Matt's Midwinter Photos

If you haven't gotten enough Midwinter Quiz (and let's face it, aside from the 10 degree weather, it is not POSSIBLE to get too much Midwinter) come on over to and check out Coach Matt's photos. You can see them here at his Flickr site or here at the Group photo site. Take your pick and relive the fun!

Midwinter video

What was so funny at the beginning of the question, does anybody remember?

Acts 20 Study Guide is online!

The study guide for Acts 20 is up and at'em! This week, we consider the hard choices in life, and the life making decisions. How did Paul make these kinds of decisions, and how can we apply that to our lives?

Weekend Adventurer: Mt Colden

Quiz Team Friend, Russell Boronow, has posted a little video that I thought the quiz team might enjoy seeing. It chonicles some of his explorations of God's great creation.

February Quiz Meet Will Be In Montgommery!

Most of our Quiz Meets have been in Essex Fells this year, aside from Midwinter in Hershey, PA. Well, this next month's quiz meet on February 24 will be at Montgommery Evangelical Free Church in Belle Meade, NJ. It will be nice to see the home church of another of our long-time competitors and friends.

Jim's Note on High Gear

Jim sent this out by e-mail yesterday, and I thought it was worth posting to the Blog as well.

There have been at least two who have asked questions specifically about the change in format concerning what we previously knew as High Gear. Let me try to address the questions...

First by way of background information. Trumbull is in the New England District of the EFCA which spans from CT to the Canadian border. As far as I know, except for one year, since we restarted our team ... there have been no other quiz teams in our district. Because there are no other quiz teams in our district we requested and were invited to participate with the Eastern District. The Eastern District includes NJ, NY, PA, etc.

When I was a teen the District Round Up was a yearly youth conference. The Round Up was a great way for teens to perfect and show their talents and to be evaluated by knowledgeable adults. The N.E. District has not held this event for probably ten years now. Although it was mostly about the Arts it also included other things like extemporaneous speaking, homiletics, and of course our favorite Bible Quizzing. It has changed over the last several decades and most of you know that recently has been called High Gear... This year they have decided to change High Gear again and to the best I can tell it has become a worship band clinic. The leadership has decided that this is what most teens are interested in.

Last year the youth committee of the Eastern District had asked the leadership of Bible Quizzing if we would like to continue as part of this new format or to host our own event. The quizzing leadership voted to host our own event on a different weekend and location. The final event for quizzing this year on the entire book of Acts is in Lancaster, PA on Saturday April 28'th. The Lancaster church family has agreed to house us for Friday and Saturday nights. We plan to leave on Friday the 27'th, quiz all day on Saturday, attend church on Sunday and then return home by the afternoon.

I hope this has clarified that this year's final event, which we are referring to as Round Up, will be only about quizzing...

This may answer many of the questions and confusion that has been out there about High Gear.

Listen to the correct shoulder!

New Flickr Group for Quiz Team!

For the last year or so, we have been sharing the pictures taken by coaches one post at a time. Monday - Mark, Tuesday - Jim, Thursday - Matt, etc. This has the advantage of stretching out the experience, but it also means that it is hard to find new pictures that you have not explicitly heard about on QuizPad.Com.

Well, to fix that particular problem, we have created a new Flickr Group to store all of the photos that coaches, parents, or anyone else has taken of a Quiz Team event for our District. A Flickr Group allows any Flickr member to post their pictures together, allows us to post discussions about photos or events, and generally share our experiences. Click thru to check it out!

If you are a Flickr member (free memberships are available) who also wants to post to this group, contact me for an invitation. So far, the only pics up there are from me and from Jim. Other coaches are already members.

Acts Chapter 19 Study Guide is up

The study guide for Acts Chapter 19 is online and you have just enough time to read it thru and consider it before Wednesday night. Please remember, we are not taking a week off for Midwinter, but have to push ahead with Acts 19 for tomorrow night. There is a lot of action in Acts 19, so it is a quick and fun read.

Pictures from Midwinter!

