i am trying right now to get set up that if you click my link it goes to my new blog site. but right now just go to www.mattholland.wordpress.com
thanks! sorry for the long time between posts. busy times. but will hopefully update daily. one.love.
so a lot of AWEsome things have happened recently so shall i splurge.
so BigStuf was amazazing! i couldn’t even put into words all the sweet things that went down. from kids getting sponsored, to off-key music games, to African kids choirs, to frisbee and volleyball comeback victories, to goggling for crabs, to dance parties and dancing and dancing, to man-tanks, to finding God, to eating gator nuggets, to long walks on the beach, to 8 dollar pizzas, to futbol, to toe cramps, to worship music on the bus, to Panama City and back again!!! mmmmBigStuf!
then we had a great day of Hangtime at the beach where the water was so clear it made out for another great time of goggling! on top of some great Trolley Stop dogs we had a quick game of futbol and back to the church we went.
yesterday, to celebrate our JV victory during our study of Heroes my small group headed to CiCi’s pizza to indulge in all we could eat pizza pies. upon our arrival we had a quick meeting with death as a jetliner airplane was flying at max 5,000 ft. in the air headed straight for my car. a quick maneuver that is only seen in small biplanes gave the airplane a quick 90 degree turn and off into the distance. but it wasn’t going so fast that we couldn’t see THE AMERICAN FLAG on the back of it. the only seal and sign that it was none other than AirForceOne!!! which made sense because only the best pilot in the world couldve made a maneuver like that. then on to the numerous pieces of pizza and a few video games we call it an event!!
now we are on to a new week and new thing. school of rock camp and we are ROCKING OUT!!! we are getting loud and getting ready for the next big thing at Detour and that would be Detour500. so make sure everyone comes out as we rock out straight from camp to Detour and worship our crazy awesome GOD!!! onelove.
so i spent this past weekend at the Cockrell’s house “babysitting” or hanging out with Brooke and Bradley. it was awesome times going surfing (minus being sunburnt now), hide-and-seek with some friends in the house until early morning, walking around Mayfaire and PLENTY of Chick-Fil-A. so i’m on the market, anyone need a babysitter that rocks… call me. totally just kidding.
the month of may. man it is going to be awesome here at church. to start the JV are doing a series on action heroes. it is competitive and fun-filled. contests conclude week to week with the prize being a trip to CiCi’s pizza. next week will be interesting to see who dresses up, who brings their Bibles, and who brings a friend, as well as who wins the game. If you missed out this past week make sure you’re in the green room next Sunday at 9:15 or so for some intense 4square action.
detour. help me. this series is going to be awesome. i am really excited to see what questions you guys had for us so that we can answer the best we could. its going to be a split series again so high schoolers will have jon and middle school peeps will hear joey. i wish i could be in both at the same time for real. the band has chris taylor coming back to help out. some new songs this series, but rocking for real!!! so be ready, bring people and everyone come out!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:6-7
so it has been the craziest two weeks ever! i think the last i wrote i was headed to Passion, well i’m back an it was awesome. a recap: to be worshiping with 9,000 other college kids. going crazy at times, and praying in unison at others, it was awesome.
then we come back to have an awesome two weeks at detour with a mellow-sweet surfer and a crazy off-the-wall football chaplain. and then come to now… right this moment. we are waiting for all the awesome stuff we are putting together with PC3 to get here. with anticipation we in the office pray for a great night. and a great night it is going to be.
if you haven’t planned on coming tomorrow night to BigStuf Night, change your plans. it is going to be the greatest night YET! please email me matt@scottshill.org if you have question. may God bless you today.
one.love.
i’m stoked. so excited. this weekend a couple of seniors and some college groupies are taking it to the streets of Atlanta to experience a movement called Passion. thousands of college kids will gather in an arena to worship and hear about our awesome God.
sad i won’t be here this Sunday to hear Joey speak, but everyone needs to come out an support him. its should be an awesome time of worship and message. he’s been preparing like crazy!!!
but pray for us as we travel please. that Satan will stay away from our vans. its always interesting taking church vans on trips because they are 90% likely to break-down simply because they are church vans. but God is going to do some crazy things down there and i can’t wait to share some when we get back.
hope everyone had a great week off of school… except if you do not attend public school. but still, sad days no Detour last night. but kicking it up big this week! can’t wait to see you guys. speak at me.
onelove.
the eye is better now. or getting there. not as bad today. no need for the awesome ghetto pirate patch.
it feels wonderful outside today. go out and enjoy the sun for those on spring break!
