welcome matt

new blog

2008-07-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

You're being redirected to my new blog. I know you're excited. If it doesn't work, then go to mattpinson.wordpress.com.

What am I?

2007-02-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

Am I democrat, a liberal, a conservative, a moderate? What am I for? Against? What issues do I stand for? Here's a quote from a book I just read that I loved.

"Don't choose issues, choose to love people, and the issues will choose you."

It's easy to form opinions on different issues and what should be done abou them from the comfort of an office or a living room. When you decide to love people, things become clearer and muddier at the same time. Simple, but not easy. Love all people, and see what issues float to the surface.

Here's one that's rising

Any religion which professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them, is a moribound religion awaiting burial.
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Go Cowboys

2006-11-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to me. I think I have decided what I want for Christmas - Season Tickets. (just kidding) But I did get to go to my first Cowboys game on Thanksgiving, thanks to Christine's uncle Steve and his amazing tickets. Me, Brad, Peter and Steve had a blast. We sat in row 13 in the lower deck right about the thirty yardline. It was awesome. What a great game to go to. Romo looked pretty good trouncing the Bucs for 5 touchdowns and 306 yards. In fact some suite owners took it on themselves to add him to the ring of honor. Anyway it was very fun, and I can't wait to go again sometime.

twinkle, twinkle little star, no one wonders what you are

2006-11-14T06:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a little Jack concert. Featuring twinkle, twinkle little star, and ooh, ooh says the monkey(a cover of the TJ McCloud song)

He's loving your new cd TJ!

She's One in a Million

2006-10-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

My sweet wife. We hate hearing doctors say you don't need to worry about (insert concern here), it's very rare, one in a million chance. We know that Christine is that one. For instance, there's a small chance you can get pregnant on the pill...check. There's a really small chance doctors would misdiagnose something for eight years...check. There's a teeny tiny chance of developing a blood clot from a pic line...check. There's an itty bitty chance of internal bleeding from the blood thinners they give you to treat the blood clot...yes, check.

But after three weeks in the hospital we are back at home, and feel like we have come to the edge of the woods. She still feels really tired and really weak, but better. It will take a few weeks to gain all her strength and energy back, but when she does I'm hopeful that she will feel 100% for the first time in a long, long time.

It's hard to express how much you love someone, and it's especially hard to watch that someone suffer. Christine is my heart, without her I'm a complete wreck. When she's broken, I am too. I want to thank everyone who has prayed for her, and for me, and visited, and brought us food, and cleaned our house. We have both felt surrounded by love and like a part of a true community. Thank you

growin up so fast

2006-07-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

2 years ago today, I was very tired. Christine was even more tired. But we were also ecstatic, because we were holding a perfect little boy. He decided to make an early debut, but it was clear pretty quickly that he had a good set of lungs, and was in good health.

I will never forget when he opened his eyes and looked around. We could tell right away from the way he instantly looked around and calmly soaked in his brand new surroundings, that he was going to want to check out everything. And boy does he. He is always exploring. I pray that he will always explore, always seek, and that he will find a God that loves him. I can't believe he is 2 already. We love him so much Happy Birthday Jack!

3 years ago today

2006-07-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it has only been 3 years. That sounds bad, it just seems like we have come a long way in the last 3 years. 5 residences, different jobs, hospitals, a baby. I'm not sure where I was at 10 minutes till on July 19, 2003, probably on my way to the Magnolia Hotel. I know I was a little bit freaked out. Until I got back to the church and got my tux on, and thought about who I was going to be waiting for at that altar. After that my heartrate returned to normal, all the "I can't believe I'm getting married" thoughts turned to "I can't believe how lucky I am."

I still fight off a lump in my throat anytime anyone sings "My Jesus I love thee, I know thou art mine." If I'm lucky enough to be standing next to my wife when we sing it at church, then I close my eyes and think back to that day when her angelic voice reduced me to tears in front of a church full of people. We had a beautiful wedding and a perfect reception(thank you Roy), followed by a dream of a honeymoon(thanks Dad). It was a big wedding, 15 bridesmaids, 15 groomsmen. We decided that we were going to have nobody or everybody. We went with everybody. That's one of the things I love about Christine. She has always had open arms, she wants to involve everyone, she is quick to embrace the hurting, the marginalized. Her heart aches for people less fortunate than us. If Sally Struthers or WorldVision or any of those commercials come on, I have to turn the tv off, because Christine will watch it for hours and cry. I tease her about that kind of stuff, but it's one of the reasons I love her.

Because we were good friends before we started dating, we have an unusual story. It's not like I asked her out, and we liked each other and fell in love. It's more like she told me she thought she had feelings for me, and six months later I told her I loved her. It's sweeter than that, but that is the short version. I do, however, remember an exact moment when I realized she was going to be the one. On our spring break campaign to Connecticut I watched her lead, I watched her serve, I watched her stand up to the task of me and Andrew leaning on her to take care of everything that required responsibility, and I saw her do it with grace, beauty, and a loving heart. I remember we were painting, and I looked over at her and found myself just watching her, and thinking I'm going to spend the rest of my life with this woman, and I was convinced that I could search the world over, and not find anyone who I could love more. One of the best moments of my life, right behind this day 3 years ago, when she agreed to love and cherish me, to go where I go, and to help me get to heaven. I love you baby. Happy Anniversary.

