GODencounters [rhythms of grace] YG Church | Arlington, Texas
I am curious to know what thoughts are conjured up in your head when you hear the phrase, “rhythms of grace”? It seems to me that life tends to be a driving beat of intensity. If we’re not careful, we could end up loosing our true self in the pursuit of meaningless chasing after very superficial hopes. Jesus comes along and offers us a counter cultural alternative to the rat race. It’s not to say that we’re not going to be busy. Certainly Jesus lived a life with a very hectic pace while dealing with a lot of curve balls that came at Him from all angles. But as you look at the life of Jesus, He emanated grace wherever He went (aside from the occasional discussion the some of the church leaders of His day).
During this GODencounters we’re exploring this theme of grace. Thursday night we opened with Genesis and sought to answer the question of why we need grace in the first place. Friday night we explored Romans 7 and addressed the issue of the Law (aka the 10 Commandments) as it pertains to grace. Sabbath AM we will explore three sections of scripture to further focus our attention on this most incredible topic.
I’d love to hear what grace means to you. Or maybe you have a story to illustrate grace.
Grace and peace be unto you!
Matthew
Arlington, TX
Relationship with self, others and God
This weekend I’ll be speaking at the SECC Young Adult Retreat hosted on the grounds of Pine Springs Ranch in Idyllwild, CA. The the theme for the weekend is [Relationships | You w/ self, others and God]. I’d love your thoughts about any or all of the three above.
What is your relationship like with yourself? The other day I was thinking about what I truly value in life. It really all came down to people… nothing more than people. BUT… it dawned on me that if I don’t value myself, second only to my value of Jesus, then I am of not able to truly value others the way that I should. Let’s take my relationship with my wife Susan. In order for me to truly love her, I cannot treat her the way that she deserves to be treated unless I truly value myself. The question needs to be addressed, “What do you mean by valuing yourself.” What I mean is loving yourself. Do you truly love yourself. Are you proud of the decisions that you’re making. Are there habits in your life that you’ve been desiring to work on, but keep putting off? Are there things around the house that you should be doing instead of watching TV? Do you value yourself enough to exercise, eat a health meal (or at least a healthy portion), take up a new hobby, read a book, attend a conference? You are made in the image of God. God is into creating and life. Go create life as an image bearer of God. Really value yourself. What is holding you back. You’re your greatest asset.
Once you truly begin to value yourself you’re able to love as Jesus loves. After all, wasn’t it He that taught, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:27-29). So as a reminder, on my top Greatest Values list is Jesus. I value (love) Jesus more than anything else in this world. Secondly I truly value myself. In some respects its weird to hear me say that, but it’s true. And I’m learning to become more and more comfortable with that as the days go on. But now that I have that alignment, I am able to truly and genuinely value and love others. Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve turned a new leaf. I simply reached a point where I was too frustrated with life to keep allowing it to live me like it was (phrased intentionally in that order). We are designed to live life and all too often life lives us. I’ve always loved my wife but now I am driven to show her that I love her. This may sound crazy, but one of the things that I have fallen in love doing is folding my wifes clothes. (NOTE: I’ve never known another man to share this out-loud.) In 8 years of marriage I’VE NEVER FOLDED MY WIFES CLOTHES… but something lately has changed. I don’t do it all the time, but occasionally when my wife is in a rush, she’ll dump a fresh, clean pile of clothes on the dresser or on the bed and dash off to work. Several of those times I simply took the time to fold each garment that was in the pile. As I did, the weirdest thing happened. I felt so absolutely in love with my wife. (Someone put me at ease and tell me whether or not I’m the only one. But before you respond, if you’ve never folded your wifes clothes, try it.) I love Jesus, I love myself and I love my wife Susan.
So this brings us to the third, but actually the most vital topic that we’ll be discussing this weekend. The topic is a relationship with Jesus. I mean when you think about it… really think about it… what a crazy notion. How in the world does a person have a relationship with someone who is invisible? Is that even possible? Can you have a relationship with someone you can’t hear? I actually believe that you can hear the Living God and that you can experience the invisible on a very tangible level.
I’m excited to join those who’ll be headed up to Pine Springs Ranch this weekend. I am trusting and praying that it’ll truly be a mountain top experience.
Colossians 1:27
In Him,
Matthew
“Devotional Life”
I recently received an email from a guy in Australia who was recently baptized! Last year, while conducting a series of Gospel presentations at the Kellyville SDA Church in Sydney, he and his friend rode the train down from college each night to attend (about a 4hr round trip!). Now, that’s commitment!
Here is his message:
_______________________
Hey matty!
