mind. We tend to focus only on the bad things that we are going through, that we forget to focus on the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is that we are put on this earth to futher God's kingdom, with joy and love.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is live in the moment and remember your purpose.

"...you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, 'If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.'" James 4:14-15

Please keep my school in your prayers.

Thank you :)
Haley

Conviction

Hey Quest! It's been a while since I wrote on here, and I'm sorry for that. However, y'all have had some awesome things to write, and I love coming on here and seeing a new post. There's always something awesome that y'all have to say.

So I just wanted to share how God convicted me this week. So, you've heard before about how the world is only temporary, and that you shouldn't put your faith in the flesh because it won't alway be there for you, unlike God. I thought I understood that concept pretty well. Don't use the world, objects, people, as a crutch. Use God, for he will never fail you. I thought that I had been doing that. But today, I took a really good look at my life. See, lately, things at home have been rough. Things have been getting rocky, and I needed to find the problem before everything got out of control. And I really looked at me, which wasn't something that I had done in a while. Probably because I was scared of what I'd find. Of all the problems and faults of me. Anyways, while I was praying, I became convicted. Heavy duty- convicted. I realized that for waaaaay too long, I've been too hesitant. That I've been trying to live my life for a God that I haven't given myself to completely. I'm too hesitant to give all of me over to Him. Which is where the faith in the flesh that I talked about earlier comes back in. I've put to much trust into the world. You need to be in this world, but not of this world. It's a huge step, and I hope y'all have taken that step. Now, to the point of this, I want all of you to look at yourselves and see where your faith lies. I hope it's in the Lord.

I hope all of y'all have been doing awesome. I love your posts everyone. When you get the chance, please pray for me, just help me remember to live for the Lord, instead of these flesh-ly (is that a word?) ways. Y'all rock.

-Joe

Service

Hey Quest.

So tonight at church, we talked about service and then at the end we washed each other's feet. This brought back major flashbacks from Sky this summer.

Do y'all remember when we washed your feet? What were you feeling? Did it inspire you in any way to go out and serve as you left Sky Ranch?

What does service mean to you? Where do you go to serve? WHY do you serve?

To me, service is a way to show God's love to those around me. I can do it by offering a hug to someone who needs it, giving someone a ride to campus who doesn't have a car etc. There are so many ways to serve.

Now, think about mission trips. Usually, you leave your town. When your mission trip is overseas/out of the country, you think you're legit. When it's a third world country, watch out! We measure our "excitement" and want to serve based on where we serve. We think of needy people and we automatically think of Africa. I go to Baylor, and Waco is one of the most poverty stricken cities in the state. When I think of wanting to do missions work, I think about going out of state or out of the country to serve Christ and show His love to those that need it when I am really needed within a 20 mile radius of my house. Sometimes, we tend to view service as something huge when really we can serve by doing small things in our communities and schools. Is there a kid that no one really likes? Talk to them. Serve them by offering a smile and a friend. Does your mom have a crazy work schedule and it's hard for her to work and cook and clean and do all the other amazing things moms do? Offer to clean for her so she can catch her breath. Do you have tons of clothes in your closet that you never wear? Take them to Salvation Army or Goodwill. Is there a food kitchen for the homeless? Talk with your school cafeteria about taking the left over food to that kitchen. These are just a few ideas, and there are so many more!

Now, why do we serve? Well, because Jesus did is your church answer. But take a minute to think about it. Do you serve to show others Jesus and to let his love overflow to them? Or, do you serve because you will get personal recognition? Sometimes, it's easy to "serve" because you get volunteer hours, or a lot of people will be there so they will see you, or that cute boy/girl is going so you just have to go to get yourself some brownie points.

Check out Romans 11:36. "For from Him and to Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

We are to serve so He will get the glory. He needs to be worshipped, not us. How will it change someone's life if they worship us instead of the Father? Furthermore, we need to glorify Him from every little detail to the major things in our lives. What exactly does it mean to glorify Him? To glorify means to bring a correct estimate. Is what you do and how you live your life bringing a correct estimate of your Savior?

