Struggling learning the guitar? Try this song...YOU CAN DO IT!

"Part 2" This one goes over the parts of the Bible

Let's look at the "big picture" with the Bible

Does Guitar have to be hard?

If you've visited my channel youtube.com/acousticselection , you know I like to keep things simple. Guitar can be very complicated and take hours and hours of practice. But....it doesn't have to be! Learn 4, yes 4! simple chords and be playing all your favorite praise and worship songs today!!! Why not? It's so much fun and can instantly lift you spiritually. Check out these 4 chords and how little you have to move your fingers. If you know someone interested in learning the guitar, send them this video. It can really help the beginners out. I wish someone would have showed me this early on.

Rejoice in the answer NO!

Often we feel like God didn't answer our prayer if the answer was not the "yes" we anticipated or wanted. I have found I can pray so hard for things and God will tell me "NO." We must as christians realize God works his plan on his watch, not ours. I'm praying I can learn to better accept God's answer to my prayer...even if it's not the one I want. Many answers we didn't like at first turn out much better later on. Keep the faith!

It's your choice...

I heard an interesting quote today....we choose if we want the blessings of God from our obedience or the punishments from our disobedience.

Really has me thinking...

Forgotten God

Just started the book "forgotten God" by Francis chan. This book is about the Holy Spirit. You don't hear a lot of talk about the Holy Spirit these days in churches. I'm anxious to see what he has to say. I loved his other book, "crazy love" Hopefully this one will be as powerful as that one was.


God bless!

Francis Chan

I just started a new book by Francis Chan called, "Crazy Love" Many of you might have heard of this before. After just a few chapters I know God is really going to speak to me through this book. The first thing he talks about is our view of God. His video puts in perspective just how big the world really is. Think about God right now in silence for 30 seconds. What are your thoughts about him? Do you just see a rule giver or a cross or even just the earth? God is SOOOO much bigger than that! Check out this 3 minute video of our galaxy and ponder on how big God really is. (and a quick secret too, he allows us to call him "friend" ...that just amazes me!)

God bless,
Matt

The Reason We Sing...

This is Easter Season. This is what it all comes down to. Why is it we can have joy in the midst of troubles? Why can we have peace when everyone around us lives in chaos?

The answer is simple. We know the one who overcame the grave! The cross was a horrible agonizing death, but we must realize, it wasn't the Roman soldiers that put Christ on the cross. It was the plan of God all along. Fortunately for us it didn't end with Death. 3 days later Christ rose for the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Father the Bible says.

Take time today and thank God for the cross and the sacrifice he made for each of us. If you grew up in church you can get numb to it and not really let it sink in. I challenge you this Easter to focus on the cross and the price Jesus, the one and only son of God, paid for your sins.

Because of the cross, we can wake up each morning with a song in our heart and a reason to sing!

Praise the Lord!

Draw Nigh to God...

This morning I woke up and immediately had this simple but very true verse on my mind.

Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto thee. (James 4:8 ) (Memorize Monday)

What does this mean? God is waiting for us to want to know him more. He's not pushy, he's not going to throw himself on us. He wants to help guide and speak to people who want to know him more.

Whatever you're going through today, ask yourself, "Am I drawing nigh unto God?"

If you want to get a closer walk with the Lord. Draw close to him. "Abide" as John says. Stay close to the Lord and he will never leave your side.

A Christian's Vision...

In Proverbs 29:18 Solomon tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish"

Our pastor spoke on this topic this morning in church and it was a great wakeup call for me.

What is my vision? What do I want to see happen in my life? A better question, "What does God want to see happen with my life?"

I want to challenge you today to pray and ask God to give you a vision. Ask him to help show you the areas of your life that need his hand. Where can you serve today in the church? What are areas outside of the church you could get involved with to show the love of Christ to a lost and dying world?

Let's all pray together for God to show us a vision to make us all live a fulfilled life full of meaning and purpose.

God bless!

What's in a name?

As the song "Your Name" says.

