Matt Maddix's Blogs

Three Things to Do MORE of in Life

2011-10-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

1. LAUGH MORE –

The Bible says, “Laughter is medicine for the soul…” Think about it, my friends. When was the last time you actually tried improving your HEALTH by laughing more? I’d like to see you take time each day to lighten up and LAUGH more. Laugh at yourself and WITH others. We could change the atmosphere and energy of every home in America just by laughing more! Find ways to worry less and laugh more, and you’ll see your health improve.

2. REST MORE –

I’ll be the first to say, “I’M HORRIBLE at RESTING!” However, I believe in the value and long-term health benefits of taking time to rest. In some European Countries, they take an entire month off to rest. Many others have what is known as a fiesta on a daily basis. I believe that we should rest on purpose by taking a day off each week and blocking off “DO NOTHING” time each day to rest our mind and body.

3. EAT MORE –

Yes, I know these are times when people need to actually eat less and start focusing on losing weight. However, I think we should actually EAT MORE greens, salads, white meat, fish, fruits, and healthy foods. I know that I caught you here. Please make it a priority to eat more of the right foods and less of the foods with sugar, sodium, grease, and red meats. Let’s eat more foods that make us feel better and give us more energy.

September 30th Blog - By Matt Maddix

2011-09-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Three Months Left –

There are 3 months left until 2011 will be behind us. I’d like to challenge you right now take it out with a bang and do it right. Take some time off right now and think about all of those New Year’s Day Resolutions that you set for yourself. If you have fallen short, why don’t you spend the next 3 months working toward all of those resolutions on a consistent basis?

There are 13 Paydays until Christmas –

Think about it: you actually don’t have to procrastinate this year. You can get a quick jump start, save a little bit of money each week for the next 13 weeks, and be ready to go Christmas shopping with a little bit of money in your pocket and without stress or worry. If you’ll make your list of people that you want to buy a gift for now and then determine your budget, you’ll know how much you need to save each week so you’ll not have to go in debt with a bunch of credit cards. PAY now and PLAY later!

Caleb Maddix Motivations for Kids –

My little boy Caleb is going to be turning 10 in two months, and I’m already panicking about how fast he is growing up. I’m seeing such a mature young boy, and it’s making me so happy. Caleb has developed quite a confidence and passion to inspire others, and that has led him to form – Caleb Maddix Motivations! He actually has his own website and has posted some of his videos at calebmaddix.com. Please pass website to every parent and child you know, and they will be inspired. Caleb writes his own notes for his videos all by himself. I’m a very proud father!

"My Time with Little Caleb"

2011-08-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

My time with Caleb is sacred to me. Many times when I travel, people will ask me to stay over for a day and "hang out;" my answer is always the same: "I'd really enjoy that, but I need to get home to that little boy." I'm very intentional about my role as a father in his life and refuse to allow anything or anyone in my life to sidetrack me from my responsibility of being a daddy. Caleb will be 18 years old in 3,042 days! Yes, I do keep a good count of how many days until he turns 18 ;) I'm not going to attend his 18th Birthday party and be full of regrets. I fully plan on being very intentional about my decisions and actions to ensure that my relationship with that little boy is regret-free. Take into consideration that I split my time with him 50/50 with his mother, and I also travel on a weekly basis. Even with that schedule, I've got my travel schedule arranged to make sure that I am rarely ever away from him longer than 3 nights straight.

His mom dropped him off at 5:30 yesterday, and I turned off my cell phone- and kept it off-for over 20 hours so I could give him my full energy and attention. It's not always easy to do this because I have a very busy schedule - I operate three major ministries and businesses that require about 12 hours a day from me. However, I'll get up at 4:00 am and work until wee hours of the morning if I have to so that I can spend that extra quality time with him. :) I am not perfect and have lots of improvements to make as a daddy, but I've made up my mind that he is going to know by my actions that he is the top priority in my life. It's easy to "talk" about priorities, but it’s much more challenging to live them on a day-to-day basis. I wish every preacher would take an honest evaluation of a statement we often make but rarely live: my priorities are (1) God, (2) Family, and (3) Church ;) Remember, my friends, to prioritize your life in such a way that you will have QUALITY time with your kids. You'll never get those moments, days, years, or memories back. They are only our kids once, and they grow up faster than you can imagine. God bless you!

My Weekend in Southern California

2011-08-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed my weekend in Southern California. I landed on Saturday, and the first place that I went was IN and OUT! By far the best hamburger in America! I stayed at the Marriot in Anaheim next to Disneyland. The hotel was so nice, and I really enjoyed staying there. I was on the 17th floor and had a balcony room that overlooked the city of Anaheim. What a gorgeous view! I posted on my Facebook, "If everyone treated you with this kind of Hospitality and First Class Service, I'd want to travel more often!" It was refreshing to be with the Hodgson’s. They are down to earth, authentic people that have a passion for Revival and Soul Winning.

I spoke on Saturday night at 7:30 to their Youth. Mark and Kim Hodgson are one of the top 5 best Youth Pastors that I've ever meet. They are the real deal and doing a great job with Pyro Youth Ministries. God filled 19 teenagers with the Holy Ghost on Sunday. It was powerful, and we baptized 3 in Jesus name. After church, I wanted to go - you guessed right - IN and OUT! Twice in one day for this ole Health Nut was a shock for people to see on my FB and TWITTER, but it was well worth it. You truly haven't had a real good quality hamburger until you've been to IN and OUT.

Sunday I met their leaders at 9:00 am for some training on "How to Pray People Through to the Holy Ghost!" They were doing a push for Sunday 200 and worked very hard to see over 200 guests come to church. There were 311 in church total, and God filled 26 of them with the Holy Ghost. We baptized 7 more in Jesus name! It was fun to preach under the Tent, and I felt right at home. Well, I stayed around for about an hour just talking with people, asking questions, and connecting. They have a really good church. Guess where I wanted to eat lunch? IN and OUT! However, they wouldn't let me do it three times straight and felt I deserved something "better" ;) HA! We went to another one of my favorite Southern Califronia places, The Claim Jumper. I like to try to new places when I am on the road and will rarely eat something that I can get back home. I ordered a good ole fashion Filet Migon and Baked Potato! :) Came back to my room and even though I was SO tired, I didn't want to nap because the weather was to nice, and it was my last day in So Cal. Sleep is overrated anyways ;) I took a nice walk around the Anaheim and then took a little cat nap on the green grass under some beautiful Palm Trees. It was so relaxing and peaceful.

I wanted to stay on that grass for hours, but instead I met with their Youth Staff at a cool coffee shop at 6:00 pm just so I could connect and hang with them. That's another thing I love to do when I travel: I LOVE to visit new Coffee Shops and hang out. The one they took me to (Looked really cool) was PACKED; therefore, we took our meeting to Starbucks. We had a great time. I ordered a Large Ice Green Tea UNSWEET but crashed and drank a small White Chocolate Mocha Frap. I only drank half of the Frap because it was too much sugar for me ;) I talked with them for a few hours, and we just did some good Q & A and really focused on how they can reach more young people. I'd love to share more about what we talked about but my plane is about to land and this Flight attendant is looking at me to shut down 

Guess where we ate after our meeting? You got it - IN and OUT baby! I didn't want it to end; I savored every bite I could and enjoyed the moment. All knowing full well that I'd be juicing like crazy and back to my healthy ways today :)

Matt Maddix

Soul Winners Boot Camp Update

2011-06-21T02:34:00.000-07:00

Boot Camp Chicago –

We are excited about conducting a Soul Winners’ Boot Camp for home missionaries Anthony & Layna Lacascio in the city of Chicago. This couple has the passion and ability to build a strong Apostolic revival church! We will be doing this Boot Camp for them completely free of charge. Due to building situations beyond our control, this Boot Camp has been rescheduled for April 2012. Please continue to pray for Boot Camp Chicago.

Boot Camp Focus for 2011

God has blessed us, and we’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons over the past 5 years. We’ve completed 51 Boot Camps and have trained over 15,000 people. One of the things we are doing differently is placing an extreme focus on teaching and training the Soul Winner to become fully balanced in their Soul Winning. Balanced soul winners have a passion for (1) Personal Soul Winning, (2) Guest Follow-Up, (3) Home Bible Studies, and (4) Discipleship. We provide training for each of these aspects of a soul winners’ balance life!
We also work very hard to give the host church of a Soul Winners’ Boot Camp sustainable growth by working with the Pastor and Outreach Director throughout the year. We conduct a monthly conference call for the Outreach Directors of our host churches to provide them with continuous training and motivation. We also give each Outreach Director of our Host Churches a Soul Winners’ Coaching Package consisting of 6 Personal Coaching sessions with me personally that will help them set up a very organized and effective Outreach, Follow-Up and Discipleship Ministry.

Upcoming Boot Camps for 2011 –

June 24-25 - New Brunswick, Canada
July 22-24 - Ashland, Kentucky
August 19-21 - Detroit, Michigan
September 2-4 - Seattle, Washington
September 9-11 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
September 16-18 - Steele, Missouri
October 12-16 - Louisville, Kentucky (General Conference)
October 21-23 - Mantua, New Jersey
November 4-6 - Daingerfield, Texas

I hope that you will pray everyday for God’s blessing to be upon each of these cities and host churches. I’m asking each of you to consider attending at least one of these Soul Winners’ Boot Camps.

Boot Camp Bullet Points –

1. There is NO CHARGE to attend Soul Winners’ Boot Camp
2. All sessions and events are casual dress
3. Website – swbootcampfire.com
4. Every Boot Camp starts on Friday and ends on Saturday night
5. There will be over 8 Practical Teaching Sessions at each BC
6. We will conduct 2 BC FREE OF CHARGE for Home Missionaries
7. Boot Camp will have Merchandise and Products available
8. Boot Camp Office Number – 727-289-5001
9. To Schedule a Boot Camp – Click “Host a Boot Camp” on website
10. We do take up Spirit-Led Offerings at Boot Camp to support cost

Thank you for your continual prayers and support for Boot Camp America. We believe God is going to help us motivate and train millions of Soul Winners across the world.

Matt Maddix
mattmaddix.com

"How to Have a REALLY Good Conversation"

2011-06-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Picked up Caleb from Baseball Camp today and asked him the typical, "How did it go bubba?" Of course his answer was, "Awesome! I had fun, Dad!" I've learned through the years to be a really good conversationalist, and you bet that I'm going to be really good at having quality conversations with my son Caleb. I'd like to share a few key things about my talk with him today.

Too many people ask boring questions, and that is why some people are hard to connect with. I think every husband and wife will want to thank me after this, because I do believe that using what I'm going to share will help immensely in marriage. It will work in all relationships: ministry, business, soul winning, sales, friendships, or in any setting where communication and connection are necessary. Rather than asking the typical boring questions, learn to ask interesting questions that will generate interesting conversation and help you connect, learn more about the other person, and show them that you are truly interested in what they are saying. Here are the questions that I used on Caleb today that led to an hour long conversation and made him feel like 10 million dollars because his Daddy showed extreme interest in his thoughts and feelings.

1. How was baseball camp today?
2. Tell me one thing Coach said that you liked?
3. Tell me one thing you learned?
4. Who were the 3 most positive kids out there today?
5. How did it make you feel to get Camper of the day?
6. Why do you think you got picked?
7. Who were the 3 most negative kids or who had the worst attitude?
8. Did you have enough to drink?
9. How did you like the lunch I packed?
10. You'd rather have Pizza?
11. What did most of the other kids eat?
12. What kind of pizza?
13. What position did you play?
14. Name the 3 best players out there?
15. You think you were the best? LOL ;)
16. On a scale of 1-10 how would you grade the over all camp?
17. What made you give it a 9?
18. It wasn't long enough? LOL ;)
19. So was the girl that picked on you as you walked by pretty?
20. Did you get her name?

That conversation led to so many other things, and it got him into the flow. He was talking my ear off after that! You need to be stop being so dull with your family and friends when you are talking to them. You don't even want to get my started with the 100's of "Would You Rather" questions that I have made up. You ask anyone that knows me, and they'll tell you that I'm the “master question asker.” It's also the reason why I am able to truly connect so well with people. However, you must also be a really good listener. Not one time in that hour conversation did I check my phone, text, email, or Facebook. The key to really showing someone that you are listening is to, (1) Make really good eye contact, (2) Be alert to key things they say that could lead to other questions, and (3) Repeat back to them what they shared with you. Ok, go!

"How to SNAP Out of It"

2011-06-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever just felt down? Wanted to just lie around and do nothing? Perhaps experienced a relationship loss or a change on the job? You’re probably dealing with the blues and feeling extremely down about things that are happening or have just happened in your life. I recently needed to “snap out of it!” I’ve said that before, and I’ve had others say it to me; however, I just didn’t know how to do it. What do you do when you find yourself in a situation where you need to snap out of it?

1. Make a List –

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge list maker and always make lists about my life and situations. I usually fight depression the most after I drop Caleb off at his mom’s house. I come back home to a quiet and lonely environment. Caleb brings SO much life when he is around that I fight a serious case of depression when I have to be away from him for a few days. The other night was one of those nights that I just needed to “snap out of it,” so I made a long list of all the reasons why “I should NOT be depressed!” The more I typed, the better I felt. I came up with over 65 reasons that I should never again be depressed.

2. Put It Into Perspective –

Again it all boils down to the power of your mind and learning how to guard your thoughts. If I let my mind go, I would fall into a depression that I would never come out of; however, when I make my list, I usually am very focused on the positive and about all those that truly have it a whole lot worse than I do. Anytime I do this, it has a way of helping me “Snap Out of It!”

3. Get Up, Get Moving and Have Fun –

Sometimes you just need to turn on every light in the house, blast some really upbeat loud music, give thanks to God, go for run, a walk or just DO something. Motion affects emotion! I’ve learned that when I need to “snap out of it,” it’s time to get moving and go have a blast and laugh until my gut hurts!

"Why Didn't I Travel Today?" It's Pentecost Sunday

2011-06-12T09:47:00.001-07:00

Well, it’s Saturday night, and I’m usually just now landing somewhere to go and speak. About three months ago a Pastor called and said, “I’m not able to have you on Pentecost Sunday because our church is not at a place financially where we can afford a guest speaker.” I respect that and thought to myself, “I need to hurry and schedule with someone else!”

Well, every time that I started to schedule that date, I felt in my gut that I needed to wait. It’s now Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 9:23 pm, and I’m still waiting. I’m ok with it because usually when I don’t feel to schedule with someone, God is directing me to put it in park and just rest. It’s tough for me to do that, but I’m learning the value of working WITH God and allowing my body the rest that it sometimes needs.

My travel schedule is demanding, and I’m starting to really feel the need to pace myself and only go a few times a month. Therefore, I’m starting a Coaching Business that will enable me to continue motivating, inspiring, and training people without completely burning myself out with the travel industry. It’s been going well so far, and I’m really enjoying it.

I didn’t travel today because I needed the break, and it feels so good to actually be in my own home on Saturday night and do something that I am learning to do, “RELAX!”

Episode 14 of Matt Maddix Motivations - "Building our Kids Confidence"

2010-12-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

"Talking about Health"

2010-09-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

When it’s all said and done, we need to remember that our health is extremely important. If we lose our health, we have literally lost it all. My friends, please take your health seriously and don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap of believing that you can eat whatever you want and be fine. In fact, the way you eat will have a dramatic impact on how you feel, your level of energy, and your future health.

Someone once said, “If you don’t take time for health, you will be forced to take time for sickness.” Friends, please don’t believe a lie! You really do have time! In fact, you have plenty of time. I’m actually a huge believer that our thoughts and words completely determine our results in life. I’ve made it a practice to stop saying, “I don’t have time!” Most of the people who know me know that I am radical about juicing, exercise, and healthy eating. Sadly, there are some who have fallen into the trap of believing they don’t have the time necessary to juice, exercise, or eat right. What? I would set my alarm and get up one hour earlier every day to assure that I had time to juice and jog. It’s worth it and the more you do it, the more your body will crave it. You’ll feel much better, have more energy, and actually get more done.

I’m challenging everyone that has taken the time to read this blog to make a commitment to walk at least 20-30 minutes every day, start drinking water with lots of lemon, and juice at least 3-5 times a week. Just by making these few changes, you would notice a major change in your health and energy. I believe in you and believe you that you are able to conquer the temptation to pollute your temple with junk food and a lifestyle void of regular exercise.

mattmaddix.com

“What Kind of Environment Does Your Kid Live In?”

2010-08-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

How many of you have ever heard the saying, “We are products of our environment?” Well, yesterday I got a call from Caleb saying, “Daddy, I’m running on the treadmill right now and listening to Tony Robbins.” How cute is that, right? It’s my priority to create the right atmosphere and environment to produce a high quality life for Caleb.

It’s amazing how many little habits, behaviors, beliefs and attitudes that our kids pick up from us. I’d like to admonish ALL parents out there to really get CLEAR about the environment you are creating for your kids. I believe that home and time with parents should be the happiest place on earth for kids. Kids should actually look forward to their time with their parents. It makes my day that Caleb says, “Daddy, all of my friends love coming to your house and wish their dad would play with them like this.” Please don’t mistake my transparency and my use of personal experiences as a “know-it-all” mentality or bragging. Instead, it’s a burning passion of mine to help parents become even better equipped to be the mommy and daddy that their kids need.

As I was getting ready for bed last night, I walked in to check on Caleb; he was in his room doing sit ups and push ups. He said, “I always exercise every single day Daddy!” As we talked, he said, “Let’s go for a 30 minute walk before bed and listen to Tony Robbins on our iPods!” In fact, when setting up his iPod, he said, “Daddy, I only want motivational stuff on my iPod like Jack Canfield, Tony Robbins and Motivational Teaching!” Wow! I’m in awe of how much an 8 year old boy can pick up just from the environment that surrounds him.

What would happen if we called an immediate “time-out” and decided that we are going to do what it takes to create very positive, healthy, spiritual, and happy lives for our kids? At age 8, Caleb already has a burning passion for God, health, exercise, juicing, eating right, giving to the poor, winning souls, reading, and personal growth. I’m always mindful of the scripture that says, “Train up a Child in the way he should go…” Sadly some parents wait until their kids are in their teens to try to give them life skills, beliefs, healthy habits and training, when in reality their teenage behavior is a direct result of the environment they saw growing up. If your children are small, don’t wait until they are in their teens to build the kind of life that you think they deserve. Start living that life now and let them learn from your example.

Matt Maddix
mattmaddix.com

"Take Care of Yourself" - Video Blog (Health)

2010-06-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

Click Here to Watch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J0D5uIB5cQ

"How are You?" (Video Blog)

2010-06-16T09:55:00.001-07:00

Click Here to Watch

"A Quick Word to Parents" (Video Blog)

2010-06-16T09:53:00.001-07:00

Click Here to Watch

Q & A with Matt Maddix - "What is your Best Advice for Single Dad?"

2010-06-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

Click Here to Watch

"I Feel Good"

2010-06-16T09:50:00.001-07:00

Click to Watch this Video Blog - "I feel Good"

"Conference Call with Soul Winners Club"

2010-06-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

"Just Finished a Conference Call with Club Members"

“Lessons from an 82 year old man George”

2010-05-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

It’s actually scary to think of the many life lessons that we miss because we are too busy. I was very focused and working hard in my office today when an elderly gentlemen knocked on my door. He was there taking a census for the US Government. I’ll have to confess that I told him that I didn’t “have 10 minutes” to do the census; however, because of his master skill, he persuaded me to do the census, and I finally tapped in and realized what an opportunity I had to pick his brain.

George is 82 years old, yet he gets up every morning and works eight hours a day. Not because he needs to work - he is actually a millionaire who had a very successful career in sales. He works because he said that life is to short to sit around, be depressed, get old, and die. George taught me a few lessons today, and I’d like to share those lessons with you.

1. Get up everyday with a Positive Attitude and Go for Broke.

Those words alone have a way of making you want to risk it all and live life to the fullest. George told me that he and his wife had fallen on hard times in their early years of marriage. He said, “Matt, I had two choices, either drown in self-pity or wake up with a super positive attitude and go for broke!” He continued, “Son, it was my attitude and work ethic that brought me to where I am today!”

2. Find your Passion and Follow It.

George, married for 59 years, father of 5 kids, grandfather to 17 grand kids and 13 great-grand kids, works every day at the age of 82, not because he needs the money, but because he loves to stay active and meet people. Wow! As a young 34 year old Entrepreneur, I was impressed by this man’s passion for life. He told me that he has always worked extremely hard, but it has never felt like work because he LOVES what he does.

3. Love your Family.

After George shared his secret to success in business, sales and life, he said, “Son, my last piece of advice is for you to love your family!” I thought, “Well that is rather cliché.” However, he took it to another level when he stated that success in business at the expense of failure in family is a waste of life. George passionately challenged me to never put more passion in my business than I do in my family. I then asked him, “George, what is the secret to a successful marriage?” I figured that after 59 years, he might have something to say. He said, “Son, if you want to stay married for a really long time, my best advice is to never be afraid to admit you were wrong and have great sex!” I’ll have to admit that I appreciated the raw advice and thought it was awesome!

So next time you get a knock on your door - or perhaps sit next to an elderly person on a bench, take advantage of the opportunity and see what you can learn. God bless you!

