I am prepping right now for one of my favorite weekends of the year: Vision Weekend. As I write this talk, I’m sitting and processing what God is doing and what He’s been showing me over Study Month…and it is SO FUELING! I can’t wait to bring it!

I just had to take a quick break from my prep to say…GET HERE! I want to personally invite you. Drop everything and do whatever it takes to be here…and bring someone with you. This is the perfect time to invite anyone who’s ever wondered what Quest is all about. Offer to pick them up, buy them lunch or dinner…you won’t regret it. This weekend, we will see more clearly than ever who God is calling us to be as a church and what role He has for us personally as we move into a new building in the year of the Jump! I think He’s going to blow the roof off of our expectations!

I’ll see you here…don’t miss it!

I am typing this late Wednesday night on the eve of The Ramp. I go back to the office tomorrow after three weeks of my annual Study Month. I have called special Staff Meetings that will begin at noon and run ’til late. Why? Because we will spend all of August ramping toward the fall. And Quest is preparing for a fall like we have never had. The first weekend of September we will have the Grand Opening of our brand new worship center, cafe’, bookstore, office center and atrium. On the same weekend we will host the 4th Questapalooza – a huge party for our city where we are praying for 10,000 to come enjoy themselves to Jars of Clay, Group One Crew & Third Day. And that’s not all…as is our custom we will be having QCC’s Fall Kickoff (in the brand new auditorium that holds 2400+ people). Our fall series is called UAsked4It. We’ve invited people from all over the world to ask the biggest questions they have for God, and we’ll spend six weeks together looking at what God has to say about them in the Bible. I CAN’T WAIT!

So I am sitting here at my computer late at night trying to cull the best of what I have learned over these three weeks of focused study, worship, listening, praying, etc. I’m asking Jesus just what He has for us in the season(s) ahead. I can’t wait, really. So pray please. Pray for His plans to be done through His bride here at Quest. Pray that our eyes and ears perceive all He has for us. Pray for our humility, devotion and effectiveness. Pray that Jesus is made famous and thousands come running to the One who loves them enough to pursue them with His love.

After three weeks of meetings with other leaders, worshipping at other great churches and sneaking into Quest unnoticed to participate in secret…I AM BACK! And I cannot wait…I am honestly so pumped about the plans God has for Quest and the millions we pray to impact that I can barely keep it to myself. OH YEAH…I don’t have to keep it to myself…I’m back. Can’t wait…

P.S. This Sat/Sun is Vision Weekend. I want to invite you to GET TO QUEST…NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES! Change plans, move appts., reschedule your wedding, get a sub, just get here. If you attend QCC, this is can’t-miss-weekend…if you don’t go here but are interested in what we are all about…perfect! Whatever your deal is, you are invited to one of our 6 services identical services at either Lexington or Frankfort campus…or even a live web service. See you this weekend!

Over the last two & a half weeks of this abbreviated Study Month, I’ve traveled thousands of miles, visited growing & advancing churches and watched how the “capital C” Church is responding & engaging this generation for Christ. (Sometimes well & sometimes with our eyes wide shut.) I’m in the process of distilling what I’ve seen and heard, and this weekend I got to do that alongside my 10 year old boy – an incredible kid growing up in the 2000s. At the same time, Quest was wrapping up My Generation with Assistant Pastor, Justin McCarty, addressing the attitudes and outlook of this last decade, helping us understand ourselves – and God’s pursuit of us – in new ways. God was stirring things up. I heard report after report about this weekend (a gas can & an open flame??) …and this series: an unbelievable hit!

From our Aussie’s rendition of Born in the U.S.A. to Dancing Queen & Highway to Hell…all the way to Beat It & Crazy in Love, Quest’s artists nailed generation after generation. Thanks, Anyerin & crew! And thanks to hundreds of volunteers led by our incredible arts & teaching staff that pulled off this fantastic series. I can’t believe I get to lead this great church! I’m so PUMPED to be back with you LIVE next Saturday & Sunday for VISION WEEKEND! Get ready for God to rock your world…it’s time to reach this generation for Christ!!!

