I'm fully Embracing my ADD these days

If I were a dying person they would say that I'm "going toward the light."
Fortunately I'm not dying, I'm just embracing my ADD. Life's too short to
be anything but me. I gave my kids haircuts on Friday, and they look super
cute. I just think they're the cutest things in the whole wide world.

My 4 year old is learning to count to 100. But after 40, he can't remember
the next big number. So he counts along, 31,32,33,34,35 in ever increasing
pitch and speed and when he hits like, 39, he just stops. Then someone near
him will yell out the next number (like 40) and without hesitation, as if he
knew it all along, he starts in again, 41,42,43,44,45 until 49 and then he
waits, someone yells 50 and away he goes.

Are you kiddin' me? That's cute, I don't care where you're from.

I occasionally wear gym shoes to the office, b/c you never know when you're
going to have to break out in to a run, you know.

I wish my "Pine Needle Scented Yankee Candle" was lasting longer.
Apparently, we put it under the A/C vent so it didn't really work to
stink up the house like Christmas.

We live in an amazing world where I spent $20 on a candle to make my house
smell like Pine Needles at Christmas and today some kids in Africa will die
because they don't have enough to eat.

Wow, let that sober you for a minute, (puts a new spin on generosity,
doesn't it?)

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

My ADD has been bad lately

I don't know if it's the holidays or the stress I've been feeling with my
wife all "laid up" with her foot surgery or what, but seriously, my ADD has
been through the roof lately.

I walked into Sam's Club the other morning and had to buy 3 things. My wife
had made me a list and everything, and the minute I walked in, it was like,
"Wowlookatallthetvsandwheredidthemoviesgothatusedtobeintheentranceandthispla
ceisawesome,waitwhatwasIsupposedtocomeinhereforagain?whyareallthosepeoplejus
tstandingaroundandwaitIknowI'mhereforsomethingwhatwasitshesaidIneededtogetag
ain?howcomethegrinderforthecoffeeisonlynexttothecoffeeIliketobuy?whataboutth
epeoplewhodrinkotherkindsofcoffeearetheylessworthytohaveagrindernexttothemth
anIam?maybeI'mmakingtoomuchofthis.whyamIhereagain?

Seriously, that's what it feels like right now! Dead serious. If you have
ADD then you totally know what I'm talking about but there's also no way
you've been able to concentrate long enough to get to the end of this, so I
know you're not reading this.

It was a good day when I actually embraced this whole ADD thing. For a long
time I didn't want to use it as an "excuse" but now I realize that It's got
good sides and bad sides. The bad sides are, that occasionally a trip to
Sam's Club can feel like a bag of scrabble letters. The good side is, When
I'm in the zone, I can get a lot done. It's finding the zone and not
letting things knock you out of it, that's the challenge. Thank God my
wife, Sarah, my assistant, Susan, and my staff that know this about me.

Occasionally, it's like, "Just leave him alone, he's in the zone." When
that happens I can write like 3 messages in 3 hours kind of thing. It's
crazy like that.

Anyway,

Keller

I Love Christmas!!!

I can't believe there's only 8 days until Christmas! This truly is the
most wonderful time of the year! I'm serious. I love Christmas. I'm not
sure if it's like the mandated "time off" or what, but somehow all the world
goes right for me around the holidays.

I think there are those few surreal times in the calendar when the world (
and by world I mean church world) is permitted to stop, which is a good
thing. Christmas day is one. Thanksgiving day is another. I wish there
were more in preacher land, but there's not.

See, my day off is Friday, and everyone else is working, so at times it can
feel strange to be "chillin'" while everyone else is still workin'.
Although I work on Sundays and I know that makes up for it somehow, but...

Anyway, 8 days til Christmas and I intend to party like it's 1999. May the
days be Merry and Bright! Yeah I went there.

Just an ADHD Bloggish christmas thought.

Matt

Resources for "Life Interrupted" - Part 2

Thanks everyone for checking out the Resources I mentioned in Part 2 of Life Interrupted. Here are several that our staff put together this week. This is just the tip of the ice berg, but it should be a great start. I hope you'll push past any "Intellectual Excuses" and engage your mind to encounter Jesus in a new way. There is a link on the right side of this page to the message if you didn't hear it or want to refer it to a friend. Let's start with...

The Bible – written by God – This book is a collection of writings from Jewish and Christian scholars. Some of the authors tell engaging stories, some give amazing instruction, and some just feel the need to tell you the genealogy of someone. (I know I'm being tongue & cheek, but seriously... if you're not reading it, start. the Book of John is a good place.)

How to Study the Bible for all It's worth - Henrietta Mears - This is a great resource for an overview of the 66 "books" contained in the Bible.

How Good is Good Enough – Andy Stanley – This book looks at the popular mindset that, “good people go to heaven.” Using scripture and logic, Stanley unpacks that line of thinking.

The Normal Christian Life – Watchman Nee – This book dives into what it means to live life as a Christian. It attempts to break down what it would look like to live a, “normal,” Christian life.

Desire of the Everlasting Hills by Thomas Cahill - A great look at history
and the world before and after Christ. An enjoyable read.

Evidence that Demands a Verdict I and II - Josh McDowell - McDowell started out on a quest to prove Christianity wrong and wound up one of the most convinced people on the planet. These two books are his findings. Great stuf.

More than a Carpenter - Josh McDowell - This is a quick read that digs into the claims of Jesus . It's a must read for anyone with questions about Jesus as, "The Son of God," "The Only Way," etc.

A Case for Christ - Lee Strobel - Lee has a whole line of "A Case for..." Books. These are great for practical data and proof on any number of Christian topics. He even has a "Case for Christmas."

Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster - Great stuff on what it means to live a life surrendered to Jesus Christ.

The Life You've Always Wanted - John Ortberg - I like the way Ortberg writes and I think he takes many of the Celebration of Discipline concepts and puts them into everyday terms. This is an awesome book for the person who wants to grow as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell - Rob has this way of using conversational language to dig into this crazy cool Bible History, Jewish culture stuff. This book reads so easy, it's like you're listening to him talk. Gotta, gotta, gotta read this book!

Crosswalk.com - A website I visit often. This website is FREE and has every kind of Bible reference guide, or translation you can think of. I use this website as a resource for almost every message I ever give. They have everything from daily devotionals, to message transcripts, and even some advertisements. (ha)

Thanks again for digging in deeper into your faith.

I love being your pastor, NLC, This is truly the best church EVER!!!

Matt

All The Things I'm Learning (Part 6) The final installment

By part 6, my ADD has set in now, & honestly, I have no idea what number were on any more. So we'll just start with 16, sound good?

16. I'm learning about Long Term Grace in my life. I can't even tell you
how spot on Mike Ash's message was in week 4 of our Fuel for Life Series
last month. He talked about God's purpose for Suffering and absolutely just
opened my eyes to a whole new perspective of what it means to "have a thorn
in the flesh" as Paul writes about in the New Testament. The idea that it's
possible that God actually leaves "stuff" in our life that keeps us postured
toward dependence on Him, lest we be tempted to think, "our strength is
sufficient." I love what Paul says about "His strength being made perfect
in our weakness." Man, that's so true. You know, Paul had some really
amazing insights.

17. I'm learning that my creativity is a unique gifting from God. I'm so
thankful for the people in my life that keep me focused and organized and
own all the details of my life so that I can be who God has uniquely created
me to be ... Which is creative. The team around me makes so many of my
ideas look way better than they could ever be if I had to try and execute it
alone. I love working with my team. They make me a better pastor,
communicator, speaker, & writer.

I'm just really thankful for the people I get to do life and ministry with.

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

All the Things (Part 5)

Today's installment is just one thing I'm learning with clarity about myself. I challenge you to pray for clarity about your "calling" as well.

I'm learning I'm called to do 3 things:

1. Write (Messages & Books). Writing fuels me like nothing else can. The
entire process of learning and reading and studying and praying and
developing a thought and seeing new things in Scripture just make me feel
strong like nothing else can. I struggled with this calling for several years, because, quite honestly, I never felt like I would have anything to say. (At least that other people would want to read, anyway.)

It feels good to be stepping into that calling now. Wow.
2. Speak. Speaking comes easy for me. That's the part of my job that I
enjoy. It's probably the part I get most nervous about as well though. I
feel such a Holy Responsibility for what I'm about to say to so many people
every week, it's crazy. I also have a Holy Nervousness that God will show
up and change hearts. I'm so aware that, my talent alone, doesn't have the
power to change anybody. Only with the Holy Spirit convicting and changing
hearts does anything good have the potential of happening. That's serious
business for me.

3) Coaching other Leaders. My heart beats to teach others what we have
learned and are continuing to learn about leadership, church planting,
ministry, creativity, & doing church in our cultural context. Nothing fires
me up more than a phone call with a church planter or a meeting with a young
leader.
What "fires you up?" What fills your tank? If you don't know, start having conversations with others about it. Because the sooner you find out, the sooner you'll start moving boldly in the direction of your calling.

Just a bloggish challenge,

Matt

All the Things I'm Learning (Part 4)

Here's my hypothesis: Each of us are capable of making a list of what we're learning in our lives as well. I just happen to write them down and publish them to the World Wide Web for all to see. Feel free to comment back and let us know what you're learning in your world as well. I'd love to hear it and learn along with you...

