Living in your sweet spot

Serving in your “Sweet Spot”

Earlier this month my wife, Darla, was ordained as a deaconess at Mt. Gilead. I am so proud of her and her willingness to be used by God in this way. This level of commitment is only going to strengthen our family and our marriage, and I can’t wait!

January 12, 1997 is when I was ordained into Christian Ministry at Little Prairie Christian Church. I remember my friend, Danny Wolford, preached the ordination sermon and there were so many people there to celebrate this occasion in my life.

I remember when I was in Bible college and preparing to be in full-time youth ministry (I had done part time ministry from 1993-1997) having a set of goals and dreams that I wanted to accomplish in ministry. 1) I wanted to write a book, and 2) I wanted to be in a “mega church” youth ministry.

I sort of came to the realization a few years back that I was going to “settle” for being a youth minister in a small town in southern Illinois. This realization convicted me to the core. YOU NEVER “SETTLE” FOR WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO!

Southern Illinois and small town youth ministry is a different calling. The mindset and culture is different than big cities, metro areas, or inner-city…but people are the same wherever you go. I love where God has placed me and would not change it for anything. Here are some realizations I have come to over the years:

1) God calls you. God has a call on the lives of everyone and His call is on your life. God is depending on you to do something for Him, but it is up to you to answer that call.

2) Gods call is specific. If you look throughout scripture you will find that everyone that God called (Abraham, Moses, Samuel, etc…) had a call that was specific, whether it was to a specific place or people, God was clear in his vision for their lives. God is clear on what he wants to do in your life, too. I think sometimes we don’t hear or see Gods specific call on our life because we have something different in mind and we see what we want clearer than what God wants.

3) Gods call is life-changing. When you answer the call of God on your life to serve and minister where he wants you to be, and to the people he wants you to be with…then you are living in your sweet spot! There is nothing like a basketball hitting nothing but net, there is nothing like the sound of a baseball hitting just the right spot on the bat, and there is nothing like being exactly where God wants you to be doing just the thing God wants you to do!

Thanks for reading!

Me First No Longer

Me First No Longer

Lately (the last month to 6 weeks) I have been totally unfocused and really unmotivated…from everything, home and church and all life in general. This is not like me to go this long of a stretch in this mindset and it almost scared me. I actually thought I was depressed, I blamed the devil for tempting me, then I blamed the fact the holidays cost so much money we don’t really have, then I blamed the weather…I even blamed God.

I started reading through Joshua and discovered 2 big verses (they were always there, but just really stood out to me this time)…Joshua 1:6-7 and 3:5 (I will let you look them up and read them for yourself!). The first one is God speaking to Joshua encouraging him that he was capable of leading the Israelites after Moses died and the second was Joshua encouraging the Israelites as they were about to cross the Jordan and enter the promise land.

At the same time I was reading this I have really been challenged with something in my life that God is really making clear to me. I am pretty selfish. It’s true. I am a pretty independent person…always have been for some reason. That is a good quality most of the time, but it also can be a hindrance as well. Because of this I have decided to put me first no longer in the following areas…

1) My marriage – Maybe if I put it in writing I will follow through with totally treating my wife like a queen and be the supportive and leading husband I need to be.

2) My kids – I need to play with them more, pray with them on a deeper level, and enjoy them more…because they are only home for a little while.

3) My ministry – I need to share more of the load with this amazing youth & children’s team and not have to be “up front” every time doing it all. I must become less.

I’m reading over this and it kind of sounds depressing. I’m not intending it to sound that way, I’m intending it to be a challenge for me to become less so Christ can become more in my life. I really believe that God is trying to raise the bar in my life and I am still standing on the ground and staring at the bar instead of going for the goal HE has set for me in my life.

So many amazing things are going to happen in my life in 2011. My oldest graduates 8^th grade and I am so proud of Hannah and the woman of God she is and continues to be. I also get to welcome child #3 into the Johnson family in June and I am so excited about what amazing blessing God has in store for our family of 5!

I hope this helps someone as they are on their spiritual journey. It sure has helped me as I write this. I love my family and I am committed to leading them as I allow Christ to lead me. I also deeply love Mt. Gilead Church and am committed to being a faithful leader to the church and the youth & children’s ministry.

