Searching for Meaning and Purpose...

While on the surface, Washed and Waiting might look like any number of books published regarding homosexuality and the church, making that assumption would be leave one far wrong. Instead of a treatise on the evils of homosexuality or some theological gymnastics to explain away the biblical prohibition, Wesley attempts to simply explain who he is and what he believes. It is an intensely personal journey, as he shares his struggles and heart. The end result is something that speaks into far more situations than simply his. As a straight, married, father of 5 I have little in common with Wes. However, as a man and Christian who has struggled with temptation, I can go beyond relating and almost walk with him. The specifics are different, but the conclusions drawn in the first chapters can apply to any sin issue. Whether it's dealing with same-sex attraction, lust (for any gender), compulsive lying, or anything else for that matter, we can glean much from the experience Wesley...

Every winter I find myself in the awkward situation of tripping and falling (blasted ice!). Every time I look around to make sure no one saw me, then get up and go on my way. If someone did see me, I try to play it off and go on about my life. Does that sound familiar? Most of us do that, if we're honest (unless of course there's an actual injury to ourselves in which case decorum and pride goes out the window!). But, more often than not, we do the same thing in our spiritual lives. We screw up, take a second to evaluate whether anyone will know/see, then play it off as if it didn't happen. That's why Hebrews 12 talks about " the sin that so easily trips us up !" I know I have sin issues that crop up and my first response is often what I do when I fall outside: I try to think about whether that sin is visible to anyone (or if anyone might know, like my accountability bros) and how I can best go about covering it up. Sad, huh? The truth is, that...

So often when the word purity is thrown out in a church setting, it is only referring to one thing: sex. I mean, the 90's were the era of True Love Waits (and many did!) and that had to be what purity was about, right? Unfortunately, many would say yes. Why do I say unfortunately you might ask? Because purity means SO much more than simply "not having sex." Instead, we've developed a church culture where it's generally okay to get under a girls shirt, have oral sex, mutual masturbation or anything else as long as we stop short of "intercourse." In fact, so many students have this perspective, which is leeched from the True Love Waits campaigns of the past/present mixed with an equal amount of current cultural thought. What it amounts to in sum, is a ton of students (and adults!) who say they believe in God, but live as if He didn't exist. Craig Groeschel (pastor of Life Church in Edmond, OK) called the phenomena "Christian Atheism" a...

It's amazing what happens when something dies and is reborn. I stopped writing and have been insanely busy for the past year-ish. Has that changed? No. Should it mean I shouldn't pick back up my keyboard and type what I am thinking? No way! This is a kind of therapy for me, a bit voyeuristic I suppose, but needed. Does it mean I should air all my dirty laundry? Not by a long shot. Does it mean I need to be exposed as a bit of a fake and someone who goes through the same ups and downs as anyone else? Yes. It's one of those very needed things: "Hi, I'm Matt and I'm a youth/worship pastor and I'm a screwed up, sinful bum. I'm quite often cranky, critical, and downright mean. In fact, much of the time I don't think I have much of a basis to really teach students out of, much less lead in worship." Whew, got that much off my chest, like any good anonymous meeting. But, isn't there more? Yes, last night at our prayer vigil (we kick ...

It's a funny thing going back "home." After a visit to our old stomping grounds in Hutchinson this weekend, I realize again how temporary things can seem to make enormous change in our lives. Today I experienced the loss of something, an undefinable longing, that made no sense to my mind, but was nonetheless palpable and real. It was the sense of looking for a permanent anchor, the sense that things are not the way the were, combined with the people who still care so deeply for me and my family (although some didn't realize we had even moved! They assumed we were going to one of the other 6 services throughout the weekend...). But, the longing for home (even though Hutch was only home for a few years) was still there. The desire to find what we had thought would/could be permanent, when it was only temporal. To return to the church we thought needed us so deeply, only to realize again that it was we who needed the church. Most interesting of all (and deeply fri...

Snow is a great thing, sometimes (at least once in a while!). It is so... white. It makes things look so new and clean. A fresh blanket of white covering up all the spots that are a mess. It's a great thing. It's invigorating. It refreshes. But, it eventually melts away. The sad part about the first snow of the year is that it melts. I always hated snow when I had to work in it, but now that I'm not required to be out in it all day, I find it quite nice. Although the melting part is what has caught my view today. As the snow melts away, all the things it hid come back. The spots where things were dead or where they shouldn't be (like the animal poo in the flower beds...) come back. I hate that. The whole image put me in mind of my own soul. Snow may temporarily cover the spots, but they come back. My problem is more that I add spots to my soul when it's clean and then they turn back into the old ones that were covered. It's rather irritating. Ju...