What I learned in US Army over 6 years, You can Learn in 3 mins.

I was in the Military. For 6 years. It was an experience to say the least. While in the military, there is a ton of stuff that you learn. Like shining boots, waxing floors, and keeping your mouth shut. Actually, I could probably write a blog a day for a year about the things I learned in the Army.

Here's one for you today- when I was in the Army, we learned a key phrase, it was called 'missing movement'. Now for some people that may have some different connotations, but for us, it meant, if the convoy leaves, and you're not there. You're toast.

Here's how it works- you're in a unit. In this unit there can be 30 to 300 people. At planned times throughout the year, you go to 'the field'. Which means, you pack up every last thing that you have ever been issued in the Army, throw it in a Humvee (or whatever type of vehicle that you are assigned) and drive out into the middle of no where and train.

Usually, they plan to leave for these Government sponsored camping trips at about 4 in the morning. You line up all the vehicles, and you all drive out to the training area together. As a team, in convoy. If you don't make it in time, its called "missing movement". If that happens, they take your rank, your pay, and you have to perform extra duty for 15-45 days. It sucks.

This is what you learn from that- don't ever be late for anything. Ever. If you have a time that you have to be somewhere. You are there early, not on time. On time is late.

For some odd reason, the Army doesn't take well to "I overslept" or "my car wouldn't start" or " I really wasn't feeling that well". If you really want to get ol' Uncle Sam mad, don't show up at all. They'll not only take your pay and time, you could do some time. Seriously, you can go to jail for not showing up to work.

Here's what you learn in the Army, being late affects everyone, not just you. When you are late it is for no other reason than your decisions leading up to being late made you late. Not circumstance itself.

I'm not late because I woke up late. I'm late because I chose to go to bed late and not get up when my alarm went off. I chose to lay there and listen to my wave machine for 10 more minutes than to get up.

What's the nugget? I like this bible verse- Proverbs 20:25 (The Message) 25 An impulsive vow is a trap; later you'll wish you could get out of it.

Don't be late. Don't make commitments you don't intend to keep. Don't blame it on circumstance. Own up to what role you had to play. You made choices and those choices included being late.

Blessings!
matt

Talking Bout Some Great Television

There is some utter and complete garbage on the television right now. You can tell where society has gone, by watching some of the trash that exists on it. I can't describe in great detail what some of these shows are like. I can tell you if I feel uncomfortable after watching the commercial, its probably pretty likely that the show isn't going to be much better.

It seems as if though every program now has a 'viewer discretion advised', and that includes the cartoon shows on FOX. Most of these shows, as it appears are filled with debauchery- I know that's a big word, let me give you the definition- extreme indulgence in sensuality. Its quite annoying. What happened to the Brady Bunch and Family Matters? Full House anyone?

I can remember back in elementary school when people were upset about the A-Team because they thought it was 'too violent'. Watch one of those episodes now. Its laughable to call it violent. Its a Broadway musical compared to what's on TV today.

There is one show on right now that I stumbled upon (because of the SuperBowl) called 'Undercover Boss'. If you haven't seen it, you need to. Its TV at its best. Its a show about CEOs that go undercover at their own company to see how the 'working man'(and women) deal with their daily jobs. It is full of great life lessons.

It shows how hard entry level people have to work. It shows immigrants that love being in America. It portrays the good side of people and the rewards that hard work produces. Everyone I've talked to that has seen it, loves it. Bring some tissue. Its a tear jerker at times.

Here's the deal- a lot of people deplore television because of the tripe that is on it, but that's like saying I wont use a car because people use them as getaway cars in robberies. There is some good stuff on that thing, you just have to look for it. Yes, don't spend your life looking for it by watching 8 hours a day, but there is nothing wrong with catching a good bit of entertainment now and again.

What's the nugget? don't watch bad TV that leads you to unhealthy thoughts and actions. Watch TV that encourages you to be a better person or teaches you something. Watch Undercover Boss and tell me what you think.

