Launching this blog in 2009 was a long-awaited adventure. As I’m reflecting on the significance of so many milestones over this past year, I thought I’d pause here & post the top 10 most popular blog posts of 2009. Enjoy!

10. Don’t Judge a Book…

9. That Just Happened: GRAND OPENING

8. A Picture of Heaven

7. What Are You Living For?

6. That Just Happened

5. That Just Happened: What Happens 30 Seconds After You Die?

4. Niney-One Seconds

3. 20 Feet in the Air

2. Christianity is Dying

1.  An Era Begins

p.s. Honorable mentions by those who get their posts via email: Michael Jackson & Farrah: When Icons Die, Need Hope…For Your Dad?, Ignition, That Just Happened (Ichthus) & Some Assembly Required

I hope you had a great Christmas, friends. I’ve been praying for you as I take some time off with my family this week. 2009 was a remarkable year on so many levels. I hope you’ve been celebrating and remembering and really drinking in these final days of the year. While so many people I talk to are looking forward to 2010 – and are eager for it to get here – Justin brought us a timely message this weekend about the regrets and “if only’s” that keep us from making the progress we long for. I hope you spend some great time reflecting over these next few days.

Here’s some of what Justin saw this weekend:

1. Watching the Fused band rock out “Carol of The Bells” was one my personal favorites! God is using the gifts & talents of our students in incredible ways — what’s coming in 2010 for them?

2. Jon Headley and the band cranked out a great version of Creed’s new song, “Rain.” Watching the rain & water droplets on the back screen made me so thankful for this amazing room we now have church in!

3. Getting to share the “Cinnamon Challenge” that Anyerin Drury & I took was one of the funnier moments I can remember… and the lingering taste of cinnamon makes it one of my top ranked “if only I hadn’t done that…” moments of 2009.  (You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcNNU1Ean4c)

4. When I had people who actually kept their 2009 resolutions raise their hands (and then those who kept them from 2008…and 1995) and saw how few there actually were, it became easy to see that January 1st has no power to erase our regrets. It really is just another day on the calendar.

5. Its not everyday you open the book of Leviticus, But helping Questers connect the Jewish “Day of Atonement” (or Yom Kippur) to Jesus’ death on the cross was eye-opening. I love the reality that while New Year’s Day might not have any power, Good Friday created the possibility of a new beginning for everyone.

6. I watched so many Questers do real work with the “If Only” cards, where we wrote down our regrets & mistakes from 2009, and then let them be nailed to the cross as a reminder of the truth that Jesus really did take our sins away. Hundreds of people streamed forward to the crosses, worshiping the One who allows us to be done with the past!

7. Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the entire message, was the truth that Jesus has His own “if only’s” for us! But they are “if only’s” full of possibility, hope, and excitement about what the future can bring… if only we’d trust Him with our past, receive Him into our hearts, or live in the truth of His love!

8. I got to met several people who realized they had never experienced the cross & had their own personal “day of atonement.” They left the room having received forgiveness and invited Jesus into their hearts…and they’re starting the new year as new people…forgiven and free!

9. One of the biggest celebrations of the day was Megan, who gave her life to Jesus. She makes the fourth (and final!) member of her family who’s come to Jesus this year! Can you imagine (and yes, I know many of you have experienced it!) all the members of your family coming to Jesus in one year…or even just in 7 months? Let it fill your heart with hope about what’s possible for the people you love & pray for!  It did for me!

10. I can hardly believe that over 6,000 people have come to Christ in 2009 through the ministries of Quest!! That’s UNREAL. With that in mind, can you even begin imagine what He’s got in store for 2010? I loved getting to close out 2009 with the words of Habakkuk 1:5 – “For I am doing something your own day… something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.”

Happy New Year, Questers! Bring your regrets & “if only’s” to the cross and leave them there. God has so much in store for the year in front of us!

In the middle of busy days fighting traffic, buying last minute gifts, wrapping presents, and getting ready for Christmas, I am convinced that Jesus wants to intersect our worlds in ways we would not expect. So…get your hopes up. Slow down a little. Listen (in the middle of all the noise), for the still, small voice of the One who left paradise just to be with you. He can’t wait to break through to your heart this Christmas.

And as you’re making room for Him in these busy days, I wanted to personally invite you to join us this Thursday at Quest for Christmas Eve Services.

