Friday, April 30, 2010

My Son Became a Man Yesterday

So we're driving down to the church last night, as we do most nights, and my son and daughter are sitting in the back seat as we're driving. My son begins to make noises that sound like flatulence in his armpit, which is not too surprising, since he's 9 and a he's a boy.

After his beautiful display of armpit control he says, "hey, my hand stinks".

I'm in the front seat, and I'm a bit curious, why his hand would stink, but I don't want to smell it. So I ask his sister to smell it. She does, and it does in fact stink. So, reluctantly, from a distance, I smell his hand, and sure enough my assumptions are confirmed. My son is now producing body odor.

Its kinda weird. My 9 year old son, who used to be my little man, before that my baby, is now becoming a man. The arrival of adolescent body odor must be indicative of the soon arrival of the next phase of maturity- of which I am neither prepared for or excited about. It is what it is. Its on its way.

So last night after church I took him to the store and bought him his first Speed Stick. Ocean fresh scent. Again, weird. Its even weird to write about it.

Here's what I was thinking as were driving home last night from the store- this is what a Dad is supposed to be doing. Teaching his son about the effects of pre-pubescent body odor and empowering him to not smell like a dead animal. As a parent it is my job to help my children become productive members of society. Sometimes, that entails letting them know that they stink, and that they need to clean up if they want to be as productive as possible.

Its raises the question- do the people whom I meet that have a pungent odor not care about their odor, or have they never been taught how to apply deodorant? Have they never had anyone in their life that helped them see some things about their life that they should change? Or do they simply not care?

What's the nugget for the day? We all stink. At some point we either realize it and do something about it, or someone else lets us know and we choose to do something about it or ignore it. Once the stink has been revealed in our life, it is up to us what we do with it. You can choose to stink, but the vast majority of people that you meet will be repelled by an overly powerful natural body odor.

Do you stink? Literally or figuratively? Do something about it. Clean up those areas of your life that are overly pungent or displeasing. That's part of what maturity is, realizing that there are things about you that may not be the most pleasing, and doing something about it to clean it up.

Be clean, and blessed
matt

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Oops. It Seems As If The Wrong House Was Demolished

Interesting story coming out of Denton Texas. Earlier this week there was a house that was to be torn town because of code violations, but instead of tearing down the correct house at 721 Ruddell St. they tore down the house at 724 Ruddell St. You can read the story here.

Pretty interesting stuff, eh? Can you imagine what that would be like? To come home and find out that there was a demolition crew that had begun to demolish your home? Sure, you read the article and its clear that a mix up such as this could be possible. The house in question was a bit run down, had some high weeds and such. And look at the numbers, 724 is really close to 721. It could happen to any one of us.

I can see it now- the crew out there the morning of, and looking at their clip board and saying, "alright boys, which house is it now". Then some guy in the wrecker starts going towards a house yelling "yeeeehawwwww! lets tear down this one!". Yea, it probably went something like that.

No doubt heads are going to roll on this one. I'm sure the lady isn't going to be satisfied with an apology and a free week stay in the local Motel 6.

But here's the deal and the point of bringing up this somewhat funny story- don't we all make mistakes? Haven't we all made some sort of blunder that affected someone elses life that we wish wouldn't have happened?

The answer is yes. We all make mistakes.

What can and should make us different is how we deal with those mistakes. When things go wrong, we need to be able to ask forgiveness of others, and forgive them. Sure, I'm using the example of this house this morning, but it applies to all areas of our life. As Christians, we are called to be people who forgive. People who move past things that have happened and move forward.

Its not easy, but its what we're supposed to do.

Is there someone in your life right now that you need to ask to forgive you? Someone that you've done wrong? Maybe not tore their house down, but did some other sort of damage? Make the effort to day to reach out to them, ask for forgiveness and move forward.

We are called to be builders, not demolishers.

Be blessed today

matt

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

What's Real Today With Ol' Pastor Matt

I like hip-hop music. Mostly Christian hip-hop music. I've been listening to rap music since about 1985 back when I used to listen to the Fat Boys, Egyptian Lover and RUN DMC. I had parachute pants and did a little break dancing. People thought rap was a fad back then and that it wouldn't be around 25 years later, but it still is.

