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Many of you know that my bro-in-law, sister, and nephew got in a car accident last week.  I’ve got to say that I have been blown away by the number of people who have been praying over this situation.   There are churches all over the state, and bloggers all over the nation praying!  My future mother in law has been keeping a prayer request/update going since the wreck.  I get so excited to see her update so frequently and so many people reading, commenting and praying.

Our church has been amazing.  People have prayed, donated money, prayed some more, helped clean/move stuff, taken in dogs, and keep wanting to do more!  You guys are AWESOME!  It has been such a HUGE blessing.

I never really looked at church as being about me.  What I mean is, I’m on staff and try my best to “do church” in a way that reaches the lost and makes disciples.  I’m always focused on the people who come in and out of the doors.  Very seldom, do I make church about me.  Well, this situation has shown me that The Rock is MY church!  You guys are MY family!  And MY church family has stepped up and taken care of those in need.  I came across Isaiah 25:4 today, and I immediately thought of how my church has come through lately.

Thanks to everyone for all the prayers, money and support!

I love you guys!

What does the phrase “God is love” mean to you?

REMINDER: since I left my journal in Kelly’s car and won’t have it back until tomorrow, I’m using my blog as my journal to let you guys get a little deeper inside my head.  Remember, these are MY THOUGHTS.

ocho/15/2k8

So last night I got to hang with all our Katalyst Grads. We had to wait 30 minutes to get seated, which was ok since they gave us a free bloomin onion! Man those are good!!! Those newly dubbed college students have such potential! They are all such gifted leaders. I pray that they will tap into those skills and step up their game! Katalyst will definitely be different without them.

Jesus, I still can’t believe I’m getting married!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!! Kelly is going to look at wedding dresses today! I LOVE IT! I LOVE HER! This is so crazy.

Everything went well with Michael’s last surgery. They had him sedated through the night, so the only concern was waking him up this morning. Jesus, make Michael bold! Make Him a warrior for You! Take this story and use it to push the gates of hell back!! Use Michael to change the world!!!

Isaiah 24

My bible has this chapter titled “Judgment on the earth” oh junk!

Isaiah 24:1 - “Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants.” Lays waste, devastates, and distorts are 3 words I don’t want to have a part in. This verse really grabbed my attention. The power God has over the world and all of us in it is scary. God can destroy the earth in an instant. Not to mention the small little truth that Isaiah makes here: JUDGMENT IS COMINIG!!! I can’t help but think of all the people who will face the wrath of God on that day of judgment. Beth Moore made the illustration of God swinging a fist of Justice. All the followers will duck and miss His wrath, but those who are not will be smacked right in the face. Jesus, burden my heart for the lost! I surrender every move, every thought, every word to You! Let ALL of me be used to reach the world. I love the illustration of burnt offerings in the old testament. I come back to it time and time again. Burnt offerings were placed on the altar and COMPLETELY CONSUMED in the fire. Nothing was left. The only thing that remained was a sweet aroma to the Lord. Jesus, burn me up! I want to sacrifice all of me and be completely consumed by your fire! Let me burn for you! Let all thats left be a sweet aroma to You. An aroma that is contagious. Devastate… Distort… Lay Waste…

Isaiah 24:2 - This is so incredibly true!!!! IT DON’T MATTER WHO YOU ARE! ALL OF US WILL BE STANDING IN THAT LINE! I especially like the first part of this: “And the people will be like the priest…” Even the holy of holies will be in that line. Even Billy Graham. Perry Noble. Kevin Childs. Matt Brown. I get so heart broken when people put their strength in me. I mean, I’m flattered and all, and I try to be humble, but I’m just Matt Brown. You hear it all the time: “If you really knew me, you wouldn’t be listening to me preach.” Well that is so true! I’m just as dirty nasty as the next guy. I have my sin. I have my struggles. Trying to be a man of integrity in this world of porn, prostitutes and playboy almost seems impossible. I get so frustrated when a person comes up to me and says that they could never “do what I do.” YOU’RE RIGHT! YOU CAN’T! cuz I can’t either. It aint me! The frustrating part is that they can. I just want to smack em! Its as easy as surrendering, listening and obeying. On the day of judgment though, my mom, my pastor, and my mentors will all be in that line… the only one responsible for me, will be… me.

