Lately, it seems much of what has happened around us in Seattle has been difficult.  Marriages being tested or short-circuited, a child inflicted with cancer, husbands unable to find work, sudden death of a parent, car problems that can’t be fixed, upside-down mortgage that forces a family from their home,  or a computer virus that renders a laptop inoperable.  The list could go on and on.  Many of you are experiencing “upside down” circumstances also, maybe even deeply yourselves.

Jesus tells us to take heart because He has overcome the world.  He commands us to not worry and that His burden is light and His yoke is easy.  These words can sound cliche during times like these – even impossible to believe.  The thought that God is advancing His Kingdom in such situations can be unfathomable.  We, of course, have much for which to be thankful.  What we have seen, heard and even felt regarding Haiti is incalculable compared to what we are experiencing.

What is God doing?  This has been a frequent question out of our mouths since the New Year.  We could simply throw out a few explanations or a few steps to follow and claim our lives are better.  However, as we walk through Scripture, it’s apparent that trouble is a close friend of God’s people and many of these trials never were resolved.  That doesn’t settle well in our minds, because we choose the movies that end happy with all problems resolved and the bad guys in jail.

Recently, at a missions’ fair in Alabama I shared out of Isaiah 61.  The beauty of this passage is that it holds brokenness and healing in the same hand.  Even more magical is how God promises to establish “Oaks” out of  “shoots”.  Essentially, He is growing His life powerfully through men and women who humbly accept their brokenness and allow Him to heal them.  Even beyond this, He promises that these broken ones will be the ones to rebuild cities.  Could it be that the Lord is preparing us more deeply for His Kingdom as He “shakes” our world seemingly upside down?

This Scripture is to what we cling as we drink coffee with, invite into our home, lend money to, pick up at the airport, ride bikes with, study Scripture with, pray with, weep with, travel with, rejoice with friends in their 20s.  We enjoy watching the “Biggest Loser” for many reasons.  One of the exhilarating aspects of this program is how they take men and women who are “stuck” and inspire them to not only lose weight, but live with deeper purpose.  It’s not just the weight that inhibits, but underlying lies and agendas that need healing.  We see friends in their 20’s the same way – the outlying issues/situations is where we begin, but our prayer is that they would embrace God’s honor and realize He wants to grow them to be healthy laborers for Him.

Recently, a friend preparing for a mission trip to Africa was, all of a sudden, accused of bad service during his job at a local restaurant.  He has had a spotless record, but a couple of days before departure was given a bad report by a party of 25 who made him take every plate back to the kitchen!  Also, had just received word that positions might be terminated soon – not the sort of news you want to hear when you’re getting ready to jet to the other side of the world.

Would you pray that these young men and women would not lose heart and think that Jesus’ Kingdom “flips” alongside the world’s system?  We are trusting Him for friends who are emotionally healthy, culturally savvy, relationally wise, and right-side-up Kingdom focused.

It’s quite a culture shock for me (though I did manage to find a good coffee shop here, whew!), but being in Birmingham the last couple of days has been nothing but delightful.  I’m attending a missions’ fair at a local church.

The highlights, besides meeting godly laborers from around the globe and seeing one of my best friends, has been unpacking our story.  I had the privilege of speaking for twenty minutes to a young adults’ class, depicting how Isaiah 61:1-4 motivates us to walk deeply with twenty-somethings.  However, the most enjoyable class I encountered was the K-3rd grade children.  They were given a lesson on the lifecycle of coffee, from farm to the cup.  They were able to see, feel and even smell this magical bean from the green stage to the grinds.  I then bridged this lesson to 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, how we are to be the fragrance of Christ.  Just as coffee can only be effective when it is ground and shared, we can only be adequate for Christ as we let Him work on our lives and reveal His “smell” through us.

Thanks for praying and contributing so that others can experience Jesus’ aroma through our lives.

For his birthday Jeffrey received his first guitar.  After trying Daddy’s and realizing it was too big to play, he enjoys strumming on this blue beauty.  He’s got the stance and strumming down, next is forming the notes and chords.

