Author: mattsimonblog

Let me ask you a question. If the walls of your church came falling down and was unreversibly destroyed, would your church continue? This question was posed to me recently and the thought wrecked me. Of course many of us understand that the Church is the people and not the building, but there is still … Continue reading The Church Without Borders →

“One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team. The first requisite is life, always.“- A. W. Tozer I have been thinking a lot about the Church recently. What makes it Church and how do we do it better? … Continue reading Why Church is Weird →

1 God is our refuge and strength,     a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,     though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam,     though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Psalm 46:1-3) Our refuge and strength. There is a certain backwards safety in our God. When … Continue reading A Fearless New Year →

"It was too easy to die for what was good or beautiful, for home or children or a civilization—it needed a God to die for the half-hearted and the corrupt." - Graham Greene It is incredible to me that God, instead of erasing the evil in the world, decided to come down and suffer with … Continue reading The Dream I Had In College →

“Leave the broken, irreversible past in God's hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.” - Oswald Chambers So here we find ourselves again with a fresh new year. We love these moments that help us to erase, at least temporarily, the mistakes of the past 365 days. While we know there is … Continue reading The Gospel of the New Year →

22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23) Seek out marriage advice for any amount of time and you … Continue reading Marriage Advice →

"If you want to make right choices, never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. Actively invite Him into your decisions." Brian Houston I want to let you in on a secret; I have nothing figured out. I have a sneaking suspicion I am not alone in this befuddlement. We are always so concerned with keeping … Continue reading Inviting God Into Your Story →

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. (2 … Continue reading The Real You →

20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21) If you ever find yourself questioning … Continue reading Chia Pets and God’s Backwards Plan →

Last night in our student ministry we launched a worship band. It doesn't seem like much, but I have been reflecting on everything leading up to them taking the stage and am incredibly blessed. God is good. It has been a two year struggle to get this going, not to mention our incredibly gifted drummer … Continue reading What Five Teens Taught Me →