"Your name, is a strong and mighty tower.
Your name, is a shelter like no other,
Your name, let the nations sing it louder,
cause nothing has the power to save but your name!"

Praise the Lord that we serve a God who sent his only son to bear the sin of the world, on a cross, that we can be free from Satan's power of us. We can now worship him forever and have a blessed and joyfilled life! Think about the sacrifice of the cross today and pledge to worship God with every area of your life.

He's called us all to fish

Growing up I often heard people make the statement of "going into full-time ministry." Don't get me wrong, I do think some people are called to be full-time missionaries in other countries and some are called to be full-time pastors, etc. The problem with wording things in this way implies that other followers of Christ are simply getting a box checked to get into Heaven. As you know, this is not at all what God wants for our lives. When God saves us, he calls us all to fish.

What do I mean by that? God never intended for us to accept his Son as Saviour and hang out or go back to living as normal. When we really ponder on how Jesus washed our sins away and gave us a new life, we should be filled with so much joy we are out telling others about the love he's shown for us. To be honest, I am guilty at times not doing a good job at this. I can brag about a new workout program or tell others how they have to go see this movie but talk about God like it's a funeral! When it comes to Jesus and his love for us, are we telling others with the same passion?

Make it a challenge today to simply share the love of Jesus to someone. It could be a family member, a coworker, a friend, someone you chat with online, or really anyone. Whoever it is, the best news you could ever tell someone is the fact that Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) You can never go wrong with the verse we've all quotes many times, "God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:!6)

Share the love of the Lord today!
God bless!

Seek First...

Over the past few weeks I have had the verse from Matthew 6 stuck in my head. "Seek First the Kingdom of Heaven"

Seek means, to go in search or quest of....to try to find or discover.

This is what God wants for us to do with our lives. Simply, SEEK him.

The next part of the verse uses the word "first." God doesn't want our leftovers. As creator of the world, he gave us so many wonderful things here on Earth. Beautiful Nature Scenes, attractive people and friendships, a mind that is able to obtain more and more knowledge, and the list goes on and on. All of these things are great and God wants them to be a part of our life. The problem is, we pursue and "seek" these things first and as a result give God only what is left.

Choose today you are going to "Seek First the Kingdom of Heaven" True peace and joy in this lifetime come when we do just that.

I recommend having a short daily devotional time that you practice each morning when you wake. I personally read the daily devotional on the intouch.org website.
(http://www.intouch.org/magazine/daily-devotional)

Whatever method or schedule works best for you, make it a practice to each day take time to "Seek first the Kingdom of God" The great thing is, God loves you so much that he promises in the next part of that verse to add the true things you need to your life.

Praise God today and choose to make him the top priority in your life!
God bless!

Does God Want You Happy?

The quick answer to this question is a simple Yes. The problem comes when the wrong things make us happy. We live in a society that places such a high value on wealth, fame, status, weather, health, entertainment, etc. This is NOT the way God designed us. We have let the distractions of this world take over in our lives and now we ultimately treasure the wrongs things.

Do you know you have EVERYTHING you need in Christ? Think about that for a minute. We don't have a lot in Christ, we don't just have a block checked that gets us in Heaven for eternity, we have EVERYTHING! This is what should wake us up each day with true joy in our hearts and a zest for each day.

You've probably heard the acronym for JOY is, "Jesus, Others, Yourself" There is so much truth in this if we can learn to live this way. Look at the early disciples in Acts 5 who were out telling others about Jesus and planting churches. Paul says in verse 41, that they "left the high council rejoicing that God counted them worthy to suffer for Christ's sake"

Think about that verse. The early followers had so much love and joy in their hearts, that even while getting flogged they were singing and praising the Lord. Even when getting thrown in prison, they ministered to the prisoners and prison guards and kept their faith and joy.

Think about your life today? Are you someone who is TRULY happy? Remember, life is not about the things that society tells you it is. We are here to honor and serve God and if we will keep this our aim and focus, true happiness is sure to follow!

God bless!

A New Direction...

