I had planned on typing out a blog on a single topic, but this week there've been couple things bouncing around in the romper room that is my brain, so instead you will get another conglomerate of ideas. Enjoy.
- Arthur had our 4th of July Fireworks on Saturday night and I kinda struggled with it. As I've said in a previous blog, due to this missions journey God has taken us on, I'm kinda ruined for the American way of thinking. And as I sat waiting for the show to begin I felt a little torn. On one hand I know that the Arthur fireworks does a lot of good for bringing revenue into Arthur and supporting our local economy. But I couldn't help and think of the good that could be done in the world with the absurd amount of money spent on 45 minutes of instant gratification entertainment. The economy can sink, but if there's one thing we as americans will shell out cash for it's entertainment. We might not do it as frequently as before, but we will still pay for our movies/cable/sporting events/gaming systems/etc. Now, I'm not pointing fingers or taking a "holier than thou" stance, cause I'm just as guilty as the next guy... it just got me thinking. And to be honest I'm not sure how I feel about it all yet, but I'm certainly not as comfortable with it as I was before. Of course, as you well know, if I do sort it all out, you'll hear about it. :)
- And yes, that fireworks show is the one that apparently made national headlines. Yes, the 16 inch shell had a malfunction and didn't detonate until it hit the ground a couple hundred feet from the spectators. No, noone was seriously injured. Yes someone was taken away in the ambulance, but it was not a serious injury according to someone who would know. and Yes it was freakin awesome. I loved it. Kaylee loved it. No, I'm not talking about anyone who got burned in any way, but the effect of seeing a massive explosion and then seeing fire literally rain down upon me. I'm a bit of a pyro and adrenaline junkie, so that rush was just what I love. As for the people who are making all the "it was irresponsible" and "I'm never coming back" comments, when you go to a firework show and sit close, there is always a risk and you choose to take that risk. Was the malfunction intended? Of course not, but accidents happen, be glad noone got seriously hurt and move on. Thank you.
- My current favorite songs are "praise the father, praise the son" and "exalted" both by Chris Tomlin. Check em out.
- We are even deeper into "missions mode" since I will be in Mexico (along with 11 other guys) in less than a month. And Jennifer and I are working on sorting out a trip to Northern Ireland/Scotland in Sept. to attend a LWI/Adopt-A-Child conference. I've made the joke before that my life now has a category I call "APC" which means "After Paul's Call". I can still vividly remember the strange message on our answering machine from a guy I didn't know in an accent I couldn't understand. Since that call our lives have been full speed ahead and we're loving every minute of it. :D
- I saw the Transformers movie for the first time the other day (yeah I know I'm behind, but we're broke... I had to borrow it from a friend). I'll be honest I was disappointed at the language and the innuendo. I remember watching transformers as a kid (the cartoon) and loving it (side note... LOVED that they got the same guy to do Optimus Prime's voice.... SUCH a huge nostalgia thrill), but the innocence of that cartoon is lost in this movie. And I know a lot of young kids who wanted to see that movie because it's transformers, but I certainly wouldn't let Kaylee see it as a non-teenager. I've heard one argument from someone my age of "yeah I loved it as a kid, but I'm not a kid now, so I'd rather have a movie more my style". I've heard the same thing about "land of the lost" that recently came out, the Dukes of Hazzard movie and others. Basically, the original concepts have been pushed to the edge and lost it's innocence. The problem with this argument is it is totally and disgustingly selfish. Basically what the person is saying is that "I don't care about being able to share my nostalgia with kids today. That's not enjoyable for me. I'm past that, I want a movie for my enjoyment." And we wonder why american society is seen as self-serving and arrogant by the rest of the world. sigh.
- And finally on a fun note, you know how it's said some things are just lost in translation? One of my closest friends, Chuck, had a brilliant idea one day. He went to one of those translation sites on the web and entered John 3:16 from the King James Version "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life". Chuck then translated it into Japenese, copied it, and using the site translated it back into engligh. Here is the translated phrase:
"For God, his only son he was born, his love of life gave the world forever Please do not believe he killed anyone"
You gotta love it.
Hope you all have a great holiday weekend. God bless.
- Shrek
Yep, That is the World Series trophy.
I know... you're jealous. It's ok. Just repent of your sin and become a Cardinal fan.
My visitor map
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Because I know you've been dying to know...
I shall now give you a quick hit list of all things "us", that way you can get your fix and return fully focused to your lives. :D
- Tomorrow is Kaylee's 3rd birthday. I would say I can't believe she is that old, but on most days she acts much older than a 3 year old. For instance, one of her favorite shows at the moment is Hannah Montana, her favorite movie currently is High School Musical 3, she knows the Jonas brothers, and when I don't do what she wants she will sigh big, put her hand on her forehead and say "oh good grief" (or something similar). At this rate we will hit the "teenage years" by the time she is 6.
