A daily quiet time journey as we search the scriptures and tell our story.
by Mark & Debbi Witt
Feb 1: You Are Not Your Performance (Ephesians 1:3-6)
Paul reminds us we are blessed “in Christ” and chosen, adopted, and accepted in the Beloved. Many adults live on a treadmill of performance, work, ministry, family expectations.
For 50 years, Debbi and I have lived on missionary support, and we’ve learned that God isn’t just the One who helps us. He’s the One who chose us, blessed us, and provides for us as His blessed children. (Ephesians 1:3–6).
In the winter of 1977, our 19-year-old friend Gary Brewster from Kansas City visited us in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. We just began the ministry a few months earlier, had no money coming in, and the mail hadn’t arrived yet. Gary told us, “Let’s get on our knees and pray, then I’ll check the mailbox and see what God is going to do.”
A half hour later he came back holding envelopes from supporters, exactly enough to meet our needs for the week.
In that moment, God reminded us that our security isn’t in what we can do, but in who we are: chosen, loved, and cared for by the Father. And ever since, we’ve learned to trust Him day by day, because the One who adopted us also faithfully supplies what we need. And this is the way we have lived for 50 years.
God’s Word says your identity is rooted not in what you do, but in what Christ has done. You are already accepted in Him.
Prayer: Father, thank You that my worth is in Christ, not in my performance.
Challenge: When you feel pressure to “prove yourself” today, pause and whisper, “I am accepted in the Beloved.”
Feb 2: God at Work in You (Philippians 1:6)
Paul is confident that the God who began a good work in us will complete it. You may feel stuck or discouraged by slow growth, but God is not finished with you.
Since starting Teen Quest 50 years ago, I’ve had plenty of days when I just wanted to quit. I worked hard, thought I had a handle on growing the ministry and reaching kids for Christ, and then everything seemed to fall apart.
In the early 1980s, we believed God had provided a camp facility near Saltsburg, Pennsylvania. It wasn’t much land, but it had a small lodge that fit our needs perfectly. We moved onto the site, held special meetings, and felt full of hope that this was our future, a place where we could reach kids for Christ.
Then, just a few months later, I received a disturbing letter telling us to move off the property. We eventually learned that a woman had maneuvered things legally to take over the property and push us out. The discouragement hit hard. I truly wanted to quit.
But looking back, I can see God’s hand. If we had quit, or even if we had somehow stayed and tried to force that property to become our future, we may never have built the Teen Quest Ranch where God has reached far more young people for Christ than we ever imagined. What felt like a setback was God’s re-direction. He wasn’t done with us, and He wasn’t done with the work He started.
Spiritual maturity is a lifelong adventure, not a weekend project.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are still working in me. Don’t let me give up on what You haven’t finished.
Challenge: Write down one area where you see God’s growth in your life compared to five years ago.
Feb 3: Peace in the Middle, Not the End (Isaiah 26:3-4)
God keeps in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because he trusts in Him.
A few years after we began our ministry, I invited Jack Wyrtzen, founder of Word of Life in Schroon Lake, New York, to speak at our youth rally at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park in Pittsburgh.
Bringing in a guest like that was a big deal, and expensive. We expected a few thousand people, but only about 500 showed up. I knew that meant trouble, so I quietly asked the Lord to help us cover the bills.
That night on stage, Jack leaned over and said, with a little pressure, “Mark, let me take the offering.” My stomach sank. I could already see the unpaid expenses piling up. With a gulp and a prayer, I leaned back and said, “Then I’ll give you all the bills.”
Jack paused … then leaned back and said, “You go ahead and take the offering.”
In that moment, God reminded me: peace isn’t something we find only after the pressure lifts. Peace shows up in the middle, when we fix our thoughts on the Lord instead of our fears.
Prayer: Lord, fix my thoughts on You so I can experience Your peace.
Challenge: When anxiety rises today, intentionally quote “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you., because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4
Feb 4: God Sees Your Hidden Faithfulness (Matthew 6:3-4)
Jesus describes giving and serving in secret and promises that the Father who sees in secret will reward you. Many of the most important acts of love and faithfulness in adulthood, changing diapers, caring for aging parents, quiet acts of generosity, go unnoticed by people but never by God.
I grew up in the country in Western Pennsylvania near Connellsville with few neighbors. Just down the road, in a small shack, lived an elderly couple we called Uncle Earl and Aunt Violet. They very poor with no running watering their home and they heated it with an old coal stove.
