Well... I guess this is goodbye..

So In a very few short hours I will be on my way to St. Louis to go to basic training. This is my last blog post until Christmas time. I'm sorry I don't have my mailing address, but if you've given my yours I will send you something whenever I get there and know my address. I'm not sure if I'm excited or scared or sad or happy about leaving for this... haha. Probably some of each. =)
I know that God is with me just the same over there as He is here.

There's a Michael W. Smith song that I like a lot called "friends"

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But well keep you close as always
It wont even seem you've gone
cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Chorus:
And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
cause the welcome will not end
Though its hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetimes not too long to live as friends.

With the faith and love God's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you'll live in
Is the strength that now you show

But well keep you close as always
It wont even seem you've gone
cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong


Although I'll be gone for a few months, you will all be in my thoughts, so it will seem as if you're right there with me :) I have a lot of maturing to do while I'm away, and hopefully I'll come back twice the man that I am now. Just don't any of you change too much on me! lol I ask for a special blessing on each of you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, that life may go well for you, and the time of these next few months may be one of strengthening and betterment to both you and I. Hopefully sometime around the beginning of November I will have my cell phone, so I'll be calling around a lot more to let people know how I'm doing (if they want to know..;P)

Galatians 5:16-18

I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.

For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want

But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Hope you all have a wonderful time without me! lol I'm sure you will.. but before you know it I'm going to be back again, terrorizing the world... J/K but anyway, I know that the same God sees me when I pray as the one who sees you. I'll be seeing the same stars at night, the same sun in the day, and praying to the same God.

I give you my final goodbye in the words of the apostle Paul:
2 Timothy 4:22
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all of you.

Some song lyrics I thought I'd share

Anybody who knows me well knows that I LOVE music! I almost always relate better to song lyrics than I do to a movie character, a public speaker, a book, or other forms of getting a point across.

First, I'll start with the lyrics to a song I saw on the blog of one of the speakers from steubenville. I often relate to this song almost too well, but as I progress to other songs, I'll tell my story better.


Simple Plan "I'm Just a kid (and life is a nightmare)"

I woke up it was 7
I waited til 11
Just to figure out that no one would call
I think I've got alot of friends
But I don't hear from them
What's another night all alone
When you're spending every day on your own
And here it goes

I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cuz I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me

And maybe when the night is dead
I'll crawl into my bed staring at these 4 walls again
I'll try to think about the last time I had a good time
Everyone's got somewhere to go & they're gonna leave me here on my own
And here it goes

I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cuz I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me

What the f--- is wrong with me
Don't fit in with anybody
How did this happen to me?
Wide awake I'm bored & I can't fall asleep
And every night is the worst night ever

I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid

I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cuz I'm alone and the world is
Nobody wants to be alone in the world

I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares cuz I'm alone and the world is
Nobody wants to be alone in the world
Nobody cares cuz I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me tonight
I'm all alone tonight
Nobody cares tonight
Cuz I'm just a kid tonight

All too often I feel this way, but then I always remember that even if it seems like nobody cares about me, there's always Jesus.

Air 5 "I will carry you"

Just a freshmen, he's the new kid
Been six weeks and he still sits alone
Cause his happiness has ended
Ever since his dad left
Now the home is dyin
Mom's still cryin
Dads not tryin
And no one knows

Just as faith is about to let go
That's when my Jesus said
No. This one is mine
I will not let him go
Hear the voice of your Savior and know
I Will Carry You

Meet Kristina she's the prom queen
Runner up for three years in a row
And her dinner plate is quite clean
With frequent visits to the bathroom
Alone she's dyin
The Mirrors lyin
Her heart is cyrin
And no one knows

Just as faith is about to let go
That's when my Jesus said
No. This one is mine
I will not let her go
Hear the voice of your Savior and know
I Will Carry You

Broken pieces
Scattered on the
Ground's unstable
I can't find
My way is refuge
For the broken
Take my hand
I'll lead you there

Then there are times when I feel I've messed up so badly that even Jesus couldn't love me. Again, I need to be reminded that as long as I truly repent, it doesn't matter what happened, even if nobody else will do the right thing and forget about my mistakes, God does.

Stellar Kart "Second Chances"


No matter what you did or might do again
Following all the worthless trends
You know he's waiting patiently
From now until forever

Brokenhearted and confused
Feeling like you've been abused
The second chances never end
From now until forever

There will always be second chances
And you'll always be on your first try

There will always be second chances
And you'll always be on your first try

You try and you try but you're never ahead of the game
And you're wondering why you're on your face again
You feel like you've been left alone

You try and you try but you're never ahead of the game
And you're wondering why you're on your face again
You feel like you've been left alone

There will always be second chances
And you'll always be on your first try

There will always be second chances
And you'll always be on your first try

There will always be second chances
And you'll always be on your first try

There will always be second chances
And you'll always be on your first try
Forever, Forever, Forever, Forever, Forever...

And finally, when I've picked myself up, I come back to Jesus like the prodigal son.

Rush of Fools "Undo"

I’ve been here before
Now, here I am again
Standing at the door
Praying You’ll let me back in

To label me
A prodigal would be
Only scratching the surface
Of who I’ve been known to be

Turn me around, pick me up
Undo what I’ve become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, I need Your help
I can’t do this myself
You’re the only one
Who can undo what I’ve become

I focused on the score
But I could never win
Trying to ignore
A life of hiding my sin

To label me
A hypocrite would be
Only scratching the surface
Of who I’ve been known to be

Turn me around, pick me up
Undo what I’ve become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, I need Your help
I can’t do this myself
You’re the only one
Who can undo what I’ve become

Make every step lead me back to
The sovereign way that You

Turn me around, pick me up
Undo what I’ve become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, I need Your help
I can’t do this myself
You’re the only one who can undo
You are the only one who can undo
You’re the only one who can undo
What I’ve become


Hope you enjoyed seeing a little bit of my "life through lyrics" as I like to call it :) Sometimes you will understand more the things I am going through by listening to the songs I'll be playing while I'm working or whatever I am doing than you will be able to get out of me by talking with me.
Often I feel like different disciplines in my life hurt too much to bear, but I'm reminded by this verse that such is not the case.
Hebrews 12: 7-8 Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards.
Hebrews 12:11 At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

As the day comes closer when I will be leaving for basic training, on the outside it may seem like it's going to be easy for me, and in some ways it is, but deep down, it's really hard for me to leave some people behind, but in the end, I know God's will is being done, and it will be a time for me to learn discipline- not just in words, but in the way I act.
God Bless you, and protect you, and may the love of Christ shine through you to the ends of the world every day, yours truly,
Matthew