Well I know a lot of you have been asking and waiting, and I am glad to announce that my new album "Broken and Redeemed" is finally on iTunes. So if you would do me a huge favor and pass the word along that would be great.

As always thanks for all the support and I hope the album ministers to all of you in a special way that speaks right to your heart.

I wanted to write a new post real quick to tell you about an opportunity for you to give this holiday season. Many of you read my blog and support my ministry through prayer, encouragement, booking a show, or financially. This time I am not asking for you to support me financially, but on Saturday December 20th @ 8pm, I will be playing a free concert at the Connection Internet Cafe in Wilmington, NC. The owners of the Connection have been huge supporters of my ministry and they have fallen on hard times with the economy the way it is.

The Kinsey's opened The Connection because God led them to open a cafe that would help people connect. Wether through connecting with other people at a free show, connecting to the internet, having their small group meeting there, or just meeting up with some friends. Many of you use the Connection weekly, some even daily and so I am asking for you to come out Saturday and give whatever you can to the Kinsey's and The Connection.

They did not ask me to do this it was just something God laid on my heart. I will be playing for about an hour and a half, so 8-9:30 ish. I will be doing some of my music but mainly doing some Christmas music to celebrate the season. So come out, grab some coffee, desert of a late night snack and give what you can to support an amazing famiy, cafe and part of our church.

Matt

So, you ever had that moment when you ask, "what is the point of my life"? Sure we all have. For most of us we then begin to make a list of all the things we want to do. College, career, spouse, kids, places I want to travel to, etc… The problem is that list proves one thing, life is all about ME. The problem with that thought process is that is where the problem begins.

Before you get all bent out of shape, I am writing this because I am learning this and that is why I am sharing. I am so guilty of making life about me. What can "I" get? What do "I" need to do? How can "I" get ahead? "I" need more money! "I" deserve fill in the blank. If you have never made any of those statements then you can stop reading because you want relate to any of this. For those still with me here is what God is showing me.

"The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His." Quote by Francis Chan from his book "Crazy Love". Well that is a gut shot of perspective. The point is for my life to point to Him. Notice nothing about that statement brings any glory or seen benefit to me. What it does bring me is a proper perspective. If I am making sure my life points to Him, I would be willing to bet that my life will be blessed. Not a health-wealth gospel, that if I do this for God I will get stuff. No No No, I am talking about if I am living my life to point myself and others to Him then I will be blessed with all that God has for me.

Chan also says, "Even though I glimpse God's holiness, I am still dumb to forget that life is all about God and not about me at all." Can I just tell you all that this perspective in the world's eyes would be gloom and doom, but to me it is freedom. It is a lot of stress and worry making life about me. We need to get over ourselves! I look around and see all the problems that everyone else can see, but to be completely honest my wife and I are not consumed or overcome with worry and the only reason why is because we are clinging to God. My favorite quote from the 2nd chapter of "Crazy Love" that spurred this in me was, "If life were stable, I'd never need God's help. Since it's not, I reach out for Him reqularly. I am thankful for the unknowns and that I don't have control, because it makes me run to God."

That is were I want to leave this blog, where are you running? To stuff? To a person? To your bank account? Or are you running to the only answer there is, the One who all of life is about? God! He is everything. I used to just say that because it is a good sounding Christian phrase. Now I believe it and know it with everything that is in me. God is enough, He truly is everything. Will all your problems go away tomorrow? Nope. Will more come? I would almost guarantee they will. Will you find peace and comfort and direction in the midst of the madness? ABSOLUTELY! You probably have tried everything else, why not try the one who is writing the script, directing the movie and producing the whole thing, God is everything and it is all about Him. Let's all try living there.

As always just my thoughts. For the few that read this hope it helps you.

Well wanted to let everyone know the new CD "Broken and Redeemed" will be out October 28th. So be sure to pick up your copy on iTunes or locally in Wilmington NC at The Connection Internet Cafe, The Salt Shaker Christian Bookstore and at any Matt Blair show. Look forward to people being able to listen to the CD and hopefully have it speak to your heart.

I posted 4 songs off the album on the myspace page so let me know what you think.

Matt

Last week we met with our financial advisor through the church and laid all of our debt and budget on the table. That night we met with our married couples small group and just talked about the sin and pride involved with money while we were in Clarksville and for the first time we felt like the wall that had been blocking us from financial freedom began to come down. So that lead to some amazing blessings from God.

It started with this past weekend when Erin and the girls and I went to Gastonia where I spoke at a conference with 200 middle school and high school girls called Searching for the Beauty Within. It was so awesome and that night I led worship at a really cool coffee shop / Christian Bookstore which was a very intimate time of worship with about 50 people. The next morning I led at Chapel Grove Baptist Church where I did the conference and God just blew us away with financial blessings. Not only that we received some checks in the mail that were unexpected and from all of that we were able to pay all of our bills for the month and have money left over for the first time in forever.