Every Christmas, my family would go sit in their living room and sing Christmas carols with them. They couldn’t afford to give us anything, nor would we ask for anything. Those visits became some of my sweetest Christmas memories. We never announced it or tried to impress anyone. We simply showed up year after year. And I’m convinced it meant far more to them than we ever understood.
That’s the kind of faithfulness Jesus talks about, quiet, unseen, and deeply valuable in the Father’s eyes. God sees what others miss, and He never forgets a hidden act of love.
Prayer: Father, help me serve faithfully even when no one sees but You.
Challenge: Do one act of kindness today that no one knows about but God..
Feb 5: When You Don’t Have the Words (Romans 8:26-27)
Paul says the Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. There are seasons when you don’t know what to pray, too tired, too confused, too hurt. God understands, and the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for you according to God’s will.
I remember a day in November 2010 when my brother called to tell me Dad had passed away. He was my mentor and my best friend. We talked on the phone almost every night, and I knew he prayed for me every day. I respected my dad deeply, he lived out his faith in a way that shaped our whole family.
After that phone call, I cried like a baby. Dad was gone, my best friend was gone, the man who had prayed for me so faithfully was gone. I wasn’t prepared for that moment.
And all I could think was, What can I say? What can I pray?
That’s when Romans 8 became real to me. God doesn’t ask us to produce perfect words in our deepest grief. When our hearts can only groan, the Holy Spirit meets us there and carries our burden to the Father, faithfully, personally, and according to God’s will.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for interceding for me when I don’t know how to pray.
Challenge: Spend a few silent minutes before God today, simply present, trusting the Holy Spirit to intercede.
Feb 6: God’s Grace in Your Workplace (Colossians 3:23-24)
We’re told to work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord we will receive an inheritance.
For years, we’ve been building the Teen Quest Ranch. Even though my main calling is to lead and minister to kids, I’ve never minded getting my hands dirty, building, fixing, repairing, so young people would have a place to hear the gospel. But after many years of nonstop projects, I hit a season of burnout.
Around that time, southern Florida was hit by a strong hurricane, and the roof of a small-town church was destroyed. A team of guys from Somerset was heading down to help, so Debbi and I joined them. We spent our days working on that roof - nothing glamorous, just sweaty, hard labor.
But I’ll never forget the pastor’s gratitude. He kept saying, “Now we can open the doors again.” And when Sunday came, that little church was able to gather for worship because a few people were willing to serve behind the scenes. We came to help them, but honestly, we were the ones who felt blessed.
Your work may feel ordinary or exhausting, but when you do it for Christ, it becomes worship. God sees every unseen effort, and He uses it far beyond what you can measure.
Prayer: Lord, help me see my work as service to You, not just to people.
Challenge: Choose one task at work or home that you usually resent, and deliberately offer it to God as worship.
Feb 7: When God Says “Wait” (Psalm 27:13-14)
David says he would have lost heart if he had not believed he would see the goodness of the Lord. Then he calls us to wait for the Lord, to be strong, and take heart.
Debbi and I have been in youth ministry for more than 50 years. So many times, I wanted to move ahead of the Lord God often reminds me to allow Him to take the lead if I will just listen.
It was the year 1976 Debbi and I had a steady job working as youth pastor full time at Library Baptist Church in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Debbi and I were happy doing what we were doing. We had a youth ministry that was thriving with hundreds of kids, but God moved in our hearts to start a youth ministry outside the church.
When I told the pastor what God was calling us to do he gave us a raise which made it harder to leave. It was also harder to leave because we had such a successful youth ministry in our church.
We had to wait on the Lord for his timing. That season of waiting was hard but we knew one day we would take the leap of faith.
We finally took that big leap of faith on August of 1976 as we formed a 501C3 organization known as Christian Youth Crusade later called Teen Quest. Debbi and I have never looked back because we knew God was in this calling.
Staying close to Him, be willing to wait on him. through His Word, prayer, and obedience, is how you bear real fruit in your life.
Waiting seasons can feel like wasted seasons, but God often does His deepest work in us while we wait.
Prayer: Lord, give me courage to wait on You without losing heart.
Challenge: Identify one area where you’re frustrated with God’s timing. Write it down, and underneath write: “I will wait on the Lord.”
Feb 8: Comforted to Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
God is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others.
