Blogging, Influence and Recent Stats

Writing this blog has been a rewarding experience. It has provided me with an opportunity to express my reflections on everything from running, to passages of Scripture, to my incredible family and so much more.

However, in all of this, my primary passion is to be a person of influence. I want to believe that through my writing, I am able to point people in the right direction and encourage them along the way. Ultimately, Jesus wants each of us to submit ourselves to His authority over our lives and receive the blessings that go with such a radical decision. I want to help those on that path to see what that kind of life looks like. While I would be the first to admit that I haven't "arrived" yet and have so much to learn, I can say without reservation that I've got my eyes set on Jesus and His Word and I want to help others to take the journey with me.

Regarding my desire to influence: While Blogspot/Blogger doesn't allow me to see specifically who visits my blog, I can see what country they are in, what keywords they entered in sights such as Google to get to my blog, and a few other interesting items. Here's some of what happened over the past 30 days:

Pageviews last month - 337

Pageviews by country in past month:

• United States - 215
• Russia - 90
• United Kingdom - 12
• Germany - 3
• Canada - 2
• Ireland - 2
• Philippines - 2
• South Africa - 2
• United Arab Emirates - 1
• Australia - 1
• etc.

Keyword searches in past month:

• symptoms of a guilty conscience - 8
• symptoms of guilty conscience - 4
• signs of a guilty conscience - 3
• guilty conscience symptoms - 2
• the hiding place - 2
• the hiding place by corrie ten boom - 2
• does god care about my self-worth - 1
• does god care about your self esteem - 1
• end of the spear 2005 movie cover - 1
• first baptist church of brooksville fl - 1

My top ten posts in past month:
(This doesn't measure the posts that are viewed when someone goes to http://mattellis1997.blogspot.com and simply reads the posts. This only measures the posts that get a "click" to direct the reader to that specific post. This also does not include the overall total number of hits each post has recieved - only the hits from the past 30 days. For example: "Symptoms of a Guilty Conscience" has had 638 overall hits but only 62 in the past 30 days.)

• "Symptoms of a guilty conscience" - 62
• "Calvinism, Civility, and Conversions" - 32
• "Church, State and Truth-telling" - 13
• "Why I Love Running" - 11
• "A 'God Moment' in Ecuador" - 10
• "My Visit to 'Terminal City'" - 10
• "Book Review: The Hiding Place" - 6
• "Julian Castro's Troubling Comments on Marriage" - 5
• "Courageous Fatherhood Conference with Robert Amaya" - 5
• "On Trips to Heaven and Writing a Book About It" - 3

Sermon (video): The Dangers of Adultery (Matthew 5:27-32)

Everyone is generally in agreement that adultery is wrong. But what about wondering eyes? What about lustful thoughts? As long as we keep it to ourselves and aren't hurting anyone else, it's not wrong, is it?

In Matthew 5:27-32, Jesus not only tells us that looking to lust is wrong, He shows us in a mind-blowing way just how serious it is.

To watch the sermon, click here.

My visit to 'Terminal City'

In July 2010, I went with a mission team from our church to Shell, Ecuador. I just realized that I never posted some of my pictures or reflections on my blog. That's too incredible of a memory for me to forget so allow me to share some of that story. I hope you find it interesting...

Shell, Ecuador is where the incredible missionary story played out as told in the movie "End of the Spear" and the book "Through Gates of Splendor" by Elizabeth Elliot. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and 3 other missionaries took their wives to Ecuador to share the Gospel with a militant tribe, called the "Waodani", who lived deep in the Amazon jungle. Unfortunately, on January 8, 1956, those five men were speared to death by the very tribe they were trying to reach with the Gospel.

The moment the five missionary wives learned they were now widows.
The moment captured in this picture is heart-wrenching.
This picture was spread around the world in Life Magazine.

The story continued as Elizabeth Elliot (Jim's wife) and Rachel Saint (Nate's sister) went back to that tribe. Showing God's love to the very ones who took the lives of their loved ones, these women evangelized that tribe. Because of what they did, the Waodoni are now primarily Christians.

On my mission trip to Ecuador, we found out that a MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) plane was planning a flight into "Terminal City" to deliver needed supplies. ("Terminal City" is where Jim Elliot and Nate Saint dropped the bucket of "goodies" from their plane in an attempt to befriend the warriors). If we quickly purchased the ticket, we could get a chance to visit the tribe at the center of this incredible missionary story. I jumped at the opportunity with some others on our team.