When I became a Christian, I started listening to Christian hip-hop exclusively. Back in 1991 there weren't a lot of options as far as Christian hip-hop was concerned, but because I wanted to honor God in what I was listening to, I tossed all my NWA and Ice T albums and replaced them with DC Talk and T-Bone.

Over the years the genre expanded to the point where the Christian stuff was on par with the secular stuff so much that the beats and sounds between the two were indistinguishable. Whereas before, it was clear that the Christian rap was lacking in quality music that non-Christians could appreciate. Christian rap got no respect.

I've always defended Christian hip-hop as a music style that honored God, and was a great tool for outreach to people who were yet to know Christ. I've searched far and wide to find good music that I liked that I could feel comfortable sharing with anyone.

This morning I had a bit of a surprise when a Christian rapper whom I am friends with on Facebook posted a new song. His first couple of albums were amazing. Great beats. Great lyrics. Now he has changed his name and his style. The songs that he used to have about honoring God and ministry have been replaced with a song with a whole lot of cuss words and degrading lyrics.

Needless to say. I was floored. Honestly I'm having a bit of a hard time processing it all. I know, for you it may not seem like much of a big deal, but to me, a guy who has defended Christian Rap for all these years and then to see someone who 'sold out' so to speak to the mainstream, its a bit devastating. I really liked that guys music.

Here's what I think is going on- I think that most of us like consistency in the people that we admire. We appreciate who they are and what they stand for and when something happens that seems to erode at that foundation of who we thought they were, its difficult to assimilate the new information into our minds.

There's still a nugget in here today. Here it is-- or at least what I can get from it. First, I'm not going to go all crazy defaming this guys name. What he has decided to do with his music career is between him and God. He can play the banjo or death metal for all I care. That's irrelevant. I may choose to not listen to him, and that's my right. But it brings up an important point- was it possible that I elevated someone too much that when they didn't meet my expectations I was upset?

We all admire people. We all have people that we look up to. The trick is to love and admire them enough, but not so much that when they cease to meet our expectations that it damages our relationship with God. We can never elevate people to the level that who they are represents who God is.

We are to place our faith in God, not in people.

Has someone let you down before? Forgive them. Is there someone that you admire? Don't elevate them so high that when, and I say when, they let you down, they don't fall so far that it damages your idea of who God is. People change, but God does not.

Be blessed today.

matt

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I Officiated a Wedding and Forgot The Words To Say

There I was, standing before the couple who was about to pledge their eternal love and commitment to each other. They were standing there looking lovingly into each other eyes, excited for the most important day of their lives.

I stood there. Motionless. Fully aware of the 100+ guests who were intently looking at me waiting for me to start the ceremony.

I stammered. I locked up. I was scared and didn't know what to say. I reached for my handy "Ministers Service Manual Edition 2" and it wasn't there. I had forgot the book that gives me the lines for the wedding.

My heart sunk. I had never done this before. I didn't know what to do. I depended on that book to give me the lines. My heart raced, I scrolled through my mind for what I could remember. I could remember that there were some "I dos" and some "til death do us parts" but that was about it.

I was failing miserably. I knew it. It was the worst feeling in the world.

And then I woke up. It was all a dream. True story. That was the dream I had last night. It was one of those dreams that is so real that you wake up and it feels like it happened. I can't begin to tell you how relieved I was when I woke up and it was just a dream. I can't imagine what it would be like if that actually happened. Utterly devastating is probably what it would be like I'm sure.

Now I'm not going to go into some self revelating psychoanalysis of my dream on this blog. We can leave that to Freud. What I can say is this- whether in a dream or in real life, I think its natural to have some level of anxiety about doing well at something. Even more so if someone is depending on you. I think we all want to do well. Its part of who we are.

But here's the caveat to that- we can't spend our lives trying to impress or receive validation from other people. It can be completely damaging to who we are if we are constantly trying to impress people. Being a performance driven individual who cares too much what other people think can ruin you.

Its good to want to do well. Its bad to live for the praise of someone else.

I like what the Bible has to say about performance- 2 Corinthians 5:9 "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it". When we spend the bulk of our time trying to please God in what we say and do, we end up being a lot happier. Less stress. More contentment.