- For her birthday we are heading to St. Louis tonight and going to the zoo tomorrow. Here's for praying rain away tomorrow.
- We spent a week in Carrollton, GA (outside of Atlanta) for the CFN church conference. It's always a great time and this year was no exception. We got to spend time with old friends, meet new ones and even got to see the Schroeders, who had moved there from Arthur early last year. Unfortunately, as with every conference, we didn't have nearly enough time to spend with everyone, but I still wouldn't pass it up for anything.
- At the conference, one of the speakers was Daniel Juster. His intelligence level is astronomically high. Even though it left my head spinning, one of the best sessions I've ever been to, anywhere. :)
- I have been "reassigned" at work for the village. I now only work in the visitor center on Saturdays and the other days I work for the streets and alleys dept. I am the whatever guy and do whatever is needed when I'm there. Lots of scooping horse poop, weed-eating, watering and other various things. It's a nice change of pace and at least I won't be pasty-white from sitting behind a desk all summer. :D
- I'm still buzzin off the high that is the Guatemala trip. I'm missing all of my new friends from that time and long to see them again. I'm fairly certain I will be back next year, with Jenn this time. She needs to experience it and I need to get back. :D
- With Guatemala done and past, the next trip on the docket is Mexico. We leave July 25 from Chicago and fly to Morelia Mexico. We will spend a week there and return on Sunday Aug 2. We are taking a team of 12 guys down to play in a basketball tournament of sorts and do various odd job projects. Our goal is to help connect the local youth to our friends in ministry. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this trip. I'm excited to see what God has in store for the people there, I'm excited to see our guys grow and mature in God, and I get to see some dear friends in the process. PLUS you just can't beat authentic tortillas.
- On a side note with that trip, I've decided that while I'm not a proponent of "God our mother", I am certain that God is a feminist. My wife gets to say "I told you so" much too often for that not to be the case. I was freakin out about the plane tickets because we were having serious issues getting them booked. Every time we would raise the amount needed the cost would go up. So here we are about a month out and no tickets (not good for my state of mind) and the whole time I'm freakin, Jenn is saying "God knows and we believe this is His will to go, it will work out..." Well, this week we got the tickets and the price dropped to below the original price 2 months ago.... sigh. She is ALWAYS right. Grr. :)
- We thought Mexico would be our last trip for this year, but there is a chance we will take another trip in the fall. As we are becoming increasingly involved in Adopt-A-Child (more on that in the future after some of the dust has settled), we believe we might be going to a conference they have in September. The best part, it's in Northern Ireland. :D Nothing definite yet, but we REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to go.
- Don't ya just know that when God starts moving and things are happening the attacks come? After the amazing week we had last week at the CFN conference, this week I have pulled a muscle in my back, had a random allergic reaction that swelled my eyes almost shut, had Jenn's paycheck have an error, my paycheck have an error, both paychecks being small to begin with because of the time taken off for the conference, the gas on the stove left on for an entire afternoon (even though neither of us used the stove that day, which was strange), the air conditioning drain plug and leak into the utility room, the a/c vents in the back half of the house quit working after they fixed the drain, me spending a day under the house finding out that the previous drain issues had filled the a/c tube under the house with water and having to fix it, and have the shocks in Jenn's car sound like they are about to die. I REALLY hate when the minutiae of life gets in the way of doing Kingdom work, so as you can imagine I've been a little annoyed this week. The good thing, I'm not discouraged or complaining, just explaining. And rest assured, this just fires me up to do more. Like I've always said, the attacks come when you are doing something positive for the Kingdom. Enemies don't attack places that aren't strategic.
Ok, that's enough rambling for now. I'm sure I've forgotten a thousand things that are going on, but that's enough for now. I pray all is well with you. God bless.
- Tomorrow is Kaylee's 3rd birthday. I would say I can't believe she is that old, but on most days she acts much older than a 3 year old. For instance, one of her favorite shows at the moment is Hannah Montana, her favorite movie currently is High School Musical 3, she knows the Jonas brothers, and when I don't do what she wants she will sigh big, put her hand on her forehead and say "oh good grief" (or something similar). At this rate we will hit the "teenage years" by the time she is 6.
- For her birthday we are heading to St. Louis tonight and going to the zoo tomorrow. Here's for praying rain away tomorrow.
- We spent a week in Carrollton, GA (outside of Atlanta) for the CFN church conference. It's always a great time and this year was no exception. We got to spend time with old friends, meet new ones and even got to see the Schroeders, who had moved there from Arthur early last year. Unfortunately, as with every conference, we didn't have nearly enough time to spend with everyone, but I still wouldn't pass it up for anything.
