Connection
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Colossians 2:16-19
I found myself this week in a large family reunion. It wasn't with my immediate family, but with my extended work-related family. This group of people, some close, some acquaintances and some new to my life, are individuals that truly mean a lot to me. It is through connection with these individuals that I have been able to make it through the past 30+ years in my position in the working world. It is connections with these individuals that have stuck us together through the good times and the challenging times, and although we only may get to see each other maybe once or twice a year, we always seem to pick up where we left off like it was yesterday. When we think of connections to our father in heaven, I wonder how many of us take the time to reconnect with Him daily. I also wonder if the connection with Him is as strong as it should be. I do know one thing, that God desires the connection with us, because His influence does help us grow and learn the way we should be living our life to get back to Him. Just like we desire connection with our friends, we need to desire the connection with our Father in Heaven. You never know, maybe your connection with Him will help you reach others to have a connection with Him as well. Connect well and remember that positive connections are good and can help us grow.
Have a great weekend.
Matt--
Friday, February 27, 2026
Friday, February 20, 2026
Fantastic Friday #1033 - Sliver
Sliver
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:11-12
I looked up into the sky tonight after sunset and saw two slivers. One sliver was the moon, something a lot of us take for granted regularly I am sure, and the other was a sliver of a cloud. The cloud was just sitting there, and then gone after a brief moment. You are probably wondering what this sliver of the moon and cloud have to do with this scripture, well God loves us fully and not with just a sliver of love, but a fullness that He has given us life to enjoy and learn how to love others more. Loving others can be hard, but all it takes is a sliver of kindness, or even a sliver of love to begin down the path of loving others fully. While we have not seen God, the slivers that He shows us daily give us a good picture of how much He loves us. If He didn't love us so much, the sliver of Him we experience wouldn't bring us the fullness of Him that we all need in our lives.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:11-12
I looked up into the sky tonight after sunset and saw two slivers. One sliver was the moon, something a lot of us take for granted regularly I am sure, and the other was a sliver of a cloud. The cloud was just sitting there, and then gone after a brief moment. You are probably wondering what this sliver of the moon and cloud have to do with this scripture, well God loves us fully and not with just a sliver of love, but a fullness that He has given us life to enjoy and learn how to love others more. Loving others can be hard, but all it takes is a sliver of kindness, or even a sliver of love to begin down the path of loving others fully. While we have not seen God, the slivers that He shows us daily give us a good picture of how much He loves us. If He didn't love us so much, the sliver of Him we experience wouldn't bring us the fullness of Him that we all need in our lives.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, February 13, 2026
Fantastic Friday #1032 - Wisdom
Wisdom
16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good. Ecclesiastes 9:16-19
Do you ask the Lord for Wisdom or Strength? Sometimes when I pray, I ask for both because of what I am going through. What about when you forget to ask God for the guiding wisdom of His word, and rely solely on our own strength? This message is a clear one that strength when used appropriately can be helpful, but the more powerful tool in your belt is Wisdom. We are living in a hurting world these days where people try to show their strength by overpowering people in disputes or even in simple conversations. I think of the kindness of speakers who use God to guide their words and actions, and they seem to be more grounded, compassionate and communicative with their calmness. Even in churches where the pastor raises their voice at times, I tend to tune out and am able to focus more on a calm grounded individual who lets his heart share what God wants for each and every one of us. So as you look to ask God for things, it is not wrong to ask for strength, just make sure you are asking for wisdom to help manage the strength you use. You might be able to reach more people with a compassionate and firm voice that shows God's love.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good. Ecclesiastes 9:16-19
Do you ask the Lord for Wisdom or Strength? Sometimes when I pray, I ask for both because of what I am going through. What about when you forget to ask God for the guiding wisdom of His word, and rely solely on our own strength? This message is a clear one that strength when used appropriately can be helpful, but the more powerful tool in your belt is Wisdom. We are living in a hurting world these days where people try to show their strength by overpowering people in disputes or even in simple conversations. I think of the kindness of speakers who use God to guide their words and actions, and they seem to be more grounded, compassionate and communicative with their calmness. Even in churches where the pastor raises their voice at times, I tend to tune out and am able to focus more on a calm grounded individual who lets his heart share what God wants for each and every one of us. So as you look to ask God for things, it is not wrong to ask for strength, just make sure you are asking for wisdom to help manage the strength you use. You might be able to reach more people with a compassionate and firm voice that shows God's love.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, February 6, 2026
Fantastic Friday #1031 - Reach
Reach
14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:14-16
Do you think you reach others? If so, what are you reaching them with or what do you hope to reach them with? I wonder many times if I am reaching people with God's word weekly, what does this word do for people? Does it encourage them or help them with questions they may have themselves? A lot of questions here that probably will be answered someday, but until that time, instead of worrying if I am reaching people, I need to think of it differently. I believe I am simply a conduit to people from God who has already reached out to all of us, and we need to view this type of information as God's word, not Matt's words. While I can sit here and type my own personal feelings and viewpoints, we need to remember that as this scripture states, it is all "for your benefit," not mine. If we reframe these weekly visits as a commentary on what God is saying through His word, then we won't worry so much about whether we are reaching others. Keep the faith, keep being renewed and follow God's plan for each of us.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:14-16
