Dear Quail, I think it is true for all of us that this time of restriction is dragging on, and the new requirements and restrictions are becoming a bit confusing. For some, this is causing conflict and frustration.

Recently, I have seen an uptick of the number of people who are talking to me about family squabbles and times of anger and frustration that have boiled over, sometimes causing tension in an otherwise happy home.

Dear Quail, 

Today I will share some thoughts about the ethnic tension that we are now witnessing in our land and then give you some programming updates.

I am not a community organizer nor an “activist” in the sense that I feel called to influence society in any way other than with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, I believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most relevant thing that we can talk about in this situation. Here is why…

Dear Family of Quail,

The time has come for us to turn our attention towards coming together again for public service of worship. It has been a long and trying time as we have all had to change the way that we operate on many levels, during this unique era. I know that it has been difficult for us all, extra so for many. This letter will help us all understand the return process. It is lengthy, but important. Please read it in its entirety. 

Dear Quail,

This week I will take some time in this email, that I have normally been using from some devotional and inspirational thoughts, to address the issue of the status of Quail coming back for live in-person services. You have probably heard on the news that there are some churches and pastors in the southern part of our state who are declaring that they will worship “in person” on Pentecost Sunday (May 31), no matter the status of the restrictions called for by the State of California.

Dear Quail Family 

This week I ran across a quote by Eric Liddell, the British Olympian and missionary whose life was the subject of the movie, Chariots of Fire.  He writes,

Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins. Our broken lives are not lost or useless. God’s love is still working. He comes in and takes the calamity and uses it victoriously, working out His wonderful plan of love.

What Gain will this pain bring?

Dear Quail,

Recently I read an article written by David Mathis in which he reminded me that the slogan “No pain, no gain” does indeed communicate a truth that can be observed both in everyday life and in the Bible itself.

Memory Verse:
Philippians 2:4

Well, this week our allergies have just sent us to the moon! I don't know about you, but when the wind comes and my allergies are at their peak, my nerves get on edge! It feels like they are vibrating nonstop and nothing can get them under control. Usually when this happens, I tend to be a little on edge and get a little more angry at the people that are around me. Right now, I am around my family ALL the time, and we are playing a lot of games. When we play those games and I don't have my allergies under control, that is a bad mix! I tend to become a VERY SORE LOSER and not very easy to be around -- a little selfcentered, if you will.

Dear Quail, 

So far, 2020 has been a year in which we have been reminded how uncertain and out of our control things can be. We have been reminded that the only predictable thing about life is that it is unpredictable and we have very little authority over the events of life.

As I considered this, I was reminded and strengthened by Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20

Memory Verse:
Philippians 1:18b

The weather is getting warmer and we are yearning to get outside, to go swimming in that frigid water or meander about shopping malls. These are the things we do when it gets warmer -- we go out and enjoy the warmth. Get outside, sit in the shade with your family, and talk about the first things you're going to do when this is all over. Speak on the positive things that the future will hold. In the meantime, try a new recipe, learn a new verse together, and keep your spirits lifted and focused on Jesus!

Dear Quail Family,

A Prayer in Isolation.

This season of physical distancing and self-isolation is abnormal and disconcerting for most of us. However, for some of us the difficulty is great. Family members in hospitals cannot be visited, neither can those in retirement facilities and nursing homes.  Also, the center of our social lives, our church fellowship is occurring virtually with our interaction taking place and chat boxes and through emoji’s.

Memory Verse:
Philippians 1:4

This week after Resurrection Sunday has been a fun one, reflecting on Jesus' gift of salvation and peace! I pray that you are doing well during this time and are getting some fresh air, as the weather is bright and sunny. I know many of you are missing your friends and that physical relationship with them. I just want to say that we are here for you. Send us a message so that we can pray for you. We are in this time together. Though some have different circumstances, we are all a part of this uncharted journey. I know some are having a hard time with missing students and friends. Remember, we are here for you!

Dear Quail,

"Bloom where you are quarantined," that was the title of an article I read recently.  I loved the title! The article author (Clarissa Moll) says the following,

As communities around the world close down because of COVID-19, I suspect I’m not alone in my loneliness.  Indeed, Jesus will come to our lonely places. He promises to meet us in our deserts, our quarantined spaces, to renew our souls, bring us joy, comfort our hearts, and give us peace.  In the midst of this companionship our loneliness still gnaws at us…This lingering loneliness reflects a deep longing for communion, one that will only ever be satisfied when we see Jesus face to face.

