I wanted to be able to give you all a glimpse of what I saw last night. This is 400+ people singing to God at the top of their lungs. Can you feel it? Do you sense our earnestness, gratitude, authenticity? God has been remarkably loving, overwhelmingly gracious and consistently patient.

These people could not be restrained from expressing their love for Christ. I am marked by this night. I know there were only a few hundred of us…and I know the room holds 6 times as many people as were present…but it felt full! It felt a tiny little bit like the picture in the book of Revelation where it says the multitudes sang out…

Wednesday night we had our usual Celebration service here at Quest. Except nothing was typical about it. We spent the evening remembering all God did a year ago through our Imagine 2 journey. People spoke of the miraculous work God did in them and through them. I listened as they talked about learning to trust Christ with their finances for the very first time. And I heard them share the way He freed them from fear, anxiety, selfishness as they took risky steps of faith.

You see, one year ago, when Imagine 2 launched, nearly 1000 families declared their trust in God and their commitment to the mission He gave us 10 years ago this May…to transform  unconvinced people into wholehearted followers of Jesus. They put their money where their heart was and they sacrificed. And they all stepped out in seismic faith…each one contributing to The Power of Everybody.

At the end of our service Wednesday night, I was asking (rhetorically)…so 10 years ago when 60 of us stepped out, did you see over 7,000 people coming for Easter services? Did you see 227 people placing their trust in Jesus in one weekend? Did you see Him drawing 5,500 people to Himself in 10 short years? Then I asked, can you possibly begin to see the auditorium filled with thousands of people worshiping God at the top of their lungs…lifting up songs of gratitude and joy to the one who chose the nails for you?

Then I asked…”Would it help you picture it if we went out to the new auditorium and actually worshiped God in that construction site?” People inhaled the oxygen right out of the room and you could feel the energy of a “for real…let’s do it!” So we did. We got up and went out and sang to Jesus at the top of our lungs: “So reign, please reign in us” and “We will give it all to you…I will give it all to you.”

It was incredible…a foretaste of what is to come as our voices echoed through what will become such holy ground. I saw people sing from a deeper place than ever before. I really think heaven paused to  sing along…to receive our songs…to compel us to embrace a seismic trust in Him. I hope we never recover. I pray I never forget the night we all gathered as people very much under construction to lift high our voices to God in the middle of a worship center very much under construction.

Helen Musick is a changed woman. I have known her for many years. I have had the privilege of serving as her pastor for over a decade. I know her very well. Take my word for it…she is a changed woman. No longer do comfort and safety characterize her life. She left a convenient life behind…exchanging it for a life serving Jesus in risky ways. This past week she brought a powerful talk inviting all who listened to live a life that makes a difference for Christ. As the Pastor of Quest, I loved where she took our congregation. As a follower of Christ I was provoked to live a meaningful life for Jesus. Enjoy reading what she saw this weekend.

Here’s what I (Helen) saw…

1. How ordinary people partnering together make a difference. I’m always amazed as I watch our volunteers. I watch KidsQuest workers loving on families, Host Team greeters welcoming new comers, video guys and techies running equipment, prop creators designing teaching tools and the list goes on…I watch them do what they are made for and it fills my heart.

2. The reality that an invitation can change eternity. We got to hear an amazing story on stage this weekend – really it was a chain reaction! When Dan invited Scott, his co-worker, to Quest in July 1999, who knew that that invitation would lead to the 5,000^th person coming to know Christ at Quest in 2009?

3. Someone experiencing transformation…and knowing the tremors of her life are meant to go way beyond her own. Nicole is the 5,000^th person to receive Christ through Quest’s ministry and only several months old in her new relationship with Him. But Nicole led us with the faith of a barbarian this weekend when she said in her story, “It’s exciting to be the 5,000^th person to come to Christ at Quest, but what excites me more is thinking of the next 5,000, 10,000, 1 million that will come to know Him.”

4. Circles of transformation. When service was over I saw conversations where eternity hung in the balance…little pockets of 4 or 5 people gathered together to help someone understand who God really is and what it means to trust Him with your life. I never grow tired of seeing people love people like that.

5. People are longing to be invited into something significant. When I said from the stage, “Some of you are just waiting for an invitation to partner in something seismic,” I could see people responding with looks of gratitude. I watched as hundreds of people filled out cards and responded to an invitation to be known in a life group and to serve…amazing!