- At the conference, one of the speakers was Daniel Juster. His intelligence level is astronomically high. Even though it left my head spinning, one of the best sessions I've ever been to, anywhere. :)
- I have been "reassigned" at work for the village. I now only work in the visitor center on Saturdays and the other days I work for the streets and alleys dept. I am the whatever guy and do whatever is needed when I'm there. Lots of scooping horse poop, weed-eating, watering and other various things. It's a nice change of pace and at least I won't be pasty-white from sitting behind a desk all summer. :D
- I'm still buzzin off the high that is the Guatemala trip. I'm missing all of my new friends from that time and long to see them again. I'm fairly certain I will be back next year, with Jenn this time. She needs to experience it and I need to get back. :D
- With Guatemala done and past, the next trip on the docket is Mexico. We leave July 25 from Chicago and fly to Morelia Mexico. We will spend a week there and return on Sunday Aug 2. We are taking a team of 12 guys down to play in a basketball tournament of sorts and do various odd job projects. Our goal is to help connect the local youth to our friends in ministry. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this trip. I'm excited to see what God has in store for the people there, I'm excited to see our guys grow and mature in God, and I get to see some dear friends in the process. PLUS you just can't beat authentic tortillas.
- On a side note with that trip, I've decided that while I'm not a proponent of "God our mother", I am certain that God is a feminist. My wife gets to say "I told you so" much too often for that not to be the case. I was freakin out about the plane tickets because we were having serious issues getting them booked. Every time we would raise the amount needed the cost would go up. So here we are about a month out and no tickets (not good for my state of mind) and the whole time I'm freakin, Jenn is saying "God knows and we believe this is His will to go, it will work out..." Well, this week we got the tickets and the price dropped to below the original price 2 months ago.... sigh. She is ALWAYS right. Grr. :)
- We thought Mexico would be our last trip for this year, but there is a chance we will take another trip in the fall. As we are becoming increasingly involved in Adopt-A-Child (more on that in the future after some of the dust has settled), we believe we might be going to a conference they have in September. The best part, it's in Northern Ireland. :D Nothing definite yet, but we REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to go.
- Don't ya just know that when God starts moving and things are happening the attacks come? After the amazing week we had last week at the CFN conference, this week I have pulled a muscle in my back, had a random allergic reaction that swelled my eyes almost shut, had Jenn's paycheck have an error, my paycheck have an error, both paychecks being small to begin with because of the time taken off for the conference, the gas on the stove left on for an entire afternoon (even though neither of us used the stove that day, which was strange), the air conditioning drain plug and leak into the utility room, the a/c vents in the back half of the house quit working after they fixed the drain, me spending a day under the house finding out that the previous drain issues had filled the a/c tube under the house with water and having to fix it, and have the shocks in Jenn's car sound like they are about to die. I REALLY hate when the minutiae of life gets in the way of doing Kingdom work, so as you can imagine I've been a little annoyed this week. The good thing, I'm not discouraged or complaining, just explaining. And rest assured, this just fires me up to do more. Like I've always said, the attacks come when you are doing something positive for the Kingdom. Enemies don't attack places that aren't strategic.
Ok, that's enough rambling for now. I'm sure I've forgotten a thousand things that are going on, but that's enough for now. I pray all is well with you. God bless.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
I'M RUINED! RUINED I SAY!!!
Ok, I've been back in country about a week now, so I guess I'm ready to try and put my thoughts into words (we'll see if that's true...) I will get to the reason for the blog title in a moment, but let me set the stage a bit...
Sunday, May 10 I flew out of Chicago heading for Guatemala City. I was taking part in a training trip with Adopt-A-Child (if you are unfamiliar with what AAC does, check out this blog from last summer
http://mattnjenn.blogspot.com/2008/09/im-not-dead-yet.html )
with a group from various points on the globe. To make it a little easier to organize, I will bullet point some aspects of the trip (also if you would like to see pics they can be found on my facebook page, if you don't have my facebook page go here, add me and put "blog referral" in the message line)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=643878564&ref=name
On to the trip info:
* The group consisted of 3 people from the US, 3 from Canada, 10 from various parts of the UK, a missionary from Albania and two missionaries from the US. Needless to say half the fun was trying to understand each others accents. :D Unfortunately, Jennifer was not able to go with me, but that allowed me to room with the 3 guys from Canada. While I missed Jenn terribly it was a huge blessing to get to know Dean, Jason and Richard in a way the others did not. No one else was privy to the conversations and genuine personalities that I got to experience, I am truly grateful.
* I was reminded again of how important the sponsor/child relationship is. We were at one home visit when we asked a boy (who had just tagged along) if he was sponsored, he ran back to his house and then came out with a half dozen pictures of his sponsor. He had a huge grin on his face. That connection is sooooooo important.