I mean there have been plenty of times I have been blown away by what God does in our life or how He provides but today may have just taken the cake. As many of you know our house has been on the market since January and we are only 2 weeks away from foreclosure proceedings taking place. Now we saw this as a consequence for our bad decisions which were from my pride, see last post. Two days ago Erin spoke to a friend of ours who used to live in Clarksville and she was sharing the frustration of the house still being unsold. Our friend got off the phone and began to pray and ask God how she could help. She was then reminded of a friend in Clarksville who was looking for a home. She called her and her husband and her had gone through a rough financial stretch and had seen God bring them out of it by following Dave Ramsey's financial peace and getting a Godly perspective on money, which is what God is doing with Erin and I right now. The woman called our friend back to tell her she saw the home online they loved it and the neighborhood and they were going to look at it the next day. So today our realtor calls and tells me he has an offer coming in on the house and another potential offer coming in that afternoon. I was thinking wow our friend Kelly's friend and husband must have like the house. To my surprise it was 2 separate offers and our realtor showed that couple the house today and they put an offer in. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! 3 offers in one day after 7 months and only 10 people looking.

So it looks like the house may be sold. I took the pictures for the new album today with me and the guys and they look great. So awesome the talent in our church from photographers, to graphic designers, the producer of my album, the guys that play with me, the staff the volunteers, just awesome. So Chris Davis, www.cdphoto.com, took the pictures and they look amazing! After the photo shoot I got a phone call about meeting a guy from our church at the coffee shop tonight. When I got there I talked with this guy who I have only had one or two other conversations with before. He told me how God had been revealing to him answered prayers when you pray specifically and how he had been blown away by that and how today I was one of those. He then gave me a check to help finish the cost of the album since some miscellaneous things came up. The crazy thing is last night he prayed and asked God if it was supposed to be this or that. This morning I sent an email to a friend of mine asking for prayer to help with the cost that had arisen. That friend had lunch with this guy today and mentioned my name at the very end of lunch and then told the guy the need not know he had been praying for me and it was exactly what he had prayed the night before on what to give. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! What are you doing God. How does that happen? It is just more affirmation that God is God and He is in complete control.

Now that was a lot and maybe not written well but I wanted you to all see the journey and what God is doing. If you don't think prayers are heard or matter than I want you to know that they do and even though the answer may not come when you think, ie 7 months on the market with our house, or the way you think, random people coming into your life to help out. No matter how or why God hears those prayers and is working through them. Just a glimpse of my life as I stand in awe of our Creator God.

The time to do what I am called to do and what I want to do has arrived. I want to just do ministry. Everyday, for the rest of my life. By that I mean, ministering through music and serving people and helping them walk with God. Now hear me on this I realize that you can serve God and minister for him wherever you are at anytime. What I am saying is God has given me a passion for the church and I desire to serve him in that capacity. What I am learning right now is although that is what my heart desires, right now I am called to be a provider for my wife and daughters and just be a follower of God.

So to do that it means I am going to have to lay down the pride I talked about in the last blog and possibly work a job that will eliminate some opportunities to serve God through my music and in the church. If I find a job that requires me to work Saturday or Sunday's or on nights when I could be helping at Port City or singing at another church or college somewhere then that is what I have to do. I don't like writing this at all because it feels like a part of me is dying, but I am learning that music and ministry has to be an overflow and off-shoot of my walk with God and my family growing and being taken care of.

Now this does not mean I am done with music, FAR FROM IT, that is one of the gifts God has given me. It just means that for now it may have to take a backseat as I make sure I am providing for my family and their needs. So I ask for your prayers as I continue to send out resumes and push to find full time employment. If you know of anything let me know.

My wife sent me Psalm 112 & 128 which talks about the family prospering when the man of God fears the Lord and is obedient to him. So I know my calling and I am ready to take hold of it. So that is where I am today and I am anxiously awaiting God's next step.

Just 5 letters. P-R-I-D-E. It is a word that I would have told you 2 weeks ago was something that only occasionally came up in my life, not controlled it. Man was I completely wrong. So let me catch you up if you are unsure of why I would begin a blog like that. So as most of you know my wife and daughters moved back to Wilmington, NC about 2 months ago and it has been so great being back. We didn't realize how much we missed our church, our community and family and friends. Since we have been back I have been busy bouncing from house to house with the family staying with family and friends, working on a new album and working part time jobs.

Well about 2 weeks ago I sat down and had coffee with Mike Ashcraft our pastor and great friend. We were talking about how life has been going and what was God doing in my life. As we talked I shared about 3 or 4 things that I was passionate about and Mike finally looked at me and said, "Man you are all over the place." He said, "you first goal has to be finding a stable job and supporting your family and letting Erin know that you are doing what you say you will to take care of her and Kaylee and Abi." I knew he was completely right and so that was the first gut check and slow removal of the sin and blinders I was wearing. Then he said you need to focus on the job, supporting your family and walking with God and let the music just flow out of that and if it takes a back seat then it takes a back seat. Second gut check, sin and blinder removal.