Im after some help and fingers crossed you can sort me out…
im trying to get into a daily devotion routine with my girlfriend to keep us both focused on God… any suggestions?? Cheers brother God bless
_______________________
Here’s my response:
So I know that this may be a bit of a minor point, but lately I’ve become more convinced that God isn’t looking for us to have a devotional life, but rather a life of devotion. It is important to remember that the Bible didn’t come into mass production until the 1400’s. And even then it was very limited in its distribution. That said, the idea of having a “devotional life” (i.e. a specific time in the Bible each day) would’ve been a complete foreign concept to the early church (and the church for the first 1500+ years!).
What this means for you and me today, is not that we shouldn’t read our Bibles regularly, if not daily. What it DOES mean is that God desires that we be in devotion to the Word, Jesus Christ!
All that said, I think that it is great that you and your girlfriend are desiring to dive into the Bible together. A couple of things to consider are:
1 - If you both have SmartPhones, you can use the YouVersion App which has a slew of reading plans to pick from. Right now, one of my accountability partners and myself are reading through the The Essential 100, which for 100 days takes the most crucial 50 teachings of the OT and NT. You can be accountability partners where you’ll receive a weekly report as to what each of you have read. There are multiple plans to choose from, including The Essential Jesus (which would probably be a great place to start!).
2 - You could get a book such as 40 Days by Dennis Smith (it ought to be at your local ABC). Or another book designed for a daily devotional thought.
3 - You could simply pick a book out of the Bible and read a chapter a day (or whatever you decide). The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters so you could read one chapter for each day of the month. Or you could pick on NT book and read a chapter a day and reflect on what you’ve read each day when you guys see each other.
I hope that something here will be of help to you!
Blessings and courage!
HE IS RISEN!
Matthew
Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy
On Feb 20, 2011, at 3:47 PM, a student from Walla Walla University wrote:
Hey Matthew,
I have a class assignment in my Christian Beliefs class from Donny Veverka where we are supposed to interview a pastor, so, naturally, I am e-mailing you! Sometime within the next week, if you have a few spare moments, if you wouldn’t mind answering the following question for me, it would be much appreciated. You do not need to go into a TON of depth and detail unless you do so choose.
Which is more important—orthodoxy or orthopraxy?
-- If you choose orthopraxy, I must rebuttal using James 2:14-19
--If you choose orthodoxy, I must rebuttal using John 3:16-18
--If you choose that they are mutually equal, please inform me of how one maintains balance between the two in one’s daily personal Christian walk.
___________________________
Here’s my response:
I would submit that orthodoxy is far more important than orthopraxy. When you think about it, without proper orthodoxy, accurate orthopraxy would never occur. It is like putting a cart in front of a horse—the cart (you) doesn’t do any pulling of its own, it is all on the horse (Holy Spirit) to move. The only thing the cart is responsible for doing is simply allowing the wheels to turn.
All too often, woven into the “Christian”[2] faith (Adventist or otherwise), is the thought that somehow salvation is dependant upon my ability (orthopraxy) to live by the rules[3]. In contrast, Jesus is found through the Gospel of John, inviting people simply to believe (orthodoxy)[4]. Taking a short pericope[5] out of just the third chapter of John, you find Jesus in a conversation with the astute Pharisee, Nicodemus. Notice how often Jesus uses the word “believe”:
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:12-17, ESV)
Within these seven verses, Jesus uses the word “believe” seven times! The reason why Jesus was concerned about a persons belief system was because if they actually believed He was the Messiah, He would work the greatest miracle available to a person. Jesus Himself will actually baptize you with His Holy Spirit (John 1:33)! Please do not miss this basic and elementary, yet crucial point. To receive the Holy Spirit is to receive the very Spirit that was abiding in Jesus when He was walking this earth! This is the mystery of the Gospel, the very presence of Jesus abiding in you[6]. When you have proper beliefs (orthodoxy), your behaviors (orthopraxy) will obviously change. But the thought that you have to roll up your sleeves and do your best to appease God is a great misalignment in theology[7]. It is Jesus working His good and perfect will in and through your life. In is Jesus that enables you to join David the Psalmist as well as the Apostle Paul in delighting in the law[8]!
The reason why “faith without works is dead”[9] is because if your faith is in Jesus then He will abide in you[10] and produce much fruit[11]. The fact remains that many “Christians” today are trying to earn their way to heaven through good deeds. Jesus says, “there is no one good but God[12]”.
Which brings up another important point when talking about orthodoxy. Just because someone is considered orthodox, doesn’t mean they’re thinking is right[13]. From my understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus, such things like revival and reformation do not occur if we, in and of ourselves, start acting right and somehow stop sinning. At the center of certain individuals’ orthodoxy is the motto, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”[14] And so they set out to obtain perfection, focused on their behavior (as well as others) while Jesus remains far from their life.