1 I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise.
2 I live and breathe God;
if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy:
3 Join me in spreading the news;
together let’s get the word out.
4 God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.
5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.
6 When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.
7 God’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.
8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.
9 Worship God if you want the best;
worship opens doors to all his goodness.
10 Young lions on the prowl get hungry,
but God-seekers are full of God.
11 Come, children, listen closely;
I’ll give you a lesson in God worship.
12 Who out there has a lust for life?
Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?
13 Guard your tongue from profanity,
and no more lying through your teeth.
14 Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don’t let it get away!
15 God keeps an eye on his friends,
his ears pick up every moan and groan.
16 God won’t put up with rebels;
he’ll cull them from the pack.
17 Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you.
18 If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.
19 Disciples so often get into trouble;
still, God is there every time.
20 He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken.
21 The wicked commit slow suicide;
they waste their lives hating the good.
22 God pays for each slave’s freedom;
no one who runs to him loses out.onelove.
“If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.” Matthew 18:9 (The Message)
i woke up this morning with tears in my eye. i wasn’t having a bad dream, i just hurt my eye somehow. trust me, i wanted to sleep some more, but it was bothering me so i had to get up and clean it out and see what was up. i played soccer yesterday and probably kicked some mud or dirt into it. due to past experiences i came to my own conclusion that i scratched my cornea. if any one of you guys have eye doctor parents that want to check it for me for free, let me know ASAP! but i came to work and got someone in the office to put a ridiculous eye patch on to keep me from opening it. not only does my itch as it heals itself, but i have the constant urge to open it (even though it won’t open due to the bandage) and no amount of scratching calms it. i have lost all depth perception and i keep running into walls on my right side. i was sitting here thinking about God and praying and He reminded me of that verse at the top. a confusing verse maybe… so i thought i’d share my two cents from experience.
Jesus was asked by His disciples if their was a ranking system in Heaven? among Jesus’ many answers, one part was this verse. the confusion sometimes come across as “if we sin we should keep on chopping off body parts till we sin no more.” but that will never work, we will always sin. that is not the approach Christ is taking when He instructs us to actually chop of a foot or an arm. He is telling His disciples the wonders of Heaven, and even more giving a subtle hint of the dooms of Hell. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ parable reminds us all that we are all sinners, and will never become “sinless” by chopping off body parts. BUT that Hell is no place to be, and if we think on Earth that it will be bad to live without an arm or leg or eye or ear or all of them, that it is no comparison to an eternity in Hell. Christ puts up a Caution sign saying: STAY AWAY… REPENT. better is it to be in Heaven without an eye than to even take a step into Hell, or live eternally. better it is it chop off the problem at the start, than to continue in sin which leads to Hell or a very hard struggle on Earth. if the origin (the hand or eye or mouth) is cut off, then the problem can no longer exist and then things can move in a positive direction. so two insights. stay away from Hell, and cut off the problem as soon as you can completely so that you can move on in life or pursue God in a forward direction rather than being held by continual sin.
in Luke 16, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man illustrates the torment unrepentant sinners will experience before they are literally totally burned up. the rich man is about to be thrown into Hell, at the gates of Hell, or “hades” which mean still in the grave and risen up for final judgment. so what does he ask for? a DROP of water to cool his tongue. he did not ask for buckets of water to be poured over him. the rich man was in deep mental torment and anguish, confusion and gloom just before his destruction, that he ask for a DROP of water.
then, that reminds me of eternity, the reality of it. what does eternity mean? well, that guy is still there. he was denied the drop of water, but he is still there begging. he has been there ever since that story was written thousands of years ago. begging in Hell for water because He was thirsty for things of the Earth and they never filled His thirst. as he literally burns in the fires of Hell, he longs for water.
well, i know that seems gloomy. but Hell is just that. the great and awesome thing is that Christ lives in us. that He has provided a living water for us to take. for us to thirst no more. a free gift of eternal life in Heaven with him. greater things on Earth with Him as our Saviour, and even GREATER treasures in Heaven. crowns, and mansions.