12. I'm learning what it means to Trust... Really trust. Dr. Richard
Powell, who is the pastor of MacGregor Baptist Church here in Fort Myers, FL
(& an amazing leader, pastor & guy) told me recently over lunch that, "I
would have to learn to completely turn my back on entire areas of NLC. That
would be when I could know that I've completely given away ministry to
others." I have definitely adopted that phrase, "turn my back" recently.
That takes trust. And man, it's hard sometimes.

13. I'm learning Jealousy can hit you quick. I'm amazed at how quickly I
can drift toward jealousy or comparison in my life. I see another guy's
book, or hear of something another guy is doing in a church somewhere, and I
immediately rush to judgment. I hate that about myself. That's the kind of
stuff you have to crucify on the cross ya know.

15. I'm learning about sins of Commission & sins of Omission. This isn't
new information for me, but I was recently refreshed to the categories.
Sins of Commission are those things we do that don't please God. Sins of
Ommission are those things we DON'T do, that consequently cause us to miss
out on God's best for our lives.
Where are we guilty of a sin of "Omission" in our life? Where are we hesitating to take a step of faith, instead of pushing through and just trusting God.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

All the Things I'm Learning right now (Part 3)

After an extended absence from the blogosphere, I'm now back in full force. Here's the third installment of, "All the Things I'm Learning right now," by Matt Keller. Thanks for reading...
9. "When" is Coming!!! A few months ago I wrote a blog titled, "It's not
if, it's when." Well, guess what, "When" is coming soon. I can feel it.
God's timing is exact, and He is exactly beginning to move and open doors
like crazy around the NLC world. December 2nd was a huge day for us.
We're so excited about the Big Opportunities God is placing in our hands!

10. I am learning to be more secure in who I am in Christ, regardless of
the approval of man. With or without man's approval, I'm learning to be
more secure in my calling and my responsibility to that calling than I've
ever been before. It's a great place to find yourself in. However, it's easy to let slip away too. I'm still working on that part!

11. I have a responsibility & a calling to develop young leaders around me.
I'm learning in the last few weeks that God has uniquely gifted and called
me to have a total passion for leadership development of young leaders
around me. We're actually trying to be very strategic as we head into 2008
about how we leverage that calling and passion in my life. Stay Tuned to
hear more about that as we get closer to the New Year.
More tomorrow, but for now I submit...

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

More of what I'm learning right now (Part 2)

So on Monday, I began a new series of blogs about "All the Things I'm Learning right now..." Here's the 2nd installment...

6. It only takes 1 idea to succeed. Never underestimate that truth that: The power of one idea plus God, can equal Breakthrough into a whole new level. Don't be too quick to give up on an idea. Some of the best ideas ever were simply morphs of a "pretty good idea." Make every idea a beach ball, and give permission to people near you to bat it around until it becomes great. Your job is to simply keep it from hitting the ground.

7. Risk ought to be regular. Plain & simple, if we're not taking enough
risks, we're not positioning ourselves for true success. When was the last
time you took a risk? What's keeping me from taking more risks on a daily
basis? What if I developed an ability to risk in the small things everyday
so when a big risk came along it wouldn't feel so foreign or awkward to me?
Huh.

8. The only way to win is to lose first. Can we really go up, before we
hit rock bottom? Hopefully, but more probably, no. God uses failures and
shortcomings in our lives to mold us on a heart level into what God wants /
needs us to become so we can become what He wants us to be when we finally
do succeed.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

A Few of the Things I'm Learning Right Now!!!

I realize that I've been a bit AWOL from the Blogosphere lately, and I
apologize. Quite honestly, I feel like the rhythm of my life has been crazy
lately and unfortunately, my blogorhythm is the first thing to suffer.

In light of my apparent neglect of reblogibility, I submit to you the follow
insights:

A few of the Things I'm learning in my life right now...

1. I'm Totally in Uncharted Territory. The deeper I go into this whole
thing called "Life & Ministry" the more I realize that I'm definitely in
over my head. The grace of God still better be sufficient or I'm sunk
pretty bad. 2 Corinthians 12:9 "...but Jesus said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.'" I'm living that right now, no doubt about it! It seems the further we go, the more that Scripture becomes true in my life!

2. "Life & Ministry" is a Team Sport. It's impossible to go where God is
leading us alone. We truly have a dream team at NLC. I can't even begin to
tell you how they have lived that out over the past several weeks. They
truly understand what it means to "manage" Matt's uniqueness and giftings.
They make my strengths look infinitely stronger than they actually are.

3. The Path to Success is through Teachability. I am learning that I've got to continue to stay amazingly teachable in my leadership. To lead where we're going requires a completely different skill set then it does to lead where we are, or where we've been.

4. The Path of Teachability is through Humility. I'm learning that being & remaining
teachable bites sometimes. It means admitting when you're wrong. Admitting
when you blow it. And that's anything but easy, I don't care who you are. Getting up, brushing yourself off, and getting back on the horse is essential.

5. Asking for Grace and Forgiveness from people is hard. There's nothing
more difficult for us humans than this one. And yet, there's nothing more
powerful and effective at positioning us for personal growth like it in the
whole world.

I'm going to continue this line of blogs all week long. I'm up to 19 things that I'm learning right now. I can't wait to share them with you...

Thanks for reading along,

Matt

How do you explain Daylight Savings Time to a 7 year old?!?

So last weekend, my oldest son, Will, started asking me about the time change. (Of course, he thinks the time change is just a great excuse to go to bed an hour later and get up an hour earlier) so this has been no small amount of trepidation on our part! Anyway...

So Monday morning he's in the bedroom at 6 am asking me to explain to him how it's possible to "lose or gain an hour." I tried to explain as simply as I could by using such logic as, "Well, see the government declares a time when we all move our clocks forward or backward and then..." or "okay so you have to look at the whole thing in light of a one year period of time." All of which yielded no fruit.

So finally, I got out a piece of paper and drew the numbers 1 to 24 in a big long row.

then... I said something like, "In March, we all "rename" 2 am, 3 am, and 3 am, 4 am, and 4 am, 5 am..."

to which I think he responded, "That's funny."

Then I drew another set of numbers under that and said, "Then in November we all "change the names back" to what they were before."

I don't know... I think he got it, I'm not sure I ever fully answered the question of "Why" for him though...

Maybe it's cause I don't really know why we do that myself...

Oh well, I guess I'll try again in 6 months...

All I know is, I'm still hungry at 11 am and tired at 10 pm. Weird.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

A Great Veterans Day Talk with my Son

So time change has been no small adjustment for the Keller boys. My oldest actually thinks that it’s cool that he gets up an hour earlier now. More time to be awake I guess. Anyway, this morning at 6:15 am, Will came in and was laying in our bed while I was praying in the bedroom, and Sarah was getting ready. Apparently, he heard me praying something and he says to me: “Dad, we can be thankful for 3 things: Freedom to pray, Freedom to Worship, & Freedom of speech.”

At that, I sat down next to him and began talking to him about his comment. It was such a great 20 minutes.

• I shared with him how people in other countries don’t have the freedom to pray, or worship.


• I had him imagine what it would be like to be talking to his friend about Jesus and for the police to come and take him to jail.


• Then I got to share with him about our missionaries and how they work in countries where it’s illegal to talk about Jesus.


• I told him of one of the missionaries we support at NLC who went to jail recently because he was helping pastors, like daddy does. He was totally getting it.


• Then, I told him how our soldiers have to fight for our freedom of prayer, worship and speech.


• I shared how his great grandpa was a soldier in World War II and he helped stop a “bad guy” named Hitler from taking that freedom away from the Jews and from the whole world.

I’m actually going to be telling that same story this weekend at NLC, I have chills just thinking about it.

6:15 am & I’m teaching, U.S. History, Missiology, & Military Philosophy to my 7 year old.

It’s truly an amazing life…

See you Sunday. 9:40 am – Kid check-in & Coffee. 10 am. Veterans Day.

Matt

I'm so Excited about this Sunday!!!

This weekend we launch our brand new series, "Leave No One Behind," at NLC. It's a 3 week series themed at honoring our veterans and capturing the heart and vision of Jesus for our lives, both individually & as a church.

If you know anyone who is connected to the Military in anyway, you have to bring them on Sunday, it's going to be a really powerful day.

Pray for me this weekend. I need God's help to present this message in a honoring and life-changing way.

10 am. South Fort Myers High School. 9:40 am Coffee & Kids Check-in.

"Leave No One Behind" ... A New Series by Next Level Church

Paul played the Opposite Game Too!

Alright, so I'm reading in 2 Corinthians 12 today, and it appears that the Apostle Paul played the opposite game too. Apparently, Paul's got this "thorn in the flesh" problem, as he calls it, that just won't go away. He asks God 3 times to remove it from his life, and No Dice...

So then he comments on God's response back to him in v. 9... "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" Then he goes on to write, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in dufficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Okay, seriously, who talks like that? Nobody in our world, right? Paul flips it all around. The world around us says, "hide your weaknesses, cover them up, work on them, etc." Paul says just the opposite. Recognize that God uses that weakness to keep us dependant on Him. In other words, if we could beat this stuff in our own strength, then God wouldn't get any glory. So He leaves a certain amount of weakness in our lives, just to keep us leaning into Him.

I have read this verse or quoted it literally a hundred times in the past 15 years, but today it just seems more real and true then ever.