The irony is that when Jesus comes into your life, you can’t help but responding with deep gratitude, thankful for what He has done, what He is doing and what He will continue to do in and through your life. And all the while, sin (self-centeredness) seems to coincide at the core of our beings[15]. If you can identify with this battle, it is a good indication that you’re on the right road.
In her best selling book Steps to Christ, Ellen White addresses this fundamental flaw that is plaguing the orthodoxy of some “Christians” today:
The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you.[16]
In other words, the more you receive the Holy Spirit and the more you become like Jesus, the more you’ll recognize your “fleshy” imperfections and shortcomings. This is what concerns me so deeply about people who are self-righteous and judgmental. If Ellen is correct in the above statement (which I believe she is), that would mean that if I was actually close to Jesus I would be so aware of my own shortcomings that it would be difficult for me to judge[17] or condemn anyone else for his or her behavior.
In another location in the same chapter, she writes:
There are… errors against which the children of God—particularly those who have just come to trust in His grace (orthodoxy)—especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon, is that of looking to their own works (orthopraxy), trusting to anything they can do, to bring themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy.[18]
I’d highly encourage you to read at minimum chapter seven of Steps to Christ (and preferably the entire book). Christ makes us holy from the inside out. If there is anything good and righteous in us, it is the very presence of Jesus, not of my own doing, lest I should boast:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.[19]
So here’s to Jesus centered orthodoxy, which by its very nature results in Jesus centered orthopraxy!
[1] In my opinion it would have been helpful for Dr. Veverka to provide the working definition that he has in mind when using the words orthodoxy and orthopraxy (a word not commonly used amongst people today). To clarify, I will work under the assumption that in their most basic level orthodoxy means right thinking and orthopraxyis right doing. (And if my definitions are accurate then your rebuttals would need to be reversed… I think.)
[2] The reason why I put the word Christian in quotation marks is because the term doesn’t have a clear definition. To many people the term has a lot of negative connotation because to them all they’ve experienced is “un-Christlike” behavior from “Christians”.
[3] For instance, some people’s belief system has them thinking thoughts like, “if I do this and don’t do that then I’ll go to heaven. Or if I just read my Bible more, pray more, witness more, eat this, don’t eat that, don’t listen to this music, listen to that music, etc.
[4] Observe Jesus’ teachings throughout Gospel of John.
[5] Congruent and consecutive portion of scripture.
[6] Colossians 1:27
[7] The study of God.
[8] Psalm 119:70, Romans 7:22
[9] James 2:17
[10] John 15:4
[11] John 15:2, 5
[12] Mark 10:18
[13] I would argue that all true orthodox theology is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus.
[14] Matthew 5:48
[15] See Romans 7
[16] Due to the various reprints of Steps to Christ, please see this online version. This quote is the third paragraph from the end of this chapter (Chapter 7, The Test of Discipleship), http://www.ellenwhite.info/books/bk-sc-07.htm
[17] Matthew 7:1
[18] (Ibid, Paragraph 9). Note: Italics and underlining are mine, as well as the addition of the words in parentheses.
[19] Ephesians 2:8-10
Midland Adventist Academy :: Serve + POWER UP Weekend
This week I am speaking in Kansas City at Midland Adventist Academy. I have to say that after my first day here that I am immensely impressed with the student body. Immediately after hitting the ground, I was picked up and brought to the school and we kicked off with our first session together. I have to say that right off the bat I was impressed with the student body as they seemed quite dialed in. Then immediately following the chapel service we all hopped in one of three buses and went to three different locations to serve in the community. The bus that I ended up on went to Metro Lutheran Ministries where were brought on a tour of the facility and then pitched in with the staff stocking shelves with food. Once again I was so impressed with the spirit of service that the students embodied as they jumped right in and accomplished an amazing amount of work in a very short period of time.
Tonight kicks of the Power UP Weekend where students from all over the area are coming to the MAA Campus for a weekend to connect with God and one another. When it comes to my contribution for our sessions together, we’re going to be exploring the theme Belief No Matter What. Just being honest with you, for the majority of my life faith has not come easy. There are times where I feel very close to God, but I always seem to have questions and doubts. So we’re going to start from the beginning in the book of Genesis to level the playing field addressing a very common characteristic that we all seem to struggle with: the battle between our fleshy nature and our spiritual nature. Quite frankly, the story of Adam and Eve committing whats known as the original sin is why I believe the Bible is the real deal. While I’m not tempted with fruit from a snake in a tree, I am tempted in other ways and frequently fail. Thankfully Jesus comes in pursuit and simply asks, “Where are you?” Today, more than ever, Jesus is asking us that same question with the hope that we will connect with Him and learn to trust and believe in Him no matter what!
