Matt's Musings

I think it's good to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone now and then. Sometimes I'll watch, listen to, or read something that is challenging and/or stretching. That is how I feel about the book "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan. Chan cuts right to the heart of some issues and doesn't pull any punches. And the amazing thing about the book is that it is aimed at shaking long time faith followers out of the ruts and routines they've come to see as acceptable. The last chapter I read, "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God," was exactly that kind of discussion. It kind of dovetailed with some things I've been thinking about. During the first lesson of the Alpha Series, Nicky Gumbel notes that in the Western world it's harder to be a Christian than not to be a Christian. Of course those that know of the oppression, violence, and even death Christians face just for professing their faith in other parts of the world might balk at the suggestion. ...

They story of the man at the Sheep Gate pool is a fascinating example in the life of Jesus for a few reasons, but most notably because of how the healing takes place. Most of the instances in the Bible of Jesus conducting a healing are centered around the faith of those seeking help. Consider, in some cases the person that needed to be healed wasn't even present, but the faith of the petitioner made them well. Or the example of the woman who touched Jesus cloak, believing that if she simply came into contact with him she would be made well, and she was. And often, Jesus forgave those that sought healing of their sins. It wasn't just a physical act of intervention, he offered them spiritual healing as well. That is where we get our notion of the importance of faith in the healing process. But the question is, do you always have to have faith to be healed by God? The answer we get with the paralytic at the Sheep's Gate pool is no. The man was crippled, and had been that way f...

As part of a nutrition program I am in, we were given information about a style of cardio workout called burst training. Essentially, the idea is that sustained, routine, lengthy cardio training doesn't do as much to build muscle and burn fat as it could. That's where burst training comes in. Burst training calls for you to push yourself to the limit — or a little beyond — for a few short blasts with rest periods in between. The idea is to train in five to eight short bursts a few times per week. At first, the goal is to burst for 30 seconds, rest for a minute, and repeat five to eight times. In reading it, I thought that doesn't seem so tough. Then I tried it in the pool. After about seven bursts, I was ready for a nap. The great thing about burst training is that, because your activate hormones in a different way, the work of building muscle and burning fat continues even after the training session is done. I thought about that in terms of our lives, and you know what I t...

It's been just under three months since anything meaningful happened in the NFL. That is unless you count lawsuits and petty squabbles between millionaires and billionaires. Though the lockout dispute and labor dispute still have yet to be resolved, it was nice to get back to the business of football again last night with the NFL draft. Round one of the draft began last night, with rounds two and three tonight (beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern) and the rest following on Saturday. I have never really watched the NFL draft. It's exciting to find out who goes where, but it can be a little tedious to sit around and wait for a name to be called. However, with the prospect of a long summer and possibly fall without football, us fans have to cling to whatever morsel is available. For now, that means the NFL draft. Another reason I was more interested in this draft than most is the fact that my team — the Denver Broncos — were a prominent figure in the draft. After an epic collapse last sea...

Here's a look at the new releases from last week. African Cats Narrated by: Samuel L. Jackson Synopsis: This is the third of the Earth Day documentary features released by Disney Nature. The first of those films, "Earth," remains the superior entry, but I enjoyed "African Cats" a bit more than last year's "Oceans." The film follows two families — a cheetah and her five cubs and a lioness and her cub — as they make their way on the African plains and try to raise their cubs to maturity. It is a beautiful showcase of a part of the world and an ecosystem that most of us don't see or think about often. Jackson adds a touch of excitement as the narrator for the film and the team does a great job of putting together and engrossing story. It's funny, tense, heart-warming, and heart-breaking at times as you see these mothers struggle to raise their young cubs. If nothing else, these Earth Day documentaries make us all take time to stop and marvel a...

The first week of the Alpha Course is more of an introduction to why the course is important, and what it does. That, of course, starts with the foundation for Christianity. Nicky Gumbel, the featured speaker for the Alpha Course, bases the lesson around one key verse — John 14:6. John 14:6 says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Those, of course, are the words of Jesus Christ, and they're as true today as they were when he first said them. One of the things that's fascinating about Nicky Gumbel is that he didn't start out as a Christian, and he didn't begin his career as a minister. Rather, he spent time as a successful lawyer. I identify with that side of him, because his approach to the material is a little different. It's more of an analytical examination, interspersed with some humorous observations. One of the aspects of the introduction that sticks out to me is when Nicky talks about the three reac...

I feel honored to be helping serve as facilitator for the Alpha Course at Highlands Church. The course kicks off tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. We will be going through the Alpha Express — meaning the video messages are between 20-25 minutes. Each week I'll be using my blog to put up the week's outline (Tuesdays) and a few thoughts on the week's lesson (Wednesdays). Please feel free to put any questions here as well. Below is the week 1 outline. Alpha Course, Week 1 Is There More to Life Than This? Introduction: Nicky Gumbel begins by saying he had three objections to Christianity: It was boring; It was untrue; and It was irrelevant. John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 1. Christianity Provides Direction for a Lost World — Jesus said “I am the way” People hunger for purpose and meaning. It answers questions about life. What am ...