Nate's Blog

Praying for Chaia!!!

2011-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Please join me in praying for the Thompson's precious little girl Chaia. You can follow her progress on Ben Thompson's blog http://mustardrevolution.blogspot.com/ .

happy birthday Millsy

2011-10-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

10 years ago, the Mills family welcomed in Drew into the world. Oh how the time has flown by, yet it seems so long ago that we were in Minnesota in the hospital. I remember how excited big sissy Taylor was to meet her baby brother! She adored him and loved on him and took such great care of him. Drew is such a blessing. He has such a wonderful heart on him for a young boy. He is so caring and giving. He puts others before himself. He is our little comedian (like father like son) and brings such joy to all those around him. It has been such a blessing to watch this baby boy begin to grow in to a young man. I love him, I admire him. I look forward to what the Lord has in store for him as he grows in his faith. I pray that he would NEVER EVER change for any one (and I pray the same thing for Taylor and Toby). My kids are amazing! My wife is amazing! I am so blessed and so fortunate to have such a loving and caring and beautiful family. Happy birthday Drew; aka, Drewy, Millsy, Manny, Bubby, I love you and I am very proud of you!!!!

Radical by David Platt

2011-09-29T13:50:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading Radical by David Platt today. This book has really challenged me and caused me to take inventory on faith in Christ. I highly recommend you read this book!!!

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God is in control

2011-05-10T11:58:00.001-07:00

God is good. He is merciful. God is love. He is my provider, my rock and my refuge. My God had a plan for me. Thank you Lord for your reminder that it is not about me.

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love without agenda

2011-05-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

I saw an interview today that Tony Campolo did with the founders of Love Without Agenda. This looks like a really neat ministry. Love your neighbor! Check it out
www.lovewithoutagenda.com

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Thorns in my flesh?

2011-02-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

So I was joking around with a friend of mine today about how during my recent shoulder surgery they inserted 3 titanium anchors into my shoulder to tighten up the slipping shoulder joint. I told him in a corny joking manor that this was now the thorn of my flesh (I know, lame joke).

Tonight I read 2 Corinthians 12. Paul says in verse 7 that "in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." I am in no way trying to compare the anchors in my shoulder to Paul's "thorn". But when I read this verse further Paul says he asked God, he "pleaded" with God 3 times to take the thorn away from him. Look at how Jesus responds:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul then says..."Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong"

What is the thorn in your flesh? Right now for me it is these 3 anchors in my shoulder that have kept me laid up for 3 months now. This is my 4th surgery in 7 years. I have asked God for it to be the last.

Maybe for you it is your health. Or how about a habit? A relationship? Heartache?

What ever the thorn is for each of us, we must remember that the grace of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is sufficient for us. It is all we need. His power is perfected in our weakness. Go and make your King and Lord known to the world today!

Be blessed!

nate

HSM Small Group 2010

2010-09-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying that I am very excited about my small group this year. I have 8 young men (1 junior and 7 seniors) in my small group this year. We are preparing to tackle a study on the "fruits of the spirit" from Galatians 5:22-23a "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control".
To start, we will be studying love. What is love? How would you define it? What is love not? How can we increase our love?

using Metallica to reach the lost

2010-08-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

You gotta check out this book "The Day Metallica Came to Church". It is a very interesting read so far. I read the first chapter here: http://teambuzzplant.com/the-day-metallica-came-to-church/ and hope to read the rest ASAP. Very creative way of using "secular" music to reach people.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Day-Metallica-Came-to-Church/137368086284103

rest and relaxation

2010-07-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

The Mills clan just returned from a week at the beach (Corrolla in the Outer Banks, NC). This was a much need time for us to get away from our very hectic and crazy schedules and just enjoy each other and have fellowship together and make memories. My mom and step dad were a huge, huge blessing. They provided the house in the OBX and all we had to do was get the food and get ourselves there. Joining us and my parents were my two sisters and two brothers, all but one of them are married and including our kids there were 10 children (from ages 1 to 14). Great week, great time of relaxation. Praise God for safe travels and no vehicle problems. Spent some time with God in the morning on the beach with Carol as we read Scripture and watched the sunrise. Amazing. Amazing! Enjoyed watching our children having fun, behaving well and creating memories. I was also grateful to Carol and the kids for allowing me to get my Civil War/US History fix. We went to the home of my favorite Civil War soldier-General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Great man of God! Wow! Very disciplined. Also went to his grave and to the Lee Chapel on the campus of Washington Lee College. General Robert E. Lee and his family are buried there. Incredible museum. All of this was within a mile or two in Lexington, VA. The kids were amazing! Long drive, 12 hours if you don't stop. They did so good. Glad to be home though.

Be blessed!

nate

example of forgiveness

2010-07-14T20:33:00.001-07:00

So I just finished watching the 2010 ESPY Awards on ESPN. The winner(s) of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award this year was the family of legendary high school football coach Ed Thomas. Ed was the football coach of the high school football team in Parkersburg, Iowa. He won state titles for his school as well as winning National Coach of the Year award. He led a charge to rebuild his town of 2,000 after a tornado destroyed it and lived his life leading by example. He made a huge impact on the lives of many young people and also many, many others in his community. Ed Thomas was murdered in 2008 by young man whom he coached. The father of the young man who killed him was a captain on Ed's first team in the 70's and he also had another child playing on the team as well. But what happened next was not what you would expect.
The family of Ed Thomas, his sons and his widowed wife; reached out to the family of the young man who killed Ed. They pleaded for the community to not only support them while they grieved but also the family of the killer. And the family led by example just as Ed had done. They continued to reach out to the family and by doing so the community did as well. Wow! Powerful story of forgiveness! If you get a chance to watch the video I highly recommend it or watch a replay of the ESPY's.

Be blessed,

nate

I am a sucker!!!!

2010-07-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Yep LeBron! You had me. I thought you were "loyal" (you know, since you have LOYALTY tattooed on your body). I thought this you would stay because of your "loyalty". And you taught me a valuable lesson: 1) I already know this but just to clarify---there is only ONE true King. That is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus Christ. You are no king LeBron. 2) Psalm 118:8-9 "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in teh LORD than to trust in princes".---man cannot be trusted. 3) Hebrews 13:5 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Thank you for reminding us that we have one and one only true hero and that is Jesus Christ. The King!

LeBron's Decision and Cleveland

2010-07-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight will be the biggest night in Cleveland sports history. Will LeBron James, hometown hero from very near by Akron, OH, and perhaps the best athlete in the history our great state; will he stay and play for the city of Cleveland and try to bring the city its first major sports championship since the early 1960’s and the first in the Cavaliers franchise. Or will he leave and join others who give him a “better chance of winning” immediately.