Blessings to you all and thank you for being apart of this weekend. I am very appreciative as well to all the staff and volunteers who have spent countless hours pulling this together. It is my prayer and hope that we will connect with Jesus in a deeper way this weekend. May He be lifted up!
Courage!
Matthew
Midland Adventist Academy :: Serve + POWER UP Weekend
This week I am speaking in Kansas City at Midland Adventist Academy. I have to say that after my first day here that I am immensely impressed with the student body. Immediately after hitting the ground, I was picked up and brought to the school and we kicked off with our first session together. I have to say that right off the bat I was impressed with the student body as they seemed quite dialed in. Then immediately following the chapel service we all hopped in one of three buses and went to three different locations to serve in the community. The bus that I ended up on went to Metro Lutheran Ministries where were brought on a tour of the facility and then pitched in with the staff stocking shelves with food. Once again I was so impressed with the spirit of service that the students embodied as they jumped right in and accomplished an amazing amount of work in a very short period of time.
Tonight kicks of the Power UP Weekend where students from all over the area are coming to the MAA Campus for a weekend to connect with God and one another. When it comes to my contribution for our sessions together, we’re going to be exploring the theme Belief No Matter What. Just being honest with you, for the majority of my life faith has not come easy. There are times where I feel very close to God, but I always seem to have questions and doubts. So we’re going to start from the beginning in the book of Genesis to level the playing field addressing a very common characteristic that we all seem to struggle with: the battle between our fleshy nature and our spiritual nature. Quite frankly, the story of Adam and Eve committing whats known as the original sin is why I believe the Bible is the real deal. While I’m not tempted with fruit from a snake in a tree, I am tempted in other ways and frequently fail. Thankfully Jesus comes in pursuit and simply asks, “Where are you?” Today, more than ever, Jesus is asking us that same question with the hope that we will connect with Him and learn to trust and believe in Him no matter what!
Blessings to you all and thank you for being apart of this weekend. I am very appreciative as well to all the staff and volunteers who have spent countless hours pulling this together. It is my prayer and hope that we will connect with Jesus in a deeper way this weekend. May He be lifted up!
Courage!
Matthew
The Restoration of Christmas
Earlier this month I was invited back to New Hope Church in Maryland to speak at their monthly RESTORE gathering for young adults. The theme was simply Christmas, but when you put the name of the experience with the theme you get Restore: Christmas. So it got me thinking of what would it look like to restore Christmas.
I want you to stop for a moment, close your eyes, and think about what Christmas means to you.
Now that your eyes are opened, what images came to mind? Maybe it was food, friends, presents, shopping, football, lights, relatives or Santa. Or maybe for you thinking about Christmas conjured up thoughts of the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of the Messiah, suffering in the world, service, selflessness, etc.
Now stop, close your eyes and consider what Christmas meant to Jesus.
I am not trying to be a downer on the topic, but I believe that “Christmas” had a completely different meaning to Jesus than what most of us see it as today. I would submit to you that in the account of the birth of Jesus as it is found in the Gospel of Matthew that there were four significant hardships that Jesus and his family faced:
1 - TURBULENT FAMILY ENVIRONMENT | His parents nearly got a divorce [Matthew 1:18-19]. When Joseph found out that his fiancée Mary was pregnant, he “resolved to divorce her quietly.” Before an angel set him straight there would have been quite a bit of anger from Joseph when he found out that his virgin bride to be was pregnant. Once they got over this issue, then they end up in an animal feeding trough to give birth to their Son. Life was not easy for the young family.
2 - TURBULENT POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT | Baby boys were ordered to be killed [Matthew 2:1-18]. King Herod, after hearing that the king of the Jews was born, felt threatened. As a result “he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.” Just ask the parents of all of those children what Christmas meant to them.
3 - BABY JESUS IS A POLITICAL REFUGEE | Joseph was instructed to take his family to Egypt [Matthew 2:13]. Shortly after the birth of Jesus an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and says, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” I recently returned from Egypt where I was speaking to refugees from Sudan. Jesus has more in common with them then they may realize.
4 - FAMILY RELOCATED | Joseph moved the family to Nazareth [Matthew 2:19-23]. An angel appeared to Joseph after King Herod died and instructed the family to move back to Israel. But when Joseph found out that Herod’s son Archelaus was now reigning over Judea he was afraid to go back to his hometown and ended up moving the family to the small village Nazareth. One scholar points out that the gold that the wise men brought to Jesus may have been to provide funding for the family to get their feet on the ground. After all, Joseph would’ve had to purchase new tools for his carpentry shop, not to fail to mention basic life necessities.