Hip hip hip hoooway

2006-07-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

That's Jack's latest celebration, along with woo-hoo, yay, and our favorite where he pulls his fist down and says, yesssss. We've got good reason to use all of them this week, 2 new jobs in the pinson household. Christine starts teaching middle school theatre in August, and I start my new job at the church doing graphic design work on July 31.

After all the job opportunities that have come and gone, and made me wonder what's wrong with me? Why am I unhirable? This job makes all that make sense a little bit more. I couldn't be more excited about it.

Well, the road got bumpy there for a stretch and it will get bumpy again, but right now I feel pretty well taken care of. We have learned a lot about trust and faith in the last three years or so, and I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

Mav-induced depression

2006-06-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

When Posey hit that 3 to make it 87-81, I told Christine that's probably it. That was the dagger. When Alonzo and Shaq were both out of the game and Mavs jacked up 3 consecutive 3's I screamed at the tv to take it to the basket.

When Jet got open to shoot the 3 that could tie the game and send it to overtime my heart stopped, and then grudgingly started beating again a few seconds after the shot rimmed out. I'm so sad this morning, and I'm trying not to think about all the times Wade fell down mysteriously after a shot, and would get the call. To his credit he played amazing and he took the ball to the basket, which is how you draw fouls, but my goodness did he get a lot of calls.(that's it - no more bashing of officials, blind, dumb, preferential-treatment-giving officials)

Now all my hopes lie with the Rangers who no doubt will collapse in the second half of the season. My sports life is on suicide watch today.

the office

2006-05-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

If you can't tell. I kind of like the office on thursdays on nbc. Last night's episode was great and made me feel like a total girl. For Christine, who didn't get to see the last bit. Jim and Pam

amazing blog

2006-05-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

You guys have to check out my good buddy's blog.
Dwight's blog

It wouldn't be summer without us moving

2006-04-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

You might say, but it's not summer. It was 103 on Monday, it's summer. We are moving out of our apartment. Hooray! There are two reasons I'm excited. The first is the people who just moved in upstairs own a horse that barks like crazy. I don't know how they taught their horse to bark, or why they let it run free in their apartment all day and night, but they do, and it's loud. The second is the complex was raising our rent, playing the game, how bad do you want to not put up with the hassle of moving? Is it worth $100 dollars more a month? No it's not, especially with a horse living upstairs.

We are moving into a little house with hardwood floors, one more bedroom and one less bathroom. It should be really cute and homey when we're done with it, and I'm totally stoked about having a house and not an apartment, even though we're still just renting it. If you're reading this, you are in the D/FW metroplex and you have a truck, consider yourself hired. I can pay you in Little Caesar's Pizza.

round 2

2006-03-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Why am I calling these posts rounds? I don't know.

One thing I am starting to believe is that growing closer to Jesus has less to do with doing things with the church, and more to do with doing things for the world.

I think the church is vital to the growth of any Christian, and can serve as a resource for encouragement, recharging, community, shelter, and a group to worship with.

You can be part of a church for decades and not be changed, but you can't spend thirty minutes being Jesus to the broken without being changed.

round 1

2006-03-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

I got baptized my freshman year of high school. Really the summer between eighth and ninth grade in Denver, Co. I remember it vividly. We (the youth group) had spent the day helping do housework for a family who had just lost their dad. He was relatively young, and I don't know if it was being around the effects of death all day long, and I got scared about my own mortality, or if it was the spirit moving in me, or more likely both, but the fear of God got in me and I wanted to get baptized right then. So I did, and everybody was happy.

And in that moment a new type of doubt was sown in me. My youth minister dipped me in the water and lifted me up, and I felt...like me, and I was almost disappointed. I don't know what I thought would happen while I was underwater, but I wanted to come up feeling different. I didn't though, and I was almost ashamed, like I didn't do something right, like I must have not done it for the right reason, or I must still have things to get right before I feel like a Christian.

I went through high school and college in this terrible tug of war with my own sinful nature. Trying to earn love, trying to be worthy of this calling. Gritting my teeth trying to not sin, trying to live right so I could feel the Spirit moving through me, so I could know that God loved me. It was exhausting, because I always failed.

The more I failed, the more I lost hope that I was worthy of the calling. The more I started faking it, and the more the secret doubt in my heart grew.

Here's what I'm beginning to realize. I was under the impression that when I was baptized, I was finished, I'd completed the journey. It's true that I was saved when I believed and was baptized, but my journey was just beginning. God set me on the road to discovery, but all I did for so long was stay put and feel sad that nothing was happening. Try to stay out of trouble, Go to chruch, do stuff with the church and secretly feel disappointed that I didn't feel God's spirit. That was the extent of my Christian walk.

As I've gotten older I've realized that my baptism wasn't the finale, but the opening act. I've realized that when you seek God, when you get in his word, when you try to live within the rythym of His commands, and when you accept His grace, He shows up in powerful ways.

