82lb Dog Jumps Fence (pic included)

My dog is crazy. Literally. He really does some funny things. If you own a dog, I'm sure your dog does some crazy things too. Dogs are funny.

Ranger has a one track mind, well, maybe 3 track mind.

Track one- eat. Which manifests itself with his daily feedings, and attention to all things going on in the kitchen in hopes of catching falling morsels.

Track two- walks. He loves to go on walks. Its his "love language" any hope of a walk sends him into a frenzy.

Track three- Backyard craziness. My Dog is convinced that there are squirrels on the other side of the fence at all times. So he either tries to jump the fence, or my charge the back gate at full speed.

I've included a picture of him trying to jump the fence. The second one, him charging the gate, is of current annoyance to me. Here's how it works- each night when it is time to go to bed, I let him out into the back yard to do his business and he always does the same thing. He charges, at full speed while barking towards our back gate. It is very annoying, because its late at night and my neighbors bedroom is right by there.

I was thinking about it last night. Why does he do this same thing every night? Here's what has happened- at some point, there probably was something there, and he has been conditioned to believe that there is a critter there for him to attack. So every night, he goes back to it.

Simply put, he has formed a habit that is not grounded in reality. He believes something that is not true, and it is causing him to get excited about something that that is not there.

In good ol' Pastor Matt blog fashion, it occurred to me last night- this is how a lot of people are when it comes to their own life. We have been conditioned to believe things that are not true. We get excited about stuff that is not grounded in reality.

Here's the hard part- when we habitually believe things that are not true. Sometimes it gets labeled as 'worry' or 'fear' or some other negative emotion. It not only inhibits our ability to function properly, it can run the risk of stagnating our spiritual growth because we continue in a thought process that is not of God.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but has given us a sound mind. Challenge yourself today and think if there is an area in your own life that you habitually believe something that is not true and decide to stop it.

Yes, there may have been a squirrel on that fence one time, but its not there every time.

Be blessed
matt

How To Save Money On Your Electric Bill

I've been on this light bulb switch out kick. We've mostly used incandescent bulbs, but I have been buying and switching out those bulbs, with those fluorescent bulbs. I would say about 60% or more of the bulbs in our house are now those newer bulbs.

In our bathroom, I switched out the 6 regular bulbs with the new ones and went from using 360 watts of energy to under 60 watts with the new bulbs! Man, that's a reduction!

This Saturday, Crystal asked me to clean out the tube to the dryer vent. I usually do that about every year or so, but this time when Ipulled it out to clean it, I noticed some small holes in the tube. Since there was some holes, I went to Home Depot and was going to buy a new tube, but noticed that a new tube, and vent were not that expensive (13 bucks), so I bought a whole new rig.

The old exhaust louver that went to the outside was metal, pointed downward, and had a flap that opened when the dryer came on. The old tube was much longer. The new tube is short and it has a 3 blade louver that opens and directly blows outward, not downward.

Here's what happened- I asked Crystal yesterday if the dryer was working better since the upgrade and she said that the time it took her to dry a load of laundry was cut in half. CUT IN HALF! Wowsa, that's a reduction. Seeing how the average dryer uses probably 5000 watts of power, that means 5000 less watts of usage per load, per week.

Here's the nugget- I didn't set out for a reduction in my electric bill, or dryer usage. I just wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I noticed that there was some things that needed to be replaced, so I replaced them. I noticed we had more tube than we needed, and got a shorter one. In the midst of that, the natural by-product was an unexpected blessing of less power usage, that translated into savings!

Sometimes, when we decide to upgrade something in our lives, or get rid of something that appears to be unneeded that can deliver a great blessing to us.

Is there an area of your life you need to clean up? An area that needs replacing? Do you need to 'clean it out' or 'replace it altogether'. Sometimes its hard to do, but when you do it, you will be blessed by it.

Cleaning things up, and getting rid of things you don't need always translate into a blessing.