Coach Mark's pictures from the weekend are now online and ready for viewing. Click on the image below to be taken to the complete set. More to come from Coach Matt and Jim in the days to come.

Arrival time is now 5:00 PM

We had to make a rest stop, so we're pushed back to 5 PM. If you child
has a cell phone, they have probably already called. If not, you can
read it here. :-)

Leaving Cabela's...

...at 1:26 PM. Current ETA for the church is 4:30 PM, though depending
on traffic we may do much better or a little worse in the end.

Leaving church

Leaving church
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

It is 11 AM and we are stopped for gas on the way out of Hershey.

Sunday Schedule

The schedule for Sunday is as follows:

• 8:30 AM: Kids arrive at the Hershey Church to pack the vans
• 9:00 AM: Church at the Hershey Church
• 10:30 AM: Leave the church
• 11:30 AM: Stop at Cabela's for lunch and exploration
• Between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM: Return to Calvary Church

We will try to have the kids with cell phones call when we are beween 1 hour and 45 minutes away from the church, so parents do not have to wait around for us.

Visiting the Family

Visiting the Family
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

They just walked up as we were packing the van. We're guessing they

wanted autographs.

At the outlets...

At the outlets...
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Quizzing is over. Preliminary result:

- Upper team: 4 wins, 2 losses

- Lower team: 2 wins, 3 losses

- Coaches quiz: Team with Trumbull coaches won!

First quiz after break

First quiz after break
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Saturday Schedule for Midwinter

For parents wondering how to pray for your teens over this weekend, here is the schedule for Saturday:

• 8:00 AM: Meet at the Hershey Church
• 8:30 AM: Begin rally and coaches quiz
• 9:30 AM: Quizzing Begins
• 3 Quizzes
• Break for Snacks
• 2 Quizzes
• Lunch
• 2 Final Quizzes
• Closing rally and award of trophies
• 4:30 PM: Hershey Chocolate World
• 5:30 PM: Shopping at the outlets
• 7:00 PM: Dinner at Fuddruckers
• 8:30 PM: Return to host family houses

All times are approximate, obviously, but give an idea of the shape of the day.

First Quiz

First Quiz
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Waiting for the Opening Rally

Waiting for the Opening Rally
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Essex Fells and Clinton Corners are still on the way.

We're at the Hershey Church!

We're at the Hershey Church!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

8:47 pm.

Gathering at the church...

Gathering at the church...
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

...leaving at 2:45 pm

TIME CHECK: Be at the church at 2:15 PM

This is a reminder to all quizzers. To all non-Trumbull High Quizzers, please meet at the church at 2:15 PM. We will look to load the vans as soon as possible when you get there. Packing should include not more than: 1 sleeping bag (plus pillow allowed), 1 crushable suitcase or duffle bag, 1 carry-on bag for the van which must be able to fit on your lap (do not assume you can fit it under your seat, as we'll probably be packing there).

Trumbull High Quizzers, please try to get to the church as soon as you can after church. We want to leave the church parking lot by 2:45 PM.

Parents, Please remember the kids need $10 for gas and fees, plus enough money for 4 meals (including one meal at Fuddruckers which will likely cost a bit more). Extra if you want the teens to buy any souvenirs of the trip.

See you at 2:15 PM!

NOTE: If the trip should have to be cancelled due to snow (seems less likely now), be watching this website for updates. We will post any cancellations here, if needed.

REMINDER: Coaches Mail Anti-Spam Protection

After a few quizzers attempted to e-mail coaches wth new e-mail addresses, we wanted to remind all quizzers that the Coaches@Quizpad.com has an Anti-Spam system in place to deal with the hundreds of bad e-mails that come to us every day (a downside to posting this e-mail address on the web for you). The system will recognize any unknown e-mail address, and reply with an e-mail back to you. If you then REPLY to that e-mail (just reply, no need to say anything in the reply) then the system will recognize you as a friend, and you will be able to e-mail us from then on without any problems.

Please keep this in mind if you switch e-mail addresses in the future!

Isn't the NIV the most authentic?

