Matt's journal

Getting married

2009-08-10T09:04:00.000-05:00

I am getting married to Lynette Willoughby on September 12th 09! :-)
-Matt

Summit 08 rocked, voting for life tomorrow

2008-11-03T16:43:00.002-06:00

Hello to my journal.

2 weekends ago was one of the best weekends of my life so far. The conference I attended in Kansas City was amazing! It was one of the top conferences I've been at and I'm sure ever will be. I brought a total of 15 people with me so 15 including myself. Everyone had a great time, the caravans or cars were fun down and back, and everyone made new friends. Oliver North was a guest speaker and he rocked the house with a message about patriotism, how the news media is negative no matter what and is not credible in that aspect, and how brave our soldiers are as well as how much faith they have. All of the diamonds gave great talks and Sunday morning was awesome as well, I saw thousands give their lives to Jesus or renew a commitment to that. One of the talks (By Matt Grotewold) made my friend Mitch laugh harder than he ever had, and everyone there got a good belly workout from that talk for sure. One of the things that I took away from the weekend is to keep going even if you make mistakes or things get hard. It doesn't have to be easy, you just have to do it. It is encouraging to hear people's stories about overcoming things because if you hear about others doing it, it makes it easier for you to believe you can do it too.

Tomorrow is election day. I spent a few hours yesterday morning watching a sepcial election coverage on god.tv and it was interesting. They say this is the most important election of this generation and I heard that last time too, but given that 4 of the supreme court justices could be replaced and that Obama wants to take this country far away from freedom and towards socialism, I can see why this is so important. We are great because we have indivivual liberties and freedom. Yes, you have to work to live well, but no one is going to stop you or put a limit on you which is why it works. The "pie" is not limited, so it isn't unfair for there to be rich and poor, in fact the bigger the pie gets the better everyone does. The real story of thanksgiving is that the settlers tried socialism and it didnt work. They had everyone share fields, share the work, and share the food at first. It didn't take long for some people to figure out that they didn't have to work to eat, so when everyone suffered for it, they gave everyone their own land to tend, and if they had excess they could trade it. Everyone prospered. Funny how un-lazy people get when they get hungry. I'm not saying that we shoudn't help the poor, don't get me wrong, but "speading the wealth around" hurts both the rich and the poor because it lowers the wealth of the entire country. Charitable giving should be voluntary, not forced in the form of taxes. That is my opinion.

The second and third most important things in my opinion are 2) the gay marriage ban amendment in California. People will be able to vote on whether CA defines marriage as between a man and woman, and I hope that they do define it as this. It wasn't a popular vote that decided otherwise in the first place, it was some judges legislating from the bench. That is wrong. 3) The senate getting 60 democratic seats. If this happens, and Obama is elected, there will be no stopping them.

Either way, I'm not concerned about my future, it is going to be good because I don't operate in the worlds system, I operate in God's system. Everything will be ok. I am still concerned for America though, I don't want to see if slip down the tubes of European socialism and mediocrity. I want to raise a family in a free country and be able to keep most of my finincial success so that I can give it to organizations that I deem worthy. One goal of mine is to eventually, far down the road, be able to reverse tithe. That's where you live off of 10% of your income and give away 90%.

Might play raquetball with Kyle and Mitch and some girls from St. Kates tonight. Still waiting to hear back for sure from Kyle.

Peace,
Matt

PS) Go McCain and Palin!

Busy week!

