What I wish I could have told myself two years ago.
(Matt Kladnik)

1.  You won’t regret doing something courageous.  If you fail when pursuing a “God-sized” vision you’ll learn more than if you had played it safe.

2.  Invest in people more.  Programs and planning serve a purpose only when people are prioritized.  (Say that ten times fast!)

3.  Daily tell God, “Here I am” then take a deep breath and listen.  Don’t get caught saying, “God, here I go, I hope you follow me cause I’ll probably need you at some point.”

4.  Say or do something profound each day.  At the end of the day something should have happened that could illustrate a Biblical principle.

5.  Make friends with people that are really different from you.  Be intentional about surrounding yourself with people that don’t look, act or talk like you do.

6.  Love the City. Be proactive in serving the needs in the community with no strings or agenda attached.

7.  Be persistent when obstacles arise.  Expect challenges and don’t let them entice you to compromise anything.

8.  Pray for your leadership.  Praying for them will help them and it will help you gain God’s heart for them.

9.  Have fun.  Take adventures, do something crazy, eat something new, try something silly, laugh at yourself often.

10.  Love your family.  Pour out on them the best of your love, affection and joy.  Make sure they know that they are the best gift that God has given you.

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Introducing Polly Rae Kladnik

Polly is named after her great grandma and her name means “Wished for Child”. Rae is after her great grandpa Kladnik.

Born on New Years Eve 2011 at 8:12PM

8.1 Pounds// 20.5 Inches

We are enjoying our little miss and soaking up lots of cuddles and kisses. It is difficult being away from friends and family during this time and are having lots of skype dates with grandparents and Aunties and Uncles. If you think of us please pray for rest, peace and health for our family of three.

Happy at just one week old

(From Matt)

About 3 months ago I had a crazy thought.  My personal time of Bible Study was fulfilling and it helped me tick the box for “time with God” for the day.  However, was it really transforming me?  Was I accountable to anyone for those nuggets of truth that were revealed to me or was I just going through the motions?  I would like to hope that the answer could be yes but as I read through my journal I found that I made many commitments to God that I had great intentions for but seldom followed up on.  I thought to myself, “How much better would it be to study my Bible in community with other guys that really desire to be transformed”?  I could position myself to have greater accountability and I could invest in others at the same time.

Within a few days, a few text messages and a few phone calls I had a small group formed.  It turned out that there were men from different churches that were passionate about the same thing.  We were sick of religion and “ticking boxes.”  We wanted authentic, passionate faith to be our source and power.  As men, we are task driven so we have included “missions” to our study.  These are ways that we can take what we learn and actually do it.  What a novel concept!  We first journeyed through James and now we are half through John.  We meet twice a week early before everyone goes to work.  We are now welcoming new men to the group almost weekly.

I can honestly say that this group has been one of the most rewarding things I have been a part of since we arrived in Australia.  I was away for a week during the birth of our little girl and the group kept moving on.  This showed that the vision had really taken root in these men.  They no longer need me to keep it together because they have taken ownership.  They are now inviting their friends and family to the group.  It won’t be long before we need to split up and do two groups.  I am convinced that in order for our city to be transformed we need to let God transform us first.  This is the start of something big.

“Ultimately, our church is only as good as its disciples. Tamed disciples form tame churches. Adventurous disciples will form an untamed church that will change the world.” Neil Cole

Merry Christmas from hot hot hot Australia!!! It definitely plays tricks on your senses when Christmas is in summer. It’s hot and humid, you drink cold beverages to cool off, you go swimming and have BBQ’s to celebrate. For the average Aussie this “feels” like Christmas. For us American’s it is so strange to set up a Christmas tree while pumping the fans and wearing shorts.

Where ever you are- make the most of your situation. If we sat around complaining about what we didn’t have this Christmas we would be a miserable bunch! Let’s remind ourselves of the reason for this season- JESUS! It’s not about being comfortable or surrounded by gifts, food and family. It truly is about our Savior who came to earth- that is worth celebrating even if it’s hot and humid.

Merry Christmas from The Kladniks!

Matt speaking at conference

We just got back from our Foursquare pastors conference in Coffs Harbour and what a great time it was! Matt had the amazing privilege of speaking at one of the sessions on the topic of, “What every young leader needs from you”. The average Australian Foursquare pastor is probably in their 50′s and with the huge need of raising up young leaders, Matt felt it was a timely message. As a younger generation we need the wisdom and guidance of the ones who have gone before us. Below are a few of his main points. What would you add?

The last week of September I (Matt) had the opportunity to speak at a camp for Scripture Union.  Scripture Union oversees all of the Christian clubs and counselors in the public schools here in Australia.  It was a natural relationship for us to get involved with, as we have always loved getting involved with local schools.  The camp was for students that the local school chaplains have been investing in over the past year.  They were very happy to have a great response and have 75 students come to camp this year.  Roughly 60% of the kids had never heard the Gospel and the other 40% were, to some degree, involved in a local youth ministry.

I spoke on the subject of purpose.  It’s a topic that I have been passionate about for a very long time now.  My conviction is that if we can be people of purpose defined by God then we will make decisions that draw us to love God and love others better.  Our ideas of happiness and success should be grounded in our ability to live in God’s purpose for our lives.

At the end the camp I gave the students an opportunity to respond to the Gospel and an opportunity to take that huge step in discovering their purpose.  God was at work in that moment and about 14 students responded to the Gospel for the first time ever.  As they invited Jesus into their lives I was blown away by God’s heart for these youth.  About 30 other students decided to re-commit their lives to God and make the decision to pursue God’s plan and purpose for their lives.

I got to pray and talk with a boy named Nathan.  I immediately got the sense that God was calling him to be a pastor.  I asked him what he thought about that and tears started to stream down his face.  He always thought that his compassion and tender heart were signs of weakness but he now recognizes that he has a pastoral heart for broken people.  He has made the choice to not let his life be defined by a lie but by God’s truth.  It was so good to share that moment with him as his entire future has been redirected for God’s glory.

Speaking at Camp

Crazy Awesome Group

This next week Matt will be speaking at a Scripture Union camp for a bunch of crazy teenagers. Each public and private school has a chaplain on campus and each year they hold a camp for the students. It’s a great privilege to be asked to speak all week long and we are looking forward to God doing GREAT things. The majority of campers will be non-Christian and a wonderful opportunity to introduce them to relationship with Jesus.

Please keep Matt in prayer this week and that God would move with power.

I (Grace) will be traveling to the States to receive some love from friends and family. Pray for my 14 hour flight and a safe trip.

Much Love, Matt and Grace