living the dream

it doesn't always "feel" like a dream, but i am truly LIVING THE DREAM!!

what i get to do/what i am blessed with:

(1) LIFE
*when i first met my father-in-law, Joe Cotter, and discovered that he thanks God every time he prays - for breath and another day of life - at first, it sounded odd, but now that i am over 30, i realize how important those things are. i mean, without them, we are dead, right? this is the air i breathe and each breath is a gift from God. today i am blessed with LIFE.

(2) SALVATION
*i have no idea where/what/who/how life would be without my relationship with Jesus. my dream is to serve Him with all i am and to hear him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" i'm living each day for Him and with Him. to process that Christ left Heaven to come to Earth and doe for me to have life, that is true love! that's how i understand SALVATION.

(3) DAD
*what an honor it is to raise 3 amazing children. not the easiest thing, but the most fulfilling for me. i pray that i get it right more than i get it wrong. maybe they will learn some good along the way from me. to think i will help shape these little lives from the moment they arrived in the world to the moment i depart! wow! it's a crazy ride, being DAD.

(4) HUSBAND
*let's be real. marriage has to be the hardest thing to master. does anyone ever get there? so many rewards from marriage, but so much work. it doesn't scare me anymore, but i've realized it doesn't just happen either. i have to be intentional. i'm thankful i get to be married. marriage is a great honor! i hope i can be what my wife needs me to be as her HUSBAND!

(5) CALL
*when i was 18, God called me to serve Him full-time in ministry as a pastor. i always wanted to be a heart dr. and my grandma says i still am, just a different kind. i am humbled by His call to be a pastor, especially now that i have the honor, with my wife at my side, to lead the church in Delaware, OH. not easy, definitely an adventure, and full of life-change, for me and others! thanks, God, for the CALL.

(6) FRIENDS
*i couldn't ask for better friends! i am not just saying that either. i have friends all over the USA, different ages and backgrounds, all with passions and dreams of their own, and i wouldn't be who i am without them. i can turn to them when i need a good laugh, a good cry, to vent, to brainstorm, to share good news and bad. i'll show you my friends, and you can show me how i have gotten this far. know that i am a better person with them in my life. i have the best FRIENDS!

a dream? YES! someone pinch me. ok, not really, especially not on the back of the upper arm . . . OUCH!

i am matt valantine, and i am living the dream!!

peace