Then Mike said something that haunted me for the next 10 days until I allowed God to reveal it to me. Mike said, "Matt I don't know why you aren't on staff at Port City or some other church or why you don't have a record deal. There is something that I can't put my finger on and no one can as to why God is not allowing that to happen." I then looked at Mike and told him something I had not told anyone including my wife and that was how GUILTY I felt for moving my family to Tennessee and driving us in the ground financially and emotionally just to pursue some image and idea of the Christian Music Industry. I said I cannot believe I took my family into the wilderness and made us wander. Then Mike said the most amazing thing. He said, "I have no problem taking your family into the wilderness and going through tough times because you can grow and learn there, you just can't leave them there, you have to lead them out of the wilderness."

I was like WOW, how true. So I knew in that moment it was time to lead my family out of the wilderness and to follow God whole heartedly. In that moment I experienced true brokenness and realized that it was time to finally live in the freedom that Christ has given me and no longer live as a slave to sin and bad choices and disobedience. It was time to live as free in Christ and in the victory He has given me.

The only thing is that statement Mike made haunted me. What was missing? What could no one put their finger on? If they couldn't then I know I needed to figure it out before someone else did. I began to pray and ask God to reveal to me what it was. Then I finally took a step back and looked at my life the last 10-15 years and realized something very ugly. I am a PRIDEFUL, PRIDEFUL man. I look back in high school and how I would get mad if someone got a singing part in choir over me, because I knew I was the best singer. I looked back at college when someone needed to be funny at our Christian Student Union meetings that I had to be that guy because I was the funny Christian guy. I looked at how I wanted people to tell me what a great job I do as a worship leader because I believed I was one of the best worship leaders. I looked at when I was on staff at Port City Community Church I was arrogant and prideful to other people and around the staff. I looked at moving to Tennessee, (hear me on this, God used that time and we needed to go there so we could learn all that God needed to teach us). That being said moving to Tennessee was a pride thing because I wanted the record deal and the fame so everyone would know me as a great singer and worship leader and songwriter. I bought a house so that we could look a certain way and a Suburban to have a nice car. All because I was prideful and disobedient to God. I was controlled by Pride, WAS, not anymore.

I told Mike this morning Proverbs 16:18 rings true when it says, "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." The reason our family kept falling and struggling is because I kept having pride, but I was to blinded and used to living in it that I refused to recognize it.

So I am writing all of this to tell you all of a sin that has entangled me and to ask forgiveness if you have been the victim of my pride. What I mean by that is if I have mistreated you or acted in a way where my pride just overwhelmed you I ask for your forgiveness. If I tried to build myself up around you or make myself out to be more than I am then I apologize. I now realize that my only calling is to follow Jesus and to be a husband to Erin and a father to Kaylee and Abi and our children to come and a provider for my family. All the other stuff is an overflow of me following Christ, my music is, this new CD is, my service at church all of it. I ask all of you if you see me acting in pride to come up and smack me in the head and remind me of this blog and remind me that God has called me to Follow Him and to be a husband, dad and provider.

Thanks for your support and reading my heart...

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have decided to cancel the live recording for tonight. It was my bad with some miscommunication but it is all good on what God is doing with the album. I am super excited for everyone to hear the songs and heart behind what the guys and I have been doing in the studio. Also big props to Lee Hester my producer who is just taking the songs to new places.

Keep me in your prayers as I seek what last 3 songs God would want on the album. I will update you all soon with some pictures and maybe even a video from the studio.

Matt

So the live recording was scheduled for this Tuesday @ 7pm at Overflow. We are moving that to next Tuesday Aug. 19th @ 7pm at Overflow. So plan on coming out that night and being a part of Overflow. That night Lee Hester, producer of the new album, will be playing some of his music as well as Aravis some great friends of mine. Jason Andre another local artist and member of Port City will be playing. It is going to be an awesome night of music and fellowship.

Hey just wanted to make everyone aware of a couple of cool things.

First my Buddy Jason Roy, lead singer of Building 429, and I will be doing a special acoustic concert together at the Internet Connection Cafe here in Wilmington, NC on August 8th @ 8pm. So we would love to have as many of you that can come hang out with us as we worship and sing songs about our Great God. The Connection only hold about 100 people so come early.

The other cool opportunity is on Tuesday August 12th @ 7pm @ Overflow, Port City Community Church's College and 20 somethings ministry, I will be recording 3 live tracks for the new album. So come out to Studio 3 in the new church building for Overflow and be a part of the live recording.

Thanks for all you support and look forward to seeing you at these upcoming events.

Matt