It seems that when it comes to helping friends in their twenties and thirties, new skills are needed constantly.  Lately, Matt has been using his garage as a repair shop as a couple of guys have helped make repairs on his car as well as their own.  One night three of them were up until 12:15 a.m. working on the brakes of a ‘91 Thunderbird.  This has been a unique way of bonding and shared experience.

Another night, Matt and Colette had two other couples over for conversation and cards.  Wedding advice was flying across the table, in between hands.

A good friend donated gourmet lasagna from his restaurant, along with a laptop for Matt to fix.  He also has been enlightening Matt  on film production, mentioning today of his friendship with Joel Moore who played Norm Spellman in Avatar.

The text of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 is inspiring, “ I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.”  Learning how to enter peoples’ worlds through the gateway of their interests and passions has opened a fascinating realm of mission.

It’s a front-row seat to transformation. The friend we mentioned in our last update who has been submerged in a life of incessant lying and deception has been busy. He not only walked away from two of the major cults he had been deceiving, but he is taking steps to reconcile relationships in his family and prepare a memorable 50th wedding anniversary for his parents (though that event is still a couple of years away).

Yesterday, he and I met at a local coffee shop. I was running late and feared he had left, but much to my surprise he was still there with coffee and a bagel waiting for me that he had purchased! He even gave me an ipod yesterday! I was wondering if this was the same guy I had known for the last eight months. His countenance was even different. He still has deep wounds and is on a journey towards Jesus. Thank you for your prayers which God has honored this Holiday season.

Another one of our friends has his fiancee staying with us as she visits him over her college break. It’s been a fun experience to host her, seeing this young vibrant couple enjoy time together after being separated by many miles. They plan on a May wedding and hopefully will be living here after they are married. They gave us a great evening playing Dutch Blitz, along with another twenty-something couple this past weekend. It was cool to see the other young married couple giving advice about their wedding and young married life.

Last night about six of us gathered in a friends’ house to watch the documentary, “The Call of the Entrepreneur” (http://calloftheentrepreneur.com). We spent about an hour discussing concepts of calling, faith and work, risk, pain, etc. We hope to meet again in a month to continue discussion along these lines. Most of the guys in the group were in their 20’s and 30’s. I am leading another group tomorrow night (Wed) near the Boeing Facility in Everett, WA with several young professionals, most of whom I have never met. My desire is that this film can engage and inspire these new young friends to honor God in their endeavors. Also, that they can realize the adventure of following Jesus in the creative talents, skills and gifts given to them.

Next weekend, January 15-17, is a conference in Portland called “Ignite”. This gathering will incorporate men and women from every age group as we seek to grow in our puruit of Truth featuring keynote speaker Dr. Dan Wallace from Dallas Theological Seminary.

On the home front, many changes abound. Jeffrey is excited to announce his progress in potty training. He enjoys playing his new guitar as he goes about his business. Luke and Lana are chefs-in-training as they take coffee grinds and leftovers to the sink to produce masterpieces all are encouraged to sample. Asha is the aspiring architect and seamstress, poring herself into drawing blueprints of houses and taking up cross-stitching. Matt and Colette have enjoyed simple pleasures of home-made lattes and discovering new ways to exercise around our family’s busy schedule.

Thank you once again for your partnership – in prayer and resources for this strategic movement among the twenty-somethings.

Matt

Responsibility

Our youngest son, Jeffrey, has a new job.  He crumples the
paper used to start a fire in the wood burning stove.  It’s helped afford Daddy time to retrieve wood from the pile and get the lighter ready to get our source of heat going.  Luke, our oldest son, is being trained to fetch wood to keep the heat sustained.

These small, yet important responsibilities, will build character and confidence into our boys.  It communicates that they have value and purpose in daily affairs.  That same inspiration, our twenty­-something friends catch more deeply as they live and work in Seattle.  We have sought to include more friends to help with car and house repairs (There have been plenty).  This brings unique bonding, deepens their sense of purpose, and gets the job done.