Matt Maddix

"Quick Word to all the Parents" (Video Blog)

2010-05-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgFzPtwF0dY

"Five Things our Kids NEED"

2010-05-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

1. Words:

I’m a huge believer that we should be our kids' biggest fans and cheerleaders. Our homes need to be the place that our kids feel the greatest! There is no possible way that anyone on planet Earth will ever be a bigger encourager to Caleb Matthew Maddix than I will! I’m determined to speak words of life, hope, and faith over my son. I’ve experienced such positive results in the behavior of my boy whenever I speak encouraging and positive words in his presence. He knows that his dad is his number one fan!

2. Time:

Our kids need our TIME more than anything on earth. There is no home big enough, no jet ski fast enough, no car nice enough, no Xbox cool enough, and no amount of money that can replace TIME with our kids. They need us, and they need ALL of us. The average dad only spends 17 minutes a day with his kids, and most of that isn’t even quality time. These dads love their kids, and they want to give them everything, but “everything” isn’t what kids want: they want YOU and your time. We should make it a practice to play with our kids doing what THEY want to do. We should make it a priority to take family walks and enjoy family meals without cell phones, the TV, or distractions.

3. Attention:

Have you ever observed a child desperately seeking their parents' attention? It’s heartbreaking to watch, and even more heartbreaking when the parents aren’t sensitive to their kids' need for their attention. I’ve watched Caleb’s self-esteem sky rocket whenever I give him my undivided attention when we are together, and when I listen only to him when he is speaking to me. Parents, you need to get your head out of the sky and give your kids the attention they so deserve!

4. Affection:

Are you aware that the average child needs 8 meaningful touches a day? We need to shower our kids with physical affection. I always make it a practice to touch Caleb on the arm whenever he is speaking to me. I give him a huge hug before and after school! Our kids need to feel comfortable in our laps and in our arms. They should never have to deal with the psychological affects of living in a void of affection from their parents!

5. Peace:

Kids need peaceful environments and homes. Our kids should never see us lose control and raise our voices. I can proudly say in that in 8 years of Caleb’s life, he has never experienced me “YELLING” at him or raising my voice. It’s unnecessary and very ineffective to scream at our kids. I believe that rules without relationship lead to rebellion. Most kids are “rebellious” because they are attention-starved by their parents; they need parents their parents to provide a home full of peace. You are the scum of the earth if you ever harm your child physically or make them feel anything less than peace when they are in your presence.

Please take this advice to heart and allow it to remind you to speak life over your kids, to shower them with affection, to spend quality time with them and to give them a home full of peace. I believe in you and pray that you’ll be the best parent you possibly can be for the health and future of your kids.

Matt Maddix

"Caleb and Daddy talk about the Game Winner"

2010-04-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

"It's a lot like Disney World" - It's all about THE Experience

2010-04-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

"How to Stay Motivated"

2010-03-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

"Some don't do enough and some do to Much!"

2010-03-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

How to Handle Unfair Treatment - Part 1

2010-02-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

"He LEADS Me..."

2010-02-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

"WHY I do what I do?"

2010-02-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

"Hello from the Holiday Inn Express"

2010-01-31T20:10:00.000-08:00

"Caleb and Daddy Talking!"

2010-01-29T15:28:00.001-08:00

"Rejected by Dads!"

2010-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

"How to Motivate Others to Win Souls" (Part 2)

2010-01-29T08:58:00.001-08:00

"How to Motivate Others to Win Souls" Part 1

2010-01-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

"Why Drink Wheat Grass?"

2010-01-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

2010-01-23T06:29:00.001-08:00

"Just Ask Caleb" Episode 7 - "Caleb's First Practice"

2010-01-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

"The Personal Touch"

2010-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

"My Weekend in Vidor, Texas"

2010-01-17T23:11:00.000-08:00

"A Pastor's Dream Come True"

2010-01-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

"Family Time"

2010-01-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

"How to make a Good Decision"

2010-01-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

"What to do when you feel low and sad"

2010-01-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

Boot Camp America Welcomes Kris Dillingham

2009-11-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

Evangelist Kris Dillingham is joining forces with Boot Camp America as our new Boot Camp America Coordinator. Kris his wife Jennifer and their 3 beautiful children live in Champaign, Illinois. He has been serving as a full time Evangelist for the past 3 years and will continue to do so. We have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to have him serve as our Coordinator.

Kris has credentials and skills that will take Boot Camp America to the next level. He worked for 12 years as an Executive Assistant in the business world. He was involved in a church plant in Champaign, Illinois and served as the Assistant Pastor for 12 years. Kris was intricately involved in taking that church from 5 people in a living room to a solid congregation of over 200. He is an administrative genius and understands the life of a local church.

Not only does he travel as an Evangelist but he also does Church Consulting and helps develop and organize ministry departments and church structure. He is one of the wisest leaders that you will ever have the chance to meet. His character and attitude speak volumes about the leader, husband, father and evangelist that he is. Having Kris as the Coordinator of Boot Camp America will take Boot Camp America from good to great. Kris is wise, organized, talented, competent, detailed, intelligent, consistent, humble and passionate. We are excited and anxious for Boot Camp 2010 so we can see the immediate results of having a team member with such capabilities and qualities.

Aside from organizing, planning and participating in our 15 upcoming Boot Camps, he will continue to travel as an Evangelist and Consultant. I highly encourage every pastor to schedule him for your church and watch your church explode after the ministry of Kris Dillingham. You can contact him on his website at krisdillingham.com or email him at Kris@krisdillingham.com. Not only will he bless Boot Camp America by his administrative skills but he will also be a blessing in leading, teaching, preaching and coaching. Someone once said, “Those closest to you will determine your success!” If that be the case, Boot Camp is about to be the most successful company in America.

Matt Maddix
CEO, Boot Camp America

5 Reasons you need to Book Travis Worthington

2009-11-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

I would like to encourage every Pastor in the entire world to take action and email jtrworthignton@aol.com or call him at 727-244-1066 and book him for a week or month long revival. There is not a single young evangelist in the world any better or more effective than Travis & Amber Worthington. They are a couple of character and possess a passion for revival unlike any other. Travis is 24 years old and much wiser beyond his years. I have trained him for 7 years and he is beyond ready to turn the world upside down with Revival and Soul Winning. He has impeccable character, ethics, and attitude and will work hard while at your church. I am going to share 7 reasons why you need to book him now and not wait.

1. Youth

As you well know, youth are the life of any church. A church must have a strong, exciting and committed youth group. Travis spent a year with me taking the youth group in Gainesville, Florida from 40 to 100. He also spent 5 years in St. Petersburg, Florida helping take a youth group from 3 teenagers to over 88. He understands student ministry and knows how to connect, motivate and elevate youth to prayer and evangelism. He will pray with your young people, train your youth staff and take your kids to the streets. He took a youth group to the streets in Knoxville, Tennessee and got 45 Bible Studies within one hour.

2. Soul Winning

Travis and Amber are both proven Soul Winners. He has won literally 100’s of souls and has discipled them into becoming prayer warriors and Soul Winners themselves. Not only will Travis win souls while in revival with you but he will also impart Soul Winning Passion to every saint in your church. He understands Soul Winning and is fully capable of training people for Bus Ministry, Compassion Evangelism, Personal Soul Winning, Home Bible Studies and Radical Soul Winning.

3. Organization and Structure

Travis spent 5 years helping organize, plan and coordinate 29 Soul Winners Boot Camps. He does more than just preach and even more than win souls. Travis could help structure Outreach in your church, organize your departments, and build your youth ministry and leave you with a trained youth staff to carry on.

4. Demand

You need to book him now before word spreads across America that he is available. There will come a day when you will not even be able to get him unless you book a year in advance. The young man is going to take America by storm and is already starting to become in high demand. If I were a Pastor, I would book him for one month and have him come in to preach, train, organize, work with the youth, coach the youth staff and follow up on your guests.

5. Covering

Travis is being mentored by myself, David Smith and is under the Covering and Leadership of Jack Cunningham. Travis is licensed with the Virginia District and is currently basing out of Chesapeake, Virginia. He and his wife are both submitted to a strong covering and have very teachable attitudes. If you need recommendations, please email Jack Cunningham at bwcsrpastor@aol.com and David Smith at crcnofear@aol.com.

If you are serious about reaching your city, building a Soul Winning Church and having a Strong Youth Group, then I highly recommend you email or call Travis immediately and book him for a week or month long revival. Thank you and May God bless you as you continue to move forward with passion and determination.

Matt Maddix

"The Sunday of a Young Preacher's Dream"

2009-09-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

Could you imagine being a basketball player and getting to play basketball with Michael Jordan? Or imagine having a passion for golf and having the opportunity to play with Tiger Woods! Imagine how you would feel if you were a businessman and could have lunch with Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. You could only imagine the honor, excitement and life changing experience it would be for you. You just got a call from the President of the United States or your hero, and they invited you to join them for lunch. Wow! That is exactly how I felt when my Pastor, mentor, coach and father like figure, Jack Cunningham, called me and said, "Matt I want you to come preach for me!" It's always a humbling experience for me to be able to minister for my Pastor and mentors. I can't even describe the feeling of appreciation that floods my soul. It's hard to fall asleep at night when you think that you'll be preaching for your coach and Pastor in the morning. However, because Jack Cunningham has always been my number one encourager and believed in me when I was a "nobody" and just a young struggling preacher, it was easy for me to step into his pulpit Sunday and minister the word of the Lord.

Pastor Cunningham's imprint on my life and ministry is the very cause of my "success" as a preacher. I'd never be what I am today without his leadership, mentorship, belief in me, and the time that he invested in my ministry. I'll forever thank God for the day that I submitted my ministry into the hands of Jack Cunningham; it was the wisest and safest decision of my life. I believe that God has given me a special anointing on my life, ministry and Soul Winners Boot Camp because of my honor, submission and obedience to my Pastor. If you are reading this, and you are a young minister, please take my words to heart, and find yourself a man that you can trust, and make him your Pastor. Then, make sure that you listen to every single word, serve him and always show double honor to him. Your ministry will sky rocket the moment that you submit to Apostolic Authority!

I'd actually like to write a book about my Pastor and share with the world what kind of man we've all been gifted with. He is the wisest and most Apostolic leader among us. I'm so blessed and thankful to be under his covering and leadership. We had a day of miracles yesterday, and God blessed with an outpouring of His Spirit and Blessing! God gloriously filled 32 people with the Holy Ghost, and we baptized 12 in the name of Jesus Christ. God used me to speak to Bible World Church on Sunday night, "The Fruit of a Soul Winner!" You could literally feel the gift of faith rise in the atmosphere, and there was a fresh anointing of Soul Winning that was baptized upon Bible World Church. I'm so excited about going back in October and November. God has blessed that church, and I'm thrilled to play a small role in the next level of Bible World Revival.

Coming Up - I'm going to be with my mentor, Anthony Mangun, and the Pentecostals of Alexandria, September 9-13th for a Soul Winning Revival. You can watch live on the Web at thepentecostals.org; I'll be preaching on Soul Winning on Wednesday and Sunday night. I'm anxious to be with the Manguns and that great church. Thank you for your prayers, friendship and support.

Matt's Remaining Schedule for 2009

2009-09-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Revival at Turn Point - Columbus, Ohio

2009-09-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, my flight arrived in Columbus, Ohio, for a Sunday of Holy Ghost Revival with Pastor Joe Arata and Turn Point Church! It is such an honor to be considered a God called Evangelist to the Turn Point church that has experienced unprecedented Revival. On Sunday morning, I preached, “What to do after you Receive Jesus”, and God filled 7 sweet people with the Holy Ghost, and we baptized 3 in the name of Jesus Christ. Sunday night, I preached, “Extreme Evangelism”, and God filled 2 more with the Holy Ghost.

The Turn Point Church is by far one of the top 5 churches that I’ve ever been to in my entire ministry. What a blessed church! I strongly urge pastors or leaders to visit Turn Point in Columbus, Ohio, to experience what God is doing in the city of Columbus. It’s a church that understands worship, perhaps because they are so blessed with the ministry of Mark Condon - http://markcondon.com. Turn Point is led by Pastor Joe Arata, a man of true integrity and passion for the Kingdom. You’ll not find a leader with any more consistency and kindness than Joe Arata. I’m blessed beyond words to be able to minister at Turn Point on a monthly basis. We’ve had 225 baptized in Jesus name since December 7, 2008, and God has filled 220 with the Holy Ghost. Turn Point has an average attendance of 450 and has as good of potential as any church that I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t wait to go back on October 25, 2009! I love you, Turn Point, and appreciate your consistent hospitality and love for me and my ministry.

Sincerely,

Matt Maddix

"When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear"

2009-08-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

For those of us that are sometimes hard headed, there will come a time when life’s lessons will have to knock us flat on our back to get our attention. I am working on listening to the whispers so I do not have to hear the screams. How many times in our lives have we ignored the little gentle nudges that came to us? How many times do we overlook the little warning signs or red flags? It is too bad that many of us have to experience some sort of tragedy or huge life changing event just to get our attention or wake us up. I am the kind of person that usually listens to the gentle whispers of God’s voice or life’s simple lessons. However, it seems that I have been just a little hard headed here lately, and Jesus has been sending me stronger and stronger messages.

They all begin with little gentle nudges, reminders, and cautions. It was an older minister saying, “Matt, you need to pace yourself, slow down, and take care of you!” It was a friend saying, “Matt, I’m worried about you, you don’t look good!” It was another minister saying, “Matt, you can’t keep going like this, you’ll burn out and be like a shooting star that fades!” It was the voice of my Mom, “Matt, please slow down buddy!” It was the voice of very concerned loved ones saying, “Matt, Caleb needs his daddy for a long time, and you can’t imagine what it would do to him if something happened to you!” Wow! You would think that hearing the same thing over and over again, “Matt, you’re not looking good,” that I would wake up, slow it down, and rest! However, for the first time in my life, I did not know how to get a grip, slow it down, or stop my “make it happen” mentality of life!

Life can be so unpredictable at times. There are moments in our life when at the snap of a finger we suddenly fall asleep at the wheel of life. We wake up not feeling good and knowing that something is just not right. While there are times that the devil strikes our bodies with infirmities and diseases, most of the time our sicknesses and ailments are a result of us not eating and resting properly. Many of our sicknesses are actually brought into our life as a result of stress. Stress is a killer. Many of us are battling with severe stress. I would not even want to tackle the subject of “Stress in the Ministry” at this point, but I would caution all of those involved in ministry to please find ways to distress your life and mind. For me, it was a trip to the emergency room a few weeks ago and hearing the doctor say, “Matt, had you waited 30 more minutes to come here, it would’ve been fatal!” I sought the doctor’s wisdom and expertise on what had triggered this in my body. The doctor told me what I had feared the most, “Matt, it was most likely triggered by stress!”

Okay, I am ready to hear what the teacher has to say! For me, it is no longer gentle whispers, but rather screams in my ear, “Matt slow down and rest!” I am not a super hero! The world could survive a few weeks without, “Matt Maddix!” I do not have to go 90 miles per hour everyday of my life. I do not have to keep a schedule that God never intended for my body to handle. We abuse our bodies doing the “work of God.” All along God is saying, “Come unto me, all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” When I consider that God rested after six days of work, I am ready to rest. All medical experts will tell you that rest will actually make you more productive. Therefore I am ready to listen! No more hitting the snooze button in the life of Matt Maddix! I have got the message. There will be drastic action taken to ensure that the sweetest little seven-year-old boy in the world has a happy, fresh, healthy, and balanced daddy!

Matt Maddix

"Hope for the Heart Broken"

2009-06-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

“Caleb Put His Shirt On Backwards and it Changed My Life”

2009-06-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite quotes says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Apparently I was ready for one of the greatest life lesson reminders yesterday morning. My son was getting ready for school and I had told him, “Son, hurry up and get dressed so we aren’t late!” Little Caleb put his underwear, socks, and pants on, and all he had to do was throw on his shirt. I happened to be brushing my teeth as I looked over at little Caleb and saw that he had just put his shirt on backwards. Usually Caleb is a little on the grouchy side in the mornings. However, as he looked to me in frustration and confusion about his shirt being on backwards, we both just started cracking up. We were laughing so loud that the neighbors had to be thinking that we were watching a comedy movie at 7:00 a.m. After dropping him off at school, I was thinking to myself on the way into Jamba Juice for my 2-ounce shot of Wheat Grass, “Gee, Caleb sure was in a really good mood!” What caused this today? I sat there and thought: “Wait a minute! There are actually a few lessons we can learn from Caleb’s little blunder today”:

1. Don’t Take Life So Seriously – We all need a reminder that we are not supposed to sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to be so uptight, angry, or serious. There are times when you just need to realize that it’s just not a big deal.

2. Remember To Laugh – When was the last time you just laughed at yourself, at one of your mistakes, or in the face of adversity? Laughter truly is better than medicine, and it is healthy for the soul and mind! It actually was nice to take a few minutes to laugh about something that most people have grown much too stressed or calloused to enjoy.

3. Don’t Be Negative – I know far too many parents that pass negativity down to their kids in the small moments of their lives. It could have been as small or seemingly harmless as saying, “Come on, can’t you tell which way to put your shirt on?” However, we as parents, leaders, spouses, friends, or bosses need to remember the power of positive thinking and speaking.

4. Change – We all overlook things, drop the ball, make mistakes, and “fail.” However, we must never get to the place where we can’t admit, take full responsibility for, or simply make the changes necessary to put us back on the right path or in the right direction. After our few minutes of cracking up and a few positive words, I just simply said, “No biggie buddy, just turn it around and put it on right!” Remember that you can change, and many times we are just one or two adjustments away from positive and successful results in our lives.

Isn’t it amazing that just a few powerful principles can be refreshed within us at the most unlikely times and through the most unlikely circumstances? The next time something doesn’t happen the way you want it to or thought it should, simply ask the question, “What can I learn from this?” Never lose your passion to learn and grow from each experience and situation in your life. God bless you as you get back on your feet, let go of your past, and move towards success, prosperity, and positive results in your life, business, family, and Christianity.

Matthew J Maddix

http://swbootcampfire.com

“Dad, would you just make a decision?”

2009-04-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight I threw my son for a loop and gave him a choice, “Son, we can go home, snuggle up and watch a good movie or we can go play some more baseball and hockey, what would you rather do?” He contemplated for about 4 minutes and then asked the most fantastic question, “Why can’t we just do both?” A little awed by his sweet faith and confidence to ask his daddy anything, I just stared at him and chuckled. While we were going through the grocery store picking up a few things for the house and for his lunch tomorrow he said, “Dad, would you just hurry and make a decision?” I got the biggest kick out of his grown up request and plea for me to, “Make a Decision!”

Friends, we can’t forget or neglect the reality that there are those that are waiting on us to, “Make Decisions!” The book, Why CEO’s Fail, says that the number one reason why CEO’s fail is because of a lack of execution. I want you to be honest for a moment and become extremely transparent with yourself. What in your life have you been putting off, and what needs immediate execution? If you are sincere about being a successful business man, Christian, husband, or whatever it may be, then you must become action oriented. Needless to say, Caleb and I just finished snuggling up to a good movie because daddy decided that it was a little too late to play baseball and hockey. God bless you this week as you choose to take action on the urgent priorities of your life.

Matt Maddix
http://swbootcampfire.com/

"Lessons from Anthony Mangun"

2009-02-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

The last couple weeks have been the most transformational, impacting, and enlightening two weeks of my life. I’ve had the opportunity to spend the month of February with Anthony Mangun and the Pentecostals of Alexandria. It will be a month that I’ll forever cherish and remember as long as I live. They’ve all expressed what a “blessing” that I’ve been to them and how much I’ve impacted the church for Soul Winning, Guest Follow Up, Home Bible Studies, and Discipleship. However, it’s actually been the other way around; I’ve been the recipient of blessing, encouragement, training, and empowerment. I’m going to share with you five powerful lessons that I learned from Anthony Mangun:

1. Consistency –

I’m not sure if I’ve ever met someone that is more consistent than Anthony & Mickey Mangun. I remember having Gentury Mangun down in St. Petersburg with us for a few weeks, and Anthony called every night to pray for his son. I’ve been in a close mentorship with Anthony Mangun for the past 4 years, and I can tell you that he is the most consistent person that I’ve ever met. He is consistent with his family, relationships, his word, and is very consistent with his Spiritual Disciplines. He doesn’t waiver on the message of Salvation, holiness, and family devotion. Every Monday night, Pastor Anthony and Mickey lead a family devotion for 1-2 hours of prayer, discussion, Bible study, devotion, and dialogue. It’s so refreshing to know a leader that is so consistent in his life, speech, attitude, actions, and example. Back when I was going through a challenging time in my life, Anthony Mangun called me every single day for about 45 straight days. They have been so kind to me through the years. Even when I needed correction or direction, he always did it in such a consistent manner that actually made me want to listen and do whatever he said. Their consistency makes you feel safe, and I trust them with my life. It’s the reason why POA is a refuge for not only people locally but also the hundreds of ministers and wives that have come under the safety, shelter, and protection of such consistent and Godly people.