2008-10-21T13:17:00.002-05:00

Dear journal,
This week is fun! Last night I listened to a Mark Hankins CD that I picked up at Living Word on Sun. night. It was very good, and made me very happy. He talks about how joy is strength and just laughs a lot on the CD, it's contagious! Last night I took a nap from 6-7:30 and then played racquetball from 8-11. I actually beat Steve Boyd for the first time last night, but still lost to Phil. I did beat David 15-0 which was cool. After I got home I ate some food and read a little.
Tonight (Tuesday) I am going to the Wing's house to help them set up their new computer and then going straight to Jake's house in Eden Prairie to plan hotel rooms and rides with some other leaders on his team for this weekend's "Summit 08" conference in Kansas City, MO. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. That will get over around 10:30 or 11.
Tomorrow I am looking at some condominiums in the Cloud 9 sky flats building off of 169. Then I might be showing a QI, and after that I will be going to financial peace university at living word where I will be learning a ton about what is happening in the economy, what to do with it, etc. After I get home I will have to pack for Kansas City because I wont have many other chances.
Thursday I am getting home from work and then helping Phil make some calls from 6-7, then going to the open meeting, the training session, and then heading home.
Friday morning at about 6am we will leave for KC and will be there all weekend.
-Matt

cashews laced with peanuts = stewpud

2008-10-17T09:24:00.002-05:00

So I broke open a bag of cashews earlier from a brand that I've eaten before because it says peanut free right on the package. Then that funny tingly feeling started happening and I knew that I'd eaten some peanuts. I looked at the bag again and they added a sticker to it up on tap saying "may contain peanuts". How dumb is that! So I drove to benadryl to... I mean, I drove to cub to get some benadryl. (makes you drowsy you see) I think the swelling in my throat is going to be managable and I wont have to go to the ER. Swallowing is annoyingly hard but i'm 99% sure I'm going to be fine. I guess it's always good to be reminded that you're only minutes from death at any point right?
Ok, back to work............. ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......... ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz............ ZZZZZZZZZZ............ whoah

Revelation about how we view God

2008-10-15T22:03:00.005-05:00

Hey,
I had an amazing thing taught to me by Holy Spirit today. I was thinking about how I have been single for so long without much concern or impatience or intensity for being with someone. Recently I met someone who is just like my dream girl would be. Now that I know and have seen what someone like this is like, I am much more eager to be in a relationship with the girl of my dreams. Now that I understand and know what she would be like, I'm no longer complacent in my ambition to be with her. God broke in and told me that this is what is church is like. "What do you mean?" I asked. He said that his church does not know Him very well right now, but only has a vague and skewed conception of what He is like. We aren't yearning with everything in us for Him to return (As the Bible says we will before He returns- as a perfected church) simply because we do not know Him as well we could and should. When the bride (church) knows His heart more deeply, His passions more thoroughly, and the amount of love that He has for the church (believers in Him), the bride will not be able to wait anymore, and "The Spirit and the bride will say COME LORD JESUS!" with all of their hearts because they will truly know Him. Then He will return. We, the church, need to know Him better!

Upcoming plans and stuff

2008-10-15T08:30:00.003-05:00

Here are some of the things that I'm pretty excited about doing in the near future:
October 24th-26th: In Kansas City for Summit 08!

Some time end Nov or beginning Dec: Kalahari Resort in WI Dells! It's one of the biggest indoor waterparks in the country.

New Years Day: I hope to go to KC for TheCall with Lour Engle, but I might not make it. Wanted to go for the entire OneThing conference and TheCall but work wont let me off. I already requested off for Onething 2009. If they won't let me go to that one with 14 months advance notice, I think I will have to find a different job. :-)

There is a trip to Israel in March that KTIS is hosting. I feel very strongly drawn to going. That would be an amazing experience and I'm seriously looking into it. To walk where Jesus walked (and will walk again soon) would be amazing and I'm sure the bible would be even more alive to me after experiencing this.

Yesterday I woke up at 4:30, and spent an amazing time with the Lord. I will be doing this more often. My whole day was awesome.

Watched a movie with Kyle last night called "My Sassy Girl" and it made me cry. It was a good one.

I'm reading a book called "Way of the Wild Heart" by John Eldridge right now which is the sequal to "Wild at Heart". Amazing book.

That's all for now.
-Matt

Thoughts

2008-09-30T08:52:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since I last wrote in here and I am sad about that. I'm not sure if I've written about it yet or not, but I am working in Plymouth now instead of downtown. It is nice because it is a 4 mile drive that takes 10 minutes now rather than bumper to bumper 394 for at least 20 minutes, sometimes up to 50.