God loves you and wants you to do well. You win every time you put your faith in Him to help you do well. Don't worry so much about doing well for others. Make it your goal to please Him.

Oh, and don't forget the book if you're doing a wedding.

Be blessed
matt

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Why I Don't Celebrate Earth Day

Today is "Earth Day" and I'm not taking part. More than likely I'll take my 5.7L SUV with my plastic bottle in hand and drive the 5 blocks to my kids school that I could probably walk. I'll turn on the heat in my house higher than I should, take a long hot shower, and throw away something that should probably be recycled.

I'm being completely serious here. I'll do all that, and I wont think twice about it. Its Earth Day and I don't care.

I can already hear the feedback from my eco-friendly friends. The ones who will lambaste me for my indifference and haughty behavior in regards to the environment. They will say that I am thoughtless and cruel, and that I will be held in judgement before God almighty because of my behavior in regards to "mother earth".

I've got news for you- no I wont.

Why? Because this Earth is not my mother. This world is not my home. This "3rd rock from the Sun" is not a Temple of worship or an Deity. Its the planet on which we live.

I'm not celebrating it because of what people like Margaret Mead said in 1978 when she declared Earth day a global "holy day for all nations". Earth day is not a Holy day. The only thing that is Holy is God. He is the Holy one.

I'm not celebrating it because I believe that society puts for things like "earth day" as a way to indoctrinate people into thinking that the Earth is holy and slowly subvert people's thinking into worshipping the creation instead of the Creator.

Its no different than what the Bible says in Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.

Here's the deal- I recycle the things I can. I don't pour anti-freeze down the drain. I don't throw plastic bags in Puget Sound. I'm not pouring chemical waste into our nations streams. But what do I refuse to do? Worship the Earth. Praise the Earth. Love the Earth.

The beauty and majesty of this Earth serves two purposes- for us to see the splendor of the Earth and to be drawn into a relationship with God, not a relationship with the Earth. Its like what it says in Romans 1:20- For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Like the Earth, don't love it. Look at it and realize that it points to a Creator and worship Him, not the Earth.

No tree saved my soul.

Blessings
matt

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

How To Make It Rain Every Single Time

From what I hear, there are people who know how to do "rain dances" to make it rain. It probably comes in handy when you need rain for crops or something. I don't know how to do a rain dance, which would be kinda cool. This is what I do know- if you wash your vehicle, it will rain in the next day or so. It happens every single time.

Am I right or wrong? Is this just a Seattle phenomenon, or is it something that happens all over the world? Somehow has God ordained that the washing of the vehicle has now become the way the rain starts? Does Al Gore know that washing cars is adjusting the weather of the planet? Where's my Nobel Peace Prize for this discovery?

Obviously I'm joking. Everyone knows that washing your car doesn't change the weather, it just seems like it does. Why? Because usually when you wash your car, it rains. That's why.

I learned something in college I'd like to share with you- I think I learned it in a psych class- "Correlation does not mean causation". Meaning, that just because two things are correlated, doesn't mean that they caused each other.

If you were watching television at your home and someone knocked on the door, would you assume that TV makes people knock on your door? If you were eating a hot dog and your favorite song came on the radio would you think that hot dogs change the song on the radio?

Here's the deal- we as people try to do whatever we can to make sense of the world around us. In the midst of doing that, we sometimes draw correlations where there really aren't any, or where there shouldn't be. We see things that happen at the same time, and want to understand why, so we try to see them as connected because it helps us understand this world.

I think sometimes people include God in their assumptions too. I'm not saying that sometimes what we do doesn't influence God, or that God doesn't cause things. What I am saying is that I don't think its fair to group God into whatever assumptions that we try to make to help us make sense of our world, just because we are trying to make sense of them. Sometimes things happen that we don't understand. Sometimes it just rains, not because we washed our car.

What's my point? We all want our world to make sense, and sometimes it just doesn't. Things happen or don't happen in our life and we want to know the reason why the ended up that way. There may or may not be a reason, but it may not be known to us. Do you know what? That's OK. There is nothing wrong with not knowing everything. To not having an answer for everything.

You can know that God knows the answers even though we may not, and that's just fine.