Blessings
matt

What To Do When You Lose Your Faith

I have had a lot of prayers in my life that didn't get me what I wanted. From the time I was a child, there have probably been hundreds, if not thousands of prayers that I threw up to the heavens that were not answered in the way I thought they should be.

It can wear on a guy's faith when this happens. At times I've wondered if God is really listening, or if maybe I wasn't praying the right way. There has to be a formula... right? If you say it the right way, or hold your hands the right way, then it must come to pass. Right?

I'm sure you've been there too. Those times when you feel as though you've lost your hope and faith in God. Its not a great place to be. Its quite lonely in fact. For some, scary and depressing.

As I've matured there are few things that I have come to realize that have helped me grow in faith.

1. God is Faithful even when I don't have faith. Its true. He is God, and his ability to bless me and answer the prayers of my heart are not always dependent on my ability to have faith. Often I have seen more of the faithfulness of God when my faith is wavering, than when I am in the midst of a spiritual mountaintop experience.

2. God has Providence- I know, for some of you that is a big word, but here's what it means- God knows what he is doing and helps things along. Sometimes my prayers may not get answered in the way I would want, but I accept that, because I know that God knows all the answers, while my vision and understanding of my circumstance is limited. This isn't an easy concept to grasp when it comes to things like calamity or destruction, but still, I must rest on it.

So what to do when you lose your faith?

Tell God you've lost your faith and see what He does with that. Don't bargain with Him, just tell Him, and then watch what happens in your life. I believe that you will find that as you bring all of your struggles to Him, He will begin to show Himself in ways that you never even thought or imagined.

Realize that no matter what happens in your life. No matter how angry you may be. Even if you have no faith at all- God still loves you. He loves you without reservation or condition. He loves you.

Have a blessed Weekend- Find a good church to go to this Sunday! If you're in the area, come to Faith and Victory!

Blessings
matt

I'm Going to Start Acting Childish

Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven". Yesterday I decided that I am going to start taking that literally. I mean, I want to make heaven.. right?

I've noticed over the last week that kids have a lot more fun than adults. You can see it in a store, or at a school. Just about anywhere you can see kids acting childish. They walk funny, they talk funny. They swing their arms when they walk, dance around and speak gibberish constantly. Its quite comical to watch, and I'm thinking, why do they get to have all the fun?

At some point in our lives, we stop the funny faces in the mirror, skipping and dancing to music that only we can hear, and I'm not sure why that is. This is what I'm quite sure of though- kids seem to be having way more fun than me. They don't seem to care what anyone thinks, or where they are. If they have a song to sing in their heart, you're going to hear it.

Obviously I'm joking. You probably wont see me skipping through the aisles at the supermarket anytime soon, but these thoughts I've been having this week raise the question- what is the point in our lives that we start to worry too much about what other people think?

This social norm serves somewhat of a purpose in that we can't spend our lives rocking back and forth in our chairs or kicking our legs up in the air while someone is trying to speak to us. We have to have some measure of civility to be able to make it in this world, but do we have to completely succumb to the notion that every decision we make must be made with the understanding of other people's perception of the action? I think not.

I wonder if that is part of what Jesus was talking about in this scripture. That for us to be able to make it to heaven or be in a relationship with Him we have to be willing to not worry too much about what other people are thinking or spend too much time dwelling on things in our life that don't matter.

That's what children do, that's for sure. They enjoy life far much more than we do, in part because they don't care what you and I think. They love life, love people, and at times will make bubbles in a glass of milk, just because it looks cool.

Be a kid today and watch what people do.

Blessings
matt

Yeah, We Got a New SUV (pic included)

We bought a 'new' SUV yesterday. Not really new, it was used. Its a 2004 Yukon XL. White, with brown cloth interior. It has about 98K miles on it. Its a 4X4, its huge. Its probably going to get about 14 miles to a gallon. The payment for my car was 237. This SUV its 239.