I am looking at buying a condo in Hopkins soon. I got approved, and I'm working with a real estate agent. It is going to be awesome if I get it! My plan is to have a roomate for the first year or two and let them live in the master bedroom so that I can live there for cheap and pay off debt like a madman. Short term sacrifice, well worth it.

My wrist is 95% healed up. I was supposed to not play any sports with it for two months. I followed that rule well, except for playing golf, tennis, racquetball, ultimate frisbee, and ping pong. LOL. Oh well, it seems to be getting better and better. It's still a little tender sometimes but I believe it is going to be 100% again soon. PS: Don't tell my doctor.

Winter is coming and it seems like the summer went by in a flash. They say that time goes by faster as you get older. I think this is an example of that being true. I watched a movie called 'The Bucket List" with my friend Kyle recently. It made me appreciate life even more and motivated me not to be complacent. I have so many things that I want to do and there is no time to waste!

I've been growing a lot spiritually as well. Spending time in the word, in prayer, streaming sermons online that play while I sleep from the radio player on kcm.org, and going to church at Living Word Christian Center as much as possible have all added to it. The result has been an ever more mature and confident image of who I am in Christ, how much He loves me, and a self image that is based on that. The result: an unshakeable confidence. I no longer base my mood on circumstances or what people think about me or say to me. I am constantly aware of an intense love for me that my creator and sustainer has that I will continue to learn more and more about for all of eternity.
Memo to the devil: You can take away my health, but God will restore it. You can take away my weath, but God will bring it back a hunded fold. You can make my friends hate me, God will bring better ones. You could even kill me, but then I would be in heaven in the presence of the Father. There is nothing that you can do to harm me. I am not afraid of you. BEAT IT! In the name of Jesus.

I am at work so I better get back to doing that.
Peace,
Matt

Obama wave

2008-06-26T11:57:00.002-05:00

The Obama Tidal WaveSome of you will recognize the name of Bill Brown. He is a highly respected retired member of the Billy Graham team. I take his assessment of Obama very seriously and for that reason accept his challenge to pass this on I share his concern about the "rock star" image Obama has and watch with growing concern at the celebrity status the media has foisted upon him. I hope this email informs you in a wise way.

We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obama of rare magnitude. His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of "Change" or that he says he will be a "Uniter". The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing; Certainly Billy Graham had charisma and both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions. On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler inspired millions and the results were catastrophic.

Barack Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, but for many Americans out there feeling just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, the real story is what happens when it hits shore. Many people have asked, "what has Barack Obama actually accomplished to qualify himself as a candidate for President?"Here is a list of Barack Hussein Obama's accomplishments:

* He voted against banning partial birth abortion.
* He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
* Supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government.
* In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing.
* Says he will deal with street level drug dealing as minimum wage affair. - ??
* Admitted marijuana and cocaine use in high school and in college.
* His religious convictions are very vague at best.
* He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
* Has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all Muslim nations.
* Opposed the Patriot Act.
* First bill he signed that was passed was campaign finance reform.
* Voted No on prohibiting law suits against gun manufacturers.
* Supports universal health-care.
* Voted yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
* Supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
* Supports extending welfare to illegal immigrants.
* Voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
* Voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
* Wants to make the minimum wage a "living wage".
* Voted with Democratic Party 96 percent of 251 votes.
* Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid.
* He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax
* He voted No on repealing the "Death" Tax.
* He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax.
* Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded
* He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.

If your political choices are consistent with Barack Obama's and you think that his positions will bring America together or make it a better place, then you will probably enjoy riding the wave and not passing on this information.If you are like most Americans that after examining what he stands for, are truly not in line with his record, it would be prudent to get off the wave or better yet, never get on, before it comes on shore and undermines the very foundations of this great Country.

We have limited time to save America or the Supreme Court as we know it. Remember...inaction is action.

June 2008

2008-06-10T18:13:00.004-05:00

Oops, it has been almost a month since I wrote on here! I'll try not to let that happen again. Well it turned out that my wrist was a little messed up. The scafoid bone was bruised and fractured, so they put me in a hard cast to avoid it being broken in two which would have required surgury.

