New Year's Resolutions

In honor of bringing the blogs together, we'll start by posting the last thing we talked about as Sigma Separately:  New Year's resolutions!

Let me ask you something if you're considering making a new year resolution:  Why on earth would you wait until the New Year?

Here's a list of what the government says are popular new year's resolutions: RESOLUTION!
Kind of interesting to think about the ways that we hinder ourselves when you look at things we want to change in the new year.

If it's about obeying the Lord, putting down things that harm you, or just simply making your life better, why on earth wait?!?  You don't need a date on the calendar to start listening to and obeying the things that God tells us to do.

Personally, I'm way too sporadic and lame when it comes to spending time with the Lord.  I'm making a plan to spend scheduled time praying, reading the Bible, and praying with my fam each week, and I'm starting it Monday.

What are your New Year's resolutions?

Here's what some have already said:
Coaltrain: For sure get into the word a tonn! Just have my faith grow more and more everyday to strengthen my relationship with Christ. start asking my friends if they need me to pray for them constantly! So to basically to sum it up, I'd stinking love to grow in my faith more and more throughout the next year!

Anonymous: I'd like to be able to have the strength to forgive a family member that completely broke me down this year constantly. I have all of this built up resentment towards this person and being able to forgive would make me so much more free and able to concentrate on bigger things in life.

Bringing the Blogs TOGETHER!

COR Leadership Track!

For the past several years Blogs for leadership track campers have been separated for Quest and Sigma, but all of you are so awesome we just thought we should all get together and share stuff on these blogs, so instead of keeping you separate; all of Leadership camps is now blogging on this blog!

HERE is the blog...but if you're reading this... you're already here.

Love you guys, looking forward to keeping up with you here!

Not Giving Up Hope

i leave for sigma on sunday. these past few days have been very dark for me. for some reason i've been doubting my faith completely, doubting that God will actually help me with what seems like a lot of problems on my plate right now. for the past few days, i've ignored God and barely prayed at all. everytime i heard anything about God, a strong voice came into my head and said, "You actually BELIEVE that stuff? How could you possibly believe that?" i usually don't experience as much doubt as i did this week. but i know for a fact that there is a God who is desperate to love and guide us...when i was facing these doubts all this week, every single temptation that i've ever faced in my entire life came rushing back to me, even temptations i thought i had overcome long ago. it was awful. i felt so dark and low and sinful. every thought was about those temptations and not about the Lord. last night, my youth minister told me that "the devil has NO power besides the power we give him." before talking with him, i never really believed in the devil. i just believed that there is sin in the world. now, there's not a doubt in my mind that there's a devil who's just waiting to tempt me more and more every single day. if we give the devil the slightest bit of power, he'll take it and use it and put us through darkness that we can't get out of alone. also before this week, i still wasn't having a very good prayer life. i know now that things won't change immediately, but from now on, i'm hoping that my prayer life grows...a lot. so if anyone's still reading this blog, please pray that i will persevere and not give up. please pray that i was submit my life to God once again and realize that He is our only source of satisfaction and love and hope and joy. i already feel stronger, and i've barely done anything different...i'm just realizing that things need to change and trusting that God will help me. i love you all and i pray that you persevere too. don't ever give up. no one ever said having faith would be easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKISYTwnn0A

Hey Quest!

Hey guys!
I know it's been ages since I've posted, but i do read this blog often and it is really encouraging. I just want to let yall know some cool things that have happened in my life. So before i went to Quest this year, I was really praying that in learning more about God i would also learn more about myself. I prayed that God would reveal more about who he created me to be while i was at Quest. I was shocked when I got to Quest and we did a personality test, a spiritual gifts test, and a love language test. Talk about a direct answer to prayer! Anyways, the tests really revealed alot to me about myself, and it was just awesome that God answered that prayer. Since Quest, (it's only been a little over a week since I got back) God has continued to dilligently reveal who he wants me to be, and who I already am through his saving grace.
Thank God for answered prayer!
I'm leaving tommorow for a mission trip to Honduras, so I would appreciate it if yall would keep that in your prayers!
-Hannah

The Bible

Hi guys!