* There are 9 feeding programs in Guatemala. 3 are in the Antigua area and 6 in the Quiche region. 3 of the 6 in Quiche are deep in the mountains. It was gorgeous country but very treacherous terrain. Again I am humbled by the dedication these children (and the AAC workers) show in being a part of the program, and saddened by the lack of dedication to the things of God by the supposed "civilized world". (And yes, I put myself in that group)
* Both Antigua and Chixocol (in Quiche) have a medical and dental clinic. It certainly does not have all the frills and bells and whistles of a clinic in the US, but they are dedicated to serve as best they can with what they have. Much of their equipment is quite old and second hand, and they are in need of much. But they still see the needs of those who come. They don't descriminate, in fact they name patients who have aids, yet they treat them with no reservation. At the Chixocol clinic, they work 8-4 Monday through Friday and are on call 24/7. On a regular day they see 30-50 patients. Ask your local physician... that's a lot. But through this care and the nutritional menu of the programs, they are seeing a great increase in the health of the kids. The best part? They use the time at the clinic as another tool to share the gospel. AAC is about treating the body, but determined to treat the soul. That's why I'm proud to be a part of it.
* We mostly traveled using the bus (Patricia) or the vans... but my favorite way to travel was standing in the back of the pick-ups. I'd do it here if it were allowed. :D
* I got to meet the boy we sponsor, Isaias (pronouned ees-eye-eeh-ahs) which was a huge joy. He is a great kid with an infectious smile. Plus at various points of the meeting his hat was forwards, sideways and backwards.... I do that too... loved it.
* Isaias had a pretty good home situation. His father has passed away but his mom is able to provide for him with help from his older brothers. He is lucky, most kids are not in that situation. AAC did a study of the families involved with the program (about 3000) and found that 60-70% of the women are in abusive relationships. One such story we talked to a woman who's husband has many mistresses. He gave her an STD and now wants to divorce her because she is "unclean". He tells her she is worthless and damaged. This is quite common with the Quiche people. This cycle of abuse won't change without Jesus. One of the things the pastors of AAC have been doing is using Mother's Day to teach that God loves women and they do have value. It was such a blessing to see the body of Christ ministering right at the point of need. If you would, please continue to pray for these women and the people ministering to them.
* Our missionary hosts, Ana, Steve and Erminda were incredible. They were so gracious and patient with us. There are not enough words to sing their praises. I am so blessed to know them.
* There is no joy like the joy of returning to the states and being able to flush the toilet paper. If it were not for the assured looks of quizzical disgust, I would cheer in the restroom of the airport each time. But as to not seem completely bonkers I only cheer on the inside... but oh how I cheer.
I know there are a thousand things I'm forgetting to post, so they may pop up in subsequent blogs. But that's enough for now and it brings me back to the title of this blog. I'm ruined. I really am. I'm utterly and completely destroyed for this world. Everytime I travel on a missions trip I come back a a little more disconnected from the "american way of life". American society is based upon working in order to increase your things, to have nicer things and then be financially secure. But you know what? I don't care. I don't need a big house. I don't even need to own my own house. I don't need nice furniture, gimme second hand stuff. I don't need a "nice" car, just one that will get from point A to B. I don't need to go see movies, eat at nice restaurants, etc. Not only do I not need it, I don't want it. What I want is to see God move, to be involved in His plan worldwide. I want to be so in the middle of His plan for my life (and my family's) that I am trusting Him to provide. Now that doesn't mean I'm going to sit on my butt and do nothing. Right now His plan involves me working various part time jobs in order to pay the those things that are necessary (i.e. rent, utilities, clothes, food, etc.) But my clothes are hand-me downs from my youngest brother? Awesome. :D My furniture mostly came from wal-mart and/or garage sales? Sweet. I simply don't care. Like I said I'm ruined for this world. And am loving every minute of it. God bless and would love to hear from you. If you have any questions on my trip, just let me know.
- The unexpected world traveler
Sunday, May 10 I flew out of Chicago heading for Guatemala City. I was taking part in a training trip with Adopt-A-Child (if you are unfamiliar with what AAC does, check out this blog from last summer
http://mattnjenn.blogspot.com/2008/09/im-not-dead-yet.html )
with a group from various points on the globe. To make it a little easier to organize, I will bullet point some aspects of the trip (also if you would like to see pics they can be found on my facebook page, if you don't have my facebook page go here, add me and put "blog referral" in the message line)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=643878564&ref=name
On to the trip info:
* The group consisted of 3 people from the US, 3 from Canada, 10 from various parts of the UK, a missionary from Albania and two missionaries from the US. Needless to say half the fun was trying to understand each others accents. :D Unfortunately, Jennifer was not able to go with me, but that allowed me to room with the 3 guys from Canada. While I missed Jenn terribly it was a huge blessing to get to know Dean, Jason and Richard in a way the others did not. No one else was privy to the conversations and genuine personalities that I got to experience, I am truly grateful.
