Life Changing

After a awesome night of Vacation Bible School, I am reminded of of two things: 1.) That the love of Jesus covers all, despite social, economic, racial background. Second, 2.) That most of these kids have had a hard childhood, more than I can imagine and have ever experienced.

I recently made the decision to join the church that I had been going to for the past year off and on in the fall semester and then the Lord laid it on my heart to commit to going to Immanuel Baptist after returning from a trip up to New York for Spring Break. After commiting to IBC, I have since been discipled by the Pastor of the church, meeting with him every tuesday. It has been an awesome part of my week, meeting with him and the other college guys that go to our church. This past summer we dived in to the smaller new testament books. It has overall been an awesome experience, and I'm thankful to have been led to such an awesome body of believers.

Since joining, I have been involved in 2 comminity events that have happened over the course of two weeks. National Night out was a huge success. We orgainzed the event to invite the community that lived around our church to a night out to get to know each other and for their kids to play together. I got stuck doing face painting. It was actually fun. Here's some of the pics of that:

Elizabeth- a artist in the making

Bugs Bunny

Flower.

Me and Kristin after painting.

This past week me and Vincent have been able to volunteer at VBS. This has been a special time for me and him to say the least. We ride the van with our Pastor, Russ. We go down into the neighborhood and pick up the kids, we pick up kids of Florida St. and down in Pearleaf apartments also picking up kids down along the way. It has really made my week reaching out to them, and being able to invest my time and efforts into those kids. Be praying for these kids as they continue to learn just who Jesus is and what He means to them. Pray for unity in Pearleaf, with the kids and families. Pray for Elijah and Ozzy, two kids who live in Pearleaf, they both have trouble situations going on and all they need is for someone to love on them and tell them that what they are doing is right. Pray these kids follow their dreams like Elizabeth and get away from that atmosphere and make something of themselves. Most of these kids have been told that they will not do anything with their lives and are just going to get in with the wrong crowd, instead of following their dreams like they want. Help them to know that Jesus loves them. 

New Beginnings

So after a long day yesterday, moving back to greensboro. I am finally settling into my apartment. I arrived to the complex where we will be staying yesterday at around 11am with a car full of stuff. After paying and exchanging nice kind words with the lady who was there to welcome us, I left out to find our new place on the backside of the complex. At first I was looking around stupidly, I had no idea where I was supposed to go, I ended up calling my best friend Vince and asking him for directions to our place. I walked up to find that we were in fact matching -> lol. Anyway after moving some stuff in we decided to pick which rooms that we wanted, Vince had already said that he wanted the room with the balcony, and I was okay with that. I decided to go with the room across the hall from his, I think it worked out well. We only have to share our bathroom, which is nice btw. Overall the place looks great with just a few minor issues, some chips in the paint here and there. Our power has been turned on thank the Lord for that. The only thing we need to get is our internet which will happen tommorrow at the latest! We ended up finding a good deal on it, to where its 15 dollars a month! God has seriously blessed us in our place, most stuff was donated or given to us for the cost of nothing. What a God!!

I ask for your prayers as we begin this journey this year for most of us, being the first time living off campus in our own place!

thanks yall

Matt,Vincent and Lee

Marriage. Am I doing it for the right reasons?

Today I saw my friend Heith marry his beautiful bride Christian. It was a wonderful ceremony and the reception was off the chain. I enjoyed myself, and was able to spend some time with my brothers driving two and from Kings Mountain, which is on the other side of Gastonia and Charlotte.  On the way back we were listening to some slow jams and just having fellowship. I felt the Lord speak to me about something.

Here's what I heard: Marriage is more than just having intercourse with your wife/husband. You don't marry just to recieve that. If you do you have a mixed up view of marriage and not fit to marry. 

That really hit me as we were driving back... its not based on that, its much more than that. It's a support system, a compaionship. Much more than sex. God created man and female to be in companionship with each other.

Summer Summer and did I mention Summer.

Well it looks like I haven't been able to post for a while. I've been terrible at keeping this thing up, I'll try to do better at keeping it up. 

A Few things:

House that I'll be staying at for the summer

I moved into my own place, for the summer months in Greensboro to be closer to campus and summer ministry opportunities. It has been an awesome experience so far to see the Lord move. The house is actually the same house as my campus minister stays at, which is an awesome opportunity to be poured into by. It has also been great to live with 4 guys that I consider my close friends. I share a room with my close friend Vincent and another guy named John. Our room is right above our front door and above the entrance to the house. Be praying for opportunities to minister this summer within the city of Greensboro and how our house can be used.

Panaroma view of our room. (Matt, Vince and John)

Working.


I recently got hired at my local Sonic Drive In, working as a carhop, which is basically a waiter that delivers right to your car, and I'm on skates, which makes it more fun and enjoyable. I've only worked a few days and I can already tell that it is going to be a learning yet fun experience. I'm reading through the book of Matthew currently, today I read about how Jesus sent out the disciples and gave them the power/ authority under His name to cast out demons and heal the sick, and that they would be going into a world full of wolves, and them being the sheep. Yesterday I got a taste of what that actually meant. I came into work around 11:30am ready and excited to work, first off my boss did not give me my clock in number so I looked stupid in front of my manager and not to mention all who were working there that day. I really got thrown into all things Sonic, I ended up making drinks yesterday, making all the fountain drinks and fruit slushes and slushes themselves, the only thing I need to master is the Ice cream sundaes, malts, blasts and shakes, but other than that I did an overall good job. Pray for me to be able to take a stand for my faith and be able to be unashamed of the Gospel as I go to work. Literally I am going into an area full of wolves ready to be ripped apart, pray for the Lord to soften the hearts of my co workers as I try and reach them this summer.

