In the SUV

Crystal is driving, we are on our way to a conference in seattle. I'm writing this blog on my phone. I know there are some of you who read this every day, so I didn't want you to come here, and have it be empty.

I don't have a ton of time- but wanted to make sure that you know this- wherever you are, right now, know this- the God who created you, loves you, and wants to bless you. Rest on that this weekend.

Blessings to all
Have a great weekend
Matt

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I Absolutely Hate Watching the News

Have you watched the local evening news lately? I don't watch it but once a month or so. When ever I do, I get depressed. Here is usually the rundown of the local news in Seattle.

1. Someone got shot.
2. There was a fire.
3. There was a traffic accident.
4. A child got abducted.
5. Someone got caught doing something and now we're going to run their name into the ground.
6. The weather.
7. Sports.
8. One last story that lasts 15 seconds and is probably about some community garden that exists somewhere you've never heard of.

Its annoying. Where's the good news? Where's the positivity? As Michael Moore said, "if it bleeds, it leads". True, but very very sad.

I get most of my news from the Internet, and the local paper. It seems you can find more of it and less of the sensationalism that way. But even in that medium there exists a problem- what news they will share, how they will cover it, and how it can be found.

Take for example this story here. Its a story about how the US economy grew in the 3rd quarter, which indicates that the recession that we have been in since 2007 is now unofficially over.

Folks, this is great news for America. We've been in an economic slump since 2007 and for the first time the indicators are showing a turn around.

Your phone should be ringing off the hook. You should be getting text messages from your friends. Every news organization right now should have it as their lead story.

Do you remember a few months back when that one entertainer guy who sang songs and was a little odd, died unexpectedly? They sure covered that story didn't they? For weeks they covered that story.

What's the nugget? The world isn't always as bad as the media tries to make it. Sensationalism and negativity seem to run the show. Find ways to find good news and see how much difference it makes in your day. Talk to your friends and co-workers about the good stuff that is going on, not the negative stuff.

Here's what will happen- you will feel better and so will those around you. You won't dwell on those things that you cannot control or change, but will have a renewed sense of optimism.

I've used this verse before, but it illustrates a point once again- Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Be blessed
matt

I Was Picking a Lock Last Night

Last night was a great night.

There is a woman in our church who needed to move. It was kind of unexpected, she needed to get out of her house by the end of this week. She is a newly single mother of 4 kids, who understandably is a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing. I asked her how the church could help, and she said she really needed some help with moving some stuff.

So on Sunday, I made a quick announcement to the church about needing help, and sent out a text on Tuesday to come and help. Last night about 12 people showed up on a Tuesday night, in the dark, to help another person move.

As a pastor, there aren't many tangible indicators that you can use to surmise the spiritual health of your church, but last night I sure saw one. A bunch of men and women with trucks and cars showing up to help someone they didn't know that well. Just because she was in need. It was awesome.

There were old guys and young guys. Married and single. Kids. Even a pregnant lady carrying some small boxes. No complaints. No grumbling. No arguments.

There was one problem- when we got to her new house, the garage was locked without a key. We had to call a locksmith to come and open it. I held the flashlight for the locksmith and learned how to pick a lock. Cool stuff. I'm not sure how I'll use it in the future, but it was pretty cool.

What's the nugget? There still is love in this world. There is still community. I saw it last night and it was awesome.

There are people out there who say that the church is outdated, and that there is no use for it today. Those people think that the church is not needed. There are tons of great things about the church that exist, and last night I saw the love, care and community of it, and I was encouraged by it.

Be blessed.
matt

Don't Fall Victim To This Common Disease

I eat fast food every once in a while. I'm sure that most people do, or have at some point. Its not the best culinary choice, but it is usually cheap, quick and convenient, so its hard to complain about it.

As the process goes, you drive your car up, and wait for your turn to go to the ordering microphone. (Usually this contraption is either too loud, or too quiet for either you or the other person on the end. Someone ends up yelling, or not hearing each other).