Try this today- If there is something in your life that doesn't make sense or frustrates you about not knowing, give it over to the Lord. Let him know that you're OK with not knowing, and that its enough that He knows.

You don't have to know everything. Everything was not meant to be known.

Be blessed
matt

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Do You Believe In Aliens? I DO! This Article Says 1 in 5 do!

As a child, I can recall laying on my back looking up at the stars and thinking about how big the universe is. You can't help it, when you take the time to stop and look, that sky is big and huge and opens the door to a lot of questions.

When we were kids, we had the movie ET which opened even more discussion about the cosmos. And that is a a question that a lot of people ask- are there are Aliens out there? Extra Terrestrial life forms that are not of this world?

According to this article that you can read here one in five people believe that there are Aliens and that they walk among us disguised as humans.

I've been waiting to come clean about this for a while. I am not only one of those people who believe in Aliens that walk among us. I am actually an Alien that is disguised as a human.

This world is not my home. I am merely passing through. There is a place in heaven prepared for me to live for eternity. That's where I'm going to be forever.

It gives me a different perspective. The things I do and the things that I have in this world are temporary. Its kind of like being on vacation at a nice resort. You like the stuff and the place, but you don't own it, you're merely using it for a time while you're there.

I think its difficult when we live with a mindset that this world is our home. It can consume us as we try to amass stuff and accomplish things. We can actually begin to think that this world is all that there is, and nothing else.

Do you get too caught up in the here and now? Do you spend too much time focusing on what you can get from this world? God has prepared a place for you in Heaven that will be yours for eternity. You don't need to be worried about it.

Think about that today. As you're bogged down with details, and frustrations of the day remind yourself that this world is not your home. If you believe in Jesus, you will not be spending eternity here. You will be spending eternity in heaven in the place that is prepared for you.

Remember, you're an Alien!!!

Be blessed
matt

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

How to Get the ANTs Out Of Your House

My dad used to live in Hawaii in a high rise apartment. I think he used to live on the 10th floor or something. When I was a kid, we used to go there and visit in the summer. One of things I remember is that even on the 10th floor of an apartment building, that if you left the smallest amount of food out, it would be infested with ants.

Pretty disgusting to wake up in the morning to a swarm of ants on the counter. As a precaution, we used to bag up all the food, and make sure to clean up really good after every meal. It really kept the ants down. The tiniest precaution, of paying attention to what we did kept the insects from taking over the place.

There is a different type of Ants I'd like to help you control today. They are called Automatic Negative Thoughts. Those are the biggest ANTs in the world, and one that we all must get rid of. If not, they will consume you and your mind.

I'm sure you have an ANT infestation at some point or another. I'm not sure what triggers those thoughts, they just seem to come out of nowhere. When we least expect it. These are the thoughts that tell us that we are dumb, worthless, failures, and the like. The thoughts that plague and destroy the essence of who we are.

To be able to live, we must destroy them and not allow them to take root in our minds. But how do we do that?

A scripture verse that I've shared before that is so powerful is Romans 12:2 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

What does that mean? Two things for me- number one, that my mind can be transformed, and number two, that my mind can be renewed. Apparently there is a way to have my mind changed. To get those ANTs out of my head.

So what to do? Attack the ANTs- when those thoughts come in, tell them they are not true, and quote scripture back at them- such as

Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you

Romans 8:38-39 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord

God has not created you to torture you all day long with negative thoughts. Negative thoughts are a tool of the Devil to keep you from living in victory. Don't allow him to do it. Beat that dude up with scripture and show him who is boss.

Be blessed, and kill the ANTs

matt

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Barack Obama Parked My Car Yesterday- Pic Included

Yesterday I had to go to Valley Medical Center in Renton Washington. My friend, who is 40, had a heart attack on Sunday. He is now OK. We saw him, he's in good spirits, and appears to have no residual effects from the heart attack.

Its kind of scary though. He's 40 years old, exercises, and had a heart attack? Heart attacks are what happens to old people who are overweight, don't exercise, and smoke a lot. It doesn't happen to people who are 40. At least, that's what I thought.

