Message from Matt

Message from Matt
Click on this link for a video update from Matt Chandler

Christmas Wish

Matt Chandler

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sweet wife! Hope you have a great day!

I love you,
Patrick

The Search For God And Guinness by Stephen Mansfield

A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World.

Stephen Mansfield tells the story of the Guinness family going back almost 250 years. This book is not only about the Guinness family as beer brewers but as Christians, politicians, soldiers and so much more. This is a family compassionate about helping their fellow man. As successful as they've been as brewers, they've been so much more successful at life.

When I first saw this book I was curious how a Christian family could brew beer and really be a Christian. That goes against everything I was ever taught and possibly everything you were ever taught. They do it, and they do it well. This book is a lesson in business, faith and life.

Mansfield does a wonderful job covering the history of this incredible family and their employees. I don't usually like history but this book is full of it. The first couple of chapters were difficult for me. After that, I found it hard to put the book down. If you really knew me, you would be shocked to hear me say such a thing.

In the end we are left with what Mansfield calls the "Guinness Way" but you'll have to read it to find out what the "Guinness Way" is. I really enjoyed reading this book and I think you will too.

I reviewed this book as a member of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program. http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

The End (Jake's Story) from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Dude Perfect

I got to visit with Coby, Cory and their dad for a few minutes at Catalyst 09. They were very humble and really surprised with how crazy their life has been since their videos became so popular on YouTube. They actually had to step out of the conference for a little bit so that they could work on a college paper.

You can learn more about them at www.DudePerfect.com

Four thousand three hundred eighty three

4,383 days ago I married the girl of my dreams. Godly, attractive, intelligent, caring, loving, fun, funny, compassionate, forgiving, giving, faithful, kind, gentle, humble, wonderful friend. What more could a man ask for? She was all of those things then and is even more so today. Becky has been a blessing from God. None of this do I deserve.

Becky, thanks for loving me even when I don't deserve it.

I love you,

Patrick

Hike

Will and I went on a hike with his fellow Scouts today. We were at a state park in Heavner, OK. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors.












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Compassion Moment from Catalyst 2009

I had the priviledge of witnessing this in person. Evidence of a life changed.

Becky and I have been supporters of World Vision, and still are, but Compassion International obviously does wonderful work as well.

Are you open to being a part of changing someone's life?

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Technology

I love tehnogadgets! I don't know if that is a real word or not. Thanks to the iPhone and a handy app I am now able to post to my blog from anywhere.


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It's Been a Long Wait

Zach had his first speech session this morning, and he did great. Carey said that he has an incredible attention span. They only did two different activities during the 30 minute session because he was doing so well with them. She said that he is a dream to do therapy with. He tried to do everything she asked him to do/say. He went back without me and did not cry! She said he puckered up for a minute right at first, but then was absolutely fine.

Carey expects that he’s going to just take off and that we’ll see amazing results. It’s been such a long road to get to this point. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Love,

Becky

I Heart Authority

James 4:1-10
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions [1] are y at war within you? [2] 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask z wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 a You adulterous people! [3] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? b Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit c that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But d he gives more grace. Therefore it says, e “God opposes the proud, but d gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. f Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 g Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. h Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and i purify your hearts, j you double-minded. 9 k Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 l Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Key notes:

1. Learn to say no. (vs 7)
2. Draw close to the Lord. (vs 8)
3. Change your behavior. Cleanse your hands. (vs 8)
4. Be sad. Own your own failures. (vs 9)

These are just some notes I made from the message at church this past Sunday. It was good for me to hear and I thought it was worth passing on.

daboyzandus

"daboyzandus"

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SchoolTools Impact

During Champ Camp (our version of VBS) at Community Bible Church the kids filled backpacks like these for World Vision. It's cool to see how something that seems so small can have such an impact on these kids.

Just one more reason to support the work of World Vision.

Long Overdue Update

Sorry I haven't posted anything in while. Just been busy and honestly uninspired to post. Here's an update on Zach.

Dr. Mattax in Tulsa said she couldn't diagnose Zach with Autism at this time. There were some things that could point toward Autism but could also be explained away by his speech delay. Her only diagnosis at this point was that of a severe speech delay based solely on her observation and not taking into account what we said he could or could not do or say.