6. Boomin’… amazing! Watching our team of musicians rock out on stage to tobyMac was awesome. I was thinking, “Holy cow! I can’t believe I get to go to church here!”

7. People waiting in line. This weekend Pete cast compelling vision and extended an invitation to new Questers to be a part of Imagine². It was really an offer to join almost 1,000 other families who are sacrificing their resources to help make more room at Quest for people to hear about a God who loves them unconditionally. And I saw a line of new Questers waiting to get into a room where they’d have lunch together and learn how they can step into the privilege of that sacrifice – so a seat could become available for someone else, like it was made available for them.

8. The face of a friend who now has Jesus in her heart. I have someone really special to me that has been on a spiritual journey for a couple of years. She’s allowed me to be close to her as she’s asked honest questions about God and life and how they all work together. Sunday morning was the first time, since she surrendered on Easter, that I’ve taught from the stage and looked out in the audience to watch her face as she listened to truth. It set my heart on fire as I watched her engaged with her whole heart and watch her it be stirred by the fact that God has so much for her.

9. One week until 10 years are celebrated. I saw a sea of faces that were not a part of my life in anyway 10 years ago and now they are family to me. Some I’ve led to Christ, some I’ve led in life. They are the reason I do what I do.

10. A Grateful Dad. My 84 year old father, who suffers from Parkinsons, just recently understood that he could receive Jesus into his heart, that Jesus could come in and lead Him in a personal way. Saturday night, Dad came to hear me speak. When the service was over, he wanted to talk to Pete and tell him what had happened in his heart just 4 weeks ago. I saw my pastor love my dad and receive his thanks for leadership that provided a place where lives are changed. It was breathtaking!

I type this sitting on a deck overlooking an astonishing view of the Great Smoky Mountains. I hear crickets. I have seen a few eagles soaring through the skies above the gorgeous hills below. But they all pale in comparison to what I’ve seen of Jesus this week. I have been unplugged from my computer as I’ve had the distinct privilege of leading the Ministry Staff of my church in a few days of pursuing God and listening for His voice. Well, the days didn’t simply come and go. Jesus met with us in such an unmistakable manner…we heard Him, we understood His heart, we got clear on His love for us, and we are absolutely changed.

I once had a friend ask, “What if I give my life to Jesus and nothing happens?” I will tell you (coming off this great retreat) what I told him (minutes before He received Jesus as His own):

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE…WHEN WE ENCOUNTER CHRIST THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN!

Do you get my point? All through the Bible we see people encountering Jesus…and something always happens. No one comes face to face with the Son of God and remains unaffected. Whether it is a man’s sight being restored or a widow being comforted…a religious person getting offended or a fisherman getting a second chance…a dead man being raised to life or a hypocrite being found out…something always happens.

So this week, 15 Pastors and Ministry Directors met Jesus in very intimate, precise, needed ways…and we are all changed forever. Our minds were stretched, our hearts enlarged, our wounds healed, our understanding enlightened, our love for others deepened, our devotion to Jesus and awe of God profoundly rooted in brand new ways. Fifteen people…11 men and 4 women…filled, morphed, and a little speechless.

Soon, after I let what we saw and were exposed to settle into my heart a bit more…I will try to convey some of what the Lord showed us. In the mean time, let me ask you something: When was the last time you were changed? Can you recall the last time you encountered Jesus? Here’s a hint…if you really met with Christ…you left different than you came in. It is astonishing how His love and power have the ability to accomplish such profound wrecking and rebuilding in a willing person’s life.  Makes you wanna sing to God just a little bit…doesn’t it?

Justin McCarty has been QCC’s Assistant Pastor for almost two years and a vital part of Quest since 2001. When I hired him, I knew part of what God had in mind was to raise Justin up as a valuable part of QCC’s Teaching Team. It has been my privilege to coach him in communicating God’s word to large crowds of people…I say privilege because Justin loves Jesus, His Church and people everywhere. He has been a great investment, and he takes his calling as a preacher very seriously. I couldn’t wait to entrust the opening week of our new series Seismic to him, knowing he would do a great job pointing everyone’s hearts and minds toward God’s work in this place. And he did. It was terrific! This week I have given him my weekly column making observations from an awesome weekend at Quest…here’s what he saw:

Hey everybody — this is Justin! What a gift and privilege it was to launch Quest’s 10th Anniversary series this past weekend. As the staff takes some time to relax in the Smoky Mountains on our retreat, I’m so thankful for the window to process some of the things I saw happening as we launched this series. Even cooler is the chance to be able to share them with you! Alright, so here they are: 10 Seismic Observations…

1. So many people were back for their 2nd time after the astounding Easter weekend we experienced! I got to see and talk to so many new people who told us how much they loved Quest and were already feeling like they were at home. It’s exactly what I was hoping and praying for all week!