Thanks for reading!

Judge or Accountability?

Nowhere in the Bible does it talk about believers not holding other believers accountable for their actions. The important part of accountability is remembering some key points.

1) Accountability must be relational – It is much easier to hold someone accountable for an issue if you have a relationship with them. Relationships imply a “love factor” that realizes the accountability is to help your relationship grow stronger. If you are willing to hold someone accountable, you are also willing to, in the best of your ability, invest in the relationship for the long haul to help restore that person to a better way of living.

2) Accountability must be Biblical – Sometimes our culture confuses mere conveniences or personal preferences for Biblical truth. When we point out a failure or hold someone accountable for an action we must make sure we are coming from a godly point of view. Our accountability to others and towards others must begin with our accountability to God’s word.

3) Accountability must be forward-moving – Accountability is not a case of calling someone out and then ignoring the relationship (see point #1), instead accountability is for the purpose of positive steps to helping someone become emotionally or spiritually healthy. Accountability must always cause someone to make positive changes, not have negative emotions (although at the time there could be negative emotions such as denial, anger, etc…) in the long term.

I hope this helps the next time someone accuses you of judging them when in reality you are just trying to hold them accountable. I also hope this helps in making sure that our accountability is not passing a judgment on a person. As always, thanks for reading and I appreciate any feedback!

Say what??

Well…it was not the news I was expecting in my wildest dreams. Darla and I laying down talking on a Wednesday night when she says the words few husbands want to hear…”I have something to tell you”. She didn't say it in a I’m-ticked-off tone and I had run through my mind the events of the last week or so and I thought I was pretty safe so I jokingly said “we are having a baby?” I laughed. She said yes then I really started laughing. I looked at her face and realized she was serious and I stopped laughing. Then we both started laughing.

Being a dad is my favorite role to play in this life. I love being a minister to students and I love being a husband and I even love being a son and brother and uncle…but being dad is where I love to be. My girls mean everything to me and life without them is just not something I can ever fathom.

Hannah was a surprise. We had gone off birth control and it was supposed to take 3 months to even think about being pregnant…nope, about a month or less! Brianna was a little more scheduled and planned. This one isn't a shock…it’s stunning! ha ha

I have wanted a third for a long time and really had conceded that it just wasn't going to happen several years ago, so this news is shocking but yet exhilarating at the same time!

June 18, 2011 is the due date and I look forward to how God is going to bless our lives with this baby. I thank God that He trusts us with this life and I pray that we honor Him in our parenting and leading him or her (BTW, I'm not hoping for a boy...I am happy and overjoyed with a boy or girl...really doesn't matter to me) in the way of the Lord.

Matt

Daddy's Girl #1

It was not a good time. Darla had been having some issues and so I went with her to the Dr. in Evansville on a Wednesday in 1996. We had been married for a little over a year and had talked about having a child and made preparations for that to happen soon. Evidently soon was now because her issues were due to the fact that we were expecting our first child! We were elated to say the least and couldn't wait to tell the world!

Hannah Lin (named after Darla’s sister, Johnna’s middle name) was born at 11:17am on August 2, 1997 and it was definitely love at first sight! When the nurse at St. Mary’s hospital in Evansville laid her in my arms I was so overcome with emotion…it was beautiful, scary, love all at once.

We were attached from the beginning. I remember taking Hannah to the sporting events of the kids in our youth group and I loved just the two of us hanging out on my day off. We had so much fun together…and still do! My favorite times were the times we would take naps together…she would lay on my chest in my recliner and I would fall asleep too and sometimes our drool spots would join together!! Must be love!

When Hannah was two months old she was not tracking objects so at the advice of our pediatrician we went to an eye specialist in Evansville. The news was sobering to say the least. We were told that Hannah would never be able to see, that we needed to check into schools for the blind, etc… because Hannah had an eye disorder called “coloboma” which basically means that there is a part of her retina or optic nerve did not fully develop. We were crushed to say the least. We spent hours praying, asking our church at Little Prairie to pray (which they did on a Sunday night in one of the most wonderful prayer services I have ever been a part of), and asking our friends to pray.