2. Soul Winning –

I can teach a lot about Soul Winning and feel that I can really help churches and train for personal Soul Winning. However, just by spending time with Anthony & Mickey Mangun, I can tell you that they are Soul Winning Machines. A lot of people may not even realize what an awesome Soul Winner Mickey Mangun is. She is such a people person and is one of the most genuine ladies that you’ll ever meet. She started a group that meets on Saturdays and helps people that battle with addictions from alcohol, drugs, and pain medications. To watch Mickey interact with people at church or in restaurants is simply refreshing and encouraging. The Manguns have always been my heroes, mentors, and people that I’ve deeply admired. They are true healers to so many, and there are literally thousands upon thousands of people in the city of Alexandria that they’ve personally impacted through personal evangelism and friendship. I was eating at Copelands last Sunday with Lee Stoneking and the Manguns, and a man died of a heart attack across the restaurant. As soon as the waiter told Pastor Anthony what had happened, they went to check on the family and pray for the man. The entire family (wealthy and very classy) saw Pastor Anthony and said, “Oh Dr. Mangun, please pray for our friend; he just passed out, and they are pumping his heart.” It was so amazing to watch how they touched, empathized, showed compassion, prayed for, and ministered to this entire family. The Pentecostals of Alexandria is the most powerful, effective, passionate, prayerful, and Soul Winning church on earth. You’ll never see it just on a Sunday visit or at Because of the Times, but if you could get into the veins, the life, and daily flow of POA, you’ll discover that it’s a true Soul Winning church. I remember telling Sis. Mickey last week, “You know, you are one awesome Soul Winner!” Pastor Anthony laughed and said, “You haven’t even heard all my Soul Winning stories yet, you just wait!” J Sister Mickey just laughed and whispered to me, “He’s a Mangun and always has to win, and I just let him think so, but we know…” It was so neat to watch the way they interact with each other.

3. Giving –

If I had to take one word and describe Anthony & Mickey Mangun, it would be “giving!” They are the most giving people that you’ll ever meet. They have such a passion for people, missions, the poor, and the hurting. I’ve watched Anthony Mangun walk across the restaurant on many occasions and pick up people’s bills and pay for them. He really wouldn’t want me to say anything about this, but I’m going to, because I’m just sharing with you principles that I’ve observed so it can encourage and impact you to become better people; Anthony Mangun eats at “The Pit Grill” a lot in Alexandria, and this past Christmas, he walked in and gave every single waitress $50 for Christmas. They absolutely love him in there, and his giving spirit has won many of them to God and helped them trust him as a preacher. It’s so neat to watch “Anthony Mangun” just sitting down talking with a normal everyday waitress that might make about $5.00 or $6.00 an hour, and he’ll just slip them a $20 from time to time. Last Christmas, Anthony & Mickey Mangun would just randomly knock on a door in Alexandria and hand a family $300.00 and bless them. Their spirit of giving has brought the blessings of God upon them, the church, and the entire city. Just remember that God blessed all the Egyptians for Joseph’s sake. The way that POA gives to missions, other ministries, people locally in Alexandria, and to many other causes is absolutely powerful, and it reveals why they are all so blessed.

4. Honor –

You’ll have to search long and hard to find people that are any more polite, respectful, and kind to people regardless of their status in life. The Manguns love them all and most importantly have taught me the valuable lesson honoring the past. I’ve watched Anthony Mangun for 10 years and have been very privileged to have many conversations with him, and I’ve never one time heard him speak a negative word against leadership or elders. He’s always very respectful and gives honor to his parents, official leaders, and the Tennys. As a young minister, I can really appreciate the way he honors leadership. It’s a perfect example to me to always remember to give honor and show respect to older ministers and people that have gone before us; however, not just honor for older ministers or even mentors of his, but even peers and other ministers get the feeling of respect and consideration around the Manguns.

5. Authentic –

Let me tell you why POA is POA and why BOTT is BOTT! Anthony and Mickey Mangun are authentic, genuine, honest, and real! They are the type of people that we all appreciate, because they are open about their failures as well as their successes. As a young minister, I’ve found it to be very safe to talk with them about anything and even ask questions that would have me marked or cut off among some other people. Yet, they are so authentic that they make you feel very safe to have dialogue, talk, share your heart, and ask questions without fearing rejection or judgment. The reason that so many people feel safe attending the POA is because people in the 21st Century are looking for consistent, giving, respectful, and authentic leaders. You’ll not meet people that are any more genuine than the Manguns.

You know, it was really challenging for me to keep this in 5 lessons when, in reality, I could’ve really talked with you about his family commitment, leadership skills, passion, work ethic, pastoral ability, vision, and wisdom. He has never one time led me astray! They’ve been my true friends and have caused me, as a young man, to become stronger, more consistent, more giving, a better Soul Winner, show more respect, and just be authentic. It wasn’t always their words that moved me. Many times it was when they didn’t even know they were teaching me – the times when I just watched, listened, observed and caught the principle. I’m excited about many return visits to the POA in the future, and it’s become my home away from home. I’ve adopted the Manguns to be like parents to me, and they are just simply awesome, neat, amazing, powerful, influential, wise, empowering, encouraging, and a gift from God. I’m not sure if any of you really realize just how many millions across the world have been inspired, encouraged, blessed, and impacted by the Manguns and the Pentecostals of Alexandria. They are truly a once in a lifetime, very special, and God sent people. They are leaders of leaders, and they, to me, are a nail in a sure place. The United Pentecostal Church should always appreciate, honor, and thank God for leaders as the Manguns that give many of us younger ministers hope, inspiration, and clear direction. Thank you God for February 2009 and for the opportunity to get to experience the Pentecostals of Alexandria and to spend quality time with my mentors! If you have never been to a Sunday service at POA, please take a weekend vacation and just go experience for yourself the hospitality, kindness, passion, worship, preaching, and awesome church. It will be the experience of a lifetime.

Why should I attend a Soul Winners Boot Camp?

2009-02-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

As many of you know by now, we’re going to be coming to Houston, Texas, on Thursday, March 19-22, 2009, for a very powerful and Apostolic Soul Winners Boot Camp. I’d like to help answer a very important question that may have already entered your mind; “Why should I attend a Soul Winners Boot Camp?” I am going to give you at least four good, concrete reasons that you should do whatever it takes to make sure that you or someone that you care about attends this awesome, God blessed ministry opportunity.

1. Soul Winners Boot Camp has a Mission – The mission, purpose, and goal is very clear and concise; train and inspire Soul Winners. Nothing else really matters if we don’t have both “inspiration” and “training!” The church doesn’t lack vision, passion, heart, or inspiration. However, there seems to be a gap for practical and effective tools for Soul Winning and Discipleship.

2. Soul Winners Boot Camp will Equip you – You’ll receive the following training and teaching at Soul Winners Boot Camp: (1) Guest Follow Up, (2) How to Structure Outreach in the local church, (3) How to Disciple and Close the Back Door, (4) How to have Soul Winning Youth Groups, (5) Effective Personal Soul Winning, (6) How to Pray people through the Holy Ghost, and (7) What God really expects from a Soul Winner.

3. Soul Winners Boot Camp is Motivating – God told us time after time in the word of God to renew our mind and strength, and there would even be times that we’d get weary in well doing. I want you to know that Soul Winners Boot Camp will renew your passion, vision, and heart for Souls. You’ll leave feeling very motivated, re-energized, excited, and renewed in your faith and passion.

4. Soul Winners Boot Camp Fulfills your Passion – Who doesn’t have a passion for God? Who doesn’t want to see as many people make it to Heaven as possible? Who doesn’t want to do more with their life? Soul Winners Boot Camp focuses on (1) Hands on Training, (2) Serving the Poor, (3) Winning Souls, and (4) Practical & effective equipping for Soul Winning and Discipleship.
You’ll love it and feel re-charged to follow your passion and be the Soul Winner you’ve been called to be.

So here is what I’d like for you to consider as you make your choice to either, (1) Attend, (2) Support financially, and/or (3) Tell others about Soul Winners Boot Camp. What would keep you from coming? What do you really have to lose? What’s the worst thing that could happen to you or any of your friends, family, and church by attending a Soul Winners Boot Camp? Do you believe that we should all be hungry to learn, grow, and sharpen our skills? Would you be willing to take 3 days out of your schedule to attend a Soul Winners Boot Camp? If you are ready, hungry, and willing to do whatever it takes, then Soul Winners Boot Camp is right up your alley and for you.

If you have any questions whatsoever about Soul Winners Boot Camp in Houston, Texas, March 19, 2009, please visit our website at http://swbootcampfire.com or call our office at 727-289-4629. I can assure you from the depths of my soul that you’ll not regret for one single moment your time at Soul Winners Boot Camp. You’ll be so encouraged, inspired, and equipped that you’ll feel so confident and secure about winning souls. We’ll help you overcome your fears, obstacles, and empower you to reach your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. If you are unable to attend but still believe in the overall cause and would like to become one of our monthly partners, please call Travis at 727-244-1066 or Amber at 727-692-2305. We’re thankful for those that partner with us for $25-$50 a month and help us continue the mission of training the Apostolic church and reaching the 6 billion lost souls.

Sincerely,

Matt Maddix

"Three Reasons that I am a Soul Winner"

2009-01-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Often I’m asked to come to churches and light a fire within the members to win souls and reach the world. I’ve given 17 years of my life to Radical and Adventurous Soul Winning, and I must admit that it’s been the time of my life. Of all the things that I enjoy and am involved with, there is nothing more rewarding, fulfilling, and satisfying than seeing a soul won to Jesus Christ. It causes me to want to do more and spend the rest of my life taking this precious gospel around the world to the streets, college campuses, neighborhoods, ghettos, homeless shelters, cancer centers, to doctors, celebrities, businessmen, third world countries, high schools, children, jails, nursing homes, internet, TV, radio, or wherever and whatever I possibly can. Jesus came to this earth for the cause of people, to save sinners, and to give life to this world. Thank God that He has given us the awesome opportunity to live in an era where so many are hungry for God and are ready for the gospel. I’m deeply moved, at this current moment, as I sit in my office and reflect upon my experience and involvement in Soul Winning. It’s been a thrill, and at the same time, a very overwhelming task when I consider all that God requires of us and can do through us. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to share with you three reasons that I’m a Soul Winner; it’s going to be a major challenge to keep it within three, but I’ll do so for the sake of your time. I’d beg you from the depths of my heart and with every drop of blood in my body to read this and be inspired, motivated, encouraged, and mainly awakened to the need, cause, and urgency that lies before us. Get ready to weep, get excited, and want to take action at the same time.

1. Burden –

The first reason that I am a Soul Winner is because of the genuine burden that God gave to me, because I sincerely asked for it at a young age. There were three divine moments in my life where I could feel the transfer of burden in my heart and spirit. It reminds me of the young preacher whose church was exploding and growing at a very rapid rate that used to weep while preaching. Feeling the embarrassment of weeping so much while he preached, he actually prayed and said, “God, please take away my tears.” The Lord honored his prayers and his tears were gone. However, after about six months, the young pastor’s church began to decline and lose members, influence, and momentum. It was then that God began to deal with this preacher about the cause of such a loss; it was because he prayed for the Lord to take away his tears; therefore, lost his burden. He then found a place to pray and said, “Lord, please give me back my tears!” Friends, I write this with tears streaming down my face, and I write for the cause of hurting, lonely, empty, lost, and confused families, children, teenagers, and people that need a church of compassion and burden. Do you mind if I share an observation with you about the 21st century church? Our churches in the 21st century are consumed with the mechanics of “church”, and many of us are so talented or perhaps have gotten so busy that we’ve lost the burden of what this is really all about. I’m a Soul Winner, because I have a burden and a heart full of compassion for this world and those that have to go to bed at night with no Holy Ghost, no peace, and no Jesus. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be without God and His presence, power, and peace in my life.

I’m not even going to attempt to express my burden for the poor, fatherless children, hurting single mothers, bound alcoholics, a man that has made decisions in life that have led him to a bed that consists of a park bench or the sidewalk, and the millions of precious, sincere people that attend churches with no power, life, or Holy Ghost revival. We must pray and ask Jesus to let us have His heartbeat and His Spirit, and if we let it happen, then we must be prepared to live life with compassion and burden. It’s not always easy, but people of burden and compassion will change the world and make a life changing eternal difference in the lives of people.

2. Excitement –

Please understand that Soul Winning is not an issue that we should be debating the mechanics over. I’m actually stunned and amazed at the amount of people that evaluate the Tim Downs approach, Soul Winners Boot Camp approach, or the Holy Ghost crusade approach. I’m not sure where those well meaning people are coming from when they want to spend their time making issues over the cause of evangelism and soul winning. The real issue is that we are missing out on the purpose of sharing our testimony; we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. I will admit that not everyone sticks, and the majority of churches have a very weak follow up and discipleship system. For that very reason, I’ve given myself to the solution, and I believe that God has given me insight; I plan on teaching churches, pastors, and leaders to effectively follow up and disciple people. However, while we may not all have everything together just yet, please don’t overlook the joy and abundant excitement that fills your heart when you share the gospel, serve the poor, baptize a sinner, and watch God fill someone with the Holy Ghost. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that winning souls is an addiction, a thrill, and the joy of a lifetime. It’s the single most rewarding and exciting element of the church. Let’s not become distracted with who uses what method to reach people. Methods are like tools – they are all necessary for certain functions of assembly or construction and are meant to help us and make life easier. Church doesn’t have to be a competition nor do we need to make it all about comparison either. We need to get back to simply enjoying being a Christian, the blessings of God, and enjoying the journey of winning people to Jesus. If you feed the homeless, go to the jail every Tuesday night, knock on every door in your city, teach Bible Studies, drive a Sunday school bus, bake cookies for the shut ins, or whatever you may do to serve, give, let your light shine, or pray people through on a daily basis, just go do it, and let the excitement return to your life. Nobody has all the answers or right methods. We are simply called by Jesus to do six things; (1) Let our lights shine, (2) Do good works, (3) Serve the poor, (4) Witness, (5) Win Souls, and (6) Disciple people. If we all do those six things, regardless of our method or style, it’s meant to be exciting, fun, and addicting. Did I make myself clear?

3. It’s the Will of God –

Please let me make it very clear that Soul Winning is not supposed to bring condemnation on your life. It’s not about that. However, you know yourself better than we all do, and you know if you are truly a careless, apathetic, lazy, and critical “Christian” that simply just doesn’t care, and therefore, it’s easier on your own conscious to talk about those that are winning souls or to make excuses of why you are not. We’ll leave that for the Lord to decide. However, let me go on record, stand flat footed and tell you that Soul Winning is the perfect will of God. There isn’t a person alive on this planet that attends one single church, preaches one message, teaches one Sunday school class, or holds one position that is exempt from Winning Souls. It’s not a separate ministry of the church; while there may be different methods or ministries that all affect Soul Winning, it doesn’t exempt our individual responsibility to be a witness to our neighbors, family, friends, or co-workers. It’s our calling from God, and it’s His perfect will for us to win souls. You’ll never in your lifetime meet one person that is more radical, addicted, passionate, and consumed with Soul Winning than Jesus Christ. There is no way possible that any of us could stand before nail scarred hands with a calloused, apathetic, hard, and burden less heart. It’s just not going to happen. If you desire to be in the perfect will of God, then please begin following Jesus, and allow Him to make you fishers of men.

I’ll close with a few thoughts to provoke and cause all to think. If we have no passion to win souls, we are not following Jesus. Why should we hear the gospel three times a week when there are millions that have never heard it one time in their lives? Why would you not want to see your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers experience Salvation and be saved from a lake of fire? Would you not want to do the very thing that pleases God the most? Are you willing to learn more about Soul Winning? One last thought; I know of thousands of preachers and saints that will go to conference after conference to listen to preaching, but when it comes to just pure raw Soul Winning and going to the streets, where are they? Are you willing to finally actually GO? Are you willing to actually put it into action and win a soul? Are you willing to be trained and experience a Soul Winning explosion? If yes, then please be bold enough to join us at one of our 16 Soul Winners Boot Camps by visiting swbootcampfire.com, and I can assure you that you’ll leave with a Soul Winning Passion and tools that will help you reach your friends and family. God bless you as you follow God with your whole heart and allow yourself to become an effective Soul Winner in 2009!

Matthew J Maddix

http://mattmaddix.com

http://swbootcampfire.com

"If I Had it to Do Over Again"

2008-12-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

It has been a beautiful Friday in the state of Florida and in my life. I awoke early this morning to finish my “Must Be Done List” and accomplish all my daily goals. I was able to make it to the gym for a strong, hour long cardio and work out. It was so refreshing and mentally healthy. I listened to an audio book on my IPOD called, “The Passion Test”. It was so awesome and very motivational. After swinging by the health food store to get my daily wheat grass shot, I decided to visit my favorite place in St. Petersburg; Mazzaros! If you are ever in the St. Petersburg area and want to have the experience of your life, then stop by Mazzaros! Everyone in that place knows me and treats me like a celebrity whenever I walk in. It’s fun and very energizing to talk, laugh, and connect with all the workers. It’s one of the most electrifying places you’ll visit. The music, culture, and atmosphere are a true Italian experience. There is a coffee bar in the middle; it’s the place where everyone sits around and talks. Today, I noticed a very cute elderly couple sitting right next to me and decided to talk with them and ask them questions about life, family, success, work, and passion. It was an awesome conversation as this 79 year old couple that had been married for 60 years talked with me and answered my questions. I like to talk with people and thoroughly believe that I can learn something from everyone that I meet. They say that experience is the best teacher. I’ll have to disagree; experience isn’t the best teacher. The best teacher is experience and the experience of others. I walked away from an hour conversation feeling so refreshed, enriched, and thankful for life. I also walked away with the feeling of, “Oh God, life really does go by fast!”

I was telling my brother about this experience and became very sober at something that the elderly gentleman said after I had asked the question, “Jim, if you had it to do over again, what would you do different?” He looked right into my eyes and said, “I’d do what I really wanted to do.” For the past hour, I’ve been thinking about that one sentence. I’m in deep thought right now, there is a lump in my throat, and I have even been choked up a few times over the past few minutes. What would we all do if we had it to do over again? It’s a fun question and it’s something that we should ask everyone that we meet and know. However, it’s the most disappointing feeling in the world; we will never have it to live over again. Someone once asked me what my most sobering thought was. My most sobering thought is, “We all only have ONE life!” One chance to do it!

We have one shot and one chance to learn our lessons, make our mark, and experience life. Does it go by fast? You bet that there’ll come a day that you’ll look back and it will be too late to live your dreams and passions. Someone once said, “When we get to the end of our lives, we’ll not regret the things that we did but rather the things that we didn’t do.” So, what is it that you really want? What would you do with your life if you could have the “perfect” life? What would you do if you had to do to again? What would you do if money was no option and you could actually have the confidence to try and do what your heart beats for? What do you daydream about? What is burning in your soul and mind to do? Friends, I urge you to stop right now and make sure that you are living the life of your dreams now. Look within and tune a deaf ear to those small minded people that are always dragging you down with their average and mediocre words and thoughts. Please don’t get to the end and regret. Please don’t die with the dream inside. Please don’t allow fear or the unknown to keep you from living your life to the fullest.

Anyone that studies success knows that “clarity” is the secret to achieving and getting what you want. Are you able to “clarify” exactly what you want and then are you willing to pursue after it? Why don’t you go back to school? Why not take that missions trip? Why not take your parents on their “dream” vacation? Why not build that Homeless Shelter? Why don’t you start giving now the way that you “think” you would give if you had a million dollars? Why don’t you save the money and take your family on a vacation? Why not slow down and go play catch with your son, have that talk with your daughter, and go play games with your friends? I’m bothered with how stressed and unhappy America has become. We seem to be in such a hurry, rushing and going nonstop. We are living in fear of rejection and have settled with schedules we don’t like and working jobs that we hate. What? You are going to give 40 hours of your week away doing what you have no passion for? Why? For what; security, a car you don’t like, and a house you don’t enjoy? Why not make some radical changes! Change your spending habits, get out of debt, go back to school, and do whatever you must do to start doing what you love and what you want. Are you willing to break out of your rut and take a leap or risk? I always like to operate with the worst case scenario in mind; what is the worst thing that could happen? If necessary, you become the biggest penny pinching miser, get rid of the car payment, and live below your means until you are able to do what you love. It’s a mind over matter for the bigger picture of your dreams and passions.

You may have to work two jobs just for one year, get up at 4:00 am to study and read. You may have to say no to the good so you can say yes and enjoy the best. However, whatever you do, please don’t fall into the trap and sell yourself short. Please don’t allow your father’s negative opinion, your ex husband, your friends, or even your past keep you from a bright, healthy, exciting, passionate, and successful future. Your future is right now, and I want you to get off, “Someday Island”. You say, “Someday I’ll…” I’ll what? How about doing it now and enjoying your life today? How about playing with your kid now? How about reading that book this week? How about enrolling in college next semester? How about volunteering at the mission this week? How about winning a soul now? How about reading your Bible through this year? How about joining the gym today? How about making changes in your health now? How about calling your dad now? How about inviting the family over this Sunday afternoon for a cookout and games? How about less TV time and more personal time? How about less negativity and more of what you want? How about going to the mall and buying yourself that dress you really want?

Please slow down and get out of the boring, monotonous, and dissatisfying rut; live it up. Please dream and think as big as you can! Please wake up with a fresh view tomorrow! Please do something for yourself! Please enjoy, laugh, and love. Please give to others and especially our families. Please take the time for what really matters. Please don’t allow the church bus to take your kids to church for you. Please don’t make your wife have to read a romance novel to discover romance and passion. Please don’t make your kids wonder what you were like! Please be with them, and when you are with your family, be with your family mentally, physically, and emotionally. Let’s allow our walk with God, our churches, our health, and family become a PASSION of ours again and give our best years, time, and energy to what really matters. Hey guys, “What do you really want?” Since we don’t have it to do over again, why not do it now?