I used to hear people say God wants me to do this, or God wants me to do that, and I would think, either they are liars or I am missing something. It turns out, I just wasn't listening.

This is such an elementary idea, one I've heard since I was in the nursery, but I promise the actual realization of this in my life was revolutionary: Seek and you shall find.

some people call him the space cowboy

2006-03-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Warning: This is a venting type post; me just basically re-hashing my last two weeks.
If you haven't yet, go read my wife's post to our son. christine's blog It's really good and heartwarming and wise. Me and Jack are truly blessed.

Ever feel like God's teaching you patience? Like in every facet of your life, you're being taught patience? It has been an interesting couple of weeks since I blogged last.

A couple of weeks ago a complete stranger walked into my office, put his head in his hands and told me he was lost and he didn't have anywhere to go. I thought that was interesting since my office is on the eighth floor of a very random, kind of off the beaten path building. His name is Maurice and we've spent a lot of time together the past couple of weeks. He came with me to the men's retreat to GED classes, and we found him a job. A good Godly man who runs a steel company gave him a chance to work. All he had to do was show up. Well, the first morning I go to pick him up he doesn't show. He called me a few hours later and told me he was sorry but he was just too tired. I was furious, well as furious as I get. I knew exactly what I was going to say to him the next time we talked. I was going to lay into him about how I didn't have to be doing this, how he needed to show a little responsibility and initiative and basically just belittle him for a few minutes.

I kid you not, immediately God brought to my mind the parable of the debtor. The king forgives one man his incredibly large debts, and that man promptly goes out and has a man who owes him a few bucks tossed in jail. The king wasn't pleased, so I decided maybe I should try understanding and patience. I took him to work this morning, and I think he is going to stick with it. I know he knows he needs to.

That was lesson #1. Lesson #2. I took Maurice for his pre-employment drug-test. After I dropped him off at the clinic I was heading back towards work. I was cruising along in my lane when out of no where I got smoked from the side. I pulled into the shoulder and looked behind me to see a little white car spin twice and slam into the concret barrier in the median. She hit hard. I thought she was going be hurt. I turned my car off and ran back there to find her knocked clear into the backseat and not real sure of what happened. When the police and fire trucks and ambulances arrived we all talked found out she was in a rental car, she had no insurance, and hadn't opted for the rental insurance. The cops said it looks like she was driving way too fast, lost control and just slammed into me. The EMT's smelled alchohol. It was noon. I was a tad bit frustrated, but thankful that we were all ok, and that I was by myself, and didn't have Jack or Christine in the car. It would have been a little more difficult to exercise patience had they been with me when she hit me. That's been my last couple of weeks. Heading out of town this weekend. Sorry to dump all this on you, but hey that's what a blog is for.

more love

2006-01-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about a little project I've got in the works today, and it gets me all worked up.

There is a mass of hurting people out there; suffering from depression, loneliness, fear, you name it. People who don't know the joy of Christ. Sometimes Christian spokespeople can come across as blow-hards, or insensitive, when they say things like God is going to pour out his wrath on a town that voted for evolution to be taught in their schools, or that Hurricane Katrina was God punishing New Orleans. When they say those things hurting people turn away. Hurting people need love. I don't know if Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment. I'll be real honest, I'm not arrogant enough to think that I've got God figured out, but here's one thing I know, God gave his one and only son so that this hurting world would not perish but have everlasting life.

Some people will say it's great that Christians are politically active, that we have spokespeople trying to preserve the morals of our society. I say if you want to preserve the morals of your society get out in it, and don't watch it from your living room. Go share God's love with somebody.

funny spelling bee skit and Chronic (what?)

2005-12-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

Two great SNL skits with Jack Black hosting

hilarious spelling bee skit

chronicles of narnia

Hope these links work.

Fantasy Football

2005-12-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

This was my first year to play fantasy football. It was a lot of fun. Congratulations to Garrett for winning our little league. Here is a picture of him and his NFL monkey who told him who to start every week. Freaking Garrett.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

Happy Christmas days

2005-12-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

I'm finishing up the bank's newsletter today. I wrote this in one of the columns. I'm sure it will not be in there when we go to print it. I got a stupid forwarded email about how someone was offended about this happy holidays or merry christmas thing. In the subtitle was "Immigrants not Americans need to adapt."

Sheesh. Since when was Christmas about being American? Anyway, here's my little article. By the way, the end is a total ripoff of Brennan Manning's Ragamuffin Gospel.

Here’s wishing you all the best during this holiday season.

This Christmas I hope you can find joy in more than the gifts, the tree, the lights and the food. Although all those things make me happy. May you find joy in the people around you, and the love you share. Whether you say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Channukah or whatever, may you treat those around you with love and compassion. May you reach out to those in need, may you walk the extra mile. I hope you smile at those you might otherwise scorn, and give sacrificially to those who need it.

This season is about more than gifts, it’s about more than family, it’s about hope for all mankind. Hope that there is something more and something bigger. It is a time to remember that you are precious, that person who took your parking spot is precious, that wino on the corner is precious, and that teenage girl walking out of an abortion clinic is precious.
How we treat the people around us says more about what we believe than whether we say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

woof

2005-11-29T06:57:00.000-08:00

Read Mike's blog today about his dogs Moses and Joshua to understand why I'm writing about dogs today.