2. It felt amazing to launch our 10th Anniversary series right after the shocking Easter we experienced. I’ve never gotten to launch a series before, much less one called “Seismic” coming straight out of one of the most earthshaking weekends we’ve ever had — I could feel the amazing momentum from the Man Series and the reality that we are living in a new era!

3. Jon Headley and the band seriously rocked it with P.O.D’s “Alive”! That’s gotta be one of the best & loudest hard rock songs that we do. Way to go Dave & Anyerin for those sweet guitar solo harmonies!

4. I loved worshiping to those images of hurricanes, tidal waves, tornados, and landslides during “Sweep Me Away.” I was so blown away realizing that the awe-inspiring power of God you see in nature is the same power that is available to radically change our hearts and lives if we’ll receive it.

5. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to narrow down the list of impossible things that God has done at Quest over the past 10 years. We have seen so many beautiful and miraculous things that it felt crazy to try and narrow it down to the 15 or so I could get through in one big breath onstage. There are so many more moments I could have picked! And I was aware every time I read through that list that there are even more breathtaking moments to come!

6. It was great watching people (including myself!) grapple with the truth that the transformation we long for in our lives is only found in the upheaval and volatility of the fault lines — where God’s will and ours collide. If we’ll stay near the white flag of surrender, He will create something awe-inspiring and new in our hearts…and through our lives.

7. After the service I got to talk with a young woman who hadn’t been able to get away from the white flag from Easter last weekend. All week long she had only gotten more aware of the increasing discomfort in her own heart… that she shouldn’t have left without giving her life to Christ and surrendering her pride by putting the white flag at the foot of the cross. This week, after talking with some friends after service, she finally prayed and gave her life to Jesus! It was amazing to see the joy, peace, rest and new life in her eyes! That never gets old! And it was a great reminder that it’s never too late — the offer from Jesus always stands.

8. I cannot believe what Jesus has done in my own life in the past 10 years since May 11, 1999 (the day I gave my life to Christ)! Getting to share firsthand about the transforming, seismic work of God in my life, especially since coming to Quest, was such worship. One of my favorite things is what Jesus has done in my heart toward the church. From a suspicious, distrusting, wounded pastor’s kid…to a restored, trusting, hopeful man who somehow fell in love with the Church over the past 10 years and became a pastor.  It’s amazing…

9. The picture of what life could be like 10 years from now (in 2019!) exploded in my heart. What could you and I look like if we surrender to the plate-shifting power of God’s love? What could He transform in us? And in our family and friends through us? What will Lexington and Frankfort…our state…and our world look like after 10 more years of Jesus’ seismic activity??

10. I can’t wait until May 2 & 3!! The ramping anticipation of our 10th Anniversary event is getting palpable. Do whatever you have to do to be here that weekend! We are going to party hard to celebrate all the amazing things we’ve experienced and get our hearts ready for the greater things yet to come. Now is the perfect time to become a part of this seismic event. I promise you — we are just getting started!

I am heading out right now with the Lead Team of QCC in tow. Over the next few days, I am taking the Pastors and Directors on a retreat to the Smoky Mountains of Gatlinburg Tennessee. We will reflect on all that God has been doing in our midst these days. And we will reflect on how Jesus has blown our minds since we launched out May 2^nd 1999. I can barely believe we are approaching our 10 year anniversary!!!

While we’re away, we will certainly reflect on the jaw dropping realities of Easter 2009. When God draws over 7,000 people to a young church, and more importantly 227 people to Himself as they choose to reject their pride and raise their flag of surrender to Christ, it is something to pay attention to. In fact, as Assistant Pastor Justin McCarty just exclaimed in an awesome message he gave at Quest this weekend, God’s work over the last week…and over the last 10 years…has been nothing short of Seismic! So I am going to take my staff away to reflect on these sorts of great considerations:

Who is God that He would extend such favor? Who are we that He should love us so? What does it mean that His word tells us this is just the beginning?