When I reread the account of the birth of my hero, savior and best friend- Jesus, I was struck by the fact that Christmas has completely different connotation to Him then it does to me and most people I know. Jesus comes from Heaven to become a little baby born into a sinful, corrupt world. Why? To restore us and this planet.
My prayer this Christmas Season is that we’ll take some time out to really consider what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. It seems to me that Satan has seen fit to make sure that Christmas becomes all about a fat man in a red suit that brings you all the presents you want; only to detract from the most amazing gift that has ever come into this planet and into your life: Jesus.
That said, don’t let the opportunity pass you by to really consider what Christmas means to you, to Jesus, to this world. Might it change your approach to this holiday? May the true meaning of Christmas be restored in you today!
Wishing you and your loved ones (and enemies) every happiness this Holiday Season and blessings in the New Year. Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement in 2010. We look forward to continuing sharing the Good News in the coming year.
All the best to you and your family,
Matthew W. Gamble, DMin
VagaBondservant Int’l
Colossians 1:27
Nile Union Academy | El Gabal El Asfar, Egypt
At the end of March, Susan and I were returning from two months in Uganda. We had a 24 hour layover in Cairo, Egypt and took full advantage of returning to the place where she spent the first 7 years of her life as her parents were missionaries at Nile Union Academy during the early to mid ‘80’s. It was incredible to be able to walk the campus where she grew up--seeing the house, hearing her memories, seeing the tree that she fell out of resulting in a broken arm.
In a unique twist of events my pastor/friend from the Washington Conference, Tom Decker, and his family are now here serving on this campus in a similar capacity as my in-laws did 30 years ago. Pastor Tom is serving as principal/teacher and his wife, Gladys, is teaching and mentoring the first year teachers and student missionaries. Their 13 year old daughter, Alexi is here studying, while their son Trei is in his Junior year at Auburn Adventist Academy in Washington.
While Susan and I were walking the grounds in late March, Tom and his family were traveling but we were able to connect over the phone. While catching up, he said that he’d love it if it could work out for me to come for a week of prayer. We started laying plans and thanks to the financial support of people all over the world the vision has become a reality.
So now, I am sitting updating my blog from the very house that my wife grew up in. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I feel to be here. The students at this school are amazing. They’re extremely hospitable and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to talk to several of them. I believe that God is doing an amazing work here on this campus. I can only hope and trust that Jesus will continue to reveal His good and perfect will, not only during this week of spiritual emphasis, but throughout the course of each life that’s represented.
I am truly in awe of how Jesus moves in our lives. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be here. Next time, I will definitely have Susan with me!
Blessings to you students and faculty of Nile Union Academy. If you have any questions/comments, I invite you to simply hit the comment button and write away.
Courage to you all!
Matthew
El Gabal El Asfar, Egypt
The Jesus Series | Washington State University [Pullman, WA]
This weekend I am on the campus of Washington State University for an experience called, The Jesus Series. Starting Thursday night September 30 @ 7pm we opened with a presentation called, “Is Jesus Still Relevant?” I believe He is and so I shared from my background and talked about how I was lead into a relationship with Him. To conclude we looked at a couple of passages from the Bible where Jesus clearly claims to be God and says that He is “the way, the truth and the life.” Adding a couple of quotes from CS Lewis where he says:
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse.”
“You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
I challenged the people to really take a close look at the life and teachings of Jesus. He makes some heavy claims and you simply need to decide whether or not you believe.
I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to post them here.
Matthew
Lighthouse Church | Winnipeg, Canada [September 17-25, 2010]
This week I am in Winnipeg, Canada speaking at the Lighthouse of Hope Church. Every night we are exploring the life and teachings of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. The sessions have already started and I can honestly say from the depths of my heart that I am having the time of my life. The first night I shared parts of my conversion story so that people would know where I was coming from. Last night (Saturday) we dove into John 1, Genesis 1 & 2 and 1 John 2:16-17. Again, on a personal note, I am so impressed at how accurately the Bible depicts insights into our lives in the here and now. IT IS POWERFUL!
So tonight we are going to look at various aspects of the Bible, including its origins and some of the prophecies of the Old Testament and how they are fulfilled in the New Testament in the life of Jesus. As we journey through this series, please feel free to submit your comments and questions here online or you can always text to us. We are here to be of service and I look forward to getting better acquainted with you through this week.
Blessings to you!
Matthew