Matt Maddix

http://mattmaddix.com

"The Biggest Mistake that I've Ever Made"

2008-12-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

I've always practiced transparency and honesty almost to a fault of mine. Just hang around someone like me and usually I'll end up confessing all my faults and revealing my weaknesses. I've a very good reason for my authenticity and candor. There was a day in my life where I was very stubborn, arrogant and very defensive, sadly even to the point where my closest friends, family and staff would withhold their opinions or true feelings for fear of me rejecting their feelings or making them feel really stupid for their honesty. Looking back on my leadership style and giving myself a true evaluation, it's very tough to admit but I don't like what I see. You see, I was Matt Maddix and experienced a great deal of success as a young man and little did I know, I was filled with pride and ego. I thought I was unstoppable, untouchable and in command of my life, my church and my entire ministry. I was almost like the man that could do know wrong. I was blinded by the praise of masses and admiration of all my "fans" that I couldn't even see my own blind spots. You know what's like to be driving down the road and you begin to switch lanes and the passenger in the front seat screams, "Watch it" or "Be Careful" or "Matt!" Usually, I'll say, "I didn't even see that car, Thank you!" The shaken up passenger usually will apologize for seeming so dramatic but really, should their even be a need for an apology when all the passenger was trying to do was warn, caution and prevent tragedy. I've actually grown to deeply appreciate and crave upfront, honest, candid and straight communication. Life has twisted in so many different ways for me and I've learned many valuable lessons. I'm on a mission to crucify my own pride, ego and arrogance. The Bible sure is right, "Pride goes before a fall…" Ouch! I feel really heavy already as I write this as I am thinking of all the sweet people that were in my inner circle that would wave the warning flag in the sweetest and softest way possible. Please for my own sanity, let me declare that I wasn't abusive or mean. I was just a very strong, ego driven and powerful personality. I'm sure that those close to me experienced the pain and deep frustration because I was so head strong and stubborn. I've been attempting to apologize and make right those that were hurt from me ignoring the red flags, caution lights and concerns.

So, what was the greatest mistake that I've ever made? Well, I could actually and perhaps someday might do it, write a book about, "What Failure taught me about Success." I could share with you some mistakes that I've made as a leader, pastor, husband and daddy. Upon resigning my church a few months ago, I've had many hours to think, reflect and experience the bitter sweet trip down memory lane. Sure, there are many things that I'm happy about, many victories, good times and the good will most likely outweigh the bad. However, I really didn't like what I felt or saw as I thought of the pitfalls that I could've avoided had I just now had so much pride and ego to listen. Someone once said, "If you don't ignore the whispers, you'll not have to endure the screams!" It's actually a very frustrating and disheartening feeling to see a major red flag and then not be heard or understood. The greatest mistake that I've ever made is when I ceased to listen to the wisdom, advice and warning flags of those closest to me. Perhaps my candor and openness will help save other men, ladies, bosses, leaders, spouses and parents from destruction, heartbreak or setbacks.

What do you do when you realize that you've blown it, made a mess of your life or made some ego driven decisions? First, you take full responsibility for your actions and behavior patterns. I'm always extremely concerned about a person that I can't step up and admit their wrongs or failures. I tend to actually think more highly of the person who can say, "I was wrong and I made a bad choice!" It's actually quite simple but it does require a trip to the coffin so you can bury your pride, ego and arrogance. You have to be willing to take full responsibility and recognize the error of your ways. Secondly, learn to start listening and valuing the wisdom and caution of those you trust the most in your life. Of course we are all defensive by nature because not everybody has our best interest at heart or will protect us when we fail. I'm personally very open with those closest to me because I know they will take my failures, flaws and human sins to their grave. I'd like to caution you from getting close to whistle blowers, gossipers and to insecure and jealous people. I've carefully selected people that I allow to speak into my life and when they speak, I'm completely open, appreciative and humbled by their concern, love and boldness to speak straight to me. I'm ready to listen, learn, stop at the yellow lights, allow others to point out the blind spots and refrain from being defensive in the process. My favorite three questions to ask those closest to me are as follows:

1. What do I need to keep doing?
2. What do I need to start doing?
3. What do I need to stop doing?

The answer to those three questions will keep you from driving off the cliff, running the red light and causing major pain, self destruction and heartbreak in you and those closest to you. If my breath stinks, I'd like to know about it so I can fix it. If my tie doesn't match, I want to know so I can change it. If I have food on my teeth, I'd like to know so I can get rid of it. If I am about to pull into another lane of oncoming traffic, than I want the passenger to scream and get my attention. Should you be the one that is selected to provide accountability or be a truth teller in another persons life, I'd like to offer you a few suggestions. First, make sure that your motives are right and that you genuinely care about the success and protection of another. Second, never talk behind the back of the person that you care about or reveal their weakness or failures to others. Thirdly, learn how to say things and attempt to communicate truth in the most sincere, honest and loving manner.

May God help all of us as we seek to avoid the trap of being offended, defensive or ego driven. Please learn from my personal mistakes and allow those closest to you speak into your life without fear of rejection or distance. Please stay humble enough to admit that you need help, honest communication and even the wisdom of those who may see what we are incapable of seeing. It's actually a very free, healthy and peaceful way to live when you are open to constructive criticism, candor and the truth. Whenever you have a hunger to be right with God and are willing to ask God for help than you'll experience blessings and forgiveness because God is always attracted to the humble and honest. God rejects the proud, stubborn and ego centered people. However, God will continue to give you mercy, grace and strength to overcome your weaknesses and eventually you'll outgrow and defeat your failures and flaws.

Matt Maddix
http://mattmaddix.com/

"Three Words that Changed my Life"

2008-12-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

It’s been such a relaxing time for us to be here in the Great Smokies for the past 10 nights. It’s become a tradition for us to come to Gatlinburg for 10-12 nights at the end of the year for a time of relaxation, rest, and Sabbath. It’s been so nice to be in a place where my cell phone won’t work and there is no internet. What did we ever do before those days? Caleb absolutely loves his time with Daddy in the cabin. He is so cute and really comes alive as we are able to spend a lot of quality time. We usually hike, build lots of fires, have a lot of conversations in the hot tub, play games, watch Christmas movies, go ice skating, and sometimes just simply relax. It’s rather peaceful to have the fire going and just have an hour of quiet time. I remember the first night that we had “quiet” time; it was actually a shock as to how nice it was to have no cell phone ringers, no email chimes, no conversation, no dishes clinging, and no movement or activity. It was just an hour of everyone reading and enjoying the peacefulness of being quiet. I actually had almost forgotten what it was like to be that still and relaxed. I’ve thought about this over the past few days, and I’m actually deeply moved at how loud, active, busy, and full our lives really are. Usually, we don’t realize just how full our lives are until we actually pull away and try to rest or relax. We live in a very stressful era, and I’ve personally witnessed many people who are so “busy” and never have “time” to just be. We are so used to deriving our worth and value by “doing” that we have forgotten how to just be. I’m reminded of one of my favorite scriptures; “Be still and no that I am God.” We really don’t practice that scripture, because we are always rushing, worrying, moving, going, reacting, and stressing that we rarely just “be still” and let God be God in our lives.

Friends, allow me to encourage you to remember that God really is big enough and well able to handle our entire life’s problems. He really wants us to slow down and not be so pushy with our lives. Yea, we are taught to “make it happen” and usually are very skilled at taking matters in our own hands. Do you mind if I just share with you from my own personal life and experience? Guys, it’d be pretty hard to find a person with a stronger competitive nature than what I have. I’m not sure where it came from, but I’ve always had this tenacious, passionate, determined, intense, and bull dog will. It actually has been to my advantage on many occasions to have this type of personality that gets the job done, makes it happen, and will do whatever it takes. It has been fun and I’ve experienced many breakthroughs, blessings, and success because of that tenacious, over the top, and killer instinct. However, there has been a shift in my thinking and inner values about that. Yes, we are suppose to work hard, make it happen, get up early, work our hearts out, and have determined and tenacious will power; however, we do have to remember that we can’t leave the sovereignty of God out of the equation. I’m concerned that many of us are so intense, consumed, and always pushing that we are missing out on a greater blessing and higher purpose, because we are not allowing God to be the one to order our steps and open the doors. There are three words that I want to share with you today that I’d love for you to experience and focus on in 2009. These three words have changed my life and the way that I do business, ministry, and operate as a father and friend.

1. Flow

Because some of you are control freaks, you may have a hard time with the first one and that is “flow”. I’ve learned to simply let go and start flowing. You know that more wealth, blessings, and open doors have happened in my life, because I’ve stopped being so consumed with any “one” idea or “one” way of doing something. Often, God has other plans and other ways of opening doors for us. You lose your job? You have a meeting canceled? Your mom can’t come for Christmas? Your boss just informed you that you are receiving a promotion but have to move? Your idea just got shot down? Your sister doesn’t want to talk to you? What do you do in situations that are way beyond your control? You have to learn to “flow” and look for the lesson, experience, and open door. We often are so focused on the doors that are closing in our lives that we miss out on the open door right before us. Just the other day, I was using my tenacious, killer instinct and high powered sales skills to try to close out a Boot Camp in what I thought would be the perfect location. After a very intense 2 hour meeting with the pastor and using every single ounce of energy and passion into trying to capture the heart of this pastor to see just how a Boot Camp in his city would change his life and church forever, it just didn’t work, and the door seemed slammed closed. I told the Lord, “God, I’m just going to flow and see what happens.” I’m not going to push this door open and try to “make it happen” even though I could have. However, as I got into the “flow”, a door swung wide open just 3 days later that was 110% better for our ministry. God really is in complete control and wants us to start “flowing”.

2. Still

Perhaps when our parents were telling us to “sit still”, they were actually speaking wisdom into our lives. This is by far the most challenging concept for me to deal with. I’m not usually the guy that you’ll find sitting still. I’m not sure if still has ever existed in my life. With a heavy schedule, a huge dream, the joy of being a daddy, traveling the country, writing books, speaking, counseling, coaching, mentoring, planning, and having such a passion, it’s challenging for me to actually “be still”, but it’s a matter of life and death. I’m telling you that unless you learn the discipline of “still”, you’re going to continue to be frustrated, weary, and overwhelmed. Many of us are not going to experience what it’s like to work in God’s strength, anointing, and power until we take the time to “be still” and allow Him to direct us, empower us, and refresh our minds and spirits. Too many times we are so busy, active, and engrossed in our lives that we don’t ever refuel, renew, or refresh, because we are not still. Personally, I’ve practiced the discipline of “being still”, and it has changed my life. Sometimes, I don’t do a single thing, say a word, or make a decision but rather just sit still before God and allow His thoughts, power, and wisdom to fill my mind. We can keep trying to drive on empty tanks, tired bodies, weary minds, and frustrated hearts, or we can get “still” and look for God to really begin to work for us and through us.

3. Rest

I’m a driven person and could work 16-18 hour days almost everyday and never truly get “tired”, because I’m a guy that works in the lane of his passion. I’ve truly discovered my passion and don’t ever feel like I’m working a single moment. It’s fun, exhilarating, a thrill, and I’m having the time of my life. I’m amazed that I am actually making a living doing what I’m doing. However, over the past two years, God, life, and nature have taught me the value of “rest”. There comes a moment where you need to pull away from the pressure cooker and busyness of life and rest. I’ve personally had to make myself start resting. I’m not referring to sleep or getting your much needed and necessary 8 hours of sleep a night. I want to go a little deeper and somehow challenge us to understand that we desperately need to have a reconnection with the “Sabbath” principle in our lives. How many of you honestly have a full 24 hour break from phones, work, TV, schedules, appointments, internet or noise. I’ve always had an above average positive attitude, strong work ethic, and the ability to prioritize and manage my time excellent; however, I’ve started to take a full day each week to “rest” and do nothing or do whatever I want that doesn’t have to do with phones, schedules, meetings, ministry, or work. I’m shocked that more people aren’t taking advantage of “rest” and seem to think that the world can’t survive 24 hours without them. I’ve taken an “oh well” approach and am determined that even “Matt Maddix” can be unavailable for 24 hours a week and allow my mind, body, and spirit to be at rest. I’m a much better daddy and friend, and my ministry is always stronger after a full day of rest. I usually have more energy, peace of mind, and actually end up getting more done when I honor the Sabbath principle of rest.

Good luck to all of you sweet people out there as you attempt to allow the flow, stillness, and rest into your lives. It’s not easy, but it is necessary and would completely change your life if you learned how to flow, rest, and be still before God. Try it and watch how much energy you gain and how renewed and relaxed you start feeling.

Matt Maddix

http://mattmaddix.com/

"Caleb Started His First Job Tonight"

2008-11-05T21:02:00.001-08:00

My sweet little boy Caleb is going to be turning 7 on December 13, 2008 and already has experienced some awesome things. Today marks a very special day in the life of Caleb. Today, Caleb started his first real job and absolutely loves it. We traditionally will play baseball, football, and ride our scooters in downtown St. Petersburg everyday on the weeks that he is with me. We always have a blast hanging out downtown, whether it’s playing ball, climbing trees, rocking in the rocking chair on the front porch of the Vinoy, or riding our scooters all over the place. However, one of our absolute favorite things to do is stop by Hooker Tea and enjoy a cup of tea. The owners, Shawn Hooker and Kendra, are some amazing people and have become close friends of mine. I’m a huge tea drinker and have over 32 different kinds of loose leaf tea but still enjoy the whole culture and atmosphere of Hooker Tea. Caleb has even gotten to the place where he wants to go to drink tea on a daily basis and loves to visit Hooker Tea. Well, a few nights ago, the owner, Kendra, offered Caleb a job and asked him if he would like to start work at the Hooker on a part time basis. Caleb was beyond excited and could hardly wait to get started. Caleb loves to work and has an awesome work ethic. I’m so happy that he is learning work ethic, money management, and discipline at a young age. Tonight, Caleb started his first day at work and did an awesome job. He helped fold towels, clean, and did whatever needed to be done. Before he started his first day on the job, daddy gave him some practical advice and told him that he needed to remember 4 things while he was working:

1. Caleb, Always Work Hard –

I’ve always believed that work was a gift from God and that when we are working, we should work. I’ve learned that if you work while you work, you’ll be able to accomplish so much more and actually learn to love it. I’m all for enjoying your job, having personality, and enjoying whatever kind of atmosphere your job creates. However, I wanted Caleb to know that if he is going to work a job that I wanted him to be a hard worker. Well, did he ever follow that advice and worked his little heart out. Son, you’ll feel so strong and great when you put in a hard day’s work. Caleb, people that are lazy end up jobless and miss out on a lot of blessings and joys of life. I told Caleb that I wanted him to work with passion and put his whole heart into it. Boy did he ever! I was so proud to watch him work hard tonight.

2. Caleb, Have a Positive Attitude –

Son, it’s important that you always have a positive attitude about your job. I shared stories with him about people that love their work, and their attitude shows, as well as those who complain and are always negative about their job or boss. I wanted Caleb to know that having a positive attitude will generate energy and even cause you to get promotions in life. My advice was, Caleb, use words such as, “Yes!”, “Absolutely!”, “Sure!”, “Consider it done!”, and “My pleasure!” Son, never use the words, “No Problem” or “I guess,” but rather be super positive and energetic about your work. Caleb, people always want to be around someone that is positive and full of life. Son, it’s important that you speak positive about your boss, employees, and your job. Even if there are things you are asked to do that you don’t like, focus on the positive, and count it a blessing to have a job.

3. Caleb, Always Work with Excellence –

My third piece of advice was to always go the extra mile, and do more than what is asked of you. His first task was to fold towels; he folded them nearly perfect. Kendra was so impressed with his ability to neatly and perfectly fold the towels. I told him that I would show him how to do it right and that if he would focus and discipline himself to always do it right and with excellence, he would feel better about his work and get more done in the long run. He learned how to fold the towels perfectly, and I watched him re-fold three of them, because they weren’t excellent. It’s a very awesome trait to have. Caleb, being average is a curse, and it’s always best to do your work with absolute excellence. Son, do your best and always go the extra mile. Ask for extra work, come in early, stay later, and never cheat, cut corners or do sloppy work. I told little Caleb that he wouldn’t want to have a barely get by mentality, and that is why I make him put his clothes in the basket, put away his shoes neatly, and apply excellence in his school, sports, and now his first job.

4. Caleb, Be Thankful for Your Job –

Son, as you grow through life, it’s very important that you practice being really thankful. It may not even be the “perfect” job, and you may not make as much money as you would like; however, if you will be thankful, then you’ll feel better, and God will bless you with more. Work will actually become fun and be viewed as a blessing when you are thankful.
Caleb, make sure that you tell Kendra thank you for hiring you and for the opportunity to work. Bosses and business owners love having people work for them that are thankful. God and life have a special way of rewarding and promoting people that are thankful. It’s important that you are thankful for your job and your customers. Son, always say thank you to the people that come into the Tea Shop, and show your appreciation for them. If you make them feel special, then they’ll surely come back, and you’ll keep your job.

Needless to say, I’m a super proud father and am very happy that my son is blessed with his first job. He absolutely is on cloud nine, won’t stop talking about it, called all our family, told all his friends, and feels very blessed to have a job, especially since every night that he works, he is handed an envelope with his name on it, with a crisp $5.00 bill inside and also gets a free cup of tea. It actually builds his self esteem, teaches him excellent habits, and now he’ll learn how to manage his money. So, Caleb, what are you going to do with your money? I was very proud to hear him tell me that he was going to tithe first and save it. On Monday, I’m taking him to the bank and am going to get him a debit card with his name on it, linked to my account. I am teaching him to save, budget, and properly spend his money. I’m looking forward to watching my son continue to learn, grow, and enjoy his little life. He is a very happy kid and has an amazing positive attitude.

Matt Maddix

mattmaddix.com

"Little Johnny Lost His Daddy"

2008-10-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Just a minute ago, I stepped off a flight from Tampa to Jacksonville on my way to preach a Soul Winning Rally in Georgia. The Pastor is waiting for me at baggage claim, however, I just can't rush and not share this story with you. Actually, the gentleman sitting next to me, as I watched out the window, asked me if I was ok; he was curious, because a grown 32 year old man was weeping. I couldn't control my emotions. I just sat in the chair and wept as I thought of how thankful I am and what an awesome responsibility that I have before me. I wept as I thought of the many blessings that Jesus has given to me and how thankful I am for the healthy, loving, and safe life that my little Caleb lives.

I printed my boarding pass yesterday, and with Southwest, the earlier you print, the better your chance of getting in the A group. I love to sit in the isle seat and will do almost whatever I can to get an isle and have my own seat as well. However, this morning, I asked Jesus to lead me to someone who needed Him. A young kid looked at me and said, "Is it ok if we sit next to you, sir?" His, what I thought was dad, said, "Do you mind?" I said, "Go right ahead!" They sat down and I went back to reading. The title of my book is, "The Art of Influence." About 20 minutes into the flight I asked the gentleman next to me, "So how are you guys today?" I asked a couple more questions such as, "Where are you all heading today?" Then I asked the little dude, "How are you buddy?" He said, "I'm excited about going home to Tennessee." This little 8 year old kid was so sweet and looked so happy. I then asked the man that I thought was his father, "What were you doing in Tampa?" He replied, "Picking up my nephew to go home with us."

David then began to tell me about little Johnny's life. Jonathan was 6 years old when his father passed away of a sudden heart attack. There was an automatic lump in my throat as I thought of my little 6 year old and what life would be like for him if he lost his daddy. I couldn't imagine Caleb having a life without me. He loves his mommy, and his mommy is a perfect mom. However, I believe that a father's influence in a young boy's life is an absolute necessity for that boy's emotional stability and mental health. Today, as I dropped my son off at his Christian School, he said, "Daddy, you can just drop me off." I said, "Caleb, I know, but daddy likes to hold your hand and walk you in, because it gives me more time with you." He then said, "Daddy that makes me feel special." I wonder how many other times I've made little Caleb feel special and secure by just being the dad that I am supposed to be. I just can't imagine life without Caleb.

Little Jonathan's mother had a nervous breakdown after the death of her husband. The mother began taking tranquilizers to help with the depression, which soon led to a life of uncontrolled drinking and drugs. John's mom was a college graduate, loving mother with a very stable job and life, and loved her son so much. Her life simply fell apart; she lost her grip when she was faced with the death of her life long love and the pain of her little boy now dealing with the loss of his daddy. I just wished that I had known them or could've encountered this family in the early stages of her depression. She ended up losing everything; she lost her house, job, income, and sadly, the State eventually took little Johnny away. That's when I lost it and began to cry. I tried so hard not to show David, but it just broke my heart to think that this sweet little boy, at the age of 6, had to deal with losing his daddy to a death, and then he is taken away from his mommy by the State. I'm sure the State did what they thought was best for this child. However, I just can't imagine the fear, heartbreak, or his desperate need for reassurance and hugs, or just the touch of his mommy or daddy. Thankfully, the uncle fought for almost a year, while this sweet little boy was bounced from foster home after foster home, and was able to win the custody of his little nephew.

After getting his address and having my picture taken with them, I walked away and just had to sit down and said the following prayer, "Jesus, please forgive me for anytime in my life that I have complained or acted ungrateful." "Jesus, please take care of all the little kids in this world that are starving for affection, love, reassurance, and security." "Jesus, please help me live a long life, so I can be a rock in my son's life." "Jesus, lastly, I want to ask you to help me take care of my health, so I can keep going and doing what You have called me to do, and that is to wake up the church that seems to have lost touch with the real world and those that are hurting." Friends, I know that I've made many mistakes and am not perfect. However, if you could just feel for one moment what it's like to carry this burden that God has given me for hurting people, it would break your heart and cause you to take action. The church must respond and really help heal hurting people. We have a job to do and a world to reach and touch. It's not easy being a feeler; I mean I am a mess right now and can't even get off my chair in the Southwest terminal. Perhaps, we churches need to use our resources to help families such as this. I have their address and plan on blessing this family at every Christmas, Birthday, as well as other holidays, and back to school. I am the church, and I represent the church. I want this family to know that there are churches out there that actually do more than talk about religion.

