NEW SITE

Hello blogspot friends. This message is to let you know that I have transferred all my information over to www.matthewcostner.com. I hope that each of you will follow what I am doing over there. I will still post on this site occasionally, however the bulk of what I do will be there from now on. Love you all!

Matthew

MLK Day

January 18 is Martin Luther King day. I'm excited about it. I love to hear MLK's sermons. When I was at Vanderbilt University I took several classes related to him. It was so great to hear about his story, the cause that he believed in, the cause that he died for.

MLK acted in ways that were unpopular. He went against the status quo. He believed that justice would prevail even if he never saw it. He trusted in Jesus, even when times seemed hopeless.

I read a blog earlier today by my friend Matthew Paul Turner. You can read it here. He re-wrote MLK's "I have a Dream" speech. His blog really got me thinking, how am I acting? Not, acting as is my attitude great (although I need to be mindful of that), but are my actions speaking just as loudly as my words?

We all have dreams, but are we actively working to make those dreams come true? Even, are we dreaming selfishly, or for people and justice and God's will to be done? My own dreams seem to fluctuate, and yet at my core I dream for the redemption of East Nashville, and even greater, the World.

As I listen to MLK's last speech below, I am reminded of life. We all have difficult days ahead. Life is not easy. But the test is, are we going to continue pursuing the dream? As MLK said, "let's not let dogs and water hoses turn us around..." Like the Israelites, let's not let Giants keep us from the blessing that is promised us. We can overcome hard times. Our heart aches can be restored. Our transgressions can be redeemed. To God be the Glory.

2days 2 goals

I've been thinking a lot recently about my relationship with God. The truth is, it hasn't been what I've wanted it to be. I read my Scriptures and I pray, but life has been so busy lately. I've been pulled in so many different directions. I've heard so many people speaking into my life. I've watched a lot of television. I've listened to a lot of music. I could go on and on. But the one thing I haven't done is heard from God.

And so today in a way that I haven't done in a long time, I'm going to do nothing but pray and read. I need to hear from God. I need to rest in my Savior's arms like I haven't done in quite a while. I need to be reminded that I am a child of God, that I am His son, that I am loved. So, I've taken the day off. I've got my Bible in hand. I'm ready to read and listen.

My 2010 Resolutions

For 2010 I have come up with 7 resolutions, or goals, that I hope I can keep. The ALL CAPS is the category, and the rest is how I plan to improve in that area. Let me know what you think, and please offer any encouragement to keep them! :)

1) HEALTH - drink water at restaurants.

2) HEALTH - run a 1/2 marathon (Country Music Marathon with Powered By Hope!).

3) CHURCH - read three books on pastoral leadership (any suggestions?)

4) CHURCH - have 1 Sunday lunch per quarter with the senior adults.

5) MARRIAGE - one date a week (already planned them all)

6) MARRIAGE - pray together at least 5x per week

7) FRIENDSHIP - encourage one random friend through text message every day.

Resolution

Are you planning on making any new resolutions this upcoming year? If you're like me, you don't always keep the ones you made the previous year anyway. However, did you now that 40 to 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year? Some of the most popular resolutions deal with exercise, weight loss, money management, and stopping smoking or drinking.

Out of the studies that have been made regarding following through with resolutions, researchers have concluded that 75% keep them past the first week, 71% keep them past two weeks, 64% after one month, and 46% after six months.

While a lot of people who make new years resolutions break them, research shows that making resolutions is useful. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions.

So my question is what are your New Years Resolutions if you decide to make some this year? Outside of your regular ones, I challenge you to make one that deals with your church. Here are a few you may want to pick from:

(1) Bring 4 new people to church this year.

(2) Attend a Bible study.

(3) Volunteer for VBS or other youth/children events.

(4) Tithe regularly

(5) Pray weekly for your pastor and the church leadership

I'll try and come up with about five resolutions for myself to work on and publish soon. Hopefully your resolutions can help me articulate my own more clearly! Anyway, Happy upcoming New Year!

Caroling through Christmas

I'm excited about Christmas! Not because of Santa, Christmas Trees, or even the possibility of a White Christmas. I'm excited because I'm ready to revisit the Christmas story. I'm excited because at Valley View this Christmas we are going to look back at the old Christmas Carols and make them new by learning their meaning and history.

It seems to me that most of us don't know or have forgotten why we sing what we sing or why we do what we do at Christmas in the first place. I know it's easy to get caught up in the all the glitz and glamour of materialism, for it's fun and exciting. Instead of buying into all the cool gadgets that break or get boring over time, let's focus on the reason for the season - Jesus.

Watch the video below... And get excited about Christmas! Our Savior has been born! Our God is with us! Are you excited?

#2 is better than #1

“It’s not about me anymore.” A friend of mine said that recently. It’s had me thinking about life ever since.

The reality for so many of us is that we haven’t figured out that life isn’t truly about us. We want it to be about us. We dream it is. We hope it is. We wish it was. But it’s not.

My dad and I were talking about life and church lately, and he said something that I thought was pretty profound. He said, “it’s not what we want, it’s what they need.” “They,” meaning the people that are around us. And yet that’s seemingly such a hard concept for people to adopt as their own philosophy for life.

And for the life of me, I don’t know why it is. I mean I know sin and evil exist. I know that selfishness and narcissism are present and at the core of every person. But why is it so easy for people to get to the point where it’s hard to see the forest for the trees?

This isn’t an issue that’s come up recently in society. It’s been an issue for thousands and thousands of years. King Herod wanted it to be about him, so he sought to kill Jesus (see Matthew 2). During Jesus ministry, Martha (Jesus’ friend) showed a moment of selfishness when she confronted Jesus about why He didn’t come as soon as she called for Him so Lazarus, her brother, wouldn’t die (see John 11:21). King Herod’s grandson, Herod the Great, wanted it to be about him, so he had James killed, and Peter put into prison (see Acts 12). And I could go on and on.

The truth of the matter for all of us, is that Jesus always makes things right. His plan always comes through. We can stand in the way, and God will remove us, or we can be instruments to take Christ and His grace, mercy, love, joy, peace, patience, forgiveness, etc. into the world.

Let’s choose the latter. Let’s choose to let Jesus take control of not only our lives but the lives of our churches. Let’s choose to trust Jesus and even just one His many promises. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We don’t have to fear the future! Jesus is for us, and not against us! All we have to do is decrease, so He can increase.

This means we have to become #2.

King Jesus, help us make it all about you and not about us. In Your Name, Amen.