Be blessed
matt

That's Right....Block Watch Captain....CAPTAIN!!!!

You got it. Last night, I became a block watch captain. I'm not sure how I achieved the rank of captain so easily, but I guess I did. I would have thought that I should have started as a private or something. I'll take the promotion though.

I live in a neighborhood that is a bit notorious in our city. Its called Timberlane. Its the biggest development in our town. It has about 1000 houses in it. It was built in the 70s, has a bunch of trees, and sadly a more than fair share of crime.

We have graffiti, wannabe gangsters, car prowls, vandalism, and a lot of trash and such. Not just food trash, like mattresses and old microwaves. Its quite annoying. Its not like that directly on my street, but when you go around the other areas of the development, it gets a bit worse.

Crystal and I have noticed this stuff for quite a few years. We didn't really know it was this type of neighborhood when we moved in, but what can we do now but work on improving it. When I got an email saying that someone was starting a block watch for our development, I went last night and got involved. Everyone who showed up was made the captain of their block.

Here's the deal- we all have busy lives. Things that we have to do, and things that we want to do. There is a third column- the things we should do. Its easy to forget to add a few into that column also. Its much easier to leave the 'should dos' to someone else. In this case, it might be a bit easier if someone else was doing this block watch thing.

What's the nugget? Why am I telling you about my new civic para-military organization? Initially, I didn't want to volunteer for this. I don't really have the time to commit to it, but I feel like if I'm going to complain about something, I should do something about it.

It seems that a lot of people don't get involved in things that matter anymore. They don't get involved at their kids schools, in politics, in their neighborhoods, in their churches. Too many people seem to at times to be content with sitting on the sidelines and allowing someone else to do it all, and just soak up the work of everyone else.

I like- 2nd Thessalonians 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

There is a lot of people out there that do a whole lot of nothing. Don't be a person like that. Get in there and get your hands dirty once in a while and help some people.

You may even achieve the rank of 'Captain'

blessings
matt

My Birthday Is Over

Yesterday was fantastic. It was my birthday. I turned 35 years old. I think I may be getting a bit older.

Some reasons I think I may be getting older:

1. Things seem a bit loud to me at times.
2. I think that 'kids' are disrespectful and then realize that they are high schoolers.
3. I'm choosing cereal based on the fiber content, not the toy in the box.
4. When in a store to buy something, people are more often calling me 'sir'.
5. I'm exercising for health, not for looks.
6. I used to hate going to bed and loved getting up, now I love going to bed and hate getting up.

Those are just a few I came up with. Getting old is fine with me. I'm looking forward to grey hair. I think I'll look pretty sweet with it.

It was great yesterday- got a lot of birthday wishes, was able to eat a few donuts, a slurpee, and went out to my favorite restaurant for dinner (Buca di Beppo). It doesn't get much better than that.

Here's the deal- I must admit, I kinda liked the bit of attention on my birthday. Its nice to feel loved. Its nice to have a day that is just about me. Where I can do what I want and have what I want. A day when people go out of their way to make me feel special.

Here's the flip side though. There are 364 other days of the year when its not about me. Those are the days when it has to be about everyone else. Sometimes I wonder if people get that number backwards- they think every day is about them, and not about others.

You have the choice- either you can live your life consumed with yourself, or consumed with others. The interesting part of it is that when you spend your life consumed with others, you in turn are able to be blessed for yourself. Its paradoxical, but its true. God set it up that way- lose your life to find it.

It may not the birthday of someone you love today, but you can still go out of your way to make them feel special. Give them a call, send them a note, drop by with a gift. The love that you give to other people always comes back to you.

Also- remember its not all about you. You get a day here and there- but don't be consumed with getting all of your own needs met everyday. Go meet some other people's needs, and yours will get met in the midst of it.

Be blessed today. Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

matt

So Simple.... Why Doesn't Everyone Do It?

I'm going to get on my soapbox this morning and complain about something. Its been bothering me for a quite a while, and I think its time I get this off my chest. It bothers me almost every day, and if I don't address it, I'm not sure how much longer I can take it.

