In Affliction: A Letter Of Hope

January 21, 2010 in Youth Ministry, faith, marriage | Tags: , | Leave a comment

 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,  so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.  For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.- 1Thessalonians 1:6-8 ESV

     This Sunday will mark many firsts for me and my ministry as a preacher. Starting this Sunday I will be preaching through the book of 1 Thessalonians in a sermon series I’m calling “Be Prepared” at the Washington City Mission. My recent sermons there have been topical, but the Lord has led me to preach through a whole book of the Bible. People need the Word, not the preacher’s opinions, so I’m humbled that God has found me faithful to teach the people at the mission. Plus, This Sunday Robin and I will be meeting with people at the Bible Chapel in Robinson to give them our vision for Robinson’s student ministry. I’m very grateful for the life and call God gave me, and we all have reasons to praise him, but sometimes we lose focus in times of affliction or persecution.  But  1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 reminds us that even in hard times we can have joy. Paul was writing the young believers in Thessalonica to encourage them in their faith. They were perhaps losing hope because of sever persecution, and Paul was writing them to assure them of what they believed. So, I would like to use this time to write a letter of encouragement to you my reader.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

You may find yourselves in a very dark time now in your life. You may be thinking that you may not belong to God, but let me encourage you that your circumstances act as the path to bring you closer to God, and to act as a testimony to others as you stand for your King. He as found you worthy to suffer for the name you bear. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake- Philippians 1:29. Be encouraged by the Thessalonians who received Christ in much affliction. Count the cost of them accepting Christ in Acts 17:1-7:

17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

  Brothers and Sisters in your everyday ups and downs of life be like the Thessalonians and count Jesus worth it. He’s the reason we can press on. For you who don’t me I came to faith in Jesus in the darkest time of dealing with my cerebral palsy.  1o years ago, The Lord had mercy on me and opened my heart up to receive his gift of salvation. I still find myself living with my disability, but my focus has changed. Instead of looking inward with self-pity, I now look upward to God with thankfulness. my situation with my cp has not changed, but God has changed my heart. I now have the living hope that is in Jesus, our God and Savior. He is using my trials to bring me into a deeper relationship with him, and he is using my hurts to bring him glory. Take heart. You are suffering, but your King has also suffered and understands. He, and only He can help you stand. Your circumstances will end in your deliverance. Either in this life, or the great Kingdom to come.

Your Brother,

Michael Matthews

 

9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again- 2 Corinthians 1:9-10

Does Your CIL Have A Culture Of Advocacy?

December 16, 2009 in Advocacy | Tags: , | Leave a comment

This week’s topic: Does Your CIL Have A Culture Of Advocacy?

To start, here is how TRIPIL defines Advocacy:

Advocacy can be easily defined as an action that produces change. TRIPIL speaks out for the equality and civil rights of people with disabilities. TRIPIL works to teach people with disabilities how to become their own voice using either individual or group advocacy techniques.

As stated in our mission statement TRIPIL’s goal is to promote independent living in Southwestern Pennsylvania for and by individuals with disabilities; to enable them to take control of their lives; to make decisions about themselves and their future; to ensure that the necessary support services are available to enable them to be active participants in their communities; and to prevent unnecessary institutionalization; and one way we do this is through advocacy.

Some of the key issues effecting people with disabilities in our tri-state area are accessibility, transportation, and housing. Our efforts include both individual and systems change. A common thread running through all advocacy efforts is empowerment so individuals become self-advocates. This means that we do advocate, but our purpose is to provide people with the right skills and information to advocate for themselves concerning issues that effect their ability to live independently.

    At TRIPIL we eat, sleep, and breath this. Advocacy is what drives us. We provide Attendant Care service coordination but even this is seen as a result of our advocacy.  We are known in our community for our advocacy. The biggest victory we have fought for in recent years have been polling place accessibility for voters with disabilities. We started tackling this problem three years ago, and its been a hard-fought battle but a battle worth fighting. We started in Washington County by advocating with county officials and our local elections board. Then we surveyed all the polling places in our county. This brought our CIL together because the advocacy staff and the services staff came together to complete the surveys. This gave our services coordinators a real life example of being a part of advocacy and they learned how important our job as advocates are. It showed the community have important polling place accessibility is to the disability community. It made our county pay attention to TRIPIL because we we’re not going away. The local press started reported on our advocacy and people’s eyes were open to the problems voters with disabilities face. Our message was simple. We wanted to vote like everyone else, and the meant that polling places had to be accessible. Our goal is 100% accessibility. We are not there yet but here is what we have accomplished so far:

Polling places were changed to more accessible polling places.