I just got back from a mission trip, so I'm sure I could write about a lot, but I had to share one of the most incredible things that ever happened to me.

On the way back from the trip (8 hours in a van), I went to check my texts, and I noticed that my phone said it was downloading something. I was really confused because I hadn't clicked on anything, so I went to check it. I opened my notifications and what could be downloading...except the BIBLE APP! I seriously was doing absolutely NOTHING to do with Christianity on my phone!

I was so freaked out but excited at the same time. I had to turn off my phone to go to worship. While we were coming out of worship, I joked to my friend (Delaney, if you're reading this) that I wondered if it had downloaded. She said that things can't download while your phone is off. I responded that apps can't choose a random phone and download themselves, so it probably had. Sure enough, my Bible app downloaded while my phone was turned off! I seriously LOVE this app, too: I tried searching for one before, but the choices overwhelmed me. I guess God knows what we need!

Anyway, I better go, because I have the feeling I should be reading my Bible more. I am looking forward to camp so much! Hopefully, I will see you there! Bye!
-Erin W.

Help?

Quest I need your help. One of my best friends is really struggling right now. None of you know her, but right now she is struggling with anorexia and suicidal thoughts almost everyday. I help her as much as possible and I basically don't stop talking to her, but if you could comment on this and please give me some advice that would be amazing and so helpful. She is a very strong Christian, so Bible verses or anything that has to do with God would help! Thank you, love you, and I hope you're having great summers.

I miss you questies!

Quest!

For some reason I wasn't able to post for the longest time. So that's why it's been a while, but I'm back!

I want to give y'all a summer challenge. Summer is a great time to hang out with friends and go crazy because we're FINALLY out of school! But it's also such an amazing time to deepen your relationship with the Lord. Imagine if we spend the hours of free time we have with the Lord! Imagine if we used every extra second and devoted that second to Christ! I challenge you to really analyze the way you live your life and decide whether or not your life is an example of the love and redemption of Christ. I challenge you to ask yourself, "Do people know I'm a Chrisitian by my actions? Or simply by the things I say and the number of Bible verses I know?" Quest, I'm still praying for all of you, and I pray that you are growing closer to the Lord with each passing day! This past month has been one of the hardest for me, but I've found that the more in love I fall with Christ, the easier it is to move past the daily temptations of this world. I really encourage you to keep posting and keep growing in your faith!

New favorite..."The Lord Himself will fight for you. You only have to keep still." Exodus 14:14. The Lord is your sword! Trust that He will fight your temptations for you.

-Haley

Psalm 73:26

Hey guys! I know it’s been forever since I’ve posted, but I still check this blog at least once a week hoping to see new posts! There has been so much going on lately, but I just wanted to tell y’all about one thing that maybe you can find helpful.

We all feel this way at one point or another… it’s a fear everybody faces…FAILURE. Lately I have felt as if I am failing at life. Now, don’t get me wrong, some things right now are going wonderfully, but not everything. I am blessed beyond what words can relate (especially now that the mavericks are the NBA champions…), but there’s still that sense of failure that follows sometimes. I am here to tell you that because Christ is in us, WE CANNOT FAIL. It’s literally impossible. God meets the standard on our behalf. He makes up for what we can’t do. Also, you may not know it, but every one of us is influencing someone else’s life. You are an encouragement and a role model to someone. And this is where I’ve gotta give a heartfelt thank you thank you THANK YOU to my girl Emily Hamilton. When life kicked me down and I couldn’t find the strength to get back up, the LORD used her to speak to me. She encouraged me and got me going again. That’s why we have friends, people to connect with and support us, this blog! So don’t ever feel like you are anything less than a child of the king! When you mess up, when you fall down, even when you do fail in an effort to do something, remember Psalm 73:26.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