I've never been much of a dog person. I'm the first to admit it. In fact I've never been much of an animal person. To some this may make me cold and heartless. To me it just means that I don't have to vaccum up doghair, and hold back a slobbery mess every time the doorbell rings.

My parents got us a dog when I was a kid because I was deathly afraid of any type of canine, any size, breed or age. They bought a little cockerspaniel. A tiny little thing there is no way you could be afraid of. As it grew and I learned that dogs were not out to tear me limb from limb, my fear diminished. Taffy, our cocker, was a terribly stupid dog, and we weren't all that patient so she became an outside dog. We would feed her and go and play with her every now and then, but all she could really do was run. So she grew old in our backyard, and got cataracts and went blind.

While Taffy was still around but getting up there in doggy years we took in our cousin's dog Bear. They were moving to Houston and couldn't take Bear with them. Now Bear was hyper, very hyper, and he had an affinity for legs. Really he had an affinity for anything he could get his front paws on. Poor blind Taffy had to back herself into a corner to avoid being violated.

Christine and I don't have a dog, we live in an apartment and you have to pay a pet deposit just to have one. It's just not worth it to me. But if Jack's love of dogs is any indication, I'm sure someday we will have one. I don't like big dogs, and I really don't like little yappy dogs. Any suggestions for a good medium size dog, that is smart and easy to train? No rat terriers, no dachsunds, no labs, no cockerspaniels, and definitely no American Huskies(Bear).

built with rejects

2005-11-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

There is a bit I really like in Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller where he talks about the significance of who Jesus chose to be his apostles. I kind of thought he was just walking along the beach and saw some people out in a boat and thought they look good, yelled out "Come follow me" and they did. I always thought that was kind of weird. If someone walked into my office today and said "Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men." I probably would have told him to wait in the lobby, and then snuck out a side door.

In the book, Miller is talking about how Jesus had been teaching in the synagogue and the people in his town knew at least who he was. He also talked about how people became rabbis in this culture. All Jewish boys went to school, after a certain point they were evaluated, the best continued school, the others went to learn their father's craft. Those that stayed in school were evaluated again later and the best of the best got to be apprentice's of rabbis. The others went out and learned their father's crafts.

Here is why I find this significant, Jesus could have gone after the best and the brightest students to follow him, but he didn't. He asked those out learning their father's crafts to follow him. The ones the Jewish rabbi's had deemed unworthy. All throughout the Bible God uses rejects, ill-equipped people to do His work. I love that about Him. It gives people like me hope that I can make a difference.

My cool bracelet

2005-10-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Christine and I got Ira bracelets after following Ira's story on the brooklyn church plant blog.

We got them because our heart broke for this family that was watching their son struggle for life in the NICU at a hospital in New York City. The bracelets were being sold to help raise money for the family's medical bills etc.

I have worn it everyday since we got them. (except for Monday when I left it and my wedding ring on the desk at home) Many times I've looked at it, and remembered how blessed I am to have a healthy little boy, and I'm reminded how much hurt there is in the world. I don't understand how God works, I find myself telling him sometimes that whatever he's got going on isn't working, and he should probably rethink it. I'd be happy to be called in as a consultant, but so far He hasn't needed my advice.

The good news is that Ira is home today. He still has a long road ahead of him, but he atleast is at home with his family. So praise God for that, but I still pray for all those close to my heart who have felt the worst kind of hurt and pain that this world has to offer. My Ira bracelet brings you to mind as well, and my heart hurts for you. I hope that God surrounds you with love and comfort.

home again, home again jiggity jig...

2005-10-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

I can remember my mom saying that nearly everytime we pulled into the driveway from Smithville. I'm not sure where it's from or what it means, and I know we never went to market to buy a fat pig.

October was the official month of traveling for the youngest faction of the Pinson family. We went to Minnesota for one of my best friend's weddings. Christine, Jack and I shared a room with a couple of my buddies, and hilarity ensued. We will save those stories for another time. The weather in Minnesota was perfect, when we landed at DFW the temperature was 95.

The next weekend we drove to Nashville. That's right drove with a 1 year old. Thank you Mrs. Englant for letting us borrow the portable DVD player, it was a lifesaver. We had a good time in Nashville. Christine went to the ZOE conference and I got to hang out with friends and family and just soak up Nashville.

Then it was time to go to Abilene for ACU's centennial homecoming. Honestly, if didn't feel any different than any other homecoming. The parade was incredibly boring and ACU got drilled in the football game.

Through all this Jack was the perfect baby. Sleeping at convenient times and just generally being happy even when he was sick in Nashville he was still such a happy boy. This is an uncharacteristically long post. I take pride in keeping mine just a couple of paragraphs. This is also a little bit boring. Oh well you're probably not reading anymore. I wouldn't be.

favorites

2005-10-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

My favorite songs as of this moment. I'm typically a little bit late on the "that's cool" curve, so forgive me if some of these are a little bandwagonny.