* I was reminded again of how important the sponsor/child relationship is. We were at one home visit when we asked a boy (who had just tagged along) if he was sponsored, he ran back to his house and then came out with a half dozen pictures of his sponsor. He had a huge grin on his face. That connection is sooooooo important.
* There are 9 feeding programs in Guatemala. 3 are in the Antigua area and 6 in the Quiche region. 3 of the 6 in Quiche are deep in the mountains. It was gorgeous country but very treacherous terrain. Again I am humbled by the dedication these children (and the AAC workers) show in being a part of the program, and saddened by the lack of dedication to the things of God by the supposed "civilized world". (And yes, I put myself in that group)
* Both Antigua and Chixocol (in Quiche) have a medical and dental clinic. It certainly does not have all the frills and bells and whistles of a clinic in the US, but they are dedicated to serve as best they can with what they have. Much of their equipment is quite old and second hand, and they are in need of much. But they still see the needs of those who come. They don't descriminate, in fact they name patients who have aids, yet they treat them with no reservation. At the Chixocol clinic, they work 8-4 Monday through Friday and are on call 24/7. On a regular day they see 30-50 patients. Ask your local physician... that's a lot. But through this care and the nutritional menu of the programs, they are seeing a great increase in the health of the kids. The best part? They use the time at the clinic as another tool to share the gospel. AAC is about treating the body, but determined to treat the soul. That's why I'm proud to be a part of it.
* We mostly traveled using the bus (Patricia) or the vans... but my favorite way to travel was standing in the back of the pick-ups. I'd do it here if it were allowed. :D
* I got to meet the boy we sponsor, Isaias (pronouned ees-eye-eeh-ahs) which was a huge joy. He is a great kid with an infectious smile. Plus at various points of the meeting his hat was forwards, sideways and backwards.... I do that too... loved it.
* Isaias had a pretty good home situation. His father has passed away but his mom is able to provide for him with help from his older brothers. He is lucky, most kids are not in that situation. AAC did a study of the families involved with the program (about 3000) and found that 60-70% of the women are in abusive relationships. One such story we talked to a woman who's husband has many mistresses. He gave her an STD and now wants to divorce her because she is "unclean". He tells her she is worthless and damaged. This is quite common with the Quiche people. This cycle of abuse won't change without Jesus. One of the things the pastors of AAC have been doing is using Mother's Day to teach that God loves women and they do have value. It was such a blessing to see the body of Christ ministering right at the point of need. If you would, please continue to pray for these women and the people ministering to them.
* Our missionary hosts, Ana, Steve and Erminda were incredible. They were so gracious and patient with us. There are not enough words to sing their praises. I am so blessed to know them.
* There is no joy like the joy of returning to the states and being able to flush the toilet paper. If it were not for the assured looks of quizzical disgust, I would cheer in the restroom of the airport each time. But as to not seem completely bonkers I only cheer on the inside... but oh how I cheer.
I know there are a thousand things I'm forgetting to post, so they may pop up in subsequent blogs. But that's enough for now and it brings me back to the title of this blog. I'm ruined. I really am. I'm utterly and completely destroyed for this world. Everytime I travel on a missions trip I come back a a little more disconnected from the "american way of life". American society is based upon working in order to increase your things, to have nicer things and then be financially secure. But you know what? I don't care. I don't need a big house. I don't even need to own my own house. I don't need nice furniture, gimme second hand stuff. I don't need a "nice" car, just one that will get from point A to B. I don't need to go see movies, eat at nice restaurants, etc. Not only do I not need it, I don't want it. What I want is to see God move, to be involved in His plan worldwide. I want to be so in the middle of His plan for my life (and my family's) that I am trusting Him to provide. Now that doesn't mean I'm going to sit on my butt and do nothing. Right now His plan involves me working various part time jobs in order to pay the those things that are necessary (i.e. rent, utilities, clothes, food, etc.) But my clothes are hand-me downs from my youngest brother? Awesome. :D My furniture mostly came from wal-mart and/or garage sales? Sweet. I simply don't care. Like I said I'm ruined for this world. And am loving every minute of it. God bless and would love to hear from you. If you have any questions on my trip, just let me know.
- The unexpected world traveler
Monday, May 4, 2009
Do you have hope? or are you just hoping you do?
Ok, first things first. No I haven't posted in forever. No I'm not ignoring the blog or my readers... both of them. It really comes down to two reasons:
1.) I much prefer to talk to people in person, my thoughts flow from conversation, so often I find it difficult to write on topics. Without the give and take of conversation I tend to try and answer the questions before they are asked and rambling becomes almost a certainty. Sometimes it's just difficult to know where to begin, and I don't like to write without some sort of a plan. Not a good reason, but still a reason.
