His mom did the best she could, and they would go to church off and on. One day, him and a friend were invited to a teen activity by a deacon at his church. They had a great time, but they would show a movie that would pierce Matt’s heart. They showed “A Thief in the Night”, a movie about the rapture. Matt remarked that the gospel message in that movie struck him to the core. It was like a light bulb went on. Both him and his friend responded to the altar call for salvation that night.
Change began to happen, not overnight, but slowly. Matt was still angry, and it showed. He would get involved with friends who were doing irresponsible, sometimes dangerous things. Speeding, parties and drag racing ruled a part of his life. He had one foot in the world and another at church. It took a fateful night, where a cop from his church broke up a party he was at, where he would finally decide he needed a change in his life.
In high school he struggled in the face of some particularly tough teachers, he would end up starting at Vocational Technical school for cabinet making, at the recommendation of the school. He got a late start, but he would complete a 3 year program in just 2, and he loved it. He would work in construction and maintenance jobs for the next decade of his life. With the internet revolution he heard from a friend how he met his girlfriend through a Christian chatroom. Matt would take the plunge himself.
Eventually he found that one chatroom participant lived in Pennsylvania, in his same area. They would chat from time to time, and eventually call each other. On the first phone call, Matt was asked about his family and he shared that his father passed away when he was 5. There was silence on the other end. The woman on the other end of the line would tell him that her father had also passed away, when she was just 5. That woman is Jen Corbett, Matt’s wife.
If you ask Matt what he thinks of the trajectory of his life, he never saw it coming. Matt didn’t think God would soften his heart over the years about his father, but He did. Matt would realize his father was a believer, and that he didn’t have to suffer anymore. One day Matt will see him again. Matt didn’t think God would also send a wife who could share in his pain, and help him heal, but He did.
Matt never thought he would work at a church, in fact he scoffed at it. But again, with time, God would soften his heart, and as Matt puts it, slowly nudge and lead him just as a good father should. Eventually he would be the supervisor of church maintenance.
To Matt, working at a church is the greatest thing. He sees his wife and his son every day. But more than that, Matt remarks that he gets to be a part of something that matters. When people visit the church every week and get saved, he gets to take part in making sure those doors they walk through are their best. He’ll be able to see them in eternity one day, and he knows that’s all God.
And Matt would have it no other way.
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