10.26.06 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

One of the huge pieces of what thequest has at it's essence is RELATIONSHIPS. You can see in the mission statement in the upper left of this screen that "relationships" is in big letters. That is on purpose.

This value is driven from the essence of the Scriptures and how it describes God's relationship with us as humans. Check out these two passages written by the man who was closest to Jesus as he lived on the earth:

1) We can see God as he is revealed in Jesus:
"No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us." John 1:18 NLT


2) We can see God as he is revealed in a loving Christian fellowship:
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us." 1 John 4:12 NLT

Powerful passages when laid right next to each other aren't they?

Now sometimes that "full expression" of God's love is hard to measure. It's one of those intangibles that you either have it or you don't. It's one of those things that to quantify is difficult. It doesn't show up easily in the typical ways of measuring the life following Jesus: going to church or prayer or reading your Bible. Those things are REALLY IMPORTANT, but each can be done without fellowship.

So the church then is about relationships. That would seem to be primary. In fact in the first description of what the church was like, we are told that those first people in the first days of the church were: "devoted to...the fellowship." (Acts 2:42) They were devoted ( not just acquainted or associated) to the community. Relationships--authentic and loving ones--are at the center of being the people of God.

In the midst of our lives and culture, relationships are difficult. We get busy. We get our feelings hurt. We are insecure. We hide. We don't want to work hard at loving people. We don't want to be fully known. We have tensions with people we are attracted to. We get hurt.

Relationships are the thing...but they are a difficult thing. And yet they are worth all the effort. Maybe you are hurt or disappointed. That is to be expected. Don't be surprised by that. We do live with sinners you know?

I just want to encourage you to press into loving and authentic relationships. Not by pushing your "gotta do this duty button", but by being motivated with the thankfulness that Jesus went through pure hell to give us an opportunity to have a relationship with God. Beyond that He lives in us and wants His love to burst out on others around us. Let the flow go...even through the hard times.

Press On,

Mike

See the rest of the weekly email UPdate HERE

Mindi is off to Trinidad for Mission trip

In partnership with Grace Brethren North American Missions and the Upper Arlington Grace Brethren Church, Mindi is on a team of ladies off to Trinidad to minister there for a week. She will be leading a couple times of devotions and some singing along with jumping in to serve as needed. They will be conducting a retreat for about 26 pastor's wives from across the island as a key part of their work over the weekend. Pray for the pastor's wives and for the team as they'll be gone for 7 days.

10.18.06 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

As our leadership team began to bounce around ideas for next year's theme, I got to thinking about the present...It's All About Jesus. In musing about it, I looked back at the January email UPdate. I thought I'd post it here as a review of this year's theme:


It's All About Jesus

This was affirmed by many of our leaders as on the mark with where we need to be this year. It has to be all about Jesus. It can't be about anything else--not about me, not about us, but about Him.

The following passage, which has been a favorite of mine for many years, really emphasizes this in a way that will draw us into deeper intimacy, experience, and obedience.

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!"
Phil 3:8-11 NLT

I hope that in our quest in the coming months will bring us closer and closer toward this testimony from Paul. That we will discard everything else that we may have Jesus. That we will pursue with all our effort the priceless Jesus.

As we go through the year, I'd love to get the stories from your lives that demonstrate how things are all about Jesus in your lives, in your experiences and in your time in the Scriptures. I want to be a "reporter"...someone who can tell the stories of what is going on in the hum-drum or in the miraculous. Those stories will encourage us all. If you have something that you want to share with our family, drop me an email and let me know.

(From thequest email UPdate 01.11.06 ).

That invitation is still out: Send me your STORIES about how things are ALL ABOUT JESUS. I'd love to pass them on here or on our blog.


Press On,

Mike



the rest of thequest weekly email UPdate HERE

Ward in Columbus Marathon

Early this morning the starting gun went off for the 26 mile Columbus Marathon. One of our own...John Ward clipped off the miles with the gang. This is a pic taken by one of those handy dandy picture phones as he sped by giving 5's to some who were rooting him on.

 

Way to go John! Finish the race and win the prize... 

10.12.06 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

Today I saw a variety of bumper stickers. I don't know why they seemed to be everywhere. I only drove less than a mile, but I was blasted by them. Some referring to politicians, some to political agendas, some to make me laugh and more. The most stunning one was this one:



It made me stop and think. Then I even put the car in reverse, parked, got out and took a picture with my phone.