He visited a speech therapist here in Fort Smith a few weeks ago. She was great and he was very cooperative. Her diagnosis was that of a moderate speech delay versus the severe delay diagnosis. She was very encouraged by the evaluation and feels that Zach would respond well to speech therapy.

He will be seeing her once all the paperwork or whatever goes through. Now we're just waiting.

As far as the Autism side of things...we're supposed to go back once he's had several months of speech therapy to have him evaluated again.

Boy's and Flowers

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Springfield Nature Center

Will exploring

View from a photo blind

Gobble Gobble

Deer that Will found

July 4th weekend Will and I made a trip up to Missouri to visit family and see an awesome fireworks show. While there we made a trip to the Springfield Nature Center to see...well...some nature. I've been there several times but this was a first for Will. I've also never seen wild turkey's or deer. The deer crept up behind us after walking down the trail. He whispered to me as we were walking "hey Daddy...look at the deer I found".

I don't have any pics of the fireworks show, I Love America, which was put on by James River Assembly. There were 120,000 people there. It was one of the most well organized events I've ever been to that involved that many people. The band Leland performed after the fireworks. We didn't stay for all of the concert because Will was about to fall asleep and I sure wasn't going to carry him.

I took more photos at the nature center as well as some other things we did. I hope to add another post soon.

Brief Update

Becky and I met with Dr. Lara Mattax at the Tulsa Developmental Pediatrics Center last Tuesday regarding Zach's possible autism. We spent about an hour being interviewed about his speech, behaviors, etc. Dr. Mattax was great. She was easy to talk to and at no point did I feel uncomfortable with any of the questions she had. She was very informative and didn't shy away from being truthful with us. At the end I believe we all felt like autism is unlikely however still a possibility. He definitely has a speech delay and will need some therapy which Becky has already started checking into. She has found a local program that will be good and affordable. Overall I think we both came out of the session feeling better about the situation.

Next week we will return to the TDPC with Zach so that Dr. Mattax can observe him. This will take 1-2 hours and Becky and I are welcome to be in the room with him to help make him more comfortable. We will then return the following day for her official diagnosis.

Thanks for the prayers.

On a side note. We found out today that a friend of ours has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I believe this is her third bout (if the first bout ever really ends) with the nasty disease. Please keep her in your prayers.

Last Chance

I haven't blogged once in June so I figure this is my last chance to at least get a word in. I've been terribly uninspired the last couple of months. Here's a snipet of what's been going on.

Zach's pediatrician mentioned the word Autism at his last appointment. What? She wasn't diagnosing him but said we should consider having some testing done. We know he has delayed speech and we're hoping that's all. So, tomorrow we go to Tulsa for a consultation with a specialist and then Zach will go in a couple of weeks for an evaluation. A friend of ours that is a speech pathologist, who has observed him, said that if he has Autism it is mild. We're hoping she's right.

Happy Birthday to Zach!

Today is Zach's 2nd birthday. It hasn't really seemed like his birthday because he doesn't understand and his party isn't until tomorrow. We did go ahead and give him one gift but he will get the rest of them tomorrow. Today we went to church as usual and then he had his afternoon nap. Later in the afternoon he and Becky went out to the back porch while Will and I were setting up for the party at the company office. When Will and I arrived home we found Zach and Becky out back. Soon after, the two boys were playing in the rain in our back yard.

Zach on the playhut enjoying the rain

He's actually using the umbrella
(at the moment)

Will was standing under a drain spout
from the back porch. He's also
in a small puddle. Notice the
new crocs.

Graduation

Breana, my first of 11 nieces graduated from Kickapoo High School this past week. In fact it was the same day as Will's KG graduation. She was a member of the National Honor Society and finished in the top 15% of her class. Becky is particularly proud because Breana will be attending the University of Arkansas Fayetteville in the fall. The Saturday after graduation her dad (my brother Randy) took her and a friend to Scotland! I hope they have fun stormin' the castle.

Kindergarten Complete

Will had his kindergarten program this past week marking the completion of his first year of school. He attended the half day kindergarten at First United Methodist Church in FSM. Mrs. McDonald was a wonderful teacher to Will and all his classmates. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher.