DID YOU KNOW: Gallio, Proconsul of Achaia

This one is borrowed from Josh McDowell. Acts 18:12 was often used in years past as a challenge to the accuracy to scripture.

While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court.

For many years, there was no evidence outside of scripture that anyone named Gallio was proconsul of Achaia. In fact, there seemed to be evidence that someone else held that position. But in recent years, a "decree of Claudius found at Delphi (Greece) describes Gallio as proconsul of Achaia in ad 51". That timing matches up exactly with the timeline that Acts claims Paul was there.

Remember, when someone challenges the accuracy of the Bible, never assume they are right. Take your time, and do your research. The Bible always wins through in the end.

Packing for Midwinter

As we head towards Midwinter this next weekend, you may want to start thinking now about what you will want to pack. (Espcially for those with today off for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.)

DO BRING:

• Quiz Team Shirt (Or Similar Grey Shirt) for Saturday
• Acts Scripture Portion for Studying
• A sleeping bag
• A pillow
• A crushable suitcase
• Nice clothes for Sunday (and, if you wish, a change of clothes for travelling
• Warm clothes for Saturday - we may be going to the outlets in which case there will be lots of outside walking
• A flashlght as we are sure to arrive on Friday night in the dark
• $10 for gas and fees
• Money for 4 meals (at least $5 per meal)

OK TO BRING:

• iPod or CD player or MP3 Player (Do not use in the church)
• Gameboy or PSP (For the van only)
• Cell phone (Not for use in the church)
• Frisbee or Small Sports Balls
• Digital camera

Acts Chapter 18 Study Guide is ready

The study guide for Acts Chapter 18 is online and ready for your viewing. This time we consider God's plans and how they sometimes conflict with our own. Paul goes through a lot in this chapter and visits a great many places. Yet, through it all he is always willing to take whatever God sends his way.

Midwinter Quiz Details

Next Friday, January 19 is the start of Midwtiner Quiz. We have all discussed the details before, but they may not have all been together in one place.

Location: Hershey Evangelical Free Church in Hershey, PA

Departure: 2:00 PM from Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Trumbull, CT
(Teens shoud arrive by 1:45 PM so that we can pack up the vans and be ready to leave promptly at 2 PM.)

Housing: Teens will be staying with families of the Hershey Church

Schedule: Friday - Arrival and Go Home with Host Familiies, Saturday - Quizzing all day, Coaches Quiz, On Activity in Hershey in the Evening, Go Home with Host Families, Sunday - Church at Hershey Church and Drive Home

Return: Between 3 PM and 5 PM at Calvary Evangelical Free Church

Costs: $5 quizzing fee, $5 for gas, Money for 4 meals (at least $5 for each meal)

Clothing: If you have a Quiz Team shirt, please be sure to wear it on Saturday. We will be attending the Hershey Church on Sunday morning, so please bring appropriate clothes (NO JEANS! You will be able to change after the church service)

Speak up!

Listen to Christian Radio Online

One of the advantages of going down to Pennsylvania each year for Midwinter and Round-Up is the great Christian radio stations down there, playing the best in Christian rock and talk. If you're itching to hear a little of that back here in New England with the "Frozen Chosen", check out OnePlace.Com which aims to be a one-stop-shop for online Christian music and talk resources with everything from Listen Live options to Podcasts.

REMINDER: Midwinter Decisions Needed TONIGHT

If you have not talked to your parents about this yet, please call them NOW. We need decisions TONIGHT from all quizzers as to whether they will be going to Midwinter next weekend.

DID YOU KNOW: Areopagus

In Acts 17, much of the action takes place in a meeting of the Areopagus. But what is the Areopagus?

The Areopagus or Areios Pagos (Greek Ἄρειος Πᾶγος) is the 'Hill of Ares', north-west of the Acropolis, which in classical times functioned as the chief homicide court of Athens...In pre-classical times (before the 5th century BC), the Areopagus was the council of elders of the city, similar to the Roman Senate. Like the Senate, its membership was restricted to those who had held high public office, in this case that of Archon. In 462 BC, Ephialtes put through reforms which deprived the Areopagus of almost all its functions except that of a murder tribunal in favor of Heliaia.
In an unusual development, the Areopagus acquired a new function in the 4th century BC, investigating corruption...

