We still have the vision...

Hello folks. How is one and all? It has come time to let you all know a sad bit of news. We want to first say thank you to all who stood with us both prayerfully and financially during our time at home while raising awareness for our backpackers ministry. It was a big encouragement to us, especially with trying to settle back into life in America and finding a job and all. So we really appreciate it. We regret to inform you though that we will not be heading to Scotland for the time being. We were not able to raise the funds we needed to support the mission over there and as such we do not feel it is right to draw out any longer the fund raising we have been doing for the last two years. We are sorry to see this mission not happen but we know and believe that God is in control and that He has a reason for everything He does. The vision has not died. We still have a heart to see the backpackers hear the gospel of Jesus, but we understand that it is not to be right now. So we thank you again for all your prayers and we hope to keep in touch so that you may know when the time has come for us to go to the backpackers. Thank you.

In other news this is where we are at right now and how you can be praying for us. For now we are living in Albuquerque New Mexico. Nate is working hard to find a good paying job that can support our little family. I(Nate) have my New Mexico state license for practicing as an EMT-Basic but for whatever reason I have not yet been able to find work with it. But we also want to have something that will keep us involved in ministry if God wills. Nate has put his resume in to several churches looking for work as a youth pastor. So far it has not been very encouraging but he keeps trying. It is our desire to help young people as this would keep us as a family involved in a church besides just attending on Sundays and according to studies done by groups like Answers in Genesis at least 70 percent of young people today are leaving the church once they graduate from high school. That number is appalling. We want to be able to reach these kids to give them a look at Christ and see that He is real and relevant to their lives. We are also hoping that this might give us a bit more experience for our future with the backpackers of Europe.

As for our boys William has started homeschooling. He is very smart and learning to read and can even write his name without any help. He loves puzzles and video games. Josue can say most of his ABC's and can even count to 10 by himself. He loves Cars(Pixar that is) and Thomas the train. Gabriel is learning how to say all kinds of words. Some of his favorite words are pizza and poopy. Why those two we don't know. He also loves Thomas the train. They are a handful but they are our little blessings.

So this is where we sit right now. We are just trying to pay our bills and serve God while doing it. We are still waiting for Nate's book to take off. We are hoping for it to get out there and start reaching people with the Gospel of Christ. It was from God's leading that I decided to write it so we are hoping it will really minister to those who find it. Please keep it in your prayers, or if you should decide you would like to get a copy for yourselves you can find it at https://www.createspace.com/3697273 or on Amazon.com. The title is This Pilgrim's Journey: and his thoughts on what he has learned and it runs for 15 dollars. Also please be praying for Nate as he tries to find work. It is not an easy time to find a good job and he has put in many resumes and applications all across the country for EMT or youth pastor, even applications at Wal-Mart and Starbucks.

Again we thank you all so much for your prayers and support and we love you all so much. Thank you and may God bless you all.

A new book

Greetings to one and all. I thank you all for your time to check out this blog and see what news our family is up to. I am sorry I have not written in a while but I have been a bit busy. In August I (nate) was in California for two weeks taking a class for becoming an EMT Basic. I am now nationaly registered and I hope to be state certified by the end of the week and should soon after that be working for an ambulance company in Albuquerque. Although I am not sure if it will happen that fast. I say Albuquerque because for those of you who do not know we have moved to Albuquerque just last month. We are living in a little three bedroom apartment for the time being while we wait to see when we will be moving to Scotland. Yes we are still aiming for Scotland as that is where our heart is. So in the mean time I have done something to try and raise some money for our mission.

If anyone is interested I have written a book and had it published. Yes that is right, I have published a book. It is called This Pilgrim's Journey and is available at this address: https://www.createspace.com/3697273 and in about another week it will be available on Amazon.com. The book covers various topics from Creation vs Evolution, to Love, Sex, and Marriage, and even answers questions such as Does God Exist?

Here is a small piece of the book taken from Chapter two, What Defines our Life?:
What about madness? Was Jesus crazy? Again how could a mad man deceive so many people into thinking He knew what He was talking about? If you have ever met a mad person you would know there is no chance of Jesus teaching the crowds the Bible says He taught without being found out. I have seen many mad people in Africa as a missionary and I can tell you there is no way to hide such mental instability. And again, the ones who say that Jesus was not God but a good moral teacher are basically saying that a mad man is a good moral teacher. Wow, what a claim, a mad man as a moral teacher. That would be like saying that we could look to someone like the Joker as a good source of morals. Jesus has truly deceived many if He was indeed mad.

