Blogging from NYWC

I'm blogging from the NYWC in Pittsburgh. It is about to officially begin this morning and I am stoked! It is always an awesome time to step back, reflect, be refreshed and be filled for another year of ministry. If you see me running around grab me and say hey! More tonite after getting back to the hotel!

-Matt

another political post

In case you haven't seen it yet...the latest take on the election courtesy of jibjab.com. Perhaps a bit off color, but funny nonetheless. Life to short not to laugh a bit and if you're like me you are ready for this election to just be over!

Time for Some Campaignin' | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Do ya think?

I think maybe he should have picked a different song...say maybe "Too Much Time on My Hands" by Styx. Just a thought.

Cell phone update...

How cool is the Lord...They didn't find the phone when they cleaned the theater, but the manager (THANKS MARK AND PALACE STAFF!) went to the seats we were in and there was Meg's phone wedged between two seats. So now unless by some fluke someone else lost their phone Meg will get her phone back tomorrow. PTL!

Please Pray...

If you don't mind, could you please pray for something for us? Meg and I were blessed with two tickets to see Michael W Smith And Steven Curtis Chapman in Columbus last night, but we lost Megan's cell phone at the theater. Could you pray that someone turns it in and that we get it back. It is a PDA phone, so needless to say, everything from her life (not anything that could compromise identity) was on that phone.
Thanks!

Experiential Worship

I'll have to admit, experiential worship is a newer concept to me, and at times a bit difficult because it requires you to step back and focus in a busy world which is tough for me. With that said, I had an amazing experience during a time of experiential worship this last weekend, and I want to pass it on to you to possibly use for your youth ministries. NOTE-this is not my idea, just something I wanted to pass on.

Here is how it works. You take 8-10 various spices of varying flavors-sweet, spicy, bitter, etc. and put them in individual bowls. You then have participants walk through the line and pick out three spices of their choosing. Once the person has their spices, they are to find a place where they can take the time to focus and then taste each spice one by one and listen/pray to see what the Lord has to say to them. That may sound strange, but the chance to step back and take a few moments was amazing, and I would encourage you to try it if you are looking for some experiential worship opportunities.

So for me, I chose seasoning salt, Italian spices, and sugar. I started with the seasoning salt and immediately it made me thirsty. As I sat there reflecting, I found myself thinking about the verse that says hunger and thirst for His righteousness, and I was reminded that in the busyness of life I need to remember to always long for more of the Lord. When I moved on to the Italian spices-which I love on pizza and other various dishes, I found that they were bitter alone and did not taste very good at all. This reminded me that things that are enticing may not always be beneficial, and if I am not careful they can get in the way of my relationship with God. Finally I tasted the sugar and immediately the thought of "taste and see that the Lord is good." God is better than anything the world could ever offer to me, and I need to remind myself of that daily.

As I said, this type of worship experience is difficult for me, but was awesome. I hope to explore this more, and would encourage you to do the same for yourself and your youth ministries if you are involved with one.

That's my idea for the week, thoughts?

Let's make sure the right thing is done with the bailout plan...

Here is one way that might help with this crazy 700 billion bail-out plan that won't affect us like simply passing the bill that failed would. This is courtesy of Dave Ramsey. Copy and paste this and send it to your Senators and Representatives...

Years of bad decisions and stupid mistakes have created an economic nightmare in this country, but $700 billion in new debt is not the answer. As a tax-paying American citizen, I will not support any congressperson who votes to implement such a policy. Instead, I submit the following three steps:

Common Sense Plan:

I. INSURANCE
A. Insure the sub prime bonds/mortgages with an underlying FHA-type insurance. Government-insured and backed loans would have an instant market all over the world, creating immediate and needed liquidity.
B. In order for a company to accept the government-backed insurance, they must do two things:1. Rewrite any mortgage that is more than three months delinquent to a 6% fixed-rate mortgage.
a. Roll all back payments with no late fees or legal costs into the balance. This brings homeowners current and allows them a chance to keep their homes.
b. Cancel all prepayment penalties to encourage refinancing or the sale of the property to pay off the bad loan. In the event of foreclosure or short sale, the borrower will not be held liable for any deficit balance. FHA does this now, and that encourages mortgage companies to go the extra mile while
working with the borrower—again limiting foreclosures and ruined lives.
2. Cancel ALL golden parachutes of EXISTING and FUTURE CEOs and executive team members as long as the company holds these government-insured bonds/mortgages. This keeps under performing executives from being paid when they don’t do their jobs.
C. This backstop will cost less than $50 billion—a small fraction of the current proposal.

II. MARK TO MARKET
A. Remove mark to market accounting rules for two years on only sub prime Tier III bonds/mortgages. This keeps companies from being forced to artificially mark down bonds/mortgages below the value of the underlying mortgages and real estate.
B. This move creates patience in the market and has an immediate stabilizing effect on failing and ailing banks—and it costs the taxpayer nothing.

III. CAPITAL GAINS TAX
A. Remove the capital gains tax completely. Investors will flood the real estate and stock market in search of tax-free profits, creating tremendous—and immediate—liquidity in the markets. Again, this costs the taxpayer nothing.
B. This move will be seen as a lightning rod politically because many will say it is helping the rich. The truth is the rich will benefit, but it will be their money that stimulates the economy. This will enable all Americans to have more stable jobs and retirement investments that go up instead of down. This is not a time for envy, and it’s not a time for politics. It’s time for all of us, as Americans, to stand up, speak out, and fix this mess.

If we do our part as Americans together, we may be able to change what I think will be a bad decision on the part of our government. It shouldn't be our job as taxpayers to bail out companies that were stupid with money!

Thanks!