We moved from Albion to Centralia in the summer of 2001 where we met a friend from our church, Lori Edson, who worked for an eye doctor and she gave us a name of a doctor who she met at a seminar in St. Louis. Dr. Oscar Cruz works for Cardinal Glennon Children’s hospital in St. Louis and we met with him and Hannah had eye surgery to correct her nystagmus (eye jiggling) in 2002.

During that eye surgery the doctor came in to tell us some news that would literally change my life. We were told that while he had Hannah out he got to look closely at Hannah’s eyes and could not believe what he saw! We were informed that her coloboma was so bad that he could literally not detect an optic nerve in her eyes! There is no medial or scientific reason why Hannah has sight!! The doctor informed us that if we told him that all Hannah could see what light that he would believe it, anything more than that he would not believe it! We have a walking miracle in our midst!

We got to see pictures of Hannah’s eyes yesterday and it is just amazing to look and see her eyes compared to what a “normal” eye should look like. Over half of her eye on each side is totally covered by scar tissue or not developed!

Why do I write this? I write this for a couple reasons…

1) So you can know that God truly does answer prayers – We prayed for healing, that is true, but we also prayed for God to help us deal with whatever setbacks that this eye condition will have on Hannah. She does have some limitations with visual field and depth perception and we are not sure how she will be affected as she grows up and learns to drive or other adult activities as she matures. All we know is that we have a 13 year old that is not supposed to be able to see but can do pretty much anything else that a teenager can do visually! One cannot look at her eyes and not give glory to her Creator for working His touch on her!

2) So you can know that God is real – God is still working today! God cares about you and your situation. I know of so many people who have given up on God and tossed him aside for the sake of convenience or priorities, God is so real and wants a relationship with you and a chance to show himself to you if you will just let him! God is real and good and faithful!

3) So God can be glorified by helping someone else -- He gets all the honor and glory forever for his work in Hannah's life. My sharing this story is to tell God's story to help someone who may be struggling with their relationship with God to help them know that our God is still living and active!

I do not write this to brag about anything…because I, nor any other human, did anything. I write so you can know that God is still working today and wants to work in your life too. I realize He doesn’t answer all of our prayers the way we want him to, but that does not change his faithfulness and love for you. Give him a shot…you will so not be disappointed!

Thanks for reading and listening!

Get the most of your church's youth program

It’s been awhile! I haven’t written a blog in some time, apparently! Well…I am attempting to write one here today. Actually, I have been thinking about this issue for awhile, but am just now at a point where I have my thoughts completed to put on paper (I think! Ha)

Most church leaders would probably agree that a successful church has an effective youth/children’s program. But how can you, as a parent, make sure your son/daughter gets the most out of what your church offers?

1. Support with your time – Contrary to what you may think, most kids don’t mind if their parents are involved in some way in the youth ministry. Whether it is volunteering to help with crowd control, serve snacks, clean up or set up, or go on a trip there is a sense of connection that helps them see that you value what is important to them.

2. Know what is going on – For the most part, gone are the days of a youth group being a bunch of food and fun and games with a 10-minute “devotion” and call it church. Youth ministries have “grown up” and realized that if they are going to train the next elders, deacons, missionaries, and senior ministers that they must lay a solid foundation in their ministries to help make that happen. Realize that most of the time you see the fun and crazy stuff that happens at the beginning of a service and at the end of the service, then your kid only talks about the silly game or crazy fun that they had. Did you ask what the lesson was about? Do you ask what adults they are connecting with? Those are important questions to ask each and every week your child attends. Sometime stick around and hang out and observe what happens at a typical Sunday, Wednesday or small group Bible Study that your child attends.

** As a side note…if your church’s youth program is not serving your child spiritually, talk to your youth pastor, senior pastor, or church leaders about it. A youth program must have the focus on your kids relationship with God, not just entertainment…it’s just that important! **

3. Refrain from using youth group as a form of punishment – Think about the logic. If you punish your child for doing something wrong by making them miss youth group you could be punishing them from hearing the very Biblical truth that they need to hear to make better choices. Talk to your youth pastor or youth leader about a discipline and they can help you decide together what might be ok to miss (for example: missing the next youth group laser tag outing might be better than missing the midweek worship service).