Think about your life right now...Are you where you want to be? A better question is, "Are you where God wants you to be?"

The greatest quality we have as human beings is the ability to make choices. This can be for good or for bad. How powerful of a thought it is to know today you can change the entire direction of your life!!! No matter what you've done in the past, no matter what your educational background, today you can change the direction of your life.

I've heard a speaker once say that life is like a big cruise ship, at first glance it looks impossible to turn around, and you can't change the destination instantly, but you certainly can change your direction. With this new direction you can ultimately end up at the destination you want to be and more importantly the destination that God wants for you to be.

Pray today for God to show you the direction for your life and pray for the faith and strength to aim your life in that direction.

God bless!

No Matter What You're Facing...

In the most difficult times we can find comfort from the Lord. The lyrics to this song are a great reminder of how we can simply focus our attention on God for our strength in times of need.

Unconditional Love

Truthfully, I don't think in our human form we can really even comprehend unconditional love. We are so used to having our own agenda and motive. We often do good to get something in return or if we forgive someone we still wish for them to suffer harsh consequences for what they have done to us.

Have you thought about God and how he loves us? It amazes me every day. When you think of his holiness, his lordship, his perfect ways, and yet he still loves us unconditionally. In John the woman who got caught in the act of adultery had to be thinking Jesus would want nothing to do with her. But how did Christ respond? He jumped in and defended her to the religious leaders and he did not chatise her. He wanted her to experience a better/holy life so he commanded her to go and sin no more.

WOW! Let that register today. God loves us in ways we cannot even comprehend. Just like the story of the prodigal son, no matter where you are at in life God is standing there with his arms open wide calling for you to come rest and find shelter in his arms.

Praise the Lord!

Memorize Monday - Proverbs 3:5-6

Take time this Monday to memorize this awesome scripture. If you need direction, if you need help in the middle of temptation, if you want God's will for your life, learn this scripture and repeat it often.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not in your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.

SING for the LORD!

Are you feeling discouraged? Are you in doubt about something? Do you wish to have more peace in your life? Do you want the kind of joy that David mentions over and over in the psalms....Here's how you get it......SING!

Do you realize there's no one that can't sing! Even if you can't speak you can sing for the Lord. Singing is a heart issue. That's what worship is all about. Lifting up high the name of Jesus in all that we do! Singing has been proven to release tension in our body and lowers stress levels drastically. If we are singing for the Lord it does even more good for us! It restores our soul and renew's our mind. It causes us to stop everything and focus on what really matters in this life.

In America in particular we have so many distractions around us. Everything is competing for our time. This is why it's important we put praising the Lord on our schedule. It won't just happen. Make a choice today that you are going to take time today and just sing to the Holy One. We know he's worthy, we know he's deserving....let's worship him together out of the overflow of blessings he's given us all!

Living Water...

Is there anything more refreshing than water? Whether it's a cold drink on a hot day or a good warm shower in the middle of winter, water refreshes like nothing else. Do you know that Jesus told us that HE is the living water. He can "restore our soul" as David says in the psalms. One drop of this water and you will never thirst again. We literally have everything we'll ever need in Christ.

Take time today to really think about Jesus as the "living water." Let him wash you clean today of any issues or heartaches in your life and give you a fresh new start!

What do you think of when you think of God???

How do you picture God? or better yet...How do you think God pictures you? Sometimes we see God as this big eye in the sky that is waiting to jump on us when we do something wrong. This morning I was reading Romans 8. Rather than me try to expand on this issue that Paul was writing about, I"ll copy and paste and let the word of the Lord speak to you like it did me! Wow! what powerful scripture!



31 If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

Take lessons from the wisest person to ever live...

This morning I"ve been reading in the book of Ecclesiastes. Wow! What a refreshing reminder about purpose and how we should live. This book was written by Solomon who is well known as the "wisest person to ever live." To me, this is someone who deserves some listening to. He had all the money, fame, and fortune you could imagine. (I've heard preachers say it would be 10 times the wealth and success of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates combined!)