Here it is- when I go to a retail establishment it absolutely annoys me that people don't put their carts back. You know what I'm talking about? When you go to a store, and try to pull into a parking slot and someone took their cart and left it there so you cant park there? Or my personal favorite, the "I'll put two wheels up on the curb instead of putting it away" person. I'm sure you've noticed like I have that people leave carts even one parking stall away from the cart collection area.

Its annoying. It frustrates me. Here's my take on what I think is going on.

1. A lot of people are inherently lazy. They don't want to walk an additional 10-20 feet to put back a cart. After all, they've just spent 20-30 mins walking around the store and all the way to their automobile. They couldn't possibly go another 20 feet.

2. A lot of people have a sense of entitlement. They feel as though they have paid for their goods and services and it entitles them to leave the cart for someone else to worry about. Its the job of someone else, so why should they worry about it?

3. A lot of people don't care if they inconvenience someone else. They live a very self-centered life. If someone else gets their car rammed by a runaway cart, or they block a parking spot, they don't care, because they've done what they wanted.

4. A lot of people have no sense of community. These are the same people who toss their cigarette butts everywhere. For some reason they either don't understand or don't care that eventually, someone is going to have to clean up, and they don't care that its not them.

I could go on, but this blog is supposed to be read in a few minutes, not a few hours.

Here's the point I'm making and its quite simple- put your shopping carts back. Every single time. The absolute most time it could take in any American shopping center is exactly 2.5 mins. Use that time as an opportunity to pray, or to talk to someone or to embolden your sense of civic virtue. We're all in this together folks, and if we can't get this cart thing taken care of, where will we be as a nation in 20 years?

Is there a Bible verse I can throw in with this one? How about Mark 12:33
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Put the cart back. Better yet, think about some other area of your life, and insert the word "cart" for some other activity and see how it reads.

Blessings
matt

Dont Worry About What People Think Too Much

I think we all do it at some level. We worry about what someone is going to think or say about what we do or say. Sure, we should have some measure of restraint as we deal with our daily lives, but to live in such a way that we constantly are worried about what other people think, can be detrimental.

I do it. I think about what I wear, what I say, what I don't say. How people will perceive something I write on this blog, or something I preach. Its common. I'm sure other people do it at times.

What I think happens, is that inherently, we as people want people to like us. When we think about what we are doing, we filter that through the 'like-o-meter' and if we perceive that someone may not like us, we adjust what we do.

Here's the kicker though- most people are so consumed with their own issues and hang ups that they don't have the time or energy to be consumed with yours. They spend their own energy and time thinking about their own worries, they really don't care that much about yours.

I want to make this clear- I'm not saying that we shouldn't care what people think, because then we can run the risk of being a person who hurts others because we are so self centered. I am saying that we should not be so overly concerned with it to the point that it inhibits us, or keeps us from being who we think that God has called us to be.

Here's the nugget for the day. Be yourself. Don't be who people want you to be, or who you think they want you to be. Its hard to keep up appearances, its easier to to just let them find out who you really are, and then love you for that.

Think about that today. Remind yourself during the day if you are doing something because of how you want people to think about you. Don't let it consume you, but realize that you can honor God by being you (while loving people), and not becoming what you think others think you should be.

Blessings
matt

A Great Place to Place Your Trust

Its been said that trust is easy to lose, hard to gain. If you've been around longer than a day, you've probably seen that in your own life. Either by losing the trust that someone had in you, or someone you had trust in that you no longer trust.

When that happens, its usually because of what someone did or did not do. What they said or did not say. The promise they kept or broke. We've all been there, on the receiving end, and the giving end.

I know I've let a lot of people down in my life. Promises that I've made that I broke. Secrets given to me that I shared. Things I've said that were hurtful. Things I didn't say when I should have. Times when I should have showed up and I didn't. I can look back on my life and think of numerous times when I didn't make the mark, and in the process, lost the trust of someone. A painful exercise, but its true.