Repentance

Yesterday, while drinking coffee and enjoying a bagel, a friend disclosed to me (Matt) that he had been lying about his identity for the last six months.  In fact, he said that this has been his way of relating for as long as he can
remember.  He still gets phone calls from church and cult leaders addressing him by different names!  As he and I have been discussing the truth of Jesus and being “in the light”, the Holy Spirit has secretly orchestrated circumstances to confront this destructive habit.  Would you pray for deeper freedom?

Thank you for partnering with us to achieve the goal of pointing young men and women to the heart of God.  Your financial resources, prayers and encouragement have been foundational for this work.  We appreciate how much you have invested in 2009.

With that in mind, would you consider your investment in this work for 2010?  Would you pray about the possibility of an extra gift above and beyond your regular giving?  Would you pray about an increase in your support?  If you are not supporting us on a regular basis, would you pray about beginning to do this?  We are trusting God to supply $15,000 to begin 2010 on good footing.  Just fill out and return the enclosed commitment card as the Lord guides you.  You can also give securely online at http://bit.ly/seattlestories.

Seeking to grow in responsibility and repentance,

Matt & Colette

A couple of days ago a friend of mine and I climbed up on our roof for
the last warm day of the season. Our reason, simple, to repair a leak
we have endured for the nine months. We stripped away several
layers of shingles and felt paper, including a roof vent. What we
discovered confirmed the evidence. Spanning two feet out in each
direction from the roof vent was moisture. It was obvious that water
was wicking in from compromises in the vent. Another culprit, a nail
hole a few feet down from the vent. After about four hours of labor, we
cleaned up the area with the satisfaction that our mission had
succeeded. We also needed to get the work done because a large rain
storm was about to hit the next morning.

By the end of the following day it was confirmed that the leak had
indeed been stopped. I called up my friend to share the good news!

It seems the roof situation parallels God’s work in our lives.
Eventually, the Holy Spirit reveals “leaks” in our lives that do not
seem dangerous in the short range, but if left untreated can do an
immense amount of damage. The difficulty sometimes, like with the roof,
is to find the source of that leak.

The last couple of weeks have proved that God is calling us to help a
few friends to discover where sources of pain have originated. They hit
a point where a relationship is hurt, they have difficulty connecting
with God, or are lacking direction. Would you pray for God’s wisdom as
we scour the “roof” and probe for deeper sources that drive the
issues?

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel and tangibility of the time
you invest praying for His Kingdom to show up in our lives.

It’s exciting to watch our children grow and change, absorbing
experiences and moving toward deeper maturity. For all parents, we
believe, it is a particularly deep joy to observe “breakthroughs” in our
kids. These are especially sweet when they relate to God’s Kingdom.
Luke, our oldest son, came up to me (Matt) one evening stating his
desire to be in heaven. I quickly asked if he would like to pray and
submit his life to Jesus, in which he affirmed. He
seemed to have a “snapshot” of the reality of eternal things.

God is breaking through some of our friends’ lives as we’ve experienced
one stating that he needs to “let people in”. He has pushed
friends and family away for so long, he’s alone and in despair. Another
couple of friends are wanting to grow in memorizing Scripture because
they realize how vital it is to their thought life and decisions.

A new friend recently told me that he hasn’t been happy for the last
nine years and wants to reconnect with Jesus for real life. The world
has broken him and left him empty.

Our Scriptural reading group that meets in our home every two weeks has
been a breath of fresh air for all of us who attend. It is a community
that allows us to look closely at Jesus with friends who are all over
the board spiritually. Pray for us as we meet this Friday (October 30)
in our home.

On November 21st, we’re having an area-wide gathering to invest in
anyone wanting to grow deeper with Christ and in mission. If you’re in
the Northwest and want to attend, just register at

http://regonline.com/oneday.

After adding another 600 miles to my odometer, I can’t say that I’m eager to climb behind the wheel again.  However, my travels to Portland, Corvallis and Eugene were fun and fruitful.

