Whirlwind Year

If I could only sum up in a few sentences what the last year has held. A few paragraphs would not even be enough. It might just take a book to tell the whole story. My last post won't be be that long, I promise! My life has been crazy busy, chaotic, stressed to the max, etc, etc, etc....over this past year. 

I am slowly working up the courage and strength to finish this whole site off. 

I've had numerous good intentions over this last year to write my final post to this project, but when I attempted to set time aside, something would come up and push my intentions of writing further down my list. I'd then get really busy, a bit stressed here and there, and then would repeat the whole process of trying to set time aside, but never getting anywhere. 

I'm going to try and do my best to fill you in on everything, for instance: My last trade, what happened to The Trade Mobile, what I am going to do with my last item, what I am up to these days, and possibly fill you in on a few things I am tossing around up in my noggin. 

Thank you again to all those that have followed this crazy journey over the last 4 years! 

!

Matthew

On Leave: Simply Put

I this has been the longest span that I have gone since posting an update. A lot has been going on in my life and honestly, It all boiled down to a much needed break to clear my mind and focus my thoughts and energy towards my family and bettering myself. 

I have done a lot of relaxing over the last month or so. And then of course a few honey do's that have been on the list for.....Let's just say a really long time. 

Each one of the things that I needed to get done were very easy to get done, but since I let them all pile up, it seemed daunting. I spent more time stressing about getting each item checked off my mental list than it actually took me to get them done. 

So, down to business. I have finally started to work on the airplane trade post. I can already feel your disbelief and amazement that I traded the piano for an airplane. Believe it or not, I did. It's quite the story. 

I really wanted to make a cool video about it and go get some buddies that know how to fly and take it for a spin, but the weather has been bad and honestly, I have not felt like putting the effort into another video.  

Truthfully, I have to give all the credit to my brother-in-law. He did all the work. I just stood there and looked pretty, I mean, I mean, macho. I honestly did not want to burden him with another project. He has a lot on his plate already. 

I will come up with something though. I can't wait to show you the pictures of the plane. It is rather easy to put together, in fact, one person could probably manage it by itself if he/she knew what they were doing. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know I am still here and have not jumped ship.

Thanks again to all that have made this project possible! 

Matt

The Piano is Outta Here!

Trade 9 is done and all the details are finalized. I have been working hard and hardly working. 
Lots of late nights at work have pretty much sidelined any attempts to write a new post about Trade 9. Anyway...
We are also going to be doing the Hiding Dirty Contest! Here's the post on DT if you don't know how it works...

Also don't forget about considering helping out in the Van for the Knapps fund raiser! Click here for the post I wrote. It will explain their situation and you can click the links to their fund raising site!

New Trade Coming Soon!

The title says it all! Because of our lovely weather in the Mid West, the trade will happen when it happens. Hopefully soon. Trade #9 is definitely better than the piano and is in some ways bigger. It has a lot of potential, it's really fast, and has no limits...Any guesses? 

A Van for the Knapps

Tulsa: Let's support this family and meet their need!

"When he was seven months old, Luke Knapp was diagnosed with type-2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). He has never rolled over or crawled, and is (and will be) dependent on his wheelchair and other mobility aids. We are trying to aid his family by helping them buy a handicap accessible van."

-This is a quote off of the site that you can donate to.

This is a fundraiser that was started by John Cunningham and it will be featured on a donation site called You Caring for the next 67 days. The goal is to raise $50,000

Laura of course is the mom on the left. I went to high school with her many years ago. Since I have been on the receiving end on more than one occasion, I wanted to pass this along. My desire is to see no need go unmet. 

Anyone can donate to help this cause. It will end 67 days from today.

This is what I posted on my Facebook account:

"Tulsa, here is your opportunity to utilize the resources we have been given. Please share this with anyone you know that has a heart for giving and wants to make a difference in the life of a family. I went to Metro Christian Academy in Tulsa with Laura years ago and can't remember a time that she wasn't smiling. It is time to live up to our calling to meet a very important need. 
This is not an impossible task Tulsa. 

When you put it into perspective it really is not that much. Just think about where and how you spend your money. Now think about how that money could change this families life for the next several years."

Click Here to go to the donation site

"If 50,000 people gave $1=$50,000

10,000 $5=goal met

5,000 $10=goal met

2,500 $20=goal met

1,250 $40=goal met

1,000 $50=goal met

625   $80=goal met

500 $100=goal met

400 $125=goal met

334 $150=goal met

285 $175=goal met

250 $200=goal met

200 $250=goal met

167 $300=goal met

156 $325=goal met

125 $400=goal met

100 $500=goal met

50 $1000=goal met

25 $2000=goal met

20 $2500=goal met

10 $5000=goal met

5 $10,000=goal met

1 $50,000=goal met"

There are people in Tulsa and the surrounding areas that could easily give the total amount and it would not phase them. I am not asking anyone to give a huge amount or am in no way trying to make you feel sorry. 