2.) My schedule has been crazy the last month or so. I have emcee'd a high school music program, we've had two guest speakers in church (one of whom will be mentioned later in this post), I am playing a part in the grade school musical this week, I leave for a 10 day trip to Guatemala missions trip this Saturday, we have another guest speaker coming at the end of may, planning for our trip to the CFN conference in Carrollton, GA, in June, and planning/fundraising for a missions trip to Mexico in July. Anyway, I currently have multiple irons in multiple fires and by the time I have time to post a blog I find myself quite exhausted. :D
However, today I have a specific purpose to post. Our most recent guest speaker was a man by the name of Bill Allison. If you don't know of him, Bill is an amazing man of God, an even more amazing father and husband, and one of my personal heroes/mentors. He is a missionary to the local church. He is the Executive Director of Cadre Ministries and they work to help equip "volunteers" at the local church. (I put that in quotes because if you talk to Bill long you'll find he doesn't like the term volunteers, but for my purposes it's the best term here.) I STRONGLY encourage you to check out his blog at http://cupojoewithbill.blogspot.com/ and the Cadre website at http://www.cadreministries.com/. This past Sunday Bill spoke on the topic of hope. It's pretty evident our nation is currently at a time where hope can be hard to see in most people. However, as believers we should be people of Hope. Bill challenged us to read Genesis 37-50 at a pace of 2 chapters a day. This is the story of Joseph and there are a lot of lessons on hope that can be found in this passage. What I would love to see happen is that you would join me in this challenge and would read these chapters and then post your thoughts on hope. I don't want to say much about the topic in order to allow discussion to flow, however I will say that Bill contends (and I agree) there are two types of hope. One type is the "i wish" or uncertain hope. The other is certain hope.
SO, feel free to join us in this. Post your thoughts on hope. Post your thoughts on the lessons of Joseph. As a closing note, be aware that I will gladly join the conversation and will respond to anyone who posts, but if you post later than Friday, May 8, I will be on my way to the airport and won't be back for a bout a week and a half, so you're on your own after that. God bless.
- Mateo
1.) I much prefer to talk to people in person, my thoughts flow from conversation, so often I find it difficult to write on topics. Without the give and take of conversation I tend to try and answer the questions before they are asked and rambling becomes almost a certainty. Sometimes it's just difficult to know where to begin, and I don't like to write without some sort of a plan. Not a good reason, but still a reason.
2.) My schedule has been crazy the last month or so. I have emcee'd a high school music program, we've had two guest speakers in church (one of whom will be mentioned later in this post), I am playing a part in the grade school musical this week, I leave for a 10 day trip to Guatemala missions trip this Saturday, we have another guest speaker coming at the end of may, planning for our trip to the CFN conference in Carrollton, GA, in June, and planning/fundraising for a missions trip to Mexico in July. Anyway, I currently have multiple irons in multiple fires and by the time I have time to post a blog I find myself quite exhausted. :D
However, today I have a specific purpose to post. Our most recent guest speaker was a man by the name of Bill Allison. If you don't know of him, Bill is an amazing man of God, an even more amazing father and husband, and one of my personal heroes/mentors. He is a missionary to the local church. He is the Executive Director of Cadre Ministries and they work to help equip "volunteers" at the local church. (I put that in quotes because if you talk to Bill long you'll find he doesn't like the term volunteers, but for my purposes it's the best term here.) I STRONGLY encourage you to check out his blog at http://cupojoewithbill.blogspot.com/ and the Cadre website at http://www.cadreministries.com/. This past Sunday Bill spoke on the topic of hope. It's pretty evident our nation is currently at a time where hope can be hard to see in most people. However, as believers we should be people of Hope. Bill challenged us to read Genesis 37-50 at a pace of 2 chapters a day. This is the story of Joseph and there are a lot of lessons on hope that can be found in this passage. What I would love to see happen is that you would join me in this challenge and would read these chapters and then post your thoughts on hope. I don't want to say much about the topic in order to allow discussion to flow, however I will say that Bill contends (and I agree) there are two types of hope. One type is the "i wish" or uncertain hope. The other is certain hope.
SO, feel free to join us in this. Post your thoughts on hope. Post your thoughts on the lessons of Joseph. As a closing note, be aware that I will gladly join the conversation and will respond to anyone who posts, but if you post later than Friday, May 8, I will be on my way to the airport and won't be back for a bout a week and a half, so you're on your own after that. God bless.
- Mateo
Saturday, March 7, 2009
This double-edged sword
Hey all. No, I'm not dead. No, I'm not ignoring blogging. In fact, for about 2 weeks every time I get online and go to my dashboard to read up on all the blogs I follow, I stare at that little button that says "new post" and try and muster up the words to speak. The problem is it's been a rough couple of weeks. Let me explain why this is such an issue.