This is going to be a remarkable, don’t-miss night as we focus our hearts on the One who brought light into our darkness 2,000 years ago. Whether you’re slammed with plans or you’ve got nothing on your schedule at all, this is the perfect night to make room in your busy life to be about the main thing. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, you are welcome at Quest. God is waiting to meet with you…and He might just have something to whisper in your ear in the middle of a Silent Night that you’ve been desperate to hear.

Bring everyone you’ve ever met! I can’t wait to see you there!

p.s. Service times are Thursday at 4:00 and 6:00pm in Lexington, and 6:30 in Frankfort.

p.p.s. Your invitation may be all it takes for someone to go from death to life. Don’t hold back!

With Christmas just around the corner, these are busy days. I loved taking time out with thousands of Questers this weekend to consider our response to the One who split history in half to reach out to us and make us His own.

Here’s just a little of what I saw:

1. There’s just something about the music of Christmas that draws us in. Don’t you just love singing Christmas carols? Between Ani hitting NeedtoBreathe’s Go Tell it on the Mountain, Sharon singing Here With Us, and Becky singing Welcome to Our World with those amazing shots from The Nativity on the screens, the music this weekend was amazing and it was easy to see people being moved by the reality of God’s gift in what they were hearing.

2. Hundreds of you brought shoes and coats to help people who can’t afford them this winter. I loved seeing the practical generosity of Questers in action. Jesus attended to the spiritual and physical needs of those He ministered to. I LOVE that Questers do it too! By the end of this month, over 1,000 of you will have participated in giving hope to our cities. Thanks for being the hands & feet of Jesus…you really are the most generous people I know.

3. Justin vs. Christmas just keeps getting better & better. Thanks to our own resident creative geniuses for your terrific work! It really feels great to laugh these days.

4. Could you believe the number of brand new people standing when I was giving away the most sought-after Christmas gifts of the season? Dashboard Jesus…action-figure Jesus with glow in the dark hands, and of course…the “Jesus Shaves” mug…seriously, does it get any better than that? If those gifts don’t provoke a response in you, I don’t know what will!

5. For all the people I get to speak to every weekend, I loved getting to see my father sitting in our new auditorium Saturday and Sunday. I will never get over the fact that my dad actually has Jesus in his heart…March 28, 2005…a truly remarkable day when my father’s eternity took a 180 in the name of Jesus. (Merry Christmas, Dad!)

6. Shelby Addison Frazier stole the show again! Watching her adoption video together – it was almost impossible NOT to respond, wasn’t it? (You can watch it here around 40 minutes into the service.)

7. So many of you were really grappling with your responses to Jesus this week in light of the responses we studied in Matthew & Luke. It’s shocking to realize that Jesus’ birth wasn’t a surprise…and yet almost everyone missed it. We miss the signs He puts in our path, too, but we get to choose our response…

***Indifference vs. Seeking – Jerusalem vs. Wise Men: Jerusalem, and her religious leaders couldn’t be bothered to travel six miles down the road to see Jesus. But the wise men traveled over 1,000 miles and couldn’t be stopped. Are you an honest seeker? Or are you just indifferent?

***Self-Consumed vs. Christ-Consumed  – Innkeeper vs. Shepherds: The innkeeper protected his livelihood while the shepherds risked their livelihood to follow Him. The shepherds left everything and ran to Jesus. What do you need to leave in the open field to run to Him?

***Fear vs. Faith – Herod vs. Mary: Herod let fear feed him while Mary let love do its work. The truth is fear will take you further from God than you ever intended to go. What fear is it that’s holding you back from responding with faith?

8. Do you think maybe you’ve gone too far? Waited to respond too long? You are never too young and never too old. My friend Ray shared his story from his baptism after receiving Christ at age 85. It is not too late for you, my friends! Thanks to the rest of you who told your stories this weekend, too. Can you believe the truth of the stories we get to hear every single weekend?! Don’t ever get used to them, Questers.

9. So many of you understood the grace of God in a brand new way through the story of Stephanie, a Korean orphan who had no idea how to respond to the love of her adopted parents. Here’s what I want you to know, friends…God’s not mad at you because you haven’t known how to respond to His love…He just wants you to receive it. And He will never stop pursuing you because You are the child He wants.

10. At the 11:30 worship experience, God’s pursuit was so palpable that I got to lead more than a dozen of you in a humble prayer as you responded to His offer to become His child and receive His forgiveness, love and grace this Christmas. From baptism on Wednesday through Sunday afternoon, more than 30 of you responded to His great love by receiving Him into your hearts! You made the best decision of your life and gave Him the best Christmas present you could ever give.  Now you get to trust, follow and obey Him forever. I’m so proud of you!

p.s. Want to take the next steps in responding to Him? Join us for one of our incredible, don’t-miss Christmas Eve Worship Experiences at 4:00 or 6:00 in Lexington and 6:30 in Frankfort! Do whatever it takes to be here! (There might just be more great gifts!)