We all want to trust people, and we have all been hurt when we've trusted people. Its the human condition. I would say it is a part of us that makes us inherently human. The ability to gain and lose trust.

Here's another side of it though- some people place too much trust in other people. They expect another person to meet all of their emotional and spiritual needs. They place them on a pedestal that is so high, that when they fall even the slightest bit, the impact crushes the other persons perception of them.

Putting your trust in God is the best way to ensure that you are not hurt as often. Yes, trust people, but with a constant awareness that people are fallible creatures that are not perfect. They are people who mess up and foul up most things they get themselves into. Even Peter denied Christ.

Whats the nugget? Give those people who let you down a bit of grace and learn to trust God more than man. He wont let you down, but people always will. Love people. Trust people, but remember when they fail you, the best thing to look at is a mirror, because more than likely you've broken trust before also.

I like this Bible verse- Psalm 56:4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

When you learn to trust in God more, you can handle the failures of people better.

Be blessed
matt

I'm Related to A Signer Of The Declaration of Independence

Yea. Its true. I've been going crazy on ancestry.com and have found a lot of my relatives quite a few generations back.

On my maternal grandmothers side, through her mother, my line goes back to Thomas Lynch Jr, who was the father of Thomas Lynch III, who was the second youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence. I'm not directly related to that guy, I'm related to his brother, David Lynch. Its all from ancestry.com. I could be wrong, I'm verifying it and all, who knows.

Sure, its a bit distant, but I think that guy Thomas would be considered my great uncle or something. Either way. Its pretty cool to think that my family is related to someone who had something to do with a great part of history.

I've been a bit consumed with this ancestry thing. I don't know why, I guess its just been a bit interesting to me, so I've been spending some time on it.

It got me to thinking about how I got here. For most of my life I've really only thought about that it was my mother and father who brought me into this world. Its far more than that actually. If you think about it, even if you just go back 5 generations, it took 16 couples having children, that eventually produced me.

Its that way for all of us. If you go back even farther, its amazing to think about how many people actually had to get married and have kids to get to you. Go back 6 generations, and it took 32 couples.

What's it all mean? Its quite powerful to think that the person that you are today is because of the countless people before you that had kids, who had kids who had kids. You are blessed to be here. Blessed to be alive. You are not here by accident, but by divine providence.

That guy Thomas Lynch III? At first when I was researching that connection, I was hopeful that he was in my direct line. Then I found out that he and his wife died in a boat wreck, before having any children. There was no way for him to be in my line. His line died, because he died. I'm here because his brother lived.

Think about that today. How many people came before you to get to you being here today. Its special when you think about it. You are a product of thousands of years of births.

Hopefully that encourages you today to think you're special. It sure did for me when I started to think about it.

Be blessed.

matt

My Friend Got In a Car Wreck (pics included)

Have you ever been in a car wreck? Its a pretty harrowing experience. When you're in a car wreck, its scary, and can injure or kill you. Its not fun at all. I've only been in a couple of wrecks in my life. One when I was a child, and one last year. I remember both of them very vividly. They're scary.

My friend got in a car wreck a few weeks ago. He was coming home from church, and was waiting at an intersection when two cars smashed into each other, and came towards him. He was the first car at the front of the line, so when they were skidding towards him, there really wasn't anything that he could do but sit there and watch them come at him.

He braced and waited. And then the car collided with his.

The truck that had been hit by the other truck came skidding towards my friends truck, and hit him on the drivers side. It was pressed up against his drivers side door, so there was no way my friend to get out, except the other side.

When he Got out he was amazed to see the damage on the other cars, and how the car came to rest against his truck.

Here is pictures of the two cars that hit each other-






You can see that both of these trucks are smashed up a bit. Here's where it gets good. Look at where the other truck came to rest after it got smashed (my friends truck is the green one)






The red truck gets pulled away, and watch all the damage that happened to my friends truck.




Amazing. I probably wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it my self. On the fender picture you can see a little dent, but my friend thinks that may have even been there before.