Fix You - Coldplay
The Blower's daughter - Damien Rice
Do you remember - Jack Johnson
Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show
Bonus Track on X and Y - Coldplay
Gentle Annie - Ollabelle
Under African Skies - Paul Simon
The Luckiest - Ben Folds
All these things that I've done - The Killers
Pure Imagination - Maroon 5 (Mary had a little amp cd)

These change perhaps by the hour. But this is them. Coming soon an even harder list to compile - favorite movies. I know you're on the edge of your seat.

sweeeeet

2005-09-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is terribly stupid, and I apologize.

You are Napoleon Dyanamite and a buttload of gangs
are trying to recruit you.

Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

world got you down?

2005-09-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been the kind where the world is weighing heavy on your shoulders. I spent some time on Monday at the batting cage. I hit about 120 balls. Jarod, Garrett, TJ you may remember the last time I had to go to the batting cage, I think it was sophmore year on your favorite day with me.

Anyway, I got home to hang out with little Jack yesterday while Christine was teaching her performing arts class. We played and he ate, then I put on some baby einstein and sat down on the floor. Then he climbed up in my lap, and we watched pigs and cows etc go across the screen to beethoven, and all my troubles drifted away. Thank God for 1 year olds. Thank God especially for mine.

the small things

2005-09-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is a comment from Adam Ellis, a youth minister in West Virginia. The question posed in the blog he was commenting on was (paraphrased) "Where is God in all this Katrina mess. People are dying and God is sitting back watching? There are small things happening, different individuals and small groups doing things, but it's like throwing bb's at a tank. Why doesn't God come down and really do something?"

Adam said this:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed. It IS the small stuff. It's individuals opening their homes. It's a sunday school class of small children sending spare change and pictures drawn with crayons. It's God being born in a stable. It's Jesus leaving "turning the world right-side-up" in the hands of a handful of followers. I want the kingdom of heaven to be like an explosion. I want it to be something huge and spectacular. But the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed. That is how we change the world"

Wow, that's so true.

Big Picture

2005-09-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

I read the story of Jesus healing the paraplegic today;(you remember that one from the felt-board don't you?) I noticed something I'd never noticed before. When the paraplegic's friends lowered him down through the roof, Jesus was touched, and he forgave his sins. That's it. He said your sins are forgiven, then he turned. It wasn't until the religous leaders started grumbling about how he couldn't forgive sins that he showed them that he had the authority to forgive sins and heal diseases.

But he forgave his sins first. It seems logical to me that he would have healed his disease and then forgave his sins, but I think in earthly terms. To God, our eternal status is more important than our earthly well-being. This life is a vapor, a mist, but eternity is, well, forever. God wants us for eternity, in our perfect state. The way he intended for us to be before we turned our back on him. I think that is evident in this story of Jesus. Our sins are forgiven, now rise and walk.

woo hoo!

2005-08-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

28 on mini-putt!! Beat that all you people as bored as I am!

www.addictinggames.com/miniputt

concerts are fun

2005-08-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Christine and I went and saw Jack Johnson at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie last night. He was awesome and Matt Costa was pretty cool too. Despite being surrounded by drunk teenagers and drunk thirty-somethings hitting on drunk teenagers it was really fun. We clapped and sang and did all the things you do at concerts. I must sincerely thank Christine for getting us the tickets, so I can extend my rather depressing list of concerts attended. It has gotten better over the last couple of years. Here is the list in chronological order.

1. Jars of Clay - Six Flags (jr. high)
2. George Strait Music Festival - Texas Stadium (high school)
3. Pat Green - Billy Bob's, Abilene Civic Center, Abilene Expo Center (college)
4. Charlie Robison, Robert Earl Keen - Sundance Square (college)
5. TJ McCloud and Stephen Speaks - Paramount Abilene (college)
6. Third Day (twice) at Prestonwood Baptist Church (college)
7. Norah Jones - Smirnoff (old married guy)
8. Jack Johnson - Nokia (old married guy)

That list is not as bad as it was in my head, but it is missing a few must sees. Anyway, pointless post. Just thought I would share.

More thoughts

2005-07-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just finished Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz). Wow, it was really good. He talks about a lot of things, but mainly he focuses on a relational gospel. Treating the gospel less like a checklist you go down to insure your salvation, and more like a love story between a completely holy and pure creator, and a filthy, lowly peasant who keeps turning his back on the only thing that can complete him.

Do we treat the gospel that way? As I get older I look back and think the reason I became a Christian (besides having grown up in a Christian home) is because I didn't want to go to hell. That's a good reason, but it's missing the most beautiful part, that even though I am covered in the dirt and grime of sin, God loves me, and wants to be with me, wants to walk with me and comfort me, and that because I want to be with him too we're united for eternity. The more I walk around congratulating myself for not being hell-bound the more I miss out on a beautiful relationship with God and with those around me.

Yowsers, much more serious than usual

2005-07-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a tough question, but it's an issue people of faith have been ignoring (or worse) for too long. Where do homosexuals fit in Christianity?

There is no denying that there are people out there who are struggling with homosexuality. There is also no denying that there is nobody who can be outside the love of God.

