Trail Life USA Blog

Matt Gidney

Matt Gidney taught English at Covenant College and the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. He currently serves as the communications and compliance coordinator for Trail Life USA. He lives in Travelers Rest, South Carolina with his wife and 3 children.

Matt Gidney Mar 09, 2026

Trail Life USA, Leadership, Masculinity, History, Raising Godly Boys

Sons of Liberty, Sons of Legacy: John Adams — Moral Clarity

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” —John Adams

Matt Gidney Feb 23, 2026

Parenting, Trail Life USA, Leadership, Masculinity, Raising Godly Boys

Reverence Under Fire: Faith Tested in the LA Wildfires

Altadena, California — January 2025 The house was filled with noise. Phones screamed with emergency alerts. Wind battered the walls. Somewhere beyond the windows, flames were racing downhill toward Altadena. Inside, the Maljanian family moved in every direction at once.

Matt Gidney Feb 16, 2026

Trail Life USA, Service, Leadership, Masculinity, History

Sons of Liberty, Sons of Legacy: George Washington— Reverence

“...give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of my soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me,…

Matt Gidney Jan 30, 2026

Trail Life USA, Boy Scout Alternative, Leadership, Masculinity, History, Troop, Raising Godly Boys

Action Rooted in Conviction: The Story of Quinn Webb

Quinn was almost home when he saw her. A car sat disabled on the shoulder, hood raised. A young woman stood in front of it, shoulders tight. She looked flustered—clearly having a rough day.

Matt Gidney Jan 29, 2026

Parenting, Trail Life USA, Boy Scout Alternative, Masculinity, Troop

Prepared for the Unthinkable: How a Father’s First Aid Training Saved His Son’s Life

Richard Braly is a new Trail Life Registered Adult volunteer and the father of a six-year-old Trailman. Like many Trail Life leaders, Richard was a Boy Scout, froma Tiger Cub all the way into adulthood. As a teenager, he worked as a counselor at multiple BSA summer camps in Texas and Oklahoma.…

Matt Gidney Jan 14, 2026

Mentoring, Parenting, Trail Life USA, Service, Leadership, Masculinity, History, Raising Godly Boys, Rescue Boys

Sons of Liberty, Sons of Legacy: Christopher Gadsden — Conviction

“My sentiments for the American cause, from the Stamp Act downward, have never changed… I am still of opinion that it is the cause of liberty and of human nature.” — Christopher Gadsden

Matt Gidney Jan 12, 2026

Mentoring, Parenting, Trail Life USA, Let Boys be Boys, Masculinity, Raising Godly Boys

Training Character: Teaching Skills to Build Boys Who Lead

Every parent knows the feeling—explaining, demonstrating, encouraging—and yet the lesson doesn’t quite stick. Whether it’s tying shoes, changing a tire, or learning to listen, boys often need more than words. That’s because boys don’t just learn with their ears—they learn with their hands.

Matt Gidney Jan 02, 2026

Mentoring, Trail Life USA, Leadership, Masculinity, Troop

Called Out of the Comfort Zone: A Trail Life Leader's Journey

The last night Jonathan Gordon spent with Trail Life Troop MS-0356 was bittersweet. As the Court of Honor ceremony came to a close, Jonathan knew this chapter was ending so another could begin. After more than three years of growth and brotherhood, he was stepping away—not to leave the mission…

Matt Gidney Dec 15, 2025

Trail Life USA, Let Boys be Boys, Troop Adventures, Masculinity, Raising Godly Boys

From Hospital Halls to Heroism: How Trail Life Helped Shape a First Responder

Luke Corley woke up to the sound of his mom’s voice. She was shouting, her voice shaking. “Luke, get in the car. We’re going to the hospital. It’s your dad.”