I don't want to be macabre about the whole thing, but he almost went to be with Jesus on Sunday. He was participating in a 12K run, and had the attack during the last mile and was able to make it to the finish line. It was quite convenient that he had it on Sunday. Next week he was supposed to be in rural Honduras on a mission trip. What would have happened then?

Here's the deal about my friend. He's a great guy. Wonderful personality. Lots of love. Great husband and father. He loves God. You couldn't find a better guy. He's stellar. But no matter who you are and what you do, you can't control when calamity may come knocking on your door. It could happen to any of us. What I love about seeing him yesterday was his attitude.

It was so apparent that he wasn't going to let this ruin him. No complaints, no misery, no 'woe is me'. If you would have saw him in street clothes you wouldn't have known what happened. My friend knows what a lot of people don't know- its not what happens to you, its how you respond to it. He could use the attack as a reason to be upset with God, or the world, or himself. He could be scared, sad, or worried, but he's not. He's charging forward, knowing that God is going to see him through this as He has shown him through everything else.

Here's the nugget for the day- you may not have had a heart attack, but I'm sure you've had or will have some calamity in your life. Don't let it ruin you. Deal with it with an attitude that declares that this calamity will not be your end. Praise God for victory through times of trial, knowing that you will get through it.

Be blessed
matt

ps- Oh yea, check out the pic of this guy who was my Valet yesterday at the hospital. Doesn't he look a bit like the Commander in Chief? Rather fitting he's wearing a "Health Care" hat isn't it? Do you think he looks like him?

Friday, April 9, 2010

My Friend is Stuck In Scotland and Needs $600

I got an interesting email from someone on Facebook yesterday. Its someone who is not a close friend, but a person that I would call a strong acquaintance. Apparently she is stuck in Scotland, had all of her stuff stolen, and needs money to get back home.

Immediately I wanted to help her. If I were stuck in Scotland, I'd want someone to help me out. That's a dire situation to be in.

There's a problem though. As I read the email, it didn't really add up. Everything was stolen, but you still have your passports? You took a trip to Scotland with no return ticket? Furthermore, the wording of the email was such that it just didn't seem like it was from a destitute person on the other side of the world. It felt a bit like a hoax.

She had sent me an email, I wrote her back on Facebook, and she wrote me back assuring me that it was indeed her, and that she needed the money. I was ready to send it!

Then, Crystal picked up her cell phone, called our friend, who picked up her phone in Vancouver Washington. She was not in Scotland. Someone had hacked her account. Man, the guile of some people.

This kind of stuff gets me steamed. Taking advantage of a good natured person and lying about being in a situation just to get my money? Not cool. Not cool at all.

We talked to our friend this morning and she said that she has got so many calls from so many people willing to help her out. She said in a weird kind of way it was pretty encouraging to see how many people were willing to be with her in her time of need.

Here's the deal- I think most of us when given the opportunity to help someone out, if we have the means, would help someone. What we all are, is very very reluctant to help when it seems as if the person that is asking for help is lying, or being deceitful. We want to help, but we don't want to be taken advantage of. It situations like this one, that reinforce the notion that people will sometimes take advantage of us for their own selfish means.

Here's how I really knew that it was a hoax. It looked like one, sounded like one, smelled like one. Upon verification it was proved to be a hoax.

The nugget? God wants us to help people. He wants us to reach out to people, but I dont think that there is anything wrong with verifying information. Just because you want to see some proof doesnt mean you're not a loving person. It just means you want to make sure someone is really in Scotland before you wire the money.

What's that mean? Be cautious, but still help people. People who truly need help have no problem verifying or describing their peril in such a way that you can rest assured they truly need your help. Dont be afraid to ask a question or verify something.

Be blessed, and change your email passwords to something difficult so you dont get hacked like my friend.

Matt

Thursday, April 8, 2010

I'm Probably The Worst Parent In The World

I write a blog, I also read a few. One of the few that I read is called "The Art Of Manliness" its a pretty sweet blog. Its all about man stuff. Shaving, bare knuckled fighting, being a good husband. Its not really a Christian blog, but it definitely shares Christian principles. I think I'm mature enough to weed through the stuff that is no good, so I like it.

Yesterday had a really good post, that changed our life yesterday. I wanted to share with you part of what it said.

