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Can’t Wait to Be BACK!

August 1, 2011 in Study Month with

GET READY QUEST COMMUNITY! It’s time for the Fall Ramp and I’m almost BACK!

Pete and Carson from Quest Community Church on Vimeo

By the time you read this, I’ll be at the Abbey of Gethsemane Monastery as a part of my annual Study Month. Over this month, my schedule looks different than the rest of the year…I work away from my church office. I work from home and spend time on the road meeting with great pastors and leaders around the country. I go to services at effective and advancing churches in various states. And…I get away with God. I’m spending this week (as I have for 20+ years) at the 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.

So what about you? Where do you get alone with God? When do you pull away from your routine to allow Him to time and space to wreck and rebuild you? It 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 and 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 rest of Study Month. Know that I will be praying for you. (I have plenty of time.)

p.s. Thanks to the dozens & dozens of you who are praying for me daily during this season as a part of the “Arms Up” team. I’ve really sensed your prayers and I am so grateful.

Learning from Others

July 7, 2011 in Study Month,Uncategorized with

Over my annual Study Month this July, I’ll be taking time out to get alone with Jesus, spend time in His Word and visit great churches and leaders to learn and grow. It’s hard to quantify the impact this time makes…from the big ideas that come along the way, to the refueling that comes from extended, uninterrupted time with Jesus and the growth that’s sparked meeting with other leaders who are passionate about leading people to Christ.

God is doing so much in Uprising and advancing churches and leaders all over the world. I’m eager to learn all God has for me/us from these awesome leaders and Kingdom-minded churches. Even though it’s hard to be away from the community I love, the impact is win-win.

Advancing leaders for the cause of Christ must always aim to be teachable and humble. The most effective Christ-followers and leaders are consummate learners…life long students (no matter how they did in school:)).

If you’re leading on the front lines, it’s essential to learn to work with the rhythms of ministry to make space to study, learn from others and hear from God – not just to write a better sermon or come up with the next new idea, but to fall in love with Jesus. I’m so grateful for the Core Team of Quest who sends me off every year to learn and grow as I connect with God’s heart in a singular way and let Him restore me. I can’t WAIT for all God has in store!

Thanks for sending me off, Core Team, and thanks for praying for your pastor, Questers!

There’s Just Something…

July 28, 2010 in Life,Study Month with

Over the last few weeks, I traveled to lots of cities and slept in lots of beds, and there’s just something about being HOME. I can’t explain it…I’m a native New Yorker, and I love big cities…restaurants on the water…places with tons of action going on late into the night…cities that never shut down. But here I am in Lexington, Kentucky, and I rest easier just being at home.

We’re all made with an innate longing for home. When I ran away from home as a kid (yep…packed up my peanut butter & jelly & off I went), despite all my fierce independence, I couldn’t wait to get back. And now there’s a better home waiting for us that reminds us…this world is not our home. We’re made to be home with God Himself, and for all of our fierce independence, He’s the place we’ll find rest and peace.

I missed you, Quest…can’t wait to be back home with you, too. I’ll see you this weekend for VISION WEEKEND…can’t WAIT!!!

That Just Happened:
Classic Rock
(Pete Hise, w/guest blogger, Helen Musick)

July 26, 2010 in Quest,Study Month,That Just Happened with

My Generation wrapped up this weekend with Classic Rock! All I can say is WOW!!! Ani & the band…you guys blew us AWAY for SEVEN straight weeks! Thanks to the teaching team and other artists who led us through a great summer looking at the soundtracks of our lives.

Music impacts us, draws us to God, gives voice to the feelings of a generation, and is an evidence of the cries of our hearts. From the Psalms to Van Halen (and, yes…even Country), we express ourselves and meet with God uniquely through music. I hope you drank in everything God had for you in this great series!

Here are Helen’s reflections from this weekend:

1. My Generation: 7 Genres, 21 services, 78 song by 71 different artists, 100 musicians and vocalists, 25 guitars, 80 hours of practice! A HUGE THANK YOU to Ani and the rest of the music team that just hit it out of the park for 7 weeks in a row this summer. The music of My Generation was amazing!! Thanks for going all out week after week.

2. Saved the best for last …Classic Rock! Jimi Hendrix, The Who, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones and so many others. Just another typical day at church…YEAH RIGHT!!

3. And yes, the back stage passes were real: Eagles, Blue Oyster Cult, ZZ Top, Billy Joel, and of course… Lynard Skynard! [That's a whole story in and of itself!]

4. Mick Jagger got it right. I can’t get no satisfaction and neither can you…not from this world. BUT Jesus came to give us rich and satisfying lives. Want satisfaction? Look to Him.

5. Are you living with what Pastor Pete calls a “Jesus and…” mentality? (Jesus AND…a a date, a new job, my kids improving, my marriage…) Nothing will bring true satisfaction but Jesus. Everything we try to add to that leaves us clinging to things that were never designed to satisfy us and can’t. TRUE satisfaction comes from living a Jesus-only kind of life.

6. Lots of dissatisfied people found hope as they reflected on the truth that the place of dissatisfaction can be the place God was pursuing you so that you could find true satisfaction. Thank you Elizabeth, Charley and Nicole for sharing your hearts with us!!

7. True satisfaction is not found in SOMETHING, it’s found in SOMEONE. Amazing to watch the conversations after services as people experienced that in life giving ways!

8. God is dissatisfied when one of His kids lives at a distance. He loved us so much that He sent the thing that satisfied His heart more then anything, His only Son, to satisfy the debt for our sin.

9. You will never be completely satisfied until you surrender your life to Him. A simple truth that changes everything.

10. Quest in Haiti… seeing our team in Haiti brining hope to the needy gave us a picture of the truth that satisfaction is found in living out His plans for us.

p.s. Be here next Saturday and Sunday as we welcome Pastor Pete back from Study Month and all come together for VISION WEEKEND!! You won’t believe what God has in store!