Memory Verse:
John 14:6

It's Resurrection Sunday, and a DIFFERENT one at that. We can't meet with our families, our traditions might look a little different this year, and maybe we didn't have to dress up in that stifling shirt and tie that we don a couple times a year for those special occasions. And that can create a feeling of insecurity. When things change so drastically so fast, we begin to feel insecure about what we know. Pastor Marc discussed that doubt in today's message. He talked about how doubting is part of the true nature of being human. But WHEN we have doubts, we need to give them to Jesus, because without a doubt, HE IS RISEN!! In John 14:6 Jesus says HE is the only way to the Father, because HE IS RISEN and sacrificed himself for us, showing us that nothing -- NOT even death on a cross -- can overcome Him

Dear Quail Family,

Today is Good Friday. As we think back to the cross of Christ, we remember what John has recorded in John 19:30,

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The phrase “It is finished” is actually a single word in John’s Greek original. The word is “tetelestai”.  It was a common word in that day, and it had many meanings:

Dear Quail Family,
As we continue to grapple with our response with the Coronavirus we should recall that this, and every other disease that we face, is the result of the fact that we exist in a world that has been damaged and twisted due to sin. Paul says in Romans 8,

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8:19-24 (NIV)

When sin entered the world, the result was that the created order, including our bodies, would experience corruption, futility and eventually death. Therefore, all disease is the result of the fact of sin in our world.

Memory Verse:
Luke 18:33a

We have sheltered in our homes now for a couple of weeks, and I don't know about you, but I can feel my nerves on edge a little more often than normal. I can feel that cabin fever creeping in slowly from the background. I love being at home with my family, playing games with them, cooking for them, teaching them. But lurking in the background is this feverish edge and every now and again it seeps out. This seems to be happening with all of us -- we give lots of love, but there are some days that it seems we need a bit of extra space and a ton more grace.

Memory Verse:
Psalm 90:1

We have sheltered in our homes as families for about week now and I can surely say it has felt like fooorrreeevvveerrr. I was chatting with somebody about the date and I was fully convinced that this past Wednesday was April 1st and that we had been in our homes now for 2, possibly 3, weeks. NOPE - I was completely wrong. It's only been 1 WEEK! Pastor Marc talked about how God is an eternal God, never changing or wavering, for our sake. He is the standard by which we live. Because He is unchanging and eternal, we have a connection to those before us, with us, and those that will come. He brings us a constant that we can lean on for stability. During these times where time seems to pass without notice, God is there with a full understanding and vivid view of what's happening.

The state of California is currently under a mandatory shelter in place protocol which dramatically affects our day to day operations, so we want to keep you updated with exactly what this means for you at Quail. Below we will outline what this looks like for Sunday Services as well as Bible studies and other on-campus events. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Changes to Quail’s office hours

Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, the QLBC office is currently closed until further notice. If you need to reach the QLBC staff, you can reach one of our receptionists answering remotely from 8am-12pm Monday through Friday at 209 951-7380. You can also reach the various staff through their emails found on our website QLBC.org.

Sunday Worship Service

As we have continued to monitor the ongoing Covid-19 virus, the decision has been made to temporarily close the campus in an effort to do our part in stopping the continued spread of this disease. What this means for us is that we will benefit from the use of digital streaming online until we are able to open up the campus again. God has graced us with the ability to still share a time of worship and God's Word with you all from the comfort of your homes. The way this will work is... on Facebook at 10:00 am on Sunday, you will see our full service being streamed to you from our Quail Lakes Baptist Church page. If you are not already following that page, make sure to go there and like the page or you may miss the stream. If you have family or friends who would like to be included but are not on Facebook, you can direct them to www.qlbc.org/sermons where this Sunday's service will be uploaded by 10:30 am. Together we will continue to lift up all those affected by this global crisis, and we will enjoy a time of digital fellowship with you all this Sunday.

All QLBC programming is currently being canceled with the exception of…

• Rooted Pilot group
• Casa DeLuz Wednesday Night Study
• Refresh Young Adult Service (will be streamed through Facebook)
• Celebrate Recovery Step programs
• **Please refer back to here instead of what you may see on our church calendar… this will be the most up to date information regarding this ever-changing schedule**

Hi everybody, I want to reach out to you in my role as Executive Director of Operations of Quail Lakes Baptist Church to let you know what the church is doing in response to Covid-19 or Coronavirus. By now you should have heard that we will not be holding public services tomorrow (March 22nd) and next Sunday (29th). Please join us instead as Pastor Marc will be leading our worship service “virtually” at 10 am on Facebook and 10:30 am on www.qlbc.org.

