A Tribute to Matthew Clemons
Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Leader, Friend
Video Credit: Jon Ludka
A Tribute to Matthew Clemons
The Story Behind You Are God
One of our former team members, Matthew Clemons, wrote the chorus to You Are God before he went home to heaven. After his passing, another team member, Abby Chetta, finished the song and arranged it for our team to sing together. This song has counseled our wavering hearts as we are journeying through grief and given us hope. The theme of the song is that no matter what is going on around us...You are God...and You are good.
*All proceeds from the You Are God single and octavo music go to Carol Anne Beck and Asa Clemons.
One of our former team members, Matthew Clemons, wrote the chorus to You Are God before he went home to heaven. After his passing, another team member, Abby Chetta, finished the song and arranged it for our team to sing together. This song has counseled our wavering hearts as we are journeying through grief and given us hope. The theme of the song is that no matter what is going on around us...You are God...and You are good.
*All proceeds from the You Are God single and octavo music go to Carol Anne Beck and Asa Clemons.
#AslongasYouareglorified
A Letter from a Teammate
by Dillon England
Grief. It’s a funny thing. Sometimes it presents itself as a small wave in the background. Gently washing back and forth on the shores of our minds. Than at times it hits like a tsunami, crushing and washing away all hope and feeling.
Life on the road is different this semester. I remember the day we were all parting ways for the holidays. We were in Lake Orion, MI, and Matt had asked me to play some basketball with some teens. I love basketball, and the idea of playing basketball with Matt sounded fantastic. However, my ride to take me home was on the way, so I declined the offer, and told him to go play without me. Oh, how I wish I would have played that game of basketball.
I left, without saying goodbye,
I left, excited to go home,
I left, fully expecting to see my dear friend again. I left, and my life forever changed.
As you may know, our dear friend and brother, Matthew J. Clemons, went to be the Lord Dec. 17, 2017. His death has shook me and our ministry to its core. Days after his death the future seemed uncertain at best. There was a part of each of us that questioned if we should still keep traveling. I mean, how do we continue our ministry without Matt and his wife, Carol Anne? What is our music going to look like? Who is going to take over Matt’s responsibilities. Can we even travel and keep our emotions in check? How can I preach that God is good, when I’m struggling to believe that He is? How can God take a husband, father, friend, co-laborer and still be a good God?
As we get up each morning there is a constant reminder that Matt is not with us. There is only 1 trailer parked outside the church. Every morning meeting we have, an empty chair greets us. Music practice feels and sounds empty.
As we head to the service, Matt is nowhere to be found. He can’t be found with the teens where he would normally be. He can’t be found on stage singing with some of his closest friends and family. He can’t be found helping me in kid’s program. He can't be found planning skits with me, or helping organize my thoughts. He can’t be found after the service, spending time with the team. He can’t be found in the Coffey’s trailer playing games with their son, Asher.
He. Is. Gone.
Yet, every night, there is a voice we still hear-it is Matt’s voice.
Matt’s voice rings out over the church’s speakers singing truth to us as they play our CD. It’s hard, yet so sweet to hear his voice. When Matt was with us, he sang a song called “As Long As You Are Glorified.” None of us knew how real, and precious that song would become. That song title is our hearts motto right now-it needs to be. Matt lived in the light of God’s glory. Now he is living with the Light of God’s glory. Matt is with Jesus.
As I was writing this post, a poem I had written a few years ago kept coming to my mind. I never knew how meaningful these words would be me. While there is grief and pain daily. I choose to believe that I have hope.
We have hope when it’s dark,
We have hope when there’s pain,
We have hope when it’s sunny
We have hope when there’s rain
We have hope, because Jesus
came to die and to save.
It is the GOSPEL that gives me hope.
It is the GOSPEL that tells me that Matt is rejoicing in the presence of Jesus.
Romans 6:5- “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
With Matt being gone, the reality of scripture has so invaded my mind. In Romans 8, Paul wanted us to have an eternal mindset. Romans 8, 18)For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19) For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God… 23) we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
For the first time in my life, Philippians 1:23 is real to me. “But I… (have) the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.”
I cannot wait till the coming of Christ and am changed in the same image as Christ. Oh, that will be a good day.
But until then, I vow to,
Not waste my life
Live in the light of eternity
Work everyday like its my last.
Because…
It very well may be.
I
This has been the hardest trial I have had to deal with, but it has brought me closer to God like nothing ever has. I preach with a newfound power because of God's daily evident grace pouring into me. I preach to teens to not waste their life. I plead with teens to accept the gospel. God IS using this. While we wish things were different, we wish Matt was still here. We understand God is good. All the time. He has to be. If he wasn't good.... He wouldn't be God.
Please pray for us as we continue to travel that God's grace would be so real to us. Yes, it is hard to continue to travel, but I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be able to share the story of Matt, and through it, the story of the Gospel. Pray as we are all still working through things on a personal level. Pray that we dwell on truth and not on feelings, because, some days, I don't feel like it was right for God to take Matt. I don't feel like I want to travel on this team without Matt. I don't feel like leading teens, and preaching, because that was Matt's job. If I live by how I feel, I would be in a mess. Instead, pray that I live like God wants me to live-living a life of full dependence.