The process begins when you order- without seeing the person on the other end, with never knowing a thing about them, you can usually surmise something about their emotional condition based on how they sound on that speaker. You can tell if they are happy to be there, or if they are upset to be there. It totally and completely evident from the way they come across that speaker. Every time.

Most of us would agree that working at a fast-food window is not the culmination of most people's career dreams. Its usually an entry-level or temporary job while waiting to get promoted or move to another job. Or, its the only job that person can get at that time. Whatever it is, I think most people agree that its not a dream job.

But here's the point- in the midst of this job, this fast paced, must get everything 100% correct 100% of the time, thankless customer service nightmare, people still are happy to be working there. They are genuinely cordial and welcoming. They are chipper and positive in their work. They smile and connect with the hundreds of people they meet every day.

What's the secret? They haven't fallen prey to the disease of "I'll be happy when". Its a debilitating disease that alot of people fall prey too. It can happen if you're rich or poor, at a good job or a bad job. In a good relationship or a bad relationship. If you have something, or you don't. People allow themselves to get in a mindset that they think they will be happy later on. Not right now.

This guy Paul in the Bible talked about this idea when he wrote a letter to a church in Philipi. He told that church that no matter what happened to him that he could do everything through the strength that he found in power of the Lord. Paul knew that it wasn't circumstance that dictated his happiness. Paul knew he could be anywhere, go through anything, and still be ok.

Don't fall victim to the "I'll be happy when" disease today. Realize that no matter where you are, no matter what you are going through, you can have joy. You can have peace. You can be nice to people and be positive. Right now. Not later. Not when that one thing changes about your life.

Be blessed
matt

The Boy In The Balloon.... buffoon?

I'm sure you've been seeing it over the news the past week or so. The boy in the hot air balloon. If you didn't here's the quick synopsis- last week a man frantically called 911 and said that his 6 year old son had entered a compartment to a weather balloon and was now floating away.

A massive hysteria ensued. Police, military, and the FAA were all involved to help this defenseless boy who was apparently was floating his way to eternity. It was tragic, scary and a media circus event. Which is amazing, except as of now, it appears that the whole thing was a hoax.

The boy was hiding in his attic. His dad told him to hide there, and then the dad called 911. There is talk of the dad being brought up on charges for perpetuating this hoax. What do I think? I'm not sure if charges is the way to go.

Turns out that this dad had high hopes of a reality show and a movie deal, and he thought that this hoax would be a way to plunge him into the limelight. Well, he sure is in the limelight now.

Here's what I think was/is going on in this man's mind. Like many people, he is probably plagued with feelings of worthlessness, and loneliness. In his mind, he thought that this media notoriety would somehow solve his feelings of self pity. He was willing to go to extreme lengths to go from being a nobody to a somebody. To go from obscurity to notoriety.

Isn't there a little bit of that in us all? A thought or a feeling that no one knows were alive, or cares about us? That our life is lived and no one seems to notice?

You have value. You matter. Do you know why you have value and you matter? Because the God who created the universe created you, and He says that he loves you. He loves you and knows exactly where you are, what you are doing, and the things that are going on on in your life.

Try this today- instead of sticking yourself or your child into a weather balloon, sit down and say this to yourself- God loves me. You will be amazed at the power that exists in those words. When you realize that you are cherished by Him, it helps you to see that your life, your existence does matter. Even if you're not on a reality show.

Blessings
matt

How to Catch A Rat

Its been a long process, but we figured out somehow that we had a rat living underneath our shed in the back yard.

Crystal had seen something during the summer, I had seen something last fall. Ranger had chased something one night. And then, I saw a small little hole that had been dug in the dirt under the wooden foundation of the shed, and I knew- there was a rat under our shed.

I don't know what it is about rats, but the seem so nasty and germ infested to me. I think if I had a bunny living under my shed I would put out carrots and try to pet it, but rats are completely different. They gross me out.

Sunday night, I decided to put the trap out. I put it out around 730pm and by 915, I heard the snap and knew that something triggered it. I went out, and sure enough, there was a big ol rat out there. Probably weighed about 1.5 lbs. It was gross, but at least I got him out from underneath my shed.