God has blessed me with a very passionate personality. I am passionate about a lot of things. I am passionate about my sports teams. I am passionate about my family. I am passionate about my ministry. And above all I am passionate about my God. It's part of what makes me able to do what I do. I'm all about vision and desire and purpose. I can't talk about things that I'm not passionate about. I am driven by that passion. The flip side is that I have issues with doing things I'm not passionate about. I am not passionate about my part time jobs. I understand that they are important, and I devote energy to them. But I'm not passionate about them. When visitors come to our town and it's my job to direct them to businesses to help drive up the economy I struggle. I struggle to help them spend money on things that are probably not needed (or could be found cheaper elsewhere) when there are so many people in our nation and around the world who have nothing. I struggle when I hear people talk about trying to find the right piece of furniture when all I can think is I wonder if they've found a relationship with the God of the universe, and that that's the only thing that matters anyway. I struggle because that issue is number one in my mind. All other issues aren't even in the top 100 comparatively. This thought consumes me. That is my passion driving me.
But here is where my passion gets me in trouble. When something is bothering me it also can consume me. When the thing that is bothering me involves ministry, it's near impossible to hide. Recently there have been some things said that have been quite hurtful and honestly misguided. I'm not angry at anyone, I am hurt by it, but I'm certainly not going to air such things in such a public forum, that's just not bright.
But that's why I've not been writing. When I sit still, when I lay down at night, when I'm driving, any time I have a moment to think, this recent issue is what consumes me. I'm constantly talking to God trying to work it out. (and before it sounds like it's a one way issue, I know I make mistakes and one of the things I'm trying to work through is the reaction my flesh wants to take... it's getting better by the grace of God.) So I say all that to say if I ever disappear for awhile and it's not due to a trip somewhere. It simply means an event has transpired and due to my passionate nature, it's consumed me. Be patient, I will always come back.
I pray you are all well and God bless.
- The impulsive passionate one
God has blessed me with a very passionate personality. I am passionate about a lot of things. I am passionate about my sports teams. I am passionate about my family. I am passionate about my ministry. And above all I am passionate about my God. It's part of what makes me able to do what I do. I'm all about vision and desire and purpose. I can't talk about things that I'm not passionate about. I am driven by that passion. The flip side is that I have issues with doing things I'm not passionate about. I am not passionate about my part time jobs. I understand that they are important, and I devote energy to them. But I'm not passionate about them. When visitors come to our town and it's my job to direct them to businesses to help drive up the economy I struggle. I struggle to help them spend money on things that are probably not needed (or could be found cheaper elsewhere) when there are so many people in our nation and around the world who have nothing. I struggle when I hear people talk about trying to find the right piece of furniture when all I can think is I wonder if they've found a relationship with the God of the universe, and that that's the only thing that matters anyway. I struggle because that issue is number one in my mind. All other issues aren't even in the top 100 comparatively. This thought consumes me. That is my passion driving me.
But here is where my passion gets me in trouble. When something is bothering me it also can consume me. When the thing that is bothering me involves ministry, it's near impossible to hide. Recently there have been some things said that have been quite hurtful and honestly misguided. I'm not angry at anyone, I am hurt by it, but I'm certainly not going to air such things in such a public forum, that's just not bright.
But that's why I've not been writing. When I sit still, when I lay down at night, when I'm driving, any time I have a moment to think, this recent issue is what consumes me. I'm constantly talking to God trying to work it out. (and before it sounds like it's a one way issue, I know I make mistakes and one of the things I'm trying to work through is the reaction my flesh wants to take... it's getting better by the grace of God.) So I say all that to say if I ever disappear for awhile and it's not due to a trip somewhere. It simply means an event has transpired and due to my passionate nature, it's consumed me. Be patient, I will always come back.
I pray you are all well and God bless.
- The impulsive passionate one
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Wednesday Watch
I know. I'm a day late. But Kaylee was sick yesterday and so I had her. Hence, I didn't really have time to sit and blog, so today it is. With no further ado, his past week's blessings:
- I was hit in the eye at Belegarth on Sunday. By all logic it should have either given me a black eye or torn my contact. Thankfully, neither happened. It was just one of those unlucky shots, but I'm grateful for no damage.
- I am still grateful for the chance to do radio commentary for some local basketball games. It is such fun and came out of nowhere.... plus the extra cash never hurts.
- Somehow last thursday night Kaylee ended up going to bed without a pull-up on under her jammies. Neither Jenn nor I caught it. When she woke up she was completely dry. If that isn't the Hand of God at work, I don't know what is.
- For Christmas, we were able to give my parents two tickets to see Celtic Women live in Chicago this past week. I know it wasn't much, but it's a blessing to be able to help both our parents whenever we can.
Ok, the kiddo is callin so that's all for this week. God bless.
- I was hit in the eye at Belegarth on Sunday. By all logic it should have either given me a black eye or torn my contact. Thankfully, neither happened. It was just one of those unlucky shots, but I'm grateful for no damage.
- I am still grateful for the chance to do radio commentary for some local basketball games. It is such fun and came out of nowhere.... plus the extra cash never hurts.
