The New Puppy...

Here ya go...he sure is cute. Anyone interested?

Here he is making his first appearance while we were looking at the other puppy. We did not set this up, he did it on his own.

Here's a close up of his cute little face

You can see just how little he is...

No bigger than the palm of my hand...but still so cute.

Finally a good shot of mom and pups-once we got her to settle down a little bit. We'll have more pictures as he grows so keep watching.

Jack's a daddy!

We received word tonight that Jackson is officially a daddy. Heather (the girl Yorkie we mated Jack with) had her first pup this evening. We don't know yet if they'll be more or if it is a boy or girl and it seems a bit early to me (we're still under 8 weeks) but so far it seems like mom and baby are doing just fine. I'll post pics and more news as I have it.

200 and counting...

Well not much more to say, I just wanted to get this post in so I officially had 200 posts. With that in mind, I am just curious who all reads this thing. I know who some of you are, but I am curious who else reads what I occasionally have to say. Just leave me your name and social (okay no social) and how (if) we know each other. Thanks for taking the time to read occasionally. Ya'll are awesome!

-Matt

This is gonna be cool...

You have heard me talk about Dave Ramsey before. One of the main things he suggests doing as a way of helping to get out of debt quicker is to pick up some extra part time work that doesn't interfere with your job or family life. After much talking, I decided to do that and the result was getting hired on at Cumulus Media here in town. I will be working with them doing some part time radio work. This is awesome as I have been wanting to get back into the broadcasting realm for some time now.

So it looks like I am going to be working mainly with Q100, the modern rock/mix station as well as possibly doing some with the AM news station and perhaps even the soul station (guess I better get in touch with my inner Stevie Wonder). I start tomorrow helping with a remote (man-on-the street at a local business) but the coolest part is that I am helping next Wednesday night with the "VIP Sound check party" (private sound check) for the Goo Goo Dolls concert which will be in town...man this is gonna be cool!

We're going to be grandparents...

Okay before you freak out and want to know how in the heck this is possible, let me explain. Obviously we have no children yet, but we found out last night that Jackson is going to be a daddy which makes us grandparents. So if you know of anyone who is looking for a pure breed Yorkie, we'll have one for sale this fall. He/She should be ready the first part of October since the litter is due mid-August. Pray the litter is healthy and the mommy does well since it is risky for the female giving birth. I'll post pictures when I have them.

Meet me in St. Louis...

Well I am in St. Louis this week for NYC-Nazarene Youth Conference. For my Wesleyan friends, it is basically the equivalent of our big youth conference that happens every four years as well. There are some similarities, and ALOT of differences, but this week I am running around with 9500 other people from the US and Canada. It is a great event and the speakers are wonderful so far, but if I am being honest I sort of feel like an unknown in a sea of strangers. This is good as I am meeting more people in the Nazarene Church and starting to figure out who is who here, but it also makes me miss the Wesleyan church since I am not likely to run in to anyone I know like what happens at the Wesleyan youth conventions.

It is a great even though, and it isn't about me. Pray that God will open up new doors in my life and ministry this week and also that He will work in the lives of the students I am here with!

Talk to you soon!

Movie review-Transformers (2007)

Well I said I would be there opening night...actually what I meant was that if I was lucky enough, I would be there BEFORE opening night and that was the case. We have a new member here at the church who works in radio and so I had the chance to be a part of a special pre-screening of the movie last night. Needless to say despite my fears from disappointment in the novel I was not disappointed in the movie one bit. It was like every childhood battle scene brought to life. From a Transformers fan standpoint, it was AMAZING...Michael Bay and ILM did not drop the ball on this one.

Let me say this though...it is not a family movie. This is a "man's man" movie full of action from start to finish. There is a considerable amount of language and there are sexual references and innuendo, so don't take the kiddos to this one.

My message to all the fanboys out there who are complaining about the changes is GET OVER IT! Sure there are changes, but it still gets the theme across of the original and I think does a great job of bringing the Transformers to the 21st century. Most of the popular characters are back and there are a few new ones

I wouldn't make a youth group trip out of it, but most likely teens are going to see it so take advantage of that and talk with them about it. It is a good relationship builder and there are a few "jewels" of teachable moments in the movie. Of course just like Hollywood today, the language and sexuality is very prominent-so use discretion.

I give it an A!

Thoughts?

Closure...

Well today I finally feel like I have some closure in an area I have been dealing with for a couple of months now. Today I received an answer to prayer, and truth be told although I didn't like the answer I got at first, God very specifically answered the prayer I asked.

This whole topic is a long story, so here is the short version. Two years ago I left Jackson, Ohio to come here to Pensacola. I left on good terms and still to this day am very close to the members of the church. Deep down I have/have had the desire to return there some day. Given the situation there at this time as well as my current situation here I had been praying about sending my resume and applying to be the senior pastor there. Last week I had a conversation with my current senior pastor and decided that it was at least worth looking into. I had been hesitant to send my resume and put in for the position, because I did not (and still do not) know for sure what the future holds for us. Honestly I was afraid to send it because I didn't even want to consider the possibility of breaking the hearts of the people there again-they mean so much to Megan and I. However, we both prayed and decided to at least throw our name in the hat.

Be careful how you pray, as sometimes God does answer just as you ask Him. My prayer was very specifically that if we were not to go back to Jackson that I would not be offered the chance to candidate there or be offered the position. That was exactly how God answered my prayer. I spoke with the vice-chairman of the board there who I respect very much, and he told me that while they have seen growth and maturity in me they felt at this time they needed someone with a little bit more experience. I understand completely why they went the direction they went. So for now I have received the closure I need in that area. Although I was a little sad, I know that God answered my prayer and He has big plans both for the church and for Meg and I.

There still are some uncertainties that I will share as things develop, and we would appreciate your prayers in all of this.

God is good!
-Matt