Hello to all again.  Finally got the whole SBC UPS router situmitation figured out, wahoo!  So now we will be a bit more accessable via email.  We would still love for you to call though, we have the same cell phone #s.  Thanks to those who have dropped a line recently, ie. Rachel and Emily.  We love hearing from all of you.  We will be back in Valley this coming weekend.  We are going to the Switchfoot concert at the state fair (heck yes) and I can't wait.  I just picked up their latest cd at work and have been enjoying that. 

Now, it seems lately that many have posted thoughts on their own sites relating to what the deal is with all the pain and suffering in the world, and why God would allow such things to happen if He truely does love us.  Let's start by looking at some things from scripture:

"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouple.  Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters roar and be troubled, The mountains shake with its swelling, There is a river whose streams shall  make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of teh Most High.  God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved...The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted...Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"        -Psalm 46

First of all, we have to remember that God is our very present help in times of trouble, therefore we have no reason to fear.  Just like this Psalm proclaims, even when the mountains shake and are moved into the sea God is still so amazingly in control.  That is why He implores us just to be still and know He is God. 

Learning how to be still and know He is God is one of the most difficult things a person can do in life, yet at the same time it is also one of the most freeing.  It is difficult because it doesn't solve any immediate problems, pain still exists on the earth, people still upset us, we still don't know what we are supposed to do, and homework is still do.  Being still isn't an end all fix all.  Yet, when we finally do allow ourselves to be still and know that He is God it takes the pressure off of us.  We don't have to know the answers, we don't have to have it all figured out, because we weren't meant to.  We're not the ones in control He is!  Do not overlook this!

If it was up to us to know the reasons why for everything that went on, we would be lost, lost, lost.  This is the main problem with people who don't believe in God, they think it is up to them to find answers for everything, newsflash.....not gonna happen.

There are things in life that we wont figure out, wars will still happen, children will still die, hurricans will still come, but God is still in charge and He still cares about you and cares about me.

Many times God allows these things to come to draw us closer to Him.  You don't hear a lot of talk about God on the airwaves until a catastrophy strikes than all of a sudden it becomes not only acceptable,  but politically correct even to pray and seek God in this time of trouble.  This happens because regardless of how intelligent we have supposedly become as the human race, regardless of all of or advances, there are certain things that can't be explained and man cannot make better on his own.  Yet, give this a month or two and I'm sure we will be back to business as usual where the name of Jesus is offensive, and God talk is not acceptable anymore.

What will it take?  What will it take for people to truely turn and stay focuse on God.  If you read the Old Testament the prognosis is not very promising.  Over and over God's people were caught in this cycle of moving from dependance on God to affluence and dependance on themselves, to a big catastrophy, to humility before God once again.  We are in the same leaky boat, a boat not only with small cracks, but gaping holes.

Why are we here?  What's my purpose? Will the Royals ever win?.  Again these are only questions God knows the answer to, much to the shagrin on many, especially Royals fans.  The end of Matthew 28 gives us a pretty good idea why we are still hanging around, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; an lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age, Amen"

Put simply, we are to be about His work, spreading His love.  Everything we do flows from that.  I am convinced that if we get busy with the business of serving others, and spreading love, instead of serving ourselves and spreading discontent that everything else will take care of itself. 

Always always remember what we talked about a lot, "It's not about me..."  We can't do anything on our own.  Depend on Him, because even though it may get rough at times, He is in control.

I love you guys,

Matt (and Jessica)

Hello to all those we miss and love dearly...and everyone else as well (don't think this is you, it's just a clarifier)

Anyway,

I am amazed continually at how soverign
God really is.  He is in control of everything.  It amazes me how quickly we doubt Him at times when in reality, like we didn't know this, He is in control.

When Jess and I moved I was frustrated, confused and a little put out by some things.  For instance, "why hasn't our house sold? Why am I not in a ministry position? Why can't I find a job at all?"

All of these things flooded my mind for the first few days, and while Jess was at work I had much time to think, read, and pray. 