Man crap! I just spilled coffee on my bible. I try so hard to keep this bible clean too.

Isaiah 24:3 - This goes back to verse 1. All it takes is God to speak, and He can destroy the entire world. Such power! And this power is on my side!!! God can speak, and I can be healed. God can speak, and my bills can be paid. God can speak, and my enemies will flee. God can speak… YEAH YEAH!!!!

Isaiah 24:5 - This verse makes me think of The Matrix when Agent Smith talks about the people of the world being a virus. Random: I miss my in ear headphones… they are also in Kelly’s car. We move to an area, multiply, consume, and move to another area. Just like a virus. Since I’m journaling online, here’s the video of that scene:

“The earth is polluted by its inhabitants…”

But the verse goes on. We disobeyed laws. We violated statutes. WE BROKE THE EVERLASTING COVENANT.

Isaiah 24:6 - I ran into a guy that said His God doesn’t punish him………………….. ummmmm… All I can say to that is his god must not love him. Sometimes love = punishment. Punishment = protection. Protection = wisdom. Wisdom = experience. This verse shows punishment. A curse for sin. “…the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.” THANK YOU JESUS FOR I WON’T BE BURNED! I’ll be one of the few left!!!! This happened before with water. The flood with Noah. The world was flooded, and few were left. Its funny to me that God promised never to flood the earth again. He never said he wouldn’t burn it up. Its almost like a finger-crossed-promise… almost =)

Isaiah 24:7-11 - The picture I get here is of the ghetto. Windows barred. A ruined city. People demanding satisfaction to their addictions. Vs 9 really sticks out. They no longer drink wine with song. This makes me think of Kevin’s message on alcohol. People claim to just drink socially. To have fun. To relax. No one knows if that first drink will start an addiction. At some point, they no longer drink to the good times. They drink to satisfy. They drink cuz they have to. JESUS, I PRAY THAT THE BEER BECOMES BITTER! I pray that all those who take pleasure in alcohol will no longer enjoy it. Rob them of the taste, pleasure and satisfaction.

“All joy turns to gloom”

“All gaiety is banished from the earth”

I can’t imagine living in a world like this. No smiles. No laughter. No joy. No pleasure. No joy. This is hell on earth.

I feel bad for my blog readers cuz this is getting pretty long for the internet. I need my journal back. If anyone reads all this, I’ll be surprised.

Isaiah 24:13 - Why an olive tree?

Isaiah 24:16 - I can’t wait for the day when I can hear people’s voices lifted up from all around praising the Lord! That’s going to be crazy! Talk about a worship experience. Am I really ready for that?!?!

But there will be those who say, “Woe to me! I waste away!” Not everyone will be singing songs of praise on that day of judgment. God, use me to make sure that the maximum number of people possible will be singing Your praises on that day!

“The treacherous deal treacherously, and the treacherous deal very treacherously.” ummm… Think God is trying to make a point?!?!? treacherous = dangerous, unstable, unreliable, disloyal, untrustworthy. treacherous waves are dangerous b/c of sudden change. God, send me volunteers for Katalyst that are trustworthy and stable.

Isaiah 24:17-19 - We won’t be able to run from judgment.

Isaiah 24:23 - Why does the bible say the moon and sun will be ashamed/embarrassed?