Please slow down and verbally tell your kids, spouse, and family just how much you love them. Please shower your kids with positive affirmation and reassuring touches. Every human being needs 8 meaningful touches a day; we simply can't have too much affection and touch in our homes. Our kids need to feel safe, secure, and loved. We ought to be our kid's biggest fans and cheerleaders. For every negative statement or correction, there should be over 100 positive statements and affirmations. Please take care of yourself and protect your health at all costs.

Friends, family, business leaders, ladies, gentlemen, teenagers, and fellow church members across America: I beg you from the bottom of my heart to please lay aside all the bitterness, criticalness, small thinking, pouting, complaining, selfishness, and passive, apathetic attitudes. Please get alone with Jesus and allow Him to clean your heart and fill your heart with compassion for people. I just simply have no time to play all the politics and involve myself with the critical, negative, selfish, and religious side of Christianity. I'm finding myself drawn closer to what really matters.

Today, I woke up, and Jesus knew that I needed a little reminder of what this was all about and why I do what I do. I have no doubt whatsoever of what my assignment and purpose is on earth. God knows there are billions that are in need of the church, and every church must experience a baptism of passion and compassion. Ladies and gentlemen, ready or not, here we come! There is no stopping this message, and if nothing else, I am going to do it for all the Johnny's in the world. God bless you, and please continue to keep me in your prayers.

Matthew J Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

mattmaddix.com

"The Single Greatest Moment of my Life"

2008-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

For the past 32 years, 7 months, and 24 days, I've been living my life to the absolute fullest. I've had many moments of victories, good times, laughter, friendships, memories, and even my share of struggles. However, of all the moments in my life, none will ever compare to the experience that I had tonight, August 24, 2008. Yes, there have been exactly 17,155,890 minutes in my life. I've truly learned how to live in the "moment" and cherish the moments that life brings to me. There have been songs written such as, "One Defining Moment." I've often said, "Oh what a day could bring."

Well, tonight I was able to experience the single greatest moment of all the 17,155,890 minutes of my life. Many people have classified me as a Great Soul Winner. People will go to the extent of flying me all over the world to preach about soul winning; it's ok with me, because there are only about 5 or 7 people on this entire planet that may have a greater passion for seeing souls saved than myself. For the past 17 years, I've given myself to personal soul winning and have personally won thousands of people to Jesus. It's been a thrill, and I could talk about it for hours. Just imagine all the soul winning blitzes, block parties, soul winners' boot camps, outreaches, campus ministry outreaches, and five years of being the pastor of one of the most aggressive soul winning churches in America. However, there isn't a soul on this entire earth that is more important to me than my sweet, little six year old boy, Caleb! You can take all the thousands of souls that I have won to God and the thousands of churches that I've inspired to reach souls by the millions; however, none of that could possibly compare to the joy, excitement, and overwhelming success of baptizing little Caleb Matthew Maddix in Jesus name.

For the past five years, I've served as the Pastor of the Life Center and have reached out to hundreds of thousands of people locally and internationally. Tonight, ironically enough, God blessed my work and effort by allowing the last soul that I baptize as Pastor of the Life Center to be the most important to me and that is my sweet little son. Wow! There is no way to plan it any better, and it's the greatest goodbye gift that any pastor could ever receive. Sure, I want to win millions to Jesus and take millions to Heaven with me, and I will. However, when I stand before God and get ready to cast the millions of souls at the feet of Jesus, I'll have to pause, take little Caleb by the hand and say, "Jesus, this one first please!"

Ladies and gentlemen, when I witness Jesus looking at Caleb Maddix in the eyes and saying, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," then it will mean more to me than baptizing 6 billion people. Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be alive to baptize my son in Jesus name! In your face devil! You can't have my little boy! He is protected and bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. Baptizing Caleb in Jesus name was by far the single greatest moment of my entire lifetime.

Matt Maddix

mattmaddix.com

"Good Bye Life Center"

2008-10-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Life Center,

For the past 5 years, it has been my personal privilege and honor to be the pastor of this great, beautiful, precious, strong, dynamic, powerful, and special church. There is no possible way for me to adequately describe my appreciation for your faithfulness, prayers, and support that you have shown to me. You have been more than kind and considerate to me as a pastor. In fact, it will go down as the 5 greatest years of my life. The memories, victories, successes, and special friends that I made here in St. Petersburg will last me a lifetime. You've given when you didn't have it to give. You loved unconditionally and stood with me through the darkest 2 years of my life. You sacrificed, prayed, fasted, worked, shed tears, and followed me as your pastor. There is no doubt that I've truly had the time of my life. We've laughed together, cried together, walked together, grew together, and stuck together. We held onto hope! We walked through the valley of the shadow of death. We believed! We worked! We prayed, and God has brought us to this moment in time. God has been the pilot of this church and has faithfully walked with us and protected us through many storms. I'd like to first of all give honor to Pastor Craig and Pastor Elrod for their faithful years of service, prayers, and strong Apostolic preaching. I'd like to say that it's been a joy and humbling experience to follow such precious, godly, and stable men of God. They were fathers, grandfathers, and shepherds over the flock here in St. Petersburg. It's been easy to build off of the foundation they've laid, and as God said, "One plants, one waters, but God gives the increase!"

Jesus said, "Take no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself." There is no way to plan for a major change, tragedy, or trial in our lives. We never know what a day will bring or what mountains we shall have to face. We just don't know what will be said on that next phone call or what's around the corner. We do know that life is unpredictable and that God's ways are much higher than our ways. As preached on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 – "He Leads Me!" The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and God is in ultimate control of our lives. Today will be the toughest day of my life, and I'll be making the toughest decision of my 32 years of life. There aren't enough words to express my deep heartfelt love for this church that will forever be cherished and loved within my heart. This church has been my life and love for the past 5 years, and neither time nor distance will ever change that. Saints, friends, family, and dear warriors, I'll have to say goodbye and place you into the loving, strong, tender, and consistent arms of Jesus Christ.

I've taken you as far as I can humanly take you during this season of my life. I'm not leaving you because I am afraid, tired, weary, discouraged, or quitting. I'm leaving you, because I love you! I've always said that God is much bigger than I am and this is ultimately His church. Therefore, I promised God that I would stay until the day that He is finished with me.

I'd like to express my deep appreciation for the way that you have loved me, protected me, prayed for me, and mostly, for how much you loved my little boy, Caleb. He feels so loved and valued by the Life Center. Thank you for your kindness to Sister Maddix. Thank you for your kindness towards hurting people. I fought it for one solid year, agonized, cried myself to sleep many nights, and begged God for a way out. However, the Holy Ghost has assured me that my work for this season of life in St. Petersburg is finished and my assignment is complete. As of today, I'll be officially resigning as the Pastor of the Life Center. Thank you for being the friendliest, sweetest, and most loving church in America. Life Center, I love you! I'll miss you, and you'll always be my first love.

I'd like to give special thanks to the following people that have a VERY special place in my heart. You were the ones who were in the business meeting when I was elected pastor, and you have stayed with me through it all:

Bro. & Sister Torano
Sister Reily
John Reily
Karen Moorefield
Travis and Amber
Kemmy Platt
Jeff Daum
Sister Wells
Donna Garrison
Adrene Alene
Dudley Mitchell
Sister Blaesing
Susan & Robert Rabil
Roger and Jennifer Gangadene

You sweet people will forever have a VERY special place in my heart, and I've asked Jesus to place an extra special blessing on your life because of your love and support of me. You could've left, but you stayed, and many times just seeing you smile was all that I needed to take another step and climb another mountain. Thank you for being there and for your friendship. We have memories together that we'll cherish for the rest of our lives.

Sincerely,
Matt Maddix
mattmaddix.com

"Just One More Step"

2008-10-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you are just like me and there are times when you'd just like to have it all figured out. There is so much going on in your life, and you just need answers. You aren't sure what to do, how to react, or even what to think about certain things. Life is awesome! There are so many wonderful experiences about living this life. I've thoroughly enjoyed the journey thus far and fully intend on squeezing every single ounce out of life that I can. I'm the dude that plans on living until I'm 100 and doesn't want them to pull the plug on the machine. It may sound crazy, but I want to live until I just can't live, and then I'd like to be raised from the dead and live 10 more years. I think there are so many wonderful blessings about life, and we often miss the simplest and smallest miracles. Hey guys! Take a deep breath and take a drink of water. Put a smile back on your face and laugh. I'm talking about laughing at yourself, your problems, and even your failures. Who said that we had to take life this serious? Soon it will be over, and then once they put your body in the grave, you are gone for good. Travis always thinks that I am so morbid, but I am a reality thinker and like to continually put it all into perspective.

As I write this blog, I'm reminded of my favorite song, in fact, hold on just one second; I'm going to turn it on right now. Ahhhh… It's so soothing just to hear that ole song, "One Day at a Time!" I love to sit down and just listen to those words and think about how powerful of a concept that really is. Hey friends, "One Day at a Time." It's time for us to take the world off our shoulders and learn how to take one step at a time. So many times we are either buried in our past or handicapped by the fear of the future. We are so worried about who we are going to marry, how much longer will our car last, or is my house going to be foreclosed? I mean you name it; we all have concerns and fears of the future. We all have a little taste of fear and hesitation about how it's all going to work.

What's the answer? The answer is for you to do exactly what Jesus said, "Take no thought about tomorrow!" This is the day that the Lord has made. You can find beauty and magic in today! You can find joy and peace in the very moment that you are in right now. I'm talking about finishing reading this blog, then sit down and just watch your kids play, or call your grandmother and actually listen to some of those stories, without your mind wandering in 10 million different directions. Why not take your wife on a romantic date and not talk about the kids, the bills, or whether you should sell the mini van or not. Just go laugh, dance, talk, sing, walk, reminisce, feed the ducks, go to the zoo, watch the waves come in (see you should live in Florida), watch the stars, go to Waffle House at 3 am, do something out of the ordinary, take a drive down the country roads, or go order yourself a huge milkshake and drink every ounce of it without guilt. Ha! Friends, please realize that life will be so much easier if you learn to slow down and enjoy the moment you are in. Even if you are in a season of struggle, heartbreak, loneliness, pain, and rejection, you can find beauty and joy in the midst of life's darkest trials. I just don't want to see you get overclouded or overwhelmed any more than you have to. I'd hate to see you get so worried about the day that you've never seen that you end up missing out on the beauty of life and miracles of today.

Take it from a guy that has 10,000 things going through my head and 10,000 decisions to make and people pulling at me. However, I decided just today to have a little talk with myself, and this is how it went. I walked in front of the mirror and I said, "Matt, it's time that we have a talk buddy; you have to just worry about taking the next step, life is going to happen, and you need to stop living so much in the future, and just take the next step." What is the next step? The next step for you may be to simply get some rest, take a vacation, pull away, think clearly, meditate more, walk daily, drink a glass of water, read your Bible, pay what you can, save 10%, play with your kids, laugh, read a story, or simply take the time to simply enjoy your life. It seems that there is such a cloud of depression, stress, and pressure upon so many people. Friends, if you learn how to just take one more step, you'll soon realize that you'll get to the end of your life and say, "It actually all ended up working out and working out for my good!" You'll say, "Man, I can't believe I allowed myself to stress so much." You'll tell your great grandkids, "Jesus was always faithful to me and never failed me one time." After 32 years of life and having multiple ups and downs, I can tell you from experience, "Just take it one step at a time and it will all be ok." If you lose your house, go bankrupt, lose a loved one, your marriage fails, your boss lets you go, or whatever it may be, "Just take it one step at a time!" You'll heal, you'll smile, and you'll recover!

Matthew J Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

mattmaddix.com

"God Uses Failures"

2008-10-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Talk to the average human being that isn’t afraid of being authentic and completely open with you, and you’ll discover that they have experienced a whole long list of failures in their lifetime. It’s frightening to think of how many millions of people that are frozen completely still because of their past, inadequacies, shortcomings, and failures. It actually breaks my heart to think of the many people that are haunted on a daily basis because of their past, a feeling of guilt from bad choices, or simple personality defects. I guess that I’ve lived through enough and talked with enough broken, weak, and hurting people, that I no longer fear being authentic and open.

I’m sure that there isn’t a person alive that would love or enjoy having their “personal business” or past talked about all over the world. We humans love the juice and love to learn about other people’s failures. Could it be that we inwardly actually feel relieved that somebody that was on such a high pedestal or that we respected so much was actually as human as we and battled with the same types of temptations, weakness, and personal struggles? It would actually shock you if you knew just how human every human being really is. There isn’t one person without sin, failures, or a past. We’ve all had our share of bad choices, weaknesses, and temptations. What do I love about the Bible? I love the fact that it’s so powerful, life changing, and gives me so much strength. However, one of the many things that I love about the Bible is the fact that all the men that we admire and hold to such high (unfair) esteem were just as human as we. You can take the top 25 characters in the Bible and discover that each of them had major personality defects, flaws, and personal struggles.

We have a hard time with being authentic about our failures. We love to speak of only our accomplishments and strengths, but tend to hide our weaknesses and failures. We have a really hard time being really truly open and honest with each other. There seems to be a major gap in many relationships because of a lack of integrity, honesty, and most importantly, openness. We are all walking this earth with a gigantic load of insecurity, because we have been betrayed, cheated on, rejected, and crushed by those we once trusted, esteemed, and became vulnerable with. I’ve had the battle of my life over the past few years trying to find a safe place to land the plane.

I’ve battled with major trust issues and have desperately sought after environments where I could place my heart, take a deep breath, and simply be myself. I’m actually concerned with the amount of struggles that I’m seeing within families, churches, and friendships for openness and trust. Why is it that we are so quick to write somebody off per say or judge somebody just because we discover that they have a personal weakness? It may not be that you struggle with overeating, drugs, alcohol, pornography, lying, stealing, cheating, gossiping, adultery, homosexuality, fornication, or even an attraction to somebody that you know you shouldn’t be attracted to. I am only saying this, because we actually live in a real world, with real people that have real battles and actually commit real sins. I’m very proud of you that you have overcome some of the obvious sins that we all preach against. However, I know people that have never cheated on their wife, smoked a joint, drank a bottle of beer, or watched one bad movie, but they have confessed to me a major inner struggle with suicide and depression. Of course, the people that have ever confided in me can rest assure that their names, reputations, and personal failures will be safe in my mouth and behind their backs, and their confessions will be buried in my casket without another human being discovering it. Why are we so apt to write people off and give up on people just because they failed? Now, I’d be the first to say that some people are just simply rude, bitter, harsh, angry, mean, and downright stubborn. I’m not necessarily speaking of those of whom there is no help, because they are self-righteous, harsh, and judgmental of others, and constantly speaking evil of other people. I’m always extremely concerned with people who are not thankful, humble, or examine their own life. I’m very concerned with those that always speak against other people’s failures and never consider their own flaws, temptations, or struggles. I can’t express how thankful I am for the attitude of Jesus, “He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone!”

I do want all of you to know that in spite of what your own self inflicted inner voice of guilt tells you, the devil, or even the unmerciful others, I do want you to know that God actually uses failures and will always bless, forgive, and heal an authentic person that relies on Him for strength, mercy, and power. God doesn’t need you perfect, and He understands the real you. God knows your weaknesses and has forgiven you years ago. God specializes in using people that may have failed, have real weaknesses, and battle with real temptation. However, the secret is that you must stay honest, humble, and express gratitude for God’s mercy.

You must become a very kind, loving, and understanding person, and be willing to express the longsuffering of God. So you blew it, messed up, cussed, went where you shouldn’t have gone, said what you didn’t intend to say, and you’d love to take it all back and do it over. Sadly, there isn’t a human being alive who can undo the past or decisions of yesterday. It’s forever gone, and there is only one way to conquer it and that is a realization that you are forgiven; you’ve learned the lesson, and you’ll only get stronger and better, because you are honest. Friends, go look in the mirror right now and smile. You are made in God’s image, and God is not even close to being finished with you. Accept failure as a fact of life, learn to appreciate your humanity, and just know that God is daily giving you strength. You’ll soon overcome and conquer your struggles and battles. You’ll soon be back on top and overcome your past. Please don’t give up! You are worthy and you are a winner. You have a calling, and yes, God wants to use you; He wants to use the broken, wounded, tired, frustrated, weak, and human you! God wants to show you His power and grace. In closing, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite pieces of inspiration. May God richly bless you, and may you wake up and realize that God actually uses failures. Some of the greatest people that have ever been used of God, actually made some of the worst mistakes; we should be inspired not by their greatness but rather their humanity.

Moses stuttered.

David's armor didn't fit.

John Mark was rejected by Paul.

Timothy had ulcers.

Hosea's wife was a prostitute.

Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.

Jacob was a liar.

David had an affair.

Solomon had too many women

Abraham was too old.

David was too young.

Peter was afraid of death.

Lazarus was dead.

John was self-righteous.

Naomi was a widow.

Paul was a murderer.

So was Moses.

Jonah ran from God.

Miriam was a gossip.

Gideon and Thomas both doubted.

Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.

Elijah was burnt out.

John the Baptist was a loudmouth.

Martha was a worrywart.

Mary was lazy.

Samson had long hair.

Noah got drunk.

See, you’re not as bad as you thought. It’s not a license to do anything, but let yourself go free from your past, failures, and self imposed guilt. It’s a liberating feeling to know that I was born a human, and that’s exactly what God wants me to be.

Matt Maddix

"The World's Most Successful Failure"

mattmaddix.com

"How to Survive Journey Frustration"

2008-07-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

After church tonight, my staff and I headed over to Hooks to enjoy some excellent Sushi; I really could eat sushi everyday and never even thought I liked it until I tried it last year. There are times that I’ll say to my staff that I don’t want to talk ministry or church business, and then there are times we’ll just discuss, talk and share dreams, ideas, and vision. Tonight was a casual brainstorm about how to take Soul Winners Boot Camp and the Life Center to the next level at the same time; they both require so much time and energy. We were creatively planning ways to pour into both and still maintain excellence and effectiveness. Upon our conversation, I was starting to feel inwardly frustrated with how slowly people seem to be catching on to the spirit of Compassion and Community Evangelism. I was also feeling frustrated with how far our church still had to go to become the Church that God wants us to become. On my way home I thought to myself, “How can I survive this Journey Frustration?” You see, life really is a journey, and we all have to get rid of destination disease. Many have the notion that they can only be happy when they reach a certain destination. I’ve learned to save myself and my energy by relaxing and enjoying the journey, without being so frustrated by results. I wrote down 5 things that everyone can do to survive the Journey Frustration. It’s what we all feel whether in business, with our family, or in ministry.

1. Don’t Lose Your Joy In the Process.

I’ve watched too many completely lose their joy in the process or on the journey to their goals or success. I’ve learned to actually find joy in the middle of the journey; even if my son isn’t where I want him to be, or my church or business isn’t were it should be, I’ve decided that someday life will all be over, and I refuse to be so engrossed with the journey that I forget to enjoy it and be happy.

2. Learn to Rest.

Please don’t misunderstand your need to stay focused, burn the midnight oil, pay the price, and work your heart out in your quest for success or reaching your goals. However, I am a firm believer that there are times that you need to rest
and take a break from the activity, task, job, or goal. We must take time out and realize that tomorrow is another day. If we don’t come apart then we will eventually become a part. Rest is never a waste of time; in fact, I’ve learned that if we do take the time to rest, we can get more done in the long run. I’ve been practicing taking a full 24 hour Sabbath, and my life has been so much better and smoother since making that commitment.

3. Celebrate the Small Success.

Sure, we all understand that we are not where we want to be. However, we’ll get to the end of it and be very frustrated people if we don’t learn how to celebrate the small victories along the way. So much happens on the journey to success and victory that I think there are times we overlook the small miracles and blessings. We must learn to be thankful for every little achievement.
4. Don’t Neglect Personal Growth and Development.

The reason why you must take the time to learn and grow personally is because you will be very frustrated and need to feed yourself. I read on a daily basis and read about other people who faced similar obstacles; I noticed that many of them read and attended seminars as well to keep them motivated. I know a lot of sales people that feel they have no time to attend a motivational or training seminar, because they have to “make the sale.” You just always remember, when cutting down a tree, taking the time to sharpen the axe is never wasted time. If you will grow personally and learn during the process and journey then it will limit your frustrations.

5. Don’t Neglect Your Spirit, Family, or Health

While you are building your business, church, ministry, or simply going after your goals or passions, it’s very important that you constantly prioritize and keep God first. God is the source of power, joy, hope, and life. God will give you power, strength, and the energy you need to achieve your goals. God will help you overcome frustration. Remember, your family doesn’t need for you to be in overdrive 24/7 and always disconnected, because you are frustrated with the journey. People that have passion, drive, and high goals often neglect their health, family, and Spiritual life. Remember that all good things take time and that nothing of signifance happens overnight. Take the extra time to exercise, go to your child’s game, take your wife on a date, or simply pray and read the word.

Hey guys, get back on your journey towards your goals, family, ministry, or passion. However, don’t allow yourself to become frustrated or angry, and please don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ll get there, and you’ll be thankful that you took time to enjoy the journey.