In our American culture one would think this is the peak of life and is to be desired. This is really what it's all about, setting high goals and reaching them. Solomon begs to differ. In Ecc 12:13 he says, "Here now is my final conclusion. Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty."

Isn't it comforting in a way to hear the wisest man ever tell us in one short sentence how to live. If we want happiness, purpose and meaning in our life, we are to simply fear God and obey his commands. What a powerful reminder this is!

***Remember, if you "Follow" Jesus, you'll see his ways and start to believe in him. Once you "Believe" you'll begin to understand he has a better plan for you. Since he has a better plan, you'll begin to "Obey" and this is where we ultimately stay.....nestled in the will of God waiting for his next move.

Take time to sit at Jesus' feet today and thank him for who he is and the peace and direction he offers us all.

God bless!

The Disney Trip

My wife and I just got back from Orlando, FL. I can't believe I'm 30 years old and have lived this close to Disney World and this is the first time I have visited there. We went to Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Island of Adventure. We had a lot of fun and the weather was fabulous! High 80's in March!

If you need any tips on the best things to do in my opinion at these parks drop me a line.

Fresh Start...

There's nothing like it! Everyone loves the thought of a fresh start. Ask yourself, what is it today I need to start fresh with? Is it your prayer time? your bible reading? your daily exercise? your healthy eating? your restored friendships? Whatever it is, take today to ask God to help you put the past in the past, and start fresh!

Spring is in the air...the grass is turning greener, the flowers are starting to bloom, the trees are turning colors. Don't wait another day!

Make today the day you start fresh! God's blessings are waiting for us all if we seek him first! He came to give us life and to give it more abundantly!!! (John 10:10)

What if we ignore the Bible???

Here are 4 things you can count on happening if we neglect spending time studying God's word:

-i tend to magnify the weaknesses in others and overlook the weaknesses of my own.
-i tend to evaluate all around me, as if this is all there is.
-i tend to close my hands with my possessions
-i tend to hold onto my anger too long

What if we received a text from God..

I can't stress enough the importance of spending time in God's word. In our busy, fast paced life, it must become a priority. Check out this series from Andy Stanley called, "text"

It's crazy to think that God himself, (the creator of the world) has sent us a text message and we get too busy and too lazy to read it.



***If you are new to the Bible and wondering where to start, Read the Book of John. After you do this and what to get a little more advanced, read the book of Luke and then afterwards read Acts. (these 2 books were written together) This will tell you about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and also how the church got started.

Bible Study Help...

If we are ever going to grow spiritually, Daily Bible study is a must. I made this outline to help myself and others know the big picture of what they are reading. The Bible doesn't have to be as hard to understand as we make it out to be.

This guide is for the New Testament. It tells you the Book, Author, Audience, Time Period written, and Purpose. Once I started to understand these things it really gave new life to the Bible for me and I hope it can do the same for you.

God bless!

The Battle Within...

I heard a story once that said we have a daily battle we face between good and evil that is like having 2 animals living inside us. One animal is loving, caring and has a desire to do what's right. The other is angry, quick tempered and seeks evil. The question is, "Which one wins this battle?"

Answer: The one you feed.

What can we do to feed the good animal. Prayer, Bible Study, keep scripture fresh in our minds, keep a song on our heart, sing praises daily to the Lord. Spend time around positive encouraging people. Exercise. Eat Healthy, think pure thoughts.

These are just a few of the things we should do in order to keep God fresh in our hearts and keep the good animal living inside of us always the victor.

Praise the Lord!

The Chief Cornerstone...

Yesterday in Church my Father spoke from I Peter 2 about making Christ the chief cornerstone in our life. This was really a great reminder. If you've ever dealt with construction and homebuilding you know the importance of the foundation. Everything you do the rest of the way will only go smooth if the foundation is secure and properly aligned. This is what Jesus does with our life when we make him the "chief cornerstone."

Ask yourself this, "Is Jesus really the cornerstone that shapes everything else in my life?" Not just for salvation, for everything. My decisions, my relationship, my finances, my hobbies, all should be based on the solid rock, Jesus Christ.