Last night as I was getting into bed, I told Crystal that I was going to write about the SUV on the blog. She said, "what is the spiritual significance to that?". Gotta love my wife.

As with most things in life, and on this blog, the spiritual and personal significance of things in my life seem to be more internal than external. The times that God stretches me the most come from my internal struggles and less with the outward things that happen in my life. Its the process of processing it that I find what God is teaching me in the midst of my life.

Here's what happened. You may remember that we flipped our minivan back in January (see January blog). Since then, we have been a one and half vehicle family. We have a 91 Ranger that I drive when the other vehicle is being used. Anyway, we had a Chrysler 300 that we were using for our family vehicle, and as far as family, friends and ministry go, its quite an impractical vehicle. Four door sedans seat 4 people. That's just how it is.

We wanted something bigger, safer, with more seating, and we weren't going to get another minivan, so this is what we decided on. Here's where the struggle comes in- I can't explain to you how much I loved my 300. Its truly the only car that I've loved. You might call it my first love of a car.

Its interesting. Last night while sitting in the sales office of the dealership, the owner was able to uncover why I was hesitant to pull the trigger on the purchase- I was emotionally attached to that Chrysler and did not want to trade it in. He said to me- "you know as well as I do that sooner or later you're going to have to get rid of that car for something more practical for the family. And I know you'll do it. The question isn't if you're going to do it or not, its when you're going to do it".

I was talking to the Lord last night as I was driving home in my new used SUV and thinking about my dream car that was sitting on the used car lot now and it occurred to me. Perhaps that car owned me and I didn't own it. That's wrong. God doesn't like it when I allow things to have control over me, I am supposed to have control over them.

Thanks Mr. Used Car Salesman for allowing God to use you and your dealership to stretch ol' Pastor Matt. To help strip me of any love of things of this world. To help me realize that I had the wrong heart condition when it came to an automobile.

Its all good. The purchase went fine. I'll be fine. Thank you Lord for stretching me once again.

Blessings
matt

The Down Side of Negativity

I'm not sure if I've wrote a blog on this before. I'm sure at some point they may be redundant, but I figure that repetition is the key to learning.. right? Besides, my wife still laughs at my jokes I've been saying for years, so act like this is the first time you've heard this even if you haven't.

Yesterday I was spending some time with my friend Jay. He's a great guy. Very cerebral. He loves to think and talk about what he is thinking about, so we are usually not at a loss for something to talk about.

Yesterdays conversation gravitated to a conversation about conversation, and this is what we mutually noticed about society- for a large portion of people, when in conversation, it usually gravitates towards the negative, not the positive. For some reason, people like to spend more time talking about what is bad, broken, hurting, painful in their life, rather than talking about something that is good.

I can understand that at times, there may be something that is of global significance that may merit a discussion or conversation for mutual emotional support, but that is not what I'm talking about. What I am talking about is the "hey, hows it going" that frequently turns into a "so and so is sick" or "let me tell you about something horrible that I heard happened" or " here's whats going on in my life and let me give you the most negative spin possible on it".

Its an epidemic. Watch people today and listen to the words that come out of their mouth and look for something encouraging or positive that is coming out. You'll be searching for a while I think.

Here's what you can do- as the Bible says in Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. Speak life today. Choose to only speak positive and about good things. I understand that you may have things that are bad that you would like to talk about, but try today to only speak about what is good in your life and see what it does to you, and to the people around you.

Have a great weekend

matt

An Answer to Unemployment?

This unemployment rate seems to be climbing higher and faster than the equity in the housing market. I wonder when its going to drop, or if this is the new reality of the American economy.

Work is interesting. We complain about it if we have to do it, and then we complain about it if we don't get to do it. I think there is something intrinsically human about wanting to create and produce something with a tangible outcome. From the beginning of time, we've had to work. Even Adam had to work the ground after he ate the fruit.