Monday October 5

I hit the road at 4:30am to make an 8:30am meeting in North Portland.  I had a refreshing time sharing stories and brainstorming networking ideas with Jack and Dennis (Both on staff with The Navigators in Portland).  After, Jack took me to “The Grotto” to meditate through Stations of the Cross and walk the beautiful gardens.  It was a major highlight of my journey to Oregon.

I drove to meet my Brother-in-Law, Ernst, for lunch in downtown Portland.  We enjoyed a great conversation and were able to catch up on life.  I appreciate his compassion and honesty.

After finding my way out of the urban core, I met with a friend Nick who is a grad student at George Fox University.  He was able to disclose the intricacies of his journey with counseling and beating one of the professors in racquetball that has earned him instant fame.  Nick is seeking to impact his colleagues and undergraduates with the love of Christ and be an agent of God’s Kingdom in Newberg, OR.  BTW – Colette and I were married at the Friends’ church on this campus in 1998.

After encountering Nick’s incredible transportation machine, I drove to Beaverton to spend time with my Father-in-Law.  He and I had the pleasure of taking my niece, Aubrey, to her gymnastics practice.  We then caught up over dinner.  I wish I could have stayed longer, but I needed to head to Corvallis to meet Keith and Kate.

Tuesday October 6

It was delightful to experience God’s work at Oregon State U.  Keith and his team are doing a great job of engaging students in the Greek system.  They made me get up at 6am for an early morning leadership meeting.  I’m just kidding.  I was eager to join them on campus and was glad to hang with their student leaders and watch Keith in action as he met with a couple of different men. In fact, one of the students might intern this year in Seattle!

That afternoon I said my goodbyes to the Beavers and headed further South to the home of the Ducks, The University of Oregon in Eugene.  I met immediately with Mike and Dan at Starbucks and engaged for two hours regarding many issues surrounding our work and labor among twenty-somethings in Seattle.

Shortly after my time at McStarbucks (oops, sorry about that), I headed to Mike and Stephanie’s house for a relaxing dinner.  It was a breath of fresh air as I had been going pretty strong for the last 36 hours.

At seven p.m. that evening was a student Bible Study in their home.  I enjoyed digging into the Scriptures with them and also sharing about our passion among graduates.

All in all, the time in Oregon was worth every minute.  It was great to get to know the other staff with The Navigators better and make them more aware of what we’re doing in Seattle.

In addition to spending time on the Oregon campuses, I will be hanging out with Brian and his student friends at the University of Washington in Seattle on a regular basis.  I appreciate his accommodating me into their schedule this Fall.

Colette and the kids managed pretty well while I was gone, but the kids grew a bit restless near the end.  For some reason these trips are always hardest on my boys.

As we labor among twenty-somethings in the Northwest, we covet your prayers for fueling our walks with God and sensitivity to God’s Spirit throughout the week.  It seems as if the enemy has increased his attacks on us and our friends in the last few weeks.

Colette and I are assuming leadership for the ministry to twenty-somethings in the Northwest as our friends Jon and Pat started their Sabbatical last week, lasting six months.

Take care until next time.

At 4:30 a.m. This morning I hobbled into my car to make the 3 hour trek to Portland. Why, you ask, am I traveling at that crazy hour? The next couple of days will be spent interacting with fellow Kingdom laborers who are forging spiritual truth in the Northwest.

Building and growing these friendships is something we enjoy as we love and guide men and women in their twenties. Therefore, getting to know what God is up to in Portland and the at major universities in Oregon is a priority on this trip.

Would you pray for this time – that it would be rich and will bear fruit. More later…

If you have never heard this sermon from Dr. S.M. Lockridge, you are in for a treat.  This has been one of the most impacting and inspirational messages on the character of God in the twentieth century.

Watch this clip as a meditation on our great King and ask yourself, “Is this my King?”.  This excerpt just about brought me to tears, especially with the embedded music that picks up as you listen.  May this inspire you to live boldly for our King of kings!