Quest for the High Places

Are you ready for a journey...into your heart?

Download an excerpt from the updated edition of Quest! ( PDF file)

"The quest for the High Places takes many different forms as we women grow from girlhood to womanhood. I believe that the "gap" that comes between girlhood and marriage must be the most frustrating of these stretches. Even with all the excellent emphasis on biblical patterns for male-female relationships, there is still a deep, dark secret within the Christian community.

No matter how committed we are to building godly relationships, girls still find themselves falling for guys! Sadly, too much of what is out there insists that any emotions toward the opposite sex are sinful or at least a sign of a weak character. Too often, young Christian women are made to feel that they shouldn't even have a longing for marriage or entertain thoughts about the opposite sex.

Natalie's refreshing book fills a great need in the heart of single women. She opens her heart to us and shares her own vision and her struggles. Single womanhood need not be an empty stretch of time "until.." It is my prayer that, as you read this book, you will see the heart of passionate service for Christ and will thirst after it." - From the Foreword by Jennie Chancey

Join Natalie and seven other young women as they explore the intricacies of a maiden's heart and emotions. Confronting some of the least-discussed topics in guy-girl friendships and courtship, Quest for the High Places seeks to nurture purity and healing through an unconditional consecration to the Lord. Understand the God-given desire for marriage, reasons for the indefinite postponement of your hopes, and how to cope with disillusionment through the period of waiting known as "singleness."

Quest for the High Places is a heart-to-heart testimony written to young women in their late teens and early twenties by a fellow single girl seeking concrete, Biblical answers. During the transition into adulthood our desire for intimacy and romance intensifies rapidly, yet for many women there is no knight in shining armor waiting to sweep them off their feet. Most find themselves bringing baggage and still-festering wounds into friendships with guys and this creates serious hindrances to any potential relationship.

This book is not written for the career-bound woman looking to snag Mr. Right; this is for women willing to submit to God’s authority and who are sincerely seeking Biblical femininity. Quest uses the analogy of a physical journey to guide girls through painful areas of life where sanctification and healing are needed. Through personal experience and the stories of other women currently single, engaged, and married, subjects normally avoided in the more conservative Christian world are challenged head-on.

Despite the abundance of talk about emotional purity and the benefits of courtship, the fact is real life relationships are much messier than the formulas and speakers would say. Girls are hurting from emotional entanglements and confused by the answers general Christianity is providing. Quest takes the risk of disclosing the real failings and weaknesses that are secretly attacking young women and honestly grapples with the issues that lack complete answers.

However, in contrast to books dealing with similar subjects, Quest takes a unique stand on the issues of emotional purity, our desire for romance, and God’s sovereignty, and does so while avoiding unnecessary graphic detail and the familiar formulas. It is transparent, painfully personal, and relevant because the author writes from current real-life experiences.

Topics addressed in Quest for the High Places

Quest for the High Places delves into many topics related to young women, their emotions, and romance, including the following:

Defining and understanding the God-given desire for romance and intimate relationships
Some of the reasons for our Lord’s indefinite postponement of our dreams and hopes
Why our daydreams and love of fairy tales has purpose
Replacing the rosy dream castles with the reality of what a courtship really involves
Coping with disillusionment and cynicism as time passes and no knight appears
Understanding young men and our interdependence and position to them
Great “how to” advice on serving and honoring your future husband from courting, engaged, and married women
A rebuttal to the "emotional purity " trend, showing its danger
A new look on daydreams and feeding romantic thoughts while still single
Addresses the questions, “Can crushes always be prevented? How should they be dealt with?”
Dealing with attraction to a man in a God-honoring way
Long term healing from a broken relationship or friendship-gone-bad
How to relate to guys in a pure and loving manner before courtship
Holding strong to a commitment for productive and fulfilling lives now as singles
A call to unconditional trust in God's sovereignty and love, even amidst suffering

Plus...

Real-life Love Stories: the testimonies of couples and their unique, God-honoring courtships of purity and faith
Annotated bibliography of further resources
A section of exclusive essays by Mrs. Jennie Chancey, Fairlight Meyer, and Elizabeth Lorenz.

Have you been wanting to use Quest to lead a Bible study or small group? Are you looking for a guide to dig deeper into the topics explored? The new updated edition includes a companion journal. Including Bible study, Scripture memory, spiritual journaling, and deeper reflections on the topics in Quest, Sections include:

Moment from the Quest highlights a pivotal point in the chapter and focuses your mind on the topic to be studied.
Your Climb examines the content of the chapter with a focus on personal application, provides additional Scripture to study, and challenges you to not leave your time with God possessing only good ideas and principles. Progress on your journey comes only when you seek how the truths can be incorporated into your life, providing help and focus through the strenuous times ahead.
Continuing the Quest leads you into related topics that build on the chapter, supplemented by further quotes from Hinds Feet on High Places, Quest, or other sources. In this section and Your Climb I may also suggest lists and ideas to jot in the back of this book in the Notes pages. My hope is that you will build off this book and continue the journaling and collecting of verses you will do in this study. The Notes pages can serve as a start to your next spiritual/prayer journal.
Talk with the Shepherd closes the study with an opportunity for you to journal prayers to the Lord. I have turned passages of Scripture into prayers to get you started. Also included are suggested memory verses to help you take every thought captive to Christ throughout the day.
Further Reflection closes each part of the guide with questions on the fictionalized journeys of Katy and Haley. These could be dealt with as a separate study, or worked through when you are eager for more insight and encouragement.