Thank you Jesus...

Are you dealing with a "weakness" you can't seem to get over? There's a good chance it's there, to make you lean into God daily... "For when I am weak, then I am strong."

What kind of crazy opposite game is that?

Keller

Jesus and the Opposite Game

Do you remember playing "The Opposite Game" when you were a kid? Whatever your friend (or sibling) would say, you would say the opposite, until they got so annoyed that you either got punched, or they walked away? Well, it would appear that Jesus was familiar with the opposite game as well.

I was reading the "Beattitudes" today in Matthew 5. I couldn't help but notice that everyone of the things that Jesus says indicates a "blessed" life, is the exact opposite of what the world today says a "blessed" life is.

1. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The world today says that being "poor" in anything is never a good thing. But Jesus says that being "poor in spirit," in other words, emptying ourselves of ourselves is a great thing!

2. "Blessed are those who mourn." The world does everything in it's power to move past "pain or mourning" as quickly as possible. "Quick give me something so I don't have to feel this pain..." Is it possible that Jesus understood that pain woudl be a mighty teacher in our lives, if we would learn to not move past it too quickly?

3. "Blessed are the meek." The world promotes strength & power & any sign of weakness or even meekness (which are not the same things, by the way) is seen as a bad thing.

4. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst..." The world convinces us every 30 seconds that we shouldn't "want" anything. "Do what you must, but you HAVE to HAVE this new product, or gadget, or toy, or restaurant, etc."

5. "Blessed are the merciful." The world declares with compelling directness that "Ruthlessness wins." Never relent. Never retreat. Never show mercy.

6. "Blessed are the pure in heart." The world wants us to contaminate our hearts with anything and everything we can find. Purity is mocked on every TV show today. Wow.

7. "Blessed are the peacemakers." The world is looking for a fight. "It's a dog eat dog world out there..." type of thing. Jesus promotes the opposite.

8. "Blessed are those who are persecuted." The world wants to so water down truth, in the name of everyone feeling comfortable, & thus doing away with any sort of ill-will related to a belief that could be seen as "unpopular." Jesus says there are going to be times when believing in me isn't going to be easy or popular."

9. "Blessed are you when people insult you." Nobody likes to be insulted or put down. But Jesus says that the "Blessed life," looks different than that.

Interesting stuff, isnt' it? Does the world around us consider you & I blessed? Based on what? Who would consider our lives more blessed, Jesus or the world around us?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

NLC Extreme Food Drive - A Huge Success!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of our church. Yesterday was the last week of our "Fuel for Life" Series and the "Extreme Food Drive" that went along with it. The Single's won by about 80 items, but the true winners are the 100 needy families that we helped yesterday afternoon. In all, we had close to 4,000 items brought in over the 5 weeks of the series. Already, we're getting responses from the families who received the food. Each one makes me cry.

I knew when we were putting the series together that I wanted to link it to a "community service" event, and this one was amazing! Mike and Scott did a great job each week, keeping it light and fun during announcement time.

After church let out yesterday, we had all the food set up on tables in the foyer and people & families were able to "pack the grocery bags" and then take them directly to the community and give them personally to the families! It was so amazing. I can't even begin to tell you the joy I felt in my heart watching hundreds of NLC'ers packing groceries after church.

We have truly been given so much, my heart for our church, is that we would leverage all that we've been given for the sake of those who are in need, both physically & spiritually.

I'm so proud of our church!

(NLC family... If you have a story you want to share about your experience yesterday with the food drive, I hope you'll comment back and we'll post it).

Matt

DC Trip Successful

I just wanted to let all of you that prayed for Quigs and I know that our trip to Washington was a great success. We shot video for 5 1/2 hours & got nearly an hour of video recorded, which is incredible! We battled lighting issues all day but had plenty of sunshine for warmth & ease. (At least it wasn't raining & cold!)

In the evening, we had dinner with David Stine, who is an ARC Church Planter in Pentagon City. His church is 8 weeks old. It was so timely to spend time with him and encourage him as he's just getting out of the starting blocks. God really used us to speak a timely word to him.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us. We felt a God confidence all day long, that's for sure. I am so excited about the new series that begins November 11th... "Leave No One Behind." It's going to be powerful, moving and hopefully very honoring to all the veterans of the USA. If you know any veterans, you'll definitely want to get them there on the 11th!

I'm looking forward to the final installment of Fuel for Life this weekend. It's going to be a great finish!

Thanks,

Matt Keller

Prayer for Washington D.C. Trip

Hey guys, pray for me this week, Josh Quigley & I are flying to Washington D.C. to shoot 2 videos from the World War II Memorial & the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They are for the next series that we're doing that launches on Veteran's Day, November 11th! I'm so excited about the series. It's called, "No One Left Behind." I don't want to spoil it for all of you, but I also feel strongly that I need you to pray for me. My grandfather served in World War II, & I have a feeling this is going to be pretty emotional for me.

We are also scheduled to have dinner with 2 church planters while we're there to encourage them and help anyway we can.

I'll let you know how it goes,

Just a bloggish prayer request... thanks,

Matt

Watch Over!!!

I was reminded of Psalm 127 today on my prayer walk & I just feel strongly that someone needs to be encouraged by these words. 5 times in 8 verses, the psalmist uses the phrase, "Watch Over." In other words, he wants to be very clear that our Heavenly Father "Watches Over" us at all times! Check this out... Here are the verses, (with my thoughts in paratheses)...

v. 1 "I lift up my eyes to the mountains (that's the most high & lofty place around) - where does my help come from?" (In other words, he could be implying any number of things... a. my help doesn't come from worldly high places, b. my help comes from the High places of God, c. when I face mountains that I know I am to climb, I gotta know where my help comes from)

v. 2 "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Perhaps he clears up his intentions in this verse by recognizing that God created this whole world that we live in, and since He created it, He knows how to get us through it!)

v. 3 "He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;" (I love that he changes his verb tense right here... He moves it from 1st person, personal, to 3rd person. He is now speaking to someone other than himself! I love that boldness. He had to internalize the message 1st, & then share it with others! Did you catch the 1st "watches over"?)

v. 4 "indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (2nd "watches over". He speaks of Israel as the people he knows and loves. He is confident in God's ability to "watch over" the people he knows & loves.)

v. 5 "The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand;" (3rd "watches over". I'm not real sure of the reference to God being their shade at their right hand. Perhaps it has something to do with them living in a desert climate and needing protection from the scorching heat that can drain you. A potential metaphor for how being in the thick of a battle can drain you, and make you feel like you need relief, like a shade would provide. It kinda makes me want to do some study on that...)

v. 6 "the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night." (Again, not sure about how the moon can harm someone, but I bet he's saying something really powerful right here. In any case, he is declaring God's ability to "watch over" us anytime, day or night. He's always near, always watching, never sleeping!)

v. 7 "The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;" (4th "watch over". This time from "ALL HARM!" Wow, what a declaration! Notice, he's increasing in the magnitude of his declarations of what God can do, will do, and is doing for them! He's building a case for the greatness of God in their lives!!!)

v. 8 "the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." (5th "watch over". This is the big culmination. No matter where you go, or when, God is watching over you!!! Picture having an umbrella that is always over head, protecting you from the scorching sun, but always available to shield you from storm, day or night, wherever you go, now & forevermore! That's a picture of our God.)

May we walk with that kind of boldness this week as we dig in & live for Him!

Hope that encourages you today,

Matt

Made to Stick - Book Review

I just finished the book, Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath. I mentioned this book in an earlier blog last week, but I'm done now. So here are a few of my thoughts...

1. Their book is insightfully sticky. Which I suppose it should be, based on the subject matter.

2. Some of their illustrations are cumbersome & had a tendency to get me lost. Maybe it was just my ADD, but I liked all the illustrations, but then I found myself going, "What are they talking about now?" or "What's this got to do with the subject of the chapter?" So...

3. This book is perfect for every preacher. It's a great perspective for making your messages better, that's for sure.

4. There's a recap in the back that helped me injest all the info.

5. I said last week that Made to Stick could be the Good to Great of Communictions books. Unfortunately, I don't think they lived up to my initial billing.

6. Overall rating, I would give the book a 6 out of 10. It's a good read, if communication is a large part of what you do.

I am interested in finding other podcasts, or resources that they've created. B/c I think that they have alot of good things to say.

Just my bloggish thoughts,

Matt

Legos & Love!!!

So I'm playing legos with my 4 year old son, Drew, the other night. We were building a tower next to a swimming pool, that started out as a space ship or something, I don't know. During the building process, there was a tall staircase that I was in the process of placing on the top of our spaceship turned tower. In a worried tone, Drew asks me, "Dad, what are you doing?" To which my simple reply was, "Trust me!"

What happened next, took my breath away... Without hesitation, he says back to me, "I love you, Dad." To which I stopped and looked at him. Well, he's giving me this "matter-of-fact, cute, simple, half smile," (like only Drew can do) thus implying, "Duh, dad, of course I trust you... I love you."

Trust is implicit to love. To have one is to have the other. How in the world does my 4 year old know that??? How does he know that when you love someone, you trust them implicitly?

Zoom out to us... Why is so hard for us to trust God? I mean, we love Him right? We believe He loves us right? Then why don't we trust Him more? Not just with the big stuff (like salvation) but with the small stuff too? (like relationships, finances, our future hopes & dreams).

