Just a Nightlight

music starts at about 1 min mark and if you like it: “For...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 23:05:20 -0700

music starts at about 1 min mark

and if you like it:

“For the next 2 weeks I’m giving away 5 of my albums, exclusively on Noisetrade! 100% of your tips will go to World Relief and their work in Congo. Pick up the albums here:
http://noisetrade.com/joshgarrels”

-Josh Garrels

Enjoy :)

Don't Give Up

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:40:40 -0700

Don't Give Up

I really like their version of this hymn for some reason…...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:25:38 -0800

I really like their version of this hymn for some reason… and the cover…

Is the Bible the Word of God?

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:30:29 -0800

Is the Bible the Word of God?:

In case you don’t know, I read a lot of blogs. And as I’m reading, every link/blog post that I find interesting, I save and bookmark. But I realized today there’s no point in doing this unless I actually go back and read them again. So here is the first of perhaps a series of posts:

The first saved link is this post from challies.com which is a quote from a man named J. C. Ryle… and because I found the quote so convicting on this second read, I also read the original pamphlet from which it came. And I’m so glad I did.

It’s from a pamphlet called “Inspiration” and it is perhaps one of the most concise and thorough arguments about the inspiration of scripture I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. And, even though it was written in the 19th century and there have been countless scientific and historic developments since then, it remains just as applicable now as it was surely then. It’s a bit on the long side, but read it to the end, and I think you’ll find it worth the effort. (Title is Link)

But even if you don’t choose to read it or enjoy it as much as I have, I encourage you to read your Bible because “…God has given us the Bible to be a light to guide us to everlasting life.”

"…For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good…"

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 10:29:47 -0700

“…For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good…”

- Matthew 5:45

…Some days we have the privilege of experiencing this common grace more than others… yay

"Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a..."

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:49:03 -0700

“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.”

- from “The Love of God” a hymn by Frederick Martin Lehman

The American Bible Challenge on Game Show Network

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 16:54:00 -0700

The American Bible Challenge on Game Show Network:

hosted by Jeff Foxworthy

I’m really not sure what to make of this.

Josh Garrels

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:30:00 -0700

Those of you who have gotten to know me the last 2 years may have noticed that I enjoy music… a lot. I spend an inordinate amount of my free time just browsing music.

Anyways, I just thought this was worth posting. If you haven’t heard of Josh Garrels, he’s a very gifted folk artist that I stumbled upon a while ago. When his most recent album “Love & War & The Sea In Between” came out, he decided to give it away for free for a year… which ends tomorrow, June 15.

So for today (and possibly tomorrow… a bit unclear) he’s giving away his album for FREE. Go to the link below and listen to a few tracks and look at the lyrics. I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s personally one of my favorite albums. Enjoy :)

Free Music: http://joshgarrels.bandcamp.com/

Seeing Yet Another Sunrise

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:08:19 -0700

It’s 8:00 in the morning and I’m tired… I’m not that close to finishing my finals and I’m not ready for everything I have to do.

But as I was negligently distracting myself from my studies, I was reminded that even now I can find joy in the abundant grace that I’ve received:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

-Lamentations 3:22-24

It’s morning, and I’m grateful merely that I’ve been given another day of life to live. It reminds me of the continued faithfulness of our Father in Heaven, now and forever.

Good Luck With Finals Everyone :)

21 Years of Life

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:58:26 -0700

Well… my birthday just passed. And for me, birthdays have never been a big deal. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely enjoy them. But I never really feel any different before or after. After all, I’m still the same person (except now I can drink. yay…)

So I sort of went into this birthday with this same mentality. But then I had a random thought: 21 years is a very long time…

Not a crazy revelation I suppose, but a revelation nevertheless.

So, naturally, I began looking back on the last 21 years. And as a sinner, redeemed by grace, here’s what I realized:

God showed me forbearance and mercy for 19 years while I was in outright rebellion. And it’s not like he created me and then just let me run loose afterwards. Rather, he actively gave me life and breath every day of my life (Acts 17:25). For 19 whole years, He sustained me when I was wholly undeserving, pridefully chasing after vain idols. By no means did I deserve such grace. But when I was profaning his name in both word and deed, he showed me abundant mercy.
However, He did far more than merely keeping me alive. I should never forget that He pursued me for just as long. Sadly, I think the beauty of this has lost its power over time. Perhaps I have forgotten what it means to be “…dead in the trespasses and sins in which [I] once walked…” (Eph. 2:1). Perhaps I have forgotten how steeped in sin I actually was not too long ago. But a short look back is enough to remind me of my helplessness. It was not by my own power that I came believe. I would never have chosen the path that left me broken before Him. But I’m so grateful that He pursued me and guided my steps. It was painful, but that brokenness has led me to find so much joy.
And, now, for the last 2 years, I’ve slowly been learning what Paul meant by “…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding….” I still sin, often and grievously. And sometimes the guilt and shame is even deeper than it’s ever been. After all, I know God’s word now. So many times I’ve told myself that “I should know better now” or “I have no excuse anymore.” But if I’ve come to know my sin more fully, I’ve also grown to know more fully the amazing grace that our God gives. He hasn’t stopped showing me undeserved mercy. Rather, He has promised that because of the righteousness of Christ, I will never stand condemned before Him (Rom 8:1). And He hasn’t stopped pursuing me. Rather, He has promised that he will work all things for my good and will mold me into the perfect image of Christ (Rom 8:28-29). He has been perfectly faithful to me thus far, and I know that He will continue to be faithful in the future.

But what was the point of me posting all this? Well, I now truly have a new reason to celebrate each and every year of life that God gives to me. But, by no means does this need to be confined to just a birthday.

