Vacation Time!

Hello, everyone! I am coming to you from Hudson, NC! If you know where that is, you have made quite an accomplishment. We just got back from a great couple days in Gatlinburg, TN. We stayed in the beautiful Inn at Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge. It was just like having Christmas in May! We woke up to the sounds of bells playing Christmas carols, and my wife became quite addicted to "Santa's White Chocolate Christmas Coffee". We have had such a good time on our vacation. It began with a LONG drive from Florida to North Carolina Friday after work. I was lucky enough to get Friday afternoon off to drive up here without driving through the night. Saturday was spent catching up with some family. We went to my mother-in-law's cafe in town (one of the best) for breakfast and then had dinner with some family and had a blast. Sunday we got to go to our home church and Sunday night I had the chance to sing a couple songs for the service. The last song I sang I had two great friends of mine, Mylon and Wendy Hayes (of the Hayes Family), sing "I'm Free" with me. You will remember the Hayes Family from current and older Gaither videos. They are a fantastic family. Then, after church, we went bowling. Enough said about that. Ashley and I are not meant to be bowlers. I'll leave it at that. Then Monday was Memorial Day, and we cooked out, and played volleyball and a nice, sweet, super-competitive game of kickball. Tuesday we made the three and a half hour trip to Gatlinburg, where we stayed at. Wednesday we hit the outlets (as I had suspected would happen) and got some good deals on stuff we "needed". Wednesday Night Ash and I went to ride go-carts at a couple of the craziest tracks you have ever seen! One track you spent a couple minutes building your elevation only to fly down a hill at a rate of speed not known to mankind. That was a blast watching my wife try to drive those. Thursday was a "chill day". We did nothing. We slept. I swam in the pool and rode the water slide for a couple hours, and Ash read an entire novel-in one day!!!! Thursday night we went to the ever popular Comedy Barn, where once again I was yanked up on stage by the antics of Eric Lambert, a host of the show. Check out our Facebook page for some videos of that coming soon! Friday Morning we went to the Blackwoods Breakfast show. It was pretty good, but we were just ready to get back to NC. But not before a 2-hour stop at the Christmas Place, an over sized Christmas outlet with everything from huge, 200-piece villages, to upside down Christmas trees, to a full-time Singing Santa who sings and preaches. He had a red Bible (honestly). Then it was back to NC for some R&R.
Today we decided to stay an extra day in NC before heading back, so that'w why I decided to write to you now while I had a chance. I wanted to tell you about a great even coming up in Niceville, FL, August 1. Mr. Jim Harkins, a promoter in that area, has been so kind to ask me to sing at First Baptist of Niceville on August 1 along with the great group Forgiven. You will enjoy this night as you listen to the sounds of Forgiven take you back to the early days of good Gospel music. Cloid Baker, the founder of Forgiven, was a member of the Bill Gaither Trio, so maybe that will give you some credibility to go by. I know you'll enjoy it and Ashley and I would love to see you there at First Baptist Church, Niceville, FL, at 6:30 p.m. Well, I guess this is it for now. I am headed to the pool for some relaxation. God Bless!

Because of Him,
Matt

It Pays To Pray!

Hi, everyone! I know, I know...I'm a bad blogger. I only blog like every other month...well, here I am. I got some of the greatest news ever a few weeks ago. I mentioned on here that my mom found out in January that she had cancer. This was very difficult news for a woman who is always on the go like my mom was. We immediately began to pray for my mom that God would heal her if it be His will, and use this for His glory. Well, did He ever!!! Mom went into her surgery a cancer patient, and came out of the surgery a trophy of Prayer!!! God was so good to us, and took all the cancer away. She is still recovering and still needs prayer, but as of today, Candis Robbins is cancer free!!!! Praise God! Well, as far as my life is concerned, it's like a whirlwind right now. Time flies by whether you're having fun or not. So many things going on down here in Northwest Florida and so little time to prepare. I am preparing to travel again in May and June to Harrisburg, PA; and to Rochester, NY. Your prayers for safe travel would be appreciated. Not a whole lot going on with singing, however, I am having a lot of chances to minister by leading a lot of music. With my job, this happens a lot, so I'm glad to get to do it every week. I will be singing at Azalea Trace again on May 3, and I love going there! This will make my 4th time being out there. Well, that's about it for me..my wife is very busy with school work and life in general. She has the great opportunity this summer to minister to children in a huge, summer long outreach here at the church. God is doing great things in our lives, and it's always a pleasure to get to share them with you!

Until Then,
Matt Baker

The 100th Post!!!