Here are some of the pictures I took on this trip:

MAF does an incredible job around the world taking care
of people groups who live away from civilization.
They provide transportation for food, medicines, necessities and
evacuations for people in medical distress.

Here's a copy of my plane ticket to Terminal City and back.

Getting ready to take our ride from Shell to "Terminal City"

I got to sit in the back row. We're waiting our turn on the runway to take off.
Chris Stinger is riding shotgun. Syretha Bates is in the second row on the left.

And we're off!

About 10-15 minutes into our flight, we leave behind civiliation.
Amazon jungle, here we come!

High above the Amazon jungle. We were miles from anything that
resembled civilization.

After about 30 minutes, we saw "Terminal City" on the left side of our plane.
The runway is the dirt/grass/gravel path.

In "Terminal City."

Some precious children in "Terminal City."

I wish that I could have spoke "Wao."

We're standing on the runway. A traditional hut is seen in the background.

MAF's airplane.

This is the runway ... and I use that term loosely.

And we're off!

This is the Curaray River. It was on this river that the lives of
the five missionaries were taken in 1956.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curaray_River

The Curaray River. Because of erosion, locating "Palm Beach"
would have been impossible for us. But the fact that God used
such a remote spot of Earth to create a story that has motivated
so many men and women to pursue missions was overwhelming.

This full-sized model of the plane that Nate Saint flew graces
a park in the center of Shell, Ecuador. The story lives on...

Calvinism, Civility and Conversions

Frank Page
SBC Executive Committee President

With all of the division in the Southern Baptist Convention over the issue of Calvinism, I was overwhelmed with joy this morning as I read an interesting article in the Florida Baptist Witness. It was titled: "Calvinism advisory team listens, learns at first meeting." 

The article recounted a recent meeting that was wisely called by the SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page. Around the table were various influential SBC leaders of the Calvinist and non-Calvinist persuasion.

The article quoted Page as saying of the August 29-30 meeting: "The goal for the meeting was not to argue theology or to try to change each other’s minds. ... I was greatly heartened by the civil tone that marked the meeting." With the division that has been taking place in the SBC over this issue, Page's actions to call this meeting were courageous and wise. I'm certain that he was relieved that it was characterized by civility.

The article went on to say that Page's purpose for this group was to create "a strategy whereby people of various theological persuasions can purposely work together in missions and evangelism." Again, wise leadership! The primary goal of the Southern Baptist Convention is to create a partnership among churches for the purpose of obeying all aspects of the Great Commission. With our varied theological paradigms, discussion needs to take place to see how we can work together to accomplish that primary objective.

I was so glad to read that discussions have started and that they were characterized by civility as we as Southern Baptists seek, with renewed vigor, to carry out the Great Commission. There is so much more kingdom work to accomplish and no time to "draw the line in the sand" among the Lord's servants. Most certainly, there is room for discussion and understanding as we strive for a biblical mindset on all matters of theology. However, in no way should  we allow Satan to divide us or hinder us from carrying out the Great Commission in partnership with each other. 

George Whitefield

I have read much about the greatest movement of God on American soil, an event called the First Great Awakening. As thousands upon thousands were saved, it literally changed the cultural landscape of our country. Whose preaching brought about this present day Pentecost? Calvinists? Non-Calvinists? The answer is ... both. It was led by Calvinists (George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, etc.) as well as non-Calvinists (John & Charles Wesley, etc.) alike. It was as they partnered together that more people came to faith in Christ in the period of a few years than we have experienced in that same time frame since then. Oh, that we could learn from Christian history!

To be sure, Whitefield was not indifferent to John Wesley's opposing views. He wrote a lengthy letter to point out what he believed was error in Wesley's theology. Yet, while that letter was confrontational, it was also characterized by compassion.

John Wesley

But, it is important to note that with this unreconciled difference, they were still used by God to win the lost. To show the mutual respect these two "sides" had for each other - at the end of his life, George Whitefield (Calvinist) asked John Wesley (non-Calvinist)  to preach his funeral. Wesley graciously did so. Talk about civility!

I am convinced that the best days are yet ahead of the SBC if we can get past the "line in the sand" mentality that we hold with so many of our brothers and sisters-in-Christ. If only we can find the common ground in the non-negotiables of the Gospel to proclaim a crucified and resurrected Christ to a lost and dying world. 