God Bless you,

Matt Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

"Rumors, Gossip and False Accusation"

2008-07-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

If I had a dollar for every time I heard the words, “Did you hear?” or “You wouldn’t believe this.” You are 110% right, I DON’T BELIEVE IT. I’ve grown to really learn some things about life, and I am going to openly share them with you. First, the majority of things we hear and listen to aren’t really true. In fact, take it from a man who has traveled the world over the last 10 years and has “heard” many things about people. I used to love the juice, and welcome it; I was the king of being in on the “know” and being the man my friends would call and jokingly say, “Maddix, fill me in on the latest.” Well, I’d like to fill you in on the latest and let you know that rumors, gossip, and false accusations are childish, painful, inconsiderate, and plain destructive. There is much in the Bible about our tongues and what our responsibility is when it comes to rumors and gossip. Our job is to keep our mouths shut and not spread the fire or add wood to the fire. It’s amazing to me that the people who are always talking and slamming others are the ones who are doing absolutely nothing with their lives. Rather than them stepping up to the plate and actually getting a life, they choose to just get on the phone or internet and talk about stuff they know nothing about. It’s ridiculous the amount of people that have had their reputations destroyed because of a gossiper who didn’t tell the “FULL” story or even know the full story. Ladies and gentlemen, life is way too short to waste it on meaningless gossip and spreading rumors.

I’ve actually grown up a lot over the past few years and have come to the understanding of what Jesus said, “Woman, where are your accusers?” The poor lady was about to be stoned to death. We in the church are awesome at stoning people that have fallen into sin, and condemning people to hell for being human. I really like what Jesus said, “He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone!” I put away my stones about a year ago; I stopped talking bad about others and listening to junk about others. Friends, I’ve traveled and heard thousands of rumors or the “inside scoop” on so and so and am quite disgusted with all of it. I’m so ready to just have a decent conversation with someone and talk about ideas, plans, dreams, and success rather than waste away at my energy and passion by talking about things that I don’t have a clue about 99% of the time and don’t even know if the junk is true. It’s a shame that we can’t just realize that we all have made mistakes, we’ve all failed, we all have a past, and we all have sinned against God at one time or another in our lives.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting some pretty powerful men of God in my life, and what encourages me more than anything else on earth is not their power, gifts, talent, or anointing, but rather their humanity. I’ve grown to respect men and women, because they are human, honest, and transparent; it’s not because they are perfect and without failure. Guys, let’s be raw and honest. Who hasn’t messed up, made a bad choice, call or decision? Who hasn’t done things that they were ashamed of or regretted? Give me a perfect man who is always attacking others and judging others, and I’ll give you a man who is heading for a fall. Friends, I know “dirt” and “the inside” about a lot of people but simply erased it from my mind and was determined to never bring a man or lady down. God is a whole lot bigger than Matt Maddix, and if God wants to expose somebody and wipe them out, then he can do more in 1 hour than I can in a lifetime. I’ve learned to just pray for others and disregard all the rumors and gossip. It’s simply not fair. Most of the time, God really wants to give someone mercy and help them get back to grace, and stand again. My goodness, we are so ready to pick up the phone and destroy somebody. I’ve always learned, “There are two sides to every story, and if I didn’t hear, see, or know all, then I just should turn it over to God.” God will take care of the situation or person. It’s not fair to destroy reputation or gossip about stuff just because you “heard it.” I’ve always asked people, “Do you know this for a fact, or is this something that you “heard”?” Sadly, 99% of the time they will say, “Well, I don’t know, but it’s what I heard!” Great, go flush it down the toilet, and go do something with your life, rather than get involved with a bunch of junk and gossip.

I’ve protected many preachers, because all it takes is one devil or one jealous person, and they could wipe them out, when God doesn’t want them wiped out in the first place. Most people are clueless and ignorant about what to do. My favorite book in the world was written by Andy Stanley and it’s called, “The Greatest Question in the World!” The greatest question in the word is, “What’s the WISE thing to do?” The wise thing to do is to be a merciful person, and turn every rumor and gossip over to God. Why? God will take care of everything, and we always reap what we sow. You will learn through life that the majority of stuff that you heard was intended to stop with you, because it’s a lie or a false accusation.

Somebody told me just the other day, “I heard a rumor about you…” I said, “I don’t even want to know what it is.” They said, “What? Don’t you want to know what people are saying about you?” No, because my life is intended on being a great dad to my son, a great pastor to my church, to reach over 7 billion people, and fulfill my life’s mission. I know who I am and I know where I’ve gone and what I’ve done with my life. The things I “may have done”, I’ve taken care of with God and my pastor. The things that I have not, believe you me, God is big enough and God enough to handle me and deal with me. Therefore, I choose not to listen to the negative press or reports. I know God, my family, my church, and my friends love me and don’t believe the junk. Ladies and gentlemen, we could save ourselves a ton of energy and negativity by simply choosing not to listen to all the junk, lies, gossip, and rumors of others. We would save ourselves a lot of time and energy if we stopped worrying about the “rumor mill” and “the inside scoop”, and focused on loving our family, living for God, and making a difference in our lives.

Last, but not least, always remember that you will feel better about yourself and be a much happier person if you don’t spread gossip. Also, remember that you should always rule with mercy, because there may come a day in your life that you may need mercy. Jesus said, “Unto the merciful, I will be merciful.” I really believe that God will always protect me as long as I stay humble, practice mercy, and protect the names and reputations of others, even if they were wrong or it was true. The ultimate question to ask your friends and confidantes, “Is my name safe in your mouth?” If you are surrounded by talkers, gossipers, and rumor spreaders, then you would be wise to slowly escape their presence, because your name isn’t safe with them. Who in the world understands or knows how to keep a confidence these days? It’s a shame that none of us know who to trust or share our struggles, weaknesses, sins, or failures with, because by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow the entire world will know. Well, I can’t answer for others, but I’ve a very strong value and conviction that if I swore to confidence, then it goes to my grave, and there isn’t a person on earth that will ever hear what I promise to keep in confidence. You know we could save a lot more people and ministers if we were safe to be open with each other and not worry about being destroyed by a rumor spreader or gossiper. Always remember, “Great people talk about great ideas, average people talk about average ideas, and small people talk about other people.”

Matt Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

"I left a piece of my heart in New Zealand"

2008-05-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

I would like to express sincere empathy towards those that have never been to Auckland, New Zealand. There is no way to describe the love, hospitality, and passion of those sweet people. Oh yea, the city is really awesome and there are lots of cool things to do. However, I am referring to the people of New Zealand. They are so special to me and have a piece of my heart. I’d like to share with you how exciting my last week has been. It was one of the greatest Boot Camps that I’ve ever been privileged to be involved in. The people were so sweet, hungry, sincere, and passionate. The New Zealanders were like sponges and soaked up everything we said and did. They had such a passion to learn, grow, and win souls. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of such a history making event. Truly, the entire country has never experienced the magnitude of passion and revival that they experienced during Soul Winners Boot Camp. God’s Commandos was the name they chose to be identified by during the Boot Camp. I’m not sure there is a more fitting name for those people than, “God’s Commandos!” I watched them pray, worship, work, serve, witness, give, and shout until they were out of breath.

After a long and exhausting 23 hour trip, we were greeted at the airport by about 25 Boot Campers singing, “God’s Commandos!” That song just sends chills up and down my spine and pumps me up every time I hear it. At about 6:30 a.m., about 30 of us just stood in the center of the airport; we worshiped, sang, and I exhorted them for a bit. Thankfully, we were able to check right into our hotel and get some rest. Actually, we didn’t go to bed until 8:30 that night, because we just couldn’t fall asleep.

About 3:30 a.m., I awoke from a dead sleep to go do a prayer walk, and the Lord spoke very clearly to me, “The Battle is the Lord’s!” There are many battles that we must face in our lives, and at times, we get overwhelmed from pressure, stress, attacks, rumors, guilt, push, fight, and the battles of life that we are tempted all too often to do on our own. I really felt a release in my spirit as the Lord said to me, “Son, relax and be at peace and let me fight all your battles!” God is bigger than our problems, attackers, and accusers, and God will always fight our battles for us. I felt the Lord also let me know that the Boot Campers would break the spirit that has trapped and held Auckland captive for so long. Pastor Marshall and Sister Vonnie said, “You have no idea how bad New Zealand needs Soul Winners Boot Camp”, and I’ll have to say that I fully agree with them.

On Wednesday night, I preached to the leaders about Soul Winners Boot Camp and the importance of prayer, faith, and passion. We shouted, wept, prayed, and then had communion. It was a time of refreshing and bonding; it was especially encouraging for the leaders who had been working, planning, and praying so hard for the success of Soul Winners Boot Camp. A Spirit of Prophesy came upon me and I declared, “We will change the country of New Zealand forever from this one Boot Camp!”

On Thursday night, we kicked off Soul Winners Boot Camp and I preached a message titled, “A Soul Winners Momentum”. The Spirit of the Lord baptized that entire audience, and we had about an hour of prayer and weeping before God. I could tell that a real impartation of Soul Winners fire and passion had been released in the hearts and minds of every single Boot Camper. We ended with right at about 100 people that registered and were trained through our Soul Winners Boot Camp. I’m actually thankful that there was less for our first year. We were able to truly connect and equip these people on a more intimate and personal level. There was much impartation, training, transferring of passion, and sound teaching about Soul Winning. They really pulled it out of me, and I felt a new and fresh anointing upon me every time I preached and taught. About 9:00, we all loaded up on the bus to go to the mountain that overlooks the entire city of Auckland, and we had about a 2 hour prayer meeting. I really want you to know that there isn’t a single conference, meeting, or event like Soul Winners Boot Camp. There is a level of passion, intensity, courage, and fire that flows through the entire meeting. I remember a Boot Camp where we followed the Spirit and had sessions from 11:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. We literally followed the Holy Ghost and had a mighty prayer meeting atop that mountain. After we had a prayer line and shouted, we had a sweet young lady that received the Holy Ghost. Ladies and gentlemen, from that moment forward, there was an acceleration and momentum that exploded. We had sessions all day Friday with a three hour break from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. and then convened back into the conference room for sessions until 11:45 p.m. At about 11:00 p.m., we all began a march outside our hotel with over 100 radical, intense, and fearless Boot Campers screaming and shouting, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…”

Then we began to shout, “There ain’t no party like a Holy Ghost Party…” We then stood in front of a bar and shouted, prayed, and sang… I began to preach on the bull horn, and the Spirit of God began to move; you could feel such a strong presence. We then baptized a young man at 1:00 a.m. in freezing 40 degree weather… It was so awesome for those Boot Campers to see it happen, and it really built their faith for something greater. We marched down the hill in front of a very wild bar called, “Margaritas”, and as soon as over 100 Holy Ghost filled God’s Commandos began to sing, the entire place came out to watch us. A young man began to weep, because he had never seen Christians so passionate and radical about their faith; Stefan received the Holy Ghost right in front of the bar, with a bunch of people partying. We then baptized him in Jesus’ name, and within the next hour, we ended up baptizing over 11 people in Jesus’ name. God filled 6 with the Holy Ghost… Needless to say that the Boot Campers were a little tired when they got back to their rooms at 4:00 a.m. and had to be on the bus by 7:00 a.m. for a 16 hour day of Soul Winning, serving, and sessions.

For the sake of time, I’ll skip a lot of details of all that took place Saturday. We had a family day (Block Party) at the church for the entire community and ended up feeding, serving, and blessing over 300 people. By Saturday night, we baptized a total of 29 people in Jesus’ name, and God had filled 15 with the Holy Ghost. On Sunday morning, we had a rip roaring evangelistic service and had 10 first time guests receive the Holy Ghost.

Needless to say, it was really hard to close it out Sunday night after about 55 solid hours of Soul Winners Boot Camp; there was so much action, prayer, worship, preaching, teaching, Soul Winning, baptizing people, serving, and working. There is nothing like it, and never in your life will you ever attend anything more impacting, life changing, and inspirational over a three day period of time. I’ve often wondered why we don’t have more people attend Soul Winners Boot Camp, and I’ve come to the conclusion that some of our pampered, soft, pink lemonade, lazy, and carnal Pentecostals just couldn’t handle the intensity, passion, work, and radical and wild Soul Winning. It’s all good, because there are many who would love to stop us, but we are coming, and we are coming with fire, passion, courage, faith, intensity, and we will not stop. Thank you New Zealand for your love and passion! Thank you for reminding me why I do what I do and why we continue to have Soul Winners Boot Camps across the world… I think training over 100 people, seeing 29 baptized, and 28 receive the Holy Ghost was worth all the pain, tears, prayers, work, and sacrifice. We love you New Zealand and believe in you. We sure had a blast and appreciate your kind and excellent hospitality.

Matt Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

"I Asked God, Why"

2008-03-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

Less than 12 minutes ago, I drove away from my friend, Scott Sullivan’s, funeral. As a pastor, you get accustomed to going to hospitals, counseling, listening, praying with people, performing weddings, and sadly, standing next to loved ones at funerals. Today, I stood with my newly adopted “Aunt Wilma” who attends my church. Her sweet son, Scotty, 34 years of age, was diagnosed with cancer and went into the hospital on December 20, 2007; he passed away on March 9, 2008 after suffering severely with cancer. I must say that I am an emotional basket case when it comes to death and dealing with the loss of sweet people like Scotty. As a pastor, people look to you for strength, prayer, and answers at times. Last Sunday night, I walked out of the hospital at 11:30 pm and it felt like the longest walk of my life. I’d just spent four hours with Scotty’s mom, sweet wife, and four of the cutest and sweetest boys. I walked away Sunday night with mixed emotions after watching four boys trying to deal with the loss of a father, a broken hearted mother who had just lost her only son, and a wife who is left to raise four boys, while dealing with the loss of her sweetheart. Usually I am ok and can hold it together. However, it’s tough and challenging to hold it together while looking at sweet people in the eyes as they ask, “Why?” I’d be the first to say that I don’t know why. We all attempt to answer, and I’ve just reached a place where I don’t answer but rather look deep into their eyes and say, “I am so sorry.” I am sorry, because I don’t understand why innocent people are killed, why soldiers never make it back home, why teenagers die in car accidents, why tragedy happens, and why good people get cancer. I’m not going to answer these questions; I could try to answer with the best of them. While God does heal and give peace of mind, it still doesn’t take away the pain of a 10 year old left to deal with the loss of his daddy. It also doesn’t take away the pain of a mother or wife. Sweet Aunt Wilma kept saying, “Rev, what am I going to do?” “Rev, it was my only boy.” Aunt Wilma, I am not sure; I do know there is nothing on this earth like the love of a mother and I sure wouldn’t want to have to bury my son. I’d sure like to take away the pain, but only God can go to those places in our hearts. I do know that it hurts and it’s ok to hurt, be angry, and grieve.

I may stand alone, but it’s even ok to ask, “WHY?” In fact, somebody a whole lot greater and stronger than Matt Maddix once asked, “My God, WHY have you forsaken me?” Why the pain? Why the loss? Why the tragedy? Why the cancer? Why the sudden heart attack? Why did my mom have to die? Why did God take away my daddy? I watched Scotty’s youngest boy, Tyler, on Sunday night, grab his deceased father’s hand and say, “Daddy, please don’t go.” To all of you who have lost someone dear to your heart through cancer, heart failure, or some other sickness, I want you to know that I hurt with you and will pray for God to heal you. However, I want you to know its ok to be honest and grieve; you’ll most likely miss that loved one or friend for the rest of your life.

Two weeks ago, I was preaching in Tennessee, and the sweetest couple came to me and said, “Please pray for us. We lost our 7 year old boy eleven years ago; he was hit by a car, while fishing on a bridge.” My heart immediately broke and I wept with this couple. I’ll never forget what Anna said. “Matt, you never get over it, God just helps you through it; it’s been eleven years and I still cry about it.” I’ll have to agree, because my 92 year old grandparents shared with me that their 2 year old daughter drowned years ago; they still hurt today and told me that the pain never went away, but God gave peace and comfort through it all. I could tell you all kinds of stories about people that I’ve encountered that have suffered, had their hearts crushed, and experienced real tragedy.

Today as I walked away, I watched the fellowship hall full of over 200-300 people laughing, telling stories, and quickly moving on with life. However, I did happen to notice the void, emptiness, and pain in the eyes of Scotty’s mom, sons, and wife. It was a moment for me, a moment of reality that someday it will be over and the majority of people that we encounter will have already moved on 30-40 minutes after they put my casket in the Hurst. I can’t describe the mixed emotions that I am feeling right now and how passionate I feel about giving your family the absolute best of your time and energy. I’d like to share with you a few of the lessons that I learned as I passed Scotty one last time and said, “Goodbye Champ!”

1. Slow down and love your family -

The one thing that everybody told me about Scotty is that the dude really enjoyed life and lived it up. I’ll bet that as he lay in ICU, he was glad that he didn’t waste his days on earth being negative or distracted. Rather, he was a man that was active and took the time to enjoy life. He was always having fun, playing ball, playing with his kids, and spending time with his family. Friends, I know you have things you want to do and we are all under pressure. I realize that many are battling financial pressure and are doing our best to stay afloat. However, please take the time to slow down and love on your family. Today, after I finish this blog, I’ll be absolutely invisible and unavailable to the rest of the world. I’ll be picking up little Caleb from his mom and will say, “Caleb, watch daddy put his phone away; there’ll be no calls, texts, or emails buddy, because we are going to spend quality time together.” It will be the best 5-6 hours of my entire day and there is nothing more important than my time with my little man. I sure plan on hugging him, looking him in the eyes, and deeply appreciating every single little thing he does and says today. I’m sorry. I can’t get through this blog without weeping and thinking about how much I want to tell my family and friends how much I love them.

2. Take the time to tell them –

Today at Scotty’s funeral, the preacher said, “Is there anybody that wants to share a memory or say something about Scotty?” I’ve done this as a pastor and believe it’s important to celebrate people’s lives. However, I’m very determined not to allow anyone to go to the grave without them knowing exactly how much I love them, appreciate them, and value the little things they do. Once it’s over, it’s over, and we can’t afford to deal with any regrets. I’ve already began writing letters to my loved ones entitled, “What I Would Say About You at Your Funeral.” I want my dad to know how much I appreciate all the little things he did, my brothers to know how much I love the things about them that even frustrate me, and little Caleb to know how much I love his personality and ways. I’m not just writing this because I am having an emotional moment after a heartbreaking funeral, but rather because I believe it’s a shame to wait until people are gone before they know how much they are valued and appreciated.

3. Spend your life healing others –

I have to be honest with you. I hate cancer and I hate what it does to sweet and precious people. This year, over 1 million people will be diagnosed with cancer, and their life will change forever. Please take the time to read my blog “Please Stay Healthy.” Please do your best to take care of your health, eat right, reduce stress, and get plenty of exercise. However, we can’t forget that on this earth there are sweet people who are still grieving and could use some help from churches. I’ll have to admit that as a young pastor, I’ve been battling an inner war for the past few years and asking myself “Is this what church is really all about?” You’re talking to a guy who spends about 4-5 nights a week all over America preaching to “Churches and Christians”, and as much as I love the church, we seriously need help. Honestly, what do churches do for families that are left without dads or financial income? Honestly, what do we do for kids who are suffering with leukemia? I don’t write that to bring condemnation but rather to provoke thought and remind my fellow Christians that we have a job to do. We have a responsibility to heal the sick and brokenhearted. It’s our mission to bring joy and life to others. It’s our mission to love, show compassion, and give to fatherless kids, widows, and the hurting people in our country. Many times we say such shallow words at funerals like “If you ever need me, call me.” Why don’t we call them, send flowers months later, cards, or even remember these grieving people around the holidays? Is it really enough to send a bouquet of flowers at a funeral and speak words? Does God expect churches to use its’ resources, money, and energy to help people?

Well, Scotty, we’ll miss you man and I, as a pastor, will do more than just talk about Christianity, but rather will remember your wife as a widow, and four boys who are left without daddy. Scotty, there is one more thing that I’d like to say. Thank you for reminding me to be thankful and not complain; you suffered more than I’ve ever thought about suffering, and you fought the battle of your life with such a positive attitude. Scotty, until I get to the Sunny Banks, good bye man!

Matt Maddix
mjmaddix@aol.com

Please Stay Healthy

2008-03-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

I can’t tell you how many people ask me, “Are you a health nut?” I always find that question quite funny and respond by saying, “Well of course I am.” Who shouldn’t be a “health nut”? We should all take a good look at our health and make it a high priority to eat healthy, think healthy, and live healthy. Would you rather be sick or well? Would you rather be on the beach with your kids, building sand castles, or in the hospital with a disease? I certainly understand that there are people who have sicknesses and disease of which you have almost no control over. However, I am one of those guys who honestly believes in natural cures and that God expects us to take care of the Temple of God. Our bodies are amazing, and God created us to live a healthy and vibrant life. I actually did a teaching to my church titled, “The Secret to My Energy.” There are things that I do on a daily basis that increase my energy and help me live a life free of stress or sickness. I realize that I could wake up tomorrow with a disease or sickness. However, I would like to speak to those who have no disease or sickness. I would also like to speak to those who have a disease or sickness and encourage you to make some lifestyle changes so you can begin living the healthy life that God promised. If you don’t mind, I’ll leave the gray issues up to God and I’ll just deal with black and white. The raw bones facts are that the majority of Americans are sluggish, sick, and overweight, because we choose to be. Ouch! Did I just say that? Yes, I said it and I believe it with passion that there are things that we can do daily to improve the quality of life. It’s possible to have energy, live healthy, and enjoy life without sickness or disease. However, if you have a diet of overeating, drinking cokes, eating sugar, grease, red meat, and processed foods, then you are heading down the road towards sickness. There are some things that I would like to suggest that you immediately start doing just to improve the quality of your life.