Each person must examine his or her own heart and determine what they feel they want to give. It does not matter how much or how little, it is about the willingness to give. By giving what you are able, that says more than enough. Even if it were 10 cents. It is all about the willingness and the condition of the heart. 

Thank you ahead of time to all that take the action and challenge to make a huge impact. Also, I am pretty sure anyone at least in the U.S.A. can give. I am not sure how it works for other countries. 

3 Songs That Remind Me...

...Of how good, faithful, and loving God is when I have been at the darkest points in my life, when He seemed so far away and not intervening in a situation that angered and tore me apart. 

Two things that I have learned in my short life is this: God is always faithful and working in your life, even if you can't see it happening, taking the situation that was meant for bad and turning it good if you are willing to let him. The other is this: God will never leave you, nor forsake you, and is always there to bless and provide for you when you are willing to lay it all down and completely let it all go and trust that He has it all in His control. 

I have seen God do miraculous things, to the confidence of saying that not one soul can convince me otherwise that there is not an all powerful God that loves and cares for us, and is ready to give us a joy, peace, and freedom that passes all understanding when you turn to him. I pray that these songs bless you as much as they have me. You're never too far gone and there is no better time then now to just walk away and ask God to take over your life. I am living proof.

To Give or Not to Give?

That is the question...

Are you a penny pincher when it comes to "your" money? Or are you the type that gives freely and expects nothing in return? Before I get into everything, I want to say upfront that this is not a debate of whether or not to tithe, or how much you should tithe. 

This is also not about condemning those that don't give to others. Your lifestyle and how you spend your money is your choice. Not everyone has gone through the same experiences as I have, so I can't expect someone to automatically start doing something they have never done. It is a process.

Tithing, giving, and how you should live your lifestyle is something you need to figure out in your heart. Okay, now that I got that out of the way...

As far back as I can remember, I was always taught to give 10% of what I made. That was hard for me to do. Partly because I did not have an actual job, but also because I understood the concept of 10 percent; the more I made, the more 10 percent equalled. I was a greedy little kid and did not want to even let go of a penny.  

I received an allowance each week, but I sure had to work my booty off for it. I would have to put part of it in my savings envelope and part in my giving envelope. I was the hardest little worker you could find. I would work all day and night to make more money. I was all about the money and all the things I could do if I had a lot of it. I'm sorry, total tangent, I have to share this Abba video and of course the O'Jays when they were on Soul Train.

Anyway...I had thousands saved up by the time I was 12 years old. It was all earned through blood, sweat, and tears. The blood and tears part came from when my brother and I would fight. If we got caught or told on each other, the money that we were going to earn was no longer an option. The task then became a labor camp. My dad would work us to death or at least until we learned our lesson. He was a football trainer when he was in college and knew every drill in the book. We learned our lesson quick.

I would do odd jobs around the neighborhood like mowing and anything else that had to do with dirt or using my hands. I would also buy suckers from my elementary school for twenty-five cents and then would turn around and charge fifty cents for them. I would sell them to the pushover neighbors whom thought I was cute. At one point in my childhood I even tried to sell leaves, but that did not last long. I can't leave out the pop and lemonade days at garage sales. I'd make a killing! A whole $15 seemed like a lot to me at the time.

I don't even think I was 8 years old when I started my sucker business. When the school found out that I was making a profit, they shut me down and would not let me buy anymore...

I saw nothing wrong with it. They got their money upfront, so by golly I was going to make my money back, plus some.

So what did I do? I started making my own suckers (with my moms help of course; I would have burnt the house down. I nearly did, true story) and would sell them around the neighborhood and in any shop my mom would frequent...(The beauty salon, the hair bow store, the flower shop, mom and dads work). 

As I got older, the envelopes eventually stopped. I no longer gave and would only save for what I wanted. It got to the point where my parents just handed us money because I felt I was entitled. I didn't have to work for any of the cars that I had as a teenager or the new clothes that were on my back. I didn't have to work for the food that I ate. It was all handed to us freely.

We had everything you could ever think of. Everything a kid ever wanted. We had the lake house, the rent house, the "Big House" that was in an affluent neighborhood. We had the lake toys, the boats, the new cars, the fancy vacations, the huge parties, and every new toy or video game you could buy. 

Outwardly it appeared that we had it all together, but in reality, each one of us 5 kids and my mom were just wasting away feeling unsatisfied and depressed. Money and things no longer made us happy. 

There were days where I would just go outside in the back court yard and just stare off in a daze at all the things that we had or all the work that I needed to do. We had so much, but gave so little. 

That all began to change in the late 90's when my brother went on his first overseas trip into one of the poorest 3rd world country's you can imagine. He came back with stories of how people literally had nothing, but yet would invite them into their shacks and feed them like they were close family.

This is a picture of a small village in South America that I visited. They had no running water and just enough electricity to light up a few light bulbs. Buckets filled the house to catch all the rain that came through the roof. Most of these people did not even have shoes and here I was in a new pair of hiking boots. 