First let me say this. For the past two seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers have won 60 or more games and have won the most games in the NBA regular season. Yes, they have laid an egg in the post season BUT, BUT they how can you say he has not had a supporting cast around him to win? When was the last time you remember the Cavs not contending?

I could go on and rant….but what I want to make known is this.

TONIGHT at 9:00 pm on ESPN LeBron will give the city of Cleveland something to celebrate!!!! Why the special 1 hour event? Why the suspense? Why the drama? One reason: to give the city of the drive, the fumble, Art Modell, game 7 of the 97 World Series; to give this hurting city something to celebrate like they never have in my lifetime. Could I eat my words? Sure, however, I have believed in LeBron since day 1 and I do to this day.

For my city! For your city!

nate

our crazy schedule

2010-06-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we just wrapped up an crazy but fun weekend (see our family blog for more). Carol picked up Taylor from Beyond Jr High Camp early Friday so she could make it to her OLO rehearsal. Drew had a baseball game Friday, then Saturday we had OLO practice for Taylor, two graduation parties, Taylor had a soccer game at Avon Lake which they won and placed them in the championship game. But first they had another game Sunday morning which we went to in Avon Lake, then back to Wooster for Taylor's costume fitting for OLO then back to Avon Lake for the championship game which Taylor's OSU (Ohio Strikers United) lost 2-4 but played very well, then back to Wooster for Taylor's OLO (Ohio Light Opera) dress rehearsal. We got it all in. Left the house at 8 am Sunday and Taylor and I got home from her dress rehearsal of "Gypsy" at 11 pm. Our weekends are not typically so crazy. Taylor plays young Louise in "Gypsy". Luckily it is young Louise because as the play goes on it gets a little, well not so family friendly. She did a great job. This is her third season in OLO and she is blessed to be able to be a part of it again. She loves acting and has a gift for it for sure. She has another dress rehearsal tonight and her first play is tomorrow at 2 pm. She is in 8 performances.
As for me, I am preparing to start typing my sermon for July 4 on prayer. I will be preaching in our senior high service at 11 am. I am blessed to have the opportunity to speak to our sr high students once again. I pray that the Lord would use me to get out a message that will impact the students and bring Him alone the glory and honor.
Carol and the kids have VBS this week. Pray that the 500 plus students would be eternally impacted by the message they receive this week and that seeds would be planted in the students and families that have not heard the gospel.

Beyond!

2010-06-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

After work tonight I went to the Grace Brethren junior high Beyond Camp (blog). It was a really cool experience to see the junior highers from about 9 churches engaging in worshiping Jesus and being challenged by the messages from the speaker and having fun hanging out and meeting new people. It was also a very awesome night for me because I surprised Taylor who was there. This was her first junior high youth group experience. I just sat back from a distance and watched as she worshiped and sang along to "Hosanna" as Exodus led the students in worship. To watch her raise her hands as she sang out "heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your Kingdoms cause". Wow! I pray that will be her prayer. I pray that the students there will not only come home with memories of having fun but also with the memories of the challenges from the Word of God.
Nick introduced me to several youth pastors from other churches in the fellowship. It was great to meet them and to hear some of their stories of what God is doing in their ministries and in their lives and the lives of their students. It was a great night. Glad Nick asked me to go along.

Be blessed!

MRI

2010-06-16T06:04:00.001-07:00

For those of you who know me well, you know that I have an extreme fear of MRI's. I have had 4 previously and the only one that went well was the open MRI. Sometimes I didn't even last a minute in there. To make a long story short, I have had 3 shoulder surgeries in about 6 years and will be having one again this year probably. All the surgeries to my right shoulder are unrelated but the pain gets worse over time. So this time, the doctor told me we need to get an MRI (WHICH I TOTALLY AGREE WITH BECAUSE I WANT TO GET THIS THING FIXED ONCE AND FOR ALL). So I asked him "can I have an open MRI"? And he says "no". The reason being is that he needed high quality images and you can't get that from the open MRI. So I set up an appointment for June 15 (yesterday) about a month and a 1/2 ago and had been dreading it every day and every night. However, I want to be over my shoulder pain so I want to get this done too. I was getting scared and sick at my stomach of the thougth of going in the MRI. The night before the MRI we had our small group (Cleveland's, Carter's, Artip's) over to do our study ("Forgotten God" by Francis Chan) and talked about the Holy Spirit and prayer and we had a prayer time together. I prayed for peace and comfort from the Holy Spirit as did my group. I also had MANY friends and family members praying for me.
The Dr. prescribed valuum to take but one of the last times I had an MRI they gave me that too and I told them to take me out of the MRI before I even was all the way in. Dave Rhoad, a great friend who works at the hospital came in and walked us over to the MRI where we were met by Pastor Steve Kern who prayed over me. What a blessing!!!!
Well, I had to have two 30 minutes scans. I went in for the first one and I was totally at peace. I was listening to U2's lastest CD, "No Line on the Horizon" and praying for the Holy Spirit to keep me calm. Next thing I know, I'm done. Then they take me upstairs, inject dye into my shoulder and do another 30 minute scan. Once again, next thing I know they were done. I made it through. The staff at Wooster Community Hospital did an awesome job. I felt so calm and cared for. And I felt calm and cared for and at peace because the Spirit was with me and is with me always. Thank you to all who prayed. I am so glad to be done with that. Now I await the results.

Night of Worship recap

2010-06-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

What an amazing night! It was so awesome to be part of worshiping our risen Lord and Savior tonight with the people at Wooster Grace. To see the people engaging in worship, to see the emotions, the smiles, the tears, hands raised, to hear the voices singing in unison all to bring worship to our God. Wow! It was simply amazing. Our prayer time before we took the stage was so uplifting. We gave the night to the Lord, asking him to cleanse our hearts and for the worship and glory all to be our offering to Him and thanksgiving for all that He alone has done in our lives. We heard stories of how peoples lives had been impacted by Jesus. I pray that lives were impacted and that each person there had an encounter with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray our worship does not end when we leave the building but continues in every moment, every breath of our lives.