Lastly, service is never the most fun thing ever. Think back to camp. When we had service project, it was pretty toasty outside and the chores at hand weren't the most "glamourous." Service is usually outside of our comfort zones. In the words of Amber Thomas, "Put your big girl panties on and choose truth over comfort." In the grand scheme of things, what will be most beneficial to the people you come in contact with, that fact that you're comfortable with your circumstance or the fact that you choose the Truth and share that with them. Plus, back to glorifying God. If the chore was easy, sic 'em. But, if it was uncomfortable and took some effort and you did it with a great attitude and humble spirit, your joy stands out and those around you wonder what you have.

I challenge you to find a way to serve the rest of this week!

Love y'all,

Krista

Dating

Hey guys!
This summer, we talked about how God gave us seasons of life and how we should rely on God before a bf/gf, so I decided I wasn't going to date in highschool. Then, my mom (who doesn't know about this) was talking about how she thought it was important to have experience with boys (in my case), and go through heartbreak and be able to interact with them, and that made sense, too. What is everyone's opinions on this? I mean, I'm not in that situation, but I just want to have my mind decided one way or another.
Thanks!
-Erin

A prayer for the Ephesians

So a lot of you guys have been writing about your friends that you are trying desperately to share the gospel with, and i know how that feels. Although God definitely uses us as tools it is not on us to convert everyone; God can change the hearts of anyone when he decides is appropriate. I was reading in Ephesians and i saw this prayer that Paul prays for the Ephesians. I think it is a prayer that we should all use when we are trying to show someone the love of God. Before anything else we should set good examples for people that don't follow Christ and we should absolutely pray for them. When he says "you" Paul is referring to the Ephesians who he is writing to. So in our case, for our friends. It is important to remember not to get discouraged if we feel we are being ineffective because God works in mysterious ways that we will not always understand. Just keep setting the example and don't stop praying! Never forget how contagious joy can be.

Ephesians 3:16-20

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

PRAYER!!

Hey Quest!!

So, my family and I really really really need prayer!!

My dad is the youth minister back home, and this past Sunday at deacon's meeting, some men bold faced told him they wanted him gone. The preacher and other men stood up for my dad because he has done nothing wrong!

He started a program for the jr high kids on Saturday nights to keep them out of trouble. And no one wants to help him with it, so he stays from 7-11pm at the church and hangs out with the kids. He takes pictures at all the athletic events and builds great relationships with the kids. He is the reason my life has been changed, and he is the reason for so many others.

They want him gone because he doesn't cater to the "church's children." AKA he doesn't focus on two or three kids but on the kids on the outside who have no one. This makes some people mad. Well, who did Jesus come and hang out with? The rich and popular or the dirty fishermen and tax collectors.

I could go on and on but I've vented too too much. Please be in prayer for my family and I. That is the perfect weapon for this spiritual battle we are in.

Love y'all!

Krista

Join in Prayer with me.

I just posted but I have a prayer request.


I have felt called to missions, and recently made the EXCITING decision to go on a mission trip with an organization called Global Expeditions, a part of Teen Mania Ministries. I have always had a burden in my heart to minister to girls that have been involved in sex trafficking. Global Expeditions is giving me that opportunity. LORD WILLING, I will be going to Nepal, South Asia!!!

In Nepal undernourished Dalit children who have no homes, wander in cities and villages. People chant and pray to a false wooden idol worshipping in vain. The Nepali are selling their girls into sex slavery. Seven out of ten of these girls will become HIV positive. These people need love, they need to know God is a healer, redeemer and closest friend. Their hearts are so open to the healing, rescuing and genuine love.  I will be ministering (Lord willing) through performing an evangelistic drama for crowds of people and afterwards preaching the gospel, and praying for the sick. Following up in small groups I will be inviting people to put their trust in Christ as I share my testimony with them. I will even be able to visit Rehabilitation Centers for girls who have been rescued from Brothels (A brothel, also known as a whorehouse) and prostitution and encourage them in small Bible studies and friendship building group activities.

It will be a challenging, life changing experience not only for the Nepali people who get to experience The Lord's love for the first time, but me and I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store!
Although I cannot accomplish this task alone. So I am asking you to be part of this mission trip with me, and I'm asking Quest...you....to support me in prayer - just that the funds are reached and God provides in that, and that The Lord prepares my heart for this trip. 