Here's the deal- sometimes we don't realize it, but God watches out for us. Angels were watching over my friend and his son that day. it could have been so much worse, instead, its a powerful testimony of the goodness of God and his protection.

Walk in that protection today. Pray, God, please watch over me today as I drive and go about my business. Lord, watch over me as I work and rest. Amen.

He loves you. He watches out for you everyday.

Be blessed,
matt

Another Reason For People To Not Go To Church

Some people think church is outdated. A thing of that past that has lost its usefulness. To them its merely a place of social interaction and recreation, not a place of worship and fellowship.

I can understand why some people don't want to go to church. Usually its because of some bad experience with a leader, or a group of people. There has been a bunch of people who have ruined church for others because of their actions.

Here's another one to add to the list. You can read the article here. Its a bit interesting. Some guy in Wisconsin used a stun gun a male dance instructor repeatedly because "his church does not condone touching while dancing".

Nice. Chalk up another one for the weirdos of the world.

Here's the frustrating part. Church is a great place with a bunch of great people. Its an opportunity to connect with God and people. Its the heart of God. The church is one of the means by which God moves on this planet. It important. But when you have a bunch of weirdos out there doing stuff like this an then talking about church, I don't think it does a bunch for the PR of the church.

What I don't think that this stun gun guy realizes is that he is hurting, not helping his church. His actions are harming his church.

Now I realize that every person who reads this blog is not the church going type, and that's good, but let me say a few things about this. To the church types, and not church types.

1. This is not what you should expect at a normal church. We do not stun gun people.

2. If you go to a church, do not stun gun people. They will not come back.

There. I think that clears things up a bit.

The nugget for the day? Church or not, we need to be people that love people regardless of what they do. Dance instructor or not, we need to be people of love.

There is a self-righteous attitude that permeates many peoples lives that inhibits their ability to adequately love others. If they would start to love others, instead of attack them, both physically and emotionally, it would change lives.

Be loving today. Don't stun gun anyone.

Blessings
matt

A Great Communication Failure We All Do

I spend the better part of most of my time communicating with people. Its my job. Its what I do. I listen, talk, read, and write with people most of the day. What I also do, is notice people communicating. I'm a people watcher. You can learn alot about them, and yourself, by watching how they communicate.

In my view, most of people's relationship problems are centered around their lack of communication, or poor communication. Either people don't have the right tools, or they don't use the tools they have correctly.

Which brings me to a very small soap box on which I will stand today to talk about a miscommunication style that is both frustrating and unhelpful.

It's called- the "sigh".

People do it all the time. They are frustrated,upset, or angry, and instead of articulating that emotion to the person they are in relationship, they sigh. They let out a big breath of air in a way that is loud and attempts to convey some sort of emotion that they can't or wont articulate verbally.

Here's what happens- someone is upset with another person, and instead of saying, "Friend, I'd like to share with you my current frustration" they let out air like a tire going flat. This is poor communication. Good communication is sharing with someone what you are feeling in a way that is clear, not in a way that is shrouded in negative emotion.

Sighing leaves interpretation of emotion up to the person who is receiving it. It usually ends up in the person who is at the receiving end of the sigh misunderstanding the sigh, and continuing the cycle of miscommunication.

Here's the deal- if you sigh, no one knows what you are really feeling, so they can't respond to you correctly. If you're feeling an emotion- share it verbally in a constructive way, don't sigh and assume that people will know what you're feeling. If want people to identify with what you are feeling- tell them what you are feeling.

There. I said it. Lets try to sigh less and talk more. Be clearer in what we're feeling. When we do that, we will help our relationships, not harm them.

Be blessed
matt

Have You Ever Got A Speeding Ticket?

Okay. I may be jinxing my self on this one, but I don't believe in Jinxes, so I guess I'll be fine- I've never got a speeding ticket before. Actually never received a ticket for any violation ever. Crystal says its because I'm lucky, or that somehow I am able to get out of it with my verbal gymnastics. Whatever it is, I've never got one. Been pulled over before? Oh yes. Plenty of times, but a ticket? Thank God, no.

