matts blog

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2009-10-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

There I did it. More coming soon!

Back from El Salvador

2009-08-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

From July 31-Aug 11 I was blessed to be able to travel to El Salvador on a mission/surf trip! I traveled with the group Christian Surfers headed by my friend John Lindsley. Because I jumped on the trip last minute I was not able fly with the majority of the guys but had a seperate flight that was supposed to leave 30 minutes after the main group. However, my flight was cancelled and I ended up spending the night in Los Angeles! That morning me and a father/son pair boarded a flight to Guatamala, and we ended up sleeping in the airport! After almost two solid days of traveling...(the flight only takes about 5-6 hours) we were all there.
El Salvador is a beautiful country just south of Mainland Mexico and Guatemala. Its very tropical and our first session was at a fun right hand point break (El Salvador is mainly right hand point breaks which is good for regular footed surfers like myself). The water was 90 degrees and so was the air so it sometimes felt like you were melting in the water! We scored some amazing waves, visited an orphanage, helped judge a christian surfers surf contest, and visited with a kid that was sponsered by the christian surfers group through Compassion international. More to come on my trip in the near future!

Graduation and still no deer head!

2009-06-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

So, after the graduation things got a little crazy. Annalisa Olivares smashed some cupcake into my face so I did the same. Then I threw the rest of the punch on her and then she did the same. Then I found out Crystal Harpold, an assistent in the childrens ministry, had actually put Annalisa up to it. After that I went to get Crystal's car all dirty and someone had already messed up my truck! Long story short, after Crystals car got messy...and also her face had a handful of cupcake rubbed into it-my car got even messier. Before the night was over we were all covered with chocolate pudding, punch and cupcakes!
The night was more than that. The eighth grade graduates and seniors were recognized for their accomplishments! Congragulations and look forward to what God is going to do in and through that group! It is a huge step in life to leave middle school and start from the bottom! Prayerfully this group will be the salt and light that there schools so desperately need!
And by the way...whoever has my deer head I WANT IT BACK!

Don't Fall Asleep to Early...

2009-03-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here is what you get for staying in Pastor Matt's cabin, mouthing off all day and then falling asleep early...although in my defense Xavier deserved it! But this was nothing compared to the wedgies that i had to give Kevin Davis (all in love of course), and the antiquing (turning off the lights and lighting kids up with baby powder) that Ted and Ernesto were involved in.
All in all, it was the funnest camp because it was just our group and we were able to get a little crazy and truly get to know each other like never before!

HAHAHAHA, Good One, or Patience (I can't decide on a good title for this one)

2009-03-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, after the amazingly awesome Big Daddy Weave concert on Sunday Night, I got up to my office to find it absolute carnage. I got a laugh out of it but then Monday it was even worse! Some group of people have decided to wage war. And I'm not mad. I will be patient though. And I do know who it is. And I want you people responsible to know that I will get you, but it is not out of anger...it is out of justice and fairness. It was really good, but the punishment did not fit the crime...therefore, I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks and months and what might be the repercussions of these events!

Jr High Winter Camp

2009-03-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

So obviously I am behind the curve once again as far as blogging...but I am not discouraged! We had an awesome time at camp. The theme was Abundant Life taken from John 10:10-

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

We had an abundantly fun time of fellowship and worship and teaching...many kids made commitments or recommitted their lives to Christ. Thanks to Scott Mcdonald for doing worship, Pastor Dan and Pastor Adam for teaching and Kristy for organizing all of the games and events course of some snowballing throwing and pranks. One girl even ate one of the guys buggers! Although she will remain nameless I will give you a hint that her name is double syllable, it starts with an A and ends with lisa.