Here are Justin’s observations from our last week in this great series, The 2000s – Crazy in Love…

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1. People really loved “My Generation!” Every week I watched everyone’s excitement and anticipation ramp. As we concluded the series this past weekend, people were so engaged. I’ve never heard so much laughter throughout the course of a weekend! (Perhaps that had something to do with the “Real Man” drama that included one of Quest’s favorite characters — the sensitive, artistic, overacting Felix!)

2. Huge props to Becca, Tim, and the Music Team for an unbelievable rendition of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love.” Becca’s voice (and swagger) was amazing, Tim brought it with Jay-Z, and the band brought such energy & life to a great song of the 2000s! It’s moments like that where I’m just thinking: “I love my church!”

3. One of the most unforgettable moments had to have been holding the open flame near the gas can! People’s faces…the nervous mumbles throughout the auditorium…the rising tension — all of it set us up perfectly to understand & experience the heart of God as he watches us treat sex so carelessly in our culture. He knows that sex is flammable (capable of great things in the right context; explosions in the wrong context) and He’s eager for us to experience it in the way He designed us to.

4. Walking through John 4 and discovering the subtleties of what was happening with Jesus and the woman at the well was so much fun. I’m amazed how relevant & interesting the Bible is — especially when you realize that this woman may well have been hitting on Jesus!

5. I had so many people express how helpful this message was in helping them hear God about the issue of sex and their need for relationships. It made me realize how often churches have steered away from these topics, leaving people to figure things out for themselves. What a gift to be in such an authentic church where people’s real issues aren’t avoided, instead they are dealt with in such an engaging, compassionate, life-giving way.

6. I loved hearing from so many of you about the person God was putting on your heart to grab a CD or DVD for. Go for it! There’s no greater gift you could give someone than pointing them toward the One their hearts are longing for. In Jesus’ words from John 4, they “don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”

7. God has been doing something in our church with this description of Jesus as “Faithful and True” from Revelation 19:11. Since Pete’s talk at Easter where he first introduced us to this title for Jesus, it feels like we are experiencing and exploring this reality more and more. I love how Jesus — “Faithful and True” Himself — still shows up to meet promiscuous people looking for love in all the wrong places.

8. I will never forget looking at our church and saying, “God looks at us like a society of burn victims” when it comes to sex. My heart was simultaneously grieved by how true it was and undone by how lovingly & compassionately looks on us. Despite how casual or careless we’ve been with sex, God looks on us with compassionate love, eager to heal and restore us.

9. Watching people in the room and talking with some folks afterward helped me see the great work people were doing in grappling with the question: “What jar do you need to leave behind?” Like the woman at the well, Jesus invites us to leave excuses, identity, and shame with Him. We are meant to leave the jar behind so we can live freely and lightly, celebrating the crazy love we experience from Jesus.

10. The anticipation of Vision Weekend is palpable! It will be so good to have Pastor Pete back from Study Month and to receive all that Jesus has to get us ready for the next era at Quest Community Church. The Ramp begins next weekend with Vision Weekend — do whatever you need to rearrange your calendar to be here!

If you could ask God any question in the world, what would it be? Do you know? What things have seemed off-limits when it comes to Him? What topics are “untouchable” in church? Are there questions that have bugged you for years, and it seems like no one will tackle them? This fall, Quest is gonna tackle your biggest questions in a series called UAsked4It…bringing your toughest questions to God as we see what He has to say about them in the Bible.

I am so PUMPED to see this series finally coming to life. I brought it back from Study Month a YEAR ago & God has finally said, “It’s time.” Now I need your help to make this series everything it’s meant to be!

Uasked4it is going to be a series like no one’s ever seen…because you’re the ones putting it together! We’re taking 6 weeks to address the questions that are on your mind. Everything is fair game: heaven, hell, sex, end times, alcohol, swinging…you name it. Nothing’s off limits.

So go for it. Go to www.uasked4it.com to ask your question. What do you have to lose?

P.S. Jesus wasn’t afraid to ask or answer questions that flew at Him constantly…in fact, hundreds of His questions are recorded in scripture! So don’t hold back!