In the early years of Teen Quest, we had a school bus parked outside our office in the Upper St. Clair area of Pittsburgh. One morning when I came in, I discovered someone had thrown a rock through the windshield. It was going to cost us hundreds of dollars, money we really didn’t have.
At the time, I hosted a daily radio program on Pittsburgh’s Christian station WPIT (now WORD). That day on the broadcast, I shared what happened and reminded listeners that God calls us to count it joy when troubles com, not because trouble is fun, but because God meets us in it.
About an hour later, a man called me. He told me he was going through a hard season himself, but God used that broadcast to speak to him. Then he said, “I want to pay for the windshield.”
God didn’t just provide what we needed. He also used our trouble to bring comfort to someone else who was hurting. What felt like an attack became an opportunity for God’s mercy to flow in two directions.
Your pain is not pointless. God often recycles it into compassion and ministry, so you can comfort others with the comfort you’ve received.
Prayer: Father, use my struggles to help me comfort someone else.
Challenge: Reach out to someone who is going through something you’ve experienced and offer to listen and pray.
Feb 9: The Discipline of Contentment (Philippians 4:11-13)
Paul learned to be content in every situation—not because circumstances were easy, but because Christ was enough.
During my time at Otterbein College, I wanted a car badly. But because I had a student loan, we weren’t supposed to have a car on campus. Still, being independent and determined, I decided I’d buy one anyway.
I found an old clunker that I thought was drivable. I handed the man cash, jumped in, and took off down the road. About a mile or two later, the car broke down completely. I had to get help pushing it back to the former owner, and I don’t even remember if I got my money back.
God used that foolish moment to teach me something valuable early on: obey the rules, slow down, and don’t rush to grab what you want.
Contentment isn’t getting everything on your timeline, it’s trusting God’s timing and finding your satisfaction in Christ.
Contentment isn’t natural; It’s learned. It grows as we shift our focus from what we lack to the sufficiency of Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, teach me to be content in You, no matter my circumstances.
Challenge: List three blessings you usually take for granted and thank God for each one specifically.
Feb 10: Guarding Your Words (James 3:5- 10)
James teaches that the tongue is small but powerful, for good or for harm.
When I was a young teenager, I spent a lot of time with the neighbor kids. Unfortunately, I picked up some “choice words” we never spoke in our home. One evening I got angry with my parents and used those words. My parents didn’t ignore it. They corrected me and disciplined me for what came out of my mouth.
Years later, as a young adult, I had my own moment of failure. I got angry with one of my kids and called him a terrible name. He never forgot it, and later he reminded me of what I said in that heated moment.
That’s what James is warning us about. Words don’t disappear the moment we speak them. They can wound, shape memories, and leave a mark on a our heart for years. Our words have a tremendous influence and can nave an negative or positive affect in our home, marriage, workplace, and church. Blessing and cursing should not flow from the same mouth.
God can help us grow, but it starts with humility, owning our words, asking forgiveness when we’ve hurt someone, and asking the Lord to make our mouths instruments of life.
Prayer: Lord, set a guard over my mouth and help my words bring life, not harm.
Challenge: Choose one relationship where your words often slip. Ask God to help you speak only what builds up today.
Feb 11: Marriage as a Picture (Ephesians 5:25- 27)
Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and marriage itself is meant to picture Christ and His bride.
After college, I taught Art and studied part-time at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Soon after I arrived, I and my friends hosted a home Bible study. and that’s where I met Debbi, the love of my life. I honestly can’t remember what evangelist Danny Cantwell said that night, because my attention was fixed on her.
At the end of the meeting, I introduced myself… and promptly spilled punch all over Debbi. I was embarrassed, but she was gracious.
Over the next 18 months, we centered our relationship around the Bible and prayer. As we drew closer to the Lord, our love for each other grew stronger. We even chose a “life verse” together: Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Two years later we were married in her hometown of Martinez, California. Christ has been at the center of our home for many years.
That’s what Ephesians 5 is saying. Marriage isn’t only about romance or companionship, it’s a relationship God has ordained. When a husband loves with sacrifice and a wife responds with trust and respect, the world gets a glimpse of something bigger: the faithful, cleansing, self-giving love of Jesus for His church.
Whether married or single, we remember that human marriage points beyond itself to the greater love story, Christ’s sacrificial love for His people.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for loving Your church sacrificially. Reflect that love through me in my relationships.