i’ll live my life with my eye like this (because my eyes have caused me to sin). if it means i go to Heaven. if my eye causes me a constant struggle or sin, then i will pluck it out (or cut off the problem). for as Jesus warns, sin separates us from God and leads to Hell. if we are “saved” or not. our lives everyday depict our future. but that is another story for another time. cut off your hand. stop whatever sin you may continue to live. for Heaven is a great place, and Hell is scary. Jesus wants us to LIVE life, not be in bondage. any questions. speak at me.
love you guys. onelove.
it is here. it is time. college basketball at its finest. the time of year where people who never thought they’d get a tattoo, soon bear the emblem of their alma mater on their arm. the time when you have to wait and hour to get in a restaurant that has a single tv and two hours for one that has more than one. the time of year when basketball fans from 2 to 90 sweat the blood of their favorite team. a nation-wide frenzy of people in love with one thing, basketball.
all this and i don’t have a tv to watch it on. seriously, one of my favorite times of the year to just hang out with the buds and watch some basketball. to scream at refs and to recall that “one awesome shot” over and over again for three hours. and i don’t have a tv. grant it we just decided to not get cable, but now i am regretting that decision.
who do you root for? i am a born and bred Tarheel faithful until i’m dead. email me who you are rooting for so that i know i can being praying for that team as they are LOSING to Carolina. HA! j/k. but really though. email me your favorite teams and why you like them so much. maybe your dad has always liked them or you want to go to college there one day. maybe you just like the mascot so you pull for that team. who knows, but i want to know. I DO!
so here’s a go-ahead toast to the winner. whoever it may be. as we fans (and friends) together watch, scream, sweat, cheer and wait to see you pull through in the clutch. to see you beat out the best of the best all the way until the end. this one is for you. here here.
(i know im weird) one love.
well… for those who are in high school or didnt get to make it. yesterday i went out of my shell and got a chance to speak to the JV students in sunday school since joey and jon were coming home from the ski trip. i was not made for speaking but when God puts something on my heart to talk about, well i can talk about it. we talked about worship and not the side of “live.worship” but more along the lines of how do we prepare our hearts and mind to worship God when we come to church. it was an awesome time at elevate a.m.
from some feedback it went pretty good, besides the fact that one kid sat there and counted that i said “um” 117 times. but i say that a ton normally so… um… i guess it was ok. but thanks for all who were there and actually listening to me. maybe i’ll get to speak next time to more of you guys. but not any time soon. gotta fix the “um” problem, i’m seeing a speech therapist.
life is awesome. the weather is getting better everyday. these inbetween cold days and the future hot days are AMAZING! we’re getting ready for a new series here at Detour. so preperations for that have begun. i don’t know if i’m allowed to splurge the theme on here so i’ll let joey or jon do that. but anywho. i’m going to attempt to put some videos on this new video blog thing… going behind the scenes of the band. since i live with two of them (daniel - guitar and matt - drums/bass) we might highlight our amazing apartment and surroundings. but thats all for now. email me if you have song requests or feedback from elevate a.m. or detour stuff! blessings for real.
one love.
whew. i don’t know about you but i was awakened this morning around 5am by a wonderful loud crash of thunder. i couldn’t go back to sleep for another 1/2 hour or so. what a storm! don’t think for a second though i was scared, cause i wasn’t. well not too much. no, for real. i love storms. i love the power of God behind the thunder crashes and the beauty of God as He lights up the skies with lightning. the only thing that wasn’t awesome about the storm last night was that it was at 5 in the morning.
well an update on life. i am now 22. i celebrated my bday two sundays ago while with the singles group on their ski trip. it was an awesome going away trip for my bday and the conditions were GREAT! i can’t wait for the high school trip to go boarding again. so for my bday i got a ton of wishes and so thanks to all who did so! i also got a brand spanking new guitar. i have been through a few guitars but they have been used or passed down at times. so this year i decided to bank in and purchase a new, brand new, guitar. it is very very nice and gorgeous looking. it sounds great so if you come to detour this week youll be sure to catch a glimpse!
enjoy your day off today celebrating our great presidents of the past… and present… and this year, future. blessings.
one love.