Nate's Blog

Just nine days ago, I had the first opportunity of enjoying the presence of my first nephew. Far from my original plans was it to drive half an hour into the next city. Calling it a night at High Point Regional Health, I drove home pulling into the driveway around 12 AM. I had hoped to be packed and ready for my 600+ mile trip to NTBI by 9 PM, so I could go to bed and wake up around 4 AM. However, I was not ready until 2 AM, and so decided to go ahead and hit the road. Now, let me tell you my reason for writing this blog: Student Training Program. I was able to arrive unharmed at 5:15 that evening, just in time for a long awaited BBQ dinner in the courtyard of NTBI. This was the introduction to a week of an intensive look into man's position in Christ, and how that relates to different principles of spiritual growth and leadership. Each morning for the past seven days has been packed with lectures, discussions, and studies, which have exhausted our minds and stretched our understa...

I wrote a post with this same title many years ago, and I noticed that it was quite lacking. This is that same post revisited and majorly revised.

I guess I ought to be writing about what's going on in my life, but this homework assignment will say it better than a normal blog could. God has been constantly weighing this on my mind this semester.

I'm in the middle of writing my exegetical paper on two verses of Jude, 3 & 4 (there's only one chapter). I just finished writing the application section, which is required to be only one page. In this case, writing less was actually more difficult. I was forced to cut out about five sentences. Anyway, I was reading it over and it just seemed worth blogging. So... here ya go. The first application of Jude 3 & 4, comes from Jude’s words, “while I was making every effort to write you…I felt the necessity.” As we’ve already read, he goes on to speak about something other than his original intent. What strikes me is the relevant truth that correlates with Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” Likewise, with wisdom, we ought to be more concerned with what is needful for one’s walk with Christ to be strengthened than to only give shallow encouragement in spite of the facts. The second finds its roots in the clause “con...

Keeping up-to-date with my blog has been a lot harder than I had imagined. Actually, I was going to put it off again tonight, but after Josh Evans had mentioned it to me I figured I could take an hour to sit down and review what I've experienced within the past month. Oh, where do I start? What's new? Well, I read so much more now than I ever have in my life. This past Monday I sat down and read Deuteronomy, to finish my reading of the Pentateuch. It's the first time that I've read the whole thing through (the Pentateuch that is). Isn't that crazy? A 22 year-old church boy who's been saved for nine years is just now reading the foundation of God's Word . I'm convinced now that if you haven't read the Pentateuch and understood it then you're probably misunderstanding much of the rest of the Bible. Understanding Genesis-Deuteronomy brings those lyrics to mind, "I can see clearly now; the rain is gone." So much that I never had a good gras...

Wow! I just looked and saw that it's been a month since I last posted. I can't believe how quickly time has gone (it's such a cliche phrase, but so true). In my last post I said I wanted to keep from being too exhaustive, so now I'm going to share what's been going on in my heart/life since I arrived to NTBI in Jackson, MI. About seven weeks ago, I started the newest phase in my life - coming back to Bible school with a mind set for tribal missions. From the first week, God has been working in and on my heart to change me for His glory. I can see this is probably to prepare me for a secluded life away from convenience and comfort where much less time to study His Word will be possible. He's been teaching me about His grace. He's been teaching me about my focus. He's been teaching me about loving others. I believe it was only the second week of school when I started a class called "Spiritual Disciplines From a Grace Perspective", it's qui...

So I started this blog up again with the intent of updating every two weeks or so. Well, it's been close to three weeks now. I guess being a 22 year old freshman at a new school assumes the obligation of being the topic of this blog entry. I'll start with my trip up here. On January 15th, darkish-early at 4:40am, I set out on about a 700-mile trip from Winston-Salem, NC, to Jackson, MI. I foolishly stayed up until 12am the night before, trying to pack away nearly all of my belongings. This left me with all of four hours to sleep. Anyway, yea, I said my goodbyes and set out wide-eyed and with much anticipation to reach my destination. Needless to say, my once wide eyes quickly turned to half-closed with lids weighing down like anchors. About two or three hundred miles into the drive, I began to drift into split-second naps. One after the other came and went, until I realized what a danger I was to myself and the others around me. So at mile-marker 154, I took the exit, drove a q...

Lord-willing, I'll start my drive back to school around 4 tomorrow morning. Because of this, and the fact that I don't have my own personal computer, I'll hardly be updating my blog as much. My hopes are to blog once every week or two. Anyway... As being a Christian who has seen God open so many doors, it would be impossible for me to ever believe that God does not exist. Even K-LOVE Radio has mentioned that, if you listen long enough, you'll hear story after story of how God has been faithful to answer prayers. They go on to say there are so many coincidences of exact answer to prayer that there's no way we could believe they're only coincidences. We can obviously see that God is real, He cares about our lives, and He's waiting to hear from us. Like I said, I've seen God open many doors. Some of those doors being just recently within the past five months. I guess I should preface the rest by saying that God has called me to the mission field. This requi...

Am I posting a blog again so soon? Yup. There's a lot on my mind, I guess. If I were to re-title this, I'd call it "Anxious, Overwhelmed, and Guilt." These are the three feelings that summarize me right now. On that note, I'll elaborate. "Anxious: experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome." If you asked me if I was nervous a week ago, you heard a confident "No." But now I think I may feel a bit uneasy about a whole new venture (yes, that's venture, not a typo for ad venture). These are the things that I'm not worried over, but concerned about: a solitary (confinement) ten hour drive, a large school bill that will require trusting God to see paid off (by the way, I struggle with trust), a brand new institution of people that I've never met yet I'll expect to befriend, and another dive into study of which I've taken a two-year break. I think any stude...

As a follow-up to one of my best friends' (Ben Hungerford) suggestions, I'll work on blogging more in order to keep those interested updated on the news in my life. Right now, I'm beginning a new chapter as I'm planning to head back to school in just a few days. This time, instead of an 18 year-old freshman, I'll be 22. Lots have changed since my first walk through college; self-discipline, desire, focus: to name a few. I no longer have the distraction of a freshly broken relationship of three years. I will no longer struggle to maintain a late-night job through the week. I now have a pull to exceed among my peers, and a passion to learn what I believe God has ordained me. The same question has been asked of me over and over again, "Are you excited?". Sure, of course I'm excited to acquire some independence. But really, if you want better insight to how I feel, I'm ready . God first called me to the mission-field when I was just nine years. Well, d...