Praying for Japan

An earthquake in Japan: it is hard to understand why these things happen.  Why are there natural disasters?  Why are they so devastating?  Did the people who were affected do something to deserve that type of pain?  These questions inevitably come up any time disaster strikes.  I think back to my own experience with a natural disaster and the thoughts that went through my head in the days that followed.  In my case, I quickly realized that we will not always understand why these things happen.  These disasters do not pick favorites.  They do not know who in the world is "good" or "bad."  Any of us could be the victims of the next major disaster.  For instance, an earthquake could strike anywhere at any time.

But when you are in the middle of the disaster, that is not always comforting to hear.  First of all, you do not want to hear people questioning your morals.  That happened to me after the tornado.  I remember hearing someone in a local store questioning what sinful acts our university was involved in to deserve such a devastating disaster.  While we are all sinners and deserve punishment for those sins, we should not immediately think that when disaster strikes, it is a result of someone's sin.  But we must realize that we live in a fallen world, and the reason the world is in this state is because of our sin.  Even so, this is not the way to comfort someone who is going through the aftermath of a disaster.

So how do we help those who are hurting as a result of this disaster in Japan?  First and foremost, we must pray for them.  It may have been a week since the earthquake hit, but the Japanese people are still hurting.  Imagine losing everything you own.  Imagine your world literally being shaken.  Imagine living in a place that you know is your hometown but if you did not know any better, you would not recognize it.  Imagine the fear of aftershocks continuing days after the earthquake.  Imagine the fear of a nuclear meltdown.  While most of us cannot physically go to Japan to help, we can pray.  We can pray that there will be no more death as a result of this tragedy.  We can pray that people will be found alive in the rubble.  We can pray that people will find healing, both physically and emotionally.  The emotional effects of this earthquake will carry on for years.  We can also pray for spiritual healing.  For those who do not know God, we can pray that they will find Him in the midst of this tragedy.

This leads to one final question that people are asking.  Why would God allow this?  This question arises in the midst of every earthquake, hurricane, and storm.  Is God punishing them?  Did they do something wrong?  We have already seen how while the effects of our sin have led to a fallen world (leading to disasters such as these), these disasters are not necessarily a result of some specific sin.  Although this can be true, as we see this in Scripture at times (where God allowed judgment and disaster as a result of the specific sins of different nations), it is not necessarily the norm.  So instead of blaming the people for some great sin that they have committed, and instead of blaming God for this disaster, let us pray.  Let us pray that healing will come, that restoration will come, and that the Japanese will recover quickly.  Yes, it is hard to understand why these things happen, but instead of getting caught up in the philosophical questions that arise out of these situations, we need to take action.  We can do this by sending aid to Japan, going to Japan to help if we can, and praying for them.

We never know when we might get caught up in one of these tragedies, and the last thing any of us want is someone blaming us for the disaster that we face.  We would want others to reach out to us, helping us recover.  So in the same way, let us not judge those who go through these hard times.   Let us help them financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Matt

Remembering the Persecuted

This week has been GO Week at Union, and we have been focusing on local, national, and international missions throughout the week. It is an opportunity for students to get involved in some form or fashion for the glory of God. This year the theme is "to the nations." Now some may argue that we need to be focused on our local area, and I completely agree! However, there must be a balance. If we are going to the nations without going to our neighbor, something is wrong. If we remain in our bubble without thinking about our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ across the world, something is wrong as well.

Tonight was a focus on those brothers and sisters scattered across the world. In America, we do not suffer persecution from the government. We are free to gather and worship Christ. We are free to spread His word to those around us. But so many people today do not have that freedom. So tonight, we pretended to be in those situations (although we could never do it justly, for we have no idea what these people suffer each day). We "secretly" met in the gym to have a Bible study without use of any Bibles. Scripture was strictly from memory. Our meetings were quiet and in the dark. Now this pales in comparison to what people are suffering this very moment across the world, but hopefully it gave us some idea of how free we are in our own country.

The main focus tonight was to remember to pray for those who are suffering. Many have died even today for the sake of the Gospel. People are killed, imprisoned, and persecuted daily just because they proclaimed the name of Jesus. Can you imagine? People are tricked, lied about, and arrested (sometimes over things they never did). And here we are sitting in our churches, sitting in our homes, going about our daily lives forgetting that we have brothers and sisters who are suffering. We are ONE body in Christ, and when one member suffers, we all do. But how many times do we forget this?