While I was unplugging at the Monastery this week – surrounded by men who have taken a vow of silence – Quest’s artists were getting ready to blow us away with Beat It & Don’t Stop Believing! (How’s that for a contrast?) I heard fantastic reports about our weekend worship experiences at Quest…most of them telling me how sorry they were I was missing it! Way to go artists & musicians…you clearly blew everyone away again! And thanks to Sharon Clements, Quest’s Worship & Arts Pastor, who brought a great talk on believing God. Sharon’s an invaluable part of our Lead Team at Quest and she loved getting the chance to teach you in this series. I’m sorry I didn’t get to see it all in person! Here are Sharon’s reflections:

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My Generation has been a great surprise. Just when when we’d grown accustomed to reflecting on our favorite movies every summer in Quest at the Movies, Pete shook things up by bringing this series to the team. Now while he’s away on his annual study month, he’s missing some of the best moments we’ve ever seen in the middle of summer! (Sorry, Pete!) This past weekend was one of my favorites from top to bottom in recent Quest memory.  Here’s what I saw…

1. What in the world?!? BEAT IT!!! From the moment the opening lights hit the room, this thing was ELECTRIC! Headley in his Member’s Only Jacket, Anyerin cleaning house with that Van Halen solo, the dancers moving in perfect timing with the actual MJ video… then Becky Shaw Moonwalking her way across the stage… it came at us from every angle & jettisoned itself onto the list of one of the top musical moments we’ve ever experienced! Way to go Music Team!!

2. I LOVED hearing that Journey intro coming off of Jennifer’s story on never giving up. Don’t Stop Believing is not only one of the best songs of the 80′s, it’s also a challenge we all needed to hear.

3. Audience participation was at an all-time high. Highlights? Shannon Callahan belting out Straight Up with all her might, the whole 10:22 crowd helping Jonathan go for The Greatest American Hero Theme song, (love it!) Rebekah’s picture from The Facts of Life… and Dan’s perm.

4. I felt perspective start spilling into the room when Jennifer said, “God’s Timetable is not the same thing as His Trustworthiness.” Great quote, Jennifer.

5. “Believing IN God is NOT the same thing as BELIEVING God.” When that hit the room, people leaned in. When Truth separates ideas that have been stuck together too long, things get shaken up. I loved seeing that in the room, and I loved seeing it in the eyes of someone I care about as we talked about making the shift from a belief system to a relationship with Jesus. We are MADE to Trust Jesus.

6. I’ll never forget the picture of trust – this simultaneous feeling of fear & exhilaration – that Cooper Wedding showed us! (One of my favorite pix of ALL time!)

7. Hearing people digging around for paper to take notes on cued me up about a couple of things: that we were eager to learn from people who’ve found themselves in the middle of disappointments & unanswered prayers like us, and that Questers really come ready to be transformed. That’s such good news, because when Jesus finds hearts that are available & hungry like that, HE MOVES!!

8. Martha & Mary RAN to Jesus – even when their circumstances didn’t all add up. They didn’t blame Him, they didn’t pull away… they ran STRAIGHT to Him. I want to be more like them… pressing past the “If only’s” right to the “BUT EVEN NOW’s”… THAT kind of faith opens doors for God to move.

9. Jesus’ heart was really evident to us – the way He weeps with us, the way He LOVES us. No matter what our bad math says…the fact is He is NOT a WITHHOLDER. And when my new friend Christina heard who He really was, she knew she wanted Him. Leading her into a relationship with Jesus after the 11:55 was even better than Beat It.:)

10. Our hopes are up, Quest… we felt it this weekend, and that really matters for the days that are to come. Jesus has GREATER MIRACLES to do among us, and we’re courageously stepping into the next. We want to be the kind of people who JUST BELIEVE HIM... and just WATCH what He does!!

When I received the call sometime back, I thought to myself that it must have been a mistake. Why would TBN be calling me to be on their show PTL? Quest is not exactly the sort of church I would associate with Christian TV. In fact, I have thought we were so different that I have never even really watched the show all the way through. I had my Communications Director call to see if this was all a mistake. He called…it wasn’t.

