Update...

Well, looking at my last post, the last time I posted was in August! Time flies! Anyway, not a lot has happened since then. The fall semester went well (better than expected) and I am almost done with Christmas break (bummer!). So now I am getting ready for the spring semester. I am taking two classes and an internship. I am excited about the internship, but I am really nervous. I had to buy liability insurance. Liability insurance!?! I know that it is supposed to calm me down, but it just makes me more nervous! Oh well, I just hope I have clients who don't like the idea of suing. But we shall see. I will hopefully keep you updated more frequently (I say that all the time, don't I?). Until then, see ya!

The Apostle of Love

For those of you who will not be at White Station Church of Christ tomorrow (or if you are a woman and going to the ladies' class) I want to give an overview on the lesson that I will be teaching for the men's class. I will be teaching a lesson about the apostle John. John's story is an amazing one and his journey can be inspiring to anyone. When we think of the apostle John we think of a loving, caring man. However, John was quite the opposite. In his younger years he was rugged, hard-edged, ambitious, zealous, brash, and self-assertive to name a few. But as John aged and became more mature, the lessons that Christ taught him and the Holy Spirit changed John's weaknesses into his greatest strengths. The so-called negative characteristics that John displayed had been balanced by his love for others.

There are many lessons we can learn from John, but there are three points that I would like to point out (from "Twelve Ordinary Men" by John MacArthur). The first point is that John learned the balance between love and truth (Mark 9:38; Luke 9). Christ taught John that even though he needed to pursue truth, he also needed love and compassion. For us today, we need to have a willingness to pursue the truth of God's word by showing love and compassion to those around us. The second point is that John learned the balance of ambition and humility (Mark 10:35-45). In Mark 10 Christ teaches John the lesson of humility by teaching that one must become a servant to be great in the kingdom in heaven. John had a lot of ambition, but here he learned the balance between ambition and humility. In his gospel, John never uses his name, but uses "the one whom Jesus loved" to describe himself. He did this because he wanted to be humble and give Christ all the glory. In our lives we need to learn to have ambition to reach the heavenly kingdom, but to also do that with humility towards God. The last point is that John learned the balance of suffering and glory (Mark 14:50). When Jesus was arrested, his apostles, including John, fled. Here John realized the suffering that was to take place. He ultimately came back to Christ and learned more fully that one must suffer to earn a heavenly glory. John was the last of the apostles to die, but he did not die of cruxificition or stoning, but of old age. I believe that he still went through persecution and what it takes to have a heavenly glory. As Christians, we need to realize that we will go through persecution, but we also need to realize that there is a heavenly glory waiting for us.

These lessons that John learned can also be applied to us today. But one thing that is for certain: we need love in our lives just as John had love for others. Christ turned his greatest weaknesses into his greatest strengths. He turned him from a ruthless, rugged person into a loving caring person. He is also doing that for us today. Let us be children of God that shows love to others just as John did.

The Semester Approacheth!!!!

Well, I am finally done with my summer classes just in time for my fall classes to begin. I have some pretty good classes this semester and I am excited about them, but at the same time I wish I could have a longer break. Oh well. I also have all of my books for these classes...all 800 of them!! No not really, but there are quite a lot of them. Anyway, we shall see how this semester goes and hopefully keep you guys up to date. Also, I have added some more speaking dates so if you are in the area and have nothing else better to do then drop by and hear me speak! Until then, goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow!

Report on vacation (I wish I had another one).....

Well, Sarah and I went on our vacation a few weeks ago and it was a wonderful weekend to spend time together and to get out of big city Memphis for a while. Our bed and breakfast was wonderful! It was my first time ever to stay at a bed and breakfast and I am positive that it will not be my last. The breakfasts that they cooked for us (cinnamon rolls, ham and cheese omelets, banana nut muffins, and stuffed french toast) were absolutely wonderful and the room was awesome! I recommend that everybody stay at a bed and breakfast at some point of their lives. Anyway, Sarah and I did all of the touristy things in Hot Springs (tours, museums, riverboat cruises etc.) and we had a great time. However, next time we go to Hot Springs, we are going to check out the bath houses and have a good, old fashioned spa treatment! But I hope you enjoy some of the pictures from our vacation.
Well, as you can see, this blog has gone through a major makeover. It took me a while to get the new banner up, but as you can see, it is finished and I think it looks great! I will hopefully post again soon and keep you guys up to date. But until then, I anxiously (and fearfully) await a new grad school semester! See ya!

I need a vacation.....

Well, I am done with my summer classes......the lecture part that is. Now I have to work on papers, article summaries, etc. and all I can say is-I need a vacation! But the cool thing is that Sarah and I are going on a vacation this weekend! We are going to Hot Springs, AR and staying at a bed and breakfast. It should be a fun little weekend to get away from the busy life in Memphis and to just have fun. I will let you guys know how everything went and will have pictures. So until then, adios and have a great 4th of July!

Summer is Here!!!

Hello everybody! Well summer is here and it is going to be something else. I am taking my first summer courses since I was in elementary school! It is going to be neat to get two classes out in two weeks, but that just means that I have to do a lot more work before the fall semester. Anyway, Sarah is going to Georgia to visit her parents while I am taking my first summer course. It will give me a chance to get a lot of studying done! She is just sweet like that! After she gets back, she will start teaching the little kiddies at Harding Academy's summer camp. It should be fun.....maybe! I am glad that she likes what she does because I surely couldn't do it! Speaking of Sarah and myself, our one year anniversary is coming up and we got a neat little trip planned to Hot Springs, AR where we are staying at a bed and breakfast. It should be fun!
Anyway, to end my summer I am speaking at White Station COC in their men's summer on John (the person, not the book). He is one of my favorite biblical characters to speak on. So much love! Speaking of speaking (confused, yet?), if you look on the right side of the blog you will see a new page element entitled "matt's speaking engagements." More should be on there in the future and if I am speaking at a city near you then drop by and see me! Well I hope all of you have a great summer and I will try to post again soon!

It has been a while....

Okay....so, I have not written in a long time. Sorry to the few readers I have...lol! I have been super busy ever since I started grad school. My first semester was alright (They always say that the first semester of grad school is the hardest). My grades were average and there is always room for improvement. This semester is almost over (thank goodness), but it has been better than last semester and I think that I am doing better this go around. I am taking two classes this summer and I am looking forward to them, but I am not looking forward to all the work I have to do in one week! My job is going well and I am getting the hang of everything. They are even giving me more responsibilities which is always a good thing, I guess.
Sarah and I have been married for almost one year. Our first year has gone very quickly and it seems that we had gotten married just yesterday (or last week or something). We are looking at going to some bed and breakfast somewhere after I am done with my summer classes (July 4th weekend). If anyone has any suggestions on where to go, please let us know. Anyway, I hope to write more than I have in the past, but we shall see.