In response to Governor Newsom’s Stay at home order, we have started closing the church office during the week. But I want to reassure you that our church is still here to meet your needs. Our wonderful receptionists Carol Schmidt and Carol Biggs have agreed to take your calls at home. I have arranged with our phone provider to forward all calls during the week-days from 8:00 am to noon to their phones. They can answer your questions, pray with you and get your messages to our staff. Just call our main office number at (209) 951-7380 and they would love to talk to you. If you have to reach us after these hours you can still leave a message and we will call you back.

You can always reach our ministry staff directly by email. Our email addresses are available on QLBC.org under the Contact tab then press the View All Staff button. They will be checking their email regularly to respond to your needs. We will be meeting virtually on Tuesday morning to plan and pray as a group.

We are also initiating a “contact and care” process toward our isolated seniors. But let’s each one of us check in with one another over the next few weeks. Let’s let the love of Jesus shine through us to the Quail family and beyond. If you need help or want to help us in this project just call or email us.

Pastor Marc and myself will be meeting with the Elder Board on Friday morning to create a plan for our church moving forward. Please keep us in your prayers.

Memory Verse:
Proverbs 17:17

We are in a bit of some uncharted waters and our children can feel the uneasiness, excitement or any other feelings we might have during this time. As Pastor Marc discussed today, these times bring out our need for relationships. Our children need us to simply explain these times and how it affects them. They are probably really excited about their parents being home and being away from school, but this will only last for a moment until they begin to miss their friends and get bored with the things they have at home. This is when “cabin fever” sets in and our relationships can become very fragile.

This week’s lesson: Jesus raises Lazarus

Jesus was a couple days’ travel away from Lazarus when he heard that his friend was sick. When Jesus heard this, he didn’t stop his teaching — he finished and then travelled to his friend. He knew that it was going to take a long time to get to his friend and I’m sure he thought about it while he was headed there. It wasn’t a happy trip but a necessary one.

This week’s lesson: the feeding of the 5,000

Jesus was saddened and wanted to be alone for a moment. He had just heard some terrible news about John the Baptist. He travelled on a boat so that he could pray. Sometimes when we travel, we think about things. It helps clear our heads. Sometimes in the car when it’s silent, our mind is able to play, think, and we can begin to express our feelings. I know sometimes I day dream in the car because my mind is able to wander. Not while driving, of course.

As Resurrection Sunday approaches this month, we will soon be answering the question, “What is Love?” The answer is that God demonstrates His life-changing love toward us in the events of the death, burial and resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ.

This week’s lesson: the parable of “The Lost Son”

When I drive around town, I end up passing a farm. The smell from the farm usually makes me wince or lose my breath. I sometimes think of the prodigal son and what it must have smelled like to be feeding those pigs. Stinky! That must’ve been the point that he realized that “I could work for my father,” the stinkiest point in his life.

In this episode of A Moment with Pastor Marc, Pastor Marc uses an example from scripture to illustrate how we can intentionally avoid shipwrecks by avoiding some key mistakes that lead to them. Enjoy, and learn!

This week’s lesson: the parable the good Samaritan

While talking to those who were the experts of religion, Jesus was asked a very important question: Who was their neighbor?

Talk about neighborhoods as you drive. Discuss that neighborhoods are made up of people who live near one another. Talk about pride that goes into keeping your neighborhood clean and safe.

In 1 Thess. 2:1 Paul says, “You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.” But let’s remember what happened when Paul was in Thessalonica. The Jewish leaders formed a mob, started a riot, dragged Paul’s host, Jason, down before city officials and, as result, Paul and Silas snuck out of town under the cover of night.

This week’s lesson: the parable of the sower

Jesus explained the kingdom of heaven in many ways so that we can understand. The parable of the sower talks about different ways people hear and accept the Gospel.

Talk about throwing a seed out the window while driving. Where would it land? Talk about doing this in different places, like near a farm with good soil, or on the sidewalk, etc.

Martha was always in a hurry. She was excited and wanted everything to go perfectly for Jesus’ visit to her house.

Have you ever been in a hurry? Rushed out the door to get to church on time? Sometimes we are like Martha — we get in such a hurry we forget to focus on the excitement of our destination. Being in a hurry and getting flustered can overtake the feeling of excitement we should have when setting out for our destination.

In Matthew 7:12 Jesus says…
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (NIV)

A person’s sense of self-worth is often based on the reactions, positive or negative, of those around them. Your words and attitudes can literally either build up or tear down the people around you. That fact is the background of why Jesus feels so strongly about what we now call, “The Golden Rule.”