)p.p.s. Don’t forget Wednesday Celebration is canceled as we have service on Thursday.)

Wow! I just gotta tell you…there’s NOTHING on the planet like hearing story after story of real life rescues. From my son’s friend, John, who’s 11…to my new friend, Ray, who’s 88, this night was marked by stories of loving pursuit by the God of the Universe.

Whatever your story so far…Jesus has not given up on you. He’s not disappointed in you. He’s not waiting for you to measure up or make it right. He’s is head over heels in love with you, and He wants to shine into your darkest night & draw you to Himself. The truth is…Jesus didn’t die to make you good. He died to make you HIS.

I loved getting to baptize so many of my friends going public for Jesus tonight. And I loved meeting those of you who asked Jesus into your heart tonight, too…a remarkable night!

This weekend as we continued in our Christmas series, When Suddenly, Transformation Pastor Helen Musick teamed up with our artists to bring a message of Hope. I’m praying for you to experience that hope this week…the overflowing hope we read about in Romans 15:13 – I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here are Helen’s reflections from this weekend: When Suddenly Hope Broke Through.

1. Moving from last week’s message to this week’s reality… Last week we spent time on the truth that dark times come to all of us, and there are some lessons that can only be learned in the dark. But Christmas reminds us that Hope breaks through the darkest nights, and Hope can break through today, no matter what. That is the real message of Christmas.

2. Quest’s first music video… Ani and the band rocked it out to True Love simultaneously on stage and at Triangle Park in downtown Lexington. (And in the rain no less!) That has got to be one of the coolest things we have ever done! (Any my nephew Andrew rocked it on lead guitar!  I’m a proud aunt…). Between that and Ani’s acoustic start to O Come All Ye Faithful, our artists took us to a new level this weekend.

3. “You take the pain out of church…” I loved my friend’s words as he described his experience of coming to Quest this weekend. For my friend and for so many others…church has been anything but a place of life, joy & hope. Reminds me how much I love my church!

4. Justin vs. Christmas… Justin and Erik were priceless as they caroled and went head-to-head with the Salvation Army bell-ringer all in the spirit of Christmas. Thanks guys for showing us that the true meaning of Christmas includes dressing up like elves and doing an off-key two-part harmony of our favorite Christmas songs. (Special props to Rebekah Reasor for her cameo role as the disgruntled homeowner. Do I hear Oscar talk already?)

5. What just a small whisper of hope can do… Michael and Karen’s story inspired deep, re-orienting hope in so many of us. If we will just give Him a chance, miracles really are possible. Michael and Karen are living, breathing reminders of Hope that does not disappoint. (Thanks for sharing your story!)

6. Hope spilling out and overflowing… As I looked out at the faces of people who barely made it through the doors this weekend, I knew that hopelessness was close to taking them out. But I also watched as hope was kindled for people who realized that it’s in the darkness that the Light shines brightest.

7. Impatience, Preference, Perspective… Hopelessness was called out by name and walls fell down as people identified their barriers to hope and declared that impatience, preference and perception would not take them out anymore.

8. Hope is not found in something but in Someone. 2,000 years ago hope was born for you so hope could be born in you. Where is your hope this Christmas?

9. Their journey never left them hopeless… The Wise men’s faces where tangible expressions of what real hope looks like. They were always expectant, and their hope is not wishful thinking but active trust. Watch the Nativity this Christmas – and renew your picture of hope.

10. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…Go back and read Isaiah 9:6 again and again. Jesus is meant to be all of this to us and more…in life giving, experiential, tangible ways. How incredible! He really is a Mighty God

Accelerate was remarkable tonight. 40 people walked out of the room loving Jesus and each other more than when they walked in. Can’t tell you what it does to the heart of this leader to be surrounded by people who honestly want to let Jesus wreck and rebuild them…who work to lay down their pride, their preferences and their insecurities for the sake of Jesus.

He is so utterly faithful and true. And as we let love do its work, advancing leaders in the bride of Christ look more and more like Him all the time…when the days are sunny and bright, and when the winds blow and circumstances go out of control.

Thanks for laying down your lives to lead in the bride of Christ, friends. All of heaven is cheering you on.

