Here goes something

Victim vs. Leader

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:02:06 -0700

Why as the church/followers of Christ do we always represent ourselves as being the victims?

Things aren’t the way we want them to be in our life.

We’re struggling with things we don’t to struggle with.

We feel like people don’t see correctly who we are (so then we make life about showing ourselves to be something special).

We’re unsatisfied and it’s mostly someone/something else’s fault.

We live out this life that paints a picture (emotionally and verbally) like we are victims of this horrible life and there’s nothing we can do about it. Baaa-humbug…

I don’t get it. I know this has to do in large part to my personality, but isn’t the gospel founded in the belief that life is not ok, but we have a Savior? We’ve found the maker of all things right. We’ve found our purpose, meaning, and acceptance.

Should not our lives now be ones leading others to this Savior?

Instead we get caught in the “victim” state…

You’re life will always drift there (it’s natural)…find people who can speak truth into your life and lead you out of being the victim into being the leader.

Or maybe the best thing for you to do is pull up your pants and start leading others to this Savior and maybe you’ll find Him (in a new way) along the way.

If only Gary Matsdorf had taught me this at YVBI…I think I...

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:00:09 -0700

If only Gary Matsdorf had taught me this at YVBI…I think I would have been more prepared for the working world.

“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” [Jesus] Jesus...

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:48:00 -0700

“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” [Jesus]

Jesus was in the midst of criticism in this moment and this is His response.

He was not worried or stressed because he knew God was at work.

He knew that He (Jesus) was joining in with that work and so there was no need for stress (ultimately God the Father was the one responsible for the work)/

Now if only I could get my life to reflect the same in every area…

Sometimes I’m afraid that I can be so engrossed in my own little world of church and such that...

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:02:53 -0600

Sometimes I’m afraid that I can be so engrossed in my own little world of church and such that I’ve completely lost contact with real people and real issues.

My problems and issues will always seem bigger the more I look at them. I can always find more things to talk about in meetings and more work on my desk the more that I sit there. The more I stay in my own little world the more it makes sense to me.

The problem is…the more I stay in my own little world the more disconnected I become from the real world and the real issues.

Here’s to another attempt of a day.

Pray for me today…please.

I need to just come out and say it… This may cause you to loose some respect for me… I...

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:44:46 -0600

I need to just come out and say it…

This may cause you to loose some respect for me…

I may no longer be able to speak into some of your lives.

I’m officially stepping out of the closet and making the statement…I am really liking the new Third Day album “Move”.

I know…it’s a shock, but I honestly like it. I really wanted to be able to place it in the category of “been there, heard that”. I desperately desired to put it off as another attempt from a band that once had it, but lost it a long time ago. I so wanted to listen with my “musical snobby” tastes and tear it apart…but I can’t.

It’s good. It’s fresh. It’s everything that I grew up loving about Third Day.

It’s acoustic and southern sounding and at the same time it rocks. The lyrics are simple (nothing profound), but that’s what has always made this band work. I don’t feel like they’re trying to be the biggest band ever, make a ton of money, or even please fans. They are simply trying to make new music that stretches them forward. Now, this doesn’t mean every song is a hit, but the overall feel of things is refreshing to me.

There…I said it. Maybe now I can sleep better at night.

If it helps…I still don’t like the new Lincoln Brewster album.

today would be a really great day for Jesus to come back. I think I’ll spend the day...

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:23:46 -0600

today would be a really great day for Jesus to come back. I think I’ll spend the day preparing for Him rather than pretending that it’s going to come on my own time.

I wish I did things like this. If only I had an orchestra.

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:24:37 -0600

I wish I did things like this.

If only I had an orchestra.

sometimes I wonder if we as followers of Christ are more driven to follow each other than we are...

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:26:20 -0600

sometimes I wonder if we as followers of Christ are more driven to follow each other than we are Jesus.

Are we trying to follow Jesus in our vision for our churches, how we operate, what we spend our time on, how we handle people and resources?

Are we trying to follow Jesus in what success looks like?

Because I know what Christian culture tells me is success. I know what Christian culture says I can spend today on, what the church should look like, and how I can spend my resources.

Honestly are we hearing from Jesus or from Christian culture/each other)? Let’s just call this what this is sometimes. We’re more driven by each other than we are Jesus.

Then let’s figure out how we can get at the feet of Jesus.

I really want to see this movie. The high five at the end is...

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:54:48 -0600

I really want to see this movie.