There is this guy in my church who has been without work for quite a while. He's a union laborer. I'm not sure if you know what that job is, but I will tell you, its not an easy job at all. It is very physically demanding. Well, for the past few months, he has been off the job, and lacking in resources and means to be able to support himself.

I've been talking and praying with him about this situation, so I wanted to know what had been happening, and this is what he told me. He said that on Monday night that he had prayed the most gut wrenching painful prayer of desperation that he had ever prayed in his life. He was at the end of his rope. He had no where to turn. He couldn't make it one more day. He told me that before and after that prayer, that he was finished.

Then he told me last night that he was 'back on the job'. Amazing! He said that the job would probably last until April too! How exciting for him to finally be back in the groove of working, and not wondering where his next paycheck will come from. He said that he was 121 on the list and there were only 2 positions available, and he got one of them! Awesome!

God still answers prayer. God cares about this guy and He cares about you too. I'm not sure what you're situation is, but possibly you can add God to the equation. Let him into the situation. See what he can do with your troubles.

Have a blessed day

matt

Don't be a Kanye, Be a Beyonce (video included)

Kanye West. I don't know that guy at all. I don't know his music. I couldn't tell you the name of one of his songs. I now know two things about Kanye West. Number one-after hurricane Katrina, he said on National TV that President George Bush hates black people. Number two- This weekend on the Video Music Awards, he interrupted Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for female video of the year.

I saw the video of him interrupting Taylor on youtube. I think he may have been slightly inebriated. If you didn't see it, Taylor Swift is up on stage giving the standard "thank you to all my everyone I've ever met" thank you speech, and Kanye grabs the microphone. He goes on to say that Beyonce should have won the award. The camera pans to Beyonce's face and you could tell her own embarrassment and pain for Ms. Swift.

It was wrong on so many levels. So unprofessional. So embarrassing for both him and Taylor Swift. If you saw the video, I'm sure you cringed just as much as I did. This story was all over the place for the past few days. It may go down in history as the most memorable awards acceptance speech. Or will it?

The sequel to the Kanye saga for some reason didn't get the same measure of media attention, and I just found out about it last night. Later in the awards show, Beyonce did win an award for Best Video of The Year. Do you know what she did? Instead of doing the standard acceptance speech, she called Taylor Swift up on stage and let her reclaim the awards night moment that she lost. You can view the video here.

It brought tears to my eyes. It showed me that Beyonce is a true professional and a woman with a fantastic heart. Taylor Swift is only 17 years old, and Beyonce took this opportunity to turn around what was the saddest night of someones life, to their most memorable. It was so touching to watch.

Why is the follow up not getting as much media? Is the negative story better than the positive one? It pains me to think that people are more excited that someone embarrassed them self, than another person did something extraordinarily positive for another.

The news is skewed. There still is good news out there and this story about Beyonce should have got more press.

Don't be a Kanye today. Don't look for ways to bring someone down. Be a Beyonce. Look for ways to build someone up. I don't believe in karma, what I do believe is that the God of this universe has shown us more love and kindness than we deserve, and we should allow that truth to influence us to treat others better.

Good job Beyonce.

Blessings
matt

Matt's First Day of School

Well, it finally arrived. The first day of School. Here in Kent Washington, the teachers of our district have been on strike for about 2 weeks, and today, the kids finally went back to school.

It was kind of weird. Usually you are excited about the first day of school, because you know when it is, but in this case, it just came upon us. The teachers accepted the contract, and then poof, back to school.

Crystal and I both went up to the school this morning. You could see all types of kids and parents. The parents that were excited to have their kids leave, the ones that were uneasy letting the little ones go. Its fun to watch. I enjoy looking at people. The only issue I always think of, is, are people looking at me also?

I don't dress up much. I had a job for 5 years after the military that I had to wear a tie every day. Before that is was a uniform for 6 years. For some reason my uniform of the day now, is usually jeans and a T-Shirt. This morning, looking at the other dads dropping off their kids, I became aware that I was one of the only dads not wearing a collared shirt.