Your SUPPORT IN PRAYER plays a huge role in this journey

too big

i was asked to speak at a fields of faith ceremony on Wednesday. its not a big speech but i do have to give my favorite verse and just encourage others to read the word and how it has changed me. well while i was looking for my favorite verse as of now, i was trying to find one that would inspire others and just bring the wow factor about our lord.

in the midst of all of my searching i came to the simple conclusion that our god CANNOT be summed up in one verse! our god CANNOT be put into a sentence for us to comprehend. he is too big and praise god we serve a god who cannot be put condensed into some grammatical thing called a sentence!

i hope that youre searching for him and finding his mercy overwhelming like i have. keep running this race and dont you dare give up! you are not alone. i love you more than double stuffed golden oreos (and thats a lot)!

He makes ALL things work together for my good, and yours.

Hey Quest! 

I feel called to share with you what God has been doing in my life, and how very faithful he is!

At the beginning of my freshman year in 09 I really ran down the wrong path, with the wrong people, making the wrong choices.  That lasted until the middle of my freshman year when things got so bad and I was so empty that I knew I needed my Lord, and none of the choices I made were everlasting,  worth it, or fulfilling.  God was what I need to run to in my pain, not the world and the things that it offers me, but I had absolutely no idea where to start.  I felt unworthy because of how far in the darkness I had been, but I still searched and came across Lamentations 3:22-23 which says The steadfast love of the Lord NEVER ceases, his mercies never come to and end; they are new every morning! GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS!!! I was overwhelmed, by something that I already knew but needed to be reminded.  The Lord's love for us is so incredible.  We can't even understand it. Nothing can separate, even if I ran away - it never fails.  I went to youth group that Wednesday and the worship leader said "I know there is people here that haven't been going down the right path, and they want to turn their lives around - I encourage you to talk to someone"  I knew The Lord was speaking through him directly to me.  I was overwhelmed, someone prayed for me, and I was completely broken before the Lord that night. I experienced his amazing love.  He swept me off my feet and sat me on solid ground!  I knew my life was completely turned around, and it was the best night of my life.  I never went back, and was on fire for the Lord for the rest of the year, falling more in love with him daily.  I walked into quest with that passion and yearning for the Lord.  Session 2 we went deep into James 1 in inductive, and that has been a blessing from them until now.  Count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4.  This life is full of on going trials, but when I got home from camp that week I was hit with some of the hardest trials I've ever been through personally,  with my family and things.  I remembered this verse throughout these times, and am still reminding myself each day but this is becoming sooo evident. 

 Nothing is ever going to be perfect, ever. We are all sinners, and make mistakes everyday.  But in HIM our hope is found.  

For example, although the mistakes I made my freshman year didn't have to happen, and they were terrible and left me empty, hurt, and I would love to take them back, they did happen, and God taught me more from that than anything, and it drew me closer to him than ever.  He takes those broken things and makes them the most beautiful of things! With the trials I've faced this summer and this school year God is bringing, redemption, and salvation with others lives and drawing me closer. 

Things can be at there worst, and may be for awhile - but The Lord truly makes ALL things work together for our good as his children!  What an awesome truth and realization!

Praying for you all. 

what to do?

To be honest, lately I've been in a bit of a funk. Yes, a funk. I need y'alls help. I've really been struggling with how to put God out there at school. And it's weird, because lately I've also had this burning desire to tell someone about Christ, like just lay the Gospel out for them. And there are plenty of opportunities, really, there are. I know. I miss them much too often...

This is how it normally goes: I wake up totally convinced that i am going to show Christ to someone today, whether by words, actions, or both. I get all pumped up for the day. Then I get to school, work bogs me down, friends don't act the way you expect they should, and I am thinking of everything BUT Christ and his purpose. It's not that I completely disregard him during the day, but I can't seem to shine his light into the world in a practical way. Get what I'm saying?

I want SO BADLY to actually DO something for Christ. I mean, he did EVERYTHING for us, and I can't even bring myself to find an actual way to bring him out into the open at school. Is anyone following this?

