Ok all my dreams have come true!

My biggest dream was to walk up to Pastor Matt and just hug him.

And I did.

I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl!! I can't stop smiling! It feels like Christmas day inside my soul!

He humbles me. I want to be like him. I want to love Jesus like he does. I want to be a Godly husband and father, and he is a incredible example of what that looks like.
I don't many people that love Jesus like he does. And he doesn't just love Him, He really knows Him too. I want to pursue Jesus with such reckless abandon, not caring but knowing Him more. ahhhhh!!

So I talked to him a little bit and told him I've been praying for him. He said that these last two days have been insanely jam-packed, which I already knew from reading his twitter. (How bad is it that I creep on my own pastor? haha!!) I don't remember what else we talked about.

But the one thing I always wanted to ask, I totally forgot. It's completely menial, but I'm so curious if he knows Shawn Davis. oh wait, Creth are you reading this? do YOU have any idea? I know that Shawn used to run with the Shane & Caleb crowd and Matt ran around with Shane & Shane, and everyone on staff seems to know Caleb, so I just wondered if Matt and Shawn knew each other.

We talked to Bleeker too. He's so kind. so was Matt. Couldn't have been friendlier. Joel and Bleeker talked about Hillsong and Kari Jobe and leading worship and Joel's synagogue, etc. Joel told him that we should sing Savior King in church and Michael was like YEAH! that's a GREAT song!!

I can't really express how excited I am. To meet such a man of God is just kinda thrilling!
I guess it'd be akin to meeting Marky Mark. except WAY better!! and I'm pretty sure Matt doesn't have Marky Mark abs. But then again, who does?

I guess my next life goal will have to be to hug Mark Driscoll. and after that maybe Francis Chan. Then perhaps John Piper. or maybe I should move John Piper to the front of the line since he's getting old. naaaah, I think I'll keep them ranked in order of their impact on my life.

and yeah, I know they're just men. But these are heroes of the faith. These are the men that explain Scripture to me. These are the men that God has used to open my heart and completely change me. These are the messengers of His Grace.

And in regards to Matt, I know he's not The Village. I love Matt and I love my church. They're two separate things. I love our family, our community. I love our people. I get teary-eyed when I think about our community of Believers so desperate and passionate to know Jesus and to live lives that bring Him glory. I couldn't imagine a better place to wait with blessed hope for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lord willingly, this is my home for the next 50 or so years. I'm home. I love my home.


(view from the last row)