Against the Rock

In my last post, I proposed a challenge that essentially suggested we pay less attention to the news (man-made stories) and instead spent a bit more time focusing on the rhythms of nature (God-made stories).

How’d that go for you? Did you manage to make it the entire week? (It’s not too late to take the challenge, by the way; there’s no “late penalty” for this one…)

I know for me personally, I was able to greatly reduce my news intake on a daily basis, and instead spent a little more time connecting with God through prayer, Bible time, and just being outside.

Where is your hope?

Well here we are, a few days removed from the election, and no clear-cut winner. Personally, this comes as no surprise – something about 2020 just feels like this is right on par for everything else that’s happened this year.

But as I look around, I notice an interesting phenomenon: I see more people than ever before, genuinely fearful about what will happen if the other side wins.

Faith, Overcoming Fears, The Journey, The Stuff That MattersNathan WestwickNovember 5, 2020Anxiety, Anger, Bible, Crazy Life, Desperation, Election Season, Politics, TruthComment

Using Our Platform for Good

Last night my family and I attended a concert together.

Well, maybe that’s too generous a statement. We all know that in 2020, “attended a concert together” means we all sat on the couch watching a livestream video while being distracted by our dog’s silly antics.

But hey – in 2020, we take what we can get, right?

How to Transform Our Communities

Alright, it’s time for a thought exercise. I want you to play along for a few minutes, if for no other reason than to humor me. If this weren’t in written form, I would ask you to close your eyes and visualize what I’m about to describe. But alas, we’ll give a little grace if you refuse to close your eyes for this one…

Ready?

Here goes:

Imagine you’re standing on an overlook, staring across a vast desert valley. In the distance, rugged mountains cradle the valley with strong and dry arms.

As you look at the valley floor, you see it covered with desert chaparral – dry, brittle brush that thirsts for heaven’s rain. Swaths of the desert floor are bare, showing the evidence of rivers that once flowed many ages ago.

Can you see it?

Can you smell it?

Can you feel the warm breeze press against your face?

Standing in the Face of Fear

It is in places like these where I feel God’s strong presence – perhaps because it is in that tension between peace and violence that God seems to exist most tangibly to me. There is something about that tension – like we’ve left the feel-good, storybook narrative and entered into something more risky, more wild, more… real.

Why Politicians Continue to Let Us Down

Election season.

Political signs on every corner, my mailbox stuffed with political propaganda, a list of presidential candidates that gets people from all political persuasions fired up out of fear, hatred, angst—all with an increased level of voter apathy among the younger generations.

Why such a furor?

I think it’s because we feel like we’re continually being let down by our elected officials. It can be due to shady morals, untrustworthy actions, or simply unfulfilled promises.

But is it possible that we get let down because we allow our hopes to get too high?

Real Change, LeadershipNathan WestwickJune 2, 2016Politics, Election SeasonComment

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