It shouldn't matter, but for some reason, I think that people make judgments about people based on how they are dressed. They assume that they have a certain type of job, or have a certain level of income based solely on outward appearance. I try not to be that way, but at times, I even find myself doing it.

I thought to myself this morning- should who I am or what I do be connected to how I look? In some cases yes, it should, but at the core, I think it brings up a larger issue. We tend to judge people on how they look, which brought to mind a bible verse about the selection of a new king in Israel. "do not consider his height or his appearance, for these are things than man looks at. The Lord looks at the heart".

We should all do that more. Look at hearts, not at clothes. Pay closer attention to who people are, and less to what they are wearing. I think we would all do better to do this. Myself included.

Be blessed today
matt

September 11th. A Day To Remember.

Today is September 11th. The eleventh day of the month of September. Another day of a another month. Some people have their birthdays today, some have their anniversaries of their marriage. This day, was a day that was like most other days in our calendar year. Until the year 2001.

That day in 2001 changed America, and me.

Up until that point, my generation never really had a day that defined us. Sure, we had the shuttle explosion, the Koresh compound, the Rodney King riots, and the OJ acquittal. But, we never had a national catastrophe that affected each and every American.

My parents talked about the JFK assassination. My grandparents talked about Pearl Harbor. My generation will always remember September 11th.

Its weird, no one ever refers to "December 7th" or "November 22nd". Its always referred to as Pearl Harbor or JFK. September 11th is different. It wasn't an attack on our leader or a harbor, it was an attack on our way of life. And for that, we identify with the date, not the action. For in the date we find the identification that we live who we are as Americans every single date of every single year. Not just in one place, not just through one leader.

We must never forget this day. For on this day we were faced with an adversary that deplores our way of life. A life that allows people the freedom to travel by plane with ease. A market that encourages innovation and promotes anyone based on performance. A government that supports and cares for its people. They attacked all of it that day.

Most importantly, we are a nation that allows people the freedom to worship God as they see fit. They hate us for that. They hate that we allow sin to abound and judgement to be reserved to the almighty.

Freedom has a price. You have to take the good with the bad. You have to allow voices to be heard that you may not agree with. Such it is in America. We allow freedom of thought, action and religion.

I don't agree with what everyone in America does everyday, but if I want the freedom to live my life for Jesus Christ, I have to allow other the ability to live their lives the way they want, even if I don't agree with it. That's what makes America what it is. The attacks of September 11th remind of this. Remind me that freedom to worship also means freedom to think differently. And in America, that's okay. Just don't bomb us if you think differently.

I'll never forget what happened that day. I will always cherish that I live in a nation that allows me to worship freely. A nation that allows me to be who I am.

Remember this day. Use this freedom for good, and not evil.

ObamaCare Round Two- Was I Wrong?

People say that Pastors can't join the political spectrum because of the danger of losing their non-profit status. I'm not too worried about it, seeing how there has been some very politically charged pastors on TV and the Internet that haven't lost their status.

That being said, I watched President Obama's address last night. I think its important for everyone to watch them. He is our president, and at times, its important for us to know what is going on in the political spectrum.

This health care debate has been pretty messy. Its become a huge political pickle that is running the risk of polarizing the populace.

Here's what I think is going on with both sides of the aisle- fear. Fear that the plan will ruin America. Fear that the plan will cost too much. Fear that the single payer system won't happen. Fear that I wont get what I want because you get what you want.

Fear is usually not the best motivator. It can cloud your thinking, and keep you from using faith and facts to guide your decisions. The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but God never intended us to live our lives in crippling fear of anything. The Bible also says For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

I'm going to let you into a window of my political mind here today. It may cost me some street credibility, or political respect, but here it goes- up until yesterdays speech, I was adamantly against the health care overhaul. After it, I am open to discovering more about what the plan has to offer.

I had been allowing fear to be the main motivator for me in the healthcare debate, and I'm not going to alllow that anymore.