I think there are people who develop homosexual tendancies throughout their life, and that there are people born with these tendancies.

I believe that same-gender eroticism, as Tony Campolo put it in an interview found here (http://www.beliefnet.com/story/150/story_15052_1.html), is wrong. It's a sin. But where does the sin begin? And what should Christians do about it?

Here are a couple of things that I think should definitely not be done. Withdrawing fellowship. Why is this so much worse than any other sin? Ignore the problem. I don't know what the best way not do this is, but I know you shouldn't just ignore it. As you can see I have no remarkable words to share on this subject, but I thought I would pose the question, and see if anybody has the guts to share what they believe. More posts to come on this subject.

oh good heavens

2005-06-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

Our preacher has been doing a series on heaven which has been a really encouraging experience. He has dispelled that heaven will be one long church service (which I always wondered about in the back of my mind).

Something I have always hoped heaven would have is a movie of your life, using actual heavenly footage of your life. Mine of course would be a comedy, here are some of the things I definitely would like to see.

Getting hit in the head with a baseball bat by another kid before a game.
Getting hit in the crotch by a throw while I wasn't watching.
There are a couple of bike wrecks I had as a kid I'm sure are very funny.
Getting hit in the face by a 5 gallon bucket covered in cement that was dropped off a roof in Mexico, and split my lip open. (My life sounds kind of like the 3 stooges)
Run through a Chippendales show with a dozen of my closest friends in our BVDs

There are so many more funny moments that I can't think of right now, there are probably even a few more that don't involve me getting injured. Of course, my movie would have a lot of sweet moments in it too, a bumbling confession of love to Christine in the Mr. G's parking lot in Abilene, crying as she sang at our wedding, seeing little Jack for the first time just to name a few. What would be in your heaven movie, because they will have them, I'm convinced.

it looks like a miraculous...it's in the hole!

2005-05-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

My dad got the opportunity to play at the Colonial pro-am today. I was happy to caddy for him. What a beautiful course they've got going on there. Our pro was an Australian guy named Scott Sehn. Not real well-known, but he could crush the ball. The big story on him was that last year at Colonial he drove the green on a par 4 (406 yards) Somebody asked him about it today and he said yeah, and I got a wonderful par on that hole. He could crush it off the tee, but I didn't see him stick very many second shots. Anyway, I enjoyed the whole experience of checking yardage, giving absolutely horrible reads on the greens(sorry dad), pulling out clubs the whole caddying bit. Looking forward to walking down the fairway between the ropes again real soon. Probably will only happen at about 3 in the morning while I am sleeping.

Letter from Jesus

2005-05-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

I remember one time at a retreat we were supposed to write ourself a letter as if Jesus was writing it to us. Well, I was bored today, and I thought I would give it a try again.

Dear Matt,
Why do you doubt me? Why do you go on doing what you know I hate? I want you to know something right now. My grace is sufficient for you. You know what you should do. I know what you want to do in your heart, and yet I see that you do not do it. But My grace is sufficient for you.
Do not go on sinning so that you may be covered in grace, because make no mistake when I see you sin my heart breaks. I feel abandoned, and I want to hold you and tell you that I love you, but you have seperated yourself from me. Please strive for perfection, because when you turn your back on me for the sins of the world, I miss you. I, the creator of the universe, the savior of all mankind, miss you. I literally miss you.
I beg you, find your worth in me. Find your comfort in me, when things aren’t fair, when you feel alone, know that I am there. Look for what you can learn, I am always sharpening you, molding you, every fire you pass through makes you closer to the man I want you to be.
Look to me, let me love you, accept my grace, accept my love, and wallow in it. Now go and sin no more.

little easter family

2005-05-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

IMG_0177
Originally uploaded by mattr_pinson.

One little happy easter family. Jack was a little impatient, he had a tee time that this picture was making him late for.

Happy Jack

2005-05-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

IMG_0096
Originally uploaded by mattr_pinson.

Happy Jack at around, 7 months? Tell me if that's wrong Christine.

Sweet newborn Jack

2005-05-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

IMG_0030
Originally uploaded by mattr_pinson.

Here is Jack right after he was born. Just chilling out, probably thinking about how much this is not a uterus.

candle, raspberry

2005-04-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about some really funny moments over the last five or six years. Here are a few that I thought of. Kind of a quote board in the blogworld.

Jarod: Man, these fries are burning my stomach.

Kate: Garrett, would you pull my pants down?

Andrew, and his towel blowing off while holding a frozen turkey in the front yard.

Jenna: They'll never find the jerseys, they're at my parents house in the upstairs bathroom. (4 guys in an explorer crowded around a baby monitor go nuts)

(guy asking about my truck)
Guy: Man, what do you got in there?
Me: Unleaded.

Alec: God of wonders, beyond our galaxy...