- Somehow last thursday night Kaylee ended up going to bed without a pull-up on under her jammies. Neither Jenn nor I caught it. When she woke up she was completely dry. If that isn't the Hand of God at work, I don't know what is.
- For Christmas, we were able to give my parents two tickets to see Celtic Women live in Chicago this past week. I know it wasn't much, but it's a blessing to be able to help both our parents whenever we can.
Ok, the kiddo is callin so that's all for this week. God bless.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Wednesday Watch
This past Sunday I was reminded of how poorly I acknowledge the blessings and miracles in my life. So in order to try and do a better job of being aware of the Hand of God in my life I've decided to try and dedicate Wednesday's to do just that. (Plus it might help me blog a little more) Each week I will sit down and list a few of the things that have been a blessing to me. Some may be small, some large, but all will be evidence of God in my life.
- I am taking a trip to Guatemala in May to visit the Adopt-A-Child feeding centers there. Unfortunately Jennifer will not be able to go with me on this trip so it's just me. There is a group from Europe going, a couple other Americans, and some Canadians (I think). But I needed to find a flight that would land in Guatemala City and leave around the same time so as to make it as easy on the AAC staff in Guat. I worked on it awhile and then I got some information from the travel agent we use. Not only did she find me a flight for under $400 (all others were $700+) but I'm actually on the same plane as the European contingent going and coming from Guat. It was a HUGE blessing. Then to top it off, we had done 2 missions fundraisers recently and had raised enough money to pay for the ticket right away. I am still thrilled. :D
- On Sunday I got the opportunity to pray with a number of men in the church. It is always a huge blessing for me to be granted that privilege and I don't take it lightly. Not because I get to pray for them, but that I get to be blessed by the journey God it taking them on and be encouraged by it.
- Nick just moved to Kansas City and I'm excited for him. But I've been praying that he would meet people who would support him and give him a network of Christian friends. The weekend he was moving there I found out a good friend from college was moving to the same suburb from another state. So even if they do or don't become close friends, he has someone in the area who at least knows who he is. :D
- I've had a number of different conversations this week where I've been overwhelmed by the Spirit of God while talking. Not in some sort of "super-spiritual" sense, but just feeling His presence surrounding me, and the peace, comfort and wisdom it has given has been amazing.
- I got a call from a friend who was asking if it was ok to put a pastor in touch with us (jennifer and I). This pastor is wanting to get his church more involved in missions trips, and the friend thought we would be a resource. I don't know if anything will come of it, but it's been a HUGE encouragement to us. This is what we feel God is calling us to. Helping connect churches and believers with the world through short term missions trips. Some days it feels like we are never going to get to where we feel we should, and it seems like life just keeps getting in the way. But being reminded that God will orchestrate it in His time is never a bad thing. :D
Well, that's this week in a nutshell. Hope this was encouraging. God bless.
- I am taking a trip to Guatemala in May to visit the Adopt-A-Child feeding centers there. Unfortunately Jennifer will not be able to go with me on this trip so it's just me. There is a group from Europe going, a couple other Americans, and some Canadians (I think). But I needed to find a flight that would land in Guatemala City and leave around the same time so as to make it as easy on the AAC staff in Guat. I worked on it awhile and then I got some information from the travel agent we use. Not only did she find me a flight for under $400 (all others were $700+) but I'm actually on the same plane as the European contingent going and coming from Guat. It was a HUGE blessing. Then to top it off, we had done 2 missions fundraisers recently and had raised enough money to pay for the ticket right away. I am still thrilled. :D
- On Sunday I got the opportunity to pray with a number of men in the church. It is always a huge blessing for me to be granted that privilege and I don't take it lightly. Not because I get to pray for them, but that I get to be blessed by the journey God it taking them on and be encouraged by it.
- Nick just moved to Kansas City and I'm excited for him. But I've been praying that he would meet people who would support him and give him a network of Christian friends. The weekend he was moving there I found out a good friend from college was moving to the same suburb from another state. So even if they do or don't become close friends, he has someone in the area who at least knows who he is. :D
- I've had a number of different conversations this week where I've been overwhelmed by the Spirit of God while talking. Not in some sort of "super-spiritual" sense, but just feeling His presence surrounding me, and the peace, comfort and wisdom it has given has been amazing.
- I got a call from a friend who was asking if it was ok to put a pastor in touch with us (jennifer and I). This pastor is wanting to get his church more involved in missions trips, and the friend thought we would be a resource. I don't know if anything will come of it, but it's been a HUGE encouragement to us. This is what we feel God is calling us to. Helping connect churches and believers with the world through short term missions trips. Some days it feels like we are never going to get to where we feel we should, and it seems like life just keeps getting in the way. But being reminded that God will orchestrate it in His time is never a bad thing. :D
Well, that's this week in a nutshell. Hope this was encouraging. God bless.
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