4. Make the youth program a priority by making church a priority – We wouldn’t think of missing sports practice or games or other club activity because of homework, but we sometimes don’t think twice about missing church or youth group for such things. If there is soccer and youth group that night and your child can only attend one…what is the BEST option spiritually? What a great example you set as a parent when you set the non-negotiable boundary for Sunday & Wednesday (or whenever your youth meet) as a non-negotiable/emergency only night, and schedule the other 5 nights with other things.

5. Pray for and support your church’s youth leaders – Don’t just say you will or tell them you are going to, why don’t you this Sunday grab one of your kids Sunday School, youth group leaders, or youth pastor and actually pray for them. Out loud. And let them know you appreciate what they are doing in your kids’ lives.

Lastly, if you are not involved in a church that has a youth ministry program or children’s program…help start one. If you have any questions about the youth program @ Mt. Gilead where I attend, let me know. We don’t do it right every time…but we try our best to help make a difference in the lives of kids by helping them seek a relationship with Christ, share Christ with others, and shine for Christ in how they live. As always, I appreciate your feedback.

Matt

What's The Point?

Why do I have to go to church? Do I have to go to church to go to heaven? These and other questions similar have been asked for centuries, and will probably still be asked until the day Jesus returns! I intend to offer my two cents worth into the age old debate on what is the point of church. I would like to take a moment or two and answer the two above questions…

Why do I have to go to church?

1) It’s a Commandment – Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The writer of Hebrews is in the middle of encouraging the Christians to not leave their faith. He had talked to them about persevering, having confidence before God because of their relationship with Him, about having a clear conscience before God, and about how Christians are to encourage one another. We go to church, not for ourselves, but for each other. When we get together as a church it is a family. When you miss out on your family, you miss out on everything that really matters…spiritual connectedness.

2) It’s what Jesus is all about –

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” Acts 4:32-35

Obviously if Jesus was going to give the disciples the Holy Spirit, and that Spirit was going to work so quickly to make an impact on the world…Jesus must have seen it as important. The ministry of Jesus is solely dependent on one thing—the church. The body of Christ is what Jesus has given to carry out HIS mission, to seek and save the lost. What we do in the church is to encourage and strengthen one another toward that end. We do this through fellowship, discipleship, serving others, and growing closer to Christ—and each other.

Do I have to go to church to go to heaven?

I don’t know. How about that? I do know this, however, and that is Jesus instituted the church and saw it as important, and that is enough conviction for me to make sure me and my family are there.

4 Common reasons and responses for not attending church…

1) Church is boring

Church is as lively and exciting as you make it. If you stay up way late on Saturday night and come in on Sunday morning dragging…it will be extremely boring. If you think it is boring, talk to your church pastor or church leadership about some different methods to liven up the service. Maybe you are the leader your church needs to help your church go to the next level!

2) Church is full of hypocrites

This is exactly true! Church is full of hypocrites, that’s why they are in church! Jesus said: “"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."(Mark 2:17). We are all sinners in need of the great physician to help us get better.

3) Churches just want my money

While it is true that it takes money for the church to do ministry, pay staff, keep the building in good condition, etc… That is not all churches want. Churches (unless they are a part of a denomination) depend on the giving of it’s members to operate…that is why they spend so much time on giving, not to mention the fact that the Bible stresses sacrificial giving and tithing on numerous occasions.

4) Church is full of rules to make you feel guilty

Church is only filled with the rules of scripture, so if you really have an issue with church rules, God is the one to take issue with. We live in a society that does not like to be told something is wrong. We like to be tolerant (unless, of course, it goes against what we want or like or believe). The Bible has a set of standards of right from wrong that has stood the test of time (over 3,000 years)…so maybe it knows a little about the subject. The guilt we feel is usually the result of the Holy Spirit letting us know what we are doing is wrong…so we need to listen.

My hope and prayer is that you find a church that you can be a vital part of. You will not find a perfect church…every church has issues. The goal in life is to find the right church family that you can feel comfortable going through hard times with. The church is Gods tool to reach the lost…if you are not a part of that tool, you are not reaching the lost, and if you are not reaching the lost…what’s the point?