Find us on FacebookMatthew's Web Journal
March 20, 2008
Tomorrow is our first appointment with the doctor for Lisa's pregnancy. I suppose they are going to do an ultra-sound (I call it "baby-radar"). So, it will be Good Friday in more ways than one.
Of course, we can't forget the main reason tomorrow is Good Friday. Tomorrow, we remember that Christ made a sacrifice that most people could not make. The Louisa Ministerial Association held a Holy Week service last Monday in which we read the Stations of the Cross. This book was so well written that I could actually believe that it was Jesus talking to me. When we replied, it was a genuine response. I am sorry that more people didn't take out some time during Holy Week to attend that service.
Otherwise, there is not much going on. Things are busy in church, but that is fairly normal. The Youth Group is having a lock-in next week and I am hanging out with the "youngin's" (the 2 - 6 years group) tomorrow to do Easter Egg stuff. I am really looking forward to that. They are such a fun, sweet bunch of kids.
Hope this week has gone well for everyone. As always, don't forget to slow down.
March 11, 2008
I am very happy to say that Lisa and I are having a baby (well, she'll do most of the work). I now take on the support role. According to one baby book, I will need to clean the kitty litter out, do all of the house cleaning to keep Lisa away from harmful chemicals, keep crackers and soda by her bed in the morning in case she gets sick, do all the heavy lifting, and much more. I guess I will be doing more than I thought.
My joy at the situation and the calmness with which I welcome these changes may seem natural to many people. However, if you had known me six or seven years ago, you'd be amazed at my transformation.
I remember when Lisa and I first started dating. I would get cranky if she even took a drink out of the refrigerator (what was she thinking, taking my drinks?). I knew that I would never get married and I was okay with that. Needless to say, I was quite selfish. I had a pretty good idea how I ended up like that, but no idea of how to undo it.
It gets worse. I wasn't just selfish. I was a confirmed, dyed-in-the-wool pessimist. Very few things looked positive and on the up to me.
Yeah, it still gets worse. I can't believe it, but I didn't like kids (of any age). As a result, I did not want to have any kids. I did not detest kids, I just didn't understand what made them so likeable.
I could go on describing what a crummy person I was at times, but it seems that the real story here is what God has done with me.
Obviously, I am not that same person anymore. A bit pessimistic at times? Sure, I'll confess. But, I learned to be less selfish, more optimistic, got married, began to absolutely love kids (of all ages), and even have gone so far as to be ecstatic at the news of having my own kid.
Some people would say, "Well, you just grew up with time." I don't buy it. I know a lot of people who have not improved with time. We are not bottles of wine. We're humans who only change with a prompting of some kind.
I have been on the receiving end of a lot of Lisa's patience. However, it's God's directing of my life that has been the most important factor in my about-face. Other factors have helped, but my desire to be more like God is what has molded me into a better person. We Christians call it Sanctification. I am on the road ... a work in progress.
Every year at Lent I am reminded of how far I have come as one of God's children, and, how far I have to go.
March 4, 2008
I am having one of those nights where I cannot sleep. Right now, it is 1:07 in the morning. I don't know what brings on these occasional sleepless nights, but I have learned how to deal with them. Last week, I had a night were I was not able to fall asleep until 4:30 AM. So, instead of laying in bed, I simply went into my office and began to work.
Recently, I began taking oil painting lessons at the Red Door Art Center here in town. No, I do not consider myself an artist. So, yes, there is a story behind it. While I was growing up, my granddad tried to teach me on several occasions how to paint. I never had the patience or sticktoitivness (Is that a real word??? Spell-Check says it isn't) to learn how to paint with any manner of proficiency. Anyway, I often am sorry that I did not take advantage of that time to be with him.
My wonderful wife understood this regret of mine and bought painting lessons for me for Christmas. I can't begin to express how much I have enjoyed painting. Well, I stink at painting (of course the teacher says that is just isn't so, but, I know better). I am painting a covered bridge scene. Someone once walked in and asked if it was a barn. You get the idea.