Night of Worship

2010-06-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

In less than 6 hours the worship band at Wooster Grace Brethren Church (comprised of myself, Matt Carter, Jeremy Fry, Jefferson Amstutz, Ivan Sugerman, Holly Clark, Shelly Eberly, Julie Hudson) will be taking the stage for our third Night of Worship. It starts at 7 pm in the gym. Childcare is provided up to age 5. It is going to be an awesome night of lifting up our risen Lord and Savior and hearing testimonies of the incredible things he has done in and through our lives. We will sing and hear of how our Lord Jesus has overcome the grave and how we have overcome the evil world around us by relying upon the Lamb of God. We hope you can join us. Pray that God will prepare our hearts for tonight. Pray for the sound team and all of the technical stuff that goes on behind the stage. Pray for our fingers and hands that ever note we hit will be done to bring glory to our Lord and Savior. Pray for the health and safety of the band. Satan does not want the Night of Worship to happen. Pray for those who need to be uplifted and encouraged. Pray they will come tonight and find Jesus there. Pray for those who have not accepted the saving grace of Jesus who will be there tonight. May the Holy Spirit move in their heart and convict them tonight. And pray that God will be glorified in all that we do. May our worship and our testimonies be evidence of his presence and love in our lives. Hope to see you there at 7 pm at Wooster Grace.

life after school

2010-06-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am quickly learning how to adjust to not having school work to do every day and night and to not have all of the deadlines of having tests and papers due. I have been having a great time going to the kids baseball games and soccer games, playing with the kids more, hanging out with Carol, reading a couple books that I've not had time for ("Forgotten God" by Francis Chan; "Doctrine" by Mark Driscoll; "Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry" by Doug Fields). And recently Carol and I started doing a Bible study with the kids as a family. We are going through the book of John with Taylor and Drew (and Toby joined us tonight too). Our time in the Word as a family has been so awesome. The kids add so much insight and ask great questions. Tonight Toby chimed in and told us that "he loves Jesus" and that "Jesus died on the cross". Then we explained to Toby why Jesus died on the cross and tried to explain sin to him. Our study time has been such a blessing to each of us.
This summer we are going on vacation with my entire family to the Outer Banks in July. We are so excited! We have not been able to have much vacation time as a family but now that I am done with school we have a little time to do it. The only downfall is that I will miss going on the San Francisco missions trip which overlaps with our vacation. I will miss that time serving the people of San Fran with our students but I look forward to finding ways to serve the Lord with Carol and the kids this summer too. Also, I am looking at some new ways to serve students. I have had some different things going through my mind; some just continuing to serve at Wooster Grace doing Small Groups, some thoughts of doing some things on my own in downtown Wooster outside of church (just with our family), and some thoughts of doing things in our neighborhood.
The good thing about all of this is I can use the education I just received to share Jesus with others alongside my family and now that school is done, I pray that I will have margin in my life to have opportunities to be used by God. I would appreciate your prayers for our family. Ask God to open doors for us as a family and that He would prepare us for whatever it is that He would have us do for Him.

Be blessed!

Graduation

2010-05-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

The day has finally come! Graduation!!!! I can hardly believe I am graduating from Liberty University in just 3 days. It has been a long road and very challenging but I am so grateful for the education I have received. Countless hours of studying, writing papers, taking tests. I never turned in an assignment late or incomplete. Many, many late nights! Studying over my lunch hour at work everyday. And it paid off as I am graduating with honors (Cum Laude). My wife and children have had to sacrifice in all of this. Putting up with a tired daddy or having to tell them I couldn't play with them because of having to study or write a paper. I will never get time back with them. I always tried to wait until the kids went to bed to start my studies. But there were still moments when I had to do things for school while they were awake.
We are traveling to Lynchburg on Thursday and staying with the Meinke family (THANK YOU SO MUCH MEINKE'S) Friday through Sunday. We will be arriving there Friday morning so I can go to the rehearsal thing, then have a Liberty Online reception and the baccalaureate service Friday night, graduation on Saturday at 10, service for religion grads at 12:30 at Thomas Road Baptist and then church there with the Meinke's on Sunday before heading home. We're looking forward to this time of celebrating as a family as it will not only be me graduating, but Carol, Taylor, Andrew and Toby, who have been such a huge part of it too.
So I write tonight to thank you all for your prayers and support over the last four years. Wow! So many people to thank. So many people always asking me how my studies were going. Thank you all so much! Looking back on the last four years I can't believe I pulled it off but I did. So hear goes a long list of thank yous. My family (Carol and the kids), my family (mom, Rudy, Dad, Young's, Ballinger's, Mills', Matt, Amanda), the Tuckers (in-laws), grandparents (Mills', GG, French's, Macrino's), numerous aunts and uncles. Awesome friends, Rob Miller, Bob Herald, Jeremy Fry, Tim Rhodes, Jason Lantz, Carter's, Artip's, Cleveland's, Dave Rhoad, and many others. My employer (the Hummel Group) for allowing me to do school work over lunch and for your prayers and support, our amazing church family Wooster Grace for allowing me to do the internship in student ministries and for all of the preparation and encouragement from the staff. And a special thank you to Nick Cleveland. Thank you for all that you have done my friend. The walks, talks, encouragement and for believing in me. Thank you all so much!!!!

school

2010-03-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished my last final exam tonight. I was taking 3 classes this semester: THEO 313, CHHI 302, YOUT 499. The theology class was a theological class on Jesus, the CHHI class was Christian History 2 and Youth 499 is my youth ministry internship. I completed the 2 classes this week and all I have left is the internship which will finish up in May when I graduate with my bachelors degree in Religion from Liberty University. For those of you who don't know (actually, I think Carol is the only one who checks my blog anyway, so she knows) I am interning at Wooster Grace in the student ministries department (woostergracestudents) and have been since January. Now that classes are over I will have more time to devote myself to ministering to students. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for me and my family as I have spent the past 4 years of my life going back to school. It has been an incredible and trying experience. Liberty has an incredible online program and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking at college. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. Now that classes are over I plan on spending more time with Carol and the kids, catching up on reading (finishing Vintage Jesus, Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, Fearless, and a few theology books) and spending more time in the Word of God. Speaking of school, in the fall we will have a child in jr high! Taylor is wrapping up her time in elementary school and I don't know where to begin with our feelings. Pray for her as she prepares to enter jr high. Also, at 4 pm on Sunday March 21 she has her final musical in the kids choir at the church. She has the lead role and she is very excited about it. Drew and Toby will also be involved. I expect much of the same from them: Toby will stand up there and look cute, Drew will too but will probably do something to make us laugh.
Thank you again for your prayers. Continue to pray for me as I go through the internship and wrap up my education at Liberty. Thank you and may God bless you!

nate

2010-01-28T10:23:00.001-08:00

HAITI PERSPECTIVE: In U.S, 1 of 10 is jobless & its been a hard year, no doubt. In Haiti, 8 of 10 have no work & little hope /// pray. give

2010-01-27T05:37:00.001-08:00

HAITI PERSPECTIVE: In US, 1 of 87 people is homeless (which is way too high). After the quake in Haiti, 1 of 6 is now homeless // pray. give

2010-01-26T05:18:00.001-08:00

HAITI PERSPECTIVE: More Americans are still missing (4k) in Haiti than were killed on 9/11. Praying 4 them & our Haitian brothers & sisters.

2010-01-25T20:26:00.001-08:00

HAITI PERSPECTIVE: More Americans are still missing (4k) in Haiti than were killed on 9/11. Praying 4 them & our Haitian brothers & sisters.

