I’m Matthew Edmund (Semrau)—Christian, writer, abolition activist, independent journalist, social commentator, functional artist, craftsman, and unapologetic Reconstructionist. I’m also neurodivergent, Reformed, and relentlessly curious. I live in Michigan, working with reclaimed wood and unfinished ideas, always learning and always building.

I started designing websites in 1997 using the web page builder from our ISP, The Internet Ramp (TIR). From there, I learned Netscape Composer, then HTML, CSS, and Dreamweaver. Today, I use WordPress and handwritten code to build what I need—online and offline.

For a few years, this site was “Christian Embassy One” (a story for another time), before becoming JesusIsRisen.org in the early 2000s. After the 2008 election, I created America, Humble Yourselves & Pray, which later took a back seat to Nullify Abortion. From 2014 to 2024, Nullify Abortion became my main focus as I finished my BA in Communication and worked full-time—until I became disabled by COVID-19 in 2021.

Now, I’m building a home business crafting functional art and furniture using neo-traditional woodworking with reclaimed materials, especially Japanese Yakisugi (charred wood) and Scandinavian Roslag Mahogany (pine tar preservative).

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What This Blog Is

This site is my public confession: Jesus is risen—and that changes everything.
Every word and project here, whether theology, justice, culture, tech, or woodworking, flows from that reality. This isn’t a ministry or a business. It’s the ongoing record of my faith, my work, and my questions—rooted in Christ’s resurrection.

You’ll find:

• Essays and polemics from a biblical, Reconstructionist perspective
• Woodworking and functional art projects
• Honest reflections on faith, disability, neurodivergence, and life’s complexity
• Commentary on culture, law, and justice
• The story of a life built under the lordship of the Risen Christ

If you want to know why I do what I do, or why I care about what I care about, look no further than the empty tomb.