June Featured Guest

Daniel Matteo is the Youth Director for Tasmania and husband to Katy and father to Grace and Sam. He’s an ‘out there’, peculiar treasure (Exodus 19:5 KJV) with an ex-military background. He’s also the first male guest on Casual Grace.

Thank you so much for putting up with my questions, Dan.

1. What do you do?

This is my fourth year co-ordinating Youth Ministry for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tasmania. I am also the chaplain at Hilliard Christian School in Hobart.

2. How did military lead to ministry?

I felt God originally called me to ministry when I was a kid. However, I developed a fear of public speaking in high school, so I told God that I would rather be shot than give a sermon. So I turned my back on God altogether and joined the army as an infantry soldier in 2001, the day after my 18th birthday. I served 5 years in the First Battalion in Townsville, including operational service in East Timor in 2003. Towards the end of that time, God started to call me back to Himself. I started walking with Him, attending church and I met the woman that would become my wife. It wasn’t long before I felt convicted again to discharge and pursue ministry.

3. Was it a difficult transition?

Yes. In the military there is a lot of pride and bravado, and you define yourself by your job. I remember in infantry training they made us constantly repeat the mantra: “Think like a soldier! Act like a soldier! I am a soldier at all times!” I developed a sort of superiority and arrogance because I was a military member. We disparagingly referred to “civvies” as people who couldn’t really understand the realities of our world. It was very difficult to leave, and particularly because I took a civilian job in the security industry that was despised by my army mates. It was a big pride hit. But the pay was okay and regular and I had a family to support. But I slipped into depression when my battalion deployed to Afghanistan. I felt I was both missing out and letting my mates down by not going. I had to learn to see everyone in every stage of life as uniquely valuable to God, and that my call was elsewhere. I still have a bit of “survivor's guilt”, you might say, because all of my mates have struggled with severe mental health issues as a result of that particular deployment, but I don’t have that because I didn’t go. On the plus side it would be very difficult to serve God in ministry today carrying those problems so I recognise it is also providence.

4. What is your passion?

The Bible. Studying it. Finding truth. And sharing Jesus with people that don’t have any church background. Also painting toy soldiers, haha! I like creating. I love spending time with my kids. I really love long distance running, but every 6 months or so I seem to be plagued with some sort of health issue that precludes it. At the moment my right knee is in constant pain. Hopefully it will resolve itself and I’ll be able to run again soon.

5. How did the focus on youth ministry come about?

Randomly. When I first started coming back to church the pastor’s son was the youth leader and he hated it (he also sucked at it). It was more that he had to because there was no one else. I was speaking up a lot in youth Sabbath School, so my pastor just made me youth leader one day. I didn’t even know what that was. I don’t think my membership was even in that church yet. I had been baptised years before in another church. Then someone told me the youth leader was on the board so I started rocking up to board meetings. Everyone was like, “Who IS this?” lol. I had no idea I was occupying an elected position and I hadn’t been elected. I hadn’t even been attending regularly enough so that the leadership knew who I was. I later learned the pastor did that all wrong, procedurally speaking. But he took a chance (and a risk) and empowered me. I will always appreciate that. There was an elder who was a veteran of the Korean War who took special interest in mentoring me. I grew and got to stretch my legs in leadership. Sabbath School and small group attendance went from 8 or 9 to 20-25 regularly attending. It was pretty cool.

When I finished College and went into full-time ministry for 5 years in North Queensland, I always made time to minister to teens and youth. I worked with Dana Howard a fair bit at big camp, helping to run the youth tent, and later running the Junior tent myself. We enjoyed working together. When he left Tasmania I think he might have dropped my name. They rang me and I was like, “I don't know, I’ll pray about it.” God said yes, so yeah. Whatevs, lol. I’m here.

6. What’s been the best and most challenging part of youth ministry in Tasmania?

The best? Seeing young people step up to leadership and involvement in their local churches.

The most challenging? The fact that I have so few practical skills that are actually useful in this role, and the fact that I really have too much to do to accomplish any of my tasks really well. It’s more like trying to suck as least as possible at the most tasks possible at any one time, rather than really doing any one or two things awesome. That frustrates me because I’m a perfectionist. And no, that’s not a good thing, haha.

7. How has youth ministry and especially youth ministry in Tasmania influenced your walk with Jesus?

Not real flash actually. I didn’t realise how much geographic factors can influence spirituality before I came here. Personally, I sense God’s presence most powerfully outdoors in nature. When I was in Cairns, I spent a lot of time in the bush conversing with God. I find it super uncomfortable and distracting to be outside most of the year here (in Tasmania) because it is so stupidly cold, so that intimate communion aspect has basically disappeared from my daily walk. That’s sad to put that to paper but it’s true. I read or study Scripture and pray every day, and I like to supplement that with reading the little lady (Ellen G. White), but actually hearing God’s voice? Those moments are few and far between. Pretty bad. Throughout my ministry career I have also struggled with overwork and burnout due to poor self-care and boundaries. It has happened three times in 9 years. The most recent one was here in Tassie last year in November when I actually ended up in the emergency room with heart dramas, which they eventually concluded were stress/anxiety related. I’m still sort of recovering from that. I’m slowly learning to be better.

8. What is one way you've experience God's everyday grace?

When someone is struggling in some way, whether relationally, spiritually, theologically, academically, financially, or whatever, and they ring me for guidance. I feel so privileged and thankful to God to be invited into people’s lives at that level. The idea that someone would think of me when they are struggling through one of life’s obstacles is just very overwhelming. Especially since I am so broken and messed up inside. And the best part is that I get the honour of pointing them to Jesus who has the wisdom, watch care, love and power to step in and really help them, unlike me. Then I get to watch Him do miracles in their life. I’ll never get over that.

9. This last one is a hard one, what is one question you'll ask God when we get to heaven?

So…what’s the go with going to the toilet up here? Like we eat fruit from the tree of life, right? And we have glorified heavenly bodies, right? So…do we poop? If so, where? Are there golden latrines or is it, like, free range?

Sorry, that was a bit irreverent. Try again. (Note from Nat: I fully read this in Dan's voice and genuinely laughed out loud!)

Where was the Ark of the Covenant hidden all this time? Josephus said Jeremiah hid it in a cave. Is that right? Or was it just stripped down, cut up and sold in pieces by the Babylonians?

Oooh ooh, also how did you come up with the idea of time?

Oh! And why are baboons butts so red?

Also… oh, I suppose that will do. (Note from Nat: I laughed again!)

If you have the privilege to know Daniel personally, you'll absolutely have heard his offbeat humour come through that interview. I want to especially thank him for his vulnerability and honesty. Dan's made an impact in my understanding of the Bible, God and living in light of the gospel. He's also given me opportunities to speak to our Tassie young people and pathfinders and that challenge has grown my own faith and understanding of God.

If you're ever in Tassie (while Dan is still with us), reach out and see where he's speaking. We have various events around the state that everyone is welcome to and you can find details of those on the TasYouth Facebook page.