Life

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:13-16

Over the past several days, my heart and mind have been pondering the topic of abortion in preparation for a message I will deliver to our youth this Wednesday night. I've heard and participated in many a political debate on the issue. I recently watched as a presidential campaign touched on it among other things. I've heard the biological evidence from both sides. I've seen people literally fight in the middle of a college campus to ensure that their position is heard. As far as hot topics go, this one takes the cake in my opinion. I have gathered statistics, studied charts, and read testimonies from both sides.

I have come to realize that no matter how much I study, how much I research, or how much I ponder, the answers (as always) lay in God's Word. Simple biology tells us that a child is in fact a child from the moment of conception. God's Word tells us that we were "knit together" in our mother's womb! I have watched my own mother knit and I can tell you that it is an intricate process in which a beautiful work of art is created from a simple ball of yarn. From the moment she begins, she has plans for that piece, whether it's a blanket, a pair of gloves, or a sweater. I see a wad of yarn, she sees a masterpiece! She sees it for what it is from the very start.

I love the last part of the scripture in Psalms..."All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be". At the moment of conception, a child, whether the product of two loving and married parents or the consequence of a mistake made outside the Biblical confines of marriage, is completely loved by the Savior and designed for a purpose. You are precious to Him...always have been, always will be! Now, time to get ready for Fuel and The Gathering!

First Blog

Well I suppose for my first BLOOOOGGGG it would be fitting to tell you a little about myself in case you have no idea who I am!

First and foremost, I am a follower of Christ. I am covered in His blood and forgiven because of His infinite grace. I begin there because aside from the life He has given me, I wouldn't be here right now. He is my all-sufficient Savior and everything I could possibly ever need! He has blessed me with an amazing life...

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the picture to your left is of me and my beautiful fiance Lindsey. We are getting married on May 16 of this year and I cannot wait for that day! She is my best friend and the love of my life! But the greatest thing about her is that I see Jesus all over her life! She is such a blessing! I'm gonna have a wife in 5 months!!!!!!!! :)

Well now we'll kick it old-school and I'll tell you a little about where I'm from. I was born in Laguna Beach, CA where I lived until the age of 4. Then we moved to GA and have lived here since. I have 2 amazing, Godly parents and an incredible little sister. I graduated from North Hall High School in 2001 and went to Valdosta State University (GO BLAZERS!!) and graduated North Georgia College with a degree in History in 06. I'm currently working on seminary and probably will be for a while!

I guess no "about me" blog would be complete without telling you a few things I like and dislike. I'm a HUGE University of Florida fan and have been from birth....GO GATORS! Tim Tebow is my hero! I'm also a big Braves and Falcons fan when it comes to the pros. I like the Hawks when they are good....yes I'm a bandwagon Hawks fan! I love music and am learning how to play guitar...which I won't lie, is taking a while!

Finally, I LOVE hanging out with middle schoolers!! Which is a good thing seeing as how I'm a middle school minister ;) Seriously, you guys inspire me to do BIG things for the Kingdom of God. My prayer is that God may use me to impact your lives in a BIG way! I may not always have the answer and I will mess up but know that I am always here for you.

I don't like peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches...I mean come on, that's just nasty!

That's it for now...

Much love,

Matt

BLOG...BLLLLOOOOOGGGG...BLOOOOOOOOGG

What a weird word! What does it mean? It sounds like a sea monster or something...

Oh well. What I DO know is that I'm officially a blogger now! I'll be bloggin it up periodically on here. Sometimes it'll be serious, sometimes just for laughs! Sometimes it'll be the most random blog you've ever read and sometimes you'll see my heart poured out on a computer screen. Whatever it is, I invite you to be a part of it! I invite you to respond, ask questions, correct me :) when needed. In essence, my blog is your blog! So let's start blogging!!

Matt