2010-01-17T08:48:00.001-08:00

from DougFields: Did you wake up this morning & shout, "Thank you Jesus for another day to be alive & for seeing Jack Bauer tonight." I did!

2010-01-13T10:45:00.001-08:00

RT from @MaxLucado: Let's take time to pray 4 Haiti.
World Vision link to donate: http://bit.ly/8zSo6J

2010-01-09T17:44:00.001-08:00

had an awesome visit w/ gma & gpa Mills. Wish we lived closer. Finished off day w/ some Sonic and a trip to Target.

White as Snow

2010-01-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T10:15:00.000-08:00

The 21 day challenge is over. It is my prayer that you have formed a new habit of spending time in God's Word daily and taking time to pray to him continually throughout the day. For further readings and a read through the Bible in a year plan, go to http://www.deliberatepeople.com/. It is a great website that can help you with your Bible reading plan and prayer life.

Most of you who follow my blog (if anyone does at all) probably also follow our family blog www.millsfamily5.blogspot.com and can see that we have had a very busy holiday season. We have also had some great family time together and had to time to rest and relax. I have one semester of school left and will graduate in May 2010! I will be interning at our church (Wooster Grace) in the student ministries department. That will last up to my graduation. Thank you very much Pastor Nick Cleveland and staff for giving me this opportunity. I will be speaking in their HSM (high school ministry) service this Sunday at 11 on witnessing. Should be a fun service and I pray the Lord will use me and speak through me to impact people for the Kingdom.

Blessings to all this new year of 2010 (wow, where has the time gone).

Day 6

2009-12-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
Heavenly Father you have blessed me with incredible people in my life who have encouraged me in my walk with you and who hold me accountable. I think of my mens group who does not meet as frequently as we should but still lift each other up in prayer and share our struggles and confess our sin. I think of the small group I am in with Carol and the accountability I have with her and the group. My high school small group is an encouragement. It is awesome to see them striving to honor you with their lives. I pray that they would see the benefit of this verse in their lives. Thank you for placing such awesome people in my life who truly care about me and challenge me.

Day 5

2009-12-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

Psalm 5: "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make straight your way before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."
Lord, thank you! Thank you for hearing my prayers. Why I do not come to you more often I don't know. What a priviledge it is to come to you in prayer. Bless the righteous and defend those who love Your Name.

Day 4

2009-12-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

Matt 4:23 "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people".
Lord, I thank you for Jesus and for the blood he shed for me, a sinner. I also thank you for the example he gave us in this passage of Scripture. Your Word tells us we can do great things for the Kingdom. Why do we doubt and fear that we can teach, preach and heal. Maybe we can't physically heal as Jesus did, teach in a way that he did, or preach with power and authority. But maybe we should follow your lead and see where it goes from there. I love you my Lord and my Savior. It is my desire to follow you and serve you with all that I am. Give me the lessons to teach, ears to hear. You have given us all a message to preach; the gospel of Jesus. Remove my fears and anxiety when I am called upon to teach and preach. Give me the power to heal. To heal the hearts of man and show them your love and mercy that you have shown me.

Day 3

2009-12-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

Matt 4:1-11
Father God, your perfect Son Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days and nights. He was tempted by Satan and was victorious. We are tempted by Satan not tempted by you. You give us tests but will not tempt us in to sin. For that I am thankful. I am grateful for Jesus and the example he has set for each of us. Give me strength Lord when I am tempted. Send your angels to assist me when I am weak.

Day 2

2009-12-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Gen 3:1-4:26; Matt 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2; Prov 1:7-9
Gen 3:1 "the serpent was more crafty than the other wild animals". Father God, as I read about the fall of man and of the craftiness of the serpent I could not help but think of the many, many ways Satan uses to tempt us into falling in to sin. He is a deceiver and a liar who kills and destroys. Help me to be strong when I am tempted and corned by the serpent. Help me to see past the lies and to see only your truth.

2009-12-04T14:38:00.001-08:00

I am backstage shooting a video with Barlowgirl....who is using my bass guitar tonight

Day 1

2009-12-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

(Read Gen 1:1-2:25; Matt 1:1-2:12; Ps 1; Prov 1:1-6)
"In the beginning God...the Spirit of God...Let there be light.."
Father God, as I read this tonight I could not help but think of You, and the three person that You are. This portion of Scripture also shows me how You have always been there. Who created God? (a question I have often struggled with) No one! You have always been there and are always present in my life. Help me to always see and acknowledge your presence in everything.

Deliberate People

2009-12-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

I encourage my small group every week to be spending time in God's Word and in prayer. Yesterday I kicked it up a notch. As we finished our discussion on poverty for the night I gave each of them a 21 Day challenge from www.deliberatepeople.com. It takes 21 days to start a new habit or to end an old habit. My prayer is that they will each take me up on this challenge. Each day there is Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm and Proverb reading. This may be much for most of my group if not all of them but I don't care. I want them to be pushed. I want them to form habits of spending MEANINGFUL time alone with God. I also challenged them to journal what they read. I will be posting my journal entry on here each night. May we all become more in love with our Lord and Savior and know Him more through this process.

2009-11-11T08:40:00.001-08:00

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served and defended our country. Thank you for your sacrifice.

ACTion

2009-11-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

This month our small group is focusing on ACTion. Compassion. Poverty. ACTing upon poverty. I have challenged my guys to all find something they are passionate about in regards to poverty and put together a plan/vision to make a difference. By the end of our ACTion month I want to see ALL of their plans put in to ACTion. Our motto and prayer is Micah 6:8:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I pray that the Lord would give us His eyes to see the needs of people and to not look past them. I pray that the Lord would give us His passion for justice and mercy and give us a desire to be a blessing to others.

2009-10-18T17:35:00.001-07:00

happy 8th birthday to my son Andrew. Full day of church, bday party, sissys soccer tourney and dinner at Rockne's. I love you Drew.

2009-10-16T20:04:00.001-07:00

night of worship was incredible. Our God is awesome and worthy of all our praise. Thanks to all who showed up and to those who bought our CD!

2009-10-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

6 hours until the Night of Worship and the release of our CD "As We Wait".

2009-10-12T18:13:00.001-07:00

third row at the Wilco show.

2009-10-11T12:52:00.001-07:00

our CD releases Friday Oct. 16 @ Wooster Grace @ 7:30. Join us for a night of worship and pick up our CD "As We Wait".