-ALexa

P.S. here are a couple more verses I ran across today… “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Water

Hey guys!
Really exciting news: I just made it into one of the biggest science programs in the world! (At least I think it is...)
It's called the JASON Project (in case you've heard of it) and it's goal is to teach kids about real-life science. They also have a couple high school students who work with real scientists in the field, conducting experiments and helping to create the program for the younger students.
Why am I sharing this? You have no idea what a God thing it is! This past year I've been feeling like my calling in life is to work to make clean water available to more people...and what I didn't know when I applied for the Jason Project was that we were going to be working with water chemistry! I've been struggling with whether I should work with water or cars (I like the engineering behind it, and I wanted to make them more fuel efficient), and this is definitely God's sign.
Miracles do still exist, and God still speaks to us! Keep believing!

P.S. Lauren, it won't let me comment on your post, but Tobit (one of the Catholic books) is my FAVORITE, and the letters from St. Paul are really encouraging! Good luck!

Advice Needed

So I don't really have a specific method in reading the Bible. I just pick a chapter and work my way through. But I really need some advice from Quest about which chapter I should read next! I was looking for something about really strong faith. A chapter that deals with doubting God. That kind of thing. I know this is EXTREMELY vague, but if anyone knows of a certain place for me to go that would be particularly helpful, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks everyone.

ps: listen to Blessings by Laura Story. One of the greatest songs ever!!

David and Goliath

Hey guys!
I'm reading 1 Samuel right now. I just finshed the story of David and Goliath, and I know most of us have probably heard it before, but a lot of things stuck out to me.

One of the first things was when David was given Saul's armor to wear. "He walked with difficulty, however, since he had never tried armor before" (1 Sam 17:39). So he took of the armor, grabbed some stones and his slingshot and went on his way. Aren't we expected to wear armor? To put on a mask to fit it, to look better? David found out that we can't try to be someone else or we will be so stuck in that role that we won't be able to do anything. The only way we can help ourselves, those around us, and God is to be ourselves!

The second part is just a couple good verses. I feel like this should be our mentality before we face each day. "David answered him: You come against me with sword and spear and scitimar, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted." (1 Sam 17:45) This is so true; people may attack us and insult us and (directly or indirectly) God, but we shouldn't fight back. David won because he went in the name of the Lord, and so will we!

Here's what it says when David actually attacks Goliath: "David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone, and hurled it with the sling, and struck the Philistine [Goliath] on the forehead. The stone embedded itself in his brow, and he fell prostrate on the ground" (1 Sam 17:49). I kept getting this image of us pulling a verse out of the Bible and hurling it at those who fight us, so that it will sink into them and lead them to fall postrate before the Lord. The Bible is the only thing we need to win our 'battles', just how David only needed the stones and sling. They seemed so meager compared to Goliath, but they still won, just like prayer and the Bible.

The final part I'd like to talk about is actually after the battle. When people heard about the young boy who fought off the Philistine's hero, they were all asking whose son he was. That's like us, don't you think? God gives us challenges so that we may overcome them and have people ask who we serve, so that we can proudly answer "Jesus".

Anyway, sorry that was long, but I hope you at least got something out of it! I love hearing from you guys, and keep posting!

-Erin

Read this!

QUEST! There is a senior at a school near my house named Anna who was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. She's been receiving treatment since then, but things aren't looking so good for her. Doctors have told her that she won't make it past the end of the summer. PLEASE go to www.1millionprayers.com, click on "Make Your Prayers Count" on the left side of the website, and sign up to join the prayer chain for Anna! Since 2009, 979,105 people have pledged to pray for Anna everyday at 12:12, based off Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer." They are trying to reach 1 million by TOMORROW - Anna's graduation! Imagine this...Imagine if doctors have told you that there's no point in applying to college because you're not going to make it till then. Imagine if you could barely see your friends and only saw hospital walls everyday. Imagine being told that you only have a few months left. Quest, please help Anna and her family reach their goal of 1 million prayers and sign up on the website right now! Go go go! Thank you soooo much! :)

And share this with your friends/family! Thank you!