These stories broke our hearts, but yet no action was taken to shed any of the material things that we had. That all changed after my sister and I visited some of the poorest 3rd world countries in South America. Many people had no running water, no gas or electric stoves, no washers or dryers, sometimes no electricity, and no privacy. Some just had the torn and dirty clothes on their backs and a makeshift roof over their heads. 

Yet they gave freely to us, not because we were the Americans, but because that was who they were. When a need arose, it would be taken care of. If someone needed shelter, that person would be taken in. It was not uncommon to see 10x10 shacks that would have 9 people living in it and all they had to eat were a few potatoes for the week. They would welcome us not as strangers, but as family. We were not a burden to these people. We wanted to help everyone, but there just wasn't enough to go around. I had friends that actually gave the shirts off their backs in order to help someone. 

This village in South America would use anything they could find to build their homes.

What made these people so happy and content? Was it because they had never experienced anything else or was it more than that? Where was their hope and faith coming from?  I personally was about to find those very answers in the coming months. My life was about to be turned upside down.

When I finally arrived back in the states in the Summer of 2002, I was grieved with the way that we lived. Over a 4th of what we had, we did not need. I did not need 20 shirts and pants, or however many pairs of shoes. Some of the smallest most insignificant things that we had would have made a world of difference to these people.

I could go on and on. The point I am trying to get across is this...Do we really "need" all that we have?

What is holding you back from giving that $1 to a charity or foundation at the checkout counter? Or that 1 shirt, or 1 coat, or 1 pair of shoes that you have not worn in over a year to the homeless shelter or guy on the side of the road? 

I took this picture in Peru. This little guy was the man of the house and cooked potatoes for us to eat. This was the only food they had left until they got paid and they freely welcomed us in without hesitation. Our group was able to greatly bless this family for their generosity.

It grieves me because I know that there is still so much more that I can let go of to make a difference in so many lives. I have been on both sides of life: I know what it is like to have everything you could ever imagine and I know what it is like to not know how I am going to put food on the table. 

I challenge all that read this post, including myself, to just give one thing at the very least to someone in need. You would be surprised who all needs help. Outwardly someone might look fine, but on the inside they might be wasting away and struggling to get by. 

If we spend all that we make or live the lifestyle of or above our income, all it takes is one thing to destroy you. It does not matter if you are "poor or rich" in perspective. So when you think about it, we really don't "need" that much to live.  

All we "need" is water to sustain us, food to strengthen us, clothes to keep us warm, and a shelter to protect us. What will you let go of this week? 

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4: 11-13). 

Blessed The Fallen: I Am Redeemed!

Three guys. Three different stories. A common purpose: To serve God through their individual musical talents, uniting as a team to share with others the freedom that God has given them.

Just a few months ago these three guys did not even know each other. Their common goal: To heal and become free from the addictions that they were in bondage to. Each guy was ready for a change and about to cross paths in an unconventional way.

They are not only influencing each other, but also, all that hear their music. With only a few weeks separating their arrivals, God was about to do something in their lives that they probably did not even see coming. 

Just a few months ago Trevor Carpenter, Ryan Scott, and Dustin West arrived at a program  in Arkansas called Renewal Ranch that was started in January 2011. "Renewal Ranch is dedicated to restoring broken lives through Christ by helping men with addictions develop a personal love relationship with Christ for the glory of God!"--R.R. website

Upon realizing their talents, a group was formed called "Blessed The Fallen"

As you all know, I have a great appreciation for original music and I love to share about those whom are making a difference in the lives of others.

Though they are not professionals in the music industry (yet), their music already has an overwhelming presence of peace and comfort when you listen to the words. It can't be explained in any other way than being a gift from God.

Their songs paint a picture of how God has changed their lives. Every time I listen, I feel moved and blessed. 

When you give your life to Jesus, you're going to experience a joy and peace that passes all understanding. I know this because God got ahold of my life over 10 years ago. I was not completely living my life for God. When I experienced the freedom that God gave me, there was no turning back.

It took the tragedy in 2002 to completely break me and force me to hit my low point in life. I had no other choice but to turn to God and let go of all the lies that I was sucked into. 

I was finally set free from my burdens in September of 2002. It was as if heavy iron chains were just ripped off of me. I no longer felt as though I was drowning in my secret past. I finally felt that joy and peace that can't be explained in any other way then just wow!

I had no regret. I let go of my past and no longer had to feel guilty for the things of my past. I had been forgiven and was now on the journey to recovery. I no longer had to let shame be a part of my life.

This is exactly what these 3 guys have done. They made the choice to let go of what they were in bondage to and give it all to God so that they could be set free! 

None of us are perfect. All of us mess up and have faults, the difference now is that you are able to turn to The One that will bring you that peace and joy that nothing else can fill.

You no longer have to feel the guilt and shame you once felt. You now know whom to turn to and the blessings it brings to know that you have been set free and forgiven. 

I hope that their songs bless you as much as they have me. Have a great weekend! All the songs are written by "Blessed the Fallen" except the first one, which is a Big Daddy Weave song called Redeemed.

