Chuck Mathias

New Business Networking Group

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Business provides so many opportunities to make connections and friendships. I’m excited about the latest opportunity to be involved in a business networking group in Cheyenne.

I was able to join a similar group in Utah just after starting Motate Media and was part of that group for over a year. I could see during that time the way that God was opening doors to build relationships and share with other business owners.

After moving to Wyoming, I was a little let down to see that there was not such a group anywhere close by, but now I believe God was allowing us to transition and get plugged in to ministry here.

Over the next year and a half, I continued to search for a local networking group, and just recently found that there is a brand new one in Cheyenne. Perfect time for me to get in on the formation of this new group! And I come to it with experience from a very successful group of its kind in a bigger city.

It’s encouraging to see how God seems to be working it all out: that I found the group, that they need someone in web design, even that they meet only every other week at a time that fits my schedule!

In short, it seems God is leading me to participate and get to know some local business owners, so I would love your prayers for those growing relationships and for opportunities for outreach!

Defining Mission and missions

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Here is a post that I created for trainingchurchplanters.com. It addresses the fact that definitions are important. We need clarity in our understanding of Mission and missions. If you have never thought about the difference, follow the link and see the way that all these concepts are connected.

Mission and missions: Theology Drives Strategy

The Fields are White; Not Necessarily the Laborers

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The Fields are White…Not Necessarily the Laborers

Embracing the Awkwardness

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I’m often surprised by what my students remember me saying. Last semester I briefly mentioned in a chapel message that we should “embrace the awkwardness.” After a (legitimately) funny post on Facebook I quickly have become a spokesperson for awkwardness.

It is helpful that I have numerous stories and illustrations from my own personal experience. I really do feel that I have a unique expertise when it comes to embracing the awkward.

Now, personalities are not sacred, and I am convinced we can and should change when our personalities hinder us from doing the work God has for us. However, there are aspects of our personality that we need to understand, chuckle at, and embrace as a part of who we are.

As we’ve been going through different passages in the New Testament I’ve realized that the Book of Acts is really a collection of awkward characters in awkward situations. Sometimes they respond well; often they don’t. It reminds me that in awkward, unsettling situations, our attitude and response is what is important.

Since I first mentioned this phrase it has become a running joke. It is my goal to embrace this honorific title and help my students see that God specializes in using those who are awkward.

KBC Missions Conference – Disciples Making (this) Disciple

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It was such a blessing to be a part of KBC’s mission conference this past weekend. The theme of the conference was “Disciples Making Disciples”. It was neat to participate with other missionaries of our home/sending church, but as I left the conference I was thinking more of the church’s impact on me!

At the conference, I was on the panel for one of two panel discussions about discipleship. As I considered the other panel members, the moderating pastor, other church leaders – those who minister in AWANA, in youth group, in the sound booth, I was impressed by the significance of their part in discipling me!

Some of the people on these panels were:

– the camp director of a camp where I spent summers from age 8 to 19
– the church planter who started the church where I grew up (who also happens to be a personal mentor and the current director of our missions organization)
– a missionary pastor / church planter (who also happens to be my brother-in-law)
– the director of a pregnancy care center who’s personal support, along with her husband’s, has been invaluable over the years to me (and who also happened to help lead the youth group in my jr. high school years)
– a fellow TBM Missionary (who also happened to be a former camp counselor)

The impact of these people on my life didn’t just “happen to be.” God has pulled together all these strands of different people and woven them into my life at various times. I think we often consider discipleship in terms of one-on-one, but this conference helped me to see what a a cooperative / collaborative effort it truly is.

I’ve long defined the church as a disciple-making community. God confirmed that for me this weekend, with an emphasis on community .

Take some time and listen to Mark Vowels insightful and practical messages about discipleship.

Missions Conference

Our Prayer Cards

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Many of you have been praying for and supporting us for years. I thought I would put together all of our prayer cards since 2003! How many do you have?

2003

The original…our first prayer card before leaving for India. We had just graduated from Weber and were preparing for our first trip. At this time we were also the youth directors at KBC.

2004

After coming home from our first six months in India we printed a number of these prayer cards. We were in the States for a few months during early 2004. When we went back we immediately jumped into ministry with BBCM and studying our Masters degree.

2006

Our mission team begins growing. Anjali was born in May 2005. We spent a couple months in the states over her first birthday and printed these cards during Summer ’06. We were back in India for the beginning of the Indian academic year in June.

2008

The end of 2007 saw our team grow once again with the birth of Asha. You may notice that the prayer cards reveal how we’ve been careful about how we’ve explained where we were working. We became increasingly and intentionally vague about the specifics of our ministry home.

2011

Our original intention was to print out a series of prayer cards, but we found it challenging to get them printed from India and to everyone in the States. We did however, complete three of them. Rainbow the Monkey was drawn by Anjali on the plane trip back to the States for a short visit. This was also the plane trip when we traveled with two six week old twins. Fun times!



2014

This was taken on Thanksgiving day before our most recent return to India. It is our first TBM prayer card.

2017

So here we are. This is our current prayer card. If you want one please contact us!