A promise

This morning as I prayed to the Lord He spoke to me a promise. I was specifically praying about Colorado, my new job that is to be made available in July and my family. I knelt on the floor of our living room. The blinds in the kitchen were open. The cloudy sky was breaking apart and then the golden sun shone on me. As I prayed the Lord stopped me, spoke to me. Matt as sure as the sun rises each day I will fulfill your dream. I will move you to Colorado. Matt you have to honor me, honor me with your life, your thoughts, your body, sin no more, be a changed man. Rid yourself of the anger and the selfishness. Honor me and I will honor you. Use Colorado and what I give you there for my glory, open your home, lead your family. - December 1, 2010

A time for everything

It's pretty ironic that I read the book of Ecclesiates while coming home from my trip to Denver this week. I am not sure if you have ever read Ecclesiates but it basically starts out with that everything is meaningless, or as the NKJV would put it, it's all vain. King Solomon with all his riches, experiences, fame, etc. came to the conclusion that it's all meaningless. As he continued on he realized that without God everything is truly meaningless, a chasing after the wind, for: "Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals. For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other." (Eccl 3:18-19) You see today we had to put Kody our cat down, very, very hard.

We had Kody for 12 years, Shannon surprised me with him about 5 months after we were married. So while on the one hand we realize that he is just a pet, on the other we are faced with the realization that we live after the fall and that this is the path we all must travel both men and animals. Earlier in Eccl. chapter 3 King Solomon goes into the Time for Everything, a time to be born and a time to die... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. So while we mourn, mourn the passing of a family pet, mourn the passing of time, mourn the fact that we all must pass away; we must remember that it is only for a time. Solomon also writes in Eccl. 7:1 "A good name is bettern than precious ointment and the day of death than the day of one's birth...". Better is the day of death than that of birth, that was written for the believer in Christ, the day of death will have us standing before the Lord of all creation. So while now is our time to weep and mourn, our weeping will turn to lauging and our mourning to dancing.

So long Kodiak Bear

My Position

Ok, so it has been awhile since I have blogged. I am sitting here in an airport in Omaha 6 months into my new job. Wow! What a change in life, I went from driving to and from work everyday to flying around the country and in different places from one week to another, meeting lots of different people and I am really getting a different perspective on life. I really do like the change, I don't like being away from my beautiful wife and my crazy boys. The new job is a different pace than what I am used to, I used to be focused on projects that would take weeks and even months to complete now there is something different almost everyday, based upon what customer meetings I have. With all the craziness it can be easy to lose one's self because in this fast-paced position and this side of the IT industry there is so much focus on money and things. I admit there are times where I felt very overwhelmed and conflicted because in order to get ahead you have to "make a name for yourself". Well according to the scriptures we are to "decrease so that the Lord may increase" and we are to "die to ourselves" so this message conflicts with the very being of who I am. My bride and I were talking a couple of days ago about these struggles and while I was on my way up here to Omaha she sent me this scripture:

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Phillippians 2:3

So I was very clearly reminded of my position which is that I am a child of the living God and that I am a sinner just like everyone else and that the Lord, the Lord alone will be my champion (Psalm 11). So I will do all that I know to do and do it as if I am doing it unto the Lord and not be of a carnal mind (Colossians 3). Easier said than done, but I will keep the hands to the plow. Now I am ready to get home! Can't wait to see you honey!