Romans 12:12.

Fight for the Kingdom

So all this talk about the end of the world makes me think about my place in God's kingdom. If i were to die today would i be proud to face Jesus and show him all that i have done for him or would i have regrets because i should have done so much more? Every day is a battle, every second we have a choice to live for God or to put other things over him. I encourage you guys to fight for your faith and fight against sin, hurt and unworthiness to strive for the kingdom. The kingdom of God is not just in heaven but it is here on earth and it is our job to preserve it and live into it with all of our hearts.
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10)
These are words from the lords prayer that many of us recite everyday, for me the words lose meaning and become monotone but they are SO important and deserve my full attention and commitment.

Watch this!

Quest! First I just want to say how amazing each and every one of you is. I cannot believe that this blog is still going. Last year, we made it to January, but now it's May and we're still going! Keep it up :)

For my Christian Scripture class at school, we have to lead the class in a Bible study as our final project (cool, right?! I love it!). At the end of our Bible study we have to show the class a reflection video that highlights the main messages in the passages we chose for our Bible study. Some of the passages I chose to talk about are 1 Peter 1:3-9 and John 20:19-31. They talk about the importance of going through trials and about believing without seeing. You should read them before you watch my reflection video :) After you read them, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtvjVqsLuaw. Or you can just click on the title of this post! Enjoy!

Cool verse I found: "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Isaiah 7:9

Baptised today

so at about 11 this morning, i was baptised. now a couple of weeks ago i posted about where i should get baptised: at watermark community church or at Sky ranch. This question about where i should get baptised was the final lesson that the Lord had to teach me about what He's BEEN telling me throughout the whole year: Fellowship.

1 John 1: 3-7 "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us all from sin."

Today, i realized that i had been baptised in more than a name and in more than a faith, i was baptised in a fellowship of Christians who strive for the Lord. One of the biggest struggles for me with my faith is feeling alone. At times i could feel like God isn't there and that He's distant or that i am the only one living today in a Godly way. But i've been shown that God is never distant, WE are.

Today, I'm walking with the guarentee that I am not alone and that I'm never alone, because i have my small group, i have watermark and I have Christ alive in my heart

seizing time

Eph 5:15-16- "Be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times."

Our lives are filled with opportunities and chances for living in a godly way. But they are also filled with obstacles that can prevent you from grabbing hold of those chances. In order to make the most of the lives we have, we have to make the most of the time we have.

The first words in this verse are "Be very careful." To me, this sounds like something a mom would say to their kid as they were running out the door to play outside. These words depict a certain way to live, or "walk," which the Bible uses often, that is safe and precise. Living like this includes living with forethought and a strong sense of awareness. Think of it as driving a car: You need to be constantly attentive and appropriately responsive to always changing circumstances on the road. You swerve to get away from dangerous hazards, brake at school buses, and follow the rules of the road. Your knowledge, vigilance, and skill help make wise decisions at any given time.

In order to live wisely, you need to do the same thing. You need to face each day spirtually alert, and recognizing evil so it can be avoided like a dangerous road hazard.

