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