Where in your life is your Heavenly Father saying, "Trust me," and hoping that our response will simply come out as:

"I love you, Dad."

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Three Signs of a Miserable Job - Book Review

Often, people will ask me what books I'm reading, so here goes one: I just finished reading "Three Signs of a Miserable Job" by Patrick Lencioni. Here are my thoughts in random order:

1. Overall Rating: 7 - It's not his best book, (5 Dysfunctions of a team is) but it's got a great, simple concept that every leader needs to hear.

2. I got to see him at Catalyst last month. His delivery was rough at Catalyst, but again, his content was simple, and strong. I was excited about reading it.

3. He uses story form. His story in this one is good. I enjoy the escape literarily speaking and the ability to actually interact with a set of characters in a book.

4. The last 25 pages are the dynamite. He nails it all down and drives it home. It's good stuff.

5. You get some really interesting looks from people who see you reading a book about a "Miserable Job." That's a little awkward, & funny...

6. He basically says there are 3 Main Things People Need in order to NOT be miserable in their job (or read, service opportunity at a church, etc.):

First, They need to be known. They want to know that their boss or leader knows they have a life outside of work. And that they take a genuine interest in that life outside of work.

Second, They need to know that what they do matters. His word is Relevant. That they actually make a difference in someone's life. It's our job as leaders and bosses to connect the dots for people in our departments from what they do, to how it impacts someone's life everyday.

Third, They need to know that they are making progress. He calls it "Measurability." That what they give their lives to on a daily basis is actually making progress. This one is a by far the toughest one to actualize in terms of bringing it down to where the people we lead, are living. But it's a good point, none the less.

7. I would recommend this book as a good read for every leader, especially in church work, where people are volunteering themselves and their time to be apart of something bigger than themselves. We have a huge responsibility to make them feel known, relevant, and like they're making progress. It's a long story for 3 points. But definitely worth the read.

Just a Book Review Bloggish Thought,

Matt

Getting Set Up!!!

So I'm reading Proverbs 24 today and this one verse jumps off the page at me:

v. 14 "Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."

Here's the deal: He's talking about wisdom & how important it is to have in your life. Of course this isn't new info for most of us... ( think "Best Question Ever" stuff...) but then he connects it to a benefit that will appear in our lives later if we do: Future Hope.

Basically what he's trying to say is: "If you put wisdom in play in the decisions you're making now, it will set you up for a Hope-Filled Future later. And that hope will never end!" (Echos of: What the Wise thing to do? huh?)

Wow, what a perspective. Here's why: It's so easy to think that the "seemingly small & insignificant decisions" we make on a daily basis only effect the here and now, but this verse challenges us to think more Long Term! What if the "small & insignificant decisions" we make today will effect our future in 20 or 30 or 40 years? What if our daily decisions have that much power?

Imagine the implications on our lives, if that's true. Never underestimate the power of a small decision made today in it's ability to "set you up" for the future!

Today Matters, Make every Decision Count, (That's easier said than done...)

Matt

The Metaphor Game

So last night, I had the opportunity to work for about 4 hours painting the new warehouse space for our church! (By the way, it's going to be incredible! I can't wait for all of you to see it.) Anyway, I got to paint with Mark Luchour. He is one of the worship leaders at NLC & is just a dynamic, young leader who has a great personality ! Well, he and I got to playing the "Metaphor Game." It's really rather simple... everything you say, you have to compare to something else, by using the words, "Like, or As." (My mom is so proud right now!) Here's an example:

"This paint looks awesome, like my wife on our wedding day!" or

"We are knocking this out, like Mike Tyson." or

"I think we bit off more than we could chew, like Mike Tyson." (Sorry I couldn't resist!)

Anyway, I ended up destroying him, (Like the death star) 101 to 90 or something close to that (like a neighborhood gas station). Here's the point, on a serious note (like a letter from your teacher)...

To all you communicators out there: Metaphors are powerful. Jesus' primary method of communication was metaphorical! Metaphors have the ability to paint pictures for people like nothing else can. I would challenge you to go back and look at the way you communicate to employees, friends, colleagues, etc. Are you painting pictures with your words? If not, you're probably leaving something good on the table (like bad patrons at a fast food restaurant).

Pictures tell stories that words simply cannot. Don't miss out on their power.

Here's a great book recommendation: Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. They talk about this idea of making messages sticky to listeners. This book could be the "Good to Great" of communication books. Get it, it rules (like King David!)

Word Pictures are everywhere, use 'em (like a napkin.) They'll serve you well (like a good waitress.)

Keller out... (like bell-bottoms).

By the way, I know what you're thinking... this guy has serious A.D.D. (No question in my mind.) I just need more cars to fill up all my lanes. (At least that's what one counselor told me!) I could go on and on (like a bad professor) but I'll stop (like a 4 way).

Going Up & Going In...

Here's what I'm learning right now... The further up you go, the more inward God wants to work in your life. It never fails that the minute God begins to bring increase in my life, (in any number of ways) that there is a requirement of God doing something greater inside of me as well. For example, if I am praying for God bump up the level of influence He wants for me to have in the lives of the people at NLC, then I know it's going to first start in me.

It's all about being "Trustworthy." I pray daily that "God would find me trustworthy." John Maxwell says it this way: "If you want to grow the organization, first grow the leader." So... in order for NLC to grow and become the life-impacting organism that we dream it can be, it has to first start with me... the leader.

It's been fun over the past 5 1/2 years to grow in my understanding of this concept. Because in the early days, I thought that it was about a whole bunch of other stuff. (which is important to some degree) But now, I'm realizing that it's me. "God wants to do a work IN me more than He wants to do a work THROUGH me!" Holy smokes, that's good! (It'sanother Maxwell quote, not an original, unfortunately.)

Let me say it again to make sure you get it:

"God wants to do a work IN you, more than He wants to do a work THROUGH you."

What if we could carry that around in our hearts this week? It might change us in some way, huh?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

10 Things You Don't Want People to say about Your Bible!!!

10. Wow, the pages sure are white!

9. Why do the pages still stick together?

8. Wow, It still has that new Bible smell!

7. What do you mean, "you don't know where it is?"

6. You know they've updated the translation right?

5. Why is it so dusty?

4. When was the last time you picked this thing up?

3. It looks amazing for getting it in 1993!

2. Are Bible covers still cool?

1. Yes, all 66 books are included in every Bible!!!

Happy Monday Everybody!!!

Matt

Pain brings Healing?!? Can that be right?

So here's a thought, I've been thinking about lately... What if the path to healing in our lives always includes an element of pain? In other words, what if there is no healing without pain? The Bible says that, "By His stripes we are healed..." The verse is speaking of Jesus' stripes. The pain He had to endure, the blood He had to shed in order that we, fallen humanity, might be healed of our sinfulness.

His pain brought our Healing. And what if, in some way, there is pain involved in the healing work of God that is on going in our lives? The pain of working through shortcomings. The pain of dealing with past hurts. The pain of remembering uncomfortable events in our past. The pain of ill-spoken words. Pain.

I know it's true for me that any time God wants to take me to a new place of wholeness in Him, I always have to walk through a painful place. A place where God "breaks me down," so He can build me back up into more of His image. It's the breaking part that is painful. It's right... but painful none the less.

I am so thankful that God knows how much we can handle and doesn't ever leave us or forsake us. I'm thankful that He walks with us in the pain and lovingly leads us to "Paths of Righteousness for His name's sake," as Psalm 23 says.

I don't like the pain, but I do like the idea of living in a place of healing and wholeness like I never have before. So perhaps pain is a blessing from God! Kinda makes you think differently about praying, "God, Bless Me!" doesn't it???

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

"People Need to be Reminded, more than they need to be Instructed!"

This is one of the 154,000 quotes I took away from the Catalyst Conference last week. Patrick Lencioni said it, and I absolutely love it! What a great reflection for me as a communicator. One of the primary line items on my job description has to do with weekly communication to a group of people. Here are a few of my thoughts that I'm processing through on this quote:

1. People Know & Understand more than we give them credit for.

By simply reminding them, we insinuate that they know more than they think we do. I think it's easy for us to assume that our employees, or friends, or children, or even church attenders, aren't capable of making wise, informed decisions. I just read a quote in the book, unChristian, by David Kinneman about the next generation that is so enlightening. He writes, "They (16-29 yr. olds) want to try things out themselves, disdaining self-proclaimed experts and 'talking head' presentations. If something doesn't work for them, or if they are not permitted to participate in the process, they quickly move on to something that grabs them."

What if our job as leaders is to "remind" people of what they already know in their heart to be the wise decision? And then to simply invite them into the process of fleshing it out in a personal way?

2. Humans have a built in resistance to being "told what to do."

Lencioni calls it instruction, however, it's reasonable to say that others might call it, "barking at me," "talking head," or worse. I love the thought that the next generation among us desires leaders who are "figuring it out as well." They want the "person up front" to just talk to them.

3. How we say things matters... a whole lot.

This implication from Lencioni's quote is big for me. As leaders, we can never forget that how we say what we say is as important as what we say. We are leaders. Our lives & words hold the power to create realities for people. Both positively & negatively. It's completely inaccurate that "sticks and stones are the only thing that break bones..." Our words can make or break a person's spirit, life & future!