TBN was doing a show with pastors from advancing churches and they had found us through the 100 Fastest Growing Churches in America list. It turns out they went to our website…researched Quest a bit & said, “We’ve got to get this church’s pastor on here.” So considering this and talking with the Lord about it, I decided to accept their invitation in the middle of my Study Month. On top of that, I figured I would take a bus load of Accelerate leaders (a year-long leadership development course I teach) with me as a field trip-learning experience deal. So this past Tuesday night we went to Nashville to shoot.

So here’s the scoop…I HAD A BLAST…IT WAS AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE. I am totally serious…ask any of the 45 leaders I took with me…we had a great time. Matt & Laurie Crouch were just great…down to earth, kind, interesting, flexible, humble, etc. I was on with two great pastors Brady Cooper and Bishop Joe Walker. Bishop Walker had just done Steve McNair’s funeral live on ESPN & I heard he did a remarkable job. I could learn an awful lot from him.

The interview was free & unscripted. Matt & Laurie just wanted to advance the Church & the cause of Christ. The TBN staff (Donnie, Jennye, Russ, & all the others – really) were exceptionally helpful & capable. We were treated great & professionally. It was just a beautiful time. I hope TBN folks see this to hear QCC’s gratitude.

I believe God was honored…the Church was advanced…the word of God was clear…the Gospel was uncensored & millions & millions of people across the planet heard about the love of Christ that went to the cross in hopes of rescuing them & bringing them home to the Father. Fan-freakin’tastic night! I have heard that the show will air this Saturday Night July 18th at 5pm EST on TBN (Questers record it since it’s during church!!!)

It makes me wonder though…are there other people, ministries, churches, pastors, leaders, televangelists, etc…that I have misjudged from a distance simply because we appear different?

While I was in Atlanta, the 70s ROCKED at Quest! Way to go Questers…I missed you!!! Aren’t you loving My Generation? (Yes, that really was Highway to Hell in the Prelude!) Wish I could’ve been there to see it in person…

Helen Musick, Quest’s Transformation Pastor, taught from her generation:) this weekend. Here’s some of what she saw:

1. The icons of my youth… I wasn’t kidding when I said I did devotions this week with the 70s edition of People magazine. That was such a memorable time for me. I “survived” high school and college during that decade and I know I couldn’t have done it without Travolta, Farrah, platform shoes, Bowie, and “Love Story” (Love means never having to say you’re sorry–OMG!!). I got a clearer picture of how we all impact this world on some level. I’m so grateful for the way we get to impact this world for Jesus!

2. The 70s as the “in-between” time of life… for sure, the 70′s were caught “in-between” seasons of despair and confident expectation. We weren’t in the riots and turmoil of the 60s, nor were we in the excess and glitter of the 80s…we were somewhere in-between.  Not despairing, but not yet living in confident expectations of the future. As gas dried up at the pump, we were donning our platform shoes and boogying down to the Bee Gees. We were surviving. And the truth is…the “in-between” seasons of life are not limited to a decade, it comes with life. Paul’s words from Romans 5:3-5 gave us a map for navigating roads in life that are bumpy because of trials and problems.  And yet, we can rejoice, we get to pick. Because when we persevere, God does something in us through suffering that I’m not sure can be accomplished any other way: He develops our character to be like His…and hope is realized in life-giving ways.

3. Lonnie bringing it strong with “I Will Survive!” When that disco ball glowed throughout the room and we heard Lonnie belting out, “At first I was afraid, I was petrified,” I was sure I was back in college! And then to watch the whole room join in dancing and singing along with her… I just kept thinking to myself, “Oh my, I love my church!”

4. Resignation is not the plan. I talked to so many people who said, “This is exactly what I needed to hear for where I am in life.” The way we look at the future impacts the way we live out the present. So many of us slip into resignation so easily and forget that it’s not God’s plan. To know that we can have a confident expectation for more through Him lifted so many of us out of the malaise of resignation and into that place of hope that we were made to live in.

5. Don’t be surprised. A crazy little video that had a spiritual truth: “As you’re disco-ing down the dance floor of life, don’t be surprised when the disco ball falls on your head.”  The Bible tells us this is how it is in this world of brokenness. Yet, we can rest in the truth that this is not all there is…that God is in charge and that He loves us. Jesus is not real because He takes the trouble away, He is real because He did not abandon us to this brokenness but instead He chooses to join us in it, to walk with us through it, and to restore and redeem it for us.