The MN GOP state convention was amazing. It was really fun to participate and vote. Our senator Norm Coleman is amazing. Carl Rove gave a perfect talk at the end. I had goosebumps. I hope to participate more in (conservative) politics as time permits.

I just finished updating the orchard website, deardorff orchards.com, on Sunday. I think it looks nice.

I've been going to 5th service at living word more often. That has been incredible! I moved my groups team call to Mondays so that I and anyone in my group who wants to can go to 5th service. God is really moving there. Yesterday Phil, a guy in my group who went last week, said he is starting to read the bible more and he sent me a text message at 2:30am asking me why the bible says to fear God. It is so cool that he is hungry for God! (I told him that it would have been better translated if it said "Revere the LORD" meaning have a great respect for Him. It doesn't mean be afraid of God. I then gave him 2 Tim 1:7 for reference)

Cutting Erin out of my life completely has been a great decision. I feel so free! I needed to let go of her completely and not be reminded of her by keeping a friendship. Otherwise I might never have gotten over her. Praise God, my heart is doing well!

God told me to study Jesse Duplantis a lot, so I have been listening to several talks by him. I downloaded a bunch of MP3s from his site for only $4 a piece. I also ordered a DVD, book, and CD package about when he got to go to heaven. I left the DVD with my mom and Moriah so that they can watch it. I've learned how important it is for God to be in school and how downhill schools and society have gone since people before us took Him out.

God is good!

Matt

MRI scan

2008-05-12T13:05:00.002-05:00

Today I am getting an MRI scan done on my wrist. I am going in at 4 to get some type of dye injected into my wrist, then getting scanned. On Thursday I will go in to see what the found.

I have learned that a little pain hasn't stopped my from still playing sports. To protect me from my inability to quit doing so, I think that I need a hard cast. I don't have the desire/discipline to stop using my wrist altogether for months on end, especially when it's nice out, and I think I'll never give it a chance to heal if it isn't immobilized.

(Wow, my analogy came true!)
-Matt

May so far

2008-05-09T15:41:00.003-05:00

Hello! May is finally here and that means that the snow is over. It snowed a few times in April and it seemed as though winter would never leave. I'm sitting here in my cube looking out through the Minneapolis sky way and beyond. It is Friday at 3:45 and I'm less than 2 hours away from freedom for the day.

My friends Jess and Dan got married last weekend. It was a quaint little wedding that I was happy to attend. I was one of only 5 of their friends invited, so I felt pretty special. Here is a pic of the three of us.

This weekend is mothers day and I'll be going to my grandma Mary's house for that. It will be fun.

In business, we just launched perfect water last month (drinkperfectwater.com) and it is so popular that it is the most back ordered product in the history of the company we work with. I'm planning to drink at least one a day once I have a consistent stock. I ordered 5 cases 2 weeks ago and they aren't here still.

I'm planning to go running outside today when I get home. It's one of my favorite things to do.

Right now I'm reading 'Secrets of the Secret Place' by Bob Sorge and 'Way of the Wild heart" by John Eldridge.

I hope and have faith that in 2 years I will be able to walk away from my job by replacing my income, plus some, with my business. I will then spend a year (or less) stabilizing my business teams. Then I'll be off to the missions field! Ireland, here I come!

-Matt

The ant and the grasshopper

2008-04-15T09:46:00.001-05:00

OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays thesummer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his houseand laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays thesummer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demandsto know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while othersare cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shiveringgrasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a tablefilled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper isallowed to suffer so? Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody crieswhen they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where thenews stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then hasthe group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that theant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for animmediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Actretroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing tohire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to payhis retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamationsuit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judgesthat Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of theant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be theant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drugrelated incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang ofspiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote.