That county go more HAVA grant money to buy accessibility equipment to make polling places more accessible.

TRIPIL has become a polling place because of its accessibility.

We have done disability training with the election board.

We have good relations now Washington county in our efforts for accessibility.

     These are a few great results of our advocacy. The disability community is better because of it. The questions you and your CIL need to ask is :

” How is your community better because your CIL is in it?”

   Is your CIL having an impact for the disability community?

   What can I do to create a culture of Advocacy?

   I hope these posts will encourage you in your advocacy. Future posts will dig deeper in what I think makes a great CIL. This is the second post focusing on  what makes a great CIL. Please see my first post “Does your CIL have a Community Space” More posts are coming after the holidays. I hope everybody has a awesome Christmas.

Does Your Center for Independent Living Have A Communty Space?

December 11, 2009 in Advocacy | Tags: , | Leave a comment

        For my readers who don’t know, I work at a center for independent living in Washington, PA.  Our name is Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living. We are run by and for people with disabilities. We are not a nursing home! Nursing homes and assisted living has tried to hijack the term “independent living”, but a CIL like TRIPIL purpose is enable and empower people with disabilities to live independent lives in their community equal to people who don’t have disabilities. We do this through Peer Support, Skills Training, Information&Referral, Advocacy, and Nursing Home Transition. I’ll address these core services in later post  as I write about my experience working for a CIL. I wanted to just give a intro before I jumped into my topic today. If you work at a CIL I hope you enjoy my posts but I also hope it will challenge you to make your CIL better for people with disabilities. So, my question today is  does your CIL have a community space?  Do you have a space  in which people can come together and learn what independent living is about? A place at the CIL where people are around others for  peer support and community building? At TRIPIL we do this  by having an internet cafe where people can come and learn new skills or just socialized. If computers are not a person’s thing, our cafe is big enough for people to just talk. We recently  been having Wii Wednesdays playing wii bowling. Trash talk among friends is always a fun time. Also, our CIL staff  work on the cafe side of our building so we are not hiding in an office or cubicle away from our community members. Having a community space is not all for fun, but is a great advocacy tool because it gives people a chance to role model independence for peers who are working toward similar goals.For example, I have cerebral palsy and when one of community members  see me working through the same struggles their facing, it encourages them to be independent too. I  gave a few examples about how our community space has helped us build up our local disability community and don’t be overwhelmed if your CIL does not have the kind of room we do, but do something. Get rid of waiting rooms and open your doors for your people. Let people come to your CIL and start learning to be independent. We CILs need to be the place where people can come to be empower. All our lives we been stuck in waiting rooms and having doors shut in our face, let’s not do it to our own people.

Note: This is the first post in a series of posts I’m doing about Independent Living.

Robin Matthews

November 23, 2009 in marriage | Tags: | Leave a comment

        Thanksgiving is this week and I want to take a moment to talk about someone who I’m thankful for.  My wife is so good to me. She is a blessing from God, and I just wanted to take sometime to brag about her. She really is my best friend, and why she love me is still amazing to me.  I’ll never forget the first time I saw her sing at church. She was singing a song called “Mary’s Alabaster box” and I fell in love with her heart. When she sings, it’s like  the only two people in the room is God and her. All she cares about in that moment is praising God, and it moves me to a place of deeper worship. I watch other people’s faces as they watch Robin, and their moved because they can see what I see. Robin believes what she’s singing. It’s not just a song to her. Her love for God blows me away. When we’re in the car, I’ll pretend to be sleeping so she’ll sing because she gets embarrassed if she knows I’m listening. Being a wife of a preacher is not easy, and Robin trys staying in the background to let me do my thing but some of deepest moments with God have come from Studying the Bible with her. Her insight on Scripture, God, and people are very profound and wise. She has helped me be a better man and teacher. I watch how she gives grace to people and it blows me away. People who are considered outcasts or rebels are attracted to her, and no matter where they come from, she loves them. She challenges me to love like this. She is a real life example of God’s love. I don’t know what I did but I sure did marry out of my league.  I’m proud of her work at Dress for Success.She works so hard to serve her clients to make sure they can succeed in life. That company is lucky to have her. I often fail to let her know how much I love her and how beautiful she is but I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying. Thankyou for loving me Mrs.Matthews