This chapter ends on the highest of highs. “FOR THE LORD ALMIGHTY WILL REIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Well, here’s the scoop… I left my journal in Kelly’s car… her car is in Rock Hill… I’m in Conway… Not good…  I’ve decided to let you guys in for a closer look of what really goes on in my quiet times with Jesus.  I’ll post everything that I would normally write down in my journal for all of you to read.  SCARY! But, I think it couldn’t have come at a better time.  There are so many things going on with my engagement, wedding plans, my sister and bro-in-law getting hit by a drunk driver, the future of our church, the growth of our youth group, our graduates leaving for school, and thousands of new students moving in to CCU.  A small disclaimer:  these are MY OWN thoughts.  I’ll try to make things as clear as possible while I try to decipher some of the amazing mysteries God is waiting to reveal to me in His word.  This should be fun.

August 14, 2008

Well, its been pretty crazy around here lately.  I haven’t been able to sleep worth a squat and its really catching up!  I haven’t had time to journal about my engagement yet, and for some reason my blog won’t let me upload the photos that Mrs. McCormick took.. grrrrrr….  Jesus, I thank you sooo much for Kelly!!!  I’m so grateful that she came down when Nikki and Michael got in that accident.  I tried to be mad at her for driving down so late, but I just couldn’t!  It was so great to have her there to lean on.  I really am pretty crappy without her…

I can’t believe that Nikki and Michael got hit by a drunk driver…….. That ticks me off!   I mean, this was a terrible accident.  I’m surprised that they made it out in such good condition.  I mean, Michael has had several surgeries already, but HE’S ALIVE!  Nikki made it out with no broken bones, and Wyatt just had a cut on his lip.  AMAZING!  I’ll never forget Michael’s voice when He called me from inside the truck.  He said, “Man, I’m stuck in the truck.  I don’t want to die and go to hell.  I need you to pray with me right now.”  My stomach sinks just thinking about it.  I didn’t know what to do.  The paramedics took the phone away from him to apply oxygen, but I did get to pray with him to receive Christ at the hospital!  It was awesome how one of the firefighters and a doctor really pushed the others to let me in and pray with him.  Thank you Lord!!!  Michael later asked for “preacher man” to come in and see him.  Michael said to Kevin, “I’m a Christ follower now.  I just wanted to let you know.”  PRAISE JESUS!  If all of this happened just for Michael to get serious about Jesus, then it is all worth it!!  I still can’t get over the hundreds of people who have been praying!!!  That’s an amazing picture of the church coming together in times of need!  AND ITS NOT JUST THE ROCK!  I know that Monet’s church and Kelly’s church have been praying as well!

Alright Jesus, speak to me.  Show me what You would have for me today in Your word!

Isaiah 23

Isaiah 23:1.  “without house or harbor”  everything was destroyed!

Isaiah 23:3.  “The grain of the Nile, the harvest of the river was her revenue”  The people relied on the Nile river to live.  Its crazy to think that the Nile flooded every year at the same time.  Calendars were based around the flooding of the Nile.  God is crazy!  I mean, the people relied on that flooding so that the land would be fertile for planting crops.  They needed it to flood.  Floods are interesting.  They bring destruction, yet yield life.  God flooded the earth and removed all the sin and corruption, but life still went on.  Floods also represent cleansing and relate to baptism.

Isaiah 23:9.  God planned it! I love the way this is worded “…to defile the pride of all beauty, to despise all the honored of the earth.”  Jesus, defile My pride!  Despise the honor that the world has given me!  Let MY life point only to YOU!

Isaiah 23:11-12.  “The Lord has given a command…”, “You shall exult no more…”  OH JUNK!  This makes me think of how many times I would put people on pedistools.  How I would give so much honor to pastors and ministers when they are people just like the rest of us.  Kelly sent me a flair once that said “Pastors shower naked too.”  lol!  I think that applies here.  Also, the fact that The Lord has given a command makes me shutter.  He gave me 10 commandments, and I suck at those most of the time.