Thus, Paul's appearance before the Areopagus was not only a presentation before a group of philosophers and scholars, but actually a presentation to the leaders of the city of Athens. The equivalent of appearing before Congress... if Congress were also made up of highly educated philosophers.
(Source Wikipedia and ChristianAnswers.Net)

IMPORTANT: Midwinter Decisions Needed TOMORROW

Parents and teens take note! MIdwinter is only a few weeks away (January 19-21) and we need to make housing decisions ASAP. If you are going to Midwinter the coaches need to know tomorrow (Wednesday) at Quiz Team practice, if not before. We will be leaving on Friday, January 19 around 3 PM and will be returning Sunday evening. Teens should expect to bring money for 4 meals, gas for the vans, $5 for the Midwinter fee, and whatever extra you may want to bring for souvenirs.

If you will not be at practice tomorrow, please e-mail the coaches with your decision or call Jim on the phone today.

WHERE AM I: Acts 17

• Acts 17:1-14 - Next day they journeyed through Amphipolis [13] and Apollonia [14] and arrived at Thessalonica [15] (later in this, his Second Missionary Journey, Paul wrote the First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, probably from Corinth). Here there was a synagogue of the Jews which Paul entered, following his usual custom.
• Without delay the brothers despatched Paul and Silas off to Beroea (or Berea) [16]...
• Acts 17:15-21, 32-34 - The men who accompanied Paul took him as far as Athens [17] and returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy (still in Berea) to rejoin Paul as soon as possible.

How God uses Quizzing

You have heard some stories from the coaches of how Quizzing has impacted out lives and those of our friends. But you still may be wondering how God really uses Quizzing in the lives of those who study. This article from QuizCoach.Com gives another perspective on the question.

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11-12

Acts Chapter 17 Study Guide

The family study guide for Acts 17 is online!

Remember, Midwinter Quiz is only two weeks away now! The quizzes for Midwinter tend to focus on the last few chapters beforehand, so if you buckle down now and really study hard this week and next, you have a chance to make a difference in the major quiz.

Parents, please take note that now is the time your kids may need the most encouragement to stay on task. Midwinter can set the tone for the rest of the year, quizzing-wise.

Be careful what you pray for

Acts Joke

From here.

A woman went into her kitchen to find a burglar loaded down with a bunch of stuff he was stealing from her kitchen. Not having any kind of weapon to scare him off, she raised her hand and said "Acts 2:38," and proceeded to quote scripture.

The burglar froze in place and didn't move. The woman called 911, the police arrived and were amazed to find the burglar still frozen where he stood.

"What did you say to him that kept him from moving?" they asked the woman.

She told them that she had simply said Acts 2:38 and quoted scripture.

The police chuckled and escorted the burglar out to the patrol car. "Why did the woman's quoting scripture scare you so much?" they asked.

"Scripture?" said the burglar, "I thought she said she had an ax and two 38's!"

WHERE AM I: Acts 16

Paul's travels will take him all over Asia and Europe these next few chapters. Click below to get the whole story.

DID YOU KNOW: "WE"

Did you notice in Acts Chapter 16 when the tense of the pronoun changed?

When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Acts 16:7-10

What does his mean? Quite simply that at this point, Doctor Luke began accompanying Paul on his missionary journeys. This is how Luke can be so accurate in his reporting - he actually became a companion of Paul and was able to interiew him and Peter about the events of Acts 1 thru 15. From here on out, the events are actually being recorded by an eye-witness! If you have friends questioning the accuracy of the book of Acts, you may get an interesting reaction by reminding them that much of this book is recorded by someone who was actually there for the events.

Acts 16 study guide is online

It is a new year, and a new chapter for us to study. Check out the Acts Chapter 16 Study Guide and consider for yourselves whether your New Years Resolutions should be about being innocent like doves or shrewd like snakes. The answer might surprise you!