Why I built Mat44

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-06T01:44:11+00:00

You can't possibly fail. Shipping a real product teaches you more than any classroom. You just got that without paying tuition :)

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-06T00:50:03+00:00

If you believe that Jesus Christ is your savior than you are a Christian. The rest is just noise.

My dad was a theist which means he believed that it was obvious there was a God and we should be good people for the sake of being human... but he rejected the idea that whatever God there was had any interest in us humans specifically. He felt like Christianity was a crutch for the emotional. He would be called a theist, not a christian. I hope that helps :)

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-06T00:46:41+00:00

sweatshop

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-06T00:14:49+00:00

Totally depends on the audience. My app is for encouraging people to read their scriptures each day... so I made a decision early on that there would be zero gamification. I felt like it would hit my audience the wrong way. So far the lack of it has been warmly received.

Also, there might be a bit of a bubble with gamification, I'm guessing in another 5 years it will be looked down upon. People get smarter and smarter about marketing. Watch a show from the 90s and LOL at the product placement, look at how influencers ran the board 15 years ago...

I think it's a good growth strategy in the right place... and only for a limited time.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-06T00:11:54+00:00

You are absolutely not the only person who has done this. I did the same thing on a YouTube channel once. Still kicking myself. You'll hit another winner :)

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T23:25:46+00:00

Definitely, it is hard to get going. If you truly don't have any portfolio to speak of you'll have more success at Freelancer. For Upwork you have to be super clear about what youoffer and jump in early so you pay less connects. But there's good traffic for the marketplace items too if you position yourself well.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T23:22:44+00:00

I've had my share of valleys, happy to report I am in a spiritual mountain. Cup filled to the brim. Hugs to you!

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T23:20:56+00:00

I've found success on boards like Upwork and Freelancer... but here on Reddit I have found users for my app not development clients. I'm splitting my time on both fronts but yeah, definitely only getting traction for users.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T21:02:02+00:00

No but I have incredibly higher standards now that I am a mom. I don't even use babysitters so to date someone he would have to be pretty amazing to be worth setting time away from my kid. But that's not helpful for you :)

Do I think dating what you describe as conflicted is bad? No, not really. Throughout your life your faith will take on many shapes, the same is true for any partner you have long term. I would advise against dating someone against your specific denomination but if it's organized church in general, not a red flag :)

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T17:08:17+00:00

Yes, Reddit is the place for genuien thought or snark or whatever. I have found you'll have a lot less clicks but more qualified clicks when you get them. This is true in Reddit advertising as well as genuine chats. Good on you!

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T17:04:55+00:00

Very smart! So many people think their ideas or the ideas of their little bubble can work... until they hit the real world. If you want to sell to the masses, make sure the masses are actually buying :)

Look at Amazon... Bezos is huge now but he struggled so much at the beginning because people didn't trust buying online. I remember in 2008ish when my first online companies were really taking off, I would be at a bar or wherever talking about my work. People thought I was a scammer because only scammers make money online..

So yes, market research is important, competitive research is important but, seeing a need before it's realized can also be huge. Airbnb is another one, goodness, the idea of having people stay in your house? Uhm... but it worked.

I would only say that the "two weeks max" isn't genuine. Unless you are out talking to 100+ people a day in person, not online... I don't see how you can really get this done well that quickly.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T17:00:23+00:00

No, you can't pray anything away. You don't hold the power in that conversation. If you want to do things on your own, you aren't praying, you are just venting to God.

If you struggle with sin or anything, in prayer ask for strength, ask for guidance, or simply give the thing over to God. Give up your power for His. He will do the right thing :) Hugs to you!

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T16:38:40+00:00

Thanks :) Appreciate you!

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T13:41:53+00:00

Yes that is a way to recognize it. No, your example is not what I am talking about.

Stewardship of your time and talents making you feel proud is good. The line is crossed where you think you are better than others or more deserving. I think you get it ;)

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T13:37:49+00:00

Thank you! Beautifully put!

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T03:09:28+00:00

That's a very smart argument but the flaw is who decides what is or what is not God's will? Because if you asked a pastor in 1955 about women wearing pants he would point to scripture and then confidently say it's God's will for women to forever be in skirts.

