Beauty of the Lord

In her eyes
The Beauty of the Lord
In her smile
The Beauty of the Lord
In her tears
The Beauty of the Lord
In her love
The Beauty of the Lord
In her heart
The Beauty of the Lord
In her life
She declares
The Beauty of the Lord

--MdB--April 27, 2008--

You are my purpose...You're everything...

In my C.S. Lewis class today, we were discussing sin. To put it in context, we were talking about the sin of lust--portrayed as a lizard--in this great work. Now I know that when it comes to sexual sin, we are supposed to run from it:

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. --1 Corinthians 6:18

But in class discussion, passing reference was made that we as Christians are to flee from all sin. I'm not so sure that this is the case for many reasons. For example, we are given the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. --Ephesians 6:10-18

Why in the world would God instruct us to "clothe ourselves" in this armor if we were just going to run from all of the trappings of this world? Yes, if I was fighting this fight against the world in my own strength, I had better run. I have nothing on my own accord that would allow me to win the victory over all of the crap that I face everyday. However, my Savior died on the cross, defeating all of my foes once and for all:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. --2 Corinthians 12:9

Notice back in the verses in Ephesians that there is no mention of armor covering the back--we are supposed to stand and fight with Christ at our side. It is when we cease to surrender in our own strength that we can see victory in battles fought in His great power!


--Matt

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. --Romans 12:1

Top of My Lungs

Wash Me Away
by Brett Rush

Wash away all the sin that stains my life
Wash away the thousand lies that fill my mind
Cleanse me a new each day; my life Lord re-define.
Wash me in your river one more time

Wash me away, Wash me away
Wash me away, Wash me away
'til only you remain
Wash me away

Wash away all the pride that's in my life
Wash away the wounded faith that blinds my eyes
Cleanse me anew each day in grace and love divine
Wash me in your river one more time

More of you and less of me; saturate my life
Wash me in your river one more time

Cleanse me God, make me new. Remove everything in me that doesn’t look like you. Let people worship You because of Your Light that shines through my eyes. Wash me in your river, one more time.

--Matt

They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." And they glorified God because of me.—Galatians 1:23-24

Golf Isn't My Sport

The future is bearing down on me…

I have only an idea about what it holds for me…

No specific plans…

And I’ve never been more excited than I am right now!

God has me in a place that I have been in very little in my life, a place of waiting. I’m earnestly praying and seeking His face, patiently awaiting the day He decides to reveal the place and kind of ministry He has for me. But for now, I’m right here, with lots of ministry to do…

--As a College Student
--As a Resident Assistant
--As a 6^th Grade Guys Sunday School Teacher
--As a Mentor to a Handful of Younger Guys that I love

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I seek God’s will for my life. Also, as you seek what God has for you, don’t forget to look where you’re already standing. Sometimes the most fulfilling ministry will be right in your desk at work or at your table at Applebee’s or in line at Wal-Mart or wherever. I heard someone say this last night, and I hope she doesn’t mind if I quote it: Your life is your ministry. Keep that in mind as you mull through your routine—ask God for opportunities to be a witness and I promise you, He’ll provide—just be obedient.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. –Galatians 1:10

--Matt

Alive in This Moment

As the group prepared to leave for Mexico, they said a prayer asking God to move in their hearts and lives. They asked for unity and later, for Him to do a new work. And guess what? As they walked through their week together, God gave them each and every one of these things. The group loved each other without arguing or bickering. Lifelong friendships were forged. Five Mexicans came to know Christ. God gave each of them direction in the next steps of their lives. However, there is one story, my story, which I want to share with you now…

I cannot begin to explain the joy that God has given me! There have been many times in the past where God has given me the opportunity to be obedient, and He has blessed me. But unlike any other, this opportunity of obedience took me beyond anything I could have ever imagined…

God called me out. I was sitting at a kitchen table in Parras, Mexico with three friends, two of which are really turning the corner [so to speak] in their relationships with Christ and the other who is one of my best friends in the world. She and I got to share and pour into those two guys in a supernatural way. We shared about future, about next steps, about purpose, and lots of other stuff that I don’t even remember because it wasn’t my own [Holy Spirit]. I got to pray with them as well as help them forge a friendship. It was amazing, it was everything [so I thought] that I could have ever wanted from the trip. As I was lying in bed following all of that excitement I heard the Lord speak to me. Now it wasn’t audible, but it was as clear as anything I have ever heard in my entire life. He said That’s what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. Needless to say, I was floored. God wants me to be in the ministry! You see, I’ve been planning law school and life and success. But God has a different plan for me…

The next morning, God gave me [believe it or not, through a t-shirt] Proverbs 16:9 which reads:

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

All of the things I have been doing have been preparing me for something totally different than I thought they were. Yet looking back I can see where He was preparing me for His ministry, especially in the last two years:

--I left Southern Miss [a place I loved] for Mississippi College [a place I hated]

--I started a job here at MC with a college pastor as a boss

--I have had the opportunity to go on numerous mission trips

--I have been able to teach 6^th grade Sunday School

--I became an R.A., which is an awesome ministry position

--My boss for the R.A. job is called to foreign missions in China

--The relationships I’ve had with others have taught me so much about my walk

But anyway, after God gave me that verse, the man leading our trip, Archie, gave the morning devotional. Everything he spoke about was everything the four of us at the kitchen table had talked about. We looked at each other in disbelief, wondering if he had secretly sat in on our unplanned meeting [he hadn’t]. As he drew towards the end of his lesson, he asked us to turn to Proverbs, and I knew where he was going: Chapter 16, verse 9. As if I needed more confirmation, he ended the lesson with something to the effect of this: when God gives you a word, He isn’t going to back out on it. So run with it. Ok God, I’ll do it.

So I come here today, humbled in the presence of a God so great that He take someone like me and use them for His purposes and passions. All I can say is that I have just hopped on the greatest roller coaster anyone could ever ride, believing in faith that God will give me my next step, as He has done so clearly in the last couple of weeks.

The moral of my story: be obedient. By the power of Christ in me, I was able to be obedient to the things He called me to do before, during, and after the trip. And because of that obedience, He has revealed to me the calling and passion for my life. Just allow Him to direct your steps, and I promise you He will.

--Matt

You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. >>Isaiah 48:6

Two Tests Down, Three to Go

No insightful post this week, just a couple of thoughts before I go finish studying and prepare to go to Mexico.

--Should we really vote for a president based solely on his/her race/sex? I think it's crazy to. If you like the stances they take that's fine. But I think a lot of people are voting for the two democratic candidates for the wrong reasons.

--I'm really glad Gregg Harper made the run-off for the Republican 3rd District Congressional seat. What an upset! David Landrum raised a million dollars and still lost! God has great plans for this man somewhere, maybe not in Congress, but somewhere. He is a man of great character and integrity. Gregg Harper for U.S. Congress

--Why do teachers cram so much junk before spring break? I hate it and I'm probably not going to remember it! :-0

--I'm so ready to be in Parras de la Fuente, Mexico. We leave Saturday at 5:30 am. My requests for the team are:
*Safety
*Growth in unity amongst the team members
*God's hand to move in the hearts of the native children
*Supernatural understanding of Spanish for all of the team
*God to bring peace and let us forget everything going on at home; Solace with Him in His Presence

I love all three of you that read this! Please pray for us, we'll be praying for you!!

--Matt

Favre

It's pronounced Far-ve.

The football analysts had no clue who was stepping onto the field on September 27, 1992 for his first game with the Green Pay Packers. Most assuredly he was the butt of many jokes-- about his accent, birthplace, name, style and many other things that made him different from anyone that had ever been successful before him. Little did they know that this name would become legend. He holds the NFL Records for:

• Most AP NFL MVP awards: 3 (1995, 1996, 1997)
• Most Consecutive Starts by an NFL Quarterback: 253 (275 including playoffs)
• Most wins by a starting NFL quarterback over his regular season career: 160 (Regular season record: 160-93)
• Most career passing touchdowns: 442
• Most career passing yards: 61,655
• Most career pass completions: 5,377
• Most career pass attempts: 8,758
• Most career games with at least three touchdowns: 63

<Thanks Wikipedia>

Brett Favre played with a fire and intensity that you don't see in even many young players nowadays. That's why he also holds the record for most interceptions in an NFL career, I think its 288. He made a lot of mistakes because of the way he played--every time was like the first time he ever stepped out on the field. But more than anything, he had fun playing the game. He isn't boastful or arrogant, he just enjoyed his job (unlike Tom Brady, who looks like his cat just got killed all of the time, even after an amazing game).

The first full NFL game I ever watched in my life featured Brett, and I think I owe my enjoyment of the sport mostly to him. It was the 1997 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Dad & I skipped church to watch it (just being honest) and I can remember just loving number 4's joy at playing a game that I had played many times in my own yard. Oh yeah and living in Mississippi (I have spent most of my life in this oft-made-fun-of state) and spending a year at Southern Miss made me like him even more.

I am sad, but at the same time, glad to see him go. I would hate for him to play more and have some sort of serious injury or horrific season to haunt him the rest of his life. However, his love for the game and enjoyment in it is so far, unmatched. I hope the next generation of football fans have someone like him that will bring fun to the game and to the world of stuck-up professional sports.

Brett you will be missed, but who knows, maybe I'll catch up with you in Hattiesburg sometime...