May we, the leaders of the next generation, continue to "Remind" people of all that they can be in Christ, everyday!

Have I told you that I love doing this???

Matt

Catalyst Thoughts

Alright, so I'm almost overwhelmed by all that I took in last week at Catalyat. So here's what I got:

Tim Stevens who is the Executive Pastor of Granger Community Church gave an unbelievable recap of Catalyst on his blog late last week, so here's a link so you can get a feva' for the flava' of what we received.

It's just been an incredible time of letting God rock me big time!

I'll touch base again soon,

Matt

Rick Warren Remembered Me!!!

So I'm at the Catalyst Conference in ATL, GA this week! It's so great to get to spend a few days away with the staff and some other off the charts leaders from NLC! When it comes to the conference, the bottom line is, I don't even know where to start. It's going to take me several weeks to be able to decompress and process through all that we are learning! I'll start shooting out some blogs about all that we're receiving asap...

But for now here's a huge deal!

So Rick Warren spoke the last session of today (Day One) and it was just ridiculous! I mean, seriously, he rocked my face off! I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it is to hear his heart from all that God has shown him and entrusted him with. He's the real deal, you guys, he lives what he preaches, big time!

Anyway, afterward, I had to go and talk to him and attempt to thank him for taking the time last spring to write me a personal note of encouragement after he saw our story on the Anderson Cooper Show on CNN. (By the way, in case you didn't know we were on CNN like 20 times last spring, to see the video of it, check out the videos section of our nextlevelchurch.com website. There should be a link to the right on this blog page...)

So after the talk, Sarah and I went down to the stage and I was able to push my way up to him. He's just an incredible guy to be up close to. When he came my way, I introduced myself and told him that we were featured on CNN and he looked at me and said, "Of course I remember you!" Then he gave me a big hug and said, "I was so proud of you when I saw that!" He then hugged Sarah and told us again how proud of us he was! Are you kiddin' me??? That's just crazy!

I told him that he would never know how much it meant to us that he took the time to send a personal note to us and thanked him again! I couldn't believe how down to earth and real and approachable he was. Talk about a guy who has an unbelievable grasp on all that he's been entrusted with and knows the power of his influence.

God help me to be that kind of leader,

I can't wait to share more with you guys,

Matt

Book Recommendation: "Going All the Way" by Craig Groeschel

I wanted to give a quick book recommendation about a new book coming out called, "Going all the Way." It's about Dating/Relationships/Marriage written by Craig Croeschel. Most of you guys know that I am a huge Craig fan and he pastors one of the most cutting edge churches in America called "LifeChurch.tv."

I can't wait to read this book, and want to highly recommend it to all of you who happen to read my blog. Here's a link to Amazon.com to purchase it. Also, check out his church's site www.LifeChurch.tv or his blog site.

Let me know your thoughts when you get it and read it, and I'll do the same,

thanks,

Matt Keller

I got my Nugget!!!

So last Wednesday night at our Connection Group, I challenged everyone there to "find a nugget" about leadership in the next week or so, and be prepared to share it the next time we got together! Well, I just couldn't wait, I had to share the one I found. It totally goes with the topic of discussion from last Wednesday night, we were having about "Character." It's a John Maxwell quotefrom his book, "21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day," that is worth repeating:

"Anyone who displays inconsistency of character will not remain a voice of influence in the lives of others.""

He goes on from there and busts out another one like 2 paragraphs down:

"The effectiveness of any message relies more on the character of the messenger than on the content of the message.""

Wow. When I read those, I was challenged to the core. I want my character to shine through in my life like never before! I want people to see more Jesus in me than ever before. And yet, I'm keenly aware of how fragile the character of a leader is. God help me to guard my character like never before! Find me trustworthy in the days ahead!

Anybody else got a nugget on leadership they want to share???

Just a bloggish thought,

Keller

Lessons I learned from an Older & Wiser Leader

I mentioned a couple of days ago, that I had lunch with Gary Cox, the senior pastor of First Christian Church in downtown Fort Myers, FL. I wanted to share a few of the teachable insights he gave me during our lunch. What a great guy. I am so humbled to have learned at his table for 2 hours last Thursday.

1. Don't try and sprint a marathon. Gary has been at FCC for 18 years. 12 as the senior leader. He is a testimony in longivity and faithfulness. He's just steadfast. What a good word, for a 32 year old, prone to be a bit rambunxious leader like me!

2. Discipline trumps Talent in the long run. Gary told me this when I asked him, a 50 year old guy, to give advice to himself 18 years earlier when he first moved here, as a 32 year old man. He told me he would tell himself to spend more time developing disciplines than talent. Talent is what it is, but discipline has the ability to sustain, like talent never can. Gosh. Are you kiddin' me! That's just ridiculous!

3. Dont' believe your own press. Avoid the temptation. Period. You're just not that good. It's all God anyway.

4. Never underestimate the power of Vision. It really is true that without a vision the people perish. Lead with vision. Give your people a compelling vision to buy into and follow.

5. This is still the best job on the planet. In spite of all the tough stuff that comes with "the people business," never forget for a minute that we actually get paid to do this! We get to invest our lives impacting other people's lives for eternity. Nothing beats that. Nothing. Gary lives that!

There is so much more I could share, but I think I'm still processing it in my own heart, so, I'm sorry, I'm just gonna have to leave you hangin'. What a friend and mentor I have in Gary Cox.

Thanks again Gary for lunch,

I'm so glad I get to do this everyday!

Matt

3 Things My Generation Longs For...

I had the privilege of having lunch with Gary Cox today. Gary pastors First Christian Church in downtown Fort Myers, FL. I came into the meeting excited to be able to ask questions of a guy who has been in the area doing what I'm doing for more than 18 years. I consider Gary a mentor and a friend.

I went right at him with questions and he gave some incredible responses about how he is different from 5 years ago, lessons he's learned in leadership and pastoring, raising up & sending out leaders, and lessons he's learning in vision casting on a local church level! Amazing stuff. Maybe I'll blog about it in more detail soon...

After more than an hour of answering my questions, Gary asked me, "What would you, a 32 year old pastor, say to me, a 50 year old pastor, if you could?" (Which was amazing to me by the way.) I knew my responses would have to do with my generation as a whole, and not just me personally... I said 3 things which led us into the 2nd hour of our conversation together:

1. "My generation is desperate for your generation to believe in us." B/c of the abandonment issues we face, generationally, we are longing for members of our parent's generation to believe in us! We desperately long to know that you believe in us. That you believe we can do what you do. That you believe that what we do has value and is recognized as worth-while. I believe that is huge for my generation.

2. "My generation is desperate for a chance to play." Don't just tell us you think we CAN play, actually pass us the ball. Nothing speaks louder of your belief than when you give us a chance to play. The following is an excerpt from a book that has made a profound impact on my vision for the local church:

"Most young Davids within the Christian world start with an innocent heart before God and a trusting attitude toward churches. But when they discover cumbersome systems and unnecessary processes that don't contribute to effective ministry, these disillusioned Davids quickly decide they can do more elsewhere. Therefore, our local churches may unnecessarily be losing some of our brightest and best future leaders."

I cannot even begin to tell you how that paragraph above has shaped who I am as a leader. I want so desperately to be a believer in "young Davids." If I can impart nothing else, to the leaders at NLC, I want to impart belief. John Maxwell calls leaders, "Dealers in Hope." Man, I want to be that! May it be said of me one day, that "Matt Keller sure did believe in the leaders God placed around him."

3. "More than principles, we just want access to the Real you!" I can't even begin to tell you the value that was added to me today just by getting a chance to sit for 2 hours and watch Gary Cox tell stories, and reflect on lessons he has learned. Seeing experience in his eyes, and watching the way he processed through life-experiences was just flat out compelling! I think my generation would love to have access to leaders who are where we dream of going. I think that's why I have such an "open door" policy when it comes to Church Planters. I'll schedule time with any church planter who genuinely wants to pick our brain. There's no sacrifice I won't make for them. B/c that's what I longed for 5 1/2 years ago when we were just starting out. Gary gave me access today, and I'm so thankful for it!

By the way, he picked up the check... which is just dead wrong!

I am the richer (& so is our church) b/c Gary Cox gave me access to him, for real, for 2 hours.

Thanks Gary for a great lunch, (like Gary even knows I have a blog!!!)

Matt

I hate that my Battery Needs Recharged

So I'm the kind of guy who just wants the battery on my lap top to always be charged up and ready to go. It always seems like it runs out of life at just the wrong time. Just when I'm ready to take it somewhere further than 5 feet from a wall and type something profound, the battery is dead, or dying! I hate that... I guess I have unrealistic expectations for my battery life, huh? Many of you are reading this right now thinking, "Come on Keller, maybe you just need to be a bit more 'battery responsible' and plug it in strategically or methodically, so that when you need it, you've got the power you want and need!"

Great thought, and on a Monday morning, I can't help but think how our spiritual batteries get depleated and then we find ourselves at work, or in the car with our kids, or on a phone call, and we need some "spiritual power" only to find out that our battery is dead or dying. There's just not the power we were hoping to have in that moment! Perhaps we should take our own advice, "Maybe we need to be a bit more 'battery responsible' and plug in strategically and methodically, so that when we need it, we've got the power we want and need!"

How's your spiritual battery? Is it charged up and ready to go for another week? Or are you running on reserves or worse, dead? Look at the next 24 hours of your life, when can you carve in some time to plug in & recharge?