David and Goliath Video

2009-03-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

A Desert Island Project

2009-03-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

So I set to do this about 6 months ago. It is a cover for my grandparents pool heater and vacuum. It took a LOT of work, planning and thinking. It is my baby from start to finish. I would work on it here and there, and it is almost complete minus the paintjob. I know every imperfection it has, and I wouldn't do it again any time soon so don't even ask me to build you one! I love building stuff and just seeing if I can do things and learning, but at this point I'm not going to make a career out of it. I learned a ton and know now that if I am ever stranded on a desert island that has electricity, power tools and an ubundant supply of building materials like a Home Depot I know I could build myself a descent structure!

Paintballing

2009-02-21T23:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I was a bonehead and didn't take any pictures to post. But I do wanna say that the Junior High beat the High Schoolers! I not only forgot how fun paintballing is I forgot how sore you get from rolling around, running, crawling and getting shot. Not that I got shot...in fact I don't know if I wasn't pushing it enough but I have no welts, which is more than I can say for most of the others. It was a great time of male bonding. I forget sometimes that us guys need to go out and do stuff together. And the best part is two kids came to know Christ! What a rewarding day. Not to mention the waves weren't bad in the afternoon either.
I was out in the water thinking, "this is a tough life, but i guess somebody has got to do it." Just kidding-obviously! But then I got to thinking, "what if it was all taken away?" Would I still be as happy? I don't think I would be as happy. But I do know that I would be joyful in another way. My time in Peru I didn't do as much fun activities like this, but my time with the Lord and the discomforts led to a joy that I feel is harder to experience here with so much stuff. I wonder why God placed me in such a place as Southern California, where it feels so difficult to place him number 1. True, it is getting easier with the economy the way it is. And I think a lot of people are refocusing what is truly important. I wonder how God will judge us by our situations. Which life is more difficult: living on fire for Jesus in the midst of prosperity or dying for Jesus in the midst of poverty?

FUEL STORE Wednesday Night

2009-02-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the FUEL STORE is open for business! Remember, in all that we do, we do for the glory of God. If your motivation for getting FUEL BUCKS is only the physical reward of the prize you got, you are missing out on what is really important and the purpose of having the FUEL STORE! When we live according to God’s will and seek first His kingdom, all of the other stuff will be added…and if it isn’t we won’t care because we have Him! Seeking the Lord is an amazing journey and in so many different ways very rewarding. At least for this season there are tons of cool things to earn! God bless you and I hope you enjoy all the goodies!

Creepiest workout of my life!

2009-02-03T14:18:00.000-08:00

So a few Saturdays ago I went up to the church to finish my study for Sunday morning. There was nobody at the church but one of the doors was propped open and the lights were on but there was nobody there-at all, and the alarm wasn't set. It was kinda eerie but stuff like that happens right?
Well, I left the church at 11 and decided to stop by 24 hour fitness to get a quick workout in before bed. The door was also open, but there was no one at the front desk, which isn't uncommon at all that late. What was uncommon was there was only one person in the entire gym-and he didn't work there! I was a little razzled and asked him if he had seen anyone. He said no, not one person but when he had gotten there there was one guy leaving who also had not seen anyone.
I worked out for over an hour, completely alone. I actually called Pastor Adam to make sure that the rapture hadn't happened. Finally, a cleaning lady came in and in a perplexed and kinda scared tone told me that the gym closed at 9pm that night! I would be a little scared to if I came in to clean and there was some dude on the treadmill at 12 when the gym had been closed for 3 hours...like some crazy dude or something. Long story short, I will use that story in rapture illustrations for the next few years and I am so blessedly assured that when it does happen for real I will be in heaven and not wandering around alone wondering what happened to everybody.

2009-01-29T14:43:00.001-08:00

So, since my last post I have been hit by a car while riding my bike, surfed some of the scariest waves I have ever been in down in Mainland Mexico, and turned 25 years old (yuck)! It's pretty amazing how long it has been-but God willing I made a commitment to stay up on my blog this year! So please, by all means, keep me accountable!

Fear Factor

2008-05-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

So Dillon won but Stephanie was the faster of the two. She really inspired me as she mowed down those Stinky Twinkies faster than anyone I have ever seen. And the worms...well, I wouldn't have wanted to be in either of their shoes.