I have figured that it is not the painting that I like. What I like is the escape. For two hours each week, I am transported back through time and location to my granddad's little, cluttered upstairs library where he painted. I remember the painting box that he kept his brushes and paints in. I always like that he had decorated the inside of his box with the colors of his paints. I am such a perfectionist that I instantly wipe any paint off of my paint box.
As I paint, I find myself unconsciously going back to our little farm back in Roanoke. I miss my granddad. He was a wonderful person. He made me a better person. Granddad was a person who gave selflessly. God was the most important thing in his life, but he never held that over people. To this day, I constantly find that I measure myself up against him. And, my step-dad.
I miss them both so much, but, God, I am so thankful they were in my life. I dare to say that painting has become a sort of sacrament for me ... reminding me of my grandfather, step-dad, and so many other people who have so enriched my life ... a visible sign of a no longer visible person and all that they mean to me.
Tomorrow is my day for painting class. I may just smear a bunch of paint onto my painting box for memory's sake. So, I guess I'll try going to bed, again.
February 29, 2008
I make a point of never giving anyone a hard time about not attending youth/church events. I certainly do not get upset when people don't attend. However, I have to say that at times it is hard to believe the opportunities people pass over.
A perfect example is last Sunday's District 10 Snow Tubing trip. I know that not everyone would enjoy flying down a hill on a piece of rubber. But, it was so much fun! When I was a kid, I would have loved to have been in a church where I had a chance to do things like that. Brandon and I had to race for bragging rights. I beat him 2 of 3 times. Later, when we were trying to leave, the key broke off in the van ignition. We had fun riding back, telling jokes and laughing at each other.
.JPG)
Attendance was actually pretty good considering how District events are usually attended. There were people from Louisa Christian Church, Park Street Christian Church, Macedonia Christian Church, and even Gordonsville Baptist Church. Seeing those people there, having fun and laughing, made all the work and frustration of setting the trip up completely worth it.
Other than having a great time tubing, everything is going well. Looking forward to a weekend of relaxation. Hope the same for you.
February 22, 2008
Yesterday, the youth were excited at Community Youth Night that it might snow/ice and they would get out of school the next day. I told them that possibly we should pray about the situation. Well, we had other reasons to pray: one of the kids had an injured gerbil (Skittles is recovering nicely from what I hear).
Anyway, as we talked about praying for snow I asked the group if they thought it was right to bother God with such a trivial matter. Did I ever ask the wrong people for their opinion on that subject! Their views were totally skewed by the desire to get out of school. All the same, no one had any objection to praying for snow. We pray for rain all the time during the dry summer months, so, I thought, "Why not? Let's pray for snow." In the end it was a moot point ... snow never arrived.
That brief episode at Community Youth Night reminded me of one thing that I love so much about these kids and youth: they don't see God as an overbearing deity who gets upset when something is not proper. They don't see any problem with running in the sanctuary. I, for one, am pleased beyond repair when kids play and laugh in the sanctuary. I bet that is more acceptable worship to God than most of what we adults offer up on Sunday morning.
I often forget why I like my job so much and why I am thankful God called me into it. Yesterday was a simple, but powerful, reminder of how much these kids and youth have to teach us older people.
February 12, 2008
A few days ago I was walking through Barnes and Noble looking at books with my wife. On every isle there is a special display of books that revolve around one subject (diets, Walt Whitman, etc.). I couldn't help but be amused that one end-cap was religion themed. In specific, the theme was proving that God did not exist. Now, I do not believe that Barnes and Noble is out to get rid of God. I think they just try to give every subject a fair shake. So, no, I not going to go on a rant about Barnes and Noble.
However, I couldn't help but think when I perused the books that made up this collection. There was a highly respected Mathematician who thought he could prove God did not exist. Of course, Bertrand Russell's epic "Why I am Not a Christian" was there. There were other books by people who had different ways to prove God's non-existence.
I found myself laughing at these people. Not because they didn't believe in God, but because they had apparently put a ton of time, thought, and energy into proving God did not exist. I could remember one point in my life, through college and seminary, working so hard to figure out if God was real or not. Eventually, I gave up trying to find any proof that God was real. Contrary to what some people believe, the Bible was not assembled to prove God's existence. I eventually learned that the Bible teaches us faith, not proof.