Small Groups

2009-09-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

Just finished up with the first night of Wednesday night small groups at HSM (High School Ministries) at Wooster Grace. Kind of an intro night where we find out who is in our groups and get to know each other. I am very excited about the 6 young men that I have in my group and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us. I had 3 guys graduate and they are all of to college now (Andy Rhoad (just left today for the Univ of Cincinnati, Billy Starkey is at Grace College and Cody Miller is at Kentucky). I also found out today that Billy got a job as worship leader at a church near Grace. Congratulations Billy!
We are going to be doing a six week study on the book of Ephesians (a chapter each week). My prayer is that we will grow closer to our Lord and Savior as we learn and apply the book of Ephesians to our lives. I pray that each of us will thoroughly study the book and be prepared each week to share what we have learned and how God has used what we have learned in our daily lives.
Also, I started back to school on Aug 24. I am currently taking THEO 350 (Fundamental Theology). Good stuff.

2009-09-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

HSM small groups start next Wednesday night @ 7 pm. I should be finding out tomorrow @ the adult leaders training who I'll be shepherding.

2009-08-08T10:34:00.001-07:00

heading to Taylor's final Ohio Light opera performance...she (and we) have had a wonderful time...will miss it.

2009-07-31T19:06:00.001-07:00

gene simmons just walked passed me at the pirates game. The real gene. He gave me the I love u sign after I waved at him.
N8

2009-07-26T13:02:00.001-07:00

at the Akron Zoo with the fam. Today is the 2 yr anniversary of bringing Toby home. What a blessing.

San Fran 09 recap

2009-07-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

We will never forget the sights, the smells, the people, the hurt, the addiction, the redemption that we witnessed as part of our mission trip to the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Last years trip was amazing. I thought that there was no possible way that this trip could surpass what we experienced last year. I was wrong. The adult staff of Pastor Nick, Julie Lawson, Jody Workman, Emily Scott, Mark Lehman and myself as well as all of the 22 students jelled and came together to share the love of Jesus Christ with the "least of these" in the streets of the "Sco". We stayed at YWAM (Youth With a Mission) on Ellis St. in San Francisco. After we had left YWAM we stayed in a hotel and one morning during breakfast, some of the students and I we having breakfast with an elderly man who visits San Fran frequently. We told him about our trip and he asked us where we stayed and who we were working with and we told him the homeless in the Tenderloin and he said "why on earth would you stay there! It is dangerous, drugs, prostitution..." One of our students chimed in and said "we were there to share the love of Jesus with them". He was speachless and then said, "well someone has to, but why you?"
Pastor Nick challenged the students all week long to think about 2 things: Why are you here? What will you take home with you/How will you be changed? Our motto for the week was MTL (Mission Trip Living). You see, it is not about a "trip" but a lifestyle that MUST NOT end when we get back home, but something that we continue in our daily lives. We fed the homeless, shared a lunch with hippies, worked in a food bank, gave them hot chocolate, gave them the clothes and blankets, formed relationships with them, cried with them, laughed with them and shared the hope and joy we have in Jesus Christ with them.

One song we sang throughout the week was Hosanna by Hillsong United. Part of this song has become my prayer:

"Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity"

I pray that this will continually be on my heart and that MTL will be my life.

2009-07-19T11:05:00.001-07:00

got home at 1 am. Thank you Carol and kids for picking me up. Seeing you when I walked out of the airport was priceless.

2009-07-18T20:35:00.001-07:00

just touched down in Canton/Akron

2009-07-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

on the plane that will take me to my beautiful wife and children. See you all very soon. I love you.

2009-07-18T11:01:00.001-07:00

in the San Fran airport checking in

2009-07-17T18:11:00.001-07:00

had some delicious fish and chips from Fishermans Warf. Alcatraz was amazing. Top of the sight seeing bus is really cold. Miss my wife.

2009-07-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

just landed on the Rock

2009-07-17T10:14:00.001-07:00

getting ready to enter Alcatraz
may not be coming back...25 to life for shopping cart robbery

2009-07-16T22:20:00.001-07:00

just stole a shopping cart. Long story. Funny though. I walked into our hotel front desk with the cart full of groceries, asked for milk

2009-07-16T16:00:00.001-07:00

just shopped at the awesomest music store "Amoeba" in Haight/Ashbury

2009-07-16T13:41:00.001-07:00

Getting ready to go over the golden gate bridge

2009-07-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

thank you Dave Rhoad for changing the flat tire on the Jeep back home
you rock

2009-07-15T15:25:00.001-07:00

I can't get over how hilly this place is. I have never seen anyplace like it. It is very cool here today during our homeless plunge

2009-07-15T11:40:00.001-07:00

I'm hungry

2009-07-14T23:05:00.001-07:00

adult leaders just pulled the best prank on the students. Had YWAM staff wake us up and tell us we were sleeping on the street tonight

2009-07-14T21:53:00.001-07:00

awesome commitment service. Priceless. Preparing for homeless plunge. No eating, bathing, brushing teeth, changing clothes til tom night

2009-07-14T11:33:00.001-07:00

last night worshipped at Grace Cathedral (MLK spoke there once). Beautiful place to worship. Lives were changed. We also cleaned stores.

2009-07-14T09:42:00.001-07:00

we are preparing for the love feast. the homeless will be coming into YWAM to be served and loved on. Pray that we will meet needs.

2009-07-13T14:14:00.001-07:00

had a great time serving at the SF food bank where we packaged 3,400 lbs of pasta. Now leaving for a prayer walk in the TL. I miss my fam

2009-07-12T22:46:00.001-07:00

Amazing night. Great conversations, testimonies. There is so much addiction and bondage here. Pray for this city. Pray for revival.

2009-07-12T19:31:00.001-07:00

having a bit of worship before going out to do hot chocolate ministry. Pray for hearts to be opened and for my team to be bold and brave.

2009-07-12T15:20:00.001-07:00

had great conversation at Hippy Hill. Met Dog, Tom Boyle and Julian. Pray for them. Dog just got out of prison, Tom is an artist.

2009-07-12T15:14:00.001-07:00

2009-07-12T11:36:00.001-07:00

having church at Delores Park Church in San Francisco. guy from IJM is speaking. Should be sweet.

2009-07-12T07:16:00.001-07:00

devos, church and then sack lunch with a hippy at hippy hill

2009-07-11T21:55:00.001-07:00

had strange encounters tonight on the streets of San Fran. Pray for my group of Andy, Jeremiah, Juli and Rachelle. We are very tired.

2009-07-11T18:52:00.001-07:00

getting ready for training and then hitting the streets. Pray for Dan Brenneman and Danae Mulligan who have been sick.

2009-07-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

we just reached YWAM San Fran

2009-07-11T11:50:00.001-07:00

just landed in San Fran

2009-07-11T01:48:00.001-07:00

it is now after 4am and we are on the bus on the way to the Canton Akron airport. I have not slept yet. Bed time will be around 11 pm PST

2009-07-10T22:53:00.001-07:00

Nick's challenge to all of us tonight, why are you going? how do you want to be different when you get back?