Back So Soon

2008-05-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well I am back and barely adjusting. The Lord revealed so much to me on the trip, especially about my own heart. After looking at so many amazing sights and hanging with so many amazing people the Lord was constantly reminding me of what is important. The ruins of all these ancient cities, the atmosphere around Jerusalem, and even floating in the Dead Sea cannot compare to the fact that we have the Spirit of Almighty God dwelling in our hearts. We can have access to the Father here in Oceanside just as easily as in Israel. Well, I guess its time to dive back into reality and grow where I'm planted, even though I miss views like this and the adventure of it all. I'm back and already planning my next trip...El Salvador or Mainland Mexico sound appealing but we will see what doors the Lord opens.

Israel!

2008-05-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to post some stuff for the last few days but I haven't been able to...sorry my bad! This place is awesome, safe and the food and icecream are off the hook. Start saving your nickels and dimes because I would love to take all of the Junior High on a trip to the Promised Land. I have learned more about what Jesus' life and ministry was about than two years of Bible college. My day usually consists of waking up at like 5:30 to watch the sunrise and get in the Word, than I go for a run and/or swim in the Sea of Galilee, breakfast at 7:30 than on the bus by 8:00. Just today we went to the mount of Beatitudes, Bethsaida, Chorazin, Tel Dan, we saw the country of Syria blah blah blah. Everything is sooo close you really get a perspective of what Jesus ministry must have been like. Anyway, I leave to the Dead Sea area tomorrow morning so I will try to post again then...by the way this picture is of me overlooking the valley of Armageddon!

2 days left and where is my suitcase?

2008-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

So I leave in two days...I haven't gotten my suitcase down or anything! I did wash my clothes though yesterday so that was a bit of an accomplishment. It took me like 1 hour to pack for 5 months in Peru so 2 weeks shouldn't be a problem! I am looking forward to trying to keep you all updated on the ins and outs of my trip. There is so much to be done up until when I leave I know Jesus has to do it! My prayer for this trip is that He breaks me down even more to desire to do His will and His will only. I look forward to spending some much needed time with Jesus!

The Mystery of the Disappearing Cell Phone and its Guardian Angel

2008-04-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that my phone left me on the first ride of the day. Apparently it does not like roller coasters and chose to bail. Everybody was telling me that I would have to buy a new phone and that there was no way that I would ever get it back. But I prayed for a miracle. For some reason I had faith that I would get it back. That day I figured in my mind that the Lord wanted me to take a few days off from being dependent on the phone. I probably was spending too much time on the phone anyway.
What an amazing few days that was. Instead of checking my phone every few minutes or having my fingers go raw because of texting I was free! It was glorious. By Thursday I was actually to the point where I felt like I didn't need or want a phone at all. When I was living in Peru I actually had a goal of not getting a cell phone when I came back, but for ministry purposes I have one. Just at the point where I was thinking i would have to buy a new phone...it showed up on my doorstep! I guess it prefers the slow moving ride that the United States Postal Service delivers than Tatsu at Magic Mountain. I guess it was no big thing to God but a huge thing to get my phone back. I wouldn't be surprised if he dispatched an angel just to catch it and set it down gently. What a good God we serve! Magic Mountain was so much fun, everybody had a blast and I am stoked that they actually sent me my phone!

Poor Baby!

2008-03-26T12:35:00.001-07:00

So I got Delilah the snip snip. It freaked me out thinking that Delilah was going to be going through the custom of women shortly. As a single dad I was a bit nervous about giving her "the talk" about what the boy dogs were up to. I planned on being the overbearing parent and locking her in the closet, but i opted for the surgery instead. She really does not like wearing that cone thing, but I told her it made her look special so she is getting used to it!

