11.28.07 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

We know that at least once God wrote on a wall to get His message across. We read in the Scriptures from the beginning He used a multitude of ways to communicate to people. From walking in the Garden and chatting with Adam and Eve, to angels, to the words of the prophets repeating "This is what the LORD says..." Surely it was in a variety of ways, yet the bottom line is God spoke to people!

"That stuff is all in the rearview mirror," you might say. "It happened in the past that way, but how does God speak today?" That is exactly the question the writer of Hebrews asked two millennia ago. Writing more words from God, the author wrote:

"Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son." Heb 1:1-2a NLT

I don't know how many times I've thought, "God, if you would write it on the wall for me, I'd do what you want. Just be clear." God anticipated my plea (and yours too). He SPOKE what HE WANTS by giving us JESUS. We get to know him personally through a relationship with Him and by getting to know how Jesus lived and walked in his time here on earth.

That's what Advent, and even the whole Christmas season is about. God spoke...He communicated to us His message....he has spoken to us through his Son."

Just yesterday I took a risk with Larry, banking on the fact that God still speaks today. We blocked out a couple hours of time with the purpose of trying to meet new people and be available for whatever God wanted. We really didn't have an agenda or plan. We met at the beginning of the time and prayed about what to do. It seemed like our hearts were moving in the same direction as we started out by walking High Street. We prayed silently as we walked and were open to the prompts of what to do, who to say hi to, who to talk to, and whatever God would speak to us. We were available. It was amazing how quickly the time went by, and how effortlessly we engaged a handful of people in conversations. God spoke to us in real tangible ways.

It wasn't writing on the wall, yet it was clearly what God wanted us to do. I think that is so awesome--the God who is holding the universe together cared about our two hours, and about directing us through what He wanted for that time.

The cool thing about God is He didn't stop communication after that appointment was over. He continued to prompt me during the rest of the day. Even this morning, someone called and left a voicemail message about getting some advice from me. So I called them back. While I'm dialing the number, I'm asking Jesus to give me words, because I don't know what is going to hit me on the other end of the line. And He did.

It's my joy to be apart of a community of Jesus' followers who are desirous to hear God's voice and do what He says. It'll be fun Sunday night at our assembly to learn more from Hebrews chapters 1 and 2 about what God spoke through Jesus.

Maybe my story is a prompt to turn your ears and eyes back onto a "God channel"...and who knows how that will get your thoughts, your mouth and even your feet & hands moving.

Press on,

Mike


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11.21.07 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G!

I'm thankful for so many who have walked alongside us on thequest over the years. I'm thankful for the Totzke family in particular...and today I asked Larry to write a ditty to encourage us in being thankful. Check it out below.

Press on,

Mike


The Thanksgiving holiday in America is traditionally a time when we pause to give thanks for all of our blessings and especially for the harvest. You can check out this website for more information on the history of Thanksgiving: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tgturkey1.html.

But the folks of Grace Brethren International Missions have chosen this Thanksgiving time to broaden and personalize the practice of giving thanks. They have decided to personally thank all of those people who support the Mission and its work. Says Dave Guiles, GBIM’s Executive Director, “At GBIM we’ve set aside the month of November for us to find as many sincere ways as possible to say a heart-felt thanks to you - the hundreds of churches and thousands of men and women who faithfully partner with us through your prayers and financial support. No gimmicks. No ulterior motives. No special techniques.” Just THANKS!

How about us? Sure, we say thanks all the time; it’s the polite thing to do! Thanks to the waitress for serving the food. Thanks to the cashier for giving us change. Thanks to the person who holds the door open for us. And so forth.

But when was the last time you or I stopped and took the time to say, in a special way, thanks to the people we interact with on a regular basis for doing what they do? I can think of a bunch of examples. Say Thanks...

...to the mail carrier

...to your kids’ school teacher or day care worker

...to your beautician or barber

...to your doctor

...to your house church leader or host

...to your mom or dad

You get the picture! Paul, in one of the many places he offers thanks, says in 1 Thessalonians 1:2, “We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.”

And so, to those of you who are part of thequest network, who attend our house churches and assemblies, who give financially, who pray for us, and who keep up on what’s going by reading this newsletter, THANKS! We love you, and God loves you.

Larry


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11.14.07 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

This Saturday is the big game. On Sunday we've got something BIG too--our Thanksgiving Communion Gathering. We are excited about the opportunity to get together, enjoy a meal together and celebrate Jesus. It is all about Jesus--His work: on the cross, in the present and in the future.

One of the idiosyncrasies about thequest is the way we celebrate Communion. We do it to reflect the last night of our Lord's life. As we look at the night before Jesus died we see three key elements--1) the meal, 2) the washing of the disciples feet by Jesus, and 3) the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup.

There is no doubt that Jesus shared that last very meaningful meal with those he dearly loved--His spiritual family so to speak. That meal is something we ought to celebrate too with our spiritual family. It also reminds us of the future when we will sit down at the table with our Jesus in glory for the Wedding Feast--what a celebration that will be!!

The washing of the disciples feet is an amazing aspect of our Lord's last night. The example of service He showed was amazing. Jesus also states that His action of washing the disciples feet was symbolic of His forgiveness. We revel in the fact that He makes us clean through His forgiveness daily, just like the people in those times needed their feet washed daily. This reminds us of Jesus' present ministry to us.

The bread and the cup are probably the most familiar items to most people. These elements cause us to look into the past and remember that Jesus took on sin and death and WON THE VICTORY! What a price He paid. I trust that those of you here in the metro area will make the time to gather together and celebrate Jesus. Moments like these are so special. We trust that you will join us there!

Press on,

Mike


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11.07.07 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

Spies get to peek in on things that are happening so they can report back. Many times I feel like a spy--not that I'm dressed in black or have the cool gizmos. I'm so privileged to peek into lives all over the place and see what God is doing. It is a true joy to be able to have my vantage point and see how God is directing and how people are responding.

In my role as a spy, I'm not really sure who to report to. God already knows what's going on. I guess that leaves the people of God to share with. I regularly try to share with folks what I'm picking up. Sometimes are better than others. Sometimes there are better stories than others.

To report back about the things I'm seeing I would say:

>God has brought us some Godly people to speak into our lives. This past weekend with Ed & Polly Jackson at our assembly was so encouraging. He is a man of God who spoke into our lives about being 24/7 followers of Jesus. He shared from the other end of the age continuum for most of us and we need that perspective.

>Just a couple weekends ago we were spurred on by another Ed--Ed and Debbie Waken. They encouraged us to be about ME for the church community rather that the Community to serve ME. Also the intergenerational and multi-cultural aspects of our family. Mostly, Ed spurred us on to sow the seeds of Good News because we have God's Authority, Power, Mind & Words. He encouraged us not to worry, but to have the Spirit's eyes on.

>To hear the reports of people sowing seeds of their faith at bus stops, gas stations, medical offices, over coffee, over a beer, while trick-or-treating and a variety of other spots. It encourages me at the challenge that Ed gave is taking root and seed-sowers are out casting seed!

>To have a couple of people interested in baptism charges me up. Beyond that to hear of disciples making disciples of others--ie. starting new Life Transformation Groups, fighting to save marriages and more.

>To see house churches forming at Ohio State University, Grace College and in Paris in the last few weeks. That's along with the growth of a newer house church (or 2) in Chicago. To see some things potentially pulling together for a future launch of Cap City Grace here in downtown Columbus. To connect with another church planter who has our Italian Village neighborhood on his radar and will actually be moving here in the coming month.

>To have the 4:12 Commission Team here for a day and to encourage them to be world changers was great. Also, we made the big goal for our service project in Rittman.

>To have a key family member of thequest invited onto the staff of Grace Brethren International Missions as a missions recruiter -- John Ward. [And he ran in the NYC Marathon too :) ]

> To have a time to share communion together with thequest family on the calendar also cranks me up (Nov 18th).

>At the same time, I see there are many who are being hit by the fiery darts of the evil one with physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual impacts. People have loved ones dying, depressed, injured and hurt. Some of us are actually depressed, ill, hurt or being pummeled. It's certainly part of following Jesus to suffer...but that doesn't make it fun.

As a humble spy...there is a little report for you. I hope it motivates you that God is moving.

Hang on to this:

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near." Heb 10:23-25 NLT

Press on,
Mike

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11.01.07 thequest UPdate

thequest family,

Everybody needs a hero. That's what bunches of movies try to capitalize on. It's part of the reason we like sports stars and great men and women from history. We need heroes.

One of my heroes is Ed Jackson. Part of it is the personal connections we have. He grew up in the same small town as I did. My parents knew him years ago when he was a State Trooper right here in Ohio (check out the bike he used to ride>>>>).

He loves starting new churches (he helped start 8 different churches in Alaska!). And God has seen fit to put us together in a variety of ways over the last few years here in Columbus. He has prayed for me regularly. In addition, Ed has served the Lord in ministry for more than half a century. He is coming to the end of the race and he is running through the finish line. What a man of God. A heroic man. And I haven't even been able to tell you about his wonderful wife Polly!

While Ed was a State Trooper he saw a lot of things. During the riots on Ohio State campus he had an experience with the Lord that was so impactful that I want you to hear it...from his mouth. We need men like him to speak into our lives. To give us some perspective and to encourage us to keep running the race. We are so privileged that he is going to come and spend the evening with us telling his stories. You will want to be prepared to give a love gift to bless him and his ministry and possibly an extra $10 to purchase his book Faith: Stranger than Fiction.

And as a warm up, we'll invite you to share the stories of how God is making you successful in sowing the seeds God wants you to sow. Come ready to share what God is doing in and through you. We'll have some coffee and storytime together on Sunday night at 6pm. See you there!

Press on,
Mike


PS. Did you see life this week with the awareness of the Holy Spirit's prompts and sow seeds into the lives of people around you? Tell me your stories... email me here

100% Successful & Don't Worry! Conversations Not Conversions read it again HERE

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