Have you noticed in scripture how often Jesus goes off to retreat with His dad? He goes away at awesome times…hard times…risky times…Jesus just knows how to slip away in the middle of it all to gain insight, perspective and clarity from His Father. How well do you do at getting alone before God? Do you ever just take a retreat? A weekend, a day, a few hours to get alone with Him to focus, and to listen? You see, I’m afraid if we don’t get off the beaten path from time to time, we may well find ourselves running on empty…struggling to remember why we are on this path at all…forgetting that we do it for God alone. We forget to remember that everything in our lives is simply there to Make Jesus Famous!!!

So, I’m outta here…off to the mountains with some awesome friends and partners in the Gospel…to get before Jesus and zoom in on the One who surrendered to the nails, surrendered to the cross…surrendered to death in order to make a way for His prone to wander kids. We are gonna learn all we can from the Seismic work He’s been doing for 10 straight years. WOW!

Smoky Mountains here we come!

There aren’t many things in life that actually help us take our eyes off of ourselves (our needs, our marriage, our jobs, our health, our money, our kids, etc.).  In fact most voices we hear tell us to be more consumed with our own lives.  Most of these voices are well-intentioned.  The words tend to come from caring parents, focused professors, helpful friends, driven supervisors…they offer lots and lots of encouragement to be about us.

I have just come from a worship experience where I joined hundreds and hundreds of others in focusing on God and God alone for 90 minutes. We spent most of the minutes thanking Him for how He showed up at QCC’s Easter worship experiences.  We recounted His freakish goodness…and remembered His love as He revealed it in Christ who surrendered to the cross for us all.  

Reflecting on this time of corporately thanking Him and honoring the One who rose from the dead to make a way for us all…a thought hit me.  It caught me like a right cross to the face…”this feels so right,” I thought to myself. It was like “we were doing what we are made to do.”  We are designed to honor Him, worship Him, focus on Him…to be consumed with Jesus and His purposes rather than be consumed with ourselves. As we worshipped hard, sang loud, and cheered huge over the work He had accomplished in this place over the weekend…as we became consumed with Him…it just seemed like for a moment…a flash…none of us were focused on ourselves. Instead, we were doing what we were made to do…focus fully on the One worthy of our worship.

It was an unforgettable picture of what life can be when we shift our eyes from self to Jesus…who promises that if we will do that, God will lift us up.

In case you haven’t heard…EASTER AT QUEST WAS INSANE!!!  Lamborghini.  Tailgating.  Tunnels.  9 worship experiences – 2 cities – multiple campuses.  An orchestra playing with Quest’s house band.  Arm wrestling.  U2.  A hill to die on.  The blues.  The Justin vs. Shillito finale.  An unforgettable picture of Jesus.  An empty tomb.  The unapologetic call to humble ourselves before God.  Thousands of people.  Hundreds of white flags.  All in 24 mind-blowing hours!!!

It was a weekend to remember forever.  I will never forget it…the weekend we celebrated Easter for the final time in this auditorium and blew the roof off – honoring God.  Thank you to the artists, KidsQuest volunteers, musicians, singers, welcomers, technicians, inviters, pray-ers, and everyone else who made this the best Easter yet.

In case you haven’t heard (perhaps because you are reading this from a land far far away), and you are asking “I wonder how many people came out to Quest for Easter?”  let me tell you.  Jesus drew 7,030 people to Quest to learn about Him this Easter.  Even more importantly, I watched as person after person streamed down to the foot of the cross to humble themselves and drive their white flag of surrender into the hill Jesus died on.  I WILL NEVER FORGET what it looked like as 227 people gave their lives to Jesus.

I really am just speechless!  God is so good.  First the resurrection and now this!  I hope I never recover.  I have a feeling He is just beginning, guys.

P.S.  I sat up late into the night watching the Easter worship experience online at Questcommunity.com…do it…get the DVD! Awesome!

I am out of my mind right now!!!  I have not begun to recover…I hope I never do!  I love our church.  I love it!