Fasting

2008-03-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

So as many of you know, me and a few other people felt led by God to go on an eight day, water only fast last week for the week of prayer and fasting that we had at the church. In all honesty I love eating. But as we were studying through the book of Daniel I kept noticing how Daniel and his friends were constantly praying. Jesus even made mention of it in Matthew 17:21, ..."However, this kind odes not go out except by prayer and fasting." Of course He also said, "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countanance. For they disfigure thier faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Matthew 6:16-18
The whole reason I chose to go on the fast was for a variety of personal and ministry related things that I wanted to seek the Lord in. Now I should say that there are many types of fasts. There are partial fasts, like eating only one meal a day. Or not eating for a day. Some people fast from a particular food, like candy or coffee. Some people fast from watching TV or movies. And yet others fast from their favorite sport like skating or surfing. Either way the motive should always be to seek a closer communion with the Lord. It was amazing all the free time I had to pray and read my Bible. I thank the Lord that I am in a position where people understand that. Fasting should be practical and personal. Especially if you are young you need to pray about it and ask your parents. I am still amazed at the things the Lord revealed to me and I feel is doing because of the fast. Eight days in all is not that long. Jesus, Moses, and others fasted for forty days! I am praying about maybe doing that one day. The hardest part is that I was fasting from surfing...it would be hard to do that for forty days! My point is I felt led to do it and I know that it had to have been the Spirit of God because I like to eat, and without God's help and sustaining I know I would not have made it.
How did I break it you might be wondering? Pastor Adam, Armondo Perez, and myself went to Soup Plantation on Saturday night. It was glorious, the only person that was missing was Eli (the girl who fasted with us). I thought that maybe I had forgotten how to chew but I didn't. Food had never tasted soooo good. But then I over ate and went from being sick of not eating to being sick of eating all in one day! Anyways, I believe its a lifelong spiritual discipline I am going to implement. By the way, like the verse stated I did not suck in my face to make myself look holy! I lost 22 lbs in eight days which I am sure qualifies as dangerous. That is why IF you feel led make sure your parents are ok with it and you research it.

Get Expelled - The Movie - Super Trailer

2008-03-19T15:20:00.001-07:00

This might be one of the only movies actually worth paying money for!

Baja Malibu

2008-03-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

So I cruised on Thursday morning to Baja Malibu's down in Mexico. It is a punchy beach break that never seems to disappoint. I would have taken pictures of the waves but it was kind of foggy and you couldn't really see them. Went with one of my best friends named Zion. Good time but this was my favorite picture...it looks Baja enough.

mileage

2008-03-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

So it must have been when me and Jonathan went out for Sushi on Thursday night that I hit the 177, 777 mark on my truck. I had been planning on taking a photo of the mileage, where I was at, who I was with and everything. I took this picture at men's group the Nautical Bean in the morning...but it's just not the same. Going to the Israel Meeting now. Hey with all the trips Ive been on and all the time driving in cars, planes, trains, boats, bicycles, horseback, hoofing it...I wonder how many miles I have traveled. That would be too interesting

Snowboarding

2008-03-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'm glad I have insurance is what I was thinking right after I fell on my head. Memories of friends with broken arms and backs flooded my head after I unsuccessfully tried to negotiate a rail. As I laid there I thought about all the times that I had seen people being carried off the mountain in a stretcher or heard the horror stories of people never walking again. Praise the Lord I wasn't down long and before I knew it I had come back and conquered that rail. All in all everybody had a really good time. David Martinell was taking the inititive to throw himself over and on every obstacle on the mountain, Ashley Cambell and Bethany Contreras, (two sixth grade girls) inspired and put to shame most of the boys, Justin Rizo (sixth grade boy) nearly got hypothermia. We stopped at In and Out on the way back. The Lord worked everything out and the trip was over all one for the books.

Adventure's over...

2008-02-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

So I'm back, sunburnt and stoked. We surfed a place called "El Capitan" in the morning which breaks right on the rocks. Its a long pointbreak so if get it from the outside you can ride the wave for like 300 yards and it has a couple of barrel sections. Guys were getting tubed. I got a couple of them but it wasn't until we surfed a place called Sandspit that night that I got really barreled. It was a long day. We surfed three times, both new spots to me but it was a fun little adventure. The best part of the trip was hanging out and fellowshipping with my friends from Bible College. They are really encouraging friends and we had the best one day trip ever!