We hope that you will spread the word and even buy a copy for yourself as it will help us in our fund-raising for Scotland. We do recieve a higher royalty if purchased from the web address above than if it is purchased through Amazon so we recomend buying from there. The price is for 15.00 plus the shipping. It is a made to order so the printing is done when the order is placed.

We hope you all enjoy it as it is very close to our hearts. Thank you all again for all of your prayers during the last couple years we have been in the states. God Bless you all and again, Thank You.

Freedom from what and for what?

Happy 4th of July everyone, or I should say to all of my fellow Americans out there. I hope you are all enjoying your BBQ's and fireworks displays, and if you are in different countries where these things aren't happening well happy 4th anyways. God Bless you all and especially our soldiers out there far from home and away from your families. May the good Lord bring you home soon.

But on this day it makes me wonder what is our freedom about and what is it for? America gained it's freedom through a rebel war. There is no way to put this without offending some, sorry. The bible tells us to obey the leaders over us. The early Christians did not try to overthrow the Roman empire but rather just faced persecution knowing a better life was coming. Rebellion is the seed of America's freedom. And in the way that we have our organizations such as the ACLU, or the NCSE, the National Center for Science Education, or even the Gay rights activists, we are clearly a nation in rebellion to our Creator.

So why did God allow our freedom from the tyranny we were facing from Britain? While we don't know all of God's ways or all of His plans we do know that God will always use all things for His glory. A bad situation can be used as a means to teach a lesson or bring about a good thing later. Such as the case with Job. His own pride and arrogance was revealed to him and in the end God blessed him with even greater riches. So what good could come from our freedom?

None can deny that America has been a major world power for many years and although it seems like God may be lifting his blessings from us we still are a major influence in the world. Not so much now but in the past we have sent out some of the biggest missionary movements into the world and had such notable men as D.L. Moody, and Billy Graham. Clearly God used the rebellion of America to bring about a major push for Christ in the world.

But what is freedom for? Freedom as this world sees it is to do whatever you want that makes you happy. Drugs, alcohol, sex outside of marriage, all of this is outside of God's will, but not outside of the "freedom" that this world thinks is okay. So freedom as God sees it is to serve Him. Is serving someone else really freedom? Well, what does God ask us to do? To love Him and to love others. If you have a wife then you want to love her, buy her flowers, take care of her, please her. If you have kids you want what is best for them, you want to provide for them, and give them good things. If this is what it means to love someone else then is this a chore or is it freedom? God wants us to love Him, give him our best, worship Him. And in return He gives us life, both now and in the future world to come.

Yes it is true that in this world we will suffer many things for the name of Christ. But the rewards are of eternal value. But if we follow the freedom of this world we may suffer temporal pains like sickness, withdrawal, pain, and if we have not followed Christ then eternal pains to come. So which freedom is really worth it? Temporary pain and eternal happiness or temporal pain with eternal pain to come? If someone gives you a gift that is of inestimable value do you not wish to thank that person? Or what if someone saves your life from drowning? Do you remember the old war movies where the soldier who gets saved always would say to the other guy that he would pay him back?

Like in Saving Private Ryan where Tom Hanks looks at Matt Damon and tells him to "earn this" meaning the death of all his men just to save one man, Damon's character. See, we know that to be saved by someone means we are indebted to that person who saved us. Often we are ready to do what pleases that person who saved us. So if Christ saved us from an eternity of suffering in Hell then would we not want to do what pleases Him? And since His will is to live a life that is filled with goodness and thankfulness is that really a life of punishment or does such a life bring freedom, true freedom. It is time we "unlearn what we have learned" about what freedom really means.

I hope you have some good hamburgers, hot dogs, or steaks, and that fruit salad with those little marshmallows. Have a happy 4th of July everyone, and God Bless you.

Houses, Highlands, and moving...

Well I am back from Scotland now and I must say that the trip was great. To see the highlands again and to be around backpackers again was wonderful. But I'm sure you are all wondering if I was able to accomplish what I set out to do. The answer is yes. I was able to meet with the YWAM leaders as well as meet with some Realtors to see the legal side of buying a house in the UK. It was a very informative trip and I thank you all for your prayers. So here is the run down.

I arrived in Scotland on a Saturday night very tired. It was a good flight though, just long. The next day being a Sunday there wasn't much to do but walk around the YWAM base and spend some time praying. On Monday I had a meeting with one of the leaders to see what my week would look like. Since I had a short time there I had to fit in as much as possible.

