For those of you LCU peeps, I REALLY hope you had the chance to know Matt Dutton. He was a very special man who inspired and blessed me in so many ways. For those who have gotten the LCU Reflections, I imagine you have been able to read THIS article on him and the legacy he has left (You will need Adobe Reader and it is on pages 32-33). Trust me-it is worth it!! For those of you who have not and were not blessed enough to know him, PLEASE read it. I know it will not mean as much without knowing him personally; but I hope it is still encouraging-just like he was to SO many-with his life, his attitude, along with his relentless and gentle spirit.
I also wrote about him HERE a few years back. I often think about him and miss him-it really did feel like a bright light went out in the world. He was a wonderful man of God, who had a spirit and passion for life; even in the midst of legal blindness, severe diabetes, and any other obstacle he had in life-it never got him down. Like the article and my post says, no matter what was going on-good or bad, his answer to "How are you doing, Matt?" was "DOING GREAT AND GETTING GREATER!" Now, how many people do you know who have an attitude like that, even those who have perfect health and no obstacles?! What an inspiration, what an example, and what a great friend. I am very blessed to have called him a friend and been touched by his life, his spirit, and his example. I think about him often; and how much I would love to see his smiling face, hear his Texas accent, and his soft spoken but strong words of encouragement. I am so happy to know that his legacy will live on through the scholarship in his name that will help generations to come attend LCU.
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I have had a lot more peace about everything lately. I know much of that is prayer, and am SO appreciative of all of the prayers that have been and are being lifted up for me. I have really been able to let the past be the past and move forward; letting go of a lot of things that were holding me back and tripping me up. I could not let it consume me anymore, and had to let it go. That does not mean it does not and will not creep up every once in awhile; but I trust in God to cover that. I know that peace and comfort only comes from him, and that he can and will take the hurts from the past and make them whole. All I can do is learn from the experiences in life and move on-trusting in God and that ultimately His will be carried out.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, HOPE. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." ~Romans 5:1-5
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7 comments:
Have you heard of or read a book called The Shack? I haven't read it, but have heard people talk about it and it is supposed to be an uplifting book. Sorry, don't know the author.
Love your encouraging attitude!
Wonderful post and blog.
I loved LCU.
Lots of great memories.
I graduated in 1998.
I was a youth minister for 10 years and pastor for 5 years.
I want you to know that I love reading your blog.
You do fantastic job.
Keep up the great work.
I will read as time allows.
I have been very sick.
I blog when I can.
I hope you have a great week.
In Him,
Kinney Mabry
I do remember him. I didn't know him well, but I do remember him being so friendly. I didn't know he had died...and I read that article, it was almost 4 years ago! Thanks for sharing that! There are just some people who leave a lasting impression
I've been trying hard to find your blog. I lost the link and finally I found it when you made a comment today. I love it.
You summed up Matt well here and in your other post. Matt and I were close friends. I was his preacher, but more than his preacher, I was his friend. He and I went to Mexico City together, camp together and many other places together. Matt was a delight in this world of darkness and gloom.
Thanks for the words you wrote about him.
Blessings - Trey
Glad you are moving forward. There are great things for you to accomplish and we all need you being the best for Christ you can be.
Running a 5k is a great goal! I would love to run one with you. Here are a couple of links to see how I would suggest you get started. Slow and easy is the trick.
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
http://www.runninginjuryfree.org/beginnersplan.html
You want to shoot for a February 5k? I hope to run the Cowtown 1/2 Marathon in February but can definitely fit in a 5k. Let me know how I can support you. And check out my next post on my upcoming races. You may want to walk/run a few races to keep things interesting.
Hey girl,
I was so thankful to come across this post. I found out about Matt's "home-going" in the article in the Reflections magazine. I had many fond memories of his Godly example. Thank you for sharing this tribute publicly. I had so many ideas in my mind for a post, and just didn't get one done. I keep thinking how amazing that the first clear sight he had in years was the face of Jesus. What could be more precious to him?
Thank you for your sweet spirit.
Love you, girl!
Kisti
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