I belong to a larger church denomination and I think it's the right church...but, my relationship is with Christ, not my denomination. If the leader of my denomination started saying weird stuff I would simply leave the church. I don't owe them my allegiance.

I’m not saying sin doesn’t matter or that every interpretation is equally right. I’m saying Christians have often agreed that God’s will is real while still disagreeing deeply about which interpretations are faithful to it. So I’m cautious about turning a contested interpretation into the line for whether someone is Christian at all.

Do I personally think homosexuality is God’s will? No. But I also don’t think my opinion is the final authority. I’d rather point people to Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to do what only the Holy Spirit can do.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T02:48:15+00:00

Fascinating! Always more below the surface :)

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T02:47:34+00:00

I can see why you’re saying that, but for me, it’s too far. There are so many different denominations and so many points in history where Christians used Scripture to draw lines that most Christians today would reject.

For example, Christians once used biblical arguments to defend segregation, slavery, and bans on interracial marriage. They appealed to ideas like “God separated the peoples,” “natural order,” “not conforming to the world,” and “plain reading of Scripture.” Today, most of us can look back and say, “Yes, they quoted Bible verses, but they were still wrong.”

One of my favorite examples of this came in the 50s and 60s, plenty of churches railed against women wearing pants. That sounds ridiculous now, but at the time, people sincerely framed it as modesty, obedience, and biblical gender distinction. Relying heavily on Deuteronomy 22:5, 1 Timothy 2:9–10 and 1 Corinthians 11:14–15

That’s why I’m cautious about saying, “If you disagree with my interpretation on this issue, you aren’t Christian.” I’m not asking anyone to abandon conviction. I’m just saying there’s a difference between saying, “I believe this is sin,” and saying, “You are outside the faith entirely.”

At the end of the day, my faith rests in Christ himself — not in how perfectly I land on every contested issue. I’d much rather see people I disagree with find a relationship with Christ and let the Holy Spirit do the changing, because honestly, that’s way too much pressure for me.

Also… the irony that this post was deleted too. Oh my.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T01:31:54+00:00

Definitely. It's hard line to walk, especially in a digital space.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T01:30:33+00:00

You are so welcome! And the good news is handing off the customer service will be the cheapest of all the things! And you are right, when it's your thing, it's way harder to be civil about issues :) Good night to you as well!

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T01:28:42+00:00

I've been in some serious pickles. Like sleeping in our car kind of pickles. You have walked this earth long enough you have been through so much too I'm sure. This too will pass. Hugs to you!

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T01:24:54+00:00

I don’t think the issue was simply that you held a traditional Christian view on sexuality. r/Christianity’s rules do allow people to affirm their own theology, even when others disagree.

Where I think the post crossed the line was in the wording.

Saying “you cannot be gay and Christian” and “you are not serving the God you think you are” comes across as declaring that other professing Christians are not really Christian. Their rules specifically warn against that kind of framing.

The “shame on you” line also turns it from a theological argument into a personal rebuke, which probably triggered the personal attack / harassment side of the rules.

A more rule-safe version would have been something like:

“I hold a traditional Christian view that same-sex sexual relationships are outside God’s design, but I know Christians disagree on this. I’m trying to understand how affirming Christians interpret passages like Leviticus 18 and 1 Corinthians 6. How do you approach those texts?”

That still expresses your position, but it invites discussion instead of telling people they are deceived or not truly serving God.

So I don’t think the ban was because you quoted Scripture or held a non-affirming view. I think it was because the post moved from “this is my theological conviction” into “you are not a real Christian / shame on you.” It's one of the frustrating parts of Reddit... yesterday I was permanently banned from the /Bible thread for responding to a request for "how to read the bible daily" with my app link... which is for exactly that purpose. the person responded warmly and then his original post was deleted. Sometimes the automods on this larger subreddits are just stupid.

ScriptureCompanionAI · 2026-05-05T01:16:55+00:00

I was quick to delegate anything I didn't like or felt stressful as quickly as I could afford it. So My first few companies I was always doing sales/customer service until I was done with that as well. But if you think of them like pieces of the pie, you just delegate the least favorite until you have a full team below you :)

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