Here's an excerpt-

"I’ve taken some flack for being too hard on video gamers. In truth, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with playing an occasional video game. The reason I frequently mention video games in connection with the problem of arrested manhood, is not the games themselves, but what they symbolize.

Whereas men once fought as soldiers, they now pretend to be ones. Where men used to play baseball and football, they now control avatars who play for them. Where men used to play an instrument, they now press buttons on a plastic toy. Where we once created, we now consume.

Why play a plastic guitar for hours instead of learning how to play the real thing? The answer of course it that doing the real thing is harder. Struggling with something tangible, something without a reset button takes dedication and commitment. So why bother?

The labor one performs transforms something in the environment, which in turn transforms you. The act of creation shapes you as a man, refines your sensibilities, improves your strengths, hones your concentration, and builds your character. Passive consumption leaves you untouched and unchanged. Consumptions breeds indifference; creation begets empowerment."

You can read the whole article here if you would like-

Here's what happened, I read that article before Crystal and I went to the gym. I thought about it alot when I was on the treadmill. When we got done, I shared it with her and we decided to get rid of cable television in our house yesterday. We realized that our kids are watching too much TV and we figured if we got rid of it they would watch less. In turn, they would consume less, and hopefully be more creative and impactful in their world.

We got home from the gym, and I unplugged the cable boxes and we went down to Comcast and turned them in. It saved us 90 dollars a month.

The funny part of the story is that our kids weren't too happy when they got home, the important part is that when faced with a truth about our family, we took some immediate action. It may make me a bad parent in my kids eyes because they aren't going to be able to rot their brain as easy. But I know that having more time as a family, and less negative influence from TV will honor God and bless us in the process.

There's a lot of nuggets in this blog today, but here's one- There will come times in your life when you must face a harsh reality of something you should change. You are either going to do it, or ignore it. Don't ignore it. Do it before you change your mind.

God will use whatever means necessary to get you to make improvements in your life. He'll use his Word, his people, and some blogs sometimes. Don't fight it. Allow him to change you.

Oh, and get rid of cable.

Be blessed
matt

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A Character Trait That Could Send You to Hell?

I don't want to go to hell. It doesn't sound fun there. Laps in the lake of fire sound like they would hurt. Especially if it were for eternity. I think that would get old really fast. I want to go to heaven.

Some guys from church came over last night for some bible study and BBQ and we were looking at a scripture verse that I want to share with you today. Its from the Book of Matthew chapter 5-

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

That's a pretty powerful statement about getting angry isn't it? Jesus is saying in this verse that if you are angry with someone you're in trouble. Then he says if you call someone a fool, you could be on your way to hell.

Wow. Pretty challenging stuff isn't it?

Here's the deal- I get angry at times. Traffic, kids, people, lack of donuts, etc. I can get angry with the best of them. But here's what I get from this verse- God doesn't like me getting angry at my fellow man. Its not something that he desires for my life. When he looks down on what type of life he wants me to be living, the life that he desires for me is a life devoid of anger.

There is a silver lining here. The grace of God through Jesus Christ covers me and the judgment I deserve. Through him, I am able to be forgiven of my anger, and make heaven. Praise God.

But here's the other part, even though I may be forgiven from it, to what benefit is it for me to live a life with anger and frustration? If Jesus talked about anger with such dire consequences, couldn't I assume that God really really doesn't like it when we're angry people who are angry with each other? Anger is not a good thing.

Here's the nugget for today. Walk in the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ, but realize that if you are a person who lives a life full of anger, its not, according to this scripture, something that God desires for your life.

God desires that you would live your life with love and forgiveness. With a passion for other people that manifests itself with a spirit of acceptance and peace. Don't live your life angry. Its to no benefit.

Love some people.

Be blessed
matt

Friday, April 2, 2010

This Post May Cost Me A Few Blog Readers

Today is Good Friday. Great Friday actually. Today commemorates the day in which Jesus of Nazareth was crucified for the charges of claiming to be God. This day begins the weekend of Easter celebration, that is culminated this Sunday when Christians all around the world will join together in worshipping God for what was accomplished when Jesus died on that cross, and then was miraculously resurrected 3 days later.