Challenge: If married, do one intentional act of love or encouragement for your spouse today. If single, encourage a married couple and pray for them.
Feb 12: Parenting with Perspective (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
Parents are called to love God with all their heart, and then to diligently teach His words to their children in everyday life.
I grew up in a Christian home where my parents read Scripture and prayed during family devotions faithfully every night.
As a kid, there were plenty of nights I didn’t think I was getting anything out of it. But Dad was steady, reading God’s Word and praying faithfully, night after night.
After Debbi and I were married, we carried that same pattern into our own home. When the kids came along, we continued family devotions while they were growing up. We wanted to leave a spiritual legacy for our children, not just good memories, but a foundation of faith.
From day one, Debbi and I made a simple commitment: we would end our day with prayer. By God’s grace, we have kept that commitment through the years.
Deuteronomy 6 reminds us that the goal isn’t perfect parenting. It’s faithful, everyday discipleship. The greatest gift we give our children or grandchildren is not success or possessions, but a spiritual legacy.
Prayer: Lord, help me impress Your truth on the next generation You’ve placed in my life.
Challenge: Share one simple truth about God or a verse with a child, teen, or grandchild today.
Feb 13: Friendship that Sharpens (Proverbs 27:17)
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
During my early college days, my friend Doug Winn came to know Christ from being an atheist. I had trusted Jesus a few years earlier, and after Doug was saved we spent a lot of time together. We went to church, prayed, and studied Scripture, helping each other grow stronger in our faith.
One day Doug was driving a little too fast and we got pulled over by a cop. We handed the officer a gospel tract, but he still gave Doug the ticket!
Later, we shared that story at church on a Sunday night. One lady was so moved by our enthusiasm for the Lord that she came up afterward, pressed ten dollars into our hands, and said, “Use this to buy more tracts.”
It was a small moment, but it reminded me how God uses friendships to shape us. A good friend doesn’t just make you laugh, they help you love Jesus more, think more clearly, and stay faithful when life is hard. Isolation makes us dull; healthy relationships help us grow sharp.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the people who sharpen my faith. Help me be that kind of friend.
Challenge: Contact a Christian friend who sharpens you. Thank them and ask how you can pray for them.
Feb 14: The Love That Never Fails (Romans 8:38- 39)
Paul declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
During my college years at Otterbein, I found that many students didn’t really care about true Christianity. I had given my life to the Lord a few years earlier, and I was committed to following Him. Some friends down the hall even claimed they were believers, but they didn’t live out their faith.
The guys in my dorm tried to get me to do things that went against my convictions, but I wouldn’t give in. At times I felt alone as a believer, but that didn’t stop me from living out my faith. Then I met Doug, a friend who had just come to Christ, and it made all the difference in the world. God used that friendship to strengthen my faith and remind me I wasn’t the only one walking with Him.
Since then, I’ve been in many situations where people around me didn’t respect my faith. But God has taught me to love them anyway, while still standing for the truth.
On a day when our culture talks a lot about romantic love, remember that God’s love is deeper, truer, and unbreakable. Human love can fail, His never does.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love in Christ.
Challenge: Tell someone who feels alone or unloved that God’s love in Christ is unshakable, and pray with them if possible.
Feb 15: Don’t Grow Weary in Doing Good (Galatians 6:9-10)
We’re encouraged not to grow weary in doing good, because at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
I met Roger during the second year we moved to the Teen Quest Ranch. He’s the kind of guy who would do anything for teens, so we hit it off right away.
Roger had years of construction and excavating experience, and he has poured those skills into the ministry. When we needed a tube hill built, he built it. When we needed an auditorium, he designed it and volunteered his time. When we needed cabins, he helped build seven of them, and the list goes on. He has an incredible talent, but even more than that, he has a heart that genuinely wants to help people in need, especially young people.
One day, Roger took me to a run-down, poverty-stricken area I didn’t even know existed, full of kids who were hurting and overlooked. I watched how he cared for them. He would pick them up on the bus, bring them to his church youth group, and he also sent many of them to the Teen Quest Ranch.
Seeing Roger in action opened my eyes. God used him to show me how important it is to reach kids who are truly down and out, and to keep showing up for them.
Serving, parenting, caregiving, and ministry can wear us down. But God sees your faithfulness, and He promises that in His time, there will be fruit. Don’t quit too soon.
Prayer: Lord, strengthen my hands when I feel weary in doing good.
