I usually figure out some fantastic story or something to write on my blog. I havent taken much time off lately, so my plan for this week was to do as little as possible.
So... here's the short blog for the week of t-day. I'll get back on it next week.
Be thankful.
Be thankful for what you do have and what you dont have. Hug your family longer than they want you to. Give more than you're used to. Listen more than you talk. Smile often.
I pray you have a great thanksgiving. I'm sure you have a ton to be thankful for if you spend a few minutes to think about it.
blessings
matt
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Out of Place
Currently, our church is partnering with the para-church ministry Young Life. Young Life is a ministry that goes into schools and shares the message of the Gospel. They do this through their Young Life "club" events that happen every other week or so, with other fun events.
Anyway, my youth leader and I go down to the Jr. high and High School almost every week to have lunch with the kids from our church, and also hang out a bit with their friends.
Being back in the Jr. High feels like I'm back in Jr. High. I feel so out of place. Mind you, I'm 6 foot 5 so I probably don't really "blend in" with these kids, but in addition to that, I find that its difficult to connect with them on a real level. I can't figure out if I'm not asking the right questions, or if they just don't like me, but it seems as though my attempts to connect are not going that well.
We've been going there all year and part of last year also. I'm getting to know some kids. Its nice. I'll be honest with you. Most days, I feel like quitting going to the schools. Its uncomfortable for me, I feel out of place, I don't feel like I'm making much of a difference. When you feel that way for an extended amount of time, usually you will pack it up, because hey, its not doing much.
But alas, there is this person named Jesus that I work for that has called me to this work. Therefore, I must not give up. I may feel like giving up, because its not meeting my expectations, but I must not give up, because it was He who called ME to this work, not the opposite.
I'm sure there is areas of your life where you feel like quitting. I'll tell you- Join the club. Most of us feel like quitting things alot of the times. But when you quit, you never really realize the full benefits of the experience, because you never saw it through. My guy James and I are in this for the long haul. If it means going through Jr. high all over again to please the Lord, I'll do it. It may not be the funnest part of my week, or the most comfortable, or to me the most fruitful, but I have to rest on the fact of He who called Me.
It make take a while, or it may never meet my expectations, but I know that there is an audience of one who is pleased. I know he likes that we are at least trying to share his love. Attempting great things. Using what limited gifts we have. That's enough for me.
Be encouraged today. Don't worry that things may not be going at the pace that you think that they should.
Someone reading this today is thinking about 'throwing in the towel'.
Don't give up. If He called you to it, He'll be the one to sustain you in it.
blessings,
matt
Anyway, my youth leader and I go down to the Jr. high and High School almost every week to have lunch with the kids from our church, and also hang out a bit with their friends.
Being back in the Jr. High feels like I'm back in Jr. High. I feel so out of place. Mind you, I'm 6 foot 5 so I probably don't really "blend in" with these kids, but in addition to that, I find that its difficult to connect with them on a real level. I can't figure out if I'm not asking the right questions, or if they just don't like me, but it seems as though my attempts to connect are not going that well.
We've been going there all year and part of last year also. I'm getting to know some kids. Its nice. I'll be honest with you. Most days, I feel like quitting going to the schools. Its uncomfortable for me, I feel out of place, I don't feel like I'm making much of a difference. When you feel that way for an extended amount of time, usually you will pack it up, because hey, its not doing much.
But alas, there is this person named Jesus that I work for that has called me to this work. Therefore, I must not give up. I may feel like giving up, because its not meeting my expectations, but I must not give up, because it was He who called ME to this work, not the opposite.
I'm sure there is areas of your life where you feel like quitting. I'll tell you- Join the club. Most of us feel like quitting things alot of the times. But when you quit, you never really realize the full benefits of the experience, because you never saw it through. My guy James and I are in this for the long haul. If it means going through Jr. high all over again to please the Lord, I'll do it. It may not be the funnest part of my week, or the most comfortable, or to me the most fruitful, but I have to rest on the fact of He who called Me.
It make take a while, or it may never meet my expectations, but I know that there is an audience of one who is pleased. I know he likes that we are at least trying to share his love. Attempting great things. Using what limited gifts we have. That's enough for me.
Be encouraged today. Don't worry that things may not be going at the pace that you think that they should.
Someone reading this today is thinking about 'throwing in the towel'.
Don't give up. If He called you to it, He'll be the one to sustain you in it.
blessings,
matt
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A Lesson... brought to you by Trix
Trix is part of this balanced breakfast....we've all heard that before right? I had an interesting interaction with my kids this morning, I thought you might find humorous.
I'd like to take this opportunity, before sharing, to use this forum to declare that when I was a child, I NEVER got sugar cereal. I was raised on corn flakes, cheerios, and rice crispies. Mind you, my brother and I would shovel spoonfuls of sugar on the cereal anyway, but we never had the "fun" sugar cereals when we were kids. Yes. I'm bitter about it. My mom reads this blog, so Mom, I love you, but any psychological missteps I may have in my life are due to the fact that I lived a deprived life without good sugary cereal that had good toys in the box and enough sugar to rot the teeth out of my head. There, I said my piece, lets move on.