Robinson R19 Youth Ministry

November 16, 2009 in Youth Ministry | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Robin and I are excited about How God is working in the Robinson Campus. For those who don’t know, Robin and I are the youth leaders at the Bible Chapel in Robinson.South Hills Bible Chapel launched the Robinson Campus Nov.8th, 2009 and it’s been great. We love the vision of the church for the Robinson area, and when a oppurtunity came to help reach students, we couldn’t pass it up. About three months ago I told Robin I was praying about going out to Robinson to help out with the youth ministry. At the time, I had no clue if they needed youth leaders or not. Then one night, Scott Arvay the campus Pastor announced at the Bible Chapel’s Saturday night service that they still needed youth leaders for the Robinson Campus. That was an answer to prayer. I filled out a volunteer card, and about a week later Scott called me wanting to meet. Our first meeting with Scott and Nathan Lee, The Chapel’s Youth Pastor went good, and about week after that they called me to tell me they would like us to lead Robinson R19.  So, where are we now?

Upcoming Events:

November 21- will be our first event for Robinson R19. “Pizza Bowl” will be at the AMF bowling center located at 2440 Noblestown Road Pittsburgh, PA 15205. Cost is $11 per student and it’s from 12:00 to 2:00 PM.

December 18th- Christmas Party in Robinson for Students of the South Hills and Robinson’s Campuses.

    Starting in January youth group will be meeting in Robinson on Thursdays. Stay tuned for more details.  I just want to thank the Lord for this awesome chance to serve him again in youth ministry. Thanks to Scott and Nathan for the support you have given to Robin and myself.

Don’t Give Up!

November 10, 2009 in Youth Ministry, faith, marriage | Tags: | Leave a comment

9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.- Galatians 6:9   NLT

In ministry, in our jobs, in our marriages, and in life we get to the point where we just want to give up. We tire of doing good. We lose focus and need reminded to press on. I love this verse in Galatians. Through out his writings, Paul tells us that following Jesus will be hard but that we have a great reward at the end of our lives. I needed reminded of this today. I just been bummed but God met me in Scripture and lifted my heart. What I suffer here in this life won’t compare to the joy I’ll have on that great day when I see Jesus face to face. So, Don’t give up! He’s worth it! I know your tired and beat, but he’ll meet you there and will help you up. Just come to him with your hurts. Joy is only found in him.

When Running Is Fighting

October 27, 2009 in Youth Ministry, faith, marriage | Tags: | Leave a comment

22Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.-2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT)

     Temptation comes to us all. We all have those temptations that are so powerful in our lives, if we are not careful, we will give in to them and fall into sin. Therefore, stay away from what or who you know tempts you. And when you find yourself right in the middle of a temptation to sin, Run!  Yeah, Run! Get out of the situation! When tempted God will provide a way out. When he does, we need to take it.

13The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are htempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.- 1 Corinthians 10:13

      God has given us  weapons to beat temptation such as His Word, Prayer, Worship, and community. But there will be times when temptation is so strong that all he wants us to do is get away. Turn the tv off, get off the computer, or get out of a conversation. Just Run!  Look at the Story of Joseph and the Potiphar’s wife:

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,7and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.

8But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household.9No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great bsin against God.”10She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.11One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work.12She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.-Genesis 39:6-10

    Like Joseph, we will find ourself in the middle of temptation and we need to respond like he did. He knew sleeping with her was a sin against God, and when the heat got too hot he didn’t debate her about if it right or wrong. He ran. He left with his integrity in tact, even though she would go on to lie about the situation. So, there will be times when running is the best way to fight temptation. And I’ll end with this point: Don’t go through this life without community. We are called to walk this Christian life together. I’m learning this for myself. We stand a better chance against sin when we have a group of people around us loving us and holding us accountable. Ask yourself some tough questions like:

What do I need to Stay away or run from?

Do I have people in my corner helping me fight the good fight of faith?

 Remember these words : Run! Run! Run!