The Fabric of a Winner

2008-04-14T12:22:00.002-05:00

This is the post I mentioned that I would write a couple posts ago. It is based on a talk that Joe Markiewicz gave at Impact 08.
#1) He is decisive. He keeps his commitments.
#2) He is a man of character. He makes decisions because they are the right decisions, even if they aren't popular.
#3) He is a man of focus. A winner will stay focused on his dreams, his goals, and his commitments.
#4)He is a man of action. Despite inconvenience and fatigue, he has a commitment to be persistent and consistent.
#5) A winner is not a quitter. Quitting is repulsive for a winner.
#6) He is a man of faith. He realizes that some things are out of his control, and that's probably a good thing. He understands sowing and reaping.
#7) He has a heart to change the world.

Friday!

2008-04-11T08:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday is snowed multiple inches. I officially am a global warming doubter, and that was more evidence in my favor. Last night the meeting went well. My new organization through Josh Rundell brought two guests. There was no night owl so 9 of us went to Applebees and had appetizers instead.

When I got into work today, I saw that my betta fish has started blowing a bubble nest. This is what they put their kids in. It is also a sign that he is healthy. That is what the picture is of.

Well I sent Erin a really cool package in the mail and merely got a quick thank you email back. It was a letter that she had written me in 2002. I wrote a reply as it if was just a month after that and talked about things that have happened between then and now, but from the perspective that I was just saying "what if". I thought it was a really cool package. I also sent her a bag of popcorn with tea bags taped to it because she sometimes drinks "popcorn tea" which sounds like an awful combiniation to me. She didn't even call to say thank you and has ignored me since, save for that "thanks" email. I think that Kyle was right when he told me it was $5 wasted. (The cost of mailing all of that to her) Although I absolutely adore Erin, it is finally starting to sink in that it's not going to work. It won't benefit either of us if I keep believing that it will. I'm glad she is going to Africa for 9 months. It will give me a chance to move on and be open to the possibility of someone new. I think that God has taught me more throught this whole experience than He would have if she did love me back. A couple of entrys back I wrote about one of them. I don't regret any of this at all because those were some precious revelations of God's heart that I got to experience and I'l never forget them. I also know that my greatest struggle will be my greatest victory and when I am happy married and in love with the girl of my dreams some day, I will appreciate it even more because I know what it's like for love not to be returned. :-)

OK, I have to keep working now. I hope that anyone reading this has a great day!
Love, Matt

Impact 08

2008-04-07T10:19:00.002-05:00

I just got back from Louisville this morning at 4am. I was at "Impact 08", a business conference. It was awesome! There were 20,000+ people there and the speakers were all outstanding. We had guest speakers John Maxwell, a leadership expert, and Chris Gardner, the man Will Smith portrayed in "The Persuit of Happyness".
I had 15 people there through 4 organizations and I am convinced that my team is finally going to move into a platinumship. There are so many new awesome COUPLES in my downline as well as single people that I'm anticipating huge growth the rest of the year and beyond. My favorite talk was from Joe Markiwicz. It was called "The fabric of a winner". I will post it on here soon.
-Matt
PS) When I got back the feeder tablet that I had bought for my goldfish ended up not dissolving so my goldfish died. I will get a new one. Sad though.

My favorite food

2008-04-02T10:12:00.002-05:00

I have concluded that my favorite food in the world is my Grandma Mary's banana bread.

-Matt

The sky is falling

2008-04-01T08:26:00.004-05:00

I am downtown at my desk right now. When there is a lot of snow it will pile up in the window sills of the IDS tower and then when it starts to get warm it will fall off of the building in big chunks. One person even got knocked unconscious last year! This is happening right now, so while I am working there are loud BANGs right on my window from ice chunks hitting it. It is very loud and could scare someone who wasn't calm.

I picked my parents up at 2am from the airport last night. They got back from Palm Springs, CA.

I also bought a computer yesterday.