And it really hit me at church on Sunday when we talked about how the slogan of Christianity could be "Come and die." Because that's exactly what Christ did for us. So will we do it for him?? Not ARE we willing to, but WILL we? That's what i'm trying to get through. I am willing to, but I'm not actually doing it at the moment. Help?

i double dog dare you!

so encouragement is something that i hold near and dear to my heart. i love to give people notes, letters, small words of encouragement, gifts, etc, basically anything that will let them know that i love them and who the lord has created them to be...no matter where they are in life.

i guess my reasoning behind it is because i cherish the moments when i am encouraged. i know what it is like to be on the receiving end and sometimes all it takes is one person encouraging me and taking a moment out of their schedule to talk to me and just be there to change my perspective. think about it. youre having a crummy day and one of your friends comes by and either gives you a hug, sends you a text, or whatever it may be and its like BAM! your day is better. have you ever thought that we are called to be that to someone else?

as christians we are called to be different, even backwards. we are called to be like christ. we live in a world where its all about us and we have a mindset of self 24-7. we are told constantly that we are to do what makes us happy, what benefits us, what makes us look good....and sometimes i believe it and you believe it. we arent supposed to go out of our way to help others or build them up but according to 1 Thessalonians 5:11 we are to "encourage one another and build each other up."

even though it sounds simple, we tweak it so it will fit us the best way possible. something like encourage one another only when you have time or when youre having a good day. build each other up so people will give you a pat on the back and say how much of a "christian" you are. i have searched through many translations and i havent found one that says that at all. interesting eh?

so here is my challenge to you: even when you dont feel like it, even when you may not be in the mood to build someone up....do it. encourage one another...push each other on in a loving way that makes them want to be jesus to someone. its about choosing truth over comfort. choosing to believe that being obedient is far better than self desires.

find someone who needs encouragement and love them. love them well. be jesus to them and show them that this life that we choose to live is worth it. i double dog dare you!

MAJOR news!!!!!

Quest!!!! So excited to talk to you guys and tell you this!
So most of you guys know about my friend that I have been trying to share the gospel with, Kirby. Well the past couple weeks I have been seein gher less and less, and I have been getting really discouraged. Like we have drifted a lot. Well it turns out she has been thrown into the middle of a ton of typical high school drama, and is having a REALLY hard time. She's been hurting so bad, but she really like won't tell me about what is going on. Well today I get a Yahoo message from her, and it said, "Guess what? Christian (our theatre friend from a summer show that goes to college in oklahoma) knows what is going on, and he sent a prayer chain out to the WHOLE SCHOOL." I'm so excited! SO I Sent her a message back saying, "Kirby, I know this is hard, but God answers prayers! I have been praying for you, and I'll continue to!" SO at least now she knows, and hopefully will see the power of prayer! Quest, I need your advice on some stuff! So now that she knows that so many pe ople are prayhing for her, how can I like slowly show her the gospel and open her up to the idea of us just sitting down and talking about Christ? And you guys, it's so awesome! Usually religion is something she REFUSES to talk about, and IKNOW the lord is working on her heart, because she would have NEVER come out to say this! You guys, please please keep her in your prayers!
Love youall!
PS!
I lost my phone, and I can't find it anywhere! So if you wanna get ahold of me message me on facebook.

honoring thy father and mother.

Hey this is Andrew from session 6 and this is my first time posting on the blog. Today I got in a huge argument with my parents. I didn't know what I was supposed to tell them because I thought I was right, but they obviously didn't think that. I felt like I was the victim of something that I didn't do. This continued for about 45 minutes. I feel like I don't know how God is able to help me out here... Does anbody have some scripture to help me out?

Evangalization

Hey Quest!

Lately I have been thinking about, well, evangalization! I've keep praying, "God, you have done so many great things to me, and I really want to serve you and tell others about you! Please, God, give me an opportunity to tell other people about you." I prayed this every day for...a month? Not quite sure.

Anyway, I kept praying, but after a while I realized that God HAD been giving me chances to talk about God! I noticed two when I looked back on just that day! But I chose to give a 'safe' answer, instead. My mind had even struggled for a second before I said it, but I didn't (I know this sounds weird, but work with me) realize it. I didn't know that this was what I'd been praying for, even though, subconciously, I did.

So I changed my prayer to, "God, I now realize almost ALL the time is a chance to talk about you! Please, God, give me the strength and wisdom to recognize and act on a good chance, and let the words that come out of my mouth be from you!"

Well, I don't know about the 'words from my mouth' part, but it actually worked! I was able to slip in God twice in one day, which was pretty big for me. I decided to start small, and I just said it to my Christian friends, but it was still something, and I know if I keep going it's just going to get easier.

Keep praying and telling people about God, Quest! I love you guys!