Hi, everyone! I am sitting on my couch with the laptop here while my wife is watching another chick-flick, and I remembered that I haven't written since the end of January!!! What is my problem??? I have been so busy with work, managing to sing every now and then, and just trying to make it through the day without losing a limb. Just kidding...life is great! I am aware of all the people who view this blog daily and I am thankful for all of you. That's why I am asking all of you to join me in prayer for my mom, Candis Robbins. A couple weeks ago I was in Pace, FL, talking with Jim Brady of the Booth Brothers when I got a call from my mom. She told me that the doctor had called her and told her she had cancer. Of all the people who I have seen deal with this, I never thought it would happen to me. Nevertheless, God is still on the throne and He is ALWAYS good!!! The doctors are still unsure of how far the cancer has spread. She will go into surgery on March 11th, so please mark that day on your calendar to pray for her. I will be headed home March 27 th to see her. That was the soonest chance I had to get home, so I am looking forward to being at home for a couple days. Well, I had better get going. These headphones are hurting my ears and I'm not even using them!

Doing Better Than I'll Ever Deserve,
Matt

These Crazy Days!

Hey, everybody! Sorry I haven't written in a couple weeks! Too many things have been going on to tell everything, but I have been so busy! And the next two weeks are no different! I head off to Bay Minette, AL, Tuesday night to sing in a meeting with Evangelist Ray McKormick, a great friend of mine. Wednesday morning, back in town to sing for a special meeting. Then the 14th, I will be in Pascagoula, MS, to sing for a friend's wedding! Whew, combine all that with work, spending time with my beautiful wife and my best friend, Ashley, and a little bit of time every week for exercise, and there goes the week! But that's how I like it- I love staying busy at work and in ministry. But anyway, I better get going. We are going to a college basketball game tonight! Fun, fun, fun!

In His Care,
Matt

Long Time, No Blog!

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't taken the time to write anything lately. Thanks to all those who continued to hit the site daily anyway. I had a great Christmas, although I was extremely sick! Some people are "under the weather". I was under the the wet ground under that weather! I had the beloved strep throat Christmas week. As some of you may be able to tell from our Facebook updates, I have also had quite a time with some dental problems. The same week that I had strep, my temporary crown fell out while I was eating some dessert. Bad timing for the guy whose dentist is 760 miles away from you. But overall, it was a great time being with friends and family in North Carolina. I got to sing a little in NC. I also sang last week at Azalea Trace Community Center. God has been so good to my wife and I. I also celebrated my 24th BIRTHDAY this week! I got great presents. Thanks to all those who have kept us in your prayers! Last week was pretty brutal with the dental problems. My nerve prescription that I was given had some crazy side affects! I looked on the box and the main side affect was "difficulty sleeping". Great! I didn't sleep for a period of about 38 hours from Thursday to Friday! But thank the Lord, the medicine worked, and the inflammation is down. Sunday night me and Ash and a few friends drove over to the Destin area to see my friends Greater Vision for a concert! We followed the concert up with a great meal at McAlister's Deli with who else but Greater Vision! What a treat to fellowship with such great, godly, genuine people who love the Lord and want to encourage the body of Christ with good Gospel music. Many things may be in the works for our music ministry. God is working through it and I am so thankful. I played in Campus Church Wednesday night for a crowd of about 2,500 and then sang at Azalea Trace to a crowd of about 200. Keep looking for a updates about a special thing this summer! That's all I can say right now. Just stay tuned. I will post some pics from Christmas and the concert down below. Until then, God Bless, keep the faith, and stay on your knees and in The Word!

God Bless,

Matt Baker

A Great Week!!!

Well, there you go. Here's the last part of my week for you in pictures. I had a great Thanksgiving with my wife and her family. Here's a pic of our first Christmas tree. It's beautiful! We had bigtime food on Thursday! The whole works. I am so thankful for my beautiful wife, and how good she is to me. Enjoy the pics! Meeting Mike Huckabee was pretty awesome! I got to go on his bus and everything! He is a great Christian man. We need more people like that in Washington.

God Bless,

Matt

Truly Thankful

Hello, everyone! I'm just sitting here in front of my new laptop, trying to figure out all this technology. I'm no Bill Gates, but I'm slowly learning that one click can do what ten clicks used to. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year for me. It's cold (even here in Pensacola), and it's getting closer to CHRISTMAS! We say Christmas in my family. Not just a holiday. It's the birth of my Savior. I love the week of Thanksgiving. We have so much going on at work, and life is getting crazy. We head up to North Carolina in a few weeks for some R&R, and it's due time. Thanksgiving truly is one of my favorite holidays. The food is great, everyone is happy and in a good mood, and people finally reflect on how blessed they really are. This Thanksgiving I can't help but be thankful for the woman God put in my life to keep me sane. I have had such a wonderful journey with her the last 5 months, and I look forward to the rest of my life with her. I also have to look back and be thankful for the providence of God in our lives. With the economy the way it is, and the world in a tailspin, God in His Grace has provided for my needs time and time again. I could go on and on for hours about what I'm thankful for, but I want to hear YOUR feedback. Leave a comment. Tell me what you're thankful for this year!

Until the Day,
Matt