Real Impact Missions: Living on The Edge of Life

What you would tell yourself if you could go back in time 10 or 15 years? Would you change anything you did? Or would you just sit back and watch because you know that if you changed anything, you might not be where are today?

I'll be 30 at the end of January, yikes! The last 10 years of my life have just come and gone in a flash.

When I look back at the last 15 years of my life, knowing what I know now, I don't know that I would change anything that has happened. Even if I were able to go back in time, my 16 or 18 year old self most likely would not even believe what I had to say.

If I were able to go back to the beginning of January 2002 and tell the 18 year old me that I would be resigning nearly a full 4 year academic and football scholarship from a top university in the coming months, I'm pretty sure the younger me would have flipped out in disbelief.

My reaction would have been even crazier when I told myself that I would not even be able to go to college the following year because my dad spent nearly every penny of my college fund in order to add on to the house as a last ditch effort to try and please the family. There was a secret that he knew and we didn't at the time (our family tragedy was closing in).

If 30 year old me had told teenage me this information,  I would have laughed at you and said "there is no way any of this could happen, I have too much going for me."

It did happen though. God was about to use a horrible situation in order to wake me up and bring me back on the path that He wanted me on.

If future me had continued to say that I would be traveling to Peru, South America that coming summer, then spending a year of my life in an unpaid internship with Real Impact Missions, my response would have been, "I'm going to do what?"

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell my teenage self to prepare for the worst, to be ready for a tragedy that would cost the family everything and force us to completely trust God and hold onto hope.

How do you tell an 18 year old kid that your Dad is going to be arrested shortly after your high school graduation for the majority of your life and investigated further for unimaginable crimes? You just don't. It is something that you can't fathom until it happens. It was something that I just had to experience.

It would be my defining moment in life. Every trial and hardship that I had faced up until that point was what prepared me for that moment. It prepared me for that one afternoon phone call from my mom to come home immediately. She would not tell me what was going on, she just said in a very detached  and sad tone that "you need to come home now."

That was the longest 10 minute car ride home. I felt completely lost and did not know what to expect.

Every trial that I had faced so far in my life had prepared me for that 10 second run from the car, through the front door, and into the living room.

I will never forget their faces. Everyone was there but my brother and my dad. My sisters had already heard and lived the news. They were in a separate room comforting each other. As soon as the words started to come out of my moms mouth, I just tunnel visioned out.

All I heard was, "Your dad has done something very bad..." Every emotion hit me at once, and just like that...I was out the door screaming in pain! I wanted to tear and rip apart anything that I touched.

I jumped in my intern directors car with some of the other interns, just screaming for them to get me out of here. I could not even get the words out to tell them what had happened. All I could say was, "my dad, my dad..." The tears and pain were too much to say the rest.

My life had just come crashing down. Little did I know, this one event would be what was to prepare me for the next 10 years of trial after trial. 

If my future self had visited me in January 2002 and told me that after my missions internship I would be living in Venezuela for two months, then two weeks later moving all the way to South Carolina to attend a Christian university, I would have said, "Shut up Matt, I don't want to hear anymore! There is no way all this can happen!" My belongings were very minimal, I did not have much left that I could call my own anymore.

My future self would have then looked at me sadly and said:

"There is more I have to tell you unfortunately. Your toughest years have yet to come. Over the next 10 years you're going to hit the lowest you have ever seen. It will be the hardest years you have ever dealt with so far. There are many blessings that will come out of all this though, because you have faced all these hardships, you will be meeting your future wife the day you arrive in South Carolina."

"You will then be married the following year, have a miracle child just years later, and best of all...100's of lives will spared because you followed your passion. The twisted part is, in order to really get you excited and set on working as an EMT, you're going to witness an Indiana Jones type of accident that will miss you by only a few feet. Your life will be spared because of a spilt second hesitation to get one last look at the flowers you had planted before you went to lunch. The sad part is that you will experience a great injury just 4 years later that will forever alter your life. You will overcome, but there will be challenges day to day, both physically and spiritually. Challenges that will force you to put your trust in God. Just remember to not give up; keep your eyes on The One who gives strength, courage, and wisdom to all who seek him."

After hearing all of this, I would not even know what to say; I would be speechless. I might have thrown in a, "I have stared at death many years ago and overcame it, there is no way all this can happen to me again." Unfortunately, yet fortunately, it all did happen again.

It all started around the new year of 2002 with a stirring in my spirit. It was one of those unsettling feelings that would not go away. Had I not paid attention to this sense of urgency while on my last college football visit before I moved on campus, I can honestly say that I would not be here today. On the way home I told both my mom and dad that I had felt like God was trying to tell me to not play football or attend this school. I said to both of them, "I know I have worked so hard to get to this point in my life, but I just feel like this is what I am supposed to do. I feel a peace about it."

My mom quickly chimed in and said, "good, I had that very same feeling as soon as we pulled on campus." My dad disagreed with both of us and said that "You have to take this once in a lifetime opportunity." He said, "You have worked too hard to let this all go, just take some time to think about it." I said to him "I don't need time to think about it, I feel that this is the right thing to do and it is my decision." We did not say a word to each other the whole ride home. I just stared out the window wondering what God was up to.