Isaiah 23:17-18.  I need to think on this some more.  Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years.  After the seventy years, God will deal with Tyre.  “She will return to her hire as a prostitute…”  what does this mean?  All the earnings will be set apart for the Lord.  Prostitute’s earnings were considered unfit to offer to the Lord.  Why will they be acceptable now?  Those who live before the Lord will receive ABUNDANT food and FINE clothes.  The money will come from a prostitute’s wages.  God is in control of all money.  Even if a person’s motives are not for God, He is still in control.  This is a huge truth for me.  I’ll be getting married sooner than later, and I’ll have more bills to pay, and need more money, but GOD IS IN CONTROL!  He owns all the money and can displace it how He desires.  He’s promised time and time again that those who have faith in Him will be taken care of.

Alright, I’m headed off to meet with the high school graduates to give them their grad gifts from the church.  Jesus, be with these grads as they head off to college.  Make them strong and make them bold!

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.”

_matt 13:44

I have come across this verse several times lately and every time I can’t help but get excited.  This man  had a glimpse of God’s greatness.  I picture this man unexpectedly finding a small treasure, worth more than anything he has ever seen, inside this huge field and then FLIPS OUT!  In all his excitement, he runs laps around the field, jumping up and down, making dirt angels and shouting at the top of his lungs.  Then, he buries it all over again.

There is this one scene in Spongebob Squarepants (say whatever you want) where Spongebob makes the best hamburger a certain King had ever tried.  Well, the king chewed it up and said, “That was so good… I think I’d like to try it a second time.”  So, he spits it back out and eats it again.  Great mental image right.  Something about picturing that guy reburying his treasure after he just found it makes me think of that episode.

The reality is, this man sold out for Christ!  He sold EVERYTHING he had so he could buy the one thing that mattered.

I LOVE this verse!

Alright, my life is finally reaching a stable asymptote (for the time being). I thank you guys for being patient with me as I neglected my blog for two weeks. You guys are amazing. I hear every Sunday of how new people are following my blog and how lives are being affected, and that is just AMAZING! Praise Jesus for that! You guys are awesome!!!

So picture this: You are walking around downtown New York, getting ready to go hit up a Broadway show or maybe a Yankees game. There are thousands and thousands of people passing by every minute, when all of a sudden, God shows up… Well, sort of. He whispers in your ear that He wants you to take off everything you are wearing. Yup, He wants you to strip down, butt naked, in front of the entire crowd, in broad daylight, and strut your stuff…

Oh boy!

Well, If you are Isaiah, you do it. You would actually do it for the next 3 YEARS! Now God has asked people to do some crazy things in the past, but to walk around, in civilized culture, naked… that has got to lead to some interesting dining experiences!

But there was a point to it. Isaiah’s nakedness was a symbol of the shame the Assyrians were going to bring on the Egyptians and Ethiopians. Isaiah 20:3-5

We also have the Philistines in the mix. The Philistines were allies with the Egyptians and Ethiopians. They were proud of their allies and relied on the power/protection they offered. Its like the little runt kid who is best friends with the bully in school. He talks all kinds of junk because he can stand behind his big bully of a friend. Like the bully, the Egyptians and the Ethiopians are just people. A people were about to be stripped naked of all their power. I’m sure that was comforting to the Philistines. Point is, the Philistines were resting their hopes for protection on worldly flesh, worldly swords, and worldly power. And God being the bigger god He is, showed how much more powerful He really is.

We enter this world with nothing. We will leave this world with nothing. So anything in between is just “worldly.” Our clothes, our cars, our houses, our money… its all a part of the world. Also, our locked doors, our alarm systems, our cops, our guns, our prisons, our army, our protection and our power are also just “worldly.”

Underneath it all, we are all just naked. The Philistines boasted in the power of their allies until they were stripped naked. At that point, they had no power. No armor to protect them and no swords to fight for them. Powerless. Helpless. But, if we advert our eyes from the protection and power the world seems to offer to the ULTIMATE Power and Protector, we can do all things… even naked.