I am broken, but God is in the business of mending the broken.
I am wounded, but God is in the business of healing the wounded.
I am desperate, but God is in the business of rescuing the desperate.
I am empty, but God is in the business of filling the empty.
While life is so hard and painful without Matt, I am constantly reminded that God has the master plan. His plan is good. Only good. For that, I am thankful.
I love you, Matt. Keep a seat saved for me up in heaven. I miss you brother. I’ll make you proud.
#AslongasYouareglorified
-Dillon England- Coffey Team Member
Life on the road is different this semester. I remember the day we were all parting ways for the holidays. We were in Lake Orion, MI, and Matt had asked me to play some basketball with some teens. I love basketball, and the idea of playing basketball with Matt sounded fantastic. However, my ride to take me home was on the way, so I declined the offer, and told him to go play without me. Oh, how I wish I would have played that game of basketball.
I left, without saying goodbye,
I left, excited to go home,
I left, fully expecting to see my dear friend again. I left, and my life forever changed.
As you may know, our dear friend and brother, Matthew J. Clemons, went to be the Lord Dec. 17, 2017. His death has shook me and our ministry to its core. Days after his death the future seemed uncertain at best. There was a part of each of us that questioned if we should still keep traveling. I mean, how do we continue our ministry without Matt and his wife, Carol Anne? What is our music going to look like? Who is going to take over Matt’s responsibilities. Can we even travel and keep our emotions in check? How can I preach that God is good, when I’m struggling to believe that He is? How can God take a husband, father, friend, co-laborer and still be a good God?
As we get up each morning there is a constant reminder that Matt is not with us. There is only 1 trailer parked outside the church. Every morning meeting we have, an empty chair greets us. Music practice feels and sounds empty.
As we head to the service, Matt is nowhere to be found. He can’t be found with the teens where he would normally be. He can’t be found on stage singing with some of his closest friends and family. He can’t be found helping me in kid’s program. He can't be found planning skits with me, or helping organize my thoughts. He can’t be found after the service, spending time with the team. He can’t be found in the Coffey’s trailer playing games with their son, Asher.
He. Is. Gone.
Yet, every night, there is a voice we still hear-it is Matt’s voice.
Matt’s voice rings out over the church’s speakers singing truth to us as they play our CD. It’s hard, yet so sweet to hear his voice. When Matt was with us, he sang a song called “As Long As You Are Glorified.” None of us knew how real, and precious that song would become. That song title is our hearts motto right now-it needs to be. Matt lived in the light of God’s glory. Now he is living with the Light of God’s glory. Matt is with Jesus.
As I was writing this post, a poem I had written a few years ago kept coming to my mind. I never knew how meaningful these words would be me. While there is grief and pain daily. I choose to believe that I have hope.
We have hope when it’s dark,
We have hope when there’s pain,
We have hope when it’s sunny
We have hope when there’s rain
We have hope, because Jesus
came to die and to save.
It is the GOSPEL that gives me hope.
It is the GOSPEL that tells me that Matt is rejoicing in the presence of Jesus.
Romans 6:5- “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
With Matt being gone, the reality of scripture has so invaded my mind. In Romans 8, Paul wanted us to have an eternal mindset. Romans 8, 18)For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19) For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God… 23) we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
For the first time in my life, Philippians 1:23 is real to me. “But I… (have) the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.”
I cannot wait till the coming of Christ and am changed in the same image as Christ. Oh, that will be a good day.
But until then, I vow to,
Not waste my life
Live in the light of eternity
Work everyday like its my last.
Because…
It very well may be.
I
This has been the hardest trial I have had to deal with, but it has brought me closer to God like nothing ever has. I preach with a newfound power because of God's daily evident grace pouring into me. I preach to teens to not waste their life. I plead with teens to accept the gospel. God IS using this. While we wish things were different, we wish Matt was still here. We understand God is good. All the time. He has to be. If he wasn't good.... He wouldn't be God.
Please pray for us as we continue to travel that God's grace would be so real to us. Yes, it is hard to continue to travel, but I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be able to share the story of Matt, and through it, the story of the Gospel. Pray as we are all still working through things on a personal level. Pray that we dwell on truth and not on feelings, because, some days, I don't feel like it was right for God to take Matt. I don't feel like I want to travel on this team without Matt. I don't feel like leading teens, and preaching, because that was Matt's job. If I live by how I feel, I would be in a mess. Instead, pray that I live like God wants me to live-living a life of full dependence.
I am broken, but God is in the business of mending the broken.
I am wounded, but God is in the business of healing the wounded.
I am desperate, but God is in the business of rescuing the desperate.
I am empty, but God is in the business of filling the empty.
While life is so hard and painful without Matt, I am constantly reminded that God has the master plan. His plan is good. Only good. For that, I am thankful.
I love you, Matt. Keep a seat saved for me up in heaven. I miss you brother. I’ll make you proud.
#AslongasYouareglorified
-Dillon England- Coffey Team Member