Just a bloggish thought,

Keller ... out (not bad for a Monday)

Contact with the Outside World!!!

One occupational hazard of being a "Professional Christian" (as I like to call myself) is that, since I work in a church all day long, I have to be very intentional about connecting with the "outside world" around me. Well, today I got a chance...

I was picking up my dry cleaning this morning before I went to study and as I pulled up to the drive-thru, the lady just looked at me as if she forgot who I was. (I had just dropped my stuff off yesterday...) So I simply stated my name and then she said, "Uh, why can't I remember who you are?!?" To which I said, "It's no problem, & it's actually my fault, b/c I haven't done anything to make myself stand out as the Best Customer Ever!" She just smiled and laughed and then said, "There is another person named "Keller" that comes through here, I'll just try and remember you with her..." To which I said, "No, I think I can do better than that!"

So we laughed a moment longer, I paid, and then drove off...

I went around the corner to 7/11 and bought 3 Yellow Roses for like 6 bucks and then drove back through the drive thru line... just like 5 minutes later.

As I rolled down my window she gave me this look like, "Oh no, what did we screw up?" And then I stuck the flowers out the window! She instantly got tears in her eyes, and said, "You have no idea how this brightens my day. My father is in the hospital today, and b/c I'm here, I can't be with him!" Wow.

So I offered to pray for her... (not b/c I'm a pastor, but b/c I'm a Christian, by the way) and she said yes! So right there in the drive-thru line, I had a chance to make a difference in someone's life, and pray for comfort and encouragement for her and her father. Wow. What a good start to my day!

Drive-thru prayer... yeah, I've done that!

Have great day everybody,

Matt

Today I chose the Best Thing!

(Additional Content & Thoughts from the Message, "Moving Forward - Part 2" -
September 9th, 2007)

On Sunday I talked about choosing the "Best" over all the other "good"
things that go on in our day... Well, today I did that.

I woke up early, ran 3.2 miles, did a bunch of crunches, and then came down
and "Sat at Jesus' feet." Last week, Josh Quigley, our Programming Director
at NLC, shared with me how God was speaking to his heart through 2 Peter
chapter 1. (I encouraged him to blog about it, I'll let you know if he
does, and we can link you through...) So I spent some time there.

I also spent some time in Proverbs 10. It's all about the difference
between the way "righteous" people live their lives, and the way "wicked, or
lazy, or violent" people live their lives. Wow.

Here are a couple of things that jumped off the page at me:

V. 3 "The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry..."

Love that... Not just for me, but for the millions of believers world-wide
who may not have enough to eat. It makes me consider my "tootsie rolls"
again. (Great message by the way, check out Week 5 of our Matchbox Series.)

V. 7 "The name of the righteous is used in blessings..."

I have never seen that before. That God would actually bring our lives to a
place that when others think of Godliness, our name pops in their head.
Here's what that means for me. Let me give you an example, when I listen to a message by
another pastor often, I will stop saying, "I listened to a message by Craig
Groeschel the other day... Blah blah blah." Instead, I'll simply start
saying, "So I was listening to, "A Craig," the other day." See the
difference? Their name actually becomes a noun to represent something other
than just them. It represents something greater.

May that be said of us someday b/c of the way we lived our lives.

Thanks for letting me share how I chose the "Best" today...

Matt

What I realized during my "Getaway" with my wife!

I mentioned yesterday that Sarah and I spent the weekend away together... just the two of us! Here are a few things I realized while being with my wife this weekend...

1. It takes me 48 hours to relax.

Sarah and I spent the first 2 days doing alot of sighing and unloading. I love being married so long now that we know what each of us needs in the way of "decompressing." We spent the whole first evening at dinner watching the sunset, and just sighing and then making some "blurt out statement" about some detail thing or issue that we had been facing in the last week or so. It really wasn't until the 2nd morning that we actually "felt" relaxed.

2. I have to "getaway" to "Go Long!" in my thinking.

Again, it takes us about 2 days before we're really able to start thinking about some "long thoughts" for our family, or the church or our dreams or our goals. That's why getaways are so stinkin' important! Because "long thoughts" can't be rushed.

3. Life is too short NOT to get away.

Sarah and I watched the podcast from LifeChurch.tv on Sunday morning and the pastor, Craig Groeschel, is doing a series called, "30 days to live." It's good stuff about considering the bigger picture in your life. As we sat there watching it together we both realized that what we were doing together, just the two of us, was the most important thing we could be doing in that moment! May we never look back with regret in our marriage that we didnt' take full advantage of these opportunities.

4. My wife is AWESOME!!!

Yeah, so I'm not really gonna go into all the details, but suffice it to say that, "MY WIFE IS AWESOME!!!" I feel sorry for people who have "settled" in their marriages. & after a weekend like this, I'm glad that we didn't settle in our marriage a few years ago! I never knew that marriage could be this good. That's all I'm tellin' ya...

Just another bloggish thought,

Matt

I Choose My Wife!!!

Sarah and I had a "Get-a-way" Weekend over Labor Day and it was amazing! We totally needed it. And so did our church! For the last 5 1/2 years, we have always made sure to keep our prioirities in the right order in our home & ministry. Ministry can be all-consuming and too many ministry couples quit making their marriage the priority. The truth is, Church is alot like a child, it's always there, and sometimes you just need to leave it in good hands and focus on your marriage.

God has given us a great team and we know that NLC is in good hands. From the beginning, we have wanted to build into the culture of NLC that I'm not the only one who can, "feed the sheep," so to speak. Too many pastors do their churches a disservice by not training their people from an early age that it's okay for the pastor to be gone! I'm thankful that the people of Next Level get that! The truth is, "If you want to build a strong church, then build a strong marriage!" You can quote me on that!!!

As for the boys, they spent the weekend with Grandma & Grandpa, (which they love!!!) and we got to experience the beach, just the two of us! I love that my kids are already learning that mommy & daddy's marriage is priority over church and even them! We want our kids to understand that, "if our marriage suffers, our whole family suffers." I want our kids to grow up knowing that nothing is going to get in the way of our marriage! Including them... We love them & they are amazingly important, of course, but not to the detriment of our marriage. (That seems rather counter-intutitive to me.)

I hear stories every so often of couples who haven't so much as been on a date night in "...forever..." I have to tell you that I get concerned for the state of their marriage when I hear that. Date nights and time away from our life and kids is like Oxygen to our marriage! We have to have it or we'll die! Life moves too fast and is too demanding for us to not pull away for a couple of hours or days and reconnect. Tomorrow I'll share with you a few thoughts on what I realized on our "weekend away!"

By the way, it's good to be refreshed and back at it this morning,

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Emotion is the Superhighway to meaning - Conversational Marketing - Part 5

So we're rolling now... the book is, "Beyond Buzz," by Lois Kelly. Here's what she says in chapter 2: "Emotions strongly influence whether a person will believe or take action." Wow. Did you catch that? Emotions strongly influence whether a person will BELIEVE..." We have to move people on an emotional level in our church environments. She says:

1. Personal stories move emotion. Jesus was a story teller. He loved to move people with a story. So often Jesus told stories that allowed people to sense and feel themselves in the story.


2. We shouldn't fear emotion. Too often, we fear allowing people to see the "emotional us." We think that if they see us cry or laugh or be angry over sin, etc. that that emotion will be perceived as weak. How untrue. In fact, it actually adds credibility to our leadership if used appropriately.


3. Use Emotion to communicate Love. That's huge.


4. Emotion communcates Passion. When people see us emotional, they are able to better see and understand the passion that rests in our heart for lost people and for God.


5. Emotion motivates people. If we truly want to mobilize people in our churches to live like Jesus lived, then we have to lead with emotion.


6. Emotion unites people around ideas. Nothing brings unity like a common cause that moves the emotions. We have seen this time and time again at NLC. People love to rally around ideas that are emotion filled!

? How can you begin to infiltrate emotion into your communcation in your organization?

Just an emotional bloggish thought,

Matt

4 Things People need, to Understand Information - Conversational Marketing - Part 4

In "Beyond Buzz," Lois Kelly, gets it done when it comes to making the message of our businesses (read churches) known in our communities. She of course is writing to a business context, but I think we can learn much from her as it relates to our ability to provide "Meaningful Conversations" about what God is doing for the people of our churches. In chapter 2, she gives 4 things that must be present in order for people to pay attention, understand what is being said, and then process and remember it. (read internalize the message and see it actually change their life.) The more I read this book, the more I think it could be used in preaching classes in seminaries across the country!

1. Relevancy. Because of the overwhelming volume of information that people are exposed to today, we humans have an innate "filter" on all the time that is asking, "What does this mean to me? If people can't correlate what we're talking about to where they live, they zone out pretty quick". Wow.


2. Emotion. She says that neurologists have proved that Emotion is "the most powerful ingredient for understanding." In other words, we live in a culture that is screaming out, "I dare you to move me!" Is it possible that we aren't "moving" people with the words we're saying? The other part of emotion is asking, "how does this make me feel? Do I feel stronger? more powerful? more hope-filled then when I came in? Excellent questions for pastors and communicators. People are dying to be inspired to become all that God wants for them to become!!!