All the guys: ah chchchch (the secret sign that you could be trusted, except for Jarod)

Rob Homsher: Alright, ladies who wants it?(referring to the pleasure of dancing with him at Oplin)

Of course, who could forget Christine's comment on the porch in Cookeville, or Josh as an excitable Stone Cold Steve Austin, or Tuggle and the whole "haircut, more like car keys" bit. Tamara has so many I couldn't pick one. What are your favorites from back in the day? I miss those moments, and all our friends.

class 5

2005-03-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

I will never forget a mission trip in 8th grade to Denver. Not only was that the trip I got baptized on, but it is also the first time I went whitewater rafting. The waters were at near record highs that year. The first rapid, three rocks, I think our boat almost flipped and the two guys in the front of our boat got thrown out. The guide yelled for me to reach my paddle out for him. I lunged out and reached my paddle as far as I could but the inches that seperated us quickly became feet in the current. Luckily both the guys were alright, but that image has always stuck with me, somebody I really care about, fear on their face, being sucked out of reach by this incredible power.

All that to say, right now that guy in the water is my brother. He has been having a hard time with ulcerative colitis, basically ulcers on his colon. He feels sick all the time. He has lost a ton of weight, and the medicine hasn't seemed to make a dent in it. My poor parents I know are worried sick about it, and we all feel so helpless. Right now, according to the doctors, the options are pretty slim. There is one more medication he wants to try, and if that doesn't work removing the colon is the only option. It seems so drastic, and it is, but it is a cure and evidently afterward if everything goes well you can live a pretty normal life. Anyway, I guess I am asking for your prayers, for Kyle, for my poor worried sick mom and dad, and for healing. We serve a great God, who is our lifevest during these times.

holey gray matter

2005-03-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

I think I may have rotted my brain out by watching Disney Afternoon everyday from 3:15 to 5:00 during my kiddy years. They were great shows, Rescue Rangers, Talespin, Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, all great great cartoons. But the fact that I would sit and drink hot Dr. Peppers and eat Lay's and Ruffles for two hours of perfectly good afternoon has significantly shortened my attention span.

So now I am going to attempt to remedy that. I have decided to become a reader. It's hard because I have a history of nodding off after a couple of pages without pictures, but there are a few books that I have been wanting to read for a while, and now I have two of them, Blue Like Jazz, and God's Politics. I am going to read them even though they don't have pictures because I want to learn. Ask me about them the next time you see me, that way I will have to read them.

torsos

2005-03-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

I love to watch kids draw. I like how seriously they take it. They get their face about three inches from the paper, they get the little tip of their tongue sticking out the side of their mouth cause they're trying so hard. They will add the smallest details until it is perfect. You'll start to look at it, and they'll say no wait, make one more half an inch line in crayon, then pridefully hand it over. Then when you look at it, it's a head with arms and feet, huge eyes and a mouth.

It makes me wonder at what age do you begin to realize that people have torsos? That arms and legs don't come directly out of the head? That is why I always point out to kids how terrible their drawings are.

whispering and the sweet science

2005-03-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

It seems babies who are Jack's age really like to hear themselves make noise. Jack loves to say dadadadadadada, or babababababababa, or mamamamamamamama, and he likes to just let loose a scream every now and then. There was a while where the scream was really his favorite. It seems though in the last couple of days Jack has learned a new way to use his voice. Kind of a whisper. Last night he was standing up holding onto the couch and he kept whispering dadadadada, babababa, which was so cute and so much easier to deal with than the screams.

Did anybody watch "The Contender" last night? What did you think? I thought it was great except during the fight they kept showing the crowd. Just show the fight! I don't care what his wife and his teammates are doing. I just want to see people getting punched.

Out in La Grange

2005-03-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Is there any better "get fired up" music than ZZ Top? La Grange, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, Cheap sunglasses, I don't think so. Nothing makes me want to drive really fast down a dirt road in my truck more than La Grange. Just a thought
Anyway I am here alone in the office today, Boss (also known as only other person up here) is on vacation. I've got a lot of surveys to put in, but the Yahoo ZZ Top and friends streaming radio station is going to get me through it.
What are your favorite drive fast songs?

follow your heart Pedro

2005-02-26T20:07:00.001-08:00

Chris Seidman is great. He's one of those preachers that when he is up there you feel like he is talking directly to you. Here is a verse he used tonight that stuck with me. "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is" Society has gotten it wrong for years. The heart is the center, the cornerstone, the foundation, and the definition of manhood. All the things society has taught us about being a man are wrong. Physical strength, sexual prowess, sports, toughness, the ability to kill lots of things, all of those things are great but they don't define a man. These are all thoughts from Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. I read it a few years ago, and it really changed the way I thought about things. I'm re-reading it now. Cause it's good.

I hate bachelorhood

2005-02-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

Christine and Jack are in Abilene and have been this whole week. I knew I would miss them, but I thought I will get some good sleep, catch up on my playstation, and it won't be too bad. I have been miserable. I miss them so much. Our apartment is empty and quiet. I can't sleep at night with nothing but cold sheets next to me. Playstation is not as much fun without Jack in my lap trying to get the controller. I hate bachelorhood, I am ready to see my family.

Upwards

2005-02-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

I am coaching a little basketball team at church of 5th and 6th grade boys. So far we are 0-6. Which is probably a relflection on their coach. I guess it is a good thing I didn't go exercise science. It has been a lot of fun though. Most of my kids have never played basketball before which does put us at a slight disadvantage, but it is funny to hear their opinions, and questions on basketball.