I wonder how long he was living there? Is there any more under there? Here's a big question, if I hadn't got him, would he have established a colony and then infiltrated my house?

The whole idea of rats is just disgusting.

Do you know whats interesting though? There are people out there that have rats living in their houses and don't even care? I'm not talking about pets, I'm talking about rat infested homes, that people don't do anything about.

It always baffles my mind- people who have vermin or junk in their house that they let pile up that they never get rid of. Worse yet, it baffles me that there are people out there that allow other things to infest their minds, and allow thoughts to take root in their minds that have no business being there.

Here's a rat infested thought to get out of your mind today- negativity.

That is a 'rat' that shouldn't be living in your mind. The creator of this universe did not create you to live your life with a negative mindset. God is good. He desires good things for your life. He may be trying to bless you, but because of negativity, you may be missing it.

It may take some time, or drastic measures to catch that rat, but do what it takes to get it, trap it, kill it, and get rid of it and quit being negative.

Negative thoughts are like rats. If you don't kill one, they multiply and will eventually consume you. Sure, negativity may not be your issue, but I'm sure there is some other rat that you need to get rid of. Spend some time in prayer and discover what that thing is, and get rid of it.

Be blessed
matt

Why Can't Anything Be Easy?

Crystal decided yesterday that she was going to to paint our bathroom. There was some of that green mildew junk growing above the shower, that seems to never go away, so the answer is Kilz and new paint!

Here's the issue- the mildew grows because of excess moisture in the bathroom, that is compounded by our broken fan that is in there. We've been in our house for five years, and never fixed it since we've moved in. Since she started painting, I thought it best that we should replace the fan.

I went to my place, the Home Depot, and found a "Bath Fan Upgrade Kit" that only cost about 25 dollars, and had a logo on the box that said, and I quote, "upgrade your fan in 10 mins!". You can probably tell where this blog is going already.

3 hours and 3 trips back to home depot, and I finally got that fan installed. It was not easy to say the least, nor did it take 10 mins. It took ten minutes for me to open the box, and sit at the kitchen table and read through those "english" instructions that they provided. It was not fun. It didn't help that my son kept coming into the bathroom and into the attic and repeatedly asking me, "why don't you call a repair man, Dad?"

That's a great question Gabe. Next time, I just may do that.

Here's what occurred to me though- as I was driving back to Home Depot for the third time, I thought to myself- I can either get mad about this, or just roll with it.

The Bible says in Romans chapter 12 that we transform ourselves by the renewing of our minds. That means, we have to think about things differently.

I have to tell you, I did that yesterday, and I was quite proud of myself. I usually get really upset and in a tizzy when that stuff happens, and yesterday, it rolled off my back.

I encourage you to try it next time you are in a situation that usually gets you angry or frustrated. Think about it, and choose to not get upset or angry and watch how much easier it is. The negative emotion doesn't help. Looking and thinking about it differently does.

Be blessed. Have a great weekend.

matt

Why Does It Take So Long For An Answer to Prayer?

My wife Crystal and I used to live in Texas. We bought our first house there. It cost us 42K, had 3 bedrooms and had a mortgage payment of about $365. Our address was 209 Easy Street. Yep. We were literally living on Easy Street. Based on that house payment, it was probably the easiest street we will ever live on.

Thinking back to that time, we didn't have a whole lot of money. I was in the US Army and I think we were probably making about $1300 dollars a month, which looking back is not much money at all. During those times, I remember how we would pray for provision in our house. That God would take care of us, and that we would be able to pay our bills.

I can also remember how back then we really wanted a new vehicle.

I know, it seems excessive, but it was really the desire of our hearts to have a different vehicle than the one we had at the time. The one we had was OK, but it wasn't the one that we truly wanted.

One day, I think it may have been a Saturday, we went to a new car dealership and looked at new vehicles. This was in 1998 before kids or anything, which matters, because I remember us sitting in that vehicle by ourselves, holding hands, and praying that God would bless us with that vehicle.