This morning my little angel daughter faith fluttered her little angel wings into the kitchen and asked me to pour her a bowl of cereal (Trix). Me, being the wonderful provider that I am went to the pantry, grabbed a box and began to pour.
My other child, the Angel Gabriel, who was putting on his little angel wings for the day in the other room, used his subsonic hearing to recognize that there was a bowl of cereal being poured in the kitchen. Before I could even get the milk poured on it, Gabe runs out in the kitchen and asks "who's box are you pouring from"? "what"? I asked, " Mommy bought us our own box, don't give Faith my cereal"
My little angels then proceeded to both grab the bowl of cereal, scream and yell at who's bowl was who's, who's box yadda yadda yadda ITS CEREAL! I had a good mind to take it all away. "I NEVER GOT SUGAR CEREAL WHEN I WAS A KID" I said. "YOU BETTER WATCH IT, OR YOU'LL GET NOTHING". These kids were digging their heels in. This bowl of Trix began to become their "Alamo" a last stand if you will.
I was quite amazed at the fight that ensued from a bowl of Trix. It all ended up OK, i had to pour some cereal from another box. But it got me to think about that bible story about Jacob and Esau when they were fighting over a bowl of porridge. Esau was willing to give up his inheritance for a bowl of soup. Not a great idea, but its what happened.
Sometimes we're like my kids and Jacob and Esau. We find the smallest thing to cling onto that becomes our complete focus in life. We find this one thing, this one interaction and it consumes all of who we are and what we're about. We get angry and fight and the like.
Don't get so mad about little stuff that doesn't matter. Its OK if you don't get that parking spot, the big piece of chicken, the last piece of the pie. Its not that big of a deal. There is more than enough to go around. God knows you. Where you are at. What you need. He wants to bless you. Don't go and try to steal someone else's blessing just because you're worried you wont get yours. There is more than enough Trix to go around.
be blessed
matt
I'd like to take this opportunity, before sharing, to use this forum to declare that when I was a child, I NEVER got sugar cereal. I was raised on corn flakes, cheerios, and rice crispies. Mind you, my brother and I would shovel spoonfuls of sugar on the cereal anyway, but we never had the "fun" sugar cereals when we were kids. Yes. I'm bitter about it. My mom reads this blog, so Mom, I love you, but any psychological missteps I may have in my life are due to the fact that I lived a deprived life without good sugary cereal that had good toys in the box and enough sugar to rot the teeth out of my head. There, I said my piece, lets move on.
This morning my little angel daughter faith fluttered her little angel wings into the kitchen and asked me to pour her a bowl of cereal (Trix). Me, being the wonderful provider that I am went to the pantry, grabbed a box and began to pour.
My other child, the Angel Gabriel, who was putting on his little angel wings for the day in the other room, used his subsonic hearing to recognize that there was a bowl of cereal being poured in the kitchen. Before I could even get the milk poured on it, Gabe runs out in the kitchen and asks "who's box are you pouring from"? "what"? I asked, " Mommy bought us our own box, don't give Faith my cereal"
My little angels then proceeded to both grab the bowl of cereal, scream and yell at who's bowl was who's, who's box yadda yadda yadda ITS CEREAL! I had a good mind to take it all away. "I NEVER GOT SUGAR CEREAL WHEN I WAS A KID" I said. "YOU BETTER WATCH IT, OR YOU'LL GET NOTHING". These kids were digging their heels in. This bowl of Trix began to become their "Alamo" a last stand if you will.
I was quite amazed at the fight that ensued from a bowl of Trix. It all ended up OK, i had to pour some cereal from another box. But it got me to think about that bible story about Jacob and Esau when they were fighting over a bowl of porridge. Esau was willing to give up his inheritance for a bowl of soup. Not a great idea, but its what happened.
Sometimes we're like my kids and Jacob and Esau. We find the smallest thing to cling onto that becomes our complete focus in life. We find this one thing, this one interaction and it consumes all of who we are and what we're about. We get angry and fight and the like.
Don't get so mad about little stuff that doesn't matter. Its OK if you don't get that parking spot, the big piece of chicken, the last piece of the pie. Its not that big of a deal. There is more than enough to go around. God knows you. Where you are at. What you need. He wants to bless you. Don't go and try to steal someone else's blessing just because you're worried you wont get yours. There is more than enough Trix to go around.
be blessed
matt
Friday, November 14, 2008
Home Owners Association
I went to my first homeowners association meeting last night. It was quite an experience. I live in a development in Covington Washington that has close to 1000 houses in the development. I had never been to a meeting before, but because there has been an uptick in graffiti and gang activity in our development, I wanted to go and speak and listen to whats been going on in our neighborhood.