Do you think you reach others? If so, what are you reaching them with or what do you hope to reach them with? I wonder many times if I am reaching people with God's word weekly, what does this word do for people? Does it encourage them or help them with questions they may have themselves? A lot of questions here that probably will be answered someday, but until that time, instead of worrying if I am reaching people, I need to think of it differently. I believe I am simply a conduit to people from God who has already reached out to all of us, and we need to view this type of information as God's word, not Matt's words. While I can sit here and type my own personal feelings and viewpoints, we need to remember that as this scripture states, it is all "for your benefit," not mine. If we reframe these weekly visits as a commentary on what God is saying through His word, then we won't worry so much about whether we are reaching others. Keep the faith, keep being renewed and follow God's plan for each of us.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, January 30, 2026
Fantastic Friday #1030 - Derail
Derail
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. James 5:1-3
What derails you from your faith? It may be a simple focus on something of this world. It may be your pursuit of worldly possessions, or it may be that voice of the enemy you are listening to as he tries to derail you. When you think of train tracks, the rail on those tracks runs straight and pure, if it has any reason to be off-center, then the train can derail and fall off the straight and narrow tracks. Our faith can be the same as these tracks, we may have a slight bend from time to time that pulls us on a track going a different direction, but God wants us to be on that straight and narrow track. He doesn't want us to change tracks when difficulty occurs, He wants us to lean into our faith and focus on Him on a straight and narrow rail. This rail is our guide back to him, and our faith that He has something even better than what we have now. Keep the faith and stay strong, for the rail is straight and pure to Him.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. James 5:1-3
What derails you from your faith? It may be a simple focus on something of this world. It may be your pursuit of worldly possessions, or it may be that voice of the enemy you are listening to as he tries to derail you. When you think of train tracks, the rail on those tracks runs straight and pure, if it has any reason to be off-center, then the train can derail and fall off the straight and narrow tracks. Our faith can be the same as these tracks, we may have a slight bend from time to time that pulls us on a track going a different direction, but God wants us to be on that straight and narrow track. He doesn't want us to change tracks when difficulty occurs, He wants us to lean into our faith and focus on Him on a straight and narrow rail. This rail is our guide back to him, and our faith that He has something even better than what we have now. Keep the faith and stay strong, for the rail is straight and pure to Him.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, January 23, 2026
Fantastic Friday #1029 - Explanation
Explanation
Who is like the wise?
Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
and changes its hard appearance. Ecclesiastes 8:1
Do you look for an explanation when there is none? Why do we always try to find clarification for what is happening to us? Maybe it is because we are curious about cause and effect, or maybe we want to see rational reasons for why things are happening. God changes our life by giving us hope and encouragement, and many times that is without a clear explanation, or so we think. God always wants the best for us, and even if we are going through challenges, we should not ask why but should count on the fact that He will bring us through any challenge we face. We may not see the results on this side of Heaven, but we should trust in God and have Faith His plan will always work. Leave the explanation simple, that God makes His plan and gives us the wisdom to see His plan for us when He is ready and your face will be brightened.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, January 16, 2026
Fantastic Friday #1028 - First
First
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
What do you do first? This question could be used in almost every scenario in your life. When you receive bad news, when you fail at something, or when you open your eyes to a new day. A lot of times people will seek the things of this world first, and I certainly have done my fair share of seeking things before my Father. Every now and then we need this reminder of what we should be seeking, and this scripture outlines it perfectly. Seek the kingdom and his righteousness is definitely not on the top of my daily list, and my heart needs to change. If we can focus on these two aspects of seeking first, it will put everything else into perspective. So when we receive the bad news, seek Him. When we fail at something, seek Him. When we wake up to start the day, seek Him. I guarantee placing Him at the top of your list and heart will make a huge difference as you go throughout your day.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
What do you do first? This question could be used in almost every scenario in your life. When you receive bad news, when you fail at something, or when you open your eyes to a new day. A lot of times people will seek the things of this world first, and I certainly have done my fair share of seeking things before my Father. Every now and then we need this reminder of what we should be seeking, and this scripture outlines it perfectly. Seek the kingdom and his righteousness is definitely not on the top of my daily list, and my heart needs to change. If we can focus on these two aspects of seeking first, it will put everything else into perspective. So when we receive the bad news, seek Him. When we fail at something, seek Him. When we wake up to start the day, seek Him. I guarantee placing Him at the top of your list and heart will make a huge difference as you go throughout your day.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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