6. An interesting ease in the room…I’ve never been in a church where people are so themselves, so relaxed, so happy to be there, so willing to do life together.  But what I sensed when I stood up on Sunday was something on another level.  I think this series, My Generation, is doing something so much deeper than I expected.  It’s like we are “for” each other in new ways. Like we (different age groups), are wanting to learn about each other and celebrate each other and what’s being unleashed in the room is a deeper love.  Didn’t know that was possible.

7. “God didn’t erase the tragedy, but He redeemed it.” This truth rang out in the room as Dan, shared his story of a marriage broken by adultery and mistrust that is now fully restored and thriving.  To listen to Dan and Amy share a story that most people, (especially in church!) don’t want to talk about, brought hope and healing for hundreds of people.  Dan has seen Jesus restore his life, marriage and family, he realized the gap was evidence of more than just a broken life–but of a soul separated from His heavenly Father. As God reconciled him with his wife and children, Dan realized he had not been reconciled to God and gave his life to Jesus just recently at the outdoor baptism. For Amy, someone who’d made the decision to surrender her life to Jesus long ago, she experienced faith and trust like she’d never known. Simply miraculous.

8. What it means to really trust God. Can you trust God even when there is no evidence of His movement in your life?? As people grappled with this question and what it would mean for their lives, we got to look to those faithful men and women in the bible who trusted God even though none of what He had promised to them came to pass in their lifetimes. And now, centuries later and for all time their faithfulness lives on as a beacon of hope to those of us who have so much and still seem to have such a hard time trusting the One who gave His life for us. Trusting God on these levels takes us to deeper places as followers and as a church. What does He have in store for us for this kind of faith? I could see that people were saying “yes” in their hearts to trusting Him, even when they can’t see.

9. Roller skates, platform shoes, and afros. Yes, THE STYLE of the 70′s was alive again at Quest Community Church. Anyerin in Dingo Boots and my own nephew in a leisure suit (that I think actually belonged to my brother!), brought back memories for all of us from this great decade! I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the sight of Joh Evans escorting people to their seats dressed in a red ruffled shirt tuxedo. Or Barry Frazier dressed in his bright red shirt with fringe on the sleeves and his green jeans that read on the back pockets “TOO” and “HOT” in beads that he had bedazzled himself.

10. Third Day, Jars of Clay and Group One Crew. What an announcement! Our full lineup for Questapalooza (check out the web sight www.qpza.com ) was announced!  The excitement for this great event went up a notch for everyone in the room.  This year’s qpza will be the best ever. What in the world does God have in store for the tri-city area that He would bring these kinds of bands to our city??? Are you all ready?

11.  When tragedies, problems or hard times come our way, we all find ourselves tempted to ask the question “Why me?” I’ve learned that there are two ways to ask that question.  One way is to ask it with a sense of resentment and anger, which only leads down the road to despair.  The other is to ask it out of a heart that wants to know why God would allow something hard or painful out of His love for us.  If everything He does is good… then even in the hard and stretching He must have something good for us.  It was an “Ah-ha” moment in the room.  I watched as people who had been stuck in grief and anger due to suffering they have had in life, mostly due to someone else’s poor choices, find strength and a next right step out of despair and into hope.

While Quest dove into the 70s with My Generation this weekend, Pete was on the road in Atlanta meeting with great pastors and visiting advancing churches over his Study Month. Those of you Questers out there…Can you BELIEVE we have a pastor who invests like this to learn everything he can to make our church all we can be & make Jesus famous? Thanks, Pete!

Here are some quick highlights from Pete’s twitter:

> On plane to Atlanta…Study Month is on. I’ll visit 4 great churches (make that FIVE!) & meet w/an awesome pastor @shaunking …can’t wait…I’ll miss u Quest

> Are you kidding me…my 1st Study Month rental of ’09 & my assis. gets me a yellow convertible Mustang…gonna be fun…good work Court! | Last time we found a deal on a convertible Mustang I got pulled over twice within 2 miles… oh well…all for Jesus!

