Recklessly (Luke 24:1-12)

I love what Peter did here. The others just sat and listened  like the women were babbling stuff (read it) and they didn't believe them, but Peter got up and ran to the tomb. I imagine him running as hard as he could, wanting desperately for what they said to be true.I see Peter like a grown man becoming a boy again, wanting deeply for the tales and dreams to be true (I think we all need to do this sometimes, a child is carefree). Just  going and doing it because His true Father says, "you can do it." This is the way the way that Jesus comes to us. We are all little children compared, in this broken world where we're lost. This is a dangerous place, and although we want to see ourselves as big and strong, we aren't, by ourselves, without our big strong Dad to protect us. We can live and dream of the impossible because that's what our Dad is with us, He makes the impossible happen out of His beautiful wisdom. All He does is amazing and nothing but art. He creates beauty out of the broken and ashes. We kinda are falling apart. No, not kinda, we are. We have a brilliant Dad who carries us the steps we can't make anymore. We were given the freedom to dream again. In John 21:1-14, Peter does the same kind of thing. He jumps off the boat pretty much recklessly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7uoC-YTQy8

empty

eh,found it. it was interesting with fog.....

Never Fail.

Letter to God:

You hold us. That one thing has been on my heart so much, a good year. I'm amazed at Your extravagant and awesome pursuit of us. You had us in the beginning,it's Your love that pressed on. It never fails, not for an instant. I do the most rotten thing and You still love me. You never fail Lord, that is the reason You ran. We think, "why am I living this way when when I was fed with no worries in my Fathers house?"We walk back, but You run when we're still far off. You take hold of us and say, "you were lost and now your found." Lord, You blow....me...away.


......
had to change name because I don't want anyone to confuse this with another thing called "love." which I knew about before hand, I really just thought "love." was a great name. Thought I would change it so not confuse. "Basics." really is to show my belief in what we really need. We don't need this fluff in life to be happy. 

The Right Scope....

 Lord, we're all so weak. I see how much we need You. How much we've always needed You. Lord, You are so Great and Holy beyond anything I can imagine.

      Make me into that man You've always wanted me to be. Not what I think is cool. I look at the stream next to me, I look at how the water is (so glass like, smooth, flowing) and I am blown away by Your awesome wonderful design. You love me like lover. It's like a guy makes something for a girl because he thinks she'll like it. You are the stronger partner. Maybe that's why You created opposite sexes. You were trying to demonstrate ,in a very real way, what You do for us. Your bride the church made of PEOPLE who are united to love You and have answered Your calling. In the beginning all humanity was supposed to be Your bride. Since the fall, the church (being the people who answered Your call) is Your bride. I propose the "Whore" which was Israel in His word(and which IS all of us because WE stray so easily), that God loved anyways  and fought for is all of humanity. I propose Israel, being God's chosen people was the people through whom God chose to bring about redemption for all humanity (which He would not let live in eternal punishment). This was probably realized way back then...but it sure isn't taught. Answer the call.
 
 I love You Lord, with all my heart. I think what You made is beautiful.
-Matthew

Confidence (1 Samuel 17)

    It was kind of a eureka moment tonight...What  is confidence? Where does confidence come from?Really....I guess it is, that you,yourself know that you have the ability to accomplish a task.
     We're all weak, how can we ever have confidence to do anything? I get distracted sometimes by the "waves (matthew 14:22-33)." Psalms 8:2b says, "you have established strength because of Your foes, to the enemy and the avenger" The Lord has established His strength. David has confidence in God, and guess what? He had the confidence to slay a 9 ft. tall man! In 1 Samuel 17:36 he says that the "Living God" makes His enemies like one of the bear or lion he(David) struck down. David had complete confidence in the strength of the Lord and what God thinks of him.He just knows because he spends time with God. He knows God's confidence, he knows God is with him and in turn is able to have confidence in what can be achieved. Anything can be achieved if you're with God and God gives you the strength to do it. Confidence in ones self, is not the source. It's confidence in who God is and what He thinks of you. I don't mean knowing with your head, head knowledge is exterior, but knowledge with the inner most being, your heart. Yeah, you can have confidence in yourself without God but that is so much smaller. As David showed this. David's confidence in God, was Goliath's loss (Goliath's confidence in self). You win when confidence is in God. We win when confidence is on what He can do. It's partially like you think your cooler if you're on a good team. You would naturally have more pride in your team.

-Matthew

What is.... (john 14....vs. 15)

Every so often, I come back to the main topic....

 What is love? Is it just some fluffiness? It's not chocolate, or sonnets, or midnight escapes. To God it's derived down to a very basic element. For God it's not all this earthly romance (although that's nice). In some way those things are a shadow of what it is. If you love God, you obey His commands, it's the same as if you love someone. In a way you satisfy the wishes of someone you care about romantically, you buy chocolates, you go on walks with them. Doing is proof of your emotions. We truly love God  when we do what He asks us to be, to follow His commands.

Lord,
I guess I've dug myself in a pit now...I've messed up. I'm just going to put that up front. I thank You for Your forgiveness. I feel like giving up. This is so hard now. Give me the strength to go on. I need to always pursue You.  Sometimes I don't show it. I love You Lord. Take my passion as a sign for how much I care and I'm so sorry. I slip up at my weak points. You have my whole life.

-Matthew

Man and Woman (genesis 2)

I wonder why women always (not 100% but it's fairly common) tend to marry a little earlier than men? Women, when they're just children, they're are playing with dolls, dressing them up, and marrying those dolls! I remember as a child being sucked into playing barbies with my sister. I was, of course, the ken doll. Every so often I'd try to sneak my GIjoe as the dad. I'd try to get my GIjoe hitched. Poor GIjoe is still a single commando. He couldn't make it past the eyes of mean ol' sister (probably spared him). Maybe it's a male and female nature to get married when they do, just maybe. I mean, the same system happened back when there were the only two humans in existence. Is that coincidental? Crazy, but maybe, even that was passed down. Look at Genesis 2:18. God knew what Adam needed after he went through the animal inventory of the world. Adam confirms this need as he says, "THIS AT LAST..." It's the naming of what "woman" should be called. Notice He's still in the naming mode. I imagine God led Eve to Adam in a very playful, kind of "magical way." Like you would for someone you love, without the magic part. Look at this, man was created first, he was in his job and career caring for the garden, Adam waited long enough to know enough to get lonely and proclaim "at last." He was looking for someone, "at last" the woman was born and already she's led to meet the man. Things haven't changed a whole bunch. I guess it's out of God's eternal wisdom. Women for some reason need that, men need to clear their plates, it's in both their natures and it's needed. Maybe you get the point of "need."

-matthew