Challenge: Think of one area where you’re tempted to quit. Ask God for fresh grace to keep going today.
Feb 16: Casting Your Burdens (Psalm 55:22)
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.”
We often carry loads we were never meant to bear alone, financial pressure, family tension, health fears, and the weight of the unknown.
When the COVID pandemic was declared on March 11, 2020, we immediately had to face the possibility of closing some, if not all, of our camps and events. That summer, our camps shut down for the first time in the history of our mission. It was a year filled with fear and heartbreak as many people lost loved ones and friends to the disease.
Then, in December of that same year, I ended up in the emergency room because of some physical problems I was having. Was it COVID, or something else? After further examination, the doctors told me they were concerned it might be prostate cancer, so they scheduled a biopsy.
Those days of waiting were heavy. I had to cast my burden on the Lord as I waited and waited for the results. Good news or bad, I made up my mind: I was going to trust God.
Finally, the call came from the doctor’s office.
“Mr. Witt, we see no signs of cancer.”
Of course my fears were relieved, and I thanked the Lord for His mercy and kindness.
God invites you to roll your burdens onto Him, not because they aren’t real, but because you were never meant to carry them alone. And when you cast them on Him, He promises sustaining grace.
Prayer: Lord, I cast my burdens on You. Sustain me with Your strength.
Challenge: Write down your heaviest burden and then, in prayer, verbally hand it to the Lord.
Feb 17: The Freedom of Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21- 22)
Peter asks how often he must forgive, and Jesus’ answer shows that forgiveness is to be a lifestyle, not a limited number.
A few years ago, my wife and I bought two rocking chairs for our son and his wife in Gettysburg. We finally found the perfect pair at a Cracker Barrel just off Route 15 several miles from Gettysburg. I loaded them into my truck, began the drive back, excited to surprise them.
But on the drive, I glanced in the rearview mirror, and my stomach dropped. One chair was gone.
I took the next exit, turned around, and searched the highway. There it was on the far side of the four-lane road. A man had pulled over and was walking toward it. I shouted, “Hold on! That’s my chair!”
He called back, “Don’t cross, it’s dangerous. Just go up, take the exit, and come back. I’ll watch it for you.” It sounded safe… even helpful, so I trusted him.
When I came back, the chair was gone. So was he.
The loss hurt, but what stung more was the betrayal, he knew it was mine and still took it. Anger rose fast, and bitterness tried to take root. But right there, the Lord spoke to my heart: Are you going to carry this, or hand it to Me?
Forgiveness doesn’t excuse sin or ignore justice. It releases the right to revenge and refuses to let bitterness poison the soul. It places the matter into God’s hands, because He sees what we don’t, and He judges perfectly.
Prayer: Father, help me forgive as You have forgiven me in Christ.
Challenge: Ask God if there’s anyone you need to forgive. Choose to forgive, and if appropriate, begin taking steps toward reconciliation.
Feb 18: Seeking Wisdom Daily (James 1:5)
James promises that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God who gives generously without finding fault.
For more than 20 years we lived in Wooddale, near Connellsville, Pennsylvania. But the daily travel from our home to Somerset was wearing on me. Mile after mile, day after day, it was becoming a burden. So we faced a big decision: sell our home.
We didn’t rush it. We prayed about our decision and asked the Lord to guide us. We had a great realtor, we did everything we knew to do, and we trusted God with the outcome. But month after month went by. A year passed. No sale. It was discouraging. It felt like a closed door. Eventually, we took the house off the market, still wondering, Lord, what are You doing?
Then one day, we found a house in Somerset that we thought might be the answer. Our realtor said, “Let’s put your house back on the market.” Almost unbelievably, within weeks, our home sold.
Now we were ready to purchase the home in Somerset but another house suddenly come on the market , only two miles from the Teen Quest Ranch. When we saw it, it was clear, this is the one. We moved fast and purchased it. To live that close to the Ranch was a huge blessing.
Looking back, the lesson was unmistakable: if our home had sold the year before, we would have never found this house. What felt like a delay was actually God’s protection and perfect timing.
Life is full of complicated decisions, finances, relationships, health, ministry. But God doesn’t shame us for needing help. He invites us to ask, and He delights to give wisdom when we come humbly and listen.
Prayer: Lord, I need Your wisdom. Please guide my decisions today.
Challenge: Bring one specific decision before God, asking for wisdom, and then be willing to obey however He leads.