Had I ignored this most urgent feeling, I would have never been placed in some of the best hands possible for one of the worst tragedies of my 30 years of life.

I would have never been placed in the hands of Real Impact Missions (RIM). Their name says it all, their passion is to change lives by making a real life changing impact that will never be forgotten and always talked about. Once you have experienced life on the RIM, I promise you this...

You will never be the same. This company and their staff is the reason why I made it through such a rough time. They were there for me when I needed them the most.

They loved and comforted me when I felt I could go on no more. They let me express my emotions and worked with me to cope with my loss. They were flexible when I needed time away to go home and spend time with my grieving family.

I never in a millions years would have ever thought that I would one day be traveling overseas right out of high school. Much less leading youth and church groups in various settings around the United States or for that matter, the World. I would have never thought that I would be playing music in large settings in the Mid West and South America.

I would have never imagined I would be running a 15k with just a few months of preparation and dropping from a buff 280 to a stick at 210. I was a big guy at the time, I'd only ran sprints in football practice and maybe a mile jog once in a blue moon.

I would have never believed you if you told me that I would be setting up overseas trips, dramas, and medical missions while working with RIM. Or recruiting individuals, churches, schools and other groups to go into some of the most persecuted countries in the world.

I would have never imagined that I would ever be mentored by 2 well known followers of Christ over the course of 2 years.

I never imagined that I would be taking classes in ministry, church leadership, and theological studies outside of college. Much less, learn of all the Christian persecution that takes place all over the world.

I was taking life for granted and was not appreciative for all that I had been given. That all changed when I was formally introduced to Real Impact Missions in the Summer of 2002.

I could go on and on about all the experiences I had and how the RIM internship literally changed and saved my life. I was fortunate enough to be part of something brand new. I was 1 of 6 interns that were part of the very first RIM internship.

My decision was made very late in the process and I was very blessed to have even gotten to start that year. We were a close knit group; just like brothers and sisters. We all came from different stages of life, much less, all over the United States. We all had some sort of baggage that we brought with us.

RIM reached out to us on a very personal level and did not judge us for our past. They brought us in and truly showed us what it meant to serve others and not just be a "Christian", but a Follower of Christ.

I really didn't know what RIM was about prior to my first overseas trip, other than what I had heard from my older brother and younger sister whom had partnered up with my high school and RIM to perform dramas and music in several countries over the years. My brother Tim  continuously pestered me to go on at least one missions trip in my lifetime.

I would always just blow him off, telling him that I could not miss any football camps or strength training practices over the holidays or Summers.

He himself was a Division 1 All-Star high school prospect and the main reason why I excelled so well in football. He knew what it took, but he also knew that the sport was not everything in life.

He'd always tell me there was more to life than just being the hotshot jock. I'd just blow him off and continue to live in my selfish and so called "perfect life" that I thought I had.

That is until he got back from one of his last RIM trips.

He came back with so many stories of how people were healed in unexplainable ways. He came back sickened with how we as a family lived such selfish and ungrateful lives. We had so much, but gave so little. He did not have to say anything, he showed us by his actions, not in a condemning way, but through love and service.

He shared how people with so little just opened their homes to their team. He came back different, not the same Tim. He no longer wanted to pursue the dream of playing football for one of the best college teams in the country at the time. He had it all right in front of him, and just like that, he let it all go to follow the life Jesus had for him.

I did not understand, why was he so different? What changed in him? What was so great  that would make him just give up something that he loved so much? It raised a lot of questions that I just could not shake off over the years.

Because he made that one decision, he eventually got on staff with a camp called Kanakuk while attending Oral Roberts University, he later moved to Dallas and married his true love that he had met while at camp. He is now a highly respected Physicians Assistant and he and his wife have started one of the most well known marriage blogs in the country. These events most likely would not have happened had he never attended an evangelism class in high school and took part in a Real Impact Missions trip.

It would not be until I let my dream of playing college football go as well that I would understand what he meant. It was shortly after high school and right before one of the greatest tragedies my family was about to face.

All it took was one month out of my life and my whole outlook on life changed. It was then and there, while I was in Peru, that I finally knew what my next steps would be. I had finally decided that I was going to take a risk and live on the edge of life. I was going to go out on the rim and take a blind step into the unknown and do the Real Impact Missions Internship.

I went on the Peru mission trip partly because I had no concrete plans for what I was going to do after high school. I had just let go of nearly a 4 year full ride, what else was I supposed to do? I had heard about the internship prior to the trip, but it was one of those things that sounded exciting, but I had not completely committed to it yet.

I had originally just signed up for a 2 week trip with no intentions of staying any longer. As soon as I arrived in Miami, Florida to catch up with our team, I heard about the plans for the second 2 week trip. I was sold! I wanted to be part of this adventure. So I called mom and dad up and asked for some money to stay longer, and that was that. It was this act that literally saved my life in the months to come.