I'm not going into a huge theological discourse today, since the Victory Blog has always been known for its brevity. So let me make Easter as clear as I can.

Jesus death on the cross, and the blood that poured from his crucified and punctured body was to pay for the penalty of the sins of the whole world. If you believe that Jesus death on the cross paid for your sins, that makes you a Christian. If you do not believe that Jesus died on the Cross for your sins, there is no point in celebrating Easter.

Easter is not a day for getting together with Family, or eating chocolate bunnies. The day of Easter has always been a day set aside to thank God for the life of Jesus. You can get together and celebrate Jesus as a family, but if you're not celebrating him, you're just using the day as an excuse to eat chocolate eggs and ham.

Let me make a point. I don't know when any religious holidays are for Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Shintos, Wiccans, or the like. Even if I did, I wouldn't gather my family around and have a meal together because it was 'Ramadan' or something. Why wouldn't I do that? Because I'm not a Muslim. I don't believe what they believe. There is no point in me even wasting a moment recognizing a holiday that has zero spiritual significance for me that has huge significance for them.

Can you tell me when the Nation of Nauru gained its independence? What is their most significant National holiday? I'm sure you probably haven't even heard of that nation. But you can tell me the day the US celebrates our Independence, because its important, because we're Americans.

I'm sure you see my parallel if you're still reading this blog.

Here's the deal- you may be reading this blog and thinking, "you know, that Matt sure has really funny blogs the rest of the year, why does he have to hop up on his soapbox". I'll tell you why-

Because when Jesus died on the Cross, he did it for the whole entire human race. Past present and future. He went through that horrible death so that you and I could be in an unencumbered relationship with the God of this universe.

All He asks is that we would simply believe in Him, his payment for our sins, and choose to live for Him. Its quite simple. Believe in Jesus and what he did and then live for Him in all you do.

This Easter can be different from all others for you if you've never thought about it this way. As you're reading this blog, today, you may be for the first time realizing what Easter is all about. That's great.

Pray this prayer- "God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die on the Cross for my sins. I believe in Jesus and today I confess him as Lord. I believe that you raised him from the dead, and today I declare that I am going to live for you and not myself. Amen".

Have a great Easter. Find a great church to go to. Raise your hands to heaven and thank God that you can now spend eternity with Him because of what Jesus did.

Be Blessed
matt

ps. I'm always available to talk about this stuff. Email or call if you have questions.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

I Got Into A Fist Fight Last Night

I'm not sure why I'm telling you this story. Its quite embarrassing actually. I guess since I've come to terms with it. After the police left, and no charges were filed, it was clear that I wasn't in the wrong, even though I did act in a way that probably wasn't very pastorly.

Let me set the stage- usually after church on Wednesdays we end up going to get a snack. A frosty from Wendy's a Slurpee from 7-Eleven. Last night we decided that we would get Icees.

We get Icees at the AMPM in our town, and its quite busy, with the low gas prices and all (consequently I recommend to NEVER get gas from AMPM- its the lowest grade gas in the world). Last night was no different, there was a ton of people there.

All four of us ended up at the back of the store by the Icee machine, and were filling our Icees when this young man showed up to get an Icee. He was probably about 20 and wanted one, so when it appeared as if my kids were taking too long to get thier drinks, he nudged them aside and started filling his cup.

I couldn't help myself, I kindly reminded the guy that my kids were there first, and that they would like to finish filling their cups. He turned around, looked at me, and said "whatever old man" and pushed me in my chest.

I don't know what happened, but I lost it. It happened so fast I cant really remember how, but I clenched up my fist, reeled back and laid one right on his kisser.

It was kind of like on the movies. He spun a bit, and ended up against the Icee machine with his drink flying out of his hand. He game at me again and he and I ended up wrestling around on the ground, with chips and candy flying around.

I dont know how long it lasted, I just remember a City of Covington police officer pulling me off the guy.

I was concerned, but after talking to the officer about what happened, he told me that he knew this kid and that he was prone to picking fights at other places around the city.

I didn't tell the guy I was a pastor, but he did let me go and said that it was clear I acted in self defense.

Added bonus- I got all our Icees for free!

Be blessed
Matt


ps. If you believe that story check the calendar.