My first meeting with one of the leaders was on Tuesday. I took the train out to Paisley, another one of the YWAM bases, and had lunch with the staff and students and then I spent the afternoon visiting with the leader. It was a good time of talking and seeing the base. I found out that during our time at Paisley we would need to be renting an apartment near by. The base itself is not so big so there isn't much room there for another family.

From there I went up to Oban to see the town again and to meet with what they call a solicitor. Basically a lawyer who is in the business of buying and selling property. See, in the UK you don't really buy or sell the house, the solicitors representing you the buyer or you the seller does the actual buying or selling. As the buyer we would hire a solicitor to make our offer to the seller's solicitor and then, in his words, if the seller accepts the offer then it becomes a "tennis match" between the lawyers over the different deals of the purchase of the house. There was a lot more he said but I will not bore you all with all the legal stuff since even I didn't understand all of it.

After my meeting I headed back down to the YWAM base in Seamill. I had a few more meetings before my time to come home. I had a meeting with the leadership team which went very well. It cleared up a lot of confusion in some areas. Mainly just about where and how we fit in during our time with the two bases. Our time will be spent making relationships with different YWAM works around Scotland and with the teams in Paisley and Seamill. This way we will have a family support base from which to work so we don't end up out on the field on our own. A very wise idea. Everything is ready for us to come.

All we need is to raise the funds to move as well as raise the money for the purchase of a house. We have been looking at a few houses in Oban town and while we are not sure of which house yet we are looking at a budget of how much we want to spend. So after talking to some of the families there we saw about how much would be a good idea to raise. As you can imagine the cost of living in the UK is not cheap. The exchange rate is almost 2 dollars to 1 pound so whatever we raise by the time we get there we are looking at that amount being cut in half. It is a bit daunting but not for an infinitely rich God.

So please pray with us during this time of waiting as we try to raise the support we need to move. During this summer we will be visiting with some friends and traveling around trying to raise some more support for this vision. As we go please pray we would have safety on the road and that God would bless the outcome. Thank you. May God Bless you.

Finally going....well, sorta

Hello everyone. Here is a short bit of news. I'M GOING TO SCOTLAND!!!! Well not quite yet a permanent move though. It is a short trip. So here is the scoop, or the poop. Or the pooper scoop. Okay I have lost you all and I am sorry. Anyways here is the news.

As some of you may already know we have been a little short on the amount of monthly support we need to begin our visa process for some time now. Well that hasn't changed. But with the summer comes new hope and promise. We have lined up some speaking arraignments and are hoping to get under way in July. So to prepare for this as well as to prepare for what lies ahead I, Nate, am making a trip to Scotland this June for a week long trip to scout out the land so to speak. I will mainly be visiting the YWAM base where we will be moving to first but if time and money allows I will also head north to the town of Oban which is where we want to move to for the backpacking mission we plan to start. If I make it I plan to be looking at houses on the market there to see what is available and what is the cost like.

I would appreciate as many prayers as I can get as I will be traveling alone and working to try to get as much information as I can from the YWAM leadership. Thank you all for your prayers during this time. God Bless you all and please be watching for some more news soon in the future.

"Feelings...nothing more than feelings.."

If I were to ask you, "How you doing?", what would be your answer? More often than not my answer to such a question is a plain and simple "Doin good. How are you?" You want to know whats so funny about such a response, I truly don't care about his answer and more than likely he doesn't care about mine. Why is that? Conviction does not breed a habit. I have often been convicted of being shallow on such greetings and concern for my fellow man but has my flesh got its act together. HAHA, no.

Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. It seems as if this was written to show us not that God alone can look into the heart of a man, but rather that only God LOOKS on the heart of a man. How many of us wear masks every day trying to hide what is inside, and how many more of us would rather just look at the "outward appearance" rather than the heart of our friends or family? After all we have so much more important things to do than to show concern for another, and who really wants to get tied up in a deep heartfelt conversation with someone when our couch and TV are waiting for us at home. Some of us may have a bit better excuse like our children are running amok and must be leashed so I don't have time right now, but when our children are grown will they see the need to love and listen or will they mirror what they see?