It's my prayer that you and I can take each day as an opportunity to grow in our faith. No matter what type of storms comes our way (they always do come) with our house built upon The Rock, we know we can withstand any storm and praise the Lord through it all.

Loving and Serving God out of Abundance...

This morning I woke up and immediately had the song from psalms 118, "This is the day that the Lord has made" in my head. It's a catchy little tune that can linger in your head all day. The words have such truth. "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Often we have songs we sang as a child that have such a powerful message. Sometimes I am guilty of only looking at the commands of God and not focusing on the Love of God. Each day in itself is a sign of the Love God has for us. We let worry, anxiety and fear drive us too often. God calls us his children and wants a better life for us than we even want for ourselves.

Today instead of serving God out commandments and obedience, ponder on the many blessings he has given you. When your mind starts to focus on the abundant life God has given us all, and the beautiful nature and surroundings all around us, it's a lot easier to tell others just how great our God really is.

Praise the Lord!

The Proverbs Habit

Practice reading the book of Proverbs for what day it is first thing in the mornings. This has really helped me get direction from God and starts my day off on the right track.

Ex...March 17th I read Proverbs 17.... I love verse 22..( a cheerful heart is great medicine )

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

When doing ministry...

always ask the question, "Who am I doing this for anyways?"

I heard my pastor mention this at church Sunday and it really stuck with me. Do we really need the praise of men? Always keep in your mind who you are really working for when doing anything for the Lord.

Your First Song

The Chords are G, C, Em, and D the whole song.

Good Practice Tips for Beginners...

Start out with just down strums...as you get more comfortable, then you can really go at it!

Piano Lesson

I wish someone would have showed me this years ago. Once you learn the basics, it's easy to get more and more advanced. Don't waste your time reading music at first. Learn the chords.

***Also, the piano doesn't start out hurting your fingers like the guitar does! haha

The Model Christ taught...

Follow, Believe, Obey.

Too many times we mix these up. Christ first tells people to FOLLOW him. Once this happens we see the joy, peace, direction and ultimately salvation he brings so we then begin to BELIEVE in him. Once you start to believe in who he really is, it's easy to OBEY him because you now have a firm understanding that he wants nothing but the best for those who love him. After all, isn't it incredible the creator of the World tells us to call Him FATHER! AMAZING!

How to Grow Spiritually...

People often ask me how I am always in such a good mood and have such a positive outlook on life. First and foremost, I gave my life to Christ as a young boy and have never looked back. He has blessed me with more than I could ever have imagined. Along with a great church and a great family to support me, I'm a firm believer in spiritual nourishment. We need to constantly "Renew our Minds" as Paul teaches in Romans. We must daily make it a practice to fill ourselves with things of the Lord. It's so easy to get distracted these days. Another great habit I have gotten into is listening to online messages. I can't tell you how much I look forward to Andy Stanley's latest message being uploaded each Tuesday. He is the best speaker I"m ever heard and is so much fun to listen to. You can find his messages at northpoint.org/messages

My Family...

These people are the greatest influences in my life. Through thick and thin these are the folks who are always there. There's nothing like close family. My parents (Ken & Peggy) have taught me to praise the Lord from a young age. My father is a great Bible scholar and role model to me as a man and my mother is the singer in the family who has the best outlook on life with her attitude. Cap that off with my brother, sister-in-law and nephew who are top notch. (Jason, Jennifer, and Davin) Of course no list would be complete without my wife, Taryn. We got married on July 8, 2006 and my life has never been better. She has a way of making me feel special like no one else can. Words could never describe what she means to me.

**of course I had to mention my best friend, the one and only shih tzu Furgie!

Strumming Help

This is the most common question I get asked, "What is the strumming pattern?"

In this video I break down some common ways you can figure out the strumming pattern of a song you hear.

Your First Guitar Lesson

In this lesson I teach how to play the main 4 chords I use on most of my songs. This is key for beginners to get comfortable with these 4 chords.