I often take for granted the continual grace that I receive. But I hope to let each day I’m alive remind me of the steadfast love that God has shown me. Let us not forget this simple fact: Everyday, there is reason to rejoice.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice! - Philippians 4:4

Sometimes the simple lessens are the hardest to learn

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:41:37 -0700

I’m slowly learning that, even if I feel like I’m failing at everything, God still loves me unconditionally

like a father loves his son.

I can’t understand why. I’m useless, foolish, and undeserving.

And yet he still loves me.

Grace is so incomprehensible

But I’m beginning to think that maybe it’s a good thing that it doesn’t make sense to me.

It makes me realize what a great blessing it truly is.

That we have a great God who loves us greatly

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever -Psalm 136:26

I thought this was cute :) Hope you all have a Happy...

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:59:00 -0800

I thought this was cute :)

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I think I have some work to do...

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:01:41 -0700

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” -Ephesians 5:15-17

Time to get my act together…

Sleep (or Lack Thereof)

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 03:17:16 -0700

Generally, lack of sleep may result in:

aching muscles

confusion, memory lapses or loss

depression

hallucinations

hand tremors

headaches

bloodshot eyes

periorbital puffiness, commonly known as “bags under eyes” or eye bags

increased blood pressure

increased stress hormone levels

increased risk of diabetes

increased risk of fibromyalgia

irritability

nystagmus (rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement)

obesity

temper tantrums in children

yawning

symptoms similar to:
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)

Psychosis

-Wikipedia on Sleep Deprivation

So here’s what I got out of this list:

Based on how relevant this list is to my normal sleep habits, God has been so gracious to me in that I haven’t started hallucinating yet (or at least i don’t think i have…)

Praise God! :)

A Good Friday

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 05:16:32 -0700

“Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” the old spiritual asks. And we must answer, “yes, we were there.” Not as spectators only; but as participants, guilty participants, plotting, scheming, betraying, bargaining and handing him over to be crucified. We may try to wash our hands of responsibility like Pilate. But our attempt will be as futile as his. For there is blood on our hands. Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance). Indeed, “only the man who is prepared to own his share in the guilt of the cross,” wrote Canon Peter Green, “may claim his share in its grace.” - CJ Mahaney

I heard this quote at Lighthouse. I think this was the first Good Friday to ever truly affect my heart. My own sinfulness leads me to repentance, and, because of grace, I worship.

I realize this is an Owl City rip-off, but, for some reason it...

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:39:44 -0800

I realize this is an Owl City rip-off, but, for some reason it makes me smile every time I hear it.

Happy Finals studying :)

Here is a sampling of Jimmy Needham that is contextually...

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:31:00 -0800

Here is a sampling of Jimmy Needham that is contextually relevant! Please read the previous post first to get said context :)

Lyrics:

yeah, yes, oh
Why I wanna be a hurricane when I’m barely a breeze
‘Cause I’ve already seen Your storm bring me down to my knees
Just when we think we’ve made it high enough
You knock us back to the ground
We’re all trying to move up fast,can’t see the contrast
Of how the King came down

‘Cause I can’t build my towers higher
And live inside Your fire, no no no no no

Whenever I climb too high
Keep my feet on the ground
And when I get full of me
Turn me upside down
You know pride and not just summer
Come before the fall
So if it’s You that’s gettin’ bigger
I don’t mind being small
Being small
Being small

Maybe if I shout real loud then I’ll draw a crowd
And they’ll finally cheer
Or maybe I should tone down, never make a sound out
Anything to draw them near
Or maybe there’s more to life than trying to make a name
Even though they say it ain’t so
So maybe I should step on down
Hand off the King’s crown
To the guy on the throne

‘Cause I can’t build my towers higher
And live inside Your fire, no no no

Whenever I climb too high
Keep my feet on the ground
And if I get full of me turn me upside down
You know pride and not just summer
Come before the fall
So if it’s You that’s getting bigger
I don’t mind being small

These people won’t miss me
I will be out of their memories
The ground will forget me for sure
Only one is remembered
One name to be treasured
Is Yours

So now when I climb too high
Keep my feet on the ground
And if I get full of me
Turn me upside down
You know pride and not just summer
Come before the fall
Ooo
So maybe hopefully I see less of me
And more of you and its true
I’ll be finally free
That’s what I want after all
Yeah

Whenever I climb too high
Keep my feet on the ground
And if I get full of me turn me upside down
You know pride and not just summer
Come before the fall
So if it’s You that’s getting bigger
I don’t mind being small
Being small
Being small
Being small, oh oh oh
Yeah
Being small, oh oh oh oh
Being small

Hello There

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:21:00 -0800

So… I finally joined tumblr…

I’ve considered creating one for a while now, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not. I was sorta scared that I was just making for myself another outlet for self-glorification. So, I guess, at the outset, I want state the major purpose of this blog: to glorify God with my words to the best of my ability.

With this purpose in mind, I have a favor to ask of all of you who are reading this. If I ever post anything contrary to this purpose, please let me know (and correct me properly). This is a more public forum than I’m used to, and, as such, I need to be more careful about what I write.

As for the name of this blog, I drew inspiration from the most recent Jimmy Needham album Nightlights. Check it out if you have the time. Anyways, there’s a line in the album that says “Compared to you, I’m just a nightlight against a blazing sun.” And this is the sort of mindset I want to have in writing this blog. I want to glorify God with it (be a light), but by no means should I ever convince myself that I’m doing God a great service and let what I do inflate my pride. Rather, any time I seek to glorify God, it should just be the natural outflow of my love for Him. He deserves all of me, and I should be happy to give it :)

-Matt

(Also, the name “nitelight” is appropriate because of the ridiculously late hours I keep. Expect many posts between 2-5AM. I hear I’m more interesting when sleep deprived =P)