Now do not think that I am lashing out against Christians because this convicted me as much as anybody. It made me stop once again and think about how I live my life. How often do I forget?

One last thing... do not only pray for our fellow Christians, but also remember those who are doing the persecuting. Steve Booth has been our speaker this week, and he reminded us tonight that they need our prayers as well. He reminded us of Paul, one of the greatest persecutors we have ever known. But did God give up on Paul? Of course not, and if He had of, we would not have half of our New Testament. If God can change Paul's life, he change the lives of those across the world today. So do not forget the persecuted or the persecutors!

Matt

A Hard Week

What a week it has been this week. Just when I think life is beginning to settle down and I can get back to some normal things (such as posting on here), chaos erupts somewhere else. This time it happened at work, and it was not the kids. I cannot go into any detail about what has been going on, but I can say that it has not been too much fun. Also, it has produced long days at work that completely where me out. I just woke up from an hour and a half nap that is coming off of 12 hours asleep on Friday night.

The situation is still not resolved, but I am praying that things will begin to work out this week. And hopefully that will help this week not drag on so badly. Please pray that the situation will be handled the way it needs to be, and that it will not affect my work performance or my relationship with the kids to which we minister each day.

Other than that, summer is clicking right along. It is nice to keep in touch with some friends at school, which I have also done some this week. But I feel like summer is almost over, and school is not seeming too bad right now. I am going to enjoy these next four weeks though, because I know that it will probably be a challenging semester once again.

Matt

Kansas Report - Prayer Requests

To wrap up this trip, I thought I would end it with some prayer requests from the week. First off, the picture above is our team, "the Tennessee Team," at the country swing dance party.

Please pray for:

• 11 students that we met that we know are going on summer mission trips this summer. They are preparing for them even now, and I pray that they will let God use them in mighty ways this summer. Pray for their safety as they travel, and pray that God will touch many lives through their willingness to serve Him during their summer break.
• There are several students that we met during the week that confessed that they did not know Christ. Please pray for their salvation. Pray that they will continue to attend events hosted by Christian Challenge so that they may hear the Gospel, and pray that the Christian Challenge students can find these students and have opportunities to show them Christ.
• In particular, there are 2 students that I met that are eating lunch with a Christian Challenge student this week. Please pray for good conversation and the opportunity to discuss the Gospel.
• Pray for the leaders of Christian Challenge as they continue to lead the group. They sacrifice a lot for those students, and they are truly a blessing.
• Pray for Fort Hays State University. There were lots of things that we heard about that take place on campus that we were surprised to hear. And as we prayer walked the campus, we did feel a spiritual darkness present. Please pray that Christian Challenge can help lift that darkness and that the lives of the students will be radically changed for Christ.

Thanks for your prayers as we went to Kansas during spring break. There was so much more that happened while we were there, but I feel as if I have hit the highlights for you this past week. This has been our trip! God was amazing, and He showed up in miraculous ways all week long! I am thankful to have gotten to know the Christian Challenge students at FHSU, and I pray that they continue to serve Christ.

Matt

Time for Kansas

It is finally Spring Break! That means that is finally time to head to Kansas for GO Fort Hays State. It is 5:37AM right now, and in less than 1 hour, we are going to be meeting up on campus to head out. We have a 12 hour trip ahead of us this morning, and it will be 11 people in a 15 passenger van. Don't you love road trips? It is going to be an awesome day! I gave you a schedule of events on a previous post last week, and as far as I can tell, that is pretty much what we will be doing this week, with a few possible changes once we get there. But generally, that should be our schedule.

Please pray for our team as we meet up with theirs. Pray that we will be able to encourage them as they continue to live out the faith in a state university. Pray that they will encourage us as we see how they live their faith out in a harder environment than what we are used to. But most importantly, pray that God will be glorified in all that is done this week! I know that He has a lot in store for us this week, and it will be exciting to see Him at work. So I will be away from here for a while, but I will be sure to give you a full report when we return.

Matt

Westmont College

Before I dive back into my study cave for the night, I wanted to ask that you pray for Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. As many of you may have heard, there has been a recent outbreak of fires in California. Last Thursday, Westmont College was one of the victims to this fire, receiving fire damage to some of their buildings on campus. As Union students, we know what it is like to go through a natural disaster, and we are asking for people to pray for this college (our sister university) during this troubling time.

Pray that they will be able to rebuild soon, getting a plan of action ready this week. Pray that students will be able to return to classes as soon as possible, if they have not already done so. Also, pray that God will be able to use this situation to His glory, that He will be seen through their testimony during such a trying time. I can understand what many of them are currently going through at Westmont, and I pray that God will be with them every step of the way. May they seek His guidance in the days ahead.

Matt

GO Week 2008

Psalm 86:9-10

All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.

GO Week has been going on this week at Union, and we are all getting to know various organizations around the community that we can work in as a ministry to others. There are all kinds of ways to get involved in Jackson. But also, organizations from across the world have made their way to campus this week to show us international opportunities. So there are plenty of ways for us to get involved, and many are sharing those options with us this week.

Another aspect of GO Week are the GO trips. This year Union in sponsoring 17 different trips all across the world. Please pray for the students who will be involved on these trips. I, myself, plan to get involved in one of the trips as well. Many of you know that I participated in GO Paris 2 years ago, and my trip to Providence, Rhode Island was cancelled last year. So I am looking forward to another opportunity to serve God during Spring Break this year. I do not know where I am going yet, and I have not yet narrowed down my selections. But before Fall Break, we will all know what trip we will be going on this school year.

We will be going to places such as Europe (Germany, Romania), Africa (Kenya, N. Africa), Asia (undisclosed locations), Central and South America (Guatemala, Honduras), and the United States (Boston, Providence, Nashville). The list goes on and on. Please pray for every student filling out an application. Pray that we will mark the trips that we feel God leading us toward. And then pray for those in Campus Ministries who will be deciding which trip we will be placed on. Pray that God will be in all of the decisions and that we will all get placed on the right trip.

It will be a busy year, and I expect God to do some great things.

Matt

Hurricane Ike

Well one consistent thing about life is that there is always hardship and tribulation. Someone is always going through a rough time. You may not have anything burdensome upon you right now, but there are many who do. So let's continue to remember those who are hurting around us and bring those requests to the Lord.

If you have been watching the news, you may have noticed that Hurricane Ike is set to make landfall sometime this weekend on the coast of Texas. Like the hurricanes that have come before it, remember those who will be displaced by this storm. Many are being evacuated even now, leaving their homes and businesses behind hoping to return there soon. But for many, they may never see those buildings again, and believe me that is hard to deal with. When what you know is wiped out before you, it can be hard to get through. So remember those people as they prepare for this natural disaster. And pray that God weakens the storm prior to its landfall. Gustav weakened greatly a few weeks ago and did not cause near as much damage as was expected. Pray that God can do the same with Ike.

Also, remember those tomorrow who will be dealing with anniversary of September 11th. It has almost been 7 years since that horrible day, and I am sure that it brings back those same emotions to the family members who lost loved ones. Pray for them and ask the Lord to remind them that He is always with them through the good days and the bad. Pray that tomorrow will be a day of remembrance for their family members and not a day of mourning.

I found out tonight that a friend here at Union lost her brother 2 weeks ago in a car accident. We were at church tonight, and she was crying at the end of the service. When I asked her what was wrong, she filled me in on what happened 2 weeks ago. Please pray that God will comfort her in this difficult time. I do not know what she is going through personally, but I can only imagine. I have lost grandparents and remember how hard that was. This is probably worse being a sibling. Pray that she will continue to depend on God for her strength through the coming days.

Finally, praise God that our semester has gotten off to a great start! Campus is still under the rebuilding phase, but we are moving along quickly. Construction continues on our 15th dorm, and the sod is beginning to take root and turn green. They have almost finished laying the sod, and we also have a monument going up for the old dorms. Campus looks great, but continue to pray for the construction process. Both the last dorm and the commons building are set to be up and ready by the beginning of next Fall. Pray that construction moves along quickly as it has for the past 7 months.

God is mighty and powerful. He can do all things. Go to Him with your requests, and always depend on His strength in your life.

Matt

Hurricane Gustav

Well as September begins, trouble seems to be brewing. Hurricane Gustav is set to begin to make its landfall tomorrow on the 1st. The experts are saying that it will make landfall late tomorrow or early on Tuesday. Keep the people who live on the Gulf in your prayers. This almost seems like we have traveled back 3 years into the past and are just now facing Hurricane Katrina. Although this storm has taken a different path than Katrina, it is headed for New Orleans now. Many have been evacuated over the past few days, but despite the fact that they are safe they must be thinking about their homes and towns. Whole cities could be destroyed by this storm, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it, except pray. Pray that this storm is not as destructive as all the experts are saying. Pray that it weakens within the next 24 hours. Hopefully the experts will be wrong, and I am sure that they feel the same way.

Also, remember that there are more storms coming and more that could develop. Hanna is still out there, and its future is unknown at the time. It will likely hit the U.S. later this week, but a lot could change between now and then. Pray that this storm will turn back out into the Atlantic and not harm our shores.

And there could be more out in the Atlantic forming as well. Plus, hurricane season is far from over. The good news is that this year has not been as bad as 2005. But Gustav could be devastating nonetheless. So pray for the storm, pray for the people, and pray for God's control over this entire situation. He will watch over those people if they will come to Him for help in their time of need.

Matt

Tropical Troubles, Election Speeches, and Football

The country is busy, and every American is probably sitting in front of a TV right now. Between the fears of what the 2 tropical storms will bring over the next few days, the anticipation of Obama's speech and McCain's VP choice, and the excitement that comes with college football, we are a country of TV junkies tonight. But is that all a bad thing?

First off, hurricane season 2008 is in full force. After having 2 really easy years in '06 and '07, '08 is beginning to shape up like the horrible '05 season. Thankfully, we are only up to the letter 'H' in hurricane names. In '05 we were already at 'K' with Katrina. That is the good news. The bad news is that Gustav and Hannah are in the Atlantic Ocean charging toward America. Of course the scariest aspect of any tropical storm is that of death. Gustav has already killed several in some of the islands. And there is a great possibility that more could die in the days to come. But for those of us who do not live on the coasts, we are dealing with the fear of higher gas prices. Gas is already on the rise in America. The barrel cost is holding in the $113-118 range. But the price at the pump is steadily increasing. Keep the people along the gulf in your prayers. The next 7 days are very uncertain for them. Who knows what will come of Gustav and Hannah. It would be great if they would just break apart and not near our coasts. But whatever the result is, pray that they can stay safe.

Tonight also marks the night of Obama's first speech as the Democratic nominee. He was officially announced as the nominee last night, and tonight he is accepting that nomination request. This is a crucial speech for Obama. We will be able to see how united the Democratic party is at this point. But if that was not enough for the political scene tonight, it has also been hinted that McCain might announce his running mate tonight. Now he has denied those requests, and does not want the news to leak until after Obama's speech. But knowing the media they will probably figure it out early and spoil the news. So if you are a political junkie, tonight is the night for you to be glued to the news.

But most importantly (for me anyways) is that college football has started up! NC State and South Carolina are currently playing in the season opener. It is still in the first quarter, and no one has scored yet. But it is exciting to be back to football. The NFL will be starting up next week, and it will finally begin to feel like Fall.

Matt

Start of a New Year

Well the kids started school today. What a sad day it was for Jessica and I. Some of them did not come back today because they are participating in other after school programs. I pray that these kids will have an amazing school year. I told many of them yesterday that by going back to school, they have an opportunity to tell others the things that they have learned this summer. I encouraged them to continue to practice all the verses and books they learned.

Also, we had a specific situation occur yesterday that I do not want to spell out on here. Let me just say that something was either misplaced or stolen yesterday. We know no details on this situation other than this specific object is missing. We are still trying to put the pieces together and figure out what might have happened and how we can solve this problem. Just pray that this lost item is found.

Finally, I have several friends that are beginning to make the move back to Jackson ready to start a new semester. RAs will be moving in soon along with some of the sports teams. Please pray for safe travel as they begin moving back into the new dorms. It seems as if the dorms should be ready, furniture was being moved in earlier this week. I pray for a great start to a new semester, and I especially pray for the safe travel of all those who have to go back to campus early.

Matt

Not a Weekend of Rest

After a long week, the thing we all would like to do is rest during the weekend. But that is not always the case. At times, we have places that we need to or have to go. And then there are those times when unforeseen circumstances arrive, and we have to adapt our schedules to accommodate others. This weekend was one of those weekends.

My grandmother was put back in the hospital on Wednesday, and I had not yet had an opportunity to go visit her yet. We had thought about going on Saturday, but had to quickly change our plans to go visit her today. See, she and my mom decided to buy peas. Well when you buy peas from someone, you have to get them ready to put them into the freezer. So yesterday was a day of playing with peas. I am not complaining, that is something I have grown up doing, and I have very fond memories of doing that with my other grandmother before she passed away. But it takes a while to do, so we started yesterday.

On top of the peas, the Senior High Group is gone this week on their Mission Trip, so I also had to do Power Point for the 2nd service today. Again, I enjoy doing that, but it just all happened to fall on the same weekend. So after I got home from church, we went straight to Jackson to visit Grandma. But then, my grandfather began feeling worse, complaining with a stomach ache. So we had to hurry back home, find medicine and get him taken care of as well. And as you may guess, we still had peas to take care of once we got home. Thankfully, the peas are just about ready.

So I am really tired right now, and tomorrow starts another week with the kids (hopefully a good week). But forget about me, I will make it. I have been a lot worse off than this. Please pray for both of my grandparents who are recovering from different illnesses. May God give them strength to feel better. Also, continue to pray for my brother and the rest of the group as they spend the week in Ohio ministering to various families and churches. I am looking forward to another week. I have confidence that this will be a great week!

Matt

Crazy, Fighting Kids

So Christian Wee Learn was getting better. And if I look at it from the perspective of what the kids have learned this summer, it far exceeds what I could have ever imagined. But the problem is that they are now getting wilder. The past two days (including today) have been horrible!! We have had more fighting and lying than we have had all summer. They will not listen, and it is stressing me out a little. But I know that things will get better. They do know how to listen, and have proven that to us before. So I am ask for prayer, not for me, but for the kids. I pray that something they have learned this summer will make an impact on their life. Maybe it will help them learn to listen and know why it is important to listen and respect authority. I pray that something will change that will help them in the long run, not just to help my summer be easier. I am praying for a life change in these kids.

Secondly, continue to pray for Phillip. He finally sat down and talked to me yesterday. He said that he did accept Christ into his heart that Monday night at Kids Kamp. I knew he was struggling, but he would not open up that night. I questioned what he did that night, and he knew what he was talking about. I think he does understand the Gospel. But remember, his mom is Catholic, and his dad is Baptist. So he is really struggling with what the differences are between the two. I told him that he needed to let his parents know the decision that he made at Kids Kamp. He said he was going to, but through the chaos of today, I never had a moment to talk to him alone. So I am shooting to do that tomorrow. Pray that he will have the courage to make known his decision, and pray for his growth in Christ in the days to come.

Finally, my brother will be involved in the Senior High Mission Trip to Toledo, Ohio next week. They leave on Saturday. Pray that God will do amazing things in Toledo. Seeds will be planted, and there could be harvest while they are there. I am praying that God will show up and work through the lives of these willing students.

Matt

Prayer for Phillip

I have had prayer requests in previous posts, but I have decided to start a new section of my blog. When I have an urgent prayer request(s), I will post them on here.

Please pray for Phillip. He is one of my kids at Christian Wee Learn. I have wondered about his salvation most of the summer. I became especially concerned when his mother told me that she was Catholic and her husband was Baptist. Phillip is a 9 year old boy who has never known where to go to church. His parents have not pushed him in either direction. And now he is beginning to question where he should go.

He told me at the beginning of the summer that he had never studied the Bible. But he has caught on very quickly, now knowing all of the books and several memory verses. Then came VBS, and there is always an evangelism day during VBS. I am not sure how that went with him, but I do know that he is now questioning those ideas. And I think that Kids Kamp has pushed him even further. On Monday night, Tobey was preaching, and he laid down a pretty heavy invitation. Phillip kept glancing my way, and he made eye contact with me. Then came the tears (or watery eyes). When I asked what was wrong afterwards, he told me he was just homesick. I asked him if he was sure, and he insisted that he was. So I left it at that, and decided to talk to him later.

Wednesday added another piece to this puzzle. His mom (who is Catholic) came up to me thanking me for teaching him at the church and going on Kids Kamp. She said that he has been struggling (confirming my suspicions). She then asked if I would sit down with him and talk to him about it. That is when she told me that she wanted to leave that decision completely up to him, without either of his parents pressuring him. So she opened up the door for me to tell him more about Christ.

My prayer is that the opportunity will arise that I can talk to him. I pray that he sees the truth, and that he will continue to question these ideas. Of course, he has to come the decision himself, and no one can make him believe. But now that the opportunity has fallen at my feet, I will soon be telling him more, one-on-one.

Phillip is a great kid that I have really connected with. Please pray for his salvation!

Matt