After we had prayed, since we couldn't afford that vehicle, we went home. For a really long time I prayed and wondered if we would get that thing. I know, this has nothing to do with my happiness, or my ability to live, or my salvation, but I'm proving a point here. Stick with me.

Here's my point. It doesn't matter what we pray for, its hard to wait for the answer. It truly doesn't matter what it is, because if we prayed for it, its important to us, and therefore important to God. And sometimes, it seems as if the answer to our prayer is never going to come. Ever. Can you identify with this?

Well last night on my drive home it occurred to me. I was driving the vehicle that Crystal and I had prayed for back in 1998. We had gone to the Chevrolet dealer, and sat in an brand new 1998 Chevy Suburban, and prayed that God would bless us with one. 11 years later, I'm driving a 2004 GMC Yukon (which is really a Suburban) which is a better vehicle than the one we prayed for.

Yes, it took 11 years for that prayer to be answered, but God did answer it. He gave us the desires of our heart. It may not have been on our timeline, or when we wanted it, but he did answer our prayer.

Sometimes it takes the trivial to reveal the spiritual. Your prayer may not be for a SUV, but something else. Wait. God will answer that prayer. It may take time, but sooner or later, He will answer.

Blessings
matt

My Mom Should Have Gone To Jail? (here I go on my soapbox)

As I child, my brother and I would say "bad words". I didn't know what they meant, or why they were bad, I just knew they bad, because my older brother said they were. We would sometimes sit in his upstairs bedroom, and use them. Over and over and over. Who knows what the reason was, we just did it.

That was until those words somehow leaked from our mouths outside the confines of our elevated sanctuary. Come to find out, our mother didn't like those words. At all. Do you know what she did? She washed our mouth out with soap.

Now, being the progressive society that we were at the time, there was this fantastic new invention that made the washing of hands more convenient. It was called liquid soap. This was the kind of soap we had. It was called Dial soap. And my mother figured that the most best way to apply the use of this industrial marvel was to place it on our toothbrushes, and use it to hand our our punishment.

Here's the best part- when your mother is brushing your teeth for you, while the brush is covered in liquid soap, it can jab the inside of your mouth quite a bit. So not only do you get the experience of your mouth being 'washed out', you also get some slight breakage of the skin that also gets to enjoy this disinfecting pleasure. Added bonus- days later our toothbrushes would still taste like soap, so you would remember what happened long after the punishment had been administered.

I'm not sure if you've noticed- but as of yet, I'm not a axe wielding felon who swears like a sailor. It seems this experience didn't ruin me or a person, or have any long lasting damage (except for one- I cannot, to this day, smell Dial soap and not think of those days). My mom did what a parent should do, punish kids with dirty little mouths. It taught me and my brother respect, and a host of other things. I'm pretty sure that neither of us ever went to a job interview and said, "Hey, how the bleep are you? I'm here for my bleeping job interview".

Apparently a parent in Miami did not elude the authorities as my mother did. You can read her story here Some mom went to jail for using soap on her kid.

Seriously? As if society didn't have enough problems, we've taken yet another parenting tool out of the arsenal. No more spanking, no more sent to bed without dinner, and now now soap?

Here's the nugget for the day- and I'll choose my words wisely because if not, some government organization will probably be on my porch by lunchtime.

God loves us, and wants us to love our kids. He doesn't want us to beat them senseless or to hurt them. But, at the same time, if you are a parent, you must realize, and help your child realize that you are the parent, and they are the child. Allowing your children to run all over you in the long run is a plan for disaster.

I don't remember many 'long talks' from my mom. I do remember what dial tastes like, and I don't swear that much. There is nothing wrong with a little discipline now and then. It was good for me in the long run.

Be blessed, and thanks Mom.
matt

Guns, Shootouts, and the FBI

We had chili dogs for dinner last night. It was Monday Night Football, so we had a few friends over to watch the game and enjoy some chow. It was an exciting game to watch. Man, those chili dogs were good. Crystal made the chili with black beans. Its really good that way.

