staff & elders :: matt yglesias
matt yglesias, elder
as an elder, what is the one thing that comes up daily in your life that you would like prayer for?
daily surrender to him and his purposes along with trust in his character and faithfulness. too many times i find that i struggle with losing the divine perspective that God has given us and instead get caught up in selfishness, worry, negativity at work, etc. if i were to daily take hold of the character and faithfulness of God and apply this to each situation i find myself in, i’m pretty sure my day and the way i interact with people would look very different.
born: june 7, 1981
hometown: baton rouge
siblings: younger brother, adam, 24, younger sister, elissa, 20.
job/profession: physical therapist at kleinpeter physical therapy (no, i don’t get free milk)
hobbies and/or hidden talents: i enjoy playing any sport, particularly baseball, football, and golf (although i’m beginning to pick up fishing and really enjoy being out on the water).
passion(s):
i really get excited about seeing people come to a true understanding of their identity in Christ and seeing them actively pursue intimacy with the Lord. in my own life, identity was something that i really didn’t truly begin to understand and pursue until later in my Christian walk and it really changed the way i viewed myself and the Lord. the Lord continues to bring me to a deeper understanding of who i am in him, and although I lose sight of this a lot, He continues to be faithful to push me to hold on to what i know to be true. the Lord has also given me a heart for the homeless. many of these men and women come from different backgrounds and have been dealt some difficult circumstances. regardless of the reason, it’s cool to see the church reach out in a way that builds relationships with them helps them get back on their feet.
on the weekends, i am most likely… hanging out with friends and family, doing yard-work, reading.
favorite Bible verse or the one that most explains where you are
i have several favorites so it’s hard to choose. “count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4. these verses have special meaning because the Lord used them to encourage me during a tough time in college. there is so much truth about the sanctification process in these verses, and they really are an encouragement that God does not waste any period of suffering. Ephesians 1:15-23 is another of my favorites. it’s an incredible prayer that paul prayed for the church at ephesus, asking the Lord for intimacy with Him and reminding them of the hope, inheritance, and power that they have because of Christ.
favorite memory of the ring:
our first service as a church was pretty incredible. i also enjoyed the night we had in the new gym at parkview where we spent time in prayer for different areas of our lives, the church, and our city using different stations that had been set up around the gym. it was an awesome night of prayer and worship.
favorite memory of one of the other elders or staff members:
when kenny nearly broke my nose warming up before a baseball game in high school…still haven’t forgiven him for that one.
moment/how you knew God was calling you to be a part of the ring:
i’ve been attending the ring since the summer before my freshman year in college and really enjoyed the community feel that was there and the way it challenged me spiritually. when we decided to become a church, josh asked us to really pray about whether or not this was something the Lord wanted each of us individually to be a part of. i had always assumed this was where i was supposed to be, but had never really spent time asking the Lord if i was supposed to be a part of it as a church. so i began praying about it as openly as possible, and began to question if this was where the Lord wanted me. a few weeks later, i remember sitting in the sanctuary at parkview on a sunday night. it was a night in which the Lord was especially speaking directly to my heart in both worship and in josh’s sermon. it was during worship that i felt this affirmation that this was where the Lord wanted me. He reminded me of how big of a part this ministry had played in my own spiritual growth and how much more was in store. it was a pretty cool moment and one I won’t forget.