Lent: historic Christian tradition or that stuff in your jean pockets?

I can't believe Lent is here again. Almost a week into Lent and I'm getting more and more excited for this season of preparation. For Lent I'm adding a little more time to my day by starting it off with 15 minutes of silence. Who would have thought that starting my day off by not saying anything would be such a big difference. But it's the principle of the thing... by me not speaking, I'm providing God the opportunity to speak and perhaps I might even listen.

I forgotten how "weird" it is to observe Lent as a Christian these days. I came home from Ash Wednesday with an ash-y Cross upon my forehead (standard tradition) and my roommate (also Christian) was wondering why I was walking around with dirt on my face. I had friends in college (also Christian) who didn't know what Lent was which lead to my realization that they had never given anything up for Lent. What a beautiful and meaningful tradition that is lost to so many?!?! I know some people have issues with tradition because the traditions are the problem when it comes to being faithful and "spiritual." It's us! It's our attitude towards the tradition and our heart as we participate in the tradition. Yeah, I could just go through the motions of singing a hymn or sacrificing chocolate for Lent or I could read and reflect on the BEAUTIFUL, inspiring words of our hymns or I could spent those moments that I yearn for chocolate in prayer remembering God in my daily life and seeking the desire for my life to yearn for God. That's about all I have to say about that.

I'd like to close with some quotes, Scriptures, lyrics, phrases, thoughts that I've gathered so far during Lent 2010:

*Truth (with a Captial T) is what God desires of each of us and the Truth is that we are a fallen people in need of God's grace.

*Praying, fasting, self-denial, reading, meditating, listening, doing, being...

*For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matthew 6:21

*A student in a seminary once approached his teacher and asked how is one to live a faithful life. The teacher told the student to go into the cemetery and throw stones at the graves and curse the dead and then listen for what they say. The student, althought hesitant, obeyed his teacher and later returned to the teacher. He told the teacher that he didn't hear anything from the dead after he insulted and cursed them. Then the teacher told the student to return to the cemetery and heap compliments and praise onto the dead and take care of their tombstones and THEN see what their response would be. So the student did as he was told and still heard nothing. He returned to the teacher to share his disheartening news and this is what the teacher said, "After you praised and complimented the dead, you heard nothing. And even after you insulted and cursed them, still they said nothing. May you be like the dead, that you will live a life that isn't ultimately affected by what people say around you (the compliments or the curses) but rather be focused on one thing...God.

*Lent is about the practice of learning to forget ourselves on purpose!

*Lent is a season of bringing the focus back to God.

*O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise. -Psalm 51:15


May Lent be a time of preparation for you. Preparation for realigning your life with God. Preparation for forgetting yourself on purpose. Preparation for remembering where life comes from and to whom all praise is due.

I now understand what FULL time job means...

So two weekends ago I spent my Friday night hosting a movie night at my church. Last weekend I helped chaperone a high school retreat. And this past weekend I helped facilitate an outside lock-in and took some youth to a homelessness awareness walk today. Not to mention I still work all Sunday and of course, Monday through Thursday. I'm beginning to learn what how full my full time job is. It can wear one
so much that even on the nights I don't have work I spend it recuperating from the times I do work. It's a good thing I LOVE my job and I LOVE my youth and that I feel and see God's presence and guidance in my life. And now I'm off to rest because tomorrow is Sunday...

Where was I?...

Quick recap... still at the church. Still loving my job...it's impossible to get bored there and the fun never ends (for example: yesterday we took our 7th grade Confirmation class to a Jewish Synagogue service then returned back to the church as we hosted an ALL Middle School Dance from 7:30-10:30pm... woo! Although the fun never ends, the work doesn't either but I'm blessed to be where I am and plan on sticking around for a while.

