Thoughts from a guy just trying to chase after God!

Well the AC adapter for my laptop burned out and we don’t have the time or money to got to Nashville to get another one. So right now I have paid to use a computer at a local coffee shop. I will admit it, I AM ADDICTED TO MY COMPUTER AND THE INTERNET! I have felt lost without my email, facebook, or checking my sports, but God has used this time to reveal something big which everyone says they know but doesn’t always believe, that is that GOD IS ENOUGH! He has shown me that all that time spent on the computer is time I should have spent with Him. All the wasted hours playing Word Twist on Facebook could have been time I spent in prayer or in the word or writing songs. So these past 4 days have been great.

Now I will admit I still haven’t used all that non-computer time affectively. I have escaped into the TV or my PSP, but I have used it better than I would have had the computer been working. All of that to say God knew what he was doing when he had that computer AC adapter die. The battery on the computer is dead and I am in desperate need of God not a computer working right now. We are 9 days away from packing up and moving back to Wilmington. The house hasn’t sold, we are not sure how we are going to pay for the move, let alone pay for all of our bills this month, we are not sure what awaits us in Wilmington. All we know is God has called us to go so we are going.

I have been reading a lot about Jonathon and how he went and battled the Phillistines, just him and his armor bearer. All he knew was God told him to go, he had no idea how it would work out or what awaited. He just knew God said the battle was already won for the Israelites. So Jonathon went while Saul and the army slept. Then something amazing happened, once he got to the battle alone with his armor bearer he saw God’s purpose. He and his armor bearer defeated 20 Phillistines just the two of them. Then something else happened, their actions mobilized the rest of the army and Saul to act. The obedience of the son moved the father, the king to action. That is what we feel like right now. We are just trying to be obedient to God and maybe that will draw other believers to living a more active faith, maybe it will lead our lost family members to a relationship with Christ as they see God’s faithfulness in our lives. I don’t know.

All I do know is God said go so we are going. Maybe the minute we set foot in Wilmington more of God’s plan will be revealed. Maybe then the house will sell, were we are supposed to live will be revealed, then again maybe not. And if not then that doesn’t mean God isn’t faithful or we have been disobedient, it just means God is moving us closer and closer to him.

I ask that you would join us in prayer for the house to sell so that God’s glory and power would be known and revealed. Pray that our finances would be met so again God would be praised and glorified in our lives. That is what I love about the Old Testament. Whenever God did something amazing in the life of one of His servants it says they built and alter and worshipped God. That is what we can’t wait to do, once the house sells or we see our finances provided we want to worship God and give him all the honor and praise. That is what life is about, glorifying God for what he has done and is doing. We know God will provide He always has and will, we just know our part is to pray and seek Him.

I have 2 minutes left on my bought time so I leave you with knowing we are so excitd about all God has in store and we can’t wait to share it with all of you. Thanks for the prayers. Bless You All!!!

Matt

“After risk comes advance.After “no turning back” comes “you must go forward.” The closer you get to a divine challenge, the bigger it will seem, and the smaller you will feel. If the signs you are looking for are guarantees of sucess, you may retreat when you should be advancing. It would be great if the signs from God that we should advance were always things like a perfect situation, all the resources necessary to succeed, or a guaranteed win. Yet if that were the case, there would be no adventure.” Erwin McManus from Chasing Daylight p.175

So in the midst of fear creeping in as we get ready to move back into a great unknown by moving back to Wilmington, NC, I found this quote. Then something crazy happened, I found peace! This is from a chapter of the book Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. The chapter is entitled Advance with the subheading, Go unless you get a NO. How appropriate for where we are right now. We know God has called us back to Wilmington and we know we are moving back on June 7th but other than that we don’t know much. I know I have some part time work waiting, and I know I am recording a new album in July that will come out October 19th but not much else. I don’t know where we will live, when our house will sell, if we will have to stay with my mom for a little while or not, how all the finances will be provided? All of these are just some of the unknowns.

But I find great comfort in this quote. That if we sit back and wait for everything to be perfect then we will never move. Sometimes we think God has to lay everything just so before we will go and the problem is He is waiting on us to go and then He will show all the next steps. We have lived like this for 2-3 years now, and yes doubt and fear creep in but we have to cling to the fact that God has never dropped us and He has always provided. In the ways we think He should? Not always. In a way that is perfect and sufficient? Every time!

As I sat in the coffee shop yesterday and read part of this chapter I began to weep. McManus tells a story of how his wife read Luke 14:15-24, the parable of the great banquet. In the parable all the people the king invited made excuses so he goes to all the lame, sick and the people way outside the city gates to fill the banquet. McManus says, “With tears in her eyes Kim explained, “God in inviting us to join Him in a celebration. He’s throwing the party in Los Angeles. He has everything prepared, even though we cannot see it. If we don’t go there will be two empty seats there.”

As I read that I began to weep. I thought to myself, EXACTLY! God is inviting us to join in what He is doing back in Wilmington and everything is prepared even though we can’t see it and if we don’t go there will be 4 empty seats. It was the exact affirmation I needed yesterday. I know now more than ever we are to go to Wilmington, NC of June 7th and I can’t wait to see what is prepared for us. I know it will still be full of tons of ups and downs, because that is what walking with God is like. It is full amazing moments and hard trials we must persevere through.

One of the most overused statements in Christianity is, “the safest place is in the center of God’s will”. No it is not, the craziest and most dangerous place is in the center of God’s will. McManus puts it like this, “God fears nothing an no one. God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside God’s will puts us in danger, but to live in His will makes us dangerous. When we begin to seize our divine moments, we do not begin to live risk-free, but instead become free to risk.”

As I wrap up this long blog that some of you may have stopped reading 4 paragraphs ago, I just want to say that if you agree with me or not, just test and see. Has God been calling you to do something that you have been waiting for everything to be just right before you will do it? Than maybe you should do it and see if God works it out perfectly for you. I want to encourage all of us to seize our divine moments and not be afraid because something seems difficult or hard or impossible. If God has called you to it, the battle has been won and He has already prepared the way even if you can’t see it. I am sure I will be sharing more thoughts on this later. First blog on here, very long! They wont all be like this.

Sure I blog on Myspace and then copy it to my website sometimes but I thought this would be a better, cleaner place to blog and share my thoughts. So from now on pass a long this site to your friends and anyone who might be interested in reading anything I have to say……So now that I have all 3 of your attentions I will begin to blog!