-DJ

Back on track

A few days ago, I realized something about myself. First, I realized that I had been trying to finish Colossians for the past two months and I was only on the first chapter. And not because I was intensely studying it, but because I read my Bible probably once every two weeks for five minutes. How sad is THAT! Here I was telling everyone in my Bible study at school to read their Bibles and everything, and I wasn't even doing it myself. There's a huge difference between reading your Bible for a few minutes once a week...and being in the Word every single day, multiple times a day, and using the Word to strenghten the way in which you live your life. Next, I realized that I wasn't really diving into my faith. DJ posted something way back in January about the importance of diving into your faith, surrendering your whole life to God, letting go of everything else, and completely diving into God's glory and goodness. I wear a key everyday that symbolizes that God is the key to life and that He holds the key to our hearts. And yet, for these past few months, I haven't been making Christ my KEY! My Center! My Everything! Sure, I've given two witness talks at two different retreats about my key and the whole story behind it (facebook inbox me if you want to know the whole thing-it's awesome!), but I wasn't really ACTING ON the knowledge that God is the key to life and LIVING WITH that knowledge. And now looking back I feel so hypocritical. But the good thing is, all of that is changing now. Thanks to this blog and all of you guys (especially Alexa's post below this about thirsting for the Word), I'm getting back to the way I was before. Last night, I started with Proverbs, and I'm loving it! Like Alexa said in her post, I'm already getting to the point where I want to stay up all night reading it. It's so beautiful! So thank YOU :) Thank you all for everything, for inspiring me so much everyday!

Holy Spirit

Lately i have been really lazy about getting into the word but last night i was in the word a bit and i spent a while before God asking him to bring me closer to the Holy Spirit and today i have noticed that he really does provide. I cant believe that I am always so lazy and i am not willing to put in more effort even when i can see the benefits so clearly. Today I noticed that I had so much more joy, i was filled with more smiles and laughter than i usually experience in a day and my attitude was great. Yesterday was a bit of a struggle for me because i was feeling sick and tired and my attitude suffered and I did not treat people the way i should have. I didnt even go into the day with a plan to change my attitude and outlook but because i asked God to live through me with the power of the Holy Spirit He was able to change my attitude. I didnt feel pressured into the sins that i usually am weighed down with and i gravitated towards the people who are going to build me up towards Christ with out even thinking about it. Im not sure if this is making sense and it is rather hard to explain but it was a really great thing to look back on. I have never really been sure what the role of the Holy Spirit was until i started reading "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. I posted an excerpt in an earlier post but the book is really changing my outlook. God and Jesus were the center of my faith but i have really been getting to understand the Holy Spirit better. I encourage all of you to read it especially if you are realizing that you are totally missing out on 1/3 of the Trinity because i was for sure.

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13

GOD LOVES US so much and he knows exactly what we need so i think it is safe to say that he has given no greater gift than that of his son and the holy spirit- seek Him every single day!!!

thirst quenched solely by the word

So, as cool as this is, I came to post on the blog an saw ally’s post, and mine totally relates to the time part of it! Such a God thing. Anyways, I just wanna start with something that I’m sure most of you have heard before--The idea that if God comes first in your life, then everything else will fall into place. If you make spending time in prayer to the Lord, in his word, and seeking his heart above all things your priority, the rest of your life will find the perfect place below the Lord. So check this out..

I have a plan. A plan to read the entire Bible before I go to Sigma in mid-July. I mean, not only to read it, but to study it, but to let it sink in and penetrate my heart. Let the Lord speak to me through it. I have a reading plan that’s in chronological order. I love it. It just makes sense to me and it reveals all the little correlations I would never have caught on my own. I’ve been going by this reading plan, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. But the past few days, I haven’t been satisfied. I wanted more. I wanted to read until my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer. I thirsted for his word more than I have in a long time. So I started to read more than one day’s worth. On Easter, I got to the point of thirsting for the living word of God that I read Joshua and Judges in one day, with my reading spread throughout the day. I yearned for more, more, more. I am running towards the Lord in such a manner that sometimes I find myself lost in the moment, overwhelmed by his captivating words and creation. Yet I am not satisfied. I am overwhelmed, and not satisfied. Complacency is NOT an option. I will not quit, I will not let my weariness take over, and I will NOT settle for what I know is not enough. If I thirst, I drink until I’m no longer thirsty. Guys, my thirst has not been quenched yet. I read and read and run and still want more when I reach the point where sleep sets in and I literally HAVE to stop. It’s awesome!!

