The Sounds of Silence

It is amazing how much writing helps me to understand. My brain is like a classroom of hyperactive kids after having pixie sticks and mountain dew. There is a lot of activity going on and before you realize what's happened, something else bounces in to take over your thoughts as the next best thing.

Pslam 46:10 says,"Be still and know that I am God..." When I am writing I am certainly active, but hyper-focused. To everything outside of the message, my heart becomes silent. All of the energetic, hyperactive kids in my brain settle down and focus on the same thing. My brain becomes still and focused on God.

Many times I have equated stillness to silence. When I write I become silent. What I am writing becomes the focus and the only sound is that of my fingers tapping the keyboard. As we seek stillness, silence falls over us. Being still focuses on God and what He has called us to do. Being still silences the busyness of the world we live in. When we are still and in His presence, fear is removed. When we are still, silence falls over the doubts.

When we are still, we are washed by the truth that He is God and He will be exalted among the nations, He will be exalted in the earth.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Matt

Comments

A New Command

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 NIV I don't know how many times I have read this verse. Today it hit me differently. Part of it jumped off the page. If there's a new commandment, what makes this different than the old ones? They must have love in them, right? Nine of the ten commandments have "No" or "Not" contained in them. They tell us what we cannot do rather than providing us with positive direction. This new commandment couldn't be a more drastic change from the ten commandments. Jesus doesn't say don't do this instead He says DO THIS! Jesus could have easily followed the format of the commandments and said don't hate others or don't ignore others. Instead He gave direction and said LOVE others. This raises the question, what does it mean to love each other as Jesus loved us and how can we do that? Be blessed and be a blessing Matt Ennis

Bold Like Stephen

I've always admired people who aren't afraid to be bold in their convictions. It is the kind of boldness that allows them to stand out in the crowd. There is just something different about how these people view and engage the world around them. The movie “Hacksaw Ridge” portrays a man that exemplifies what I mean by bold. He was drafted to serve in World War II but refused to bear arms because of religious reasons. Yet, he still managed to receive the Congressional Medal of honor. Without a weapon in his hand, he saved 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite his objection to violence, he still served his country. Despite his objection to war he found a way to love his neighbor. He was bold. When I think of bold in the Bible, I think of Stephen. Acts 6:8 says, "Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Stephen faced opposition to his teachings. Those that opposed his teachings couldn't ...

Anchor House Week 4: Strawberries

This week I had the chance to come through on a promise I made to one of our regular ships. When they were in port last we were hanging out in the break room with the crew. Somehow we got on the subject of strawberries, Florida strawberries of course. I made the bold statement that Florida strawberries were the best. Trish followed up by clarifying that Plant City’s are the best. She had a point that is hard to argue with. In the discussion, I told the seafarer that I would bring them some strawberries next time they were at Port Manatee. Sure enough the next time they were in port I ran to Detweillers, first thing in the morning, and picked up a half of a flat of some of the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen. They were big, red, perfectly placed in the container in a neat and orderly fashion. They looked magnificent. As we approached the ship, the seafarer whom I had made the promise to waved and said, “You remembered!” After we boarded the ship, we t...

Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

Search This Blog