It gives me a certain sense of pride to know that I've never got a ticket. Have I ever sped? Of course I have. I would say its almost daily that I end up speeding. Do I set out to 'speed'? Not really, but if your city is anything like mine, the flow of traffic is such that the 60mph zone sometimes gets going 63 or 65, or the 35 goes 37 or whatever. Over the limit is speeding. You don't have to go 20 over to be breaking the law, that's why they call it the limit. You're not supposed to go over it.

I'm thankful I've never got a ticket. I hear they're expensive. I don't want one. There has been times when I've been on the freeway and seen the officer outside his car with the radar gun, and hoped he didn't get me, and I got by unscathed.

On the flip side, which I think is an interesting phenomenon is that I seem to get a wee bit of satisfaction from seeing other people pulled over. When you see a cop pulling over a speeder, or when I see a person on the side of the road, there is a bit of personal pride I get from seeing someone else 'get it'. Glad that they got caught and that they're going to get a ticket. They're speeding. They should get a ticket.

I realized this- I like to get away with something I like other people to get punished for. For me? Grace. For them? Judgement!

Hopefully you can see this biblical misapplication in my personal righteousness regarding Washington state traffic law. The same grace that I receive is not the same grace that I wish upon others.

I think that happens alot in other people's lives. When faced with mistakes or poor choices, people want to receive grace and mercy from others. When it is the other way around, and they are at the receiving end of someones mistakes or poor choices, they want to heap judgment and wrath upon them.

Another way to say it is that people don't want to give others the same measure of grace that they want for themselves. We want forgiveness. We want them to pay.

Its not right. I think that for us to be people that truly love. That truly want to help others and impact their lives that we should extend the same measure of grace to them that we would want measured against us. That's what Jesus said, so I think its a good idea.

Be blessed, and forgiving.

matt

Have You Ever Seen a 6'5" 250lb Man Roller Skating?

We went roller skating last night. It was "all city club" night for Young Life, so they had it at the Auburn Skate connection. I hadn't been roller skating in about 15 years, so when I found out that's what we were doing, I was a little excited.

When we got to the roller rink, it was like stepping back into time. I think every roller rink in America is probably a bit like this one. Old lockers, old video games, funky carpet, dated decor, and those wonderful brown leather rental skates with the orange wheels that have that distinct smell of 30 years of foot sweat. It was great hearing some Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson music.

My kids had never been skating before. We got them some skates, and laced them up and begrudgingly got them on the floor. Neither one of them wanted to do it. They wanted to have helmets and pads. They were afraid they were going to fall down. They thought they couldn't do it.

My son was the most defiant. He was absolutely convinced that he was going to die out there on the floor. He wanted no part of this roller skating thing. To him- it was the beginning of certain death and end of life as he knew it. He said he was going to sit on the side and just watch.

With a little bit of "coaxing" we got them out there on the floor. Well, technically, we got them to start holding the rail all the way around the floor with their skates on. There was apprehension, some frustration and some falling on the floor, but they made it once around that place in about 5 mins.

It was great watching those two trying something new for the first time. Trying to figure out their balance and how it worked. By the end of the night, my son was skating not holding the wall. It was rather inventive the way he started skating- I've never seen another human do it this way. He was squatted down (he said the closer he was to the floor the less distance he had to fall) and was pushing out with one leg to get him going. He did quite nice with this little technique.

What's the point? Last night I saw two kids try something new for the first time. Initially they were scared and thought they weren't going to be able to do it. By the end of the night, they had drastically improved and were on their way to getting proficient at it.

As I was watching them I couldn't help but think- most people fail because they never try. Or when they do try, if they are not immediately successful, they give up.

The Bible says in Galatians 6:9- Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Sure, that verse isn't about roller skating, but I think the principle still applies, and the principle is this- we receive the best things in life when we don't give up.

Don't give up today. Don't falter. Don't quit. You'll get better. It will get better. You'll be victorious.

Blessings
matt