Now for the second part of this story…I had to fill you in on the intensity factor first…

So, these days that I have been staying up way later than I should, spending time in the Word, the Lord had worked in my favor in visible ways at school. It’s SO SWEET! For example, yesterday, I had a biology test that I didn’t study much for because I wanted to read my Bible. I hardly studied at all. The test was EASY. I mean, totally unexpected easy. The Lord was looking out for me. Art—I finished a project that was due that I didn’t think I would be able to finish. And it actually looked semi-good! Hahaha. Today, English test. Should have been killer..it wasn’t. I shouldn’t have finished the in-class essay, but I did. Math—thought there would be a quiz. A quiz we have every day that I rarely know exactly what I’m doing. NO QUIZ. Now if that isn’t the Lord’s hand guiding my life, I don’t know what is. HE IS IN CONTROL! It’s completely true! Put him first and EVERYTHING ELSE FALLS INTO PLACE. I dare you to try it. He will absolutely blow your mind.

-Alexa

David Crowder, Charles Blondin, Finding Time, and Easter

Hey guys :) I know I haven't posted in FOREVER but I've been reading every single one of y'all's posts and they are so inspiring, thank you so much for being so awesome! I have a few things to go over today, so if this post is a little on the too long side, sorry!

Okay well on Friday I went to a David Crowder Band concert with five of my friends at Six Flags in Arlington. They are my favorite band and I just absolutely love their lyrics, message, melodies etc. so, naturally, I was uncontrollably excited to be able to worship our Lord with them. It was my first Christian concert and now I'm completely hooked! For one thing, David Crowder is absolutely PHENOMENAL in concert; he's seriously better live than on the CD. If you haven't seen them in concert, I highly recommend. But there's just something so AMAZING about being with a 1,000 people (more or less) in an outdoor amphitheater worshipping the Lord. It was a completely transcendent experience and made me feel so refreshed and happy and eager to search after Jesus!

At church on Sunday, my pastor spoke about something that really made think. He talked about a man named Charles Blondin, who was a really famous tightrope walker at the turn of the last century. He was incredible. He would walk across the river above the Niagara Falls (that's about 1000 feet across) on a river 160 feet above the water. He would walk to the middle of the rope, carrying a chair, balance it on the rope on one leg and then stand on the back of chair. He would straddle the rope and cook a meal and eat it. So basically, this guy was the real thing. He had a HUGE following of people that were amazed and in awe of him and respected him. But, people got tired of the regular old walking and eating and balancing so he decided to step it up a few notches. "Do you believe in me?" he asked the crowd one day. "YES!!!" they all screamed. "Well then who wants to get on my back?" The crowd was silent. He chose one guy and told him to get on his back but the man RAN AWAY. Finally, his manager actually got on his back and hung on as Blondin walked across the river from 160 feet above. My pastor said that we need to not just believe IN Jesus we need to believe ON Jesus! It's easy to be like the crowd and say we believe in Him but its a lot harder to be like Blondin's manager and actually let Him carry us across our troubles. We have to cast EVERYTHING on Him or else we don't actually have real faith. That's really hard to do though... I actually have no idea how and if y'all have any insight into how I could believe 100% on Jesus I would really appreciate it.

The reason I have posted on this amazing blog in so long is because I haven't been able to find time lately. And until around a little more than a week ago I hadn't been able to find time for Jesus too. How horrible does that sound? I hadn't been able to 'find time' for my Lord and Savior, THE person who loves me more than I could even begin to understand. That's sad. It's embarrassing. It's embarrassing that I could let myself get that... distracted with the distractions of this world that I forgot about eternity!!! But, right now, I'm making a promise to all of you that I will not have to 'find time' because I will MAKE time. He will now be my priority above all other things.

Finally... yesterday, as y'all know, was Easter. What a glorious day!!!! I mean honestly our Lord ROSE yesterday!!!! How amazing is that??? He is a living, breathing, walking God!! It just blows my mind how amazing that day is. I am so blessed to be able to celebrate this fantastic time free of persecution. So, I leave you all with a request to please pray for all of our fellow followers of Christ that are being faced with intense persecution right now.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

- John 14:27

-Ally