3. Context. People want to know how what we're talking about fits into the larger picture of life in general and into the larger picture of their life. Again, we can't just desiminate information for information's sake. It has to be placed against the backdrop of their larger lives. Asking questions like, "What arena are our listeners operating in on a daily basis? Am I speaking to that context?


4. Pattern-Making. Experts say that the human brain is constantly processing information by looking for patterns. We long for order and consistency. This is connecting the dots for people. We can't assume that people can automatically apply what they're hearing and receiving in our messages. We must help make application for them. The easiest way to do this is by turning statements into questions. You'll notice that I've done that throughout this blog. Make it personal through a question. Ready... here I go. ? Am I as a communicator, providing an opportunity for listeners to make it personal to their everyday lives? The answer to the question is the action step for people this week.

You may want to forward this to every public speaker and communicator you know!

Just a Preaching Bloggish thought,

Matt

Why Conversational Marketing Matters to Churches - Part 3

If you're just joining the party, you might want to back up and catch the first 2 installments of the Conversational Marketing conversation we've been having. We're disecting a book called, "Beyond Buzz," by Lois Kelly, and I'm unpacking what I think it's got to do with the world of NLC, church, and church planting, etc.

In chapter 1, she unpacks Why Conversational Marketing Matters. I love this stuff... listen to this...

1. Less consumer trust


2. Technology


3. The struggle to make sense out of so many choices and so much information

Isn't that true of people in our culture and spirituality? They have lost trust in so many tranditional religious institutions that once were pillars of our society. Technology is effecting the way we live everyday and undoubtedly effects people's spiritual lives. And we live in a world of "so many choices & so much information" when it comes to spiritual things. People don't know where to find the Truth! That's why this stuff matters so much! We've got to provide avenues for our church people to have meaningful conversations with others who are searching and desiring to know what God wants for their lives!

Listen to this quote: "Today communicating is direct and informal. Just as business dress (read church dress) has turned casual in all but a handful of major urban areas (read churches), so has business communications (read sermons). We often tune out the overly formal in favor of people who are more direct and plainspoken." Oh baby, that's just ridiculous!!! I love that! People want to hear the truths of God's Word in 2 ways: 1) Direct & 2) Plainspoken.

In other words, "Don't dress it all up and fancify it, just tell me the truth and let me make my own decision about it!" Come on! ? Where are we "dressing it all up" in our presentation of the message in our company, church, or world?

I gotta throw in one more quote, just cause it's so good. Listen to this... "When we're trying to understand new ideas, emotion and feelings play a big role in our decisions." Here's what that means. When someone who is new to the things of God is trying to understand them, they need it to be emotional... aka with passion!!! It's so true isn't it?!? I think that's what people love about NLC, they see so many people who are absolutely passionate about the things of God and living their lives in such a way that God is passionately glorified! We'll talk more about this in the next blog, but for now, consider this:

? How can you add emotion and passion to the conversations you're having around your world?

Yet another conversational bloggish thought,

Matt

I Almost hit a Gator on my Bike!!!

I had to interrupt our "Conversational Marketing" stuff to tell you what happened to me this morning! I almost hit a gator while I was on my bike! Here's how it all went down...

Facts: 6:10 am...

It's still pitch black outside...

This is day 4 of my "bike riding, get in shape, stop living unconsciously" campaign...

Once I leave my addition and cross the main road, I kick it into high gear...

The sidewalk I ride on runs right next to a bunch of ponds...

That's when it all went down...

I had just started to ride hard and of course the sidwalk is pitch black, so I'm looking ahead to make sure there are no oncoming bicycles headed toward me since I'm flying at this point. That's when I see this "log shaped" object in the middle of the sidewalk ahead. I gave it one of those "squinting glances" to try and see what it was. THAT'S WHEN IT STARTED TO MOVE!!!

IT WAS A GATOR!!! I am not lying... It was 6 feet long! It started running (as fast as a gator can run with it's little legs and all) across and then I see it go down the bank and splash into the water!

Oh...

My...

Gosh...

It was one of those "hair standing up on the back of my neck" moments. I was freaking out! My jaw was like wide open and I'm riding for the next few minutes thinking, 'What if I would have hit a gator on my bike?' That would have been really, really, (wait for it) really bad!

So here's the thing... From that moment on, I got paranoid. I slowed way down and began watching every little thing in the pavement. How often does that happen in our lives? Something happens that takes us off guard and from that moment on, we allow our whole train of thought to get knocked off course. ? Are you afraid of any "gators" in your life? Guess what, the minute I turned into the housing addition where I ride, I felt safe again and I returned to the pace I'm capable of.

? Where do you need to make a turn so you can return to the pace your capable of?

Oh yeah, I rode back past that pond on my home and he was sitting right on top of the water.

He really was 6 feet long... I'm not lying.

Matt

Conversational Marketing - Part 2

Yesterday we began a series of blog-entries about Conversational Marketing based on insights I'm grabbing a hold of in a book called, "Beyond Buzz," by Lois Kelly. I think this stuff has everything to do with Church, Church Planting, and the business you find yourself in as well. I'll start trying to add some questions to the content to get us thinking more. As always, feel free to jump on the "comment train," and join the conversation. Part 2... Here we go...

In chapter 1 she writes, "The big idea is simply that marketing is about having conversations and engaging with people in interesting discussions, through new and traditional channels." I believe as leaders in the Body of Christ, we have a responsibility to creatively provide reasons for people to want to engage in meaningful conversations about what God is doing in our church. I think our recent summer Baseball series was that for the people of NLC. We simply gave people a reason to "have a conversation" with someone about our church. And it worked. People came out of the woodwork, in the dead of summer, to be apart of something that was fun, and engaging and passion-filled, and creative. And the end result was that dozens and dozens of lives were changed, and dozens of people added to the church!

She makes the statement that, "People should like talking about your company (read church.)" I love that! People love being apart of something that is exciting and forward moving! All week long, they go to their jobs and move through their lives, if we can give them something to get excited about on a Sunday morning, then I think we're on the right track! I have had more people say to me in the last 90 days, "Sunday mornings are the highlight of my week!" or "I haven't seen my teenagers, or kids this excited about church in a long time!" It makes me smile inside, b/c I know that what they're truly excited about is the Life-Giving presence of Jesus that permeates every environment of Next Level Church!

She gives 2 simple steps to helping people "Have Conversations" about your business, product or church (in our case.):

1. Create Forums. She says that you've got to be intentional about creating forums for people to have these conversations. Of course, she sights things like blogs, podcsats, etc. But when I think individually about the people of our church, I think in terms of invitation cards, or other small tangible items that can spark conversations. For example, 2 weeks before we launched the Baseball series, we handed everyone in church 3 "tickets" that advertised the upcoming series and drove people to the church website for more information. Something small like this can be a huge conversation starter. ? What can that look like in your world? What could you do creatively that would pull people into a conversation about your business or church or product?


2. Have something interesting to talk about. I love that she doesn't leave this unsaid. People's attention spans are short now days. If we're not changing up the look and feel of things, every few weeks, we're missing it. This is why we wanted to do a huge internal series like the Baseball series this summer. We knew we wanted to give our people something to talk about in the middle of summer, instead of just writing off the summer as a wash, like most churches do. Well, it worked and there are families and people whose lives have been changed for eternity because of it!

Here's a closing question for us... What's on the horizon of your business or church or world that you need to get ahead of in order to create opportunities for people to "Have Conversations" about it?

Just another conversational bloggish thought,

part 3 tomorrow,

Matt

Conversational Marketing - Part 1

I just started reading a book called, "Beyond Buzz," by Lois Kelly. I'm 2 chapters in and I have to tell you, it's got some great content. I want to spend the next several blog-entries to share some of those insights, and how I think they apply to the world of NLC, Church Planting, & hopefully, your world as well. I would love to hear your comments, so feel free to interject as we go here.

She begins the introduction to the book by saying, "New marketing is about conversations - listening, having something new to add, and talking like we mean it instead of hiding behind prepackaged corporate-speak." I'll be honest with you, I think this is the revolution that is happening across the church world at large today. There is a renewal of dialogue and interaction across the Body of Christ. We no longer live in a world that just wants to "come and be talked down to," in our services. Our "prepackaged" approach has lost its freshness, and the people of our culture are looking for something much more authentic.

Listen to this quote... After she gave a speech on this subject, one person appraoched her and made the following statement: "You don't have to tell me (we need to change,) I know. I know. I know. It's not about our company (read church if you want) or our products. It's about what people want to know and talking with them in the ways they want. How we want to do things doesn't matter. We're not in control." How that is true in the church world, like never before. We have to cross the divide from what we think people want, to what they actually are asking for from us. In other words, we must begin to truly speak to where people live on a daily basis. Relevance is huge!

One fianl quote from the introduction of the book... "The goal of marketing is not to assert conclusions but to engage an audience in a dialogue, which leads people to discoveries of their own." That's exactly what Jesus did isn't it? Think about when he talked with the rich young ruler in John 3. He's not cramming it down his throat, He's simply giving him an opportunity to be engaged in authentic dialogue and then respond to the truth He's discovered. What an example for us.

There will be more of this next time,

Just a Conversational Bloggish thought,

Matt

Who are you taking the journey with?

Today is the first day of school for my kids, and several thousand other kids here in Southwest Florida. My prayer for my kids as they start this school year is the same as it has been since last year at this time. It's a simple one, but I believe it is an absolutely, priceless one as well.