Will's job was to welcome family and friends to the
program. He had his lines memorized and did a great job!

After some tears were shed
(by the ladies in the family)
we were treated to some yummy
cake, cookies and punch.

Britains Got Talent 2009

When you click on play you will get a message that embedding has been disabled. Just click on the black area and it will take you to youtube's site.

You've probably seen this by now but if not, enjoy!

World Vision Wednesday

Malaria was eradicated from the United States in the early 1950s. Today in Africa, 3,000 children will die from malaria. You can help. Let's stop malaria together! http://www.WorldVision.org/

Will's Birthday Party

Wonderful cake made by a wonderful woman from church.

Can't go wrong with Cars toys.

Will just blew out the candles. I missed the action shot.

Lego's!

And more Lego's!!! Needless to say...we've got 'em everywhere.

This year we had Will's birthday party at Creekmore Park (the Train Park as he calls it). He's been wanting to have his party at a park for some time but the weather has always been rainy or at least unpredictable. We rented a room at the park just in case the weather was bad. It didn't rain but it was very frigid so it was a good thing we had the room. After we ate dinner, opened some gifts and ate some cake the kiddo's went outside to play until it was time to go home. They had the whole park to themselves due to the chili temps. Other than the cool weather the party went about as well as we could have hoped for. And of course the kids didn't mind the weather anyways. Will said he had a great time and that's all that really matters.

Taking time to read

We have always made it a point to read to our
children starting at a young age. Zach has
decided to take it a step further and read on
his own. I think he's trying to find a new church.

Slumber Party

Last Friday we had the first ever slumber party at our house.
The boys and their cousins had a good time without much
if any disruption to a normally uneventful weekend evening.

Alli, Will, Zach, Meredith on the hammock out back.

Alli, Will and Meredith slept on the living room floor.
Zach did not and the others should be thankful.

World Vision Wednesday

Every day, AIDS steals parents from thousands of children. The best estimate we have is 6,000 orphans who lose a parent to AIDS each day.

We have 6,000 reasons to care, 6,000 reasons to act every day.

Take action at http://www.worldvision.org

One Shining Moment

Well the Tar Heels pulled it off. I know it was a boring game unless you're a Tar Heel fan. One Shining Moment is a tradition at the end of the tournament. I hope they never stop doing it.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Happy Bithday Will

Will and Daddy stopping for the paparazzi

Will at the hospital. He was born on a Sunday.
That next evening Becky and were watching the
NCAA championship game on the tv in our hospital room.
Yes, Becky watched. Syracuse beat Kansas 81-78 but I
don't really remember the game. I had to look it up.
Tonight I'm hoping North Carolina will beat
Michigan State for the championship.

Gotta love that face

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

First day of Kindergarten

I sure do love this little man!
Happy Birthday!

World Vision Wednesday

My church's motto is Transformed Lives Transforming the World. World Vision gives everyone the opportunity to transform the world one child at a time. If you think you can't afford it you may be wrong. For as little as $30 a month you can sponsor a child. The next time you're eating that $6 value meal from the fast food chain, think about the child who may only eat once today if they're lucky. Could you commit to giving up a few fast food meals a month? A sponsored child receives things such as clean water, nutritious food, health care, education and spiritual nurturing. These are things most of us don't have to worry about.

Are you concerned about where your money is going? World Vision is one of the cleanest most financially accountable organizations you will ever find. Go to the link below and look under the About Us tab for more information on their Financial Accountability.

To learn more about World Vision go to www.WorldVision.org

Drink Coffee Do Good

I'm not a big coffee drinker but I think this is a great way to help the people of Rwanda.

http://www.landof1000hills.com/

World Vision Wednesday

www.endmalria.org

Chang's, Andy's, Mickey D's Oh Deer (corrected)

Saturday Becky, Zach and I made a trip up to NW Arkansas to meet my brother and nieces at P.F. Chang's. We had never been there before but my nieces had. The food and service was very good. Becky doesn't ever eat Chinese food but she really liked the Stir-Fried Eggplant that she ordered. I had the Kung Pao Chicken and it was tasty as well. Zach mainly just entertained himself with Becky's chop sticks.

