Brian Jones said it best when he said that this isn't Matt leaving, but us Sending out Matt to do what God has built him to do. As hard as it is to accept, I couldn't agree with him more. Over the 5 years I have gotten to know Matt, I have grown more than I ever imagined. So in honor of Mr. Silver, I thought I would dedicate this blog to Matt, and...THE TEN THINGS I WILL MISS THE MOST ABOUT MATT SILVER!
1) The Matt Wave
-If you know Matt Silver you know about the well... flagrant wave that Matt does to say hello, it's almost like how someone would hold a sock puppet, and he twinkles his fingers. If you know what I am talking about than you are laughing hysterically, if not, than you probably think I am crazy.
2) The Matt Silver Patented Serious Face
-If you have been in Matt's group for a few years you know the face Matt makes when he is dead serious or angry. If you know Matt, this is one of the scariest things you will see in a lifetime. Watch out for the Matt Scary Face.
3) Wrestling
-If you are a GUY from Matt's ministry, than you have tried to fight Matt at one given time. I say tried because Matt is wayyyy tougher than he looks, and you will lose. I only witnessed Matt tap out once to Nick Bonavita, the captain of our wrestling team in highschool. They only tapped out because they were out of breath after rolling around for 10 minutes.
4) C.I.Y.
-If you've gone on a CIY trip with Matt, then you have really seen him shine. Silver loves to get to know people on a much higher level. Most likely the closest any of us have ever felt with Matt was on one of these trips. It was on these very trips that Matt Baptized me only a handful of years ago.
5) Advice
- If you've ever made a bad decision, you can bet that Matt was there to offer better advice than mostly anyone else could give you. Matt got me through some really rough spots in my walk, in my relationship, with my family, with my school, and basically with any hard spot I've ever hit. He was always there to offer guidance. Thats what makes Matt not just a mentor, but a friend. I hope to come back to Matt and Carrie one day with my wife when I am older, and thank them even more then.
6) The crack
- "There is a crack in my bed", and that is what I will really miss about Silver. For the most part you will not really understand this one unless YOU are Matt Silver. ahhh, good times.
7) Yeahhhhh BOY
- You old school Rioters will know exactly what I am talking about. The yeah boys, and the Matt Silver Dialect will live on for years and years. I can still hear the yeah boys being yelled out for years to come. "thas niceeeee"
8) Late Nights
- I WAS the "that guy" of the youth group at one given time. Matt recognized from the first second I walked into youth group that I will take a little extra time and patience. Matt hung out with me at Riot hours after everyone else left. He stayed hours after I was even legally allowed to be out. We talked about everything. These are the weeks that Matt was Jesus to me. Who knows if I'd be here if it wasn't for these long nights.
9) Opportunities
- Matt believed in me. He believed I would succeed in ministry, even when even I sometimes doubted that. He trusted me to give the message to over 150 riot and impact students. That is an incredible responsibility that not everyone gets trusted with. I think I yelled at Matt Silver the first time he asked me about God. We were in a pizza shop just chillin'. Now look where we are. It's incredible.
10) A friend.
-Not only was Matt a great youth pastor for all of us, but he was an even better friend. When you hung out with Matt you never really knew what to expect, but you knew he was going to make you laugh somehow. We watched Matt grow from a crazy prankster to an incredible father right in front of our eyes. Whether it was laughing or crying we can all admit that although we will see Matt again we will always cherish Matt's heart. It will live on in all of us. Going on in the future, who knows when a youth group of my own will meet up with his in some random part of the world. Matt always called me a "life friend". A friend that you will always have whether you like it or not. Well I tell you what, I look forward to it...
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