My prayer for my kids this school year is that "God would bring them friends that they could take the journey with." In other words, I am praying that God would pair them up with a few others who want to live for God, and that together they could experience the adventure together. I know they are only 4 and 7 years old, but I beleive that the people we surround ourselves with will make or break us. No matter what age.

So here's my question to all of us: Who are you "Taking the Journey of Faith with?" Who are the people closest to you that share your faith and beliefs in Jesus, and that you can take the journey with this year?

September 9th is Rally Day at Next Level Church. That's the day when we launch a new semester of Connection Groups. If you are a part of the NLC family, I want to strongly encourage you to dive into a Connection Group on Rally Day. It's doing life together deeply, that is truly life-changing.

I heard Rick Warren say recently, "You don't need a lot of friends, but the ones you have, have to be good ones!" Who are you taking the journey with?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

My Trip to Birmingham

As I write this, I am flying home from Birmingham, AL. I was apart of a
church planters' think tank with about a dozen other guys who are on the
cutting edge of what God is doing in church planting today. It was great to
sit around tables until the wee hours of the morning and talk about our
passion for seeing God's church move forward through life-giving church
planting like what we have at Next Level Church.

I'm excited that God is continuing to open up a platform for all that we've
learned at NLC to impact other churches across the country. I am humbled by
the potential that God has given to us, as a church, to speak into the lives
of pastors and church planters!

NLC family, I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I am to be your
pastor. I can't believe that we get to do this! Each and every week, we
get to create environments where people who are Far from God, can Draw near
and be transformed in the process! It all matters! Every table, every
projector, every nursery and kids environment matters. Because every week,
someone's life is changed for eternity! Thanks for making that happen!

Your faithfulness is now impacting churches across the USA!

NLC Represent!!! (Yeah Baby!!!)

Matt

NLC, you rocked the Block Party!!!

To say that the block party was a success would be a complete
understatement. Next Level Church, you are awesome. Every single one of
you that gave money, packed backpacks, did invitations, gave out wristbands,
painted faces, made cotton candy, cooked hot dogs, gave out drinks, set up,
tore down, and did hip hop, thank you. You have truly made a difference
that will last. You have made me so proud! By working together, we impacted over 1,000 people in one day!!!

I especially want to thank Josh Sims and Lindsay Kistner for
all of their incredible work in planning, preparing, and pulling off this
event. You two are awesome and this would not have happened without you! so many lives were impacted because you guys sacrificed and lead our church into the most incredible outreach event EVER!!! WooHoo, Baby!!!

Next Level Church, you are awesome! I am so proud to be your pastor!!!

Just a congratulatory bloggish thought!!!

matt

What a Great Weekend!

Hey everyone,

I am so excited to blog in with you again. I had an amazing weekend! On Saturday I traveled up to Sarasota to speak at Bayside Community Church (www.baysidecommunity.org). My friend, Randy Bezet, is the Pastor. He was out of town for the weekend and asked me to fill in for him. Bayside is just under 5 years old and they are rockin' the house! They are an ARC Church Plant and Randy is a friend, mentor and quite honestly like a brother to me.

The meet in an Elementary School right now and are doing 3 services every weekend! 1 on Saturday night, and 2 on Sunday morning. Preaching the same message 3 times was a first for me! And I have to tell you, I'm tired! I was feelin' it during the last service on Sunday morning! All in all, I think there were close to 1,400 people in attendance between the 2 days! It's rockin'!

The weekend went great and I was able to connect with Alex, one of their staff pastors, and a great couple on their Board of Trustees.

John Goodnight accompanied me on the trip. John and Lisa Goodnight are staples of Next Level Church and have served faithfully on our Board of Directors for 3 years! They also carry our Hospitiality Teams and do countless other things that move the ball down the field for our church! It was great to spend time with John and talk about the vision of NLC and where we're headed in the future!

I missed being at NLC, and can't wait to see everyone this Sunday! I've got a great message I'm working on for this weekend. We're gonna have a time!

Have a great week everyone,

Just a bloggish update,

Matt

I'm Livin' It! and I'm Lovin' It!

So alot of you were trackin' with us at the beginning of the summer when we did our "Arcade" series. We talked about living missionally in our everyday lives. Well, as many of you remember, I was pretty convicted by the whole thing... basically realizing that I wasn't intentionally interacting with unchurched people consistently.

Well, all of that is changing. In the last couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to realize that my "living missionally," content" is rising! I am amazed at how God is answering my prayer to be more missionally focused in my everyday life. Here are few things I'm realizing:

1. People are messy. The truth is that people and people problems don't fit into our nice, neat organized boxes, do they? Truly engaging into the life of someone else is messy, costly, & time consuming.

2. Walking with people isn't easy. Living missionally is in it's purest form, walking with people. Through good and bad. Ups and downs. Whatever. And when you begin to interact with people who need to see and experience the love of Jesus most, what you begin to realize is that they are the ones who are walking through a storm or difficult time. And that's not easy.

3. This is all part of the deal. When we sign up to become Like-Christ in our everyday lives, we sign up to get our hands dirty. We sign up to do whatever it takes to live like Jesus with the world around us. The end result being that others see a side of God they have never seen before. And that makes it all worth it.

Just a bloggish thought,

matt

Drywall! Drywall! Drywall!

Hey everyone,

I just had to tell you that they are putting up drywall today at the new office space!!! Oh baby! I am so pumped! It's becoming more real every single day! It gets me excited to think about the opportunities for extended life change that this space is going to provide for our church!

Thanks to so many of you who are carrying this thing with us! What an exciting step for Next Level Church!

I'll keep you posted!

Just a building bloggish thought,

Matt

God is Perfect!

In the last 5 1/2 years of church planting, I can honestly say that I have learned that God is perfect. He has proven that so many times throughout the journey of Next Level Church. In the early days of our church, (back when I used to think I knew it all,) I am blown away that God knew better what road we needed to take then we thought we did. Time and time again, we have seen the perfection of God. Here are my 2 most current thoughts on God's Perfection:

1. God's Timing is Perfect! I suppose that when you are the creator of time, it's not too difficult to be on time. I used to be a stickler for being on time. I remember in my younger days (like 8 months ago) saying from the platform of our church, "When someone is late to an appointment with me, it's like they're spitting in my face!" Then, I became more busy then I've ever been in my life and all of a sudden, I started being "late" to appointments. Wow. What an eye opener I had.

When I think about God's Timing, I have become convinced that His timing is perfect. He is always exactly on time. So watch how this plays out in our daily lives. If there is a deal, or a relationship, or an issue you're facing and it's not moving as quickly as you would like, can I just encourage you that God is right on time! If you're walking in Him and leaning on Him, He's GOING to show up! It's not a question of "if" it's "when."

I think God's desire is that we learn to trust Him. It's amazing how He always sets things up in my life so that He gets the glory.

Here's a Question for us to consider: Where are we getting anxious? Where do you need to trust God? In a deal? In a relationship?

2. God's Provision is perfect. The other thing I've learned is that God's provision is perfect. He always provides just what we have need of at just the right time. I love the Scripture that says God won't give us more than we can handle!
One of the biggest growth areas of our faith is in the area of finances, isn't it? It's so much easier to trust God in ALL the other areas of our life, but when it comes to finances, it's like, "Hang on there, ole' buddy, now you're gettin' personal!"

Here's what I think: When we allow God to become GOD of our finances, He's truly God of our whole life! Yielding there, is a huge step. Trusting that His ability to provide for you and your family is greater than your ability to provide for you and your family. Wow. That's huge.

One Final Question: Are you trusting God as your Provider? Or just leaning on your own ability to provide for your situation?


Just a bloggish thought on God's Perfection,

Matt

Don't Come Down Off the Wall - An Encouraging Word!!!

Hey everyone,

It's so easy to get consumed by the "less than positive" voices and things that surround us so often on a daily basis. It 's easy to become discouraged because things aren't going as we wish they would go. Progress isn't being made as quickly as we hoped. The negative voices are louder in our ear than the postiive ones. If you've ever felt that way I want to encourage you.

In the book of Nehemiah there is this moment where Nehemiah and all of the inhabitants of Jerusalem have been working on the wall for like 30 or 40 days . They're tired. They're hungry. They haven't seen normal in several weeks and to make it all worse, there is one guy, Artaxeres who is the consumate "negative voice ," who just won't stop bothering them. He's doing everything he can to knock their progress off course.

Finally, Artaxeres tries to convince Nehemiah to come down off the wall, "just to have a meeting" and talk about their differences. And it's in that moment that Nehemiah makes a statement that is just awesome. He says, "I am doing a great work and I can't come down." I love that. It's like in that moment Nehemiah has this ability to view all that he has accomplished, all that God has put in his heart, and all the possibility that he and his people are capable of, in his sights, and in light of all that, his only response is: "No way baby!! I'm not coming down! I've got too much good happening to stop and listen to you in this moment!!!!"

I believe that's a word for some of you today! You are facing circumstances that look discouraging on the outside. Well, can I just encourage you that "you are doing a great work! Don't come down! Don't even give those negative voices a second thought! You are an overcomer with more potential than you could ever think or imagine! Stand strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! You have way too much good going on in your world to let a couple of negative people throw your focus off course! Don't come down!

Hope that helps!

Just an Encouraging Bloggish thought,

Matt