1. Improve your Attitude –

I realize that I could easily just go off right now and spend the rest of this blog on this one issue, because it’s my candy stick. I am very passionate about having a positive attitude and protecting your thoughts. I have just decided that I am not going to be an angry, bitter, stressed, or negative person. Do you have any idea how much energy you lose when you allow yourself to dwell on the negative or harbor bitterness towards others? It’s a proven fact that people with the right attitude can beat cancer, sickness, and tragic setbacks. A person with a right attitude will have more energy and quality of life than those who are negative, bitter, and angry. For more information or inspiration about attitude, read my blogs about “Attitudes for Success.”

2. Get Plenty of Exercise –

Attention everybody: Please hold your breath on this one and don’t fall off your computer chair. I actually walk, on average, 1½ hours each day and I am passionate about it. There are many that discover my passion for walking and say, “How do you have the time?” Again, please forgive me for sounding too easy about something that seems so complicated for the typical out of balance and overly stressed America. How do I have time? Here it goes, and I sure hope you can handle it; I have the time, because there are 24 hours in a day. I just happen to choose to use about 1½ hours to go walking. While I walk, I am able to do four very important things; (1) Exercise, (2) return calls (not stressful calls, but rather to people that I love and always make me feel better), (3) Read a book (I always have people stop me downtown and say, “That is amazing that you can read and walk at the same time!” “Really, it’s easy. Just walk, and while you are walking, READ!”, and (4) Listen to my iPOD. While listening to my iPOD, I can listen to uplifting music, preaching, and motivational material. Walking, to me, is one of the healthiest and most beneficial things you can do in your day. When you walk, you always clear your head, reduce stress, and it will also help with your figure. People that walk are healthy, happy, and usually have great energy.

3. Drink lots of Water & No Soda –

I would love to completely wipe out the soda industry and make it to where they don’t even exist. Drinking Coke and sodas are so unhealthy for our body. Do you ever drink a Coke? Sure, but it’s a very rare occasion and I always feel sick when I finish my ½ glass. I’d much rather drink water and always feel like a million dollars when I drink it. I’ve always practiced drinking ice cold water first thing in the morning; it always makes me feel great and helps the brain. Water was God’s creation and idea. Ever met someone who says, “I just don’t like water.”? Well, here is my question for you. “Do you like being overweight, sluggish, and moody”? If not, then you better start drinking lots of water and cut the Cokes. That also goes for Diet Coke. I’m pretty sure that in my 32 years of asking hundreds of people how they lost weight and reading hundreds of books about health, that not one person has ever said, “I lost weight, because I started drinking Diet Cokes!” Ha. I have however heard of hundreds that have lost lots of weight by drinking water, walking everyday, and cutting out sodas. Personally, I worked myself up to over a gallon of water a day and I love it. However, for you, let’s at least start off by cutting back on the sodas and making sure that you drink twice the amount of water than you do soda.

4. Greens and Juice & Other Healthy Eating Choices -

Please understand that our health is a priority! It’s so funny to me that most Americans will have a car payment of $300-$500, but seem to never afford to eat right. I’ve had countless people tell me, “I just can’t afford to eat all organic foods, to juice, or eat healthy. Ladies and gentlemen, are you really that poverty minded that you honestly believe that you can’t afford to take care of the most important thing in your life, your health? You could be the perfect Christian, father, mother, businessman, or preacher, but if you lose your health, then you will be no good to anyone. I would be no good to my son if I lost my health or didn’t take care of myself. It’s all according to what’s important to you. I’ve made it a priority to juice an average of 5 days a week and drink at least 2 ounces of wheat grass an average of 5 days a week. It usually costs me about $35.00 a week. Ladies and gentlemen, it costs me a little less than $140.00 a month just to drink my carrot and apple juice and wheat grass. Is it worth it? You bet it is! It adds to the quality of my life, increases my energy, and there is no better combination for toxic cleansing than carrot and apple juice. I am referring to fresh carrot and apple juice. Usually, I go to the health food store and just have them do it there. However, I did make the $400.00 investment and bought a nice Jack Lelane juicer. It’s amazing all the things we will spend money on but become cheapskates about our health. Do you have any idea how much fun and bonding it is when Caleb and I have juice nights? He loves to help daddy make his juices. If I don’t make it to the health food store for my wheat grass, then I take it by pill. Daily, I take my “Green Super Food”; that can be purchased at any organic health food store. I’ve found that by regularly adding greens, juicing, and drinking lots of water keeps me flushed. Ladies and gentlemen, not to get too graphic, but you should be having at least 3-4 bowel movements per day. If you don’t, then your colon is clogging and you will get sick. Almost all disease and sickness begins in the colon.

Ok, I better stop unless you start calling me “Dr. Maddix.” Wow! That actually sounded good; perhaps I should look into this. Here are a few other tips about eating right. What exactly is eating right? Well, the answer may have to come in the form of about 10 blogs. However, I’ve learned that the healthier the stuff I put in my body, the more I acquire a taste and craving for it. Here are the Maddix Top 10 things you should do regularly.

1. Eat lots of raw fruits, vegetables, and green salads.
2. Drink lots of organic green tea.
3. Eat breakfast every morning and never skip it.
4. Add plenty of fiber in your daily lifestyle.
5. Take a multi-vitamin everyday.
6. Fast regularly to detoxify your body.
7. Take a colon cleanser and an enzyme.
8. Cut out sugar, white flour, and greasy food.
9. Eat white fish, chicken, and limit red meat to once a week.
10. Do your best not to eat after 7 pm.

5. Reduce Stress -

While I really would like to take more time on the eating aspect of healthy living, it’s very important that I explain the necessity of eliminating stress from your life. Whoever said that life is as stressful as we make it was right. Many times, we worry about stuff we don’t need to, complain about stuff that isn’t necessary, and think negative about stuff that we shouldn’t even think about. Most of the time, you would be surprised how much stress you would save yourself if you simply just put life into perspective. Personally, I live a very intense life and heavy schedule. However, I can’t tell you how stress free I truly feel. I’m just happy to be alive and believe that God is in control of every single detail of my life. I choose to be happy, free, kind, sweet, alive, healthy, and stress free. It’s possible to live a life that is free of stress. You’ll have to do things to relieve stress, because it only happens by being intentional. For example, here are just some very practical things that I do to stay stress free.

1. Pray.
2. Think positive.
3. Practice gratitude.
4. Speak life & positive thoughts.
5. Have faith.
6. Refuse to be bitter.
7. Give of my time, energy & money to others.
8. Eat healthy and make healthy choices.
9. Get plenty of rest and proper exercise.
10. Spend time with positive and high quality people.

Friends, if you just take the time to do those 10 things, it will increase your joy and peace of mind 100%. You’ll find yourself being more relaxed, less worried, and happier. Have we forgotten how to laugh? Is it possible that too many of us are taking life way too serious? Please take the time to make some changes and do things everyday that will make your life healthier. Your kids deserve a healthy mom or dad. Your family and friends deserve a healthy and happy you. What kind of spouse, parent, Christian, friend, or employee would you be if you were always sick, tired, sluggish, or moody? Believe you me; life will be so much better for you when you start making it a priority to take care of your body!

Matt Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

"Go to Sleep and Let God Pick Your Mate"

2008-02-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to share with you an amazing concept about marriage and the process of choosing your marriage partner. It’s amazing to me that ½ of marriages are ending in divorce, for whatever reason, and we could debate it all day long and still come up frustrated. The reality is that marriage is under attack and someone has to search out an answer. Here is the reality; many people don’t allow God to pick out their mates, and we have a major epidemic of improper dating and courting. It’s amazing to me how careless some are when it comes to the selection of their mate. Friends, who you marry does matter and it’s the second greatest decision of your entire life. There isn’t a decision that is more important to you except your decision to serve God. Life has enough challenges and pressures that you don’t want to add to by marrying the person you were never meant to marry. I’ve heard it said, and I agree 110%, that it’s much better to stay single than to marry the wrong person. I’d really like to let loose and express my views about dating, courtship, marriage, and divorce. However, I’ll stay with the focus of this blog today and that is for you to take a deep breath and let God choose your mate for you. I realize that the extremely practical people will say, “Come on Matt, you can’t expect God to do it all for you.” In fact, I used to be the one that said, “Yeah, but the Bible says, “He that finds a wife, finds a good thing.” You have to find who you are supposed to marry and spend your life with. While that may be true and accurate, we can’t ignore the fact that God put Adam to sleep and created his wife for him. What was Adam doing at that time in his life? Adam was busy doing what God wanted him to do with his life.

What can we learn from Adam and Eve? Well, God does care about your loneliness and has somebody for you. However, you have to learn to be content where you are and rely on God’s perfect timing. What did Adam do to get Eve? Nothing at all; God put him to sleep, he woke up, and his soul mate was lying right next to him. While that isn’t going to happen exactly like that for us, God will make sure that your path crosses with the person you are suppose to marry.
God knows what He is doing and will prepare your mate for you. You can’t allow yourself to have such low self esteem that causes you to believe that you will never find anybody. There is somebody for everyone. God has a purpose and plan for your life. God wants you to be happy and have a blissfully, abundant, joyful, sensational, exhilarating, passionate, and blessed marriage. God wants you to enjoy your spouse and have the love of a lifetime. God wants you to have a relationship with the opposite sex and enjoy the beauty of a man and woman coming together.

We need some serious help if we believe that homosexuality and lesbianism is normal. God never intended for men to fall in love with other men or ladies to fall in love with other ladies. It’s simply not the will of God, nor is it normal. God fully intended for a man to enjoy a lady and for a lady to enjoy her man. If you are struggling with crazy thoughts of falling in love with a lady and you are a lady, then you need to go on a 21 day fast until God renews your mind. The same will apply if you are man struggling with your sexual identity. Is it alright for me to get on the loud speaker today and say, “Men and women coming together is normal, healthy, and right.”? There are only a select few who are destined to be single; however, most people are designed to be in a marriage relationship. It was God who said, “It is not good for a man to be alone, I will create a helpmate for him.” God does have a helpmate for you and will bring them into your life when the time is right and you are ready.

Your responsibility is to enjoy your singlehood and prepare yourself to be the best husband or wife you can be. Your responsibility is not to find the right person, rather to go become the right person. You should be enjoying your singlehood and using that time to discover your purpose, passion, calling, and dreams. You should use your single time as a blessing to work hard, save money, and prepare yourself for an amazing future. You should focus on becoming the best person that you can be, working out, establishing healthy habits, and focusing on looking the very best you can look for your own self worth’s sake. I’m concerned about all these people who are not prepared as they go into a marriage. It’s going to only create problems for you in the future if you don’t wait on God and prepare yourself. Every single person should be reading books about relationships and marriage. As a pastor, my question that I ask every couple seeking marriage is, “Have you read the book His Needs, Her Needs?” If not, you are not even close to being ready for marriage. I am convinced that every single young man and single young lady should have read at least 12-15 books about marriage before they even think about saying, “I do.” The healthiest marriages only happen with people who are whole and prepared for what lies ahead.

James Dobson suggests that a courting couple should communicate at least 1,000 hours before engagement, and I’ll have to whole heartedly agree with Mr. Dobson. It’s wise to take the time to really get to know someone before you get physical. Ouch, did I just say that? Is it really important to go as long as you can without getting physical? Absolutely, your first kiss should mean something, and the longer you can wait the more intimate your relationship will be. Too many relationships are only built off lust and physical connection. How many marriages have you seen where just by a look in the eye or a facial expression, the other spouse knew what the other was thinking or feeling? Why? It’s because there is an emotional and spiritual connection. Couples that only are connected physically will have major problems in the early years of their marriage. You should take the time to really get to know someone before you kiss them or get physical; your relationship will be so much healthier. While we may have all blown it here and gotten more physical than we should have, I’d like to encourage you to slam on the brakes, put your car in reverse, turn around, and get on the right road. God is merciful and does allow U turns. It’s important that you turn around, starting right now, and reserve your physical passion for marriage.

If you will relax and let God prepare you and your future spouse, then you will not have to worry about marrying the wrong person or the right person at the wrong time. You would be very wise to stop worrying about who you are going to marry and just start living life to the fullest right now. Let God heal you and make you the best husband or wife in the world. In a perfect world there would be no sexual abuse, mistakes, rejection, cheating, divorce, or sexual scars. However, the world that I live in and the people that live in this world have been scarred by sexual immorality, past or sadly a divorce. It’s vitally important that you become healed and whole from whatever scar or bad relationship you had in the past. People that are continually jumping from one relationship to another are simply not wise. It’s dangerous to enter another relationship if you are not healed from your past or previous broken relationships.

As you can tell, there is a lot to cover when you start talking about relationships and marriage. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. God is bigger than your past. While you may have scars and consequences of your past, it doesn’t have to dictate your future happiness. God is a good God and will give mercy to His people. You have a bright future and God is going to send your lifetime companion to you when the time is right. Just go to sleep and let God pick your mate out for you.

Matthew J Maddix
mjmaddix@aol.com

"Tomorrow is Another Day"

2008-02-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you are like me and want everything now and believe that you can change the world in a day’s time. However, a wise person will remember that Rome really wasn’t built in a day. It’s not that I am out of balance or have unrealistic expectations. My friends believe that I have A.D.D. and think that I have insane energy. I wouldn’t deny it if I honestly believed I had it, but I think I just have a deep well of passion burning inside of me for life and my purpose; however, there are times that I really do need some Chamomile Tea before bed to relax and help me unwind. It’s so funny to watch Caleb, because he has become a spitting image of me and has a double portion of my energy and passion. I love to just watch him talk, dream, think, and go continuously. He will almost never go to sleep or slow down, because he wants to do it all in one day’s time. We could do 100 things throughout the day, and by midnight his mind is still dreaming about what to do next and trying to squeeze that one last thing in before bed. The other day I had to remind him, “Caleb, relax son, because tomorrow is another day.” After I tucked him in and finally unwound myself; I sat in my chair thinking, “Matt, you need to take your own advice.” It actually was quite liberating to realize and remember that I’ll always have things that will be left undone and things that I don’t get to do that I really want to do. There are days that I want to do it all and it’s at times frustrating that I can’t squeeze it all in.

Today, while doing my five mile walk and enjoying the beautiful Florida weather, I really began to be inspired to write and share a few things with you. First, you need to mentally tell yourself that you will not fix your life, run all your errands, lose all your weight, read the entire Bible, change the world, or make your life perfect in a day’s time. Life really is a journey and you need to learn to appreciate each day. While you should learn to really squeeze each valuable moment out of each day and accomplish as much as you can, you should also liberate yourself by learning to relax at the end of the day and forget about the mistakes, things left undone, paper work unfiled, phone calls not returned, goals you didn’t reach, and go to bed with the right frame of mind.

Secondly, it really helped me to journal at the end of the day and write out my plans, priorities, and purpose for the next day; I like to evaluate and learn from my mistakes or blind spots. I personally like to plan out my next day in detail and place each of them in order of priority and in accordance of my goals. Remember that prior proper planning prevents poor performance. Many times we waste awesome days, because we don’t plan and prioritize. I’ve just determined that I am not going to live in regret; instead, I am going to evaluate, learn, readjust, and let go of the past so I can plan for a powerful tomorrow!

Thirdly, learn to let it go and stop living in your past. It’s so easy for me to say, and you are thinking, “Yeah, but I blew it.” Awesome! I can’t be any happier, because if you will keep the right attitude, then you will get better each day; the word “right” is the key. Life is daily, and it’s important to realize that a successful, high quality, and excellent lifestyle is a journey. We must make wise choices daily that push us in the direction of our goals and passion. It helps me so much to tell myself, “Matt, perhaps you didn’t do what you wanted to today, but tomorrow will give you a whole new opportunity to do what your heart beats for.” You have to plan your success and path. Life doesn’t just accidentally happen, and you need to let go of the mistakes of yesterday.

Fourthly, always remember that there is beauty in today. When you awake tomorrow, you are facing the greatest gift on earth and that is a new day. I’m talking about a new day with new opportunities to prove the devil, yourself, and your critics wrong. There will be many people constantly reminding you about your past, and the ghosts of your past will always try to drain your energy by getting you to focus on the mistakes, regrets, and pains of yesterday. Today is the day that the Lord has made and today is the first day of the rest of your life. Isn’t it amazing that I have 24 more hours to watch a sunset, read a book, write that letter, start exercising, eat right, pray, give, and spend time with loved ones! Today is your opportunity to experience an exhilarating, passionate, healthy, exciting, positive, and sensational life. Today, you can start over! Today, you can slow down, smell the roses, take deep breaths, take a walk, and enjoy the moments of your life. Oh the power of 24 hours and the newness of each day!

Lastly, I sure hope you will take these practical steps to ensure that tomorrow is more peaceful, powerful, fulfilling, and rewarding. Last night I was driving home from dropping off an evangelist at a hotel. On my way home, I fell asleep at the wheel and ran a red light. I could’ve been killed or killed someone last night. It really shook me! I thought, “Matt, you really need to get a grip here buddy and make some changes.” I sat in my driveway for about 10 minutes, very frustrated that I had allowed myself to get so busy and bogged down over the last few days that I drove myself dead tired to falling asleep at the wheel. Well, while sitting there frustrated over a poorly managed three days, I thought to myself, “Buddy, tomorrow is another day and you will make better choices to ensure a high quality life.” Now, make wise choices and live your tomorrow better than yesterday. You really can do it if you will protect your time, energy, and decisions.

"I have time and I am not busy"

2008-02-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

Often times it’s so easy to speak things out of habit without really thinking about what we are saying. How many times, for example, have you ever said or heard someone say, “I just don’t have time.”? Perhaps we intended to do something, and hopefully they will let us off the hook when we say, “I have been busy.” Busy? Just how busy are we really? I know for a fact that hamsters are very busy creatures, but they go absolutely nowhere. I do know people who are always saying, “I am busy and I just don’t have time.” I just want to scream, “Hogwash!” You have all the time you need. We are only as busy as we plan and desire to be. We don’t have to take on the entire world’s problems and try to build Rome by tomorrow. If I had a dollar for everyone that said, “Slow down Maddix, Rome wasn’t built in a day”, I believe I could buy a new car with cash. I’ve actually learned that lesson and now live a very balanced and stress free life.

Yesterday, I had one of those “busy” days and it just seemed like I was going, going, going until finally I said, “Matt, you are going to the beach today for two hours!” Two hours? Yes, for two hours I walked, ran the beach, drank my favorite peach smoothie, and enjoyed a tomato and mozzarella sandwich on a toasted panini. I actually lied on a hammock, put on my IPOD to some awesome jazz music, and just relaxed. Why? It’s because I wasn’t busy and I had time. There are those who really are workaholics, driven by guilt, and are people pleasers; therefore, they never have time or they are always too busy to enjoy life. I wish everyone had the privilege of living in St. Petersburg. Guess what. After I spent two blissful, peaceful, and relaxing hours at the beach, I had time to pick my son up and spend the rest of the evening with him, while leaving my cell phone at the house. We rode bikes, played ball, talked, wrestled, gave him a wheel barrel ride, helped him with his homework, took him to the bowling alley, got him signed up for little league baseball, and went to watch a Karate class together. Guess what else. I had to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to fly to Austin today to preach a Soul Winning Rally, make 100 phone calls, return over 100 emails, and prepare three messages for the weekend. How? It’s because I have time and I am not busy. Most people are so stressed about being busy that their lives become so cluttered. Whenever we give attention to how “busy” we are then we tend to lose energy, focus, and passion. I realize that at this moment you are saying, “Yeah, but you don’t understand!” You are right. In fact you are 110% right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand how you don’t have time to pray, call your mother, write a thank you card, go to a birthday party, take your wife for a walk, play with your kids, read a book, watch the sunset, eat right, exercise, and do what is important. You do have time! You have time to pray and live for God. You have time to go to church. If you were driving down the road and you had a flat tire, would you have time to pull over to give attention to it? You would have no choice.

I have been teaching a series to our church; “The ROAD to Success.” Basically, our life is much like a car that must have four tires in balance to drive successfully. The four tires of our life that determine our success are (1) Mental Health, (2) Physical Health, (3) Financial Health, and (4) Spiritual Health. Friends, you can’t allow yourself to have a blow out mentally, financially, physically, or spiritually and still live an abundantly, peaceful, happy, and fulfilling life. It’s impossible to truly be happy until all four of those areas are in balance. Sadly in our Christian culture, we only place emphasis on the Spiritual. However, I want you to know that God is just as concerned about all four of those areas. You may see angels at night, have the whole Bible memorized, pray four hours a day, and be the greatest Christian alive, but you would be no good to the world if you died of a heart attack. You would be no good if you were broke or negative. I have met many Spiritual people who were amazing and in touch with God; however, they are overweight, always broke, and at times battle depression, stress, fear, or doubt as a result of not paying attention to their thoughts, life, and lack of proper prioritizing.

Personally, I am seeking the abundant life that Jesus promised, and it’s not going to just wake me up tonight and fall in my lap. God is a God of order and structure. God expects us to work on our attitude, balance our check book, pay our tithes, save money each week, give to the poor, exercise, eat right, and pray. If we do our part, God will do his part.

