Pastor Matt

Pastor Matt

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Professional


Have you ever failed at something miserably? Come on, be honest. I know I have. I'll never forget the time that our toilet was busted. To this day, I couldn't tell you what was wrong with it. There was some valve or flap or something that wasn't working correctly. Can you tell I"m not a fix it guy? I'm not sure what possessed me that day. I think I may have watched one too many episodes of Design Star or maybe it was Extreme Home Makeover and I thought I had what it takes to fix the problem. So, I broke out our all purpose fix it book and read the instructions for how to fix our problem.

The problem was actually pretty easy to fix, the difficulty was that I had to take the tank off of the back of the toilet along with some of the other major pieces of the throne. No problem right? As you might expect, the further that I got into the job the more I realized that I was in way over my head. Before I knew it, I had pieces of the toilet scattered throughout the bathroom. I'll never forget the moment that Jenn came into the bathroom, she claims she heard shouting and loud thuds but I'm sure she was dreaming, and I was surrounded by all the various pieces of our toilet. My hands were covered in black gunk, which I hate to think about where it came from, and sweat was pouring from my forehead. I simply uttered, "I think we need to call a professional."

Ever had that feeling? You've gotten so far in over your head that you need to call in a professional? Have you ever felt that your life has gotten so out of whack, that there is...no hope? If you haven't, give it some time. Life can be excruciatingly difficult at times can't it? There are times, like my experience, where you have brought the problem on yourself. There are other times that it seems like the universe is against you. Someone gets sick and it seems to only get worse. You lose your job and are a victim of office politics. A relationship fails and you've tried everything to salvage it. It would seem that you need to call in a professional.

Since God is the Creator of the universe, He is able to heal your brokenness. I'm not saying He will automatically make your situation better overnight but He will be there in the middle of all of the broken pieces of your life and help you put it back together. The only way that is possible is if you trust Him with it. 1 Peter 1:3 calls Christ a "living hope". That regardless of the decay and destruction that we experience in this life, that hope that we have in Christ will not decay but remain perfect and kept in heaven for us. He is also called the "anchor of our souls" in Hebrews 6:19. What a great description! Regardless of the waves that hit your boat, regardless of the mess that your life has become, Jesus has the ability to keep you from being decimated, if you trust Him.

God's promise to us when we do this is that we could say: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:8-10) If our identity is in Christ, if we are solely committed to Him and trust in Him with our whole being, when we experience that type of death, we truly experience the resurrection life that Christ provides.

If you are at one of those low points right now, let me encourage you to go to God in prayer. Ask Him to heal the broken pieces of your life. Ask Him to breathe resurrection life into the death that has besieged you. Trust Him to heal the wounds that you have incurred and expect God to be glorified through it. Call a Professional.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Faith In Uncertainty

This is a message that I did at West Houston Chinese Church on Hebrews 11:8. Click on the title to check it out.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Listening in Silence


A couple of days ago I lost my voice. I never realized just how much I actually talked until this happened. I'm sure you've had the same experience. At first you are squeaking out a few words like an adolescent boy going through puberty and then you are desperately trying to whisper as loudly as you can so that the person listening can hear you. By the way, both stages are agonizingly painful for the person listening. Thought you should know just in case.

The thing that stood out to me most during the time that my voice was fried, was how much I fill silence with words that are pretty meaningless. If there is ever a lull in the conversation, there is tension for me to fill it with...something. Anything really but definitely don't let there be ANY silence. There were moments where I felt that tension. I mean I really lived in the tension of not being able to say something. I wanted desperately to fill that void but was unable to because that ability had been taken away.

After my anxiousness of those moments was spent, I actually felt a sense of comfort. Comfort in not having to say anything. It was understood that I couldn't talk and so there was no expectation of me (mostly self imposed) filling the silence. When that happened, I was able to live in the moment. I was able to actually listen to others more carefully and let them express themselves more fully. I also found myself listening to God more.

Which, by the way, is a pretty enigmatic term isn't it? Was God audibly speaking to me? Did a bright light shine in the heavens? Did the clouds part? Did God channel His thoughts through my Calico cat? Thankfully, no. It was more that I allowed God to speak into my thoughts and into my heart. There were things that I had been praying about as far as direction for my life that God "spoke" into. All because I stopped talking and actually listened in the silence of the moment.

Are you facing a big decision right now? Are you having trouble with understanding what God is up to in your life? Look, I don't have an easy answer to whatever that may be but I do know that God sometimes will speak out of the silence that seems to be plaguing you. Psalm 62:1,2 states simply: "My soul waits in silence for God only." May I suggest that you find some time in silence this week or in the ones to come to listen to His voice?

I know that life is pretty demanding and loud most of the time. From the things that scream for our immediate attention to the noise of kids, family, and even our ipods. I am convinced that we often don't hear God when He is speaking because we are so distracted by these things. Take some time to listen in silence this week.

Matt

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