Feb 19: The Priority of the Heart (Mark 7:20- 23)
Jesus teaches that what defiles a person comes from the heart, not merely from the outside.
When I was still in grade school, the Witts and the Hixsons would sometimes get into fights after getting off the bus. Most of the time it was pushing and shoving, but one day it turned intense.
The next morning I was sitting in class, trying to act like nothing happened, when the principal called me out into the hallway. Everyone knew you didn’t mess with Mr. Windgrove the principal. My stomach tightened as I stepped out the door.
There, lined up against the hallway wall, stood all the Witts and all the Hixsons, quiet as statues. Mr. Windgrove didn’t give a speech. He simply extended his paddle… and one by one, we felt the consequences on our back sides.
In that moment, God used even that painful embarrassment to get my attention. I realized early on that my heart wasn’t right, and my actions proved it. And when I got home, my parents weren’t pleased either. My will had to be broken for God to wake me up.
Jesus reminds us that the real problem, and the real battlefield, isn’t just our behavior. It’s the heart behind it. It’s not only what we do that matters, but the motives, attitudes, and desires driving those actions. Real change has to go deeper than the outside.
Prayer: Lord, search my heart and cleanse what’s inside, not just what others see.
Challenge: Ask God to reveal one heart attitude that needs to change. Confess it and invite Him to transform it.
Feb 20: Restoring the Fallen (Galatians 6:1- 2)
Those who are spiritual are called to gently restore someone caught in sin, watching themselves, and to bear one another’s burdens.
Teen Quest used to hold city-wide youth rallies in school auditoriums around the Pittsburgh area. One month we invited a somewhat well-known Christian artist. Booking him was stressful as he had a list of demands: certain foods, certain snacks, a certain hotel. We worked hard to accommodate him because we wanted the rally to impact students.
That night, he did a good job. Students were challenged and encouraged by his music and simple message.
But when I went to pay his hotel bill, I saw he had rented several inappropriate movies and expected us to cover those too. I refused to pay for the smut, and I challenged him, in love, about his testimony and the damage it could do.
I’ve always believed the world is watching. For some people, we may be the only picture of Christ they see.
We as believers are meant to restore, not condemn, truth with grace.
Prayer: Lord, help me respond with truth and gentleness when others fall.
Challenge: If you know someone who has stumbled spiritually, reach out with humility and encouragement, not gossip or judgment.
Feb 21: God’s Power in Ordinary People (1 Corinthians 1:26- 29)
Paul reminds the church that God chooses the weak and “foolish” things of the world to shame the strong and wise, so no one can boast before Him.
In the early years of Teen Quest, we challenged students to be spiritual light in their schools. We told them, “You have to carry your math book, your science book, your geography book, so why not carry your Bible too?”
One young girl, Patty, took that challenge seriously. She walked into her public school with a Bible in her hands, not trying to show off, just trying to stand for Jesus.
At first it felt risky. A Bible in a hallway full of opinions can make you feel like you’re wearing a target. But after a few days, something unexpected happened. Other Christian students noticed. Some who had been quiet about their faith suddenly realized, I’m not alone.
That Bible became a spark that encouraged others.
Conversations started, real ones, about Christ, about truth, about what it means to follow Jesus in a tough place. Before long, Patty helped start a Bible club. And a simple act, one student carrying a Bible, turned into opportunities to share Christ with many kids.
God didn’t use a celebrity. He didn’t use a famous preacher. He used a high school student with holy courage and an ordinary Bible in her hands.
Patty’s boldness became contagious, and other students began taking a stand too.
You don’t have to be impressive by the world’s standards. God specializes in using ordinary people who depend on Him. The world notices talent, but heaven notices obedience.
Prayer: Father, use my weaknesses and ordinariness for Your glory.
Challenge: When you feel “not enough” today, answer that thought with: “But God is enough, and He uses the weak.”
Feb 22: Living as Citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20-21)
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, Jesus, who will transform our lowly bodies.
Every summer we take kids to Beam Rocks, a huge rock formation on the Laurel Mountain trail. It’s a challenging hike, and the kids love the adventure.
A few summers ago, I was leading the group through caves and tight crevices, climbing and squeezing through difficult places. At my age, I was thankful I could still do it, but I learned long ago you do whatever it takes to reach kids for Christ. Life matters most when we influence the next generation to live for Him.
