Compassion

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

If you can watch this video and not cry, I am sorry for you. God gave me the blessing of being there live for this story and I was one of 13,000 people in the arena that was silenced by love.

 Please watch and then committ to sponsor a child in the world.

Matt

Revolutionary Good

I wanted to take a minute and bring a little attention to a person that is doing a lot of revolutionary good in this world for Jesus. Her name is Anne Jackson and she lives in Nashville. She is a writer and speaker and her first book, Mad Church Disease, breathed new life into me for ministry. I have worked at a lot of churches and experienced ministry burnout firsthand and this book is written from a place of honesty and truth to help people find rest in God and be refreshed to continue their journey in ministry.

Just yesterday she spoke to a group of college students in Knoxville and this picture is 30,000 post it notes in the image of an African child. Every day there are 30,000 children in Africa that die because of poverty, lack of clean water, HIV/AIDS, and malnutrition.

I have listed a few great organizations that you can partner with to change the world.

My friend Anne Jackson is changing the world

You can too!

Blood Water Mission

KIVA - Micro Finance Loans

Hope International

Y-Malawi - Connecting U.S. Churches with Malawi Ministry

You cannot do everything

But do not let that stop you from doing something!

Matt

Jesus Loves Me by Emma Rain Nash

My daughter Emma singing like she does every day.
I know I am biased as her dad but she melts my heart every time!

On Your Mark - Catalyst 2009

Picture 001 - Francis Chan bringing the thunder on the first night of Catalyst

Picture 002 - My friend Anne Jackson (author of Mad Church Disease) at a break

Picture 003 - Tony Dungy just after he spoke about his faith and the importance of being a godly Father

Picture 004 - The Limo that picked us up and dropped us off curbside on the morning of the first day

Picture 005 - Our entourage - me, wally, rob and rick with some other Catalyst peeps

How can you describe something that is indiscribable? How can you put words to life transformation?

This is honestly how I feel after my third Catalyst Conference. Not only was the speaker lineup phenominal (Andy Stanley, Malcolm Gladwell, Rob Bell, Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, Dave Ramsey, Tony Dungy, Chuck Swindoll, Louie Giglio, Priscilla Shirer, Josh Hamilton, Shane Hipps) but the time with my three fellow travellers was awesome. It was great to be able to process what we were hearing with them and hear how God was speaking to them. Here are just a few of the statements that really made an impact on me...

"Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living" - Chuck Swindoll

"The gospel is something to be gardened not something to be guarded." - Shane Hipps

"When you obey God, you won't want anybody elses life." - Rob Bell  (His session was the best by far)

"Immaturity is revealed when God beckons us to deeper waters and we lie and debate why we can't go" - Matt Chandler

"We try and box God with arms that never reach." - Priscilla Shirer

"When you release the burdens of your future, you let God to move in powerful ways." - Louie Giglio

"Trusting is risky, refusing to trust is riskier." - Andy Stanley.

If you are a leader in ministry, business, church - you need to be at Catalyst 2010 in Atlanta. I will be there!

Matt

China turns 60!

After 6 years of marriage I know that my wife has incredible wisdom and perspective on life and rather than reading my thoughts on China celebrating their 60th anniversary as a country, I have posted my wife's words that appear on her blog China to Rwanda. Enjoy!

"Today is the 60th anniversary of the communist take over of China. Mao Zedong proclaimed China The People's Republic of China 60 years ago today in Tienanmen Square. I feel very torn this morning as I always do when thinking about Mao. It makes me so angry to think about all the horrible and inhumane things that he did and allowed to happen to his own people...forced sterilizations and abortions, public humiliation, destruction of temples, books, etc., "re-education in labor camps", torture of millions of Christians. The list goes on and on. Over the last 3 years I have read things about communist China and pre-communist China that just make my stomach turn. While standing in Tienanmen Square last summer I couldn't help but think of the students crushed by tanks for simply stating their opinion...something we take for granted here in America.

The thing that tears me apart is that if it were not for Mao and those who followed him, I wouldn't have Emma as my daughter. The string of events that occurred over the last 60 years is what led to tens of thousands of children being adopted out of China. If Mao had not encouraged the people to multiply to build a stronger China, there would not have been the need to enforce the One Child Policy years later. This is why it is so hard for me to really think about China. Everything inside of me not only as a Christian but as a human being can't stand the policies and practices of China's government. But at the same time, everything inside of me LOVES Emma and can't remember what life was like without her. I will always be grateful to China for allowing me to adopt Emma. But it is hard to respect them. I want Emma to appreciate her heritage but I also want her to understand the hardship that exists there.

So, Happy Birthday to The People's Republic of China. I hope that you grow wiser with old age." (written by Jeana Nash)

Please pray for China and her people.

Peace to you

Matt