We had a good visit and then moved on to some shopping. Well, it wasn't really shopping. Becky wanted to walk down to one of the toy stores that has all of the educational type toys and games. She mainly just wanted to look at a few things and check some prices.

From there my family went on their way home and we headed to Andy's Frozen Custard to get some yummy dessert. Custard may sound yucky to some of you but it tastes like high quality ice cream. My personal favorite is the James Brownie Funky Jackhammer. I was still stuffed from our meal so I just had a strawberry shake. Andy's started in Osage Beach, Mo but we know them best from Springfield, Mo. It's one of those places that you just have to go to if you are close. Kinda like Krispy Kreme was before they put one in every US city except Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Since Zach didn't eat any Chinese food we had to make a quick stop at Mickey D's before heading home. We got him a nugget happy meal and I think all he consumed was the chocolate milk that came with it. Oh well.

As we were heading home we were probably about 15-20 miles south of Fayetteville when I saw what at first looked like two dogs crossing the interstate. As I got closer I realized it was two small deer. I slowed down to avoid them but then a third deer approached and I was unable to avoid striking it with the right front of our van. There was screaming (Becky) and crying (Becky and Zach). I pulled over to make sure the van was ok and then we continued home. Zach quit crying fairly quickly and Becky was obviously bothered by the whole event. She loves animals and I'm sure it bothered her that we just struck and killed a small deer. We were both thankful that Will had spent the day with his Grammy and two cousins Meredith and Alli. I was thankful that it wasn't a big deer and that we were in our van and not a car because it might have rolled up the hood and done more damage. Fortunately the damage was fairly minimal as you can see below. I thought it was minimal anyways. The body shop estimate was $2,313.86

World Vision Wednesday

Hoops of Hope Promo

With March Madness heating up I thought this was only fitting. Hoops of Hope is a partner of World Vision.

You don't have to participate in an event to help. Go to www.hoopsofhope.org and click on donate.

Baby Evan

Baby Evan went to be with Jesus yesterday. Please stop and pray for his family. Click here to leave them a message.

Prayer

If you only say one prayer today please pray for this family and baby Evan.

World Vision Wednesday

I'm going to make an attempt at a short series I will be calling World Vision Wednesday. I hope to make you the reader more aware of how God can change a child's life forever through you.

As a child sponsor, you are connected with one special child who will know your name, write to you and feel your tender love and prayers. Your child sponsorship monthly pledge of $30 will provide a child with things such as:

Clean Water - Nutritious Food - Health Care - Educational Opportunities - Spiritual Nurture

I wouldn't encourage you to be a child sponsor if I didn't believe in it myself. Becky and I sponsor two children. The first child we became a sponsor of is a boy from Rwanda by the name of Innocent. About 3 years ago we became a sponsor for a little girl from India by the name of Pooja. We send them birthday cards as well as other correspondence throughout the year. We also receive reports about how they are doing in school, their health, their family, their community and other things.

Most of us can cut out a few fast food meals or other luxuries to be able to afford the $30 it takes to change a childs life. I understand some people can't afford to do this but most can.

You only have one life...do something!

To learn more about World Vision and how you can sponsor a child click here.

North and South

Last night during dinner I mentioned there had been tornado's in Illinois and Indiana earlier in the day. Will asked where that was. So, as he turned to look at a US map that was behind him, I asked him if he knew where Missouri was. He did, so I told him Illinois and Indiana were to the right of Missouri. I then asked him if he knew which direction that was. North, South, East or West? He knew North was up and then figured the rest of it out.

The conversation then changed a bit. Well...a lot. He is a very, very slow eater. I told him his food needed to go north (from his plate to his mouth) and then south (to his tummy).

He then brought up the time not too long ago when he was leaving church and his food went north (out of his tummy) and then south (onto the pavement). My food almost went south out of my mouth as I tried to keep from laughing too hard.

Boy's! Gotta love 'em.

Watchmen

There's been a lot of raving about the new movie Watchmen. I heard a review from pluggedin.com via K-Love radio and decided to pass it on in case you were thinking about going to see it. Here is the first part of the review. The editor's note at the beginning should give you a clue about what kind of movie this is. You can read the review in it's entirety at pluggedin.com.