Love God, Hate Religion

October 2, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , | 1 comment

The Great Commandment

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.-Mark 12:28:34

       God desires that all that we are to be centered on Him. He wants a all out devoted heart that loves God, and his fellow man. The Lord does not want religion.  Notice that Jesus tells the scribe to Love God. Also notice how he doesn’t say you must read only the King James Bible, you must wear a suit when at church, hey new guy take off that hat, your in church, no tattoos, or that crazy rock music.  In over 2000 years how did we get from a simple, but perplexing command from Jesus, to man trying to control people with religion?  I’m learning that  we are in an age where people are growing up with no knowledge of God or church. So, if a man come in off the street with tattoos all over his body wearing hat, what do you do as a christian if he accepts the gospel of Jesus Christ? God gives him a new heart that loves Jesus but his outward appearance never changes?  Or if you’re a person that believes we should only read the KJV Bible, but your child that you been praying for gets saved, and loves the NIV version. He grows in wisdom and becomes a great man of God, is that enough for you? Or  do you argue with him about why you think the KJV is the only true word of God leaving him confused and not wanting to read any bible?  I been a Christian since I been 19, and sadly I have seen people do this and worst. I see people giving others a list of rules and religion. Just give them Jesus. It’s about control. A person may not be able to walk in personal holiness but they can control what bible to read, how to dress, what music to listen to, and if they can get others to do the same, than they must be godly. We tell people come as you are, but I think it’s more like come as you are, and we’ll tell you how you should be. In Christ, God did everything for us on the cross so we can have a relationship with him. God cares more about changing a person’s heart than a person’s shirt. Christians should feel the same way. I love God, but hate religion. We go to church, read the bible, worship, pray, and serve because we get to do these things because we love God and the fact he loves us. If you take this love out of these things you merely have religion. I hate religion. Religion is man’s attempt to be made right with God by keeping a list of dos and don’ts. Love God, love your neighbor, hate religion.

Prayer

“Father, heal my own heart from being religious and give me a heart that follows hard after you. I pray for your church. May we as a whole give people Jesus. Not our favorite Bible, our prefered worship style, or any type of religion. Help us to love. Amen.

Catalyst 09

October 1, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

From October 7th thru the 9th I’ll be attending the Catalyst leadership conference with my friend Andrew Johnson. I’m excited  to go. As a young man, I want to learn skills to be a leader at my work place and in my ministry that follows hard after Jesus. Some of the speakers that will be there are Tony Dungy, Andy Stanley, Rob Bell, Matt Chandler, and alot more. I praying that I leave this conference with a greater heart to lead like Jesus, and to be a better employee because of it.  I’ll write about my trip when I get back. Check out the Catalyst website in the mean time. Grace and Peace.

http://www.catalystconference.com/index2.php

I Am With You

September 23, 2009 in Youth Ministry, faith | Tags: , | Leave a comment

10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
       do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
       I will strengthen you and help you;
       I will uphold you with my righteous right hand- Isaiah 41:10

      I have to be honest, I struggle with acceptance. I realize that as a Christ follower, His love for me should be enough. But of as late, I been forgetting how much God does love me. Last night I went to my church for a meeting of Christian businessman, and at first felt really overwhelmed. A few ran their own business, and being the only one in the room with a clear disability left me feeling alone. I think all men struggle with the question “How do I measure up?” to other men, and for a man who had a loving father speaking in to his life, that question is easier to answer. But for me and guys like me who didn’t have their dads we can feel adrift in the sea of life.  We feel like we are alone to figure this thing called manhood out on our own. Add a disability to the mix, and you can imagine the storm that goes on in a person’s heart. I have always felt rejected. My father chose a life of drugs and alcohol over me. When he died, his obituary listed my five half-sisters but not me. His side of the family has never reached out to me. So, driving home last night from church my heart was heavy. I was thinking about all of that and started to cry. I tried fighting it trying to be tough but cried anyway. Sometimes, the best prayers are our tears. Fast forward to today I was reading my men’s devotional bible Robin got me and Isaiah 41:10 was the key verse. It reminded me that  through Jesus, I’m accepted by God. As I read this verse I was filled with God’s love. I heard him saying to my heart, Michael, I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you. God is a good daddy. He is there for his children and this verse speaks of that truth. I just feel a weight lifted off of me today. O how I wished i had a dad growing up, but It humbles me to know that the Living God knows me and is Fathering me to true manhood in him.

When your mother and father forsaken you.

I am with you

When people reject you.

I am with you.

When you feel alone

I am with you.

When burdened by your circumstances

I am with you.

Praise God for his unending love.