2009-07-10T12:26:00.003-07:00

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2009-07-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

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4 days until San Fran 09

2009-07-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is here already. I have so much to do to get ready: pack (and what to pack), things to get done at home, mental and spiritual prep. I am trying to spend as much time with Carol and the kids as possible. We have had several great family days here lately. We did yard work Friday and yesterday. Carol has been working so hard on the landscaping. We are both pretty tired from working on it yesterday. Taylor had another OLO "Fiddler on the Roof" today and she said it was packed. I am so proud and happy for her. She loves being on stage performing. I played some basketball with Drew tonight too and my shoulder is aching (it is 2 weeks since my shoulder surgery-it has been doing MUCH better), and spent time cuddling up with Taylor tonight too. I am so blessed.
So, I have to confess, I am excited for the trip but nervous, concerned and also I don't want to leave home. In case you did not know, I do not like flying. Don't get me wrong, if I could have any superhero power it would be to fly, but I am do not like being in an airplane. Please pray for God to comfort me and give me peace with flying. We are flying from Akron-Canton to Charlotte (I think) to San Fran. That will be one long flight.
Also, pray for my shepherding group of Andy Rhoad, Jeremiah Falla, Juli Ressler and Rachelle Graber. Pray that they will be courageous and work as a team to serve the Lord by helping those in need in San Fran.
Pray for pastor Nick Cleveland as he leads our trip and puts the finishing touches on preparations.
Pray for God to begin preparing the hearts of those we will be coming in to contact with.
Pray for health, safety, unity of our team. Many people will be stretched far outside of their comfort zone.
Pray for Carol and the kids (Taylor, Drew, Toby). Pray that the kids would get along and help out around the house. Pray for safety and protection for them. Taylor has 2 plays while I am away. Pray for that also.

Thank you all so much for lifting us up in prayer. We truly appreciate it.

nate

San Francisco Missions Trip

2009-07-02T06:14:00.001-07:00

Greetings prayer warriors! Thanks again for lifting me (and our team) up in prayer. We are only days away and I am beginning to get excited. I am also getting home sick already too. It will be difficult to be away from Carol and the kids. I am also nervous for our team. We are staying in the worst neighborhood in San Fran (the Tenderloin—google it, its all true). I am curious to see how the students will respond. This is a rough neighborhood where we would witness extreme homelessness, drug use, mental illness and many other things. We stay at Youth With A Mission which is directly across the street from the Glide. If you have seen the Will Smith movie “the Pursuit of Happiness” you will remember a shelter where he and his son stayed while they were homeless; The Glide. It is in the movie by name a few times. Well, that is home for us for a week. I am also getting excited for the amazing opportunities that God has for us. I left last year having felt like they helped us more than we helped them. Now, I don’t want you to think we didn’t do anything. We worked very hard and were so far out of our comfort zones. But the impact they made on us and the people we met, priceless. Here’s an example. In San Fran it gets really cool at night (40’s or low 50’s) and this time of year it is usually cool during the day. At night we went out into the streets and offered hot chocolate to people. We had 1 cup left, went up to a guy and offered it to him and he refused it because there were others who needed it more than he. He asked who we were, why we were doing what we did. We prayed with him. AND THEN (this is so AWESOME), he told us that we will be cursed at, told to leave, told that we are wasting our time. Then he recited from memory Ephesians 6:11-17: “11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Wow!!! It was so awesome!
But Paul does not stop there. He goes on to say: “19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” This my brothers is what I ask that you would pray for me.

We leave July 11 in the early morning for San Fran and return July 18. I will send you another update before we leave.
Important websites to look at for updates:

www.woostergracestudentsSFtrip.blogspot.com
Our family blog: www.millsfamily5.blogspot.com
My blog: www.natehasa.blogspot.com
Follow me on twitter (look up cnmills, I think) at www.twitter.com

Thank you!

2009-07-01T18:57:00.001-07:00

Pray for San Francisco missions trip July 11 - 18

toy story

2009-06-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long. I had wanted to blog a few times and forgot my password only to find out that I could easily reset it.
The Mills Fam is getting ready for a yard sale this weekend. It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over time. One thing that has been difficult for me is seeing all of the doll house toys, Barbies and stuff that my daughter Taylor is getting rid of. She is not a little girl anymore and I am having a difficult time with that. It has also made me think back to all of the times that she asked me to play with those toys with her and told her that I could not. What could be more important than spending time with her (or the boys) and playing with them? Granted, there are times when we just can't because as parents we sometimes have other things we must attend to. But I know that there were multiple times I "chose" not too. I can't get that time back with my kids. Taylor will never ask me to play Barbies with her again (well, more than likely she will not want to anymore). Drew will not want to have anymore light saber fights. And Toby will not want me to sit down so he can do my hair. (If you know Toby you know what I am talking about). My prayer is that I will not let these opportunities to play with my kids and just hang out with them pass me by. I miss letting Taylor paint my nails (it was only pretend, I promise). Life is going by too fast and my kids are growing up way too quickly. I love my children dearly!
If there are people out there reading this my prayer for you is that you will enjoy the time you have with your kids and loved ones. They are only little for a little while.

Be blessed!

Randomness

2009-04-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am exhausted. What a busy weekend. Friday Taylor had her birthday sleepover (her actual birthday is March 30) and we did some yard work and I played basketball with Drew and some neighborhood kids. Saturday Drew had baseball tryouts then Taylor had a soccer game and then we went and watched the Wooster baseball (game 1 of the DH) game to support Andy Rhoad who is in my small group. I came home and took about a 5 minute power nap before heading out to do some yard work with three guys from my high school small group for an elderly lady named Laura. She was very sweet and it was a blessing to meet her and to serve the Lord by helping her out. We raked up branches and twigs and leaves in her yard for about 4 hours. She paid us to do the work so that we could put the money towards the student accounts for our summer missions trips. I am heading to San Francisco (back to the Tenderloin) in July along with 20 students and a few adults. This is a very rough neighborhood full of homelessness and addiction. Please start praying for those of us who are going on this trip. We saw God do some amazing things last July while we were there and we pray that we can see some of the people that we met last year. Today we had church then I went to the Rock Hall with Matt Carter and Carol and the kids went to my nephew Dawson's birth day party. Life is starting to get busy in our house. Taylor is playing soccer and she made the Ohio Light Opera and will be in the Fiddler on the Roof this summer. She will be a very busy girl this summer. Drew is playing baseball and will have practice 2 days a week and games 2 days a week. Carol is heading to Women of Faith this weekend in Columbus. I pray that she will have a wonderful time of relaxation away from home and that she will grow closer to our Savior. She is such an amazing woman and a blessing to have as a best friend, wife and mother of our children. Toby gets to tag along to all of these events. He is such a blessing. Each one of our children are. I enjoy each moment we have together. We are also playing some vacation. We are heading to the Alive Festival and then going to Kentucky Lake with Carol's family. Then I head off to San Fran. It will be a busy spring and summer for us but one we are looking forward to. I am taking the summer off from school (5 classes to go!) and have 3 weeks left in my current class.

