5 o' clock somewhere

At the end of every work day, I swear time slows down. If the time spent sleeping went this slow I would definitely feel rested every morning. Time is like the most valuable thing we as humans have. It is precious because there's really no way we can ever use any more than we're given. It's set. We have a predetermined number of days that we will be alive and there are few things that can change that (other than being careless with how you treat your body). Sometimes, I think that working is such a waste of time. I mean, if I knew that I was going to die tomorrow, would I go into work as any other normal day? Most assuredly not! But its part of being responsible. As I'm entering manhood, and becoming a husband, I think its finally hitting me how selfish of a person I am. Its not selfish to crave adventure. It is selfish to live recklessly both financially and in actions. BUT I refuse to become the domesticated, tame male that only thinks of providing himself and his family with comfort. That's not living, that's just existing. Rather, I hope to be challenging myself and my wife, and even my kids to be in the pursuit of something to better themselves. Downtime and rest is good, but not in excess. We only really have a short time on the earth. I don't want to get to heaven and God be like, "So, Matthew, what did you spend all that time on earth doing? I see you watched tv a lot. You made it to church sometimes. Did you do anything really, you know, significant?" I want to hear "well done" my servant. Its like I have this time to prepare myself for the rest of my life. I want to learn as much as I can and experience as much as possible in pursuit of wisdom and adventure that I believe God has in store for me. So here's to 5 o' clock, let the adventure begin!

The Daily Grind

I had my fiance send me a thank you letter today that literally made my day. Often I feel like my efforts are overlooked and are simply expected from my position as a significant other. However, a thank you now and then makes me want to please her even more by serving her and giving her what she needs. 

I realized that I need to be doing that in my own life as well. Often, I fail to tell people just how much I appreciate their actions and their presence. God has told us to encourage each other, and I know its not just supposed to be encouragement to behave. That's actually called nagging and very much less enjoyable! So thank you sweetheart. Your kind act not only encouraged me but also challenged me. I hope I can do the same for someone else today.

Adding Colors to a Black and White Life

Nature. Friends. Love. Adventure. Hard Work. 
I think there are a few things that distinguish vibrantly rich lives from dull and listless ones. Life has one purpose, according to John Piper, "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever." Of all the things we do on this planet during the short period of time we have, we are supposed to glorify God by enjoying Him and His creation by His rules. The ironic thing is, we think we know better than God sometimes but His rules are actually the guidelines on how to live the most fully, vibrantly, colorful life we can imagine. It's not the easiest, nor the most fun, and certainly has challenges. But that's what makes it enjoyable. The challenges are what make life beautiful. There's a quote from a favorite movie of mine, Troy, that says that the gods envy humans because we are more precious than they [gods] are. We have only one life, every moment that passes can never be brought back or re-lived. How awesome and scary is that? We have choices that define us every minute, will we choose to enjoy God and glorify Him? Or choose to live our own way and tell God to leave us alone.
I would propose that one of the greatest misconceptions, even among Christians, is that following God is simply doing the right things. However, this seems to lead to burnout all to quickly. If there's no relationship, if there's no experiencing of God's person, then do you really know God? I ask myself this all the time. Mainly because it's easy to just try to follow the rules. It involves no emotion and leaves everything black and white. But that's not a healthy relationship. I will not just do what my future wife requires of me. Rather, I will look for things I can do to please her. We should be doing the same in our relationship with God. Warning: you might be blown away with how God starts to do amazing and powerful things in your life.

Start

So this is the first post. In trying to think of something awesome: I have nothing. Hopefully my thoughts will be interesting and I really have no agenda with the blog. It seems to help me sort my thoughts when I type it out. And I can't do the journal thing, I can't read my writing. As of lately, I've started a job and am adjusting to the "real world." Not quite the fairytale that is painted in my college dreams. But its good too. A steady flow of money helps the budget. Oh and I'm getting married in November to the love of my life. I'm pumped!
 Well lemme get back to work...more posts to come