Author Archives: Matthew Winters

Forgiveness is something with which many of us struggle. There is not a single one of us who has not been offended or outright sinned against. Depending on the depth of our hurt, the road to forgiveness is longer for some than for others. For me, it was much longer than I anticipated and muchContinue reading “The Unforgiving Pastor”

I have had the privilege of meeting some of the most wonderful people over the last 40 years. Of course, I don’t remember the first few years of my life during my infant and toddler years. I do, however, remember from age 3-4 forward. I have lived in 4 states, ministered in many churches, andContinue reading “Gone Too Soon: Thoughts on the Brevity of Life”

I couldn’t think of a better time of year for the celebration of Resurrection Sunday to take place. Flowers are blooming, and everything that was dead is coming back to life. I saw this and more at our church’s worship service today. The event started with tailgating and family-friendly activities. I looked around and sawContinue reading “What Resurrection Looks Like”

Almost 7 years ago, I joined hospice. Not as a patient, but as a chaplain. A friend of mine recommended me for the position. When he called me, my initial thought was “Hospice is about sickness and death, and those are the two things I least like about church ministry.” I didn’t resist the recommendationContinue reading “Hospice Saved My Life”

Insecurity has been something that has plagued me for most of my life. I was overweight from the time I was a 6 year old boy, and I was 9 times out of 10 the one who was overlooked to be picked for someone’s team when playing on the playground or in PE. (Because IContinue reading “<, >, and = (Lessons from Mathematical Symbols)”

Have you ever felt like everyone is against you? Maybe you had a falling out with many in your family? Maybe you went through a divorce and your “friends” sided with your ex? Maybe you were wrongfully accused and no one believed you were innocent? You’re not alone! King David found himself in a roughContinue reading “When Everyone Is Against You”

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being on the “School of Kingdom Writers” podcast with host Brad Pauquette. Brad is a great host and has been a Twitter connection for the last few years. I was extremely nervous about doing a video podcast interview, but Brad set me at ease, and itContinue reading ““Grace in 280 Characters””

One Sunday night in December 2001, I was leaving the church on a high. Not a drug high, but one of those highs after you have had an awesome church service. As I was driving, I saw a deer in the road and tried to swerve to miss it. As I got back onto theContinue reading “You’re in the Wrong Lane 😱”

The term “cancel culture” has been a pretty hot topic for some time. In my reading, most references to this point back to a person. When we “cancel” a person, that person’s accomplishments, failures, and even victories are “removed”. While we can remove or “cancel” people from social media, history books, and other records, theseContinue reading “Did the Church Pave the Way for Cancel Culture?”

A dear brother in Christ shared these thoughts with me earlier today and gave me permission to share them. His thoughts resounded with me as the number of celebrities seems to increase while the number of servants decreases. May God convict us all and bring us to the point where our life’s motto is “NotContinue reading “It’s Not About Me – A Needed Reminder”