Grace Happens.

The first thoughts crashing through my mind were thankfulness that Grace is free. It is given by our Savior without our earning it or deserving it. It has the appearance that it just "happens."


The second train of thought I had was, "Free for me, but not for Jesus." It cost Him everything.

His place in glory was set aside for thirty-some years as He became a human. He grew and learned and lived on this planet...even though He had participated in creating it. He was tempted and He was victorious. He had great friends and bad press. He walked and talked about the Kingdom He was used to--the Kingdom of Heaven. As the expected Messiah, He rode into the city of Jerusalem as a hero. He was killed by the same masses days later. A horrific, bloody and violent death. And worse than all of that physical pain was the anguish of His soul as His Father looked away because of the sin which Jesus carried upon Himself on that cross.

Grace didn't just happen. It was purchased by Jesus and granted by the Father. The definition I like to use for grace comes from Dr. Jerry Bridges-- Grace is God's favor through Christ to people who deserve His disfavor. Fortunately Grace has Happened! .

"God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God". (Ephesians 2:4-8 NLT)

I have no idea what the person who placed this blue & white sticker on his bumper had in mind, but I know it provoked a slew of thoughts and a deep encouragement from the Scripture. I trust that this has encouraged you today!

Press On,

Mike


the rest of the weekly UPdate here

10.04.06 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

As we've been studying Colossians, we have run across the Apostle Paul's customary brushstroke. He typically spends the first half of his letters encouraging the saints and re-laying the foundational elements of their faith. In Colossae, that meant centering on the supremacy of Jesus.

In the second half of his letters, Paul's brushstroke goes the way of "practicality." He says in essence, "Here's where the rubber meets the road." As we transition from the first half to the last half, Paul is clear that "spiritual practices and rituals" will not have value in overcoming our sin nature and living holy lives (see Col 2:22-23).

That leaves us with a nagging question..."What will overcome sin in my life?" This is a question I asked yesterday and today. Paul answers it by going back to the truth and power of Jesus.

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ,

keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Keep thinking about things above,
not things on the earth,

for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ (who is your life) appears,

then you too will be revealed in glory with him.

Colossians 3:1-4 NET
He starts to answer our question by coming back to the resurrection power of Jesus. There are many days when I think I will never overcome my fleshly desires! I forget--that as a person who has Jesus as Lord of my life--I was killed and I have been resurrected with Jesus. That power to raise from the dead has been leveraged in my life. I have been raised, just like Jesus was!

Paul continues to answer the question by encouraging us to consider what we are looking at, striving for and thinking about. He challenges us to keep seeking and thinking on things above. When we look at Jesus (remember He's alive and up there at the right hand of the Father), we get our eyes off ourselves and the mess around us. We get a focus back on the things that matter.

Paul goes out of sequence here a bit, but still reminds us that we have died to our way of doing things (that's what repentance and following Jesus is all about). Remember you have to die before you can come back to life (ie., resurrection) Although we have died, it doesn't mean we are adrift as a carcass on the water. Jesus takes us and HIDES us with HIM. The Father sees me through Jesus. I am hidden with Jesus. He conceals my sin and my unworthiness so that I can have a relationship with God at all! He hid all of that through His blood (you must see Col 2:13-14)!

Beyond that there is a massive trade that goes on. Since we have died, where did our life come from? This passage tells us clearly that Jesus is our life. The exchange is complete. We have a new life, it is Jesus Himself.

One more thing Paul wants us to know in this sequence: We died, we are hidden in Jesus and we have a future! That future is "hidden" in Jesus too. Verse four tells us that when Jesus appears again in glory as King of Kings, we will appear with Him as well. Our great cloak Jesus will cause us to appear with Him in glory. Wow!

This past stuff (the dying and hiding in Him) & the future stuff (appearing with Jesus in glory) all has a bearing on the present. It points to the truth that Jesus is our life. He is where we hide and overcome the sin nature that is so powerful within us. His resurrection power and the forgiveness purchased through His own blood is what gives us the ability to walk forward overcoming sin and living holy lives.

I trust you will seek and think about the One above...and follow Him into overcoming sin and living a holy life.

Press On,

Mike


the rest of the weekly email UPdate here

People are crazy about OSU

I got this picture forwarded to me from our friend Scott Beall. It's a little bit crazy to be honest.