When God Moves You Cross-Country: Matt Buziecki's Call to Semi-Retirement

Matt Buziecki spent ten years as a construction superintendent for DR Horton in Orange County, California—an industry he describes as "very cutthroat." He'd survived the pressure, the demanding schedules, and the rough personalities that come with building homes at scale. But after his divorce, when his younger brother in South Carolina offered him a place to land and a chance to semi-retire, Matt said yes. He thought he was stepping away from the stress. What he didn't realize was that God was repositioning him for the most purposeful season of his life.

"I think God brought me out here for a purpose," Matt says. "It worked out too perfectly."

The Long Road to Surrender

Matt became born again at sixteen or seventeen, back in 1981 or 1982. But his faith journey, he admits, has been anything but linear. "From that time, it was kind of up and down for me," he says. "I knew God was always with me every day, but I always seemed to be on my own game plan."

Even when he knew something wasn't right, he'd do it anyway. The pattern repeated for years—belief without full surrender, conviction without consistent obedience. It wasn't until last year, during the painful unraveling of his marriage, that everything shifted.

I became stronger with the Lord last year than I have been probably most of my life.

Divorce has a way of stripping everything down to what's essential. For Matt, that meant finally letting go of his own game plan and leaning fully into God's.

Faith in a Cutthroat Industry

Construction sites aren't known for their spiritual depth. But Matt never let that stop him. Wherever he worked, he made it his mission to talk about God with anyone who would listen—even the guys who didn't want to hear it.

"I tried to spread the word along to the guys I work with," he says. "I would kind of let them know that God's not so bad, and he's really with us, pretty much carrying us every single day."

Some coworkers were receptive. Others were completely lost, with no belief in God at all. Matt didn't force it. He just showed up, did his job with integrity, and let his life be the sermon. He also surrounded himself with people who could speak truth back to him—friends who would tell him when he was doing something right or when he needed to take a step back.

"I've always been around people like that," Matt says. "People that can help me, and I can help them as well."

One of those friends was Sean, a coworker in California who didn't believe in God at all. Sean's ex-wife practiced Wicca, and Sean himself was hostile to the idea of a Creator. But Matt didn't give up. Every time they talked, he'd throw a Bible verse Sean's way or challenge his assumptions about the universe.

"I'd ask him, 'Do you really believe all of this on this one planet just popped up out of nowhere?'" Matt recalls.

Eventually, Sean got a divorce, remarried a Christian woman, and experienced a transformation so complete that Matt calls him a prophet. "He can look at scripture in the Bible and basically recite it back to you like verbatim," Matt says. "God put us all there for a reason—to bring him out of his shell."

A New Assignment in South Carolina

When Matt's brother and sister-in-law invited him to move in with them, they wanted him to rest. Semi-retire. Take a load off. But rest wasn't all God had in mind.

Matt's sister-in-law comes from a family steeped in witchery —"She told me today that she has witches in her family," Matt says. Her father, who also lives in the house, is dying of cancer. He's Catholic, believes in God, but hasn't practiced his faith in years. He's ready to go, but God isn't letting him leave yet.

"I pretty much talk to him daily about what God does for him," Matt says. "There's a reason why he's still here. Whatever that reason might be, whether it's for me to throw more scripture at him or just kind of enlighten him a little bit more—I think that's part of the main reason why I'm here."

Matt also speaks openly with his sister-in-law about his faith and the spiritual realities he believes are at work in the house. He's not pushy, but he's clear. "I've told her what I believe in, and I don't believe in the process that she's going through at all," he says. "She needs to get right with God. Whenever she wants to talk about it or listen, I'll give her the best understanding that I know."

Living by Faith, Not by Plan

Matt's daily rhythm is simple. He wakes up, prays, and reads Psalm 23—a passage that reminds him God has him covered no matter what the day brings. Throughout the day, he returns to scripture whenever he needs guidance. Sometimes a specific passage comes to mind. Other times, it's like God directs him: "Read John. Go back to Isaiah."

God is awesome. I wish I would have known as much as I know now back when I was younger, because I would be a completely different person overall.

He doesn't plan everything out. He shoots from the hip, as he puts it, and leans in the direction God wants him to go. If something isn't supposed to happen, obstacles show up. If it is, the path clears.

"I just go with the flow," Matt says. "Whatever way God wants me to go is kind of where I go."

Leading by Example

Matt's advice for other Christian business leaders is rooted in what he learned under both bad bosses and good ones. He's worked for men who were mean and men who were genuine but tough. He's blended it all together into a leadership philosophy that starts with one principle: treat others the way you want to be treated.

"I try to show each and every individual that I work with the type of person I am, and who brought me to that," he says. When people compliment his leadership, he redirects the praise. "I always give praise to God. He's given me this platform. If it wasn't for him, who knows where I would be."

I fly by faith. I try to be the best person I can be and let my life be the example.

Matt doesn't separate his faith from his work. He doesn't compartmentalize Sunday morning from Monday morning. He just shows up, does his best, and lets God do the rest.

A Life Repositioned for Purpose

Matt Buziecki didn't plan to be a missionary in his brother's living room. He didn't expect semi-retirement to become the setting for his most significant spiritual assignment yet. But that's how God works—taking our brokenness, our transitions, and our willingness to follow, and turning them into something eternal.

Matt's story is a reminder that it's never too late to surrender your own game plan. That the detours and disruptions we face aren't accidents—they're invitations. And that sometimes, the most powerful ministry happens not on a stage, but in a conversation over coffee with a dying man who needs to know God hasn't forgotten him.

"We're all disciples," Matt says. "We all have to do what we can, when we can. And I believe that when the time is right, God will put the words in our mouth to say exactly what they need to hear."