There are many of you out there that might be able to relate to the feeling of not really knowing what to do next in life. Maybe you're about to graduate from high school or you're in college and just feel lost.

Maybe you have strarted a new career, but have that feeling of emptiness and are asking yourself "what the heck am I doing, is this really the path I want to take?" Maybe you just need to get away for a year like I did and see how your life changes?

Maybe it's time for you to get away and try something new. Maybe it's time for you to just get out of your comfort zone. RIM has individual trips, group trips, and they even can customize trips to meet and exceed the vision that your church, school, or business wishes to pursue. Maybe you have been on some type of church missions trip before (in or out of state or country) as an individual and now you are interested in serving in a leadership role. Guess what? They have that too!

Many of you might be thinking about the costs of going on a trip or even attending the year long unpaid internship. Don't let the details bog you down. Just take the action and contact RIM to find out more! They will get you the information you need in order to take the next step.

I promise you this, there are tons of ways to come up with the money you need. You can plan ahead of time, but also trust that God will provide. I am an example and testimony that your financial needs can be met when you completely trust that God will provide for you. I went from being financially secure with no worries, to completely broke and on my own when our tragedy hit. God met and exceeded EVERY financial need that arose.

Each of us are in a different season of life right now and sometimes when things don't go the way we think they ought to go, just remember that each one of us are maturing at a different rate. It just might not be the right season in life yet. A quick example is this: My little sister traveled to Peru a few times while in high school through an evangelism class.

After high school graduation she attended a state university for a short period of time before deciding that she wanted to study abroad for a year in Peru. The family she stayed with had a son around her age and he just happened to have a friend at the time that occasionally spent time with the family.

Had this hosts family's son not ever friended this guy at the time, he may have never come to know the Lord. Because of that commitment, he met my sister. They later married and moved back to the states and have a beautiful 4 year old girl. My brother-in-law has been a huge blessing in my life and many others. Just to think, it all started with a passion in my sisters heart to want to serve in an evangelism class in high school.

I recruited hundreds if not thousands of people over the course of my time with RIM. I heard story after story of how individuals finances were miraculously provided for up until the day of the trip. Or how they happened to come across RIM while not even thinking about going on a mission trip.

I promise you this, God will provide for your every need when you completely put all your trust in Him and quit trying to do life your own way. It may not always happen how you think it should happen or in the timing that you feel it should happen, but trust me, nothing is impossible for the Most High God!

Real Impact Missions never came to me and asked me to write all this for them. This has been something that has been on my heart for quite some time and I have felt very passionate about it all.

I am currently working on a book that will share more details of my life and the trials that God pulled us through. Feel free to come to me in person if you want to hear more. I am also more than happy to come and speak to any group that would like to hear my story of how God pulled my family and I through 15 years of hardship.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this really, really, really, long post. Have a blessed week and remember: All things are possible for those who love Christ. Nothing is impossible for my God. I am living proof!

What would YOU do?

Note: I am sharing the above clip solely for the purpose of the immediate subject.  I am in no way promoting or necessarily have the same views or beliefs of this former public speaker.

This video really makes you stop and think. What would you do if money wasn't an issue? What have you always desired to do, but never did because someone told you that it wasn't a real career and you will never make any money in that job? It's all about living below the norm. It's about the lifestyle you want to live, not what others are telling you to live; like the example of always feeling the need of keeping up with the Joneses because you feel the pressure of wanting to appear on the outside that you have it all together.

So, now that you have had some time to re-think what I originally asked, what is that one (or 2 or 3) thing in your life that you have always wanted to do, but haven't ever tried because there was a lack in money, boldness, or there was a presence of fear? 

It is about doing whatever you have to do to get to where you want to go. And no, I'm not talking about just working more and giving up your family and friends to get there. I'm talking about the lifestyle you choose to live or not live. If you want to travel the world and sleep in a tent for a year, why not do it?

If you want to become a professional painter or rock star and you have the skills, why not do it? If you want to become a writer...WHY NOT DO IT? If your lifestyle requires little money, then you just have to make a little money and continue to do what you love. You can live very comfortable and be very happy on just a little money. Money can only do so much for you. You can make all the excuses you want, it's all what you make of it and how bad you want it. There is always a way, you just have to be willing to take the risk.

So many of us are giving up on our dreams because everyone else is telling us that we have to go to school, then get a good paying job, buy a house, have the fancy cars...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All we end up doing is eating, sleeping, waking up, going to work, and then repeat the whole process. We are just living to pay the bills. 

If you are financially independent and money is working for you, then maybe this isn't for you. Or maybe it is? What if we just lived life with just the essentials? What if we just spent what we needed in order to meet our basic needs. Don't confuse your needs with your wants. Anyway, this is just something to think about. It's the basic principle of life, if we consume less, then we can give more. I don't want to get on a huge soapbox, so I am going to shut up. 

Have you ever considered living in a tiny house for a short or long period of time? And don't tell me you already live in a "tiny" house. It's not about the footage and the stuff inside, it's about the people and getting the most out of the short life we have here on Earth.