ONLINE EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS FILM FEATURES GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND LEWD SEXUAL CONTENT. THIS REVIEW REFERENCES THAT CONTENT AND IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN.

It's 1985. But it's a 1985 you'd be utterly unfamiliar with. Richard Nixon is serving his fifth term. Costumed vigilantes—superheroes, some call them—have been outlawed. And, from the window of a New York penthouse, a man plunges to his death.

So begins Watchmen, a movie adapted from the lauded graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It took more than 20 years to push Watchmen to the screen: Many considered the book unadaptable. Moore—no fan of Hollywood—wanted it that way.

Watchmen, with its myriad subplots, characters, allusions and time shifts, certainly doesn't lend itself to a popcorn muncher. Neither does it lend itself to written synopses. About the best I can do is say that at its most simplistic it's a mystery story—one that Agatha Christie would want no part of.

MO Snow

This past weekend we were in Missouri visiting my family. Will and Zach were lucky enough to have about 2 inches of snow to play in when they got up Saturday morning. I think Will was awake at about 6:30 a.m. asking if he could look out the window to see if it snowed and if he could go play in it. I told him no.

As you can see we did get 'em bundled up and they went out to play. There was a sled in my parents garage that Will enjoyed riding on. Zach not so much. He wasn't real sure what to think about the whole snow thing. He loves being outside and didn't want to go in even though his hands were ice cold. We didn't have any gloves that would stay on his little hands.

Jerk

I ran across an old "friend" online recently. One of my first thoughts of him is that he was a jerk. He's the kind of person that if you ran into him out in public, you would wish that you hadn't. Now he doesn't live around here and I haven't seen him in several years. He's actually "in the ministry" now. So, I was wondering if he's still a jerk. I was wondering if he had changed? You know ministers can be smug, arrogant jerks just like anyone else.

But, then I started thinking about myself. Have I been a jerk? Sure. Do others think of me as a jerk? I hope not. There's a difference between being a jerk and having been a jerk. I think so anyways. Am I smug or arrogant? I don't think so and I hope I don't ever come across that way.

It's easy to judge people. For me it is anyways. But then I (usually) catch myself and think that I don't really know that person. I don't know their thoughts or intentions.

It's also easy to look at a person or a family and think they really have it all together. We see their nice family photos or the way they're always smiling and assume that everything is great. But you know what? They're living life just like the rest of us. Does anyone really have it all together? A few may get close. I certainly don't.

I'm pretty laid back but there's something that boils up inside me when our oldest son doesn't listen or do what I ask. I get frustrated and sometimes I even raise my voice a little bit. I don't yell at him but I know he can see me boiling. I instantly feel guilty because I know I should be able to control my emotions better than that.

I've mostly just rambled on here. If I have a point, I guess it is this. None of us are perfect. None of us are better or worse than anyone else. We ALL have our faults and failures but God loves us ALL. Even the jerks and former jerks.

I'd never heard of this guy until some friends mentioned him. More funny stuff on his web site @ timhawkins.net

2008 Toyota Tundra For Sale

My brother in-law is trying to sell his truck. It's a 2008 Toyota Tundra Double Cab SR5 TRD package. Less than 10,000 miles. Sticker over $32,000. Big 381hp V8. 18" wheels. Power windows, locks, mirrors, and driver's side seat. Toyota side steps (nicer than most you see out there). Bedliner and towing package included. Fender flares. Sound system includes a 6 disk in-dash cd changer, and an aux in for your iPod. Keyless remote. Homelink. I am the original owner and have had the truck about a year. I am a non-smoker. There is one very small scratch on the tailgate, and one scratch on the driver's mirror. This is a very clean truck.

Asking price is $22,900

Leave a comment if you're interested in buying it.

Faces

These are the many faces of Will.
He's always been into making funny faces.

Rubadubdub...

...Zach in the tub.

Valentine's Box

Valentine's box using an A&W 12 pk.

Will and I spent a good part of the afternoon working on this.
We found the stickers at Hobby Lobby.