Near the top, the climb gets steep. I reached up for the final pull, and suddenly I was staring at the head of a copperhead snake. If I pushed forward, I could be bitten. If I jerked back, I could fall.
I snapped backward, but several kids behind me caught me and steadied me. My heart was pounding, but I was safe.
And the thought hit me: If I had been bitten or fallen and died, I still wouldn’t have lost, because heaven is my home. I live here, but I belong to another kingdom.
Earthly concerns can grip us, but eternity changes our perspective. We are citizens of heaven first, and that should shape how we live today.
Prayer: Lord, remind me that I am a citizen of heaven first.
Challenge: Hold one earthly concern up against eternity and ask, “How should this look in light of heaven?”
Feb 23: The Quiet Work of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17)
Paul tells us to walk by the Spirit, and we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Evenings around seven o’clock, if I called home, my mother would remind me, “Your dad is in his bedroom reading his Bible.” That was Dad’s sacred time, his quiet, protected space to be alone with the Lord. No noise. No distractions. Just Scripture, prayer, and a heart listening for God.
Watching my dad, shaped me more than he probably realized. His example taught me that walking with God isn’t loud or showy, it’s built in the quiet. That influence stayed with me, and later it became something I passed on to thousands of teenagers at the Teen Quest Ranch. How to have a daily quiet time in God’s word and prayer alone.
Over the years I’ve learned that walking in the Spirit starts with humility, confessing sin, surrendering control, and letting Christ sit on the throne of my life. Day by day, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me and lead me. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just change our behavior;He quietly reshapes our desires as we yield to Him.
The Christian life isn’t self-improvement. It’s Holy Spirit-dependence and God’s work is often quiet, but powerful.
Prayer: God, the Holy Spirit, lead me today. Help me walk by Your power, not my own strength.
Challenge: Before a difficult conversation or situation today, pause and pray, “God guide my words and reactions.”
Feb 24: The Gift of the Local Church (1 Corinthians 12:12–14, 27)
Paul compares the Church to a body with many members, each needed and each different.
A few years ago, a man named Wayne Hawkins called me out of the blue and asked if his church located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania could help us with a building project at the Teen Quest Ranch.
I didn’t even know Wayne, so we met, talked, and I finally said, “Would you help us build a much needed dining hall? ”
Not long after, Wayne, his wife Pat, and a whole team showed up. And they didn’t come empty-handed. They brought electricians, painters, carpenters, and cooks … men and women with all kinds of gifts and skills. That week we roughed in the shell of the dining hall and we were excited.
But it didn’t stop there. Wayne and Pat kept coming back, again and again with more people to help finish the job. In less than a year, we were using that building to feed kids at the Ranch. Today, we call it Hawkins Hall after Wayne Hawkins who went to be with the Lord in on May 7, 2021.
What impressed me most wasn’t just the building, it was the church body at work. The church wasn’t watching from the sidelines. They were serving, sweating, praying, and using their different gifts for one purpose: helping reach teenagers for Christ.
The local church is not a spectator event. It’s a living body. You are needed, and others need you.
Prayer: Lord, show me my place in the body and help me be faithful there.
Challenge: Ask, “Where can I serve regularly in my church?” Then take one step, contact a leader, send an email, or volunteer.
Feb 25: God’s Faithfulness in Temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
No temptation is unique to you, and God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but will provide a way of escape so you can endure.
Nearly every day we receive prayer requests from donors and friends who love this ministry. Our staff and board members pray over so many needs, such as cancer, heart problems, addiction, marriage struggles, and more. We often hear from parents praying for a wayward son or daughter, a grandparent concerned for a grandchild in trouble with the law, and family members who need salvation.
In the middle of all that pain, we’ve learned something solid: the Word of God does the work of God. Scripture brings comfort, strength, and direction when life feels overwhelming.
Does God answer prayer? Absolutely. Not always in the way we expect or on the timetable we prefer, but He truly cares. Jesus said even the hairs of our head are numbered. If God pays attention to something that small, He certainly sees everything you’re carrying today.
And that includes your temptations and struggles.
Troubles and temptations can feel powerful and personal, but God promises you are never trapped. There is always a God-provided exit, strength to endure, clarity to choose what is right, and a “way of escape” you can take.
Prayer: Lord, help me recognize and take the way of escape when I am tempted and troubled.