What a weekend! Quest just launched our brand new Christmas series, When Suddenly…a series that seems tailor-made for the days we’re in. Head over to Quest’s website to watch for yourself. Here’s what I got to see from my unique vantage point:

1. Opening the weekend with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 was a fantastic start to our new series. Thanks for going all out, musicians and artists. (That orchestra rocked!)

2. What did you think of our new set on this gorgeous stage? I loved all those Christmas trees…and for the first time ever we got to have a car onstage! (…this stage kicks butt!) From the drama early on in the service – to the ways I got to interact with the car throughout the worship experience – it was a great reminder of the gift of the wrecks that sometimes come our way that can be formative in our lives.

3. Thanks to those of you who were a part of our video story. You helped us get real about what’s underneath it all. Listening to Justin sing The Goo-Goo Dolls’ Better Days after that was striking…who in the world doesn’t long for better and easier days?

4. I could show that Christmas Vacation clip from the lost chapters of Luke any day! (Christmas Vacation is so much better than every other Christmas movie ever made, it doesn’t seem fair to even let people vote!)

5. Who are you in the dark? People were grappling with this question hard core in every worship experience. It was easy to see the agreement on some of your faces when I said that there are things we learn and choices we make that can only be decided in dark places. It’s a theme in scripture that we tend to overlook, but if you’ve been in dark places in the past, you know it’s true. Steven Curtis Chapman is a remarkable illustration that we can still choose to lean into Him even when it gets really, really dark. He is the God who promises beauty for ashes, and Beauty Will Rise if we’ll let Him lead us.

6. Loved walking through the Three Battles Fought in the Dark…Will you Pretend or Admit? Blame or Own? Try to Control your circumstances…or Surrender to the One who knows you & loves you? Sound familiar? I hope the Tiger Woods illustration helped as you grappled with these questions in your own life. It was funny remembering trying to take control on my double date with Jacki (Don’t you wanna find Desperado on iTunes right now?). And it was weird remembering the story about my neighbor, but I though it made a helpful point…we’ve gotten way too good at acting live everything’s okay.

7. We’re praying for all of you who are feeling the winds blow these days. We’ve heard from so many of you in person and through email, and I’m holding you before God in a special way this holiday season. He wants to meet you in the dark places.

8. 1 Peter 5:7…Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. Have you glued this verse to your cell phone yet? Or made it your wallpaper? It cuts through all of our excuses to pretend and blame – and our weak attempts at control…and it brings us right to the heart of God. Whatever’s going on in your life right now…He really does care!

9. Thanks to all of you who encouraged me & thanked me for giving a hard message this weekend. It hit such a raw place in us… I loved seeing you grapple with it in a real way.

10. Opening registration for The Uprising and announcing Perry Noble as one of our speakers was a highlight, for sure. I’m so pumped for all of you who’ve already registered! (Maybe it was the announcements of the event bands Earth, Wind & Fire, 3 Dog Night & Guns & Roses – depending on which service you were in…) Is The Uprising gonna rock, or what?! Glad to welcome Shaun King who will also play a role in the conference, as well. I am more and more convinced every single day that He wants to do something revolutionary through The Uprising. Sign up here for the Super Early Bird rate today!

p.s. Did I mention that 13 of our kids in KidsQuest GAVE THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST this weekend?!?

Can’t decide which was cooler…launching Quest’s new Christmas series tonight or officially opening registration for The Uprising! I got to make a very fun announcement of some fantastic featured speakers who’ll be at The Uprising this spring. I’d tell you who…but better yet, get to Quest in the morning to find out who they are for yourself! And go to http://www.theuprising.net today for special Super Early Bird registration discounts.

p.s. One of the first 100 registrants will win an iPod, so sign up now!

As I prep for this weekend’s launch of our brand new Christmas series, When Suddenly…, I’m aware of unusual winds these days. A friend’s mother is recovering from surgery as she waits for the doctor to call with biopsy results. Two other friends are making their way through the holidays without their fathers for the very first time. And as a pastor, I’ve talked with many of you finding your relational worlds turned upside down, finances stretched or addictions out of control.

It strikes me that in the middle of decorating, shopping & parties, sometimes there’s more going on than we admit. Maybe no one else even knows what you’re facing right now. But when the circumstances of life get beyond your control, 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you.” He will never leave you or abandon you. The God of the universe cares for you. He is ready to meet you…no matter who you are or what you’ve done.

I can’t wait to bring this weekend’s message…bring anyone you know who’s feeling the winds blow!

p.s. Check out www.theuprising.net tomorow after the 5:55 for Super Early Bird Registration.