Ventura

2008-02-24T23:01:00.000-08:00

Well its not Costa Rica like SOME youth pastors are blessed to experience but I'm up in Ventura. I surfed Oceanside harbor tonight and it was good glassy barrels. Six foot and getting bigger. Me and my friend James from Bible college, who is an amazing surfer, drove up after getting some fun waves at Oceanside. Our friend Josh and Matt who we are meeting up here said that it was huge up here tonight so it should be firing in the morning with good winds. Right now James is sharing Jesus with one of Matt's friends. He hasn't stopped talking about Jesus the entire ride up here. Praise the Lord for good friends! All right, if I don't drown or freeze tomorrow I will update with pictures and barrel stories! Lates

The Comencement

2008-02-16T22:25:00.001-08:00

So we just cleaned up from the show tonight and it was rad. I usually don't like rock like that, but Scott's band rocks! I was totally blessed by the night, as I hope everyone that came out was. What blessed me more than everything was the way the Lord put it together. I didn't have a whole lot of time this week but He put everything together and anointed the night. We had people from several churches and it seemed everybody had fun and was blessed. All the glory goes to Jesus. Big thanks to Scott, Chris, Robby, Tommy and also Jordan and Morgan for leading worship...All you guys are anointed!

Allow me to re-introduce the Christ

2008-02-12T21:41:00.001-08:00

I love poetry, I love poetry that is honest and speaks the truth, I love writing poetry and listening to poetry readings. This girl loves the Real Jesus and she loves His Word. This is powerful, check it out...She speaks the truth.

Wow

2008-02-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

This is one cell. You have between 10-100 TRILLION of these that make up your body, each one a world of its own. It takes a lot of faith to believe in evolution.

The Inner Life of the Cell

2008-02-05T16:42:00.001-08:00

Heavy

2008-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

When I was in Junior High I had a pair of big black baggy jeans. I think they were size 45 or something. No lie, I could have fit four people in my pants! I still think that I would rather have those than all the skin tight jeans guys are wearing these days, but that is another story. Those incredibly baggy jeans were what the kids were wearing, and I wanted to fit in. I was looking for my identity. I was looking for what I could change about myself to be accepted. I should have been looking at my heart. I have been reading about the story of David in 1 Samuel the last few days. When everybody else was running away from Goliath, David was running towards him saying "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (1 Sam 17:45) David knew that Goliath wasn't just attacking his country, Goliath was defying his God. David had spent his life as a shepherd, talking to God, singing to Him, meditating on Him. David was angry at the right things and he stood up for righteousness knowing that God would have his back. David knew who he was and he knew who his God was. He didn't look like a person that would help deliver his country and family. But God doesn't look on the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. That's heavy!

Blown Away

2008-01-18T16:36:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting in my office after two weeks of retreats trying to remember all of my new goals and things that I have written down. My office is a mess and I have about 300 post it notes and things written EVERYWHERE! It went down like this: after Junior High Winter Camp I went straight to the staff retreat where I was able to review the past year and start planning for this upcoming year. I left early on Tuesday night from the retreat in order to go to June Lake for three solid days of snowboarding with the college group ministry, (I know, tough life, right? But somebody has to do it...) The retreat was sweet and the day after getting back from snowboarding I left for a Youth Workers Conference in Murrieta. There were many things that ministered to me during that time away, but one of the things that the Lord keeps pressing on my heart is going deeper with Him. To truly get real with the Lord. Looking back at 2007 I am simply blown away by what God has done in my life and heart. Like Joshua 21:45 says, "Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." I am looking forward to 2008 with more anticipation and excitement than any other year of my life, not for anything that I will do, but for what He will do. There is no limit to what He wants to accomplish in our lives this year! Looking forward to serving and being with you all in what God wants to do this year. Lates!!!