If you don't believe me, check these guys out. 

They are riding their bikes 10,000 miles, all the way to Rio!

If you're still not convinced, hop on over to this dudes site! His family literally sold everything they had and moved to Australia for a period in their life! He even made an amazing movie about following your dreams and getting away from the boring life that you hate, but can't get out of because of the need for so much money to support the lifestyle you have created.

"Sell your crap, pay off your debt, and do what you love!"

--Man vs. Debt--

I could go on and on. Don't let money control you, instead, you control it. I have been on both sides. I know what it is like to have it all and I know what it is like to lose it all. 

So what would I do? 

I'm doing it. I created a project that is unique and I am going to complete it no matter the outcome. It is not about "trading myself out of debt," it's about having fun and enjoying life. It's about sharing my life with others. 

As I have said all along, I could care less if this project works out or not, it's not about that. It is about seeing lives changed and telling the story as it happens. 

The second thing I am doing is following my passion and desire to write a book. I am not a  professional or even the best writer when it comes to grammar and punctuation. I might even be the only one that reads it for all I know. What sets me apart from everyone else is this: I am doing it. I am taking action. I am learning. I am following that one thing I have wanted to do for the past 10 years. 

If you don't know my story, feel free to stop and ask me. If I have time, I would be more than happy to share it with you. If time is a factor, we can always set a date, time, and place. I feel my story is inspiring and passionate, full of impact, and it will make you walk away with the desire to push on and not give up. I'm not perfect, I never will be. None of us will. 

The difference in my life story is this: I know who to turn to in times of need, times of sorrow and morning, times of joy and praise, times of giving thanks and asking for forgiveness. My life has been changed and I hope that maybe just one person out there that is reading these words can experience the great joy and freedom that I have found. 

Have a blessed week! Keep checking back for more to come!

Life Happens

Life has kept me very busy lately. I am nearly done painting the Trade Mobile, and as soon as it's complete we will start working on a new photo shoot. We might even make  another short video.  I also have 2 new posts I am working on that I think you will find interesting. There is a small chance that I might have a trade coming up, nothing for sure, but still a possibility. I would be breaking one of my trading rules if I make this trade, but this one seems too good to pass up if it happens. That's about it folks, enjoy your last day off for the week. As for me, my weekend is just about to start! 

10 Ways Students Can Save Money in College

Note: This is a guest post by Chloe Trogden. 

Trogden is a writer and manager for Collegegrant.net where she has recently been researching student guides. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, swimming and playing her guitar.


Going to college can be expensive. The cost of tuition is rising every year, as is
the total debt that students are accumulating. Finding ways to save money while
in college is critical to good financial health when you graduate. Otherwise, you
will spend the first several years of your professional life trying to climb your way
out of debt instead of enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Here are 10 ways you can save money while in college:

Plan Ahead

You can start saving for college when you are in high school. You have four
years to work and set aside money that you can use to offset the cost of tuition
or living expenses. Though you are unlikely to be able to save enough to pay for
your whole college education, you can probably save enough to at least buy your
textbooks.

Go to a State School

Private universities and colleges can cost 5 times as much as state schools –
more in some cases. While tuition at a state school might run you about $8,000
on average, tuition at a private school could be $42,000. Even if costs continue to
rise at state schools, the tuition will still be far less than a private school.

Attend Part-Time

If you have your heart set on attending a prestigious private school, you can cut
costs by attending part-time. Though your overall costs will end up being about
the same (or more after fees), you will free up time to work to either pay your
way through school or to start paying on student loans while you are in school,
reducing the interest costs.

Get Grants

Grants and scholarships are free money that you don’t have to pay back. The
more grants you can get, the less you have to pay out of pocket or borrow. Even
one grant of a few hundred dollars can reduce your expenses. Research all the
opportunities available to you and apply for them.

Buy Used Textbooks

Textbooks can cost you thousands of dollars per semester. Save money by
purchasing them used, either through online retailers or from your classmates.
You may be able to find a place that rents or trades textbooks, possibly saving
you even more.

Live at Home

Room and board is another big expense, whether you live in a dorm or live in
your own apartment. However, if you have obliging parents, living at home will
cost you nothing. You can’t beat those savings!

Eat at Home

Meals are another big expense. If you live in the dorm, make sure you stick to
the campus meal plan instead of eating out or constantly hitting up the vending
machines. If you live in an apartment or home with your parents, make sure you
cook your own meals instead of eating out. The savings will really start to add up.

Work Part-Time

Whatever money you earn while you’re in college can help you offset expenses.
Though you are unlikely to be able to hold down a full-time job, you should be
able to put in 10-20 hours a week. Look for jobs that are in your field, if possible,
to get experience while you work.

Write a Blog

Anyone can make money online through blogging and selling advertising or
affiliate products. Blogging is a great way for college students to make money as
it can be done on any schedule. If you create a blog that gets enough traffic, you
can even start making money when you aren’t working, allowing you to maximize
your profits while minimizing your efforts.