Here's why I'm sharing this with you today. Sometimes people become so hunkered down in their own ideological camps, living in fear, that they don't allow themselves to be influenced or their minds to be challenged. This type of mindset can cripple your ability to grow as a person.

Hear my heart on this- I'm not endorsing a political party or candidate. This isn't a blog about you or I signing off on Obamacare. I just want to be honest that as a Christian, a Father, a Pastor and an American, I allow myself the ability to change my mind from time to time, and I think you should too.

It may not be for this debate. Maybe something else. But there is nothing wrong with changing your view on something in the political realm, or other realms from time to time.

I spend my life influencing others for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and if I don't allow myself to be influenced from time to time, what am I saying? That I want to influence you, but don't influence me?

We'll see where it goes from here. Time will tell.

The good news is that the Good News is still the Good News and at the end of the day God is still on the throne, and in the business of healing people, so I've still got JesusCare as my primary insurance plan, so I don't have to depend on the Government for the long term.

Be blessed today

matt

Seeing An Old Friend

I talk to people. Its what I do. Checkout lines, bus stops, airplanes. Its a past time. I notice people, and their families. I'm aware of who comes in and out of rooms. This is a blessing and a curse.

Yesterday, I was at St. Arbucks on Harvey road in Auburn. I was meeting with a pastor friend of mine. We were just talking about life, and church and stuff that pastors talk about. As we were sitting there, a guy walked into the Starbucks that I recognized.

It was a guy named Chris that I went to High School with. I hadn't seen him in years. He and I were on the football team together. We weren't the best of friends, but we knew each other.

He was wearing a uniform for some sort of delivery company, and had a baseball hat on also. He didn't notice me, but I noticed him, and mid sentence, I stopped my friend and told him that I knew that guy.

I don't know if you ever see old friends from way back when, but usually when I do, its pretty neat to catch up for a minute and see what they are up to. I was in the middle of meeting, but I couldn't help myself. I called out to him- "Hey, is your name Chris?" I was so excited to talk to him.

His reply- "no, my name is Felipe".

Oops. Not Chris. Not high school friend. No one I knew.

My friend and I laughed about it. It was funny. I'm sure I'm not the only one that this happens to. Just another case of mistaken identity. I was sure it was him. I was positive it was him. I was just wrong, that's all.

Do you know what's really cool though? Even though I may not always remember someone or recognize them, that God does? With Him, there is never a case of mistaken identity. He knows who everyone is. Where they are and what is going on in their life.

That gives me comfort today. Even if I don't get people's names and faces right, God always does. He knows Felipe, and he knows you, and he won't ever get it wrong.

Be blessed today
matt

I'm Probably Going To Offend You

I offend people. Its what I do. Sometimes its when I meet them, sometimes when I call them, sometimes when I am on Facebook. At times, I offend people without even knowing it.

I'm a pretty opinionated guy. I usually have a pretty well thought out opinion on most things that matter. In somethings, I have no opinion, but usually, I have a strong one.

In 2003, when I got out of the Army, my first job was at a Technical School in Tacoma. While working there, I befriended a guy who loved to talk about politics. He had just graduated from college, this was his first job, and I think, like me, he found that politics at times can be way more exciting than a day at work.

There was a lunch room at our office, and he and I would sit during our mandatory one hour lunch and argue about everything from the war in Iraq, to term limits in the congress. I can honestly say that we couldn't have been more different in our ideological beliefs and political persuasion.

Here's what happened though- we became friends. Even though we didn't agree on almost anything, we found that we enjoyed spending time talking about almost anything.

We never got upset with each other. We never swore at each other. We didn't talk bad about each other behind our backs. We had a mutual respect for each other that understood that regardless of our persuasion, that we were both Americans that we entitled to our own thoughts, and it was okay if we didn't agree.

How do you respond to people you don't agree with? Do you chastise them? Do you hate them? Do you harbor negative feelings and emotions towards them simply because they don't think the way you do?

