Do you remember when you first fell in love with Jesus? Nobody could could talk you out of following him. You prayed and read the Bible to get to know Him better and it was joyful. I remember craving more of Christ when I got saved. I read the Bible because it was a greater pleasure than sin. I would “steal” my uncle’s NIV study Bible until he got me my own. I would read and read that Bible and when he got me my own it rocked even more. I learned grace at a young adult Bible study lead by Pastor Dave Hilty and his wife Beth. I loved church and spending time with the family of God. I was proud to be a Jesus freak.

Now it’s 2011. I am a youth pastor and preacher of the Gospel. You would think that being in ministry would mean that I’m on fire for Christ. But I realized today that my burning love for him has cooled. I am lukewarm at best. There are days that I only open my Bible when preparing a sermon or lesson. My brain is in my study of scripture but my heart is missing. I go through the motions and say all the Christian bumper sticker slogans,but it’s not real to me. I pray less, reason more, and compromise my faith for the sake of being accepted. We are all prone to turn our backs on Christ, but let’s pray for grace to not become lukewarm.We have one life to live, so lets go hard after Christ. Be a holy fool for Jesus.Live like He is alive. Live like He’s God. Live like you’re grateful for being saved.Seek Joy in Jesus and not sin.Lust,anger,pride,greed,self-righteousness,and any other sin starts with being lukewarm. None of us wake up one day and say that we chose sin over Jesus. It’s a slow fade into the pit. I recieved a wake up call today from the Lord. I love how he never gives up on us.Being lukewarm stinks!Pray to be restored to the Joy of your salvation.

Prayer- Jesus, You are the joy of my salvation. Knowing your fellowship is greater than any sin. Heal my heart. Crush my lukewarm religion. Amen.

   Why do people always hurt each other with their words? Why do we gossip? In this facebook generation it’s so easy to hurt someone. We get mad and post lies about them for the whole world to see. Why? It’s sad when I see kids doing that, but adults are  even worse. Words can heal,or they can leave scars. They can build up, or they can tear down. One kind word can make a stranger into a friend. One unkind word can tear a family apart. Is it not better to be wronged then spit out hateful words? My heart is breaking as I see so much of this going around me these days. I pray that I can be different. I hope that this week I will build someone up with my words. I have done a lot of hurting in my life with my words. I’m tired of it. Be tired of it too. Live loved! Change the world!

Reese is Here!!!!

 Life has kept me from posting any new updates, but life has been crazy yet very good at the same time. A lot has changed since I posted Reese Part 2 in June. For starters, Reese is here! He was born July 25,2010. He is five months old and we just celebrated his very first christmas. Watching Robin the last five months in her new role as mommy has been amazing. She is so loving and kind to our son. Through it all she has battled health issues with her feet,back, and all around illness. But her circumstances never made her stop caring for Reese. She may be a new mom,but she’s a great mom. I am humbled to have the title daddy, and to see my son watching me is a great challenge and joy. He is so beautiful. I LOVE him so much. He has such a sweet happy spirit. I’m blessed to be his daddy. We are learning to be good parents together and through all the ups and downs of married life, Jesus Christ remains the glue that keeps us together.

At Work:

    In August I received a promotion at TRIPIL. My new job as Independent Living Supervisor  has been rewarding on many levels. TRIPIL is trusting me to help lead the changes in our CIL   that will help our community members become more independent. As I learn to be a supervisor I’m learning what weaknesses and strengths I have as an employee and leader. This part has been a hard learning experience but one I have enjoyed. I’m very happy to be at TRIPIL.

In Ministry:

   In October I was hired at Friendship Community Church as the youth and young adult pastor. My duties are to oversee the youth ministry and develop Friendship’s young adult ministries. Robin and I are both excited to be back at Friendship and I’m pumped to be where the Lord wants me as a preacher and teacher. I love the teens at the church and looking forward to 2011 when we kick off the young adult ministry.

To Wrap it up:

    The Lord has trusted me with a lot. Pray that I remain faithful to Him and my family in it all. I am a very blessed man.

     There is so many things that can be said about these verses. They speak of the great God we serve. He is a good daddy to his children. Today, as I  read this, the words “God settles solitary in a home” jumped out at me.  I looked up the definition of solitary and it means being, living, going alone, or without compainions.It also means to be sadden by isolation. Married, divorced, or single have felt this. Do you here what this verse is saying? God settles this. I been married for going on three years now, and when Robin and I our together under God there is a feeling of no matter what happens we are in this thing together. In our marriage, we have overcome sickness, living on one income, an apartment being flooded twice, being a one car family, struggling to start a family, and so much more. But we have trusted God and he has seen us through. I will only speak for myself, but in those times that I let worry take root and have taken my eyes off Jesus I feel like my back is against the wall and I feel alone. I will hold in my feelings about  whatever hurdle we are facing and not let God or Robin in. This is not good. A bad habit that I have gotten into is not going to bed with Robin at night when she goes. I’ll stay out in the living room watching tv or playing Xbox. In the past when we were in our first apartment, not having tv, we would go  to bed early and just spend time together. Sometimes we would pray, read scripture, and mostly laugh. Robin is such a blessing. I can be a jerk, but I’m so thankful that we both desire to follow hard after Christ because in our ups and downs of life we know he’s with us. No matter where we been, God has been with us. No matter the trial, God has taught us. When we fell, He caught us.  When God is the center of  a family’s life, then they truly have a home. There is no isolation in Christ. Even if everyone you know leaves you, God has your back.

Prayer-

“Father, Thankyou for settling solitary in our homes. You call us to be a team under your leadership. As a husband, I pray that I would be a man who is understanding and loving. May I be the kind of man who my wife respects and feels loved by her husband. Your love is the only thing that can settle tough issues in people’s relationships. I pray for married couples, widows, people who are divorced, and singles. Be the one who settles the solitary places in their hearts. Help them to see that you are their God, Protector, and Father. Amen”

     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

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.

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