I really hate to be the dude that blows you away with this, but the majority of the Christian society needs to incorporate exercise, fitness, and eating right into their culture. It’s not a sin to eat right, take care of your health, and exercise every day. If you keep comparing yourself with others, making excuses, and blaming, then you will never get ahead in life. You must take charge of your life and start living. Make the time, make it a priority, and just do it. Make no excuses, push it to the limit, wake up early, read good books, make family number one, don’t miss church, get involved, serve the less fortunate, live debt free, save money, give money, and take care of yourself. It’s time for you to eliminate, take out the trash (out of your mind), and lose the stress (and the weight). I can tell you from experience that I am a very “busy” person, who isn’t really busy and I do have time. I am a single dad, pastor a church, travel weekly, write daily, a motivational speaker, life coach, and president of Compassion USA and Soul Winners Boot Camp. I’m as busy as any executive in the country. However, I am not going to neglect my prayer life, health, or my son. I may not get there as fast as those frantic, live off pills, never sleep, never work out, always rushing, and always stressed people. However, when I do arrive, I am going to be happy, healthy, wealthy, blessed, focused, energetic, and will have a son who knows that he is daddy’s number one priority. How?

Well, that will have to be another blog. However, you will have to say no to the good and yes to the best. You will have to learn to prioritize, eat right, sleep right, and pray right. You will have to learn how to have an amazing, positive, upbeat, and passionate attitude. You will not be able to be a complainer, pouter, blamer, or a quitter. You will have to learn to forgive, give, and practice gratitude on a daily basis. You will have to eliminate some stuff from your life; I’ll be honest with you and tell you that I’ve had to live this. I’ve been single for over 1½ years and thought I was ready to start dating again. However, I’ve determined to put that part of my life on hold and give my time and energy to what matters in this season of my life. Remember, your life is seasonal and there are seasons when you may have to work long hours, sacrifice, save, and have fierce focus. I’ve also had to learn that I can’t be everything to everyone, return every call, answer every email, or be Superman to the world.

What I can do is live my life and help as many as I can, and when the day is over, look over at little Caleb as he sleeps peacefully and say, “God, I sure thank you for my son, the many blessings, and another day to give it my best to live the most adventurous, fulfilling, and exhilarating life!” Remember, you have time and you are not too busy. I love you and will see you on the road to success!

Matthew J Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

"Naps, Sleeping and Rest"

2008-01-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

I’m a firm believer that sometimes the best thing that could happen to you is a good night’s rest or a 20 minute cat nap. I’ve always been able to take a 20 minute nap and be energized for the rest of the day. In fact, I usually take a good 20 minute nap every day and actually no longer than 20 minutes. I have friends who can nap for two hours and still be tired. I personally believe that a two hour nap is a waste of time. My goodness, I think of a whole lot of stuff that I can do in two hours; I’d rather work my heart out, spend time with my boy or go do something really fun! If you need a two hour nap, simply wait until bedtime and get you some sleep. I’ve always been a self motivator and don’t require a push to work hard. Working hard and having drive is like breathing to me; it really comes natural and I actually enjoy working and living an adventurous life. I’m amazed at the level of passiveness among so many people in today’s culture. People who have no drive, ambition, goals or passion are the ones who are usually taking the two or three hour naps. I’m to the place where I don’t like to nap on Sundays, because I like to be outdoors biking, walking the beach, laying in a hammock while reading a book, or playing ball with my son. You may be reading this blog and thinking to yourself, “Maddix is a few French fries short of a happy meal.” While you may be right on that one, I do know that we all need a little help when it comes to naps, sleep and rest. It may not make it on the Oprah show or seem like the most worthy cause on earth; however, if you don’t learn the value of a good nap, a good night’s sleep and proper rest, then you’ll be in for a very stressful and depressing life.

Life is way too short for me to get so stressed and out of balance that I don’t make the time to rest properly and enjoy a good little nap. How many of you have ever slept 8 hours and still felt tired? There are many factors to this and perhaps you may need to make a few minor changes in your life so you can start waking up feeling invigorated and energetic. A few months ago, I preached a message to my church; “The Secret to My Energy.” Well, I do have a few secrets and if you want a copy of that, you are welcome to call my office at 727-522-1002 and we’ll send you a copy for a very small price. I really believe that the way you rest, sleep and nap will determine a good amount of your energy. For example, how you go to bed and wake up will make a huge difference in how you sleep and what kind of mood or energy you will have upon waking up.

First, I believe that we should spend about 30 minutes before bed preparing ourselves for an awesome night’s rest. My personal secret is that I write out my “Must Be Done” list before bed and I have also taken up journaling so my mind can be completely clear before I go to bed. After clearing my mind by journaling and writing down all the things that must be done, I like to ask Caleb, “What are the top five things that you are thankful for today?” You would be surprised how well you will sleep if you would start practicing gratitude and appreciation; I like to verbally express the things that I am thankful for before I go to sleep. Of course, you should never watch TV or the news before bed. Some soft piano music, nature music such as ocean waves, and an aroma therapy candle burning 30 minutes before bed is also very helpful for a good night’s sleep. I’m convinced that the majority of your stress would be solved with proper sleep and rest; I personally enjoy going to bed by 11:00 p.m. and waking up at 5:00 a.m., ready to live that day to the absolute fullest. I no longer take pride in burning the midnight oil and working past midnight.
It’s simply not healthy and you are cheating yourself out of some very valuable sleep. Every hour of sleep before midnight is more valuable than four hours after midnight. Also, if you will pray over sleep, then God can bless you, give you peace of mind and help you get the sleep that your body needs. I wish God would’ve created my body to only need 2 hours of sleep each night. However, God, in His wisdom, designed our bodies to sleep and have a break.

Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy hearted and I will give you rest.” I do sleep and take naps properly. Oh yeah, one more thing; please understand just how healthy a 20 minute nap really is. It’s good for your health, mind and body. You will live longer if you sleep and nap right. In order to get to that place in your life, it will become vitally important that you learn to rest. Rest has nothing to do with sleep or naps; it’s a Sabbath principle that all of us are guilty of breaking. Ok, go preach against smoking, alcohol, drugs and overeating and I’ll join you. However, I would like to also warn you to make sure that you are not neglecting the rest that your mind, family and body needs. Some of you are going to kill yourself or end up with diseases that mostly are brought on by unnecessary stress.

I personally have had enough stress for 100 people. However, I have a six year old little boy, a purpose and a deep gratitude for life that I am determined to give my mind and life rest. I’m working on preaching a message titled, “I Have Time and I am Not Busy.” It seems like anymore that nobody has time to swing on the porch, throw the ball with their kids, visit their grandmother or take their wife on a date. For the first time in 32 years, I am not busy and I have plenty of time. Why? You have the ability to choose what you want to do with your life. How is it that I am able to do what I do in my life and manage such a hectic schedule? I have time and I am not too busy to make sure that I pray, spend time with my family, go to church, read the Bible, win souls, have fun and rest. I have time to exercise, sleep and laugh. I have time to go on the boat, play a game, take a walk, and listen to my grandmother’s stories for two hours. I’m not going to get into the dark, depressing and dreary rut that I was once in by saying, “I don’t have time, I’m busy and I’m just stressed.” Get a better attitude today. Go to bed tonight and have the best night’s sleep you’ve had in ten years. Wake up tomorrow and have time to exercise, eat right, pray and spend time with family!

Matthew J Maddix
mjmaddix@aol.com

"Living in the Moment"

2008-01-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

It really doesn’t take long for me to change. Change is something that I have personally learned to appreciate and adapt to. In fact, I’ve learned that if nothing changes in your life then nothing changes. You must become very assertive about personal growth and change in your life. While change may not be easy, it is absolutely necessary and at times a matter of life and death. My grandfather had a heart attack about five years ago and the doctor told him, “Mr. Maddix, you survived this heart attack, but you must change or die.” Change or die. Change or continue to be stressed, depressed, frustrated, overweight, broke, in relationship problems and angry at the world. Personally, I have had one of the worst years of my life over the last year. However, words will not describe the lessons learned through the process and the deep appreciation I’ve gained for life. I’ve grown deeper in God, closer to my family and friends, and more understanding to the process it takes. In reality, we all have our story and we all have had our storms, sad days and weary moments. We’ve had sleepless nights, been to devastating funerals, received heart breaking phone calls, disappointing outcomes, financial setbacks and tired minds. However, if we are going to survive stress, pressure and this thing we call life then we must learn how to change so we can start living in the moment.

Albert Einstein said, “The secret to success is the ability to focus on one thing while giving it all my energy until its completion.” I actually have applied that principle to my life and the results are unbelievable. I could tell you so many stories and have you all in tears. Life for me hasn’t always been easy and there have been times that my mind was so overwhelmed, distracted and stressed that I didn’t think I was going to make it. My mind was overtaken by fear, worry, stress and pressure. However, God has taught me two amazing secrets and I’m going to share them with you.

1. The power of focus
2. Learning to live in the moment

Since we all only live one life and this life goes by very fast, wouldn’t you think it would be important to learn how to enjoy it and not allow ourselves to be stressed or frantic? Do you believe it’s possible to actually be happy, complete, peaceful, joyful, and relaxed even if you have 1,000’s of problems? Do you believe that you can actually get everything done and have plenty of time? Do you believe that you can really live a worry free life? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes, and I will tell you with confidence from experience that you can learn to focus and live in the moment without fear, stress or anxiety. God has blessed me and I’ve learned how to succeed through trial and error. I really do have plenty of time and live stress and worry free; I enjoy plenty of time to read, exercise, relax, walk, rest, play with Caleb, call my family, write and do the things I enjoy, all while working extremely hard and long hours. In fact, those who are close to me are shocked at how much quality time I am able to spend with Caleb. It’s all in how you prioritize and focus so you can live in the moment. I now live by three major principles; (1) Never fear the day you’ve never seen, (2) Never lose your energy with the past and (3) Live in the moment you are in right now. Think about your life and the countless people that you know who are always stuck in the past or worrying about the future. It would be such a waste of good days and good living if we allow our past and future to handicap us in that manner. God, as big as He is, can’t even change our past. Would you please let go of yesterday and the regrets that drain your energy, and live in the moment you are in right now? Would you please stop worrying about tomorrow and all the 1,000’s of things you need to do? Jesus said, “Take no thought for tomorrow.” and that doesn’t mean we don’t plan or think ahead. He was simply teaching us not to worry or stress out about tomorrow.

My days are very planned out and I usually start at 5:00 am and go until 11:00 pm and I make sure that some very important things happen during that time. However, yesterday happened to be one of those days where I was maxed out with appointments and really wanted three uninterrupted hours with my son. Therefore, I had to be very focused and live completely in the moment for this to happen. Before picking up little Caleb, I had to mail some stuff at the Post Office, of which 99.9% of the time, I would delegate to someone on my staff. However, because I didn’t plan for it and was near the Post Office, I went myself. When I walked in, there was a huge line. There were about 15 very unhappy, sighing, frustrated and stressed out people in front of me; it was not a very happy and peaceful atmosphere. In order for me to accomplish what I need to accomplish in my life, it’s very important that I have plenty of energy. Knowing that my son has a million times the amount of energy that I had and I needed to keep up with him to play soccer, football, basketball, baseball and take him for a long wheel barrel ride, then I would need a ton of energy. Most of the time, I would’ve joined the other 15 in complaining, sighing and the energy draining talk of, “This place is always busy and it takes forever to get through here.” However, I tuned into the power of focus and living in the moment. I began to thank God for the Post Office and those who work there. I began to thank God for the 15 people who were in line and thank God for all that happened to me.

While focusing and living in that very moment, I refused to worry about what I had to do next, the fact that I could’ve been there earlier and beat the crowd or if I would have delegated this one out. Had I allowed my mind to become that distracted then stress, frustration and regret would surely drain my energy. I looked on the wall and noticed the 9/11 stamp dated, September 11, 2001, and in that moment, I used the time to pray for the families who lost loved ones during 9/11. In that moment yesterday, I also began to think about the fact that since September 11, 2001, I’ve been blessed with 2,777 days. I then began to think about all that my blessed life had allowed me to experience in those 2,777 days since September 11th; I was overtaken with humbleness, gratitude, love and almost tears. Rather than walking out of the Post Office tense, frustrated, stressed and emotionally drained, I actually walked out slowly; I smiled, had tears coming down my face and stood outside for one solid minute, without rushing to my car, and smelled the fresh air, looked at the sunshine, and in the deepest way possible, expressed gratitude to God for life. What kept me from the typical hectic, frantic and stressful attitude at the Post Office? It’s simple and has changed my life; “Live in the moment.” After you read this blog, 100’s of things will be pulling for your attention, you’ll be busy, life will come at you fast, the unexpected will happen and you’ll surely make it if you can focus your mind and live in the moment. Please slow down and enjoy the traffic jam, the flat tire, the long line, the delay at the airport, the ringing phone, your job and your time with family. Learn to relax, smile, breathe and appreciate every single moment of your life. Oh yeah, please prioritize your life so you can enjoy more sunsets and sunrises. Eat slowly, look into the eyes of your loved ones when they talk, keep your mind focused on them and appreciate your family, without your mind wandering or worrying about what you need to do next.

Matthew J Maddix
mjmaddix@aol.com

"The World I'm Trying to Reach"

2007-12-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Words will never be able to describe my two day mission at the University of Virginia Tech last year, trying to offer hope, a listening ear, and prayer for the 1,000’s of hurting people from the Nation’s most tragic school shooting in our history. For two long, emotional, and heart wrenching days, we interviewed students, passed out over 500 Bibles, and prayed with hurting and confused students. We were able to talk with professors, students, and family members of the 32 victims of Virginia Tech; I have never been more heart broken and shed more tears in all of my life.

I feel very blessed to be alive and have a great appreciation for the gift of life. I have a six year old boy who believes that I hung the moon and loves me more than the world; I’ve been blessed in ways that I’ll never be able to count. However, I can’t imagine the pain of those sweet and precious families this Christmas, as they try to deal with the memories of their loved ones, whose innocent and precious lives were lost by someone who was lost himself. Today I read and re-read the articles from the Omaha Mall shooting and haven’t been able to keep the tears from streaming down my face; I can’t imagine how much pain and anguish the family members must feel for those precious 8 lives that were lost in the shooting. My prayers will go out every day for those sweet people. I’m almost at a loss for words that, in my country, such a tragedy would take place twice, and we still haven’t received the message.

What is the message? It’s one that I have been traveling the world and screaming about, for 10 years. Who will reach these children and troubled youth? What causes a 19 year old kid to walk into a mall and shoot 8 innocent people, just 20 days before Christmas? I am so tired of reading this and watching the videos of this kind of stuff happening in our world. Somebody must take immediate action and save these people, before another tragedy happens on another campus, or any place for that matter, in our beautiful country. I couldn’t imagine if that were my son, mother, friend, brother, or spouse that was innocently killed 20 days before Christmas, at a shopping mall. I couldn’t imagine how crushed I’d feel—the loneliness, the bitterness, the pain, the empty feeling, the cold and gut wrenching feeling, and not to mention the million dollar question, “Why?” Why does this have to happen? Why do we have to see innocent lives taken? Why do we have to keep turning on the news and watching aftermaths of such tragedy? Why do the innocent have to die at the hands of depressed, angry, and mentally fractured people?

Welcome to the world I’d like to reach; it’s no longer a fairy tale. I want to hold every single family member of every family. I want to cry with them. I want to hurt with them and listen to their anguish. I want to get in my car, drive to Nebraska right now, and just pray with people that are hurting. I want to give money and love to the confused and hurting. The world that I am trying to reach is searching for answers, and the ultimate questions now become, “Who will reach for the children?” “Who is going to help the fatherless?” “Who will extend help to the confused, troubled, and depressed teenager?”

I am not writing to give some revolutionary answer. Rather, I am writing to my fellow Americans and Christians to take action; I’d like to beg you, with tears streaming down my face, to help these children and teens before they lose grip with reality, and more innocent lives are taken. Next time, it could be your spouse, your child, your siblings, or your own life. America is no longer a safe country and we need immediate action.

Every church needs to go this week and buy a bus, and begin busing in children to church. We need to become fathers to the fatherless and mothers to the motherless. Somebody has to change their lives, while they are children, and train them to think right and deal with life’s setbacks.

I am so sorry that I didn’t reach Robert Hawkins. I am sorry that I didn’t have the chance to give him hope or get him to Jesus. I am sorry, because if I would’ve reached Robert, then perhaps those 8 people would be enjoying the Holidays with their family this year. I am sorry that I didn’t pick him up for Sunday school when he was a kid. I am sorry that I didn’t teach him that God could heal his heart and give him joy to cure his depression. What can be done now? I can pray and beg God to heal the families and friends of the innocent 8, and I can spend the rest of my life reaching children and helping trouble teenagers. Always remember, “Those who deserve love the least, need it the most.”

Matthew J Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com

"It's Just Not Fair"

2007-11-30T13:06:00.001-08:00

Have you ever said, “It’s just not fair.”? If I had a dollar for every time either I or someone has said, “That’s not fair.”, then I’d be able to retire today. Life isn’t fair and the sooner we come to grips with that, the faster we’ll be able to deal with life’s curveballs. One of the hardest things to deal with is the reality of a major, heartbreaking situation. I lost count of the times that I hung up the phone in disbelief and said, “I can’t believe that just happened.” or “I can’t believe they said that or are going to do that.” Life has many shocking moments. You can almost get to the point that when the phone rings, you get the feeling that it isn’t going to be good news. It could be a death in the family, a friend gets into a car accident, so and so is getting a divorce, someone is pregnant and shouldn’t be, or someone else just filed bankruptcy and lost their house. The list could go on and on about the many mind boggling moments that we have to deal with.

Well my friends, I’d like to introduce you to this thing we call, “Fair.” Fair is just a fairy tale and there isn’t going to be one day of your life when you encounter a fair God, a fair world, or a fair devil. We can’t help the fact that we live in a world of sickness, pain, rejection, disappointment, sorrow, stress, and people. People we love sometimes hurt us. There are times when you raise your kids, only for them to walk down the path you never dreamed they would walk. There are times when your life is going smooth; you just bought your first house, you paid your car off, the kids are graduating college this year, the wedding was beautiful, the baby is healthy, and it’s a very Merry Christmas. Both of your grandparents are alive, your parents are still together, all your siblings are healthy, you have financial freedom, and life appears to be perfect. Those moments are ones we cherish and never want to end; you feel everything flowing and you couldn’t be happier. However, we must embrace for the moments when our “perfect world” gets interrupted by a set back, sickness, car accident, phone call, divorce, heart break, cancer, or how about this, “We have to let you go.” Yes, the job you loved so much, with the perfect benefits, you just lost. Well, I have some good news for you on how to act when life isn’t fair; I received this inspiration while running on the treadmill yesterday. I thought of my grandparents whose beautiful two year old little girl drowned, while they were cooking dinner. I thought of the dad whose entire family was killed in an accident.

I thought of the homeless men in my church that had it all and are now living under a bridge. I thought of my friends who have cancer, and the doctor just told them if they make it through Christmas, they’ll be lucky. I was also thinking of the mother whose daughter just committed suicide. Friends, to the person whose husband just cheated on them or your wife just left you last weekend, I have something to share; life isn’t fair, but God is faithful. You may have your heart broken, you may get sick, you may have a car accident, you may lose a loved one, and you may very well face an infidelity in your marriage. However, God is faithful and while it may hurt to even think about it, God has a plan to bring complete healing, peace, and purpose in your life. As I close, I’d like for you to consider two people who dealt with situations where life and God didn’t seem too fair.

1. Joseph
2. Job

Both of these men had situations that looked so tragic and faced major disappointment.

Joseph –

1. Rejected and Hated by his brothers

Genesis 37:5

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

2. Cast into a pit

Genesis 37:18-20

18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!"

Genesis 37:23-24

23 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

3. Sold into Slavery

Genesis 37:28

28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

4. Falsely Accused for Rape

Genesis 39:7-14

7 And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Sleep with me."

8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"

10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Sleep with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to rape with me, and I cried out with a loud voice

5. Thrown into prison

Genesis 39:16-21

16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to rape me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."

19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

Genesis 50:20-21

20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

How did Joseph survive the pain, the bitterness, the rejection, and the frustration of so many bad things happening? How did he deal with an “Unfair God and Unfair World”? Joseph kept his attitude right and chose to stay faithful to God, even when neither God nor life was fair to him.
Joseph survived and overcame, because he understood that all the bad and evil that happened to him would be turned all around for HIS good, by God. That is the kind of attitude we need to have. Friends, I know it’s challenging to accept it, but all the bad and evil in our lives, really will all work out for our good. The worst things that have ever happened to you will end up becoming the best things that have ever happened to you.

Job –

Job 1:13-22

Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house; 14 and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,

15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them away — indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said,” Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"

20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."

22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

I can’t even begin to imagine Job’s pain and set back. He lost everything he had; his riches, his home, and his perfect life were turned upside down with disaster. His kids were all killed by a storm. However, the Bible said that he worshipped, perhaps giving us a little glimpse of what real worship really is. Job’s mentality and attitude was, “The Lord gave and the Lord took.” I can deal with it and feel really prosperous when the Lord gives. However, we must come to grips that neither God nor life is fair, and we must worship, even when God takes.

Job 42:10

10 And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

I am 110% persuaded that when we pass the test and we prove to God a right attitude, even when there is loss, pain, rejection, frustration, stress, tragedy, or set backs, that God will give us twice as much as we had before. So in reality, life isn’t fair after all, but if we stay faithful and keep the right attitude, then we’ll come out stronger, sweeter, better, healthier, wiser, and more powerful than ever before.

Matthew J Maddix

mjmaddix@aol.com