Attend Online

Finally, online courses offer students a lot of flexibility, allowing them to continue
to work full-time if needed while attending classes. If you can work full-time while
in college, chances are that you may even be able to pay all your own tuition and
expenses, reducing any debt when you graduate.

College is expensive, but it doesn’t have to leave you saddled in debt. Follow
these tips for saving money and reducing the total amount you have to borrow.

Who is Morgan Mitchell?

I asked myself that very question when I found this $5 bill a few weeks ago after selling some of our stuff. If you have been following this project you will understand what I am talking about (otherwise read the posts from January 2012 on). We were selling what we had in order to provide for our needs and then just trusting that God would provide the rest, and that he did! After discovering Morgan's story, it made me trust Christ that much more and reaffirm that He is always faithful.

If you aren't able to make out what is written on the top and bottom of this $5 bill, it says, "PRAY FOR MORGAN MITCHELL  MORGANS FIGHT=MY FIGHT." I was sort of puzzled at first because this was the first time I had ever seen someone write a prayer request on a $5 bill before, much less any currency for that matter. The only other things I have seen written on paper money before have been chicken scratch and the project Hank Eskin created in 1998 called "Where's George" initially for just $1 bills.

This person had to be pretty important to have their first and last name written on U.S. currency, much less written in all caps. Seeing as it is technically illegal to deface currency, the person that wrote this had to feel that Morgan Mitchell was one important girl or guy, but we will look past that (seeing as this request appeared to be an urgent request). My first challenge: Was Morgan a guy or girl? I have seen it both ways; like Morgan Freeman for example. 

So, I did what any other person would do; look it up on Google. Of course I just Googled the name  "Morgan Mitchell" rather than just typing in the whole phrase (which would have proved a lot quicker).  

Anyway, I concluded that Morgan Mitchell was in fact a girl, but which girl? There were like a million of them around the world! Okay, that was a little bit inflated, it was more like maybe 50. Honestly, I don't remember how many there were, I just made those numbers up. Let's just say there were a handful of girls with that name around the world. 

I was not convinced! I was going to find out who this was even if they were clear across the United States! I did what any other guy would do that did not see the obvious right in front of them, I looked for the names that appeared to be religious in nature. That proved to be a little more helpful. I think I was able to narrow it down to like 4 people. They were spread out around various states, except for one girl, she was from a town about 25 miles outside of Tulsa Oklahoma. 

My efforts were starting to pay off. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to know for sure, rather than just assume that this was the individual I was looking for. So I did what would probably be the most obvious thing my wife would have said to do first, "Just Google the whole phrase for Pete's sake!"  Wow, I missed that one by a mile...or 10. By the way, who is Pete? My wife probably would not have said that, I just added that for dramatic effect. Back on track Matt...

After what seemed like an hour, I finally found who I was looking for! Just to think I could have figured it all out in like the first minute of starting this treasure hunt had I not read into it so much and totally missed the big picture. 

That's kind of like when God gives us two opportunities (both being equally as good) and we don't know which one to pick. We start to panic because we don't know which one is the right one and we either start becoming anxious and don't pick either (missing both opportunities). Or we pick one and think we have made a mistake and are going to miss out on our big break. See it as if God were giving you a choice. Either one you pick is going to serve God. Don't you think that whichever one you pick, God is going to get you to where he wants you? Long story short: it did not matter which word or phrase I typed in. I would have ultimately at some point in time figured out who the real Morgan Mitchell was. Okay, enough rambling...

Without further adieu, I introduce to you the Morgan Mitchell that truly needs our prayers more than ever before! The above link is an interview that was done by Fox 23 of Tulsa, just a few weeks ago. 

Morgan is an 18 year old high school senior who is battling cancer now for the 4th time, and still serving God! You don't find people like this every day, much less this young! The crazy thing about all this is that some really good family friends of ours have known and are very close to this shinning light. 

You can follow Morgan's health status from a Facebook fan page that was created in her honor. Please keep her in your prayers. 

And The Photo Booth Goes To...

Congratulations to Metro Christian Academy on being the recipients of the green screen photo booth package, as well as the signed Michael Dorn (Warf from Star Trek) picture. It sounds like Metro will use the booth during the Basketball season and either give away or auction off the signed picture! I am excited to see it put to good use! 

Also, I'm making progress on the Trade Mobile  little by little.  If you are a Facebook person, don't forget to "Like" the page. It is still pretty new. This is where I do most of my updates.

The Kimball Player Piano is nearing its final stages in fixing it and bringing it back from the dead. This is a desired player piano to have because it is so old and not produced in this manor anymore; Everything is digital these days.  I am blessed to have located one of only 2 known guys in Oklahoma that still work on these. Hopefully he can start this week!

Finally, a few days ago I had mentioned on my Facebook page that I had found something very interesting on a $5 bill. Hopefully, on Monday I will share this moving story on Facebook of the Five Dollar Mystery. I may post a story here as well; Depends on how much time I have! 

Have a great week!