I think some people are so vehement in proving God is not real because it is a reaction to the people who try so vehemently to prove God is real and to force belief upon them. Anyway, I couldn't help but laugh (and feel sorry) about how much time and effort these scholars (both the ones trying to prove God's existence and the ones trying to prove the opposite) had put into proving God is not real when the whole point of the Bible is that we can't prove God is real. It takes faith. Even believing that God is not real is an act of faith.
January 29, 2008
I just recently learned that some of my family and friends are reading my web journal. I think that is great. I am not great at calling people and I'm even worse when it comes to writing. So, I'm glad to be able to keep up with people through this medium.
Everything is going well. I recently preached at the Louisa Ministerial Association's service for Christian Unity. I also preached at Independence Christian Church this last Sunday. Both experiences were very positive. I wish there would have been more people at the service in Louisa, but the group that was there was nice.
I'll admit that the gray, cold days of winter start to drag me down. Day after day of cloudy skies makes me feel like taking a long nap. However, I know that better weather is on its way. If we can make it through February and March, we've got it made. Garrison Keillor says that cruddy weather makes us better, tougher people. I am not too sure whether Garrison was right about that.
Anyway, hope that this finds you doing well.
January 22, 2008
When I went home for Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law gave me some new pictures of my niece and nephews. They are all between the ages of about one and a half and seven years old. They really are fabulous kids. However, between the three of them, I identify with Christopher, the middle kid, the best. Well, he is really cute. I don't share that with him. But, he has a love for things that move: dump-trucks, tractors, cars, planes, trains, and so on.
Anyway, back to the pictures that I was given. As soon as I saw it, I absolutely fell in love with one picture in particular. It is a picture of my middle nephew riding an old Snapper mower. (I finally scanned the picture in below). It is a look of complete and utter joy. Can you remember the last time something as simple as a ride on a mower made you that happy? I can't.
I put the picture in a frame to set in my office window. Every time I look at it, I laugh and find myself a bit happier. I suppose it takes a five year old kid to remind me of the joy that pervades this often dark life.
January 16, 2008
Every year I try to set some goals for the Youth Ministry of our church. Thankfully, this year I have the Youth Advisors to help me with that task. Setting the goals is an easy task, but at the same time, very difficult. I want our goals to be the goals that God has in mind for us. Further, our goals must match our budget, resources, and other circumstances. I would love to take the kids on a mission trip to Bolivia, but our resources would never permit.
Also, to make good goals you have to be right with God. If I have an off week in which I have not prayed, read the Bible, or felt close to God, I know immediately that I should not try to set any goals.
When I worked in Richmond at the non-profit that helped foster care children, I remember my boss telling me a story that really has stuck with me. He said he went to San Diego (or somewhere) to visit his daughter. Since he was staying the night, he had to take a shower there. As he got into the shower, he saw a piece of laminated paper. He later asked her about it. She said it was her goals for the next year, five years, and life. Every time she took a shower, she was reminded of what her goals were and to not waste time on things that would not bring her closer to her goals.
In many ways, I feel that as individuals, a church, and a youth group, we have to have that same tenacious focus on what God wants us to do. If I had to put up some goals in my shower, I can't help but wonder what they would be.
January 8, 2008
It's hard to believe, but Christmas has come and gone. New Years Day has come and gone. Any resolutions that I may have even pondered committing to have come and gone. So, where does that leave us? Back into the hum-drum of life.
I suppose that isn't so bad. I had a really nice Christmas. Vacation after Christmas was good, too, other than being sick for about 5 days. Lisa and I did not go anywhere. We just sat around the house, watched movies, and visited our friends and family. It was so relaxing to not go anywhere. While in the depths of the pukies, I slept for 19 hours one day. I can't remember the last time, if ever, that I slept that much in one day. I told Lisa that I now understand why our cat (who sleeps for 19 hours a day on a daily basis) is so relaxed and calm.
Well, a New Year is under way. So, I guess I had better get to work.