This is what youth ministry is really all about...
It is so easy to get discouraged in youth ministry because it seems like you don't always get the results you are looking for. It is during times like that when the Lord sends something to get your attention. This video reminds me of why I do what I do. My job is to run the race with the students I minister to and help them to understand that CAN'T and FAILURE are words that need to be deleted from a young Christian's vocabulary. Thanks Lord for reminding me of why I do what I do...may this encourage those of you who are having a tough time as well. Until next time, know that I am praying for all of you who are in the trenches with me!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Anniversary
So today marks three years of being married to the most amazing woman in the world. How cool is that? It is hard to believe that there was actually someone crazy enough out there to spend the rest of their life with someone crazy as me. I honestly don't know what I would do without Megan, she is absolutely amazing. She puts up with every little dumb thing I do and still loves me in spite of it. I always tell people that it took me 7 years to catch her, but I am glad she finally let it happen. So here's to 50 or 60 more awesome years!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Maybe Maurice Clarrett should read Proverbs...
Well by now if you are a sports fan (especially a Buckeye fan like me), you have probably heard about Maurice Clarrett's latest foray into breaking the law. Let's see, his attorney says he had no intent to hurt someone, yet he had four loaded weapons in his car (including an AK47 style assault rifle) and he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Nahh, he wasn't out to get anyone, he was just on a joyride, wanted to race the cops and was trying to start a new fashion trend....COME ON!!!
What I don't get is how someone with as much talent as Clarrett has (or had-depending on how you look at it) can go so wrong. I mean here is a guy that led the Buckeyes to a national championship, and I am not saying he wasn't good. He was awesome, but I think he got WAY too ahead of himself. He got arrogant and thought he was the best there was and deserved to get what he wanted when he wanted it...NOW. So he bales on the Buckeyes, tries to go into the draft loses the appeal and then when he finally can get into the NFL he is drafted by Denver and then blows it...Come on man you had your shot!
Well we all know it was downhill from there, he holds up someone at a bar in January, goes to jail and then right before the trial pulls this stunt. Here is a man who could have had it all, and now he may well spend a lot of time in jail because of his arrogance.
Maybe Maurice should have read Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Hey Maurice, it's not too late you can still turn your life around and be an example for a generation to come. Turn your heart toward the Lord and listen to Him instead of yourself.
So what about us, most of us don't have what it takes to be a professional athlete, but I think we can all learn from this experience. We can get ahead of ourselves and God when we think we are it. I have been there, done that, and had to live with the scars. Without the Lord we are nothing. He is the source of our talent and gifts and we need to give Him the honor he deserves and let it be known that without Him we are nothing.
It is a shame that a talented young athlete now is behind bars, but we can learn from this, if we will let God lead us.
So what do you think?
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Surprised by God
I will never cease to be amazed by the Lord. He always seems to catch us off guard, which is really a "shame on me" for not trusting Him more. Throughout discouragement and frustration, we turn too Him...All too often only as a last resort (again shame on me), but in the midst of all that, He still comes through. I guess it is the "wait" principle that I hate so much. Many of you know the frustrations that Megan and I have had recently with her job. The prayer has always been Lord confirm that she's supposed to be there or provide a way out. I had always operated with the mindset of the bank was where the Lord wanted her to be, but always prayed with her for a way out since I knew she didn't want to be there. Forever though, it seemed that she was going to be at a job that she didn't want to be in, and was just trying to learn to be content with that (I'll let her blog about that-IF she ever gets online).
Well last week we received a phone call out of the blue from a lady with the county school district. She needed to speak with Megan and needed to ASAP. I thought for sure it wouldn't be for a job because school starts next week and surely they wouldn't have still not filled positions. You see Meg had interviewed with this lady for a position earlier in the summer and had been told she was not going to get the positions that were open so we had moved on and accepted the fact that the bank was where she would be for now. Boy were we wrong. Meg called me in tears telling me the lady had offered her a position teaching music three days a week. We called the HR department the next morning to ask about pay and benefits and the HR lady wondered why she was not offered the full time position at another school. Meg said she wasn't sure, but to make a long story short, THEY OFFERED HER A FULL TIME POSITION TEACHING MUSIC! What an answer to prayer...We had been given what we thought was a "no" but God was simply saying "wait." So this next Tuesday amongst excitement and fear my lovely wife begins her teaching career as Mrs. McKee, the music teacher at Navy Point Elementary school-and did I mention the Lord through in better benefits AND a pay increase?
So if you are discouraged and wondering, just remember He hasn't given up and He will provide, it's just his timing and not ours....GOD IS GOOD, even when we are not trusting enough is HIS plan for our lives.
See ya soon...Lots more to blog about this week including our burrito eating contest at Moe's Southwest and the possible soon visit from Tropical Storm Chris
-Matt
(oh and sorry for stealing my wife's thunder, she can blog about this too, but I wanted everyone to know and since she doesn't log on that often, I took the initiative to tell ya'll thanks for your prayers!)
Well last week we received a phone call out of the blue from a lady with the county school district. She needed to speak with Megan and needed to ASAP. I thought for sure it wouldn't be for a job because school starts next week and surely they wouldn't have still not filled positions. You see Meg had interviewed with this lady for a position earlier in the summer and had been told she was not going to get the positions that were open so we had moved on and accepted the fact that the bank was where she would be for now. Boy were we wrong. Meg called me in tears telling me the lady had offered her a position teaching music three days a week. We called the HR department the next morning to ask about pay and benefits and the HR lady wondered why she was not offered the full time position at another school. Meg said she wasn't sure, but to make a long story short, THEY OFFERED HER A FULL TIME POSITION TEACHING MUSIC! What an answer to prayer...We had been given what we thought was a "no" but God was simply saying "wait." So this next Tuesday amongst excitement and fear my lovely wife begins her teaching career as Mrs. McKee, the music teacher at Navy Point Elementary school-and did I mention the Lord through in better benefits AND a pay increase?
So if you are discouraged and wondering, just remember He hasn't given up and He will provide, it's just his timing and not ours....GOD IS GOOD, even when we are not trusting enough is HIS plan for our lives.
See ya soon...Lots more to blog about this week including our burrito eating contest at Moe's Southwest and the possible soon visit from Tropical Storm Chris
-Matt
(oh and sorry for stealing my wife's thunder, she can blog about this too, but I wanted everyone to know and since she doesn't log on that often, I took the initiative to tell ya'll thanks for your prayers!)
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