Working at Grandma Mary's house

2008-03-30T17:06:00.002-05:00

Today I slept in. I was at my parent's house as they are still in California and both of the dogs, Toby and Riley, slept on the be with me. I decided that I want a bigger bed than my full sized bed. My parent's have a king and it is nice to be able to stretch out in all directions! After I woke up I read the bible, ate lunch, took a shower, and then went to my Grandma Mary's house. I helped her clean up her yard for a couple of hours. I am still at her house and she is baking banana bread. It is the best banana bread in the world and nothing beats the smell! Her significant other, Art, just got here a couple of minutes ago and he went right into the basement to keep organizing everything down there. I will be leaving in a few minuts to go to Tom's house for team call tonight. Tomorrow I will pick up my parent's from the airport around midnight. I am glad because taking care of the dogs is a lot of work!
-Matt

Revelation of God's heart toward us

2008-03-29T22:58:00.002-05:00

I was sitting in the CD2 republican convention in Northfield today after all 68 people who wanted to be a national delegate spoke (including me). The chairman was talking and I suddenly started thinking about how much I love the girl who I love. In case anyone but my grandparent's actually reads this blog, I'll just call her ELO rather than using her real name. Anyways, I was sitting there and realizing how much I love her and how unconditionally I do, I thought about how nice it would be to be able to tell her so, if she wanted me to feel that way and wanted me to tell her how I feel. Currently she does not feel the same way and does not ever see that happening in the future. I thought about how nice it would be to be able to send her a text message that simply says "I love you so much.". Then I remembered that I can't send that message and had the familiar thought that I shouldn't want to send that message and that I am a fool for not being able to get over her yet. But then I realized that I do love her and what I mean by that is, I shouldn't have to be embarrassed or ashamed of it. It is who I am and even if she doesn't ever love me back or even talk to me again, I can still love her. It is a feeling of true unconditional love. It is peaceful because it has nothing to do with how she feels or doesn't feel about me. When I realized this, I thought to the Holy Spirit "God, it doesn't matter if she loves me back or not, I am perfectly happy just loving her as it is and I don't regret that I do at all. I don't want to stop."
Then the Holy Spirit said back to me "Now you're beginning to think like me."

This was a powerful revelation to me of God's own heart toward people. (I am by no means saying that I love ELO to the degree that God loves people, but I do believe that it is a very tiny amount of the same love, since all true love comes from God) I realized in an instant that every believer and non believer is the apple of God's eye. They are precious to Him. I suddenly knew that even if people never acknowledge God all of their lives, he is still intensely interested in knowing about them and everything they do. God wants people to trust Him with all of their hearts and to share the little things that are on their mind with Him. He wants people to just talk with Him! He just loves them unconditionally. No qualifications are necessary.

God's grace

2008-03-28T11:14:00.003-05:00

God can change a heart from being full of sorrow to being full of joy in an instant. I love it! And He loves to do it too because He loves His people. If only more of them would ask for the grace of joy instead of pain.
-Matt

Goals

2008-03-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

I am feeling like I'm in a really good position to accomplish everything that I want to in the next two years.
-Match or exceed my job income with my marketing business. (And not by losing my job!)
-Pay off all debts including the biggest of all - student loans
-Bank enough money so that I can be in a position to get married comfortably if I meet the girl of my dreams and want to get married in short order. (This requires money for rings, honeymoon, wedding, decent place to live, etc.)
I can't wait! I am glad I have goals because goals are what keep people alive and young.
-Matt

Watching family pets

2008-03-26T21:10:00.001-05:00

So my family is in California right now and I am at their house watching the animals. There are two fish and a cat right now because the dogs are at my grandparent's house and the vet.

My friend Tom Phelps and I are both on a mission to finish the new testament in less than a month by reading ten chapters per day. Right now I am about a half a day behind so I will be reading a lot before bed tonight.

The job is going well. My team recently moved from the 13th floor to the 15th floor and I got a window seat! I took out the panels on the cubicle wall by the window so now I can look outside while I work. It is wonderful.

I'm taking my business team to Louisville next weekend! I will be bringing four organizations there totaling around 17 people which is a record for the Gerber team. I am pretty pumped about that!

My car is very dirty right now because I went to the Orchard twice over the weekend. Once to plan out the new direction for the orchard website with my grandpa Lin and once for resurrection Sunday.

That's all for now!

Matt's Journal

2008-03-26T16:57:00.000-05:00

Hey! I've decided to start journaling online again today. Life is good. More to come.
Peace,
Matt