Instead of a Show

2009-03-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a song that has been on my heart and being played repeatedly on my iPod the last few days. "Instead of a Show" is a song by Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot). Check out these lyrics:
I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show
Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stomp on my ears when you're singing 'em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you're praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There's blood on your hands
You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don't fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There's blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let's argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let's argue this out
You'll be one of the clouds
Let's argue this out
Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can't love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can't stand at all, all
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Wow! This is straight out of Isaiah 1.

Here's a video of him playing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E53qJxltyfI

Great season Smithies!!!!!

2009-03-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

What a ride it has been. Both the boys and girls basketball teams gave us PERFECT regular seasons and regional runner up. We are very proud of they have accomplished. Having played on some very bad Smithville teams, I can say that I never thought I would see the day when hundreds of fans would arrive that the game an our before hand to watch the Smithies play basketball. After we won the regional semi final game I remember telling my brother in law sarcastically that there would be a 50% chance of snow in hell on Saturday night. For a program that no one has ever given a chance, nor support it is awesome to see the community and county rally behind Smithville basketball. Congratulation seniors on a great career. You have accomplished more than any others before you.

Looking forward to next season! Let's go green!

National Youth Ministry Conference

2009-02-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

I off to the NYMC in Columbus (Feb 27-March 2). I have never been to NYMC before and I am going by myself. I am looking forward to networking and meeting new people and learning from so many who have been successful in ministering to youth. Please keep me and my family in your prayers. Pray that the Lord will put some awesome people into my life and that I will be able to form some great relationships at NYMC. Pray that the Lord will protect us in our travels and keep us safe and healthy. Pray that I will not only bring home knowledge on working in youth ministry but also that I will apply what I learn. I am looking forward to this amazing opportunity. Also, please keep the Miyashita family in your prayers. Lydia (5 yrs old) lost her courageous battle with leukemia earlier this week. Also, pray for the Cline family who lost their 3 year old son (who turns 4 today) Sunday in an auto accident. Pray that God would comfort them and bring them peace that only He alone can.

Guy Talk

2009-02-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Over the next 8 weeks I will be leading my small group of high school guys (7 guys) in a Guy Talk study on Wednesday nights. Our culture and media has twisted our views of what it means to be a man. We will be going to the source (the Bible) to see what our Creator tells us about being the men that He designed us to be. Please pray for me as I lead them and for the guys that there eyes would be opened to the truths about how God designed them and wants them to live their lives. Thanks!

nate

More of You, less of me

2009-02-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

I am not doing very well with this blog thing. To be completely honest I spend so much time doing my school work on the computer that by the time I get my work done it is usually around midnight (or later). So for those of you who follow my blog I apologize for not being a better blogger.
Do you ever feel like ministry is all about you? Are you guilty of making it more about you than about Him? I am ashamed to say it but I have been guilty of this from time to time. This morning I stood up on the stage playing bass guitar for the worship band. It is such a blast! It is a great feeling to be playing with such gifted musicians and making beautiful music together and having a crowd of worships singing along praising our risen Savior along with us. I also played in a band for about 10 months called Judgment Come with some friends. We would practice once a week and we played out a few times too. Both bands are to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. However, there were times when I felt like it was me who sought the glory. This is wrong. This morning before I left home to go to church I prayed that God would be glorified and honored through our worship set and that God would give me the proper mind set and motives for what I was doing. A verse that comes to my mind is John 3:30 "He must become greater; I must become less". These words were said by John the Baptist of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago. I think that a downfall of believers and of the church over the years (and of myself at times) is that we have this reversed. We make it about us more than we make it about him.
I say this to encourage us all as followers of Jesus Christ to remember that it is all about him and not about us. It is a blessing and a privilege to serve God in any way my prayer for all of us is that we keep Christ and the furthering of His kingdom first in all we do. May God bless you as you serve Him in all that you do.

my beloved Buckeyes

2009-01-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching the Fiesta Bowl. My beloved Buckeyes lost their third consecutive bowl game. The last two games were painful to sit through because of the severe old school whoopin we received. This one we lost on a late TD by Texas who in my opinion was the better team. However, I am proud of them. It was a great game played by both teams and they lost to a very classy Texas program. OSU is losing an awesome group of seniors who played their final game tonight. I think of the amazing senior leadership of James Laurinaitis, Freeman, Jenkins, Robiskie. I was able to travel down to CBus in October to hear these guys and others including coach Tressel share their faith in Jesus Christ. I am reminded by the scripture verse that Laurinaitis quoted that night from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong". Click here to view Laurinaitis speaking.
We all have set backs in life. Some may be larger than others. Perhaps it may be financial, physical, persecution, failed relationship, etc, but know this; Christ is there with you through it all. He loves you right were you are and will always love His children. Our trials in this life may be painful but they are temporary. Christ will give you strength when you are weak and you will come out stronger than before.

Be blessed!

nate

Living on a Prayer

2009-01-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

I enjoy reading Relevant magazine in my free time and have been subscribing to it for quite a while. The current issue for Jan/Feb has an excellent article on Pete Greig from England and his 24/7 Prayer organization titled "Living on a Prayer". It is an incredible prayer group that would be amazing to have locally or in our church at some point so check it out. But anyways, one of the things that I found very interesting in this article was the path that our country is headed in regards to Christianity. The US is heavily influenced by the spiritual climate of Europe which has seen a steady decline in believers. This stat amazed me: "74% fewer confessing Christians on America's campuses than in the population at large". One of the reasons why that is so is because "It's not particularly good news that Jesus died to forgive your sins if you don't believe you are sinful in the first place" (Greig). Statistics show that the majority of Christians in our country come to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ before the age of 21. It is so important for us to make the most of the opportunities we have with the youths we are coming in contact with and discipling. Think of the things that they deal with today that we never had to. The pain, the temptations, the pressure to excell in the classroom and in sports. Partying, sex, and the countless number of things they will be faced with when they leave home.
Today after church we had a meeting for those who work with the students in our church and the leader asked us what we can do to get a student from point A to the cross of Jesus, given the highs and lows of life and the countless other things they go through on a day to day basis. A friend of mine spoke up and said, "Pray, really pray! Get down on your knees and your face before the LORD and pray for them". I urge you to remember the youth of America in your prayers and continually pray for them and the future of the children of our country.