Challenge: Think about your most frequent temptation and struggle and pre-plan a “way of escape” (a phone call, a verse, prayer, or physically leaving the situation).
Feb 26: Investing in Eternity (Matthew 6:19–21)
Jesus warns against storing up treasures on earth and calls us instead to store up treasures in heaven.
In the late 1980s, I worked part-time as a youth pastor at the Evangelical Free Church in McKeesport while directing Teen Quest. In my youth group was a high school senior named Kurt Lynn, the kind of kid who seemed to have everything going for him: personality, National Honor Society, a gifted singer, and a bright future.
One day I stood in his living room and asked him a simple question: “Kurt, have you ever trusted Christ as your Savior?” That day in his living room he prayed and put his faith in Jesus.
Years later, as an adult, Kirt sang a powerful song about heaven in church. People loved it. It stirred hearts. It lifted eyes upward.
Then came the shock that still sobers me. On September 8, 1994, Kurt was on USAir Flight 427, returning from a business trip. The plane suddenly nosedived just a few miles from the Pittsburgh airport, and everyone onboard was killed.
At his memorial service, they played his song about heaven that he sang in church a week or so before. And God used it far beyond that room. Thousands of people, many who never met Kurt were comforted and pointed to eternity through the words he sang.
That’s what Jesus means when He says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Houses, careers, awards, and applause can vanish in a moment. But what’s done for Christ, souls reached, truth shared, and worship offered echoes into eternity.
So here’s the question for all of us: Am I investing more in what lasts… or in what fades?
Prayer: Lord, teach me to invest my time, money, and energy in what matters for eternity.
Challenge: Make one tangible “eternal investment” today, support a ministry, encourage a believer, share the gospel, or serve someone in need.
Feb 27: The God of Hope. (Romans 15:13)
Paul prays that the God of hope will fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
During our 50 years of ministry with Teen Quest, we’ve faced some tough financial seasons. We depend on the support of friends who believe in reaching teens for Christ. But last fall brought some of the heaviest pressure I can remember in years.
Expenses increased. Some faithful donors went home to be with the Lord. And it felt like almost no one was giving.
I lay awake with the same question pounding in my mind: What am I going to say to the staff if I can’t pay them for their work? These were people giving their lives to serve students, and I felt the weight of responsibility like a stone on my chest.
Debbi and I prayed every night. We wrote letters. We sent emails. And for a while… nothing changed, the bills stacked up and the pressure grew. Even Giving Tuesday only helped with a few donations.
We were still in debt and only God could do a miracle. He did at the last moment!
Suddenly, the Lord opened the windows of heaven. Donations began to come, one after another. By the end of December, God had provided the funds we needed to meet our obligations. Not because we were clever, but because He is faithful. He truly is the God of hope.
In a world of cynicism and bad news, Christians are called to be people of hope, not because life is easy, but because our God is real, powerful, and trustworthy.
Prayer: God of hope, fill me with Your joy and peace so that I overflow with hope in You.
Challenge: Instead of joining negative talk today, speak a hopeful, Godcentered perspective into at least one conversation.
Feb 28: Well Done, Good and Faithful (Matthew 25:21)
In Jesus’ parable, the master commends the faithful servant: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” One day, every believer will stand before Christ.
Several years ago my son said something that has stayed with me. He told me, “Dad, I may not always agree with you, but one thing I can say, you are faithful ”. That hit deep, because faithful comes from faith. My life, and Debbi’s have truly been a faith journey.
When we began Teen Quest in 1976, Debbi and I made a commitment: We would remain faithful to our calling, faithful to the Bible, and faithful to our Lord. Not perfect. Not impressive. Just faithful.
Over the years I’ve watched big and small ministries come and go. I’ve seen churches struggle and close their doors. I’ve seen pastors and youth leaders step away because it got hard or because things didn’t go their way. I’ve seen people drift and even walk away from their faith.
That’s why I’ve learned this: having a “big” ministry isn’t the goal. Being applauded isn’t the prize. The driving force is simple faithfulness to Jesus, when it’s easy and when it’s costly, when no one notices and when everyone watches.
Our deepest desire shouldn’t be the world’s approval, but Christ’s words: “Well done.” Faithfulness in the small things today is what prepares us for that day.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, shape my life so that on that day I will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Challenge: Look back over this month. Ask, “Where have I been faithful? Where do I need to grow?” Then surrender the next month to the Lord.
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Quest For The Journey — January 2026