Kickball Tournament

We had a blast on Saturday at the Kickball Tournament. Almost 40 people showed up- some played, some spectated (like me). Check out these pics:


My man's got nice form, huh?

Family reunion & KICKBALL!!!

So I realized this morning I haven't gotten to tell you about last weekend when Chris' family came in town! We went to Slaughter for a family reunion, and I met a lot of people. Chris' Granny is one of 13 kids, so there were tons of people there. The best part was getting to hang out with Lauren and Chase. We had such a blast! Check out some pictures:


Also, don't forget about the KICKBALL TOURNAMENT tomorrow from 1-3pm at Highland Road Park. It's going to be so fun! (I will only be watching, of course, and partaking in free snoballs!) Check out Mike's blog for some hilarious videos. I'll post some pictures of the festivities soon!

Lessons from Hosea

Johnny Green tore it up last night at Life U with some great lessons from the life of Hosea. If you want to hear the whole message, order it from the product booth... but I have to share some things I learned. Hosea is killer!

God told Hosea to marry a prostitute. Hosea's entire life was an illustration of God's relationship with the Israelites (they were unfaithful time after time, and He always took them back and showed them unending compassion). I got rolled up with this verse: Hosea 6:6- "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings." It's not about what we do for God or His people, but it's about our relationship with Him. He wants us to be familiar, intimate with Him. I can't be so busy serving God that I don't know Him! Sometimes it's easy to get wrapped up in the "ministry"- we see all the acts of service we do and we think that's enough. God just wants true relationship with us- that's what we were created for!!

Something else Johnny pointed out was great: The pathway to idolatry is through your greatest need. Satan tempted Jesus with bread, because that's the thing He needed most. What does the devil tempt you with? What do you feel is your greatest need? Financial security? Then money will be your god... Companionship? Then you'll fall for the first person who walks through the door... Power or recognition? Then you will do or say anything to be noticed or promoted. We have to quit worrying about fitting into culture and focus on fitting into HIS standard.

The greatest lesson of this whole story is God's compassion and unfailing love. He has a passionate desire to take us back when we drift away. He doesn't act out of impulse or anger, but out of His purpose for us. He sacrificially faithful, no matter how unfaithful we are! He blows my mind!!!

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Several people have walked by my desk and seen the book I'm reading, with the immediate response of, "That's the Starbucks book!" God bless Starbucks for getting people interested in this story, but they have nothing to do with this. You HAVE GOT TO read this book. Yes, I love Africa and people might say I am biased, but if you are human, this story will affect you. Go here to check out more info on this amazing book. Here's a excerpt from the website.

"A gripping story of a child’s journey through hell and back. There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story in his own words.

In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope."

This book will change your life. Period. Don't want your world rocked? Don't read it.

Eco-friendly? Not so much

You have to go to Carole Turner's blog to check out this great post. I didn't read it at first because it looked a little lengthy, but now that I have read it, I think everyone else needs to as well. Political or not, worried about the environment or not, if you care about anything that's going on in America right now- read this!

More awesome people servin' it up for Jesus!

Terry Olivier did a SLAMMIN' job preaching at Late Nite on Saturday. It was his first time to preach in that setting (he speaks at Refuge frequently) and he amazing. It is refreshing to see that this ministry really is secure and has a huge future with guys like him behind the wheel. His message on "What is Love?" was so strong, and he offered great insight that I had never heard before. You should order a copy from the products booth if you weren't there to hear it.

Also, Elevate full-time and Dan Ohlerking are in Africa right now. Check out their blog here. They also all have individual pages that they have been blogging on since they got there... you can link to most of them from my blog roll.

Finally, check out a blog by Jason Laird here and then see what Pastor Dino said here about the same guy. Marcel Terrebone and his family are a huge asset and blessing to HPC and I'm glad they are getting the shout-outs they deserve!!!

Need a cleaner house or a babysitter?

As most of you know by now, Chris and I will be traveling with Late Nite in October to bring the gospel of Christ to Italy. Together we must raise $7000- this amount covers airfare, transportation, meals, lodging, ministry supplies, and a care package for the missionaries. Through various types of outreaches, giveaways, and concert-type events, we hope to reach thousands of college students on campuses in the area.

We are making our babysitting and cleaning services available to you for the next few months in order to help raise the necessary funds for the trip. Chris and I will baby-sit together on various nights, and I will clean on Mondays during the day. Please contact me by email (meghan.matt@healingplacechurch.org) or on my cell (if you have the number) if you would like to employ our wonderful services. Y’all are the best! Thank you in advance for thinking of us!

Boys better bloggers?

Ok, girls... we need to step it up! I was organizing my blog arrangement on netvibes today, and I realized that I read way more guys' blogs than girls' blogs. So I did some looking around, and I discovered that I really do know more guys with blogs than girls. This upsets me! Of the blogs I read consistently, 6 are families and of those 6, the man in the family is almost always the writer. (This doesn't include the blog I share with my hubby who never posts!) In addition to family sites, I read 9 girls' blogs, and 15 guys' blogs!

Ladies, what's the deal? I realize that there a lot of girlie blogs out there that I don't read, but that's because they're either boring or rarely posted on. The fact is, there are a lot of random, funny, and spiritual blogs out there written by dudes who post very frequently.

Are there any good girl blogs that I am missing out on?
(P.S. The word "blog" was mentioned 12 times in this post, including the one in this sentence)

3rd time's a charm

Ok, so I know I have posted twice today, but I had to make sure everyone reads Ps. Dino's blog entry for today. It is STRONG!

Gettin' rolled up!

So, I am pretty much the most grateful person in the universe right now. Pastor Dino did an amazing job with Staff Meeting and Sub30 today, and some of the things he said really hit home. I won't give you all the points, but I want to share some of my favorites.

He first discussed Psalm 84:10 and what it means to be a doorkeeper. It's such an honor to just be on the edge of what God is doing! I would rather scrub floors in the House of God than be an honored guest in a palace of sin!

Marks of an MVA (Most Valuable Assistant, because we are all assistants in the House)
*Get the job done without drama- can't be quarrelsome and must be able to contain emotions
*Address your ego- let go of selfishness and schedules
*Always be respectful- even though some people are really hard to be respectful to
*Tremendous people skills- can't say "That's just the way I am"- that's defeat!
*Be likable- can't be a barrier to what God is doing in someone's life or will do later

How do you keep loving what you're doing?
*Expect moments that aren't pretty- see the ugly stuff and still love it
*Receive and look for correction- correction is attached to anything life-giving
*Accept the litter you were born into- your family at home and your family in the House
*Don't take it for granted- God can do it without you, so be grateful!

Sanjaya has left the building!

YES!! My day was made yesterday when he was FINALLY voted off American Idol! Now the competition can really begin. My favorites are Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis. Jordin has the best voice, plus in every article I read on her it portrays that she holds Christian values, which I obviously appreciate. Blake is the most talented overall musician and definitely has something that no one else on the show has ever had.

I know Melinda is a favorite to win, but if she does, she will end up just like Fantasia, Reuben, Taylor- one decent single that sells a decent amount of copies, then falls off the radar. Fantasia is starring on Broadway right now which is amazing, but she wasn't much of an "American Idol". Kelly and Carrie are the only winners who have had success and longevity, and it's not necessarily because they were the best singers, but they had the most star quality.

Who do you think should win? Who do you think will win? Why?

Hudson's off the ventilator!

Baby Hudson is now officially off the ventilator, and Gena is on the way to the hospital to hold him for the first time! He is still on the oxygen, but his lungs are expanding and collapsing on their own, so that's great news! There are a few more things he needs to do before he can go home, but we are believing God it will be sooner rather than later!!

Temptations of Prosperity

My devotional this morning was really good, so I wanted to expound on some of it with you. (The lessons come from the story of Joseph, specifically Genesis 39:1-6. )

The first great point is that God was the secret to Joseph's success, not luck. It also says that Joseph found favor with Potiphar- he didn't ask favors. This just made me think of times when I ask for blessings at work when I should be more concentrated on going the second mile for others instead.

It goes on to discuss the temptations that come with prosperity. For the record, Chris and I are not exactly "ballin' outta control", but we do have enough to pay our bills, get a few extras now and then, and give some away. We are blessed with amazing families and incredible jobs. We have some of the best friends in the world. I would consider that pretty prosperous. The temptations that come with prosperity are far greater (and far more subtle) than those that accompany adversity. No longer are we worried about just having faith that God will come through- now we are faced with greed, deceit, and all those ugly sins that creep up on us when things get "peachy".

Thomas Carlyle wrote,"Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man, but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity". In other words, for every 100 people who face adversity and get through it, there is only one who is prosperous and maintains righteousness. That's rough!

What are your thoughts?

Why...

I got this off Dan's blog... (click on it to see a larger image) It definitely hits a nerve in me! What about you?

Praying in April

So Chris and I have been taking the month of April to really press in and seriously pray our hearts out about our future. Here are some questions we are asking God:

*Do we move to Africa or just do frequent short-terms trips there?
*How many kids to we adopt? From where? And most importantly- when?
*Do we adopt first or get pregnant first? And should I quick trying to control pregnancy by human means and just leave it all up to God?
*How are we going to raise $7000 for our mission trip in October?
*When should we begin the process of buying a house?
*We need patience!

As you can see, we have a lot on our minds. Ultimately, we just want clarity. Like Johnny said this weekend: God is the compass- He points us to Him and everything else falls into place. But we want MapQuest with step-by-step details!!! We will be attending the adoptions workshop at the end of the month and we pray that will help give us some of the answers we need.

We hope that you will join with us in prayer for these things! We could really use your support, prayers, and encouragement.

Hudson is here! Hudson is here!

Yesterday morning at 8:59am, Toby & Gena Bohl welcomed their third beautiful child into the world, Hudson Durant William Bohl. He was born 7 pounds 10.6 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Everyone is doing great! Hudson was 3 weeks early and his lungs were a little underdeveloped, so they had to put a tube in him to lubricate them. He's making improvements and should be out of NICU in no time. Keep him in your prayers. He is absolutely beautiful (what else would we expect from that family). Chris and I got to stay with Chase last night, and he's such a proud big brother. We love that whole family!!!

More pictures to come soon....

The Tweezmeister and T-Money

You gotta check out HPC Refuge pastor Tweezy's blog. That dude is really changing the world, one life at a time. I pray for boldness, courage and passion like his. He epitomizes what this life should be like.

Also check out the Tullos crew here. They are the j-high pastors and brand-new parents. They are SO committed and sold-out to seeing the next generation stand up, stand out and change the world. They are raising up an army of little soldiers doing huge things for Jesus.

Chris and I are so honored to get to work in ministry alongside such amazing 20-somethings.

Displace Me

Ok, so everyone knows my burden for Africa. One organization that is doing a lot to benefit that continent is Invisible Children. (You can check out everything they're doing here.) They are doing this amazing event on April 28th called "Displace Me" to raise awareness of global poverty. Right now, almost 38,000 people have signed up to take part in this awesome opportunity in 15 cities around the country. Only 376 people have signed up for New Orleans, so I want to challenge all of you to check it out and try to commit if you can. I won't be able to make it due to church responsibilities, but if you can be there, I know it will rock your world.

Read this excerpt off the website, or just go read all of it.

"When Hurricane Katrina hit this country, we saw for the first time what a displaced American looks like. Now we’re asking you to voluntarily become displaced, leaving the comforts of your homes, to imagine for 24 hours what it’s like for the millions of people in Northern Uganda who have been displaced for more than ten years.

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has abducted thousands of children, subjected them to torture or sexual violence and forced them to fight in a violent guerilla army for 21 years—making it the longest running war in Africa. In hopes of providing protection from this rebel militia, the Ugandan government forcibly evicted its Northern citizens from their homes—giving them 48 hours to relocate into camps. Today, more than 1.5 million Northern Ugandans remain far from secure, suffering nearly 1,000 deaths per week due to inhumane living conditions in the camps.

Alcoholism, sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS, inadequate sanitation and lack of education have caused immeasurable damage to two generations and the near-total destruction of Acholi culture. Water is scarce and people are reliant on food to be delivered by foreign aid. If the food isn’t delivered, the people starve. This April, the already meager rations delivered by the World Food Program to the camps will be cut in half due to lack of funding—with school feeding programs and support for HIV/aids victims soon to follow. This will indisputably increase the number of deaths among those already suffering from severe malnutrition—mostly among women, children and the elderly. That is why the timing of this event, and your participation are so crucial.

“Displace Me” is the nationwide event giving Americans the chance to respond.

By traveling to one of our 15 camps and gathering together, the strength of our size will make a visible statement to our government and media that the citizens of the U.S. demand action in ending the war in Northern Uganda, in order to send the Acholi people suffering in the camps and the abducted children back home. The point is to travel; the point is to become displaced yourself."Saturday, April 28, 2007 say “Displace Me” and leave your homes to bring them home.

CHALLENGED MUCH?

Day of Rest

I took today off after an insanely crazy last few days. I love my job and I wonder everyday why has God chosen me to do His work. With the extreme honor of working at HPC comes extreme fatigue from time to time. Thank you, Mike Haman, for giving me the day off!! I slept til 10:30am (only woke up thanks to loud neighbors- gotta love apartment living), ate lunch on my couch with my man, went shopping with my mom, and spruced up our place with a little spring decor. Right now I am watching my amazing hubby do some housework so I can relax. It's truly a wonderful life. I am so looking forward to going to "work" tomorrow. Everyone there is like family to me, and I miss them when I can't see them!

I heard that this weekend we set a record attendance (even more than last year at the River Center). Praise God for all the lives brought to Christ and His everlasting grace. Last night's concert with Vicki Beeching, Rebecca St. James, and Delirious was great. I think about 1500 people gathered to rock out and worship our incredible Savior. Jesus has been so good to us and I really don't deserve it, but I sure am grateful for it!

One more thing- Chris and I have gotten the chance to become friends with an awesome guy in our church, Eric Doucet. He and his family are completely sold out to doing whatever it takes to serve God and his people. Check out their blog here.

Easter 2007

We had the amazing privilege of serving at some of the Easter weekend services and it was such a blessing! The worship was absolutely incredible- it moved me to tears several times. The emotion of what Jesus did for me- filthy me- blows my mind. I just can't believe that He went through all that so my stupid, ridiculous, selfish sins could be erased and I could be close to my Father. Getting to serve with my husband is always a highlight for me, too. (Plus he looks really good in a suit!!)

I am so grateful that Pastors Dino and Delynn are so committed to HPC. They bring so much anointing, class, righteousness, humor and purity to every service. As always, they really stepped it up this time. Pastor Dino was raw, uncut, and honest about what Jesus endured for each of us. The altars were packed at every service. After fourteen years of being lead pastors, they are still as grateful today for what God has given them as they were when they first began. Thank God for his many blessings!

(Check out Lance LeBlanc's post on his Easter experience. It is strong!!)

Broken ankles and old friends.

So, last night my fearless leader, Mike Haman, broke his ankle while playing an intense game of kickball with his 8 year old daughter. While sliding into home, he put his right foot underneath him and rolled on it, causing it to pop and break in a bad spot- he will be having surgery on Monday. Needless to say, he won't get to be a part of all of the Easter weekend services as we had planned, and he is majorly bummed out! As much as I hate this for him, I know that this staff is facing opposition, and that means something great is coming! Angie Bellard and Sherri May both have a broken foot, Pastor Dino's back has been hurting, and a very pregnant Gena slipped and fell on a wet floor in Jason's Deli. Add all this in top of sickness going around and Mike's ankle, and I know the devil is MAD! Let's continue to pray for the harvest this Easter- I can feel something amazing coming!!

Also, my old youth pastor from First Methodist lost his daughter, Marianna Wimberly, to lupus and Chrone's disease on Monday. Her brother and sister were friends of mine for a long time & we all grew up in church together and attended youth camps together throughout the years. Though I haven't spoken to them in quite some time, my heart and my prayers are with this family as they endure this difficult season ahead. You can read about all her life here- she was dedicated to making other people's lives better and worked with children in hospitals. I pray her life is a testimony to the grace and love of the Father.

New things

So, Michael Griffis taught me how to add fun stuff to my blog. Look up and down the sidebar, and scroll all the way to the bottom. See all the stuff I added? Tell me what you think... I want comments!! I am still learning, but I am excited about the possibilities!!!

Also, we are showing the Passion of the Christ tonight at the Annex I at 9:30pm. After the movie, we will have a great time of worship. We hope you can make it tonight and to one of our seven weekend services. It is all going to be incredible as we remember the resurrection of our Savior!!!!

**the biggest loser winner!**

Gotta give a shout-out to our boy, JP, who won the HPC Biggest Loser competition! The contestants started on Jan 9, and ended yesterday, April 3. The top 9 people lost a total of 197.7 pounds in just 12 weeks. JP came in first, losing 37.2 pounds and 14.1% total body weight! Terry placed fifth dropping a whopping 30 pounds and losing 9.6% of his weight. And our wonderful Pastor came in 7th, with a total loss of 17.7 pounds and 6.8% of his body weight.

These guys worked really hard and we are really proud of all of them. I wish I had bunches of money so we could treat them to big steak dinners! JP also won his division in the Fat Boy 5k Saturday!! Check out this great pic of his shocked expression after he was given his medal:

So go check out JP's blog right now- he's an awesome guy with some cool things to say. And he keeps it short and sweet, unlike me :)

Italy Trip

In October, Chris and I will have the awesome opportunity to travel to Italy to bring the good news of our Savior to those precious people. We would love it if you would partner with us- we need prayer more than anything, and of course it takes money, too.

Here's why we are making this such a high priority in our lives:
**Did you know that every major religion except Islam is declining in Western Europe? Did you know that more than 250,000 cities, towns and villages in Europe have no Christian church? Did you know that Europe is now labeled as "Christophobic" and "anti-religious"?
**With the help of missionaries, the church in Africa is growing 50 times faster, and the church in Asia is growing 43 times faster than in Europe.
**In measuring church growth over the last century, Europe's rate was the lowest in the world. In fact, a new study shows that fewer than 7% of people go to church each week, and by 2040, the number of churchgoers is projected to drop to just 2%. ?
**TIME magazine called it (Europe) the darkest place in the world, spiritually speaking. (TIME magazine, June 8, 2003 Issue)
**More than 250,000 cities, towns and villages in Europe have no Christian church. (TIME magazine, June 8, 2003 Issue)
**Only .1% of Europe is Evangelical Christian

We are partnering with an awesome project called Italy for Christ. They have been around for over 20 years, dedicated to penetrate the country of Italy with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are on this earth to populate Heaven and plunder Hell- That is why we are each raising $3500; that is why we would spend hours upon hours doing whatever it takes to raise that money; that is why Chris is taking off 8 days of work; and that is why it will be worth every penny we raise. Someone has to go there and tell people about the love of Jesus, and I am honored that God would choose to use us.

Please join with us in prayer for this amazing opportunity!!!!