I was asked recently to share about the way spiritual warfare works in my own life. What a tough thing to tackle! Dare I be brutally honest, conveying the depths that I can go in my own struggle against the “cosmic powers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12)? Generally speaking I shared along two lines. READ MORE
The St. John Family
Posts relating to the unique personal story which is Pastor Matthew’s family
Dear New Hope Friends . . . .
Dear New Hope Church Friends: My dear Christa and I could not be more excited about joining with you in these days ahead! We have been determined to finish well with our beloved Bethel Church family, but that has not in any way muted our enthusiasm for what lies ahead. As we step through these READ MORE
Five Rocks for Everyone’s Bag
Being just days away from stepping into my new responsibilities with the New Hope Church family in the greater Minneapolis area, it seems reasonable to offer one final, loving word to our beloved Bethel Church community—words put forward in my last sermon on July 12, and which will be meaningfully helpful for Bethel Church in READ MORE
Replanting and Eternal Bonds
It began about a year ago—an unusual journey of receiving and waiting and grieving and anticipating. The culmination of this special season is that beginning in August, Christa and I will be replanted with me as the senior pastor of New Hope Church in the Minneapolis metro. Over the past twelve months or so, and READ MORE
Ten Things I Learn When I Listen to God
There are those convictions that come along reminding me that I spend an awful lot of time talking to the Lord, but very little real time just listening. Reflecting on this sad reality brings to my mind the words of Isaiah 29:13, wherein the Lord says, “this people draw[s] near with their mouth and honor[s] READ MORE
Transform a Village with Advent in Action!
Christmas 2014 Dear Friends, As many of you know, this past summer I had the distinct privilege of walking up to two different water wells in Mozambique, around which many people gathered to fill up containers with fresh, clean and cold drinking water to take back to their homes. I couldn’t help but READ MORE