matt's thoughts

Headed Home

My wife is taking over the final hour of our trek home from Va Beach so it is giving me a chance to blog.  (online traveling north on I-95 via bluetooth to my treo...i love technology!)

It is now 8:50pm...we left Va Beach at 2:45pm...we stopped for dinner, but our 3 and half hour trip has taken way longer than it should have.  Unfortunately when traveling to see my parents our two houses seem to be situated in two of the epicenters of the traffic underworld.  ugh!! 

But now the kids are finally settled in the back...DC is in our sights...and we should have a pretty good final stretch.  I'm really looking forward to getting home and unwinding for the rest of the weekend.  I have this Sunday off, and it has been a long time since I last didn't lead worship  or speak on a Sunday.   I love what I get to do every week, but I am really looking forward to piling the family in the car and visiting another local church this week.  Should be a fun experience. 

Favorite thing of my time off this week...time with family.  Second favorite thing of my time off this  week...no schedule.  Third favorite thing of my time off this week...playing this with my brother in law on his new xbox 360 into the wee hours of the night. :-)

Hangin with Mom & Dad

Headed down to Va Beach to spend some time with my mom and dad, and celebrate my brother in law's birthday.  Here's a shot of me and my mom and dad.  Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  :-)

Christmas Worship

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. A nd when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

I love this passage because it is an amazing example of the extraordinary exploding into the ordinary.  God with us...and the only acceptable response by those in heaven and those on earth is...worship. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

a Christmas photo with the band

some things just shouldn't be attempted...

The Christmas Crud

It never fails...right around Christmas time, when we have one of our biggest and most important services of the year...I get sick.  Our whole family has been hunkered down all week with drippy noses and headaches. 

I've been drinking herbal tea, and water like...well...water.  I feel like I should be hooked up to an IV but that wouldn't help my vocal chords.  The voice is feeling a bit scratchy so I'm really praying...and trying to rest it today. 

anyone have any great singing with a cold tips?

Friday Funny

Got this from Hale-Yeah... :-)

New Matt Redman Album

I just heard that Matt Redman has a new album coming out the day after Christmas!  I'll definitely be snatching that up asap.  I have huge amounts of respect for Matt Redman...he is perhaps my favorite worship song writer...though there are some great ones out there.  We have been playing "You Never Let Go" a whole lot lately, so I'm psyched to see what else is included in this offering.

I think the thing that I appreciate the most about Matt Redman is that in a time when worship leading often looks more like being a rock star, Redman consistently seems to have a heart of worship that pushes its way in front of all of that.  I would even say that he is not as good of a rock star as a lot of other folks I listen to...but is one heck of a worship leader.

With the release of the album it looks like he also started a new blog...check it out here.

if you need a laugh this afternoon...

                 

poor kid will forever be known as the farting baby.  can you imagine the ammunition his parents have now...holy cow!

ht: los

4 Days and Counting

Been working hard this week pulling together details for Christmas Eve.  We have added some extra visual elements, so I've been wrestling with our run sheet trying to make sure our teams have all the tools they need to do an excellent job.  Ben and I have been meeting a lot...and praying a lot...

I have a couple of practices with the worship band at the end of this week.  We have a couple of great musicians home from college so I'm really excited to include them in some of the music...but that makes for a busy couple of days coming up. 

In all of this I have been really working to pull aside and slow down at moments to not let this Christmas be just fast paced and about the details of a program.  Because at the heart of all we do in the church at Christmas is the story of Jesus coming to earth to know us...there is such a temptation for this to become secondary in our hearts as we bustle about preparing for events, parties, services, etc.   During this time of year I make a point to make the story of Christ's birth a focal point for my times alone with God.  I was struck this week with how this account in the book of Luke is surrounded with people who respond to the birth of Jesus by telling others the good news.  John the Baptist...the Shepherds, Simeon, etc.  For these folks sharing wasn't a religious duty, but rather a very natural response to very good news.  I think so often there is a drift in our spiritual lives away from this kind of dynamic in our relationship with God towards one that is governed by a compulsion to do things because it is on the list. 

My prayer for this Christmas season, is that I would truly be captivated by the wonder of who Christ is and what He did for me, and that the active parts of my faith would not be duty but rather a natural expression of joy, hope, and gratitude that can not be contained...