It is possible that you can get along with someone who isn't like you. Who doesn't agree with you. Usually those are the relationship that help you grow the most, the ones that challenge you to think about what you believe.

I like what the bible says in Romans- "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

You don't have to argue with everyone. You don't have to only be friends with people who are just like you. Its okay to have different opinions.

Blessings
matt

The Tangle Of Technology

Technology is good, to a point. I know, technology is just progress and industrialization, its toilets and hammers as much as it is Internet and cell phones. But over the last few days, I've been having some issues with the technology of my life.

At church- the lapel microphone is giving us huge feedback. Apparently the FCC sold the frequency that it runs on, so we have to use a different one. The church computer is acting up and wont talk to the external sound thing we have connected to the computer to the sound board. Today I'm going to upgrade drivers and lay hands on that thing and pray the Devil out of it.

At home- I got a new phone/modem from Comcast. Then my wireless router stopped working. Somehow my secured wireless network disappeared, and now I have a new network that is unsecured. The wireless works, but I don't know if I can print wireless now. There is no internet connection.

Do you know what this does to me? It frustrates me. It consumes me. It holds my brain and causes me to dwell on it far longer than I should.

But here's the great part- last night I called the 1800 number for comcast, and the guy on the other end fixed my wireless problem. Thank you Mr. Comcast! Also, I called my friend Rick who is going to help me with the Church's sound system today!

What the point? Sometimes we allow stuff to consume us longer than we should because we spend too much time going at it alone. Don't be afraid to reach out to someone and ask for help. There are people out there that know a ton about this stuff, but you have to be willing to ask for help! And once you do, it will make your life a whole lot easier.

Technology can be a tool of the Devil, but it can also be a tool of the Lord to allow us to humble ourselves, and allow other people to serve us and be blessed in the process.

Be blessed today
matt

Have a blessed day

matt

Bright Lights Make Your Future Brighter

From this day forth, my future will be brighter. At least it will be brighter in my kitchen and in my bathroom, because yesterday I did a small upgrade.

We were in Wal-mart and needed some new bulbs for our kitchen lights. Small ones. Like 25 watts a piece. As I was standing there in wal-mart I was thinking "do I really want to replace these puny little bulbs?". Well, the answer was no, so I went to Home Depot and bought 3 new light fixtures with 100 watt fluorescent bulbs (which only consume 23 watts each), and installed them. Our kitchen lights can now be seen 5 houses down the street. Its so bright in there.

It looked so great I decided that we needed to upgrade the bulbs in the bathroom. We have an overhead vanity that has 6 bulbs, so I went back to get that many low-watt fluorescent bulbs.

Where I live in Covington, I'm only 5 mins away from Home Depot. I have to drive on a neighborhood arterial, and then get on a bigger highway. As I came up to the light, I had to turn right, but the traffic to left was really backed up, and as I looked down the road about 300 yards, I could see that there was a few emergency vehicles and a lot of lights. That's what was blocking the traffic.

I turned right and went down the hill towards Home Depot, noticing that the traffic was backing up on the opposite side of the road. I hadn't gone that far, maybe a half mile mile or so and began to see a few people on the other side of the road making U-Turns to go back the other direction.

I thought to myself- why are they turning around? The obstruction is only a half mile away. If they would have just stayed in their lane, they would've been through the traffic in probably about 7 minutes.

Of course I couldn't tell them this. I was in my car going the opposite direction. All I could think was- if they would just stay the course, they would get through it in no time. There is no need to turn back.

Such it is in most people's lives. We go along towards where God is leading us, and we get to place where there is the slightest bit of resistance and we immediately turn around and go the other way.

Much like the traffic yesterday, if we would stay the course, we would get through it, if we have patience. Slowing down is just slower progress, but you're still moving forward.

Don't turn back today. Don't make a U-Turn. Don't turn back. The obstruction may just be a few minutes away. If you turn around, you'll never get through it.

Blessings
matt