Having said all this and knowing that we must start somewhere I want to share a bit of my heart with you. Read it or not is none of my concern, only that I have spoken it out. All masks must come off. After all what is the point of being in a family, the family of Christ, if we are never to know each other? I have shared some of my heart's pain with you all before in an earlier post titled, "Remembering...the pain." In that post I shared a number of things that have pained my heart for quite some time now, but this will be different, I hope. This I hope will shed some light on a life's desire. A life's goal to serve the Lord. It may be a bit long but such matters of the heart often are.

When I graduated from high school I was going to follow my dream of becoming a marine biologist and work with marine life maybe someplace like sea world. But God had other plans. Maybe if you have ever read stories of some of the famous missionaries of the past their calling would sound similar. They had a dream and then in a single instant God grabbed them and changed their life. This was me. I read a story about a boy in Sudan and knew that God was calling me to Sudan. After a long road of a few years of this and that I finally found myself on a plane bound for Africa. It was an adventure that lasted for six years and caused me to grow in unimaginable ways. It also cost me my carefree bachelor lifestyle. And I would not ask for that lifestyle back again. I married the most beautiful woman in the world and even grew by three more as I had three children, all crazy and wild boys. But the adventure came to an end with sickness and we as a family decided it was time to return home. It was not easy for us but we knew God had other plans for us and so we followed Him.

Backtracking a bit those plans God had for us He introduced a few years earlier and said He would increase this vision more in the future. That vision was to work with backpackers. Please see the post entry in the archives titled "Prodigal Son Project". There is a short video slide show there explaining our mission.

So coming home we knew God would take us to new places and new work. We were ready to follow Him. Now fast forward a bit and we get to what I am going to share about today. In sharing about this mission we have had very unexpected support in its goals and purpose, to reach backpackers with the gospel. We have been encouraged by the prayers and comments people have shared with us in our time at home in the states. Overall we were a bit surprised people took to the idea. But in one area we have seen much discouragement, financial support. While in Sudan we never lacked and through many faithful supporters God provided everything we ever needed. God is truly faithful! But this time it is a bit different. While our hope was to be moving by this summer it seems now as to not be the case. We have not yet reached the amount we need in monthly support to begin our visa applications so we will not be leaving when we planned.

When talking about this we know God works in everything to better us and help us grow. He has people wait on His timing for a reason. To everything there is a time and a season. We know this and we are desperately praying for God's direction as we are at a loss. God is clear, Satan is blurry. If there is confusion then it is the works of the enemy. And this time of uncertainty is a bit frightening for us. We have no where to go and nothing that we can do. The mission field is all we know. Our heart is to move forward and reach these backpackers with the gospel but we can not do it without the funds to even go to the country to which God has called us. Every day we are here our hearts yearn more for a place we can not reach for reasons we can not understand. I know I am not speaking a foreign language here. Many of you reading this have had dreams before to do something with your lives. Some may still be dreaming while others have achieved their goal. And I am not talking about a private island where you can retire at 25. Yes that is a dream, one that I have had many times. But you know what dreams I am talking about. You wanted to go on to school and become a doctor, or a teacher, or a fill in the blank. A wife or husband and kids with a house. These things are not bad as God uses them all for His purpose and glory.

For me the dream became one of serving God with my life on distant fields of battle striking at the strongholds of the enemy and taking back what he has stolen. I have lived that dream for six years in Sudan. But now I am stuck. A teacher who has her degree and ends up working at Wal-Mart would probably understand what I am talking about. Does this mean there is defeat? Never!! Our God is the Creator of the world and everything in it. He has won the day and there is no defeat for those who put there trust in Him. But in this world there are times of waiting and longing. The promises of God will never be thwarted or defeated. But the times of waiting can be hard. The ways of the heart are hard to explain as they are feelings, impressions, pictures. Does that mean that we shouldn't try to explain them to each other? Please understand that the sole purpose of this post is to shed some light on the musings and prayers of a longing heart. Triumphant soon, but longing now. And if you have something to say then let us know what is in your heart. I do really care what is in your heart. It is a habit I am trying to grow.

God Bless you and keep you.

He is risen, just as he needed to be.

Happy Easter to all. Its time to get out the decorated eggs and the plastic, candy filled eggs and have an Easter egg hunt. But is this what Easter is all about? For some this may be the extent of their Easter celebration. Then for others it may be the only time a year, except for maybe Christmas, where they go to church. Then there are those die-hards who decide to get up with the rooster and go to a sunrise service at their church. But are these "traditions", or Easter eggs from wal-mart all there is to Easter or is it something deeper, something more real?

Well let's first take a look at our reason for the Easter celebