I love these girls!!

I am SO fired up this morning. Last night's life group was such a huge success!! From the beginning, I have felt like this was a total God-thing, and last night just confirmed that in my heart. I know that "Surrender" is going to make this a summer that will change lives, including my own. These girls are amazing, and Nicole was totally led by the Holy Spirit. She changed up the format a little and it made such a great impact on the whole dynamic of the group. Check out these pictures, and be jealous you weren't there... hope to see all you girls out there next week!!!

Surrender life group

To all the ladies out there, we would love it if you would join us for our life group tonight at 6:30pm at the home of Mollie White. It's called Surrender, and we feel that God is going to grab hold of our lives this summer so we can live the amazing journey He has called us to live. Email me at meghan.matt@healingplacechurch.org or call me at 413.0463 with any questions you may have. We love you and can't wait to get to know you better this summer!

Chris and I had a glorious Memorial Day weekend. It was such a treat to get to spend 3 straight days together. The celebration at church Saturday night was a blast and the fireworks were incredible! God totally hooked HPC up, as usual. Chris and I fall more in love everyday. It's really a wonderful life.

On a sad note, check out Charles and Kristen Young's blog. A little boy that they have been ministering to in the local hospital has passed away, but God is going use them in a huge way to share the love of Jesus and His gospel to the boy's family and friends. What an honor and privilege to serve Him!

My little brother is graduating!!!

Ok, it's crazy. My brother is graduating from high school. I'm completely weirded out right now. We went to lunch today with Mom, Mr. Dan, Grammy and Chris to French Market Bistro in celebration of the big day (Chris is my brother's name, too, so this might get confusing). Chris K. (brother) got SO much great stuff- all of which I picked out. He is going to be so cute this summer!

Here are just a few of the reasons my brother is so terrific:
He is- selfless, caring, loving, respectful, intelligent, talented, humble, gorgeous, sweet, grateful, funny, just plain wonderful... the list goes on.

Thank you, Jesus, for the blessings of an amazing family. I'm SO glad Chris K. is staying in town for college- my heart would hurt without him here. I love that kid!!! (Yes, he's 6'1, but he will always be a little brother to me!)

FUSION- be there!

It's official.... Late Nite is having our first EVER retreat on June 15-16 at Tall Timbers!!! You do NOT want to miss this. The cost is SO small- only $50.00 per person or $115.00 for married couples. This includes food, lodging, and all of the retreat fun. If you are between the ages of 18-30, you need to be there! We are designing it especially for you and it's going to be an amazing time to gather together and see God show up in a huge way. Call my office at 753.2273 ext. 257, email me at meghan.matt@healingplacechurch.org, or check out all the info here and sign up online!!!

I also want to congratulate all the graduates... Elevate graduated Tuesday and I had the honor of serving at the ceremony. I cannot fully express my gratitude for them and everything they have added to my church, my community, my world and my life personally. Those guys inspire me to work harder, love stronger, have immovable faith... just thinking about them makes me tear up. I love them so much!! Please be in prayer for Katherine's mom. She is battling cancer, but we all know she is going to come through victorious in Christ! We miss you, Kathy! :) Of course I have to give a shout-out to my favorite Elevater of all time, Ms. Lauren Best. Not only is she smokin' hot, but she's one of the best friends I've ever had. She blows my mind, honestly. This post says it all.

And saving the VERY best for last, my amazing brother, Chris, graduates tomorrow... Because talking about him will be very lengthy and I don't want this post to go on much longer, I will save my gushing on him for another day or two!

Psalm 92

Lee Domingue dedicated his first book to his family and wrote something sweet about each of them. Of his wife, Laura, he wrote that she was his Cedar of Lebanon. Delynn has been stuck on the scripture Psalm 92:12-14 and has sited it the last few times I have heard her speak. Here's how is goes:"But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age, they will produce fruit."

Here's the significance: Palm trees are known for their long lives, so to flourish like them means to stand tall and live long. Cedars of Lebanon grew to 120 feet in height and up to 30 feet in circumference. They were solid, strong, and immovable. Those who place their faith firmly in God are upright, strong, and unmoved by the winds of circumstance. It refreshes me today to know that if I stay rooted in His Word and in His House, I will be able to stand strong and flourish, no matter what is thrown my way.

Last night I was reading over old notes and saw something that Zhenya Kasevich said in Late Nite. He was talking about faith, and said that God will sometimes give us problems so that we will spend more time with Him. While Elizabeth was doing flow at HPWomen, she reminded us that we don't have to always spend 3 hours a day in our prayer closet, but that we do need to regularly pause our lives and acknowledge God in our circumstance. I pray that I spend so much time with God that I become like a palm tree or a cedar or Lebanon, and that God doesn't have to give me problems just so that I will hang out with Him!!

Do I love like this?

So, I am sitting at my girl LB's desk at the Annex before Women's Night, and she has Ephesians 5:33 taped onto her computer. As I read it, I was taken aback by the way I am commanded to love Chris, and how I too often fail.

Here's the whole verse from the Amplified Translation:
However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].

Thank goodness for my eyes being opened to this verse. I love that the Amplified went into so much detail and really outlined how I should be living and loving. God is so cool... back to getting ready for service now. I already got some "rev" and church hasn't even begun yet!

A Tribute to my Mom(s)

So, I think we would all agree that I have the most amazing mother ever. (It may be a toss-up between her and Mary, mother of Jesus, but it's a close race) Rob Gros may have a cool graphic with his mom's name, but my mom's the hottest, so I am showing pictures!

Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous, but her insides far surpass her outward beauty. She honestly lives "It is better to give than to receive." She would literally give the clothes off her back. She makes sacrifices every single day so that Chris, me and Chris can have better lives. My mom loves Jesus with all her heart and shows that love to others every minute of every day. She never ceases to amaze me with all that she does for others and with the kind words she gives at the moments we need them most. Thank you, Lord, for bringing her into my life to show me the way. I am so blessed to have a woman of such integrity and character in my life! I am also very grateful for my beautiful grandmother. She brings such joy to our family!

This year was my first with my two mother-in-laws. They have added so much value and love to my life and I adore them both so much! There are many people on this earth who don't know the love of one mother, and here I am with three. I am so thankful for their love and support in our lives!

What a weekend!!

Friday night, Chris and I watched the LSU baseball team lose by about 13 runs with some old and new friends (Jason, Grey, Drew & Gretchen). The game was lame, but we cut up and had so much fun! Then on Saturday, about 70Late Niters gathered for our second annual "Mudbug Mowdown"... and we definitely mowed down!! Props to Grey for planning and organizing that event!

We had an amazing Mother's Day on Sunday. We got to serve at 2 services, and then had a fantastic lunch at Primo's (P.S. I have the GREATEST mother in the WORLD!) After Mom opened all her presents, we headed off to Target where we were blessed with free groceries and kitchenware, courtesy of Mr. Dan. That night we got to hang out with Chris' mom and her side of the family... it really was a blast. They grilled some steaks and slammin' baked potatoes... then we had Grandpa's homemade ice cream. What else could a girl ask for? Plus we got to talk to Chris' family in Texas, which capped off an already great day.Yesterday was Kristin's lingerie shower/ bachelorette party! WooHoo!!! After a great shower full of awesome girls, some of us bridesmaids all rode out in the Excursion to Hello Sushi (we polished off all the rolls in about 5 minutes). After some TCBY, we headed back- the car rides were definitely the most fun of all. Check out these pics from dinner. Our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard and our waitress probably thought we were nut jobs!!!

Yes he is...

Isn't my man the most beautiful being ever created by God? Yes! Yes he is!!!!

A Vertical Focus

When Joseph's brothers were traveling from Canaan to Egypt to get Simeon and meet with Pharoah's first-in-command (who they didn't know was Joseph), I wonder if they were thinking negatively or positively? We pretty much assume that they were in panic mode- they had discovered money in their bags so it appeared that had stolen all that food during a severe famine, they didn't want to let Jacob down, they were scared for their lives, and they were beginning to really feel guilty for what they did to Joseph so many years before. Would we have an upward focus during a time like that in our lives?

When we're on a journey from Canaan to Egypt, we tend to view life horizontally rather than vertically. We tend to be resistant rather than open. The first step (according to Chuck Swindoll) is to recognize and admit your negative mentality. It seems that admission is the first step to breaking any bad habit. Next, force the vertical focus until it comes naturally. No habit just lays down and dies, especially if the devil's got anything to do with it. We have to make forced, conscious decisions to think positively. And lastly, stay open to a new idea for at least five minutes. (This hits home for me big-time!) When something new and unexpected confronts you, tolerate the possibility of it for at least five minutes. You will be surprised at the benefit of staying open.

Keep me accountable on this!! I want to dream bigger, live with more faith, and expect more from my life and my marriage. Chris has huge goals for his life and for us, and I need to enlarge my dream capacity to match up with his :)

A Horizontal Viewpoint

So, God rolled me up this morning about my lack of trust in raising funds for Italy. We have trusted Him with so many huge aspects of our lives, why are we not trusting Him with this little thing? First, one of the most amazing women in the world, Lauren Best, helped me put some things in perspective. Then, I went to read my devotional that I missed yesterday, and it was about a horizontal viewpoint. Jacob had it when his sons left Simeon behind in Egypt. He was supposed to be the patriarch of the clan and instead of rising up in faith and trust in God, he froze in fear and assumed the worst. He was looking horizontally instead of vertically!

It's easy for us to judge him and say we would trust God, but if that's the case, why didn't we trust Him last week? When we think of our most recent test (in my case, Italy), did we rest calmly in Him? Or did we push the panic button out of fear? I think my finger was on the button much too often.

Humanly speaking, we have been programmed toward defeat. We all too often leave God out of the picture. We rationalize around it by calling it something else. I am the Queen of Rational Thinking Land. God has been definitely working in me about this!!! I am starting to really be able to truly, honestly, completely, fully, and with my whole entire heart trust God in things I never thought possible. I know this money will come because He wants His word spread in Europe. I finally have peace. Praise the LORD!!!

(And for the record, my amazing husband has always had peace about this... these things just take me longer. That's why he's the leader of the house!)

Missions trip...

Hey guys... we need your help! You gotta pray for us to be able to raise this money for our mission trip in the fall. I have been busting my booty with support letters, house cleaning, baby-sitting...everything I can possibly do short of going crazy. I have been working 7 days a week to get this cash raised. We are still 6000 dollars away from our target, and I am getting a little concerned. I know God will provide, but I am just wondering when! Hehehehee.....

God-willing, we would love the opportunity to minister to the people of Italy. Please join us in prayer for this... and for me to have patience...ok y'all are the best!

P.S. For all of you who have given financially and with prayer already, we are SO GRATEFUL for you. You have given us such peace and joy. Thank you thank you thank you so very much!!!

Calm before the storm

... I have recently felt like my life was too good, too calm, too perfect. I knew a storm was coming...

Hurricane Life has arrived. Thank God I trust Him with it.

It's great to wait...

God has really been speaking to me through my daily devotional and bible readings. (I know, that's kind of the point, eh?) The story of Joseph is killer. If anyone ever had to wait for anything in life, it was him. In periods of waiting, I find myself getting restless, even sometimes thinking God has forgotten about me, or that He won't fill the desires of my heart. What I have been taught the last week or so is that it's in that time of waiting that He is refining me. (And boy... I definitely need to be refined) It's amazing to know that He will lead me through the fire, and I will be brought forth as gold!

It's when it seems like nothing is happening that God is at work most inside of us. All whom God uses greatly are first hidden in the secret of His presence, away from the pride of man. Abraham waited for the birth of Isaac. Moses didn't lead the Exodus until he was eighty. Elijah waited beside the brook. Noah waited 120 years for rain. Paul was hidden away for three years in Arabia. The list doesn't end!

During the waiting period, trust God without panic. It's God's job to deal with the cup-bearers of your past. It's your job to be the kind of servant He has designed you to be. Be faithful during the waiting periods of life. God will not forget you or forsake you.