Swaggin at Work. 

Proverbs 18:24

Sorry for not posting recently, but I've been busy with you call College. Ya know its that thing that you go off to after graduating High School, yea that thing. I believe the last time I updated this blog, it was in August, right after getting back from my second beach project. This past semester has been a long and hard one, but it is only by the Grace and Mercy of God that I am still in school and am alive to tell you what has happened.

Me and Vincent, friends and brothers for life. 

God has really used a brother to really reach out to me and get to know me at the same time. His name is Vincent. We look nothing alike, he's short, I'm tall. He's older, I'm the baby. I wear glasses, he doesn't. Those things don't matter what matters is our inward heart change that comes about when Christ persues us and we respond back to Him. God has really used this brother to call me back to Himself and given me a passion for learning Gods word.  I honestly didn't know where I would be if it wasnt for people like Vincent, who stepped into my life and poured into me. What began as just talks out in his car when I was living in Jefferson Suites, to now great friends that are planning to live together next year. I have developed a deep friendship with him, a friendship that I would have never had when I was little, or just having an actual friend in the first place. A friend that doesn't use me to get what he wants, but a friend that cares and loves me for what Christ has done in my heart.

I see alot of myself within Vincent. I see that he has a heart for others, he cares/ puts others before himself. He desires to grow in his faith daily, and he does his best to make sure that happens. He is a great example of what it means to "walk the walk".  The way that he carries himself, inspires me to better myself. I admire his faith in the Lord, to just stop and surrender. He surrender's all, even despite what he may be feeling or thinking about. We both have similar backgrounds, growing up in the Baptist denomination, and also just constantly being around Gods family. He spurs me on to love Christ more and more each day and his passion for the word has rubbed off on me. Everything that he does he points it back to Christ. We had the opportunity to share the Gospel earlier yesterday, as well as earlier in the year to be meeting up to study the word and praying.

He is like family to me and I would totally put myself on the battlefield and take a bullet for him, as long as he stayed safe. I know that he would do the same thing every game, and knowing that someone cares about me. I am thankful for what God is going to do through .

Of the World?

I've been back from the beach for about 2 weeks. The devil thinks he is clever because he is has tried and has gotten me to fall back and struggle with past sins. Throughout all of this, I have remained relying on God, to move and I know its only by the Spirit that can change my heart, but I also need to put in some pratical time, I understand that God works but it takes a little effort. Yes, relying on Christ is what I need at the moment but I need to meet Him halfway. I need to remind myself of the Gospel everyday, without that I fall. I need to remind myself that I am a sinner that is bound for Hell on my own in my flesh. I have no hope, but the good news is that God gave that to me, by sending His son to take on the sin of the world. I never really stop and meditate on that and its a convicting thing for me, do I dwell on the cross and the meaning of it? Do I even desire to Love Christ like I say I do?

Romans 12:2 states "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the perfect will of God." The question then becomes Am I friend of the world or am I a friend of God. In scripture it says that if we love God we must become enemies of the world. My campus leader in Campus Outreach put it the other night in a question "why is it hard to live with a kingdom mindset all the time?" I replied that most people believe that this life is all about getting what YOU want, and being the best at whatever you do, its a survival of the fittest aspect of it. What we pay attention to the most and what we invest our time in explains where our heart is, and where our motives are. If its anything other than God it is sin.

I have been convicted of this in my own life, my passion has been in my sin and pleasures of this world and what can I get out of certain things. My affections havent been set on Christ, who I say that I love. I havent been getting in the word like I should, and growing deeper in my walk since coming back and have been turning back to lust and the things that go with it. I know its where God has called me to be at the moment and I'm okay with that because He is making me stronger and I've seen that evident in my life and I know that there is coming a day when I will be totally free from the grips of porn and all the things that are attached to it. I ask for your prayers as I continue the fight, I believe that I have been losing the fight because I dont have the trust in God like I should. I sometimes question why I go through what I do because it seems to always hurt me and leave me in a deeper pit and I believe that I havent had any backing from others in prayer, so I covet those as I continue the fight.

I believe that God is changing my heart even now, because now I reconize that its a problem when a while ago I didn't. I believe im on the hill about to cresent the hill and never looking back to where Ive been, its been an awesome journey so far and I look forward to whats to come and what He does in my life, this coming school year. Again I covet your prayers on my behalf.

Pray that I : would be reminded of the Gospel daily. 2) know when Im feeling temptation to escape it and go somewhere else. 3) rely on God for everything and to get me past this.

thanks Matt

The Freshness

Do I know that You care?

 Do I know that Your Here?

This is much more than I can bear.

Lord, Oh how I long to be clear.

This world is sufficationg me.

It's tears against my ugly flesh

Please God hear my plea.

Make me fresh.

I'm chained up

Locked up with the key thrown out

like a fresh bottle of ketshup pulled from the shelf

face full of doubts

Asking myself "Will I ever be freed of this?"

When I'm about to loose hope and when all else fails

Your prescence comes to me like a wave crashing on the beach

It is immediate, I'm hit like a brick.

Reminding me of who I am and why I'm here.

This world will fail me,

But I know God, You will never fail.

In You am I able to be free

Please God hear my plea.

Lord, Oh how I long to be clear.