- May 22 - Brooke, Warrick and I traveled up to Ottawa to attend the wedding of a girl who was in the youth group when we were student pastors in Ottawa. Our first year there we held a Tuesday night Bible study in our house for all the seniors in high school. We had 4 students attend every week. The week after this girl's wedding, the last of the 4 got married! We officially feel old, but couldn't be prouder of the individuals those students have become.
- May 30 - We kicked off Celebrate Recovery. I can't tell you how proud I am of Jill and her team as they have been so dedicated and sold out to this ministry. These folks pray and meet as much as any team I've ever seen. They are always open to coaching and making the ministry the best it can be. God is already moving in big ways through that ministry. We are seeing the tip of the iceberg!
- May 31 - My family and one of the bands from BridgeWay traveled to Ottawa First Church and cast the vision for the new campus in Pekin. There's a blog post below about that wonderful experience.
- June 5 - I celebrated 5 years of marriage with my beautiful wife! I am so blessed to have a wife that loves me more than any other person ever could. She sacrifices so we can be in ministry and NEVER COMPLAINS! I'm pretty amazed by that. Brooke, I love you more than I can describe. Thanks for putting up with me and making me a better person.
- June 14 - Traveled with the same group that went to Ottawa to Kokomo First Church of the Nazarene. Completely rockin, loved seeing everyone there. Again, there's a blog post somewhere to that end.
- June 17 - Held our BEST Pekin Campus Launch Team yet. We had over 40 people in attendance, 3 new couples sign up, and you could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit all night. I get goose bumps just thinking about it! I love you guys and can't wait to see what God is going to do through you!
- June 21 - Celebrated my first Father's Day as a dad. It was pretty sweet. I got a new wallet and a round of golf! Life is good. I got to spend the day hanging out with Brooke and Warrick and diggin on some Chicken Tetrazini. Boo-yah! Gotta love being a dad!
- June 23 - Traveling to Orlando with the rest of our staff to participate in General Assembly for the Church of the Nazarene. It's going to be a lot of fun and a very good experience. I am a "delegate to the Nazarene Youth International" which means I sit in meetings and decide the future of millions of people. That's a little exaggerated, but I think you get the picture!
God's so good! I can't wait to see what He has in store. My life to this point truly is more than I could ever ask or imagine. Thank you to our BridgeWay family for being awesome and supporting us the way you do. God bless - see you soon!
Hey Matt, you reap what you sow....we are blessed to have you here at Bridgeway ! Your knowledge & support have been invaluable. You are a faithful servant ! See you soon dude! Hi to Brooke & Warrick, Love, Jill & CR Team :)