I think it must have been the chili dogs, but I had some crazy dreams last night.
In my dream, I was in a hotel and somehow it came under attack. Probably from terrorists or something, I don't really remember. What I do remember is this, is that there was a wounded FBI agent who gave me his gun to defend the attack. In my dream, he handed me the gun with one round left. And I was like, "dude, do you have an extra clip?". And then he remembered that he had an extra magazine, so he gave it to me.

I never had to use the gun in my dream. But I did end up running through bushes, and chasing bad guys, and seeing old friends from college. It was one of those dreams that seems so vivid that it is real. When you wake up and for a minute, you think that was what happened in your life.

Obviously I wasn't in a shootout, or with the FBI, but it was a real vivid dream. It got me thinking this morning- why is it that we have such vivid far fetched dreams in our sleep, but when it comes to daily reality, most people don't allow themselves to dream big. We may think about things, but we rarely dream outside of the attainable.

Its safer to dream small, because then you have less of a chance of failing, or being let down. But I don't think that's the best recipe for success. When we dream big, we expand our possibilities and open the door to opportunities and blessings that we may have otherwise not been able to achieve.

Some people may not agree with this theological point, but this is what I believe- God wants to bless us. To do good to us, and not evil. How that manifests in every one's lives may not be exactly the same. But the truth remains- he wants to bless us.

Dreams can be part of that. An area of our life where we think big and hope for great opportunity. If we don't allow ourselves to 'go there' sometimes, we may run the risk of not getting there, because we don't open the door to it in our minds. Meaning, we can be the roadblock to blessings because we don't think that it is possible.

Its okay to think big, dream big, hope big and believe big. God owns it all, has it all, and blesses all, but we have to be open to it. If we don't dream or believe big, it may never happen.

Dream big
matt

If You Say it, Mean It.

This must be a week of commerce for me. First the locksmith blog, and now this.

You may recall I bought a 2004 GMC Yukon a few weeks ago. The transmission, in my opinion was acting a little weird in the shift from 1st to 2nd gear, so I decided that I should take it in.

I should come clean here- I am not the most trusting guy when it comes to auto shops. I know that they can really take advantage of people at times. I know that there are really good ones out there, but there are also one's who 'see you comin'.

Here's what I did. I started looking on the Internet for transmission shops and calling around. You can usually get a pretty good read on someone just by the tone of the voice and how they deal with you. I was in outside sales for 4 years. I know the drill. I can tell when I am getting the sell.

That's how I felt when I called a national transmission chain store. I felt like the guy wanted to sell me a new transmission over the phone without even looking at my truck. So I kept looking and found a website for a little mom and pop in Auburn. What sparked my fancy? It had one of those little Christian fishes on the site.

Now, to most people, they either don't see it, or don't care, but for me. That fish means alot. That symbol represents the persecution and torture of early Christians and the secret symbol that they would use to communicate to each other that they were followers of Jesus Christ.

So here's what I said to the guy over the phone before I brought in my truck.

"hey, I noticed you guys have one of those Christian fishes on your website, are you a Christian?"

"Yes, we sure are" He replied.

"Good" I said. "Because I am a pastor, and you are going to answer to God for how you service my transmission".

I left it at that. He agreed that he would take care of me.

You might think that's a bit harsh, but here's my thought- don't say you're a Christian, or have a Christian fish if you don't mean it. Don't market me or put a little fish on your site if its only an attempt to garner some business from the Christian people of the world.

If you say you're a Christian. You should mean it. Its no easy statement. It means alot, if you own a transmission shop, or not.

Be blessed today. If you say it, mean it.

Blessings
matt

One Mistake You Don't Want to Make If you're a Pirate

Picture this- you're a pirate. You've donned your tri-corned skull and bones cap, thrown in a gold earring, and pulled on your boots. You put on yer eye patch, grab your weapon of choice, and set out to pillage and attack an un-suspecting vessel.

Here's something you want to remember if you are starting a career of a pirate- don't choose a naval warship as your target. Usually naval warships are able to thwart the attack of a few rag-tag pirates.