Okay time to reflect:

-Lost Sensitivity pgs. 75-76
-Lugoff Poem
-Woman praying before a cross at 7:30pm on a Tuesday
-Out West Adventures (traveling companions, Mount Rainier, second beach, the Hoh, rain, rain and more rain, pacific sunset, Will and the kelp, circling Olympic National Park, night in Vancouver, tour of Seattle)
-"We are filled to be emptied again." ...explain
-Positive Impact People
-John 21: "Tend my flock" and "Feed my sheep"


Lost Sensitivity:

So I was reading through Rob Bell's book, "SexGod" (which didn't really impress me) but Rob Bell brought up some interesting points and got me thinking. One of those points is found on page 75. He starts off by mentioning Adam and Eve and how the first fall happened. Their problem is our problem. They had all these great things in their life yet they fixated their attention to what they don't have. Rob also mentioned that we are free to do whatever we want. But because I can doesn't mean I should. "Freedom isn't being able to have whatever we crave. Freedom is going without whatever we crave and being fine with it." That's what I want to talk about. This, I believe, is at the core of some of the American peoples' (myself included) biggest problems that hinders their lives. We spend our time wanting and wanting and that leaves us to busy to realize all of the stuff (and the wonderful people) we already have in our lives. If we want a specific restaurant, we go and eat there. If we want to go out and buy things we'll barely use but we really like it, then we'll go get it. Our life is NOT about getting whatever we can and then getting more. It's about receiving what's already been given to us (God's love and the love of those around us) and then taking life a step at a time with what we're given. We have lost a sensitivity for what we need in life and its turning us into polite and pleasant monsters. We'll drive across town and shell out a ton of money for a meal but question spending a lunch break serving at a local soup kitchen. We are always looking for nice additions to our homes yet completely disregard the families who are twice as big and live in a house 5 times smaller than ours. We consume and consume and consume as people starve across the world and across the street each and every day. We're not sympathetic to the pains and sufferings of others in the world anymore...until it affects us. We're too focused on getting ourselves ahead, we don't bother thinking about what our decisions cost others. I know this isn't very uplifting or positive but that's where we step in. By opening our ears and hearts to God, we can see where we are needed in this world and where we can go and love and serve. Try waking up each day and thinking to yourself, "How can I put others before myself today?" Then do it and see what happens. I can't wait to here the stories you'll have...

More to come...

WILL-come to our JOE-d trip MATT-venture!

Well it's 5:30am and we are sitting at the airport of what promises to be an unforgettable trip. Charlotte to New Jersey to Portland! Here we go!

Well I'm a little under-rested but excited to sleep on those plane rides. Hopefully it will be enough.

I just found out that I can't add images on the blog from my phone so don't be looking for those I guess.

Till next time...

It's September...

I can't believe it but it's another September. The summer is over, school is back and there are a million things happening at once.

Next week I leave for a mission trip (ASP) to Virginia and the following week I leave for vacation with high school friends Will and Joe to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. It all promises to be an extraordinary time in which I feel immensely blessed to be able to partake in.

As for the church, things are moving a thousand miles an hour there but I'm loving it. I'm focusing my time and energy on Middle School and, amusingly, I believe I'm a good fit for that position. I've learned a thing or two about responsibility and am constantly reminded in the unseen demands that ministry calls on the mind, physical strenth, the heart and the spirit. It's exhausting but the end cause (aka the glory of God) makes it all worth it. Needlesstosay that working in the church has been and is still teaching so much of our need for God's presence in our lives and our godly presence in this world.

I just watched Earth (the documentary that BBC and Disney made for Earth Day 2009) and it was UNBELIEVABLE. The videography, the facts and information, the absolute beauty of our planet (oh and James Earl Jones' narrating also...of course!) made this movie a MUST-SEE! I don't know how people could watch something like this and not believe in a wonderful Creator at work throughout all time and in our very lives today.

I'm off to get some sleep now but my mind is filled with new adventures that my heart is just crying out to experience. One day...

Well it's about that time...

One of the conditions I made with myself about getting an iPhone was to blog regularly about my life, issues in todays world and faith thoughts and questions. So without further adieu:

it's saturday July 11th and I'm sitting in a pizza place thinking of what's to come. Tomorrow I leave for new mexico on a mission trip and when I return half of the summer will be gone. Crazy! I have been on the go more than ever this summer and it has truly been a rewarding but a challenging and eye opening exprience. I've discovered that the youth that I've told I'm staying are really excited about that so that's good. I'm strengthening relationships all around me which is something I wanted and the last piece of the puzzle to grounding myself here in Charlotte is finding a small group of guys to grow with in faith and friendship. But I know God is faithful and always has good timing. Well my pizza is here so time to go.

Try actually living today...it'll do you some good,
matt

It's still out there...

So I found this old online journal of mine and for the records... I am putting it on here.

http://www.xanga.com/jesusfreaksoker


Ha!

okay...peace.