> …had great lunch w/ @shaunking …guy loves God, his family, the Church & people. Courageous Church has an awesome pastor. | Visited a church in Atlanta called Perimeter… their Youth & Kids dept. are really well designed & laid out…

> I walk into Fogo & hear ‘Pastor Pete we go to Quest’…awesome | The verdict is in…Either someone opens a Fogo in Lex. or I am never coming back! …this place is absafreakin’lootely awesome! |  I must thank one @perrynoble holy freakin’ moley…FOGO ROCKS…there will certainly be one in heaven…thanks for the advice!

> Just left @shaunking & Courageous Church…he is doing great job…that church is only 6 months old…but it’s gonna explode…just watch! | I must confess, I’m visiting 4 awesome churches & their pastors today yet I keep getting reports about Quest ROCKIN’ the house & I’m jealous

> Just left 12stone church…GORGEOUS CAMPUS lots we @ Quest can learn…good work 12stone you all are honoring God w/your excellence 4 sure | Left service early, stopped for pic, held up only other car leaving early, I apologize & they say “Quest right? We’ve come & love it” 2 cool

> Just left Destiny church …I love when you can tell that people love their church

> Sitting in Buckhead church amazed at how great their lights, sound, set design are…really impressive | Just hit me…u may follow my Twitter & be sitting here in Buckhead church. I’m pretty sure I’m breakin’ rules by txting & u are by reading! | I JUST BUSTED A PERSON SITTING ON MY VERY ROW!!!

Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Pete! Five churches in one weekend…WOW! And thanks to all of you who are praying for Pete’s Study Month. Up next…He’s got an interview coming up and he’ll be spending great time getting away to be alone with God at the Gethsemani Monastery. (Do they allow twittering there?:))

(Go to twitter.com/petehise for more updates (& to see fun twitpics!) &/or get Pete’s twitters straight to your phone to track with him over Study Month!)

Hello petehise.com readers. If you happen to be a Quester, I promised to keep you updated on my Study Month travels. What could be keeping my word more than this video from Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport? Here’s a little video as I head out to meetings and churches in Atlanta. I’m gone…

[vimeo clip_id=5548040]

As of today I’m officially on my annual Study Month. Over this month, I will work away from my church office. Some of the time I will be in my home office…much of the time I will be on the road meeting with great pastors and leaders around the country. I will go to services at effective and advancing churches in various states. I will even spend a week (as I have for 19 years) at Gethsemane monastery doing my best to sit before the Lord in focused silence and prayer.

The primary purpose of my time of study each year is very clear. I want to see, hear, observe, understand, learn, know and experience everything God has for me. I want to pull back from my normal routine so I can gain a wider perspective. I want to be exposed to what others are learning and unlearning. I want to make sure I am giving Jesus the best opportunity to wreck me so that He can in turn rebuild me as He sees fit.

I do not take a study month just to become a better pastor…I take this window of time to grow as son of the most high God. The goal of my life is to become more and more like Jesus, and I find that I do that best with some set aside periods of time to be alone with Him. To talk and to listen…to confess and to worship…to read and to stretch.

Let me tell you a little secret…I don’t much like study month very much. I am extremely extroverted and I will miss everyone back at Quest. I would prefer to stay at church, worship in community, keep a steady routine, and not miss all that goes on at our active, astonishing church. I take Study Month because God calls me to it…the board sends me on it…and I look a little bit more like Him when I come back from it. So today I am on my way…to a quieter, more deliberate, focused season with Jesus.

So what about you? Do you have your own version of a study month? It doesn’t have to look like mine. It doesn’t need to be weeks long. But where is the place where you get alone with Him? When do you pull away from your routine to allow Him to time and space to wreck and rebuild you? Could be a certain morning next week. It might be your commute or your vacation. Perhaps an afternoon at the Gorge or the pool. Give it some thought. I challenge you this summer to carve out a little space…meet Jesus there & invite Him to show you or tell you anything He has for you. You may well walk away looking more like Him than when you walked in.

Pray for me over the next 21 days. Know that I will be praying for you. (I have plenty of time.)