You would think that these pirates from Somalia would have thought about this. You can read the article here.

I was thinking about those pirates this morning and thinking- man, I've made some pretty poor decisions in my own life, but not one like that. I thought, "man, if I were a pirate, I wouldn't attack a navy boat". But then I thought, the problem with the pirates is the same issue that I have- sometimes I don't think things through all the way.

That's the real issue here. For the pirates, and for us. We need to be people that think things through and count the cost. Haven't we all made the mistake of not thinking something through? And then suffering the repercussions of that poor decision?

Here's the great part- I'm pretty sure that you're not a pirate and I'm not a pirate although at times I be talkin' like a one... arrr.... be ye warned says I, or ye be findin' yerself in Davy Jones locker ye landlubber.... arrr. Anyway, back to the great part.

These pirates can serve as an example to us today- think through what you are doing. Take the time to count the cost. God loves you and desires great things for your life, but we can mess those things up if we choose to make poor decisions that can have lasting ramifications.

Don't be a pirate. Think things through.

Be blessed
matt

Don't Do Me Wrong, Or YOU Will End Up on This Blog

Its kind of fun having this little platform of this blog to air my grievances with society at large. Yesterday is a great example of this.

I needed some new keys. So, what do you do when you need new keys? You go to a locksmith, right? I'm beginning to think that locksmiths are a different type of retailer. Along the same lines as a gun shop or a pawn shop. These guys know that you need them more than they need you. This reality drips from their every word and action as you stand in their shop losing your high frequency hearing as they cut new keys.

Anyway, yesterday I got 4 new keys made, paid for them (20 dollars- yes TWENTY DOLLARS- you would think for that amount they would sweep the floor), and went back to check if they worked. They didn't. They wouldn't even go into the hole.

Most of you know by now, patience is not the virtue that the good Lord has bestowed upon me in abundance, so when this happened, I was a bit perturbed.

When I got back to the shop, the guy who helped me was standing outside with a customer, so I went in and told the other guy what had happened. And here is what they said when they realized that they had made the wrong keys, inconvenienced me, and wasted my time- nothing. Not a "hey our bad" or "I'm so sorry Mr. Customer, our establishment is grounded in a culture of efficiency, and we've done you wrong, therefore we're going to make you these keys for free".

Yea, I know. I'm being petty, but here's the kicker- They didn't have the keys that I really needed, so I have to go back AGAIN to get the keys made. Its all a bit inconvenient.

Here's what I would like to do- yell at those guys and give them a quick lesson in customer service. I'd like to take my 4 keys to the next city over and find a NEW and BETTER locksmith that is going to meet MY needs.

But here is what I am going to do- I'm probably going to write a blog about this experience and talk about how God can grow us in these situations. How he can stretch me as a person and help me grow in patience. How I should have a heart to understand that even locksmiths have a need to be loved. To remind myself that every visit that I make back to that shop is an opportunity to share God's love.

Its only time. Its only keys. Grow up Matt. You're not so special that every last interaction that you have with every merchant needs to be a mountain top experience. This world is full of hurting people, and hurting people hurt people. So love on those guys. They probably get tired of cranky customers and late night service calls when no one thanks them.

Be blessed today. And be nice!

Matt

Why Consistency Matters

I want to draw attention to a phenomenon that I am sure that you have noticed also. People are really inconsistent.

Sometimes they are inconsistent in their attitude- they may be personable one day, and mean the next. They may be happy one day, and sad the next.

Sometimes they are inconsistent in their actions- they eat right when they are trying to lose weight, but eat horribly when they are not. They exercise when they feel like it, not when they should.

Sometimes they are inconsistent when it comes to their spirituality- they only reach out to God when they are in crisis, or when they need something from him.

Inconsistency is not good. There is little benefit in it. Why? Because it is reactionary in nature and does not produce any real lasting results. It may change your circumstance for a moment, but in the long haul, if you do not become consistent, you'll never see the change that you really want to see in your life.

Let's be honest- don't we all have areas of our life that we are trying to improve? Things about us or our circumstance that we want to be different? If that is the case, then consistency in our endeavors is the key.

Here's a verse about spiritual discipline that lends credibility to personal discipline- Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Its hard to be disciplined. That's why most people aren't. But those who give themselves into it, find that they have a more fruitful life than those who choose to not have any discipline in their actions, thoughts, words, or spiritual walk.

Find something today that you can start to be consistent with. It may not be every day of the week, but maybe just 4 times a week. Watch what kind of an impact that it has on your life. I guarantee that it will produce results in that area because you will be giving it the attention that it needs.

And here's the kicker- don't stop once you see results. Continue it forever. Make it a discipline in your life and watch how it will change you completely.

Be blessed, and consistent.

Matt

Late Blog Better Than No Blog

I woke up at 445 this morning. I knew I was going to have a busy day, but I didn't think it was going to work out like this.

Our worship leader just got married and was leaving for her honeymoon today, and as it would happen, they had their grandparents that were staying with them that were leaving also. They were all on the same flight. So, I figured it would be a great day to break in the SUV, so I got to their house at 515 to drive them there.

It went fine, and I made it to my next time, which was 615 to pick up some kids for a Young Life bible study I do on Friday mornings at 630. I got done with that, and went home to take the kids to school.

Here's where the wrench comes- Crystal was going out of town this weekend with my mom, and was going to drive to Seattle in our little truck and leave and drive back Sunday. But since I wanted to drive my SUV a bit more, I volunteered to drive her up there and then my mom would bring her back Sunday.

I called my friend to stop by and say hello, and 2 hours later I'm pulling out of Starbucks on my way back to Covington. I already was late. I didn't have time, but we decided since I was already behind the 8ball we would go to Dick's Drive-in and get a quick burger before I left Seattle.

I just got home. I only have til 230 and then I got to get the kids from school. I thought 6 hours was a lot more time. How does my wife get so much done during those 6 hours every day? I'm glad she's only going to be gone for the weekend. I'm gonna miss her.

The significance? The nugget? I didn't get one thing done today that I wanted too. But my friend that I had coffee with for 2 hours in Seattle really needed to talk.

We had some great fellowship. And to me, it shouldn't matter that I didn't get done what I wanted to today. God had a plan. He needed me to be there for that conversation. It blessed both of us.

Have a great weekend. Talk to you Tuesday

matt

Wake Up People! Only 90 Days Left!!!!!!!

Yep. That's right. Today is the first day of October in the year two thousand and nine. Only 90 days left in the 2009. Did you read that? NINETY DAYS LEFT IN THIS YEAR! I know. Its scary when you think about it.

I'm 34 years old. And I remember when I was younger that people would always tell me that time moves alot faster when you get older, and I didn't believe them. but its true, at times it seems like my life is in fast forward.

If you're anything like most Americans, you probably set some sort of goals for 2009. Fitness goals, financial goals, spiritual goals. Some sort of plan, or resolution for the new year. How are you doing on those? Are you making progress? Have you got to where you want to be? Because here's the news- you've only got 90 days to get it done.

Take for example weight loss. You could feasibly lose 20lbs in the next 90 days. It would be hard, but you could do it if you really wanted to. I'd like to lose 20lbs in the next 90 days, but it isn't going to happen, cause we're getting high into eating season, and history has shown me that this isn't the season for weight loss for the Krachunis guy.

Reflecting on the first 3/4 of the year, I have to admit I haven't done everything that I wanted to do this year. I've done marginal at best. I could have done better.

So here's what I propose- start to think now about what you want to start working on in 2010. Come up with a plan now to how you're going to get it done. Don't wait until you're reading my new years day blog that is talking about 2010 a space odyssey. You can have a 90 day jump on the new year and actually accomplish some goals next year.

Remember to not leave God out of the equation. He wants to bless you and your attempts to improve. He wants you to grow spiritually, be healthy, and be a good steward of your finances. Spend a moment today and think about what it is that you want to see changed. Come up with a plan, and do it.

You've got 90 days.

Be blessed today.
Matt