The high five at the end is what tipped me over the edge.

I’ll be honest it does feel like a “renter” to me and I don’t know if this is one that I want to spend $10, but I do want to see.

There I said it…

Collegeage Movement Tonight (Sept 28)

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:50:43 -0600

Hello…just wanted you to know tonight we’re going to be talking about passages in the Bible like this…

“When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes.”

Seriously…it’s found in Deuteronomy 21:10. So according to the Bible dating should look like this?
1. Find a pretty girl.
2. Take her captive.
3. Shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes.
4. Give her a month to get over the fact that you killed her mother and father.
5. Get married…if you want to.

Is this for real? Is there more going on here? What else does the Bible have to say? Is it relevant? These and more questions answered this evening.

Hope to see you tonight.
7:30 at Faith Chapel in the Atrium

matt

p.s. We’re giving away some pretty cool things tonight. (this is not a marketing ploy…we’re just really excited about what it is). If you don’t like free stuff, don’t worry about it.

6:60 Update...

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:45:00 -0600

Welcome to our brand new experiment “God On…” We’ve been asking for what you would like to hear about over the last few weeks and we’ve seen a great response so far. One of the biggest questions asked so far has been, “How Do I Hear From God”. Great question. We’re going to talk about the answer tonight. Can’t wait to see you and any friends that you might be bringing along. We’re also going to be announcing a new event that’s going to be happening in 2 weeks…you won’t want to miss it. See you at 6:60. matt p.s. If you’d like to ask a question you can text it in to 406.534.9646

Miracles don’t just happen. They come from our obedience.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:24:44 -0600

Miracles don’t just happen. They come from our obedience.

A Game Changing Theology

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:20:44 -0600

If It’s True…It’s God’s.

It doesn’t matter the context or the location. If it’s true it’s God’s.

When will we stop this silly game we play thinking that it’s our job to define what’s God’s and what’s not. We think it’s our job to define what’s good and what’s bad.

God already defined what’s good…it’s His creation. Go read Genesis 1.

That doesn’t mean that things aren’t broken. It doesn’t mean people aren’t broken and messy. But it does change the way we start to view everything. We can no longer categorize things as “Christian” and “Non-Christian”…there is truth and it doesn’t matter the venue…it’s true.

If you and I can get this it will change the way we see everything.

More to come…

Does this make anyone else smile and shake their head at the same time?

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:20:45 -0600

Does this make anyone else smile and shake their head at the same time?

Don't Forget to Get Yours/Most Ridiculous Thing You've Ever Seen

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:11:20 -0600

Don't Forget to Get Yours/Most Ridiculous Thing You've Ever Seen

Peace Time vs. War Time

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:59:57 -0600

I listened to a teaching on prayer recently and it rattled my cage on how I’m viewing every area of my life.

When there’s a time of peace in a country or a home the prayers of that place reflect it. There’s no sense of urgency or real strong needs felt. In a time of war that country or home looks completely different. The mother who’s son is over seas is praying constantly for safety and success for her boy. She knows her son is under attack every moment. There’s a strong sense of urgency and need because the battle is raging and it’s felt.

The reality of our lives is there is a war consistently raging over our thoughts, emotions, actions, relationship, families, and walk with God. The enemy is doing everything in his power to throw you off and he loves it when we believe that we are in a time of peace because it’s easy to be passive when there’s peace. Please don’t be passive today.

Pray.

Pray like crazy.

Pray with urgency and sense of neccesity for…

Family
Friends
Your Church Family
Your marriage
Your kids
Your thought life

There’s an all out assault on those areas of your life today…pray like it.

Praying with you.

My Wife’s Birthday is tomorrow. In honor of her...

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:24:00 -0600

My Wife’s Birthday is tomorrow. In honor of her awesomeness I thought I would share a song that I did as a joke for her on Valentines Day. This is a horrible song…but the person it’s about is amazing.

P.S. She love electronic music and hip hop (think a black Justin Timberlake), so this is done in the style of that…I think.

It Starts Today

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:35:47 -0600

Please don’t wait to make the changes you know you need to make.

It’s too easy and far to common to just wait for things to “be different” until you make the changes you need. You can wait for things to slow down, change direction, or get fixed. You can wait for someone else to change, start something, or lead the way, but at the end of it all you still have the power to control your actions.

If you know you need to do something…do it today.

Start that book
Pray more
Make the phone call to that person
Turn off the TV

Whatever you do…don’t wait until tomorrow.