Imagine Gideon’s path—from hiding in a winepress, to getting a call to lead his country in battle, to asking for God’s confirmation, and then finally mustering troops to bear arms and fight.

32,000 men said yes to Gideon’s leadership. 32,000 were prepared to fight against Midian, for the sake of their freedom and for the freedom of their families.

32,000 men who were willing to fight 120,000 Midianites—all because Gideon had faith that God would keep His promises and give Israel victory.

If I’m Gideon, I would be tempted to go back to the winepress and ask someone else to lead. After all, who wants to take those odds when you consider the troop count?

But Gideon stays, and God speaks:

“Your army is too big.”

Gideon, FaithNathan WestwickApril 9, 2024Anxiety, How God Sees Us, Questions, Risk-Taking, Stepping OutComment

An Exciting Announcement!

I wrote a book recently.

It’s called Clearing the Path: Connecting with God in a Cluttered World, and I cannot wait to share it with you.

So that you can get a taste of it, and so that I can enjoy sharing bits and pieces of it with you, I will be releasing excerpts over the next several weeks before the full book is available (late summer 2023 on Amazon and other retail outlets).

Short excerpts will be posted on my Instagram account (be sure to follow me @nathan.westwick) and longer pieces will be posted here on my blog.

Real Change, Life Abundant, FaithNathan WestwickJune 6, 2023Book, Guides, Knowing Thyself, Offering Hope, Risk-Taking, Stepping OutComment

Stepping Courageously Into Your Next Season

I was shopping recently when a decorative sign caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks. It said: The world needs who you were made to be.

Immediately, tears welled up in my eyes.

I couldn’t help but be made aware of my passion for seeing people realize their full, God-given potential, but that wasn’t what brought the emotion to the surface.

What got me was that the sign seemed to be speaking directly to me.

Facing Each Day Anew

It’s been one of those stretches where things have just been… heavy.

You know, when you feel like you’re rolling a big boulder uphill in every aspect of your life. Over the past few weeks, I’ve just had one of those stretches where it seems like everything takes considerable effort, and despite that effort, everything still goes backwards. Pair that with the physical exhaustion that invariably accompanies seasons of stress, and you’ve got a compound effect that can feel more than a bit overwhelming.

Why Now is NOT the Time to Play it Safe

I’ve been chewing on this since March of 2020…

Clearly, I don’t need to go into any details about the recent span of human history we’re living in, so let’s hop right in, shall we?

In a world where everything is about safety, about protection, about playing the odds and having them fall in our favor, I believe now, more than ever, is the time to throw caution to the wind and stop playing it safe.

We're All a Little Kid Sometimes...

This was originally written 7 years ago, but I felt it worthwhile to post it today. You see, I often feel like young Garrett in this story - sometimes reluctant to take risks, yet letting the sense of adventure take over, enjoying the thrill that comes with it. Until, that is, I feel in danger and/or scared that I might not make it through. Like Garrett, I often end up with scrapes and bruises, but I can relate to the young bloke in so many ways...

Enjoy the read; I know as a father I sure enjoyed the moment:

Overcoming Fears, Faith, FamilyNathan WestwickOctober 28, 2015Adventure, Risk-Taking, Growing Up Comment

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