The beginning of Psalm 1 goes something like this (I am going from memory here, so it is bound to be a bit off, not intended to be a direct quote):

Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the un-Godly or sits in the seat of scoffers...but His delight is on the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season.

What really got me about that was the last part, "that yields its fruit in its season."  I know, as all of us should, that I am an incredibly loved child of God, one who He has gifted in some incredible ways to do some incredible things, yet I will only yield fruit in my season, and the type of fruit I yield depends largely on the season I find myself in.

I am content that right now in my life, the season God has me in is the season of being a student.  I need to learn to rejoice in that and not be dissapointed and fed up because I am not in ministry full time vocationally.

I know many of you can relate.  As students you are always wanting the next step, to be already down the road that lies ahead, and you fail to embrace with ferocity the place that God has you in at the moment. As my good buddy Thayne lamented in his most recent post, enjoy and cherish these next few years, because you can't get them back when there gone.

With this, always remember it is very important to distinguish between contentment and satisfaction.  I am very content, but I am not satisfied.  In the Christian life we should never get to the place where we are satisfied, because at that point we take ourselves out of the game, become ineffective, not willing to grow any longer, and this is as equally damaging as not being content, if not more. 

It's much like the apostle Paul states in different places and different ways throughout his epistles, "I'm not there yet!", is a theme that resonates over and over again, and I with you should echo the same.

Always remember who God has created you to be, rejoice in that and look around to see what you can do with where you are, you might be surprised.

On a personal note, God did provide a job for me yesterday, working in a Christian book store real close to our apartment, (rock on!), also, Jess and I will be in town this coming Friday through late Sunday, and we want to see you punks, so call us, we are probobly staying at Andrea's, and we will be at Calvary on Sunday morning.

In closing let me leave you with a scripture that I have been thinking on lately,

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you O God, my strength and Redeemer" -Psalm 19:14

We love you guys,

Matt and Jess

Behold, an updated entry.

Sorry for those of you who were hoping for something profound after such a long absence, but due to the cry for an update and my current internet situation, a simple run down of info is all that will be offered here.

As soon as the jerk-heads at SBC and UPS figure out what the heck happened to my new modem and other internet stuff I will be back with a vengence.

Anyway, Jess and I are here in Olathe and all set up, I am still currently un-employed, but hey at least I have a few interviews tomorrow, Target here I come, and oh yeah, my wife is the sole bread winner at the moment, much love to the lady in red...

I hope all ya alls first day went good and know that we miss you and love you all like crazy.  Part of us never knew how much you meant to us until we were miles away and not where we were suppossed to be on a Wednesday night.

Just know that we were thinking of and praying for you, wishing we could have been there...

Also know that if you need us we are a mere phone call away, our cell #'s are still the same and will remain that way for quite some time. 

Since I'm not much for total internet disclosure I will refrain from posting new #'s and addys on this site, but if you want them go to the church, they are posted in the gym or ask one of the awesome Calvary youth, they can get them.  On a side note, please don't post them on your sight if you know them, we already have enough freak o's in the telemarketing world calling to keep us busy for awhile.

Again, know we love you and how proud we are of each of you, God has big things ahead for all of us and it is going to be heckaexciting to see what happens next.

As always, remember even though we have said it about nine times already, we love you guys

Talk to you soon...

Matt and Jess

It is time to clear up some messy business.  First, I fear this site has become exactly what I was not intending for it to become, a place where people air personal grievences on the information super-highway.  In reality a phone call or sit-down meeting would be more productive, beneficial and much more edifying for the body of Christ as a whole.

If anyone has anything personal, or private to discuss with me, my number hasn't changed, my office is still in the same place and if worse comes to worse, Valley is not that overly large. With that being said...

When I stated I didn't know anything about anything, I was referring to the grand realm of all knowledge.  If anyone would have bothered to actually look up the reference I made to the words of Agur in Proverbs 30 and read the entire chapter, thus giving context to the verse citation, you would see what I meant by expressing my lack of knowledge. 

Make no mistake, I love knowledge, I am an information junky, I crave it. What I hunger and thirst after most is the knowledge about God and His Word.  I stand speecheless everyday before an amazing Creator who knows the end from the beginning, who set the earth in motion, and loved me enough to die for me and guarantee's me a place with Him someday.  How incredible is that.  When I begin to think on the majesty, righteousness, love, patience, mercy and grace of God, I am truly overwhelmed.  This is what pushes me to make the statement that, in relationship to all the knowledge of our omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscent God, I truly am stupid.

When given the opportunity to have anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom.  When I pray everyday I ask for two things, wisdom and grace.  Wisdom to know what to say, do, preach, council, love, be a good husband, youth pastor, son, brother, friend you name it, and the grace to see those things through.

Partly, some who have written are right, I need to be a model of knowledge, love, compassion, and wisdom for my students, but at the same time, I desire to be a model of humility and work still increidibly in the process.  Paul, says it best in Phillipians 3:12 when he says, I'm not there yet, "Not that I have already attained or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" Amen, Amen.

If this is Paul saying these things, where do I measure up?  Not close...

In closing, I just want to say that I am far from ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.  It is only in Christ that I find my being, only in Christ that I find my purpose, only in Christ that I find my life, love, everything, aside from this all else is what?...rubbish.   Anyone who knows me knows that I proclaim that truth on the mountain tops, in the valleys, when the sun is shining and when their is pain in the offering.  What else can I do? 

In the end, I am not a perfect man, I’m not a perfect youth minister, I’m not a perfect anything, except sinner.  All I am or ever claim to be is a guy who was called by God to an impossible task, a task that is far above my ability.  I am overwhelmed everyday by the work that is set before me, and ask God everyday to give me the wisdom and grace to see the task through.

P.S.

As far as the 7 day literal creation argument, the Hebrew word is "yowm", coming from an unused root word meaning, "to be hot" and an refer to sunrise to sunset, or to a space of time defined by an associated term, just so you know.  If we believe to the utmost, as a matter of most importance that the earth was created in 7 literal days then dosen't that limit God? Dosen't it limit God to say that it had to be 7 24 hour days, instead of whatever He wanted.  Again, I don't want to get bogged down here, just a thought.

because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as god, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptable God into an image made like corruptible man...(Romans 1:21-23)

Let me just begin by saying, I don't know anything.  Worse, I don't know anything about anything.  I don't think I know, I don't pretend to know...I don't know.  It's like it says in Proverbs 30:2, "Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man.  I neither learned wisdom, Nor have knowledge of the Holy One." 

We must be real real careful when we claim to know anything about anything.  There are many many things that I would like to believe, because it would be easy, socially acceptable, politically correct, whatever, but I just can't.  I can't believe that just because you're a good person you're going to heaven, I can't believe that homosexuals were "born" that way, I can't believe it is right to co-habitate and have sex before marriage.  It doesn't matter how long, loud, or hard people may shout about these things.  It doesn't matter how much it is condoned on television, in movies or music, it is still wrong wrong wrong.

To often today, we are finding ourselves professing to be wise and coming out the other end looking like fools.  We think we have come so very far as mankind with all our technology, space travel and the like, when really, compared to God...we simply don't compare.  We have ended up glorifying ourselves as God's, and not paying true homage and granting needed praise to the One to whom all praise is due.

In addition to this, I think it also of utmost importance to be very very careful when we claim to know anything emphatically about God's word.  There are some things in the Bible that are very very clear;  God the Creator, Jesus the Savior, you know foundational beliefs, these are the things of the highest importance. Yet there are also things that aren't as important, and therefore not as clear; Was creation 7 literal days, When will the rapture happen, etc.  While it is good to think critically about these issues, they are not nearly as important as some others we deal with in life, nor does our Salvation depend on these things.

I like many others do have my ideas and speculations about these not so important issues, but that's just what they are, ideas and speculations...nothing more.  I could end up being dead wrong about the things less important and it wouldn't change who I am or what I believe one bit.

I know this is all rather rambling, incoherent, and maybe even not logically sound, but it's all just some food for thought