nate

Don't give up

2008-12-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time!!! For many of us it means time with family, going to church and exchanging gifts. It's a time of year for many to dust off their Bible's that they probably have not picked up since Easter or last Christmas. Our lives have changed so much in the past year. Our country is at war, the economy is crap, loved ones are gone, loved ones are battling disease. Maybe you've lost your job or your home. Maybe you're in a relationship that has failed. And maybe, by going through these hard times, you are looking to God (and I pray that you do). Maybe you're thinking if you go back to church or if you get right with God these hard times will come to an end. Maybe by going to church, reading your Bible, saying a few prayers that the pain and heartache will cease. The reason I say this is because I know there are some out there who think by doing these things your life will change and you will get what you want, as if God is a magic genie who will grant you the things you wish because you give him a little of your time. Let me tell you friends, this is not the message of the Bible. It may happen, things may get better for you. However, things may get worse. I've seen it happen too many times where someone starts going to church or trying to live a Christian life and things may get better, but when the road gets rough they push God aside and say that it did not work.
God does not promise that if you stay close to Him that He will do this or that for you. He says follow me. That means through the highs and lows. Things may get better, but things may get worse. The message of the Bible is not about God fixing the things in your life that you do not like. It is about a RELATIONSHIP with Him! And the closer you are to Him, the more you are in His story and in communication with Him through prayer the further away the other stuff is (the things of the world).
God loves you. He loves you unconditionally. He loves you so much that while you were a sinner, he sent His perfect Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross (Romans 5:8). Jesus died so that you may live. And He wants you to follow Him. Not only on Christmas and Easter but everyday of your life.
God can and will make your life better. But it may not be like you expect it. He will free you from the bondage of sin that is holding you down. He will never leave you. He will be with you as you go through the trials of this life. We are living in hard times. People are losing their jobs everyday. People are battling addictions. People are grieving the loss of their loved ones. But I challenge you, DO NOT give up on God when times get rough. Lay your burdens down at the foot of the cross. Do not give up on God, He will not give up on you.

What I've Been Up To?

2008-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

And not my weight for all of you jokesters! We have been a little busy but not as bad as it was in the summer and fall. I have been busy with school and as a matter of fact I have a 10-15 page paper due on Justification in the book of Romans due next Sunday night. I have 2 weeks left of my Romans class and then I am off for month until mid January. At that time I will be taking Inductive Bible Study (which is the most difficult class for Religion/Bible majors at Liberty) and Daniel-Revelation. By this time next year I will be weeks away from graduating (hopefully). We had a great Thanksgiving holiday and hopefully you did as well. I took Taylor to the Rock Hall last Sunday and Drew today. Carol and I went in May and it would have been $48 for us to get in or $50 for an annual membership and I can go back whenever I want and take someone with me free. If you have never been there and you are a music buff, I highly recommend going. They have tons of guitars used by the true guitar heroes such as Hendrix, Duane Allman, Joe Perry, Kirk Cobain, Muddy Waters, John Lennon, The Who, Queen, ZZ Top, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Clapton (just to name a few) and awesome artifacts throughout rock n roll history. I have also been coaching Drew's Upward Basketball team which has been a blast. He is doing so well and it is truly a blessing to be part of that ministry. I have had a 2 week break from leading small groups at church but have been playing bass on the worship team for the past 3 weeks and at communion which is a blast. I am so thankful to be part of our amazing worship team. Matt Carter does an amazing job leading and preparing us and the congregation to go before the throne of God. Carol and I took the kids to the Christmas tree lighting. Very memorable event. Toby got spooked by this freaky looking snow man and cried for about an hour and would not let us put him down. This weekend we put our Christmas trees and decorations up and we are beginning to attempt to figure out our schedules over the holidays. Always a treat. Well, that is just a little bit of what I've been up to. It has been a while since my last post. By the next time I post I will have my research paper done!!!!! Be blessed!

Nate

What if?

2008-11-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

What if we really believed what we said we believe? What if we were just as passionate about our risen Lord and Savior as we were for our favorite sports teams? What if we followed the Jesus the same way we follow our favorite TV shows, bands or blogs (such as this one :)? What if we lived for the one who died for us? What if we treated our loved ones the same way we treated our friends, co-workers or those we are trying to impress?

Nate

I'm Rich

2008-11-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

God has blessed me with an amazing and beautiful wife and 3 wonderful children. Our family is coming off of a busy summer and fall schedule full of soccer and ministry. Taylor had soccer 6 days during the week and Drew 3. I have been going back to school (on top of working full time) and have been involved in youth ministry and worship ministry. Carol started working outside of the home which was a huge transition for us and one we are still getting used to. The passed weekend we were able to just stay home and relax (for the most part). I was able to spend some great one on one time with each child. Toby and I are continuing to grow closer. He loves his mama (and I do too) and does not like to leave her side. He is now letting me lay down with him at night. It is a great bonding time. I will walk in to his room and he'll say "daddy, night night me" and pat his pillow. I'll lay down with him and we'll pray and talk together. It has been such a blessing. Taylor and I got to spend some time snuggling and watching movies and Drew also. I had a test to take for school Sunday night. I was studying in the living room and he came in and we were talking about things and I asked him if he ever wished that he had a dad who was rich. He said "daddy you are rich". I asked him how that was so and he said "because your children love you"! Wow! What a blessing it is to be a father and to have your children love you. It kind of gives me a glimpse of how God must feel when we tell him we love him in with our words, actions and deeds.

Prayer Walk

2008-10-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are in my high school small group. We will be leaving the church at 7 sharp tonight to go on a prayer walk in Wooster. Please dress warm. For those of you who check this blog and are not in my small group, please join us in prayer (from your nice cosy warm home :) as we walk through downtown Wooster and pray for local businesses, schools, families, police and fire department and government officials from 7 to 8:15.

What's in your filing cabinet?

2008-10-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight I watched the movie Flywhee l movie with Carol. It is an outstanding family movie that is by the same people who made the movie Facing the Giants. I recommend watching both of them if you haven't seen them before. There was something that happened during Flywheel that really caught my attention. It was a small clip that only took a couple of seconds. What happened was the owner of a car lot had hired someone to sell cars for him and this individual was entrusted to lock the store down for the evening. Little did the car owner know that this guy was actually a news reporter who was doing a report on used car lots and how they handle their business. So this guy goes in to the office to lock down and he goes to the filing cabinets in hopes of finding the documents to show what kind of business was being conducted. Probably every sale that had ever been made was in that cabinet.
As I was watching this I thought to myself, if someone opened the filing cabinet of my life what would they find? What if my wife or my children looked through my files that held every event of my life, what would they find? Would there be more good than bad? More importantly, God already knows what is in the filing cabinet. There is nothing you can do to hide it from him. You cannot put it away in a secret place and lock it away. He sees everything you do. He hears everything you say (even if you say it to yourself) and He knows every thought that goes through your mind. So let me ask you a question. What is in your filing cabinet? What are you trying to hide from God? What do you need to take out of the filing system and lay before the foot of the cross? Confess you sin to Him. Give it to Him today and let him run it through the shredder.

Be Blessed!