“I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” Habakkuk 1:5

I am so pumped up about what just happened at Easter worship experiences at Quest Community Church.  Seriously, I am so thrilled.  I hope you attended one of Quest’s 9 services at one of our 2 campuses.  If you did get the chance to attend (even online) I trust you were as filled up, inspired, and drawn to Christ as I was.  Here are my top 10 observations of the unforgettable weekend…

1.  The hundreds of volunteers it took to pull off so many great worship experiences just blew my mind.  Quest has the greatest volunteers on planet earth.  It took literally hundreds and hundreds (app. 500) of servants from KidsQuest to Host Teams and Artists to Techies serving for hours & hours to make it all happen.  THANK YOU!…you are heroes in heaven and to me.

2.  Questers you did it…you really did it…you invited and invited and invited.  Thanks for caring about people enough to have the courage to invite them to your church.  From the bottom of my heart I believe that a personal invitation is the best way to help someone actually come to church and learn about the love of Christ.

3.  I loved the recapping of The Man Series that the musicians and video team joined forces to create.  The Bittersweet symphony and rewind video were awesome.  It really captured the spirit of the series beautifully.  (I thought Jon Roller – orchestra conductor – was going to explode before our very eyes).

4.  Justin vs. Shillito was inhumanly funny!  Creative genius…camera magic…superior acting = a cinematic triumph.  Justin (the main star who was defeated), Eric (the abused & avenged assistant), & Carson (my heartbreaker & afroed little boy) displayed undeniable chemistry.  Vintage QCC!!!  I think we are going to try and make the DVD of all four parts available soon.

5.  I can’t say enough about the Media Team under Josh Watkins leadership.  Not only did they serve tirelessly with willing spirits…but the truth is I will never forget The Epic video they made with clips of The Passion of the Christ.  Just breathtaking.  To everyone who helped…thank you!

6.  I felt in brand new ways an overwhelming love for Christ’s Church and Quest Community Church.  I love this church.  I love serving God.  I love being your pastor.  I love going all out and leaving it all on the field to reach spiritually lost and/or confused people with the message of the Gospel.  I love spending my life serving Jesus by leading this incredible church family.

7.  Teaching about the hill of pride was twice as powerful (as my mere words) simply by doing it in the sight and context of the hill that Jesus died on.  I fell in love with Jesus in brand new ways this Easter.  Can you believe He surrendered so completely out of love for YOU?…I am blown away by Jesus all over again!

8.  James 4:6, 10 made me long for more humility in my life…I want to be so much more like Jesus…don’t you?!  I pray for all of us that we will humble ourselves before the Lord and leave the “lifting us up” part to Him.  The prospect of living squarely in the center of God’s great hand is so freeing.

9.  Do you know how many people in a span of about 24 hours heard the clear message that they were not made to bear the burden or carry the weight of their lives on their own?  Do you know how many people learned that God loved them so much that He let His only Son be brutally murdered to pay the price for their sin and gain them a way to God?  Do you have any clue how many people had it sink into their hearts and minds (for the very first time) that they really matter to Jesus so much that He surrendered to the mob, the whip, the nails, and the cross in their place?  Do you know how many??!!!

10.  All else aside…I still feel a bit out of breath over the sight of dozens and dozens of people streaming down the aisles with white flags in their hands!  Did you see the base of the mountain where people were declaring their YES to Jesus Christ?  Did you watch as person after person…couples, parents, sons & daughters, men, women…blacks, whites, Chinese, Filipinos, Hispanics, Africans, Japanese…all just laid down their lives and surrendered to Jesus as the Savior and Leader of their life?!!!  Were you watching?  Did you lose your breath?  Would you have believed so many would come even if I would have told you in advance???  Holy, freakin’ moly!!!  God is so good.  Jesus just blows me away.  The Holy Spirit was just ranging throughout QCC campuses and venues convincing people and drawing them to the Father.  It was remarkable.  God is astonishing.

I love you all.  I was so proud to be your pastor this weekend.  Thanks for giving all you had and reaching out like people’s lives depended on it.

P.S. Be sure to come to Celebration on Wednesday at 6:30 pm…not only are we doing a rewind of The Man Series (esp. Easter weekend), but we are going to announce some numbers that will BLOW YOUR MIND!  So come for your last peek into the incredible ways God showed up in this series and hear exactly how many folks came for Easter and how many found new life by surrendering to Christ.  You will come unglued when you hear.

We’re less than half an hour away from the first of our 11 worship experiences this Easter weekend and I am incredibly pumped! Do what it takes to get here & bring all your friends…you won’t believe what we have in store for you!

And…if you need a little incentive men, how about this?!