It has been a lot of fun, and I got to know a bunch of guys I wouldn't have otherwise. We have practice tonight, any suggestions for motivating fifth graders?

So anyway wish the tarheels luck, I think we just have two more games. Maybe we can get a win in there somewhere.

Baby is better

2005-01-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yeah! Baby Jack is feeling better. He is back to jabbering and slobbering all over everything, and being a happy baby.
I have decided to go public with something that Christine and I have not let many people in on. I think that letting people know will help me stick with it. We are committing ourselves to eating healthier and exercising. Doesn't that sound like no big deal, like you just make that decision and then you do it? It seems that way, but it's not! It is too easy to eat McDonald's and Jack in the Box, and Arby's and Chick-Fil-A, it is cheap and gooooooooood, oh so good.
But we want to stay on top of our health, it is much easier to keep weight off than to get weight off. It is easier to build the body you want, than to chip away at your body to get where you want it. Anyway, I just write this so I will quit being lazy, and just do it. It sounds so easy. Man, a grilled sourdough burger sounds really good.

Baby Jack

2005-01-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

Jack has been sick this week, and his little cough is breaking our heart. He just looks miserable and isn't his playful self. But he did something two nights ago that totally melted me. Dana Carvey talks about never being able to withstand the "power of cuteness" his kids possess. I understand that now. Jack was in his little excer-saucer, and he started to get fussy. Christine was at rehearsal so I went to get him out. As I reached out to pick him up he looked up at me and raised his arms, like he was saying, "pick me up daddy." I loved it.

It made me think about how God must feel when his children reach for him. That's something that being a parent has done for me, let me know a little bit about the kind of love God feels for his children. It also made me think of how much more heart-melting we are in for. I can't wait until Jack gets a little bit older and he can ask questions like "Daddy, does God have feet?" (more Dana Carvey)

Amos (it's a book in the bible)

2004-12-28T14:18:00.000-08:00

I will be honest, I find it hard sometimes to find convicting and spiritually meaningful things in the Old Testament. In fact I had to look in the Table of Contents to keep from flipping all around the minor prophets to find Amos. I know there are things in there, and there are some really cool stories, but without a Bible scholar explaining it, sometimes it just doesn't make sense to me. I know that there are paralells we can draw on God's feelings on certain issues, and God's love for His people.

I was directed to Amos 6 in the comments section of one of Chris Dowdy's blogs. Which was really good. Madame kohlkoloz or something. Anyway, I talked yesterday about the laziness of many Americans, I neglected to include how lazy I was (most of you reading this know at times I can be a couch magnet), but let Amos 6:1-7 scare you a little bit.

"Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!

Go to Calneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their kingdom larger than yours?

You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on your musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end."

Admittedly the Old Testament sounds weird to me most of the time, but what this says to me is, Matt, you are too busy worrying about the unnecessary things that you have and the unnecessary things that you want to grieve for and reach out to those who are hurting and those who have nothing. So reach out to someone today. Pray for God's people in Southern Asia to reach out and comfort those who have lost their loved ones. Do something. Reflect God's glory in some way today.

Lazy Americans

2004-12-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

I have developed a new pet peeve. I pride myself on being laid back and not letting too many things get to me, but lately I have let this one thing get under my skin. I work in a building with eleven floors, by no means a skyscraper, it has three elevators. I can't tell you the number of times those elevators stop on two. As in the second floor, one flight of stairs. It's not the ten seconds of the doors opening on two and someone getting off or on that makes me mad, it's that someone could be lazy enough to take the elevator up or even down one flight of stairs. In my mind unless you are elderly, or have something wrong with your legs there is no reason to take an elevator up one floor except that you are lazy, even worse to take the elevator down one flight of stairs, gravity is on your side that way.

It is clear to me why other countries hate America. We are the wealthiest, laziest, and most prideful country since Rome.(in it's later years) We are constantly complaining, we have to have the best of everything for the least amount of effort. The best example of this I can see daily is taking the elevator up one freaking floor. The other morning two overweight women got on the elevator talking about how the holidays were awful for their diets, they were going to gain more weight; I didn't get to hear very much of their conversation because they got off on two. I thought that is America in a nutshell, or better a thin candy shell.

hmmm... things to think about

2004-12-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

I have noticed something in the last month or so that only comes up every four years-

The amount of political paraphanalia seems to have been extra high this year. By that I mean the amount of signs, commercials, bumper stickers etc. This particular post has to do with bumper stickers. How long after an election can you leave the bumper sticker on your car? Has anybody heard a ruling on this, because I haven't seen a real decline in the amount of Bush or Kerry backers on the freeways. If your guy wins do you get to leave your bumper sticker on a little longer, and rub it in a little to any democrat drivers you pass? If your guy loses should you take it off immediately, or leave it on to show you are still proud of him? The hard-core democrats will probably just leave it on until they start selling the "Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry" bumper stickers.

I know...I know, this is completely ridiculous. Just something to ponder, and a reminder that the election is over, clean your bumpers.

post numero uno

2004-12-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

This is my first post. Nobody knows what a relief that is to get that off my chest.

..that's all