There will be time enough to speak to each other about where our beliefs differ ... and we must have those conversations. But if we can agree that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again to forgive any who will believe and surrender themselves to His lordship over their lives, then we must work together to share that message. There is little time to tell the lost about the Gospel. We must be about the Father's business.

Sermon (video): Anger & Reconciliation (Matthew 5:21-26)

While we readily condemn murder, far too many believers have a problem with anger. And yet, Jesus said that anger, in God's sight, is equated with murder.

This sermon seeks to clarify that connection by showing what Jesus said about anger. It concludes with some biblical principles on how to effectively combat this stronghold.

To view the sermon, click here.

Sermon (video): The Christian and Their Bible (Matthew 5:17-20)

In a recent Lifeway Research study(http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38659), it was discovered that only about 19 percent of church attenders read their Bibles every day. Only 26 percent read it a few times a week.

How essential is it for Christians to spend time in God's Word? Judging from what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, it is absolutely vital for the Christ-follower.

To view the sermon, click here.

Julian Castro's troubling comments on marriage

In last night's keynote speech of the DNC, Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio, said: "When it comes to letting people marry whomever they love, Mitt Romney says, 'No.'"

He made this statement while going through a short list of things Romney says 'no' to while implying they are things that should require a 'yes' answer. In making this statement, he shows just how wide open "marriage" can become.

If people in our country should be allowed to marry whoever they love, what may sicken most of us today could be normative very shortly. What if someone loves their mom or dad and wants to marry them? What if they love their own toddler or the 5-year-old child next door? What if they love their pet?

There is a reason why the Bible defines marriage as one man and one woman for life and condemns everything else.

Why I Love Running

I was out on my daily run today when it hit me how much I was enjoying the sport. I'd like to share just some of the reasons why I love this activity ... and maybe inspire you to begin running and discover the same joy I've found:

• Stress Reliever - If I'm stressed, I spend time in prayer and hit the pavement. Running has a way of flushing the system and getting rid of the excess, potentially harmful energy.
• Clear Thinking - For any number of reasons, my thoughts can get jumbled. Whether it is a time of discouragement or a situation with too many possible options, I've had times when my mind has struggled to think clearly. That's when I'll go for a run. As I prayerfully run, God often unclutters my mind and a solution presents itself.
• Challenging/Competition - The Apostle Paul wrote often about "running" and "racing." One of my favorite passages concerning this subject is 1 Corinthians 9:24 where it says - "Run in such a way that you may win." Whether it is the Christian life or the Christian in running shoes, we're supposed to give our best in whatever we do! It is incredibly fun to run in races to try to beat my previous times (and pass a few other runners along the way).
• Discipline/Mental Toughness - If someone says that running is easy, they are either lying or they've never run. It's not easy. If it was, I suspect that there would be many more people doing it. But the fact that it is difficult provides an opportunity to embrace pain and push through it. That mental toughness translates nicely into real life scenarios that require a strong mind as well as the willingness and ability to endure difficulty.
• Integrity/Positive Example - By virtue of the fact that I am a pastor/leader, there will always be folks who are watching me. They measure themselves to some extent by what they see in me. I believe that if I preach about the pursuit of integrity and self-discipline while I'm struggling to breathe with an over-sized gut, I lose credibility. In an age when so many Christians are fighting the battle of the bulge, pastors should not be seen as condoning that lifestyle by their own lack of self-discipline in eating and exercise. I want to be a positive example to others in what I say, what I do ... and how I look.
• Fitness/Stewardship - Everything I call "mine" really belongs to the Lord. He has simply entrusted those things to my care. Just as my wife, children, ministry, talents, possessions, etc. belong to the Lord, so does my body. A very important point is that since these things are not mine but the Lord's, I must take care of them. It is poor stewardship (sinful) when Christians do not take care of the body that the Lord has temporarily entrusted to them. But considered positively, there are tons of health benefits for those who run (lower cholesterol, lower risk of heart disease, stronger bones/muscles, maximized use of oxygen in the blood, etc.)
• Glorify God - Yes, running can glorify God (show Him how wonderful I think He is). In fact, Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Whether I eat, drink or run, I want to show my Lord that He is worthy of my best and that I am living a life of gratitude for what He has done for me.
• Enjoy it! - For all of the reasons given above (and many more), I absolutely enjoy running and anticipate that it will be a practice I enjoy for years to come.