This past weekend, 196 teenagers and adults from various parts of Oklahoma and Texas has the privileged to take part in our tenth year of Winter Quest. Many years ago, Tony Hall came to small number of us and began to impart his vision for a winter retreat. He shared, “It is a long time for many of these young people to get together since Reach Week. We need to put together a winter retreat to help them refocus their walk with God and to rekindle their relationships with each other.”
Over the past ten years we have examined theme’s such as; “Quest for the Best, Standing with Giants, The Chronicles of Christ, Closer, Worship 180, Imagine, Enlightened, and Undone.“ Within these themes we have spent numerous hours examining God’s Word over topics such as Biblical acts of Worship; Heaven, Hell, and the coming Judgment; aspects of Evangelism; The deity of Jesus; and so many more.
This past weekend, we looked at the “The Game of Life”. We spent time focusing on James’ words in James 4:14 – “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
What is your life? What is the meaning of your life? Many individuals would say their life is all about finding happiness, fulfillment, and/or purpose. Others may reply that their life is all about finding true love; a love that will last a lifetime. Still others may share that their life is about displaying compassion, or acquiring power.
James gives us the illustration of a vapor. Something which is here today and gone tomorrow. Our life is but a vapor compared to the length and width of eternity.
David shares in Psalm 103:15-18, “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.” He understood the brevity of life and the steadfast love of the Lord as being from everlasting to everlasting. What a beautiful scene for us to ponder today.
Since our earthly life is so short, I hope you will agree that we need to get it “right”. In an attempt to help those young people who attended Winter Quest this year, we, as a staff, came up with a list of 13 topics (10 classes and 3 sermons) to prayerfully equip them with Biblical information about decisions they must make or aspects of life they will face in hopes of allowing them to gain some clarity of what they need to do to be found righteous before the Lord.
I want to again thank my awesome staff. For without each and every one of them, we would not have been able to have such a great and powerful weekend. They were willing to sacrifice the comforts of their own home to spend the weekend investing in the lives of others.
I would like to share with you the lesson/sermon outlines from that weekend. If you are interested in some FREE materials, please click on this link. http://kellercofc.org/2011/11/winter-quest-2012/
It is my prayer that we all may learn to invest a little bit more of ourselves in the lives of others so that in all ways, He may be glorified!
May God bless you richly!