Jesus traveled a lot with his disciples. This one time when Jesus was traveling, he got thirsty like we ALL do, especially on road trips. While he stopped to get water, he preached to a young Samaritan woman.

Jesus traveled with his disciples. They traveled in a large group like a caravan. They would go to a town together and preach to that town.

Temptation is something we ALL deal with. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, he recited the verses to the devil to overcome what was being presented to him. When Satan was finished tempting Jesus, Jesus was attended to by angels.

Baptism. It’s a crazy thing to think about as a kid. Getting dunked under water as a sign of your belief in Jesus. Take a moment and think about the symbolism of it: being put under water and then raised again, cleaner than before; Jesus’ death and resurrection.

This month I am teaching a class on the Beatitudes in “Prime Time.” I was reminded of an article by Derek Rishmawy that appeared in Christianity Today in which he stated that he felt that “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” is the most misunderstood and undervalued of all the beatitudes.

Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple, just as it was commanded in the Law, to present him to the Lord. They traveled far to go the temple to learn from the teachers there. Could you imagine traveling by foot to go to church? Imagine if you as family had to travel far to worship. What would you bring? Would you be excited to go?

The wise men were from a land far away! When they noticed the star, they immediately got together and traveled towards it! We’ve been talking a lot about travel these past couple of weeks. Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and now three guys from the East! Crazy! But they all traveled for Jesus!

So Gabriel has frightened Mary, Joseph, and now the Shepherds! Nobody was expecting Jesus. They were living their lives as if they had forgotten. When the angel appeared, they all got scared. But then they realized how cool it was! Discuss a time when you weren't expecting something but were pleasantly surprised.

Perhaps one of the most singularly unique perspectives on Jesus’ birth would be that of the shepherds themselves. And from it, we can learn a lot about our potential in God’s eyes. Pastor Marc explains why, in this special Christmas ep from the archives. (We’ll return next year with new eps!)

Traveling can sometimes be hard, loud, crazy, fun, exciting, and sometimes an everyday thing. Imagine what it would be like to travel from one city to the next on a donkey. Talk about how long that might take and how the anticipation might fade or get stronger.

Dear Family of Quail,

We have seen the goodness of the Lord over the course of 2019. His goodness has been evident in the many mission trips and "GO" Projects that we have been able to mobilize. We have seen it in our ongoing disciple-making ministry, the wonderful praise that is fostered by the choir and the Worship Arts team, by our children being nurtured in the ways of the Lord and scores of salvation decisions and baptisms.

Mary was told about her pregnancy. She was engaged to Joseph but not yet married. She was afraid when the angel told her that she was carrying God’s child. What a surprise! What a scary, positive, awesome surprise!

Isaiah was a prophet, one who spoke and led the people of Israel. He foretold the coming of the Messiah. 400 years before Jesus was born Isaiah told the Israelites of his birth. That gave them something to anticipate. But the timing also gave them some time to forget.

As we start the Advent Season, let’s hear the words of the Gospel:
In Luke 2:7, we read…
“…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

The HIS-story of David is one we might be familiar with. God chose David to be king after Saul. David showed his trust in the almighty God by facing a giant! David gave God the glory after defeating the giant. Discuss in the car how we can rely on God in “giant” circumstances. Try to pick out some scenarios dealing with your destination (school, home, church, sports, etc.).

Samson is a HIS-story of strength! Talk about the different types of strength there is, e.g. muscles, will power, knowledge, etc. While driving, try to find things that are strong and things that are not.

Discuss freedom. What does it mean? We are free to do a lot in our country. The Israelites were NOT free. They could not travel and they could not have any job they wanted. Talk about what your kids want to be when they grow up.

In Jeremiah 18, the prophet is sent to watch a potter working a piece of clay on his wheel. It says…

“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” Jer. 18:4

Being born is a time of joy! Discuss the time when your child(ren) was (were) born. Tell them details and explain your feelings. During the time that Moses was born Pharaoh wanted all baby boys dead. His mother, on the other hand, did not want that, so she hid him in a basket and sent him upstream. Pharaoh's daughter found him and kept him!

Discuss forgiveness while driving. Did somebody cut you off? Somebody run a red light, forcing you to slam on your breaks? Somebody speed by, making you feel uncomfortable? Talk about how to forgive them, to look at it from a different angle. What if they didn’t see you, they are hurrying to the hospital, etc.?