There must have been about 30 or so people in this meeting. There is a board of 9 that run the association. The guest speaker for the night was the Chief of Police. He spent some time talking about crime, and budgets and the like. He talked about efforts by our police to effectively police our community and the limits of what they could do.
Then, it got real interesting. The board opened it up for people to speak, and I said my piece, which was basically that if we wanted our neighborhood to be nicer, we need to enforce the standards for yard cleanliness and get people to clean up graffiti as soon as possible and the like. I asked the board president what we could do as homeowners to help, and then it started.
The people at this meeting began to verbally attack the board president. People started to interrupt each other, raise their voices, walk out, yell. It was crazy! The president got defensive, the people got irate and nothing got accomplished. Nothing. Its no wonder our development is in the state it is.
Civility is a lost art. People no longer can share an opposing idea without raising their voice, attacking, or getting overly emotional about the whole thing. I understand that when there is a shooting on your street that it raises concerns about your safety, but if you can't even talk about it with some civility there is no way you can fix nothing.
The bible says in James chapter 3 that If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man. Relationships hinge on our ability to speak to people in a way that doesn't create animosity or contempt. We need to be people that watch what we say and how we say. We have an opportunity to be a blessing to people, even those with whom we oppose, and must remember to speak in a way that we are never at fault.
Watch what you say and how you say it. You'll notice you're life is a bit easier.
Blessings
matt
There must have been about 30 or so people in this meeting. There is a board of 9 that run the association. The guest speaker for the night was the Chief of Police. He spent some time talking about crime, and budgets and the like. He talked about efforts by our police to effectively police our community and the limits of what they could do.
Then, it got real interesting. The board opened it up for people to speak, and I said my piece, which was basically that if we wanted our neighborhood to be nicer, we need to enforce the standards for yard cleanliness and get people to clean up graffiti as soon as possible and the like. I asked the board president what we could do as homeowners to help, and then it started.
The people at this meeting began to verbally attack the board president. People started to interrupt each other, raise their voices, walk out, yell. It was crazy! The president got defensive, the people got irate and nothing got accomplished. Nothing. Its no wonder our development is in the state it is.
Civility is a lost art. People no longer can share an opposing idea without raising their voice, attacking, or getting overly emotional about the whole thing. I understand that when there is a shooting on your street that it raises concerns about your safety, but if you can't even talk about it with some civility there is no way you can fix nothing.
The bible says in James chapter 3 that If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man. Relationships hinge on our ability to speak to people in a way that doesn't create animosity or contempt. We need to be people that watch what we say and how we say. We have an opportunity to be a blessing to people, even those with whom we oppose, and must remember to speak in a way that we are never at fault.
Watch what you say and how you say it. You'll notice you're life is a bit easier.
Blessings
matt
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Burn the ships
There is a story from the 1500s about an explorer who reached the shores of the coast of south America. Apparently the trip was quite difficult and was full of peril and near death experiences. What got these explorers through this experience was their personal faith in God, and that he had called them to go and explore and affect the world.
How it must have felt to reach those stable shores after toiling in the ocean! I think of how I feel after being on an airplane how good it feels to be on solid ground, or how it feels to get out of a car after a long road trip. These guys were out at sea for months, and finally reached their destination.
Well, as the story goes, the people's excitement of the destination soon wore off and they began to prod the captain that they should return from where they came. They didn't like the new place, it was too hard, it was too this, or too that. They wanted to go back to where they came from. The captain's reply was quite simple: Burn the ships. We're never going back. We came this far by faith, and we will continue by faith.
That's a real strong statement, but people today could learn some hard lessons from "burn the ships". So many times people work so hard to get to a place in their lives and when they arrive they find that it doesn't meet their expectations, so they want to go back to things being the old way. You cant have both ways, either the Lord led you to this place, or He did not. If He did, HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU! Don't think back or look back at the place you've come from. Charge forward by faith and burn the ships that represent your escape route from your current condition. By faith you can endure and allow the Lord to see you through whatever place you may be in.
BURN THE SHIPS!
matt
How it must have felt to reach those stable shores after toiling in the ocean! I think of how I feel after being on an airplane how good it feels to be on solid ground, or how it feels to get out of a car after a long road trip. These guys were out at sea for months, and finally reached their destination.
Well, as the story goes, the people's excitement of the destination soon wore off and they began to prod the captain that they should return from where they came. They didn't like the new place, it was too hard, it was too this, or too that. They wanted to go back to where they came from. The captain's reply was quite simple: Burn the ships. We're never going back. We came this far by faith, and we will continue by faith.
That's a real strong statement, but people today could learn some hard lessons from "burn the ships". So many times people work so hard to get to a place in their lives and when they arrive they find that it doesn't meet their expectations, so they want to go back to things being the old way. You cant have both ways, either the Lord led you to this place, or He did not. If He did, HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU! Don't think back or look back at the place you've come from. Charge forward by faith and burn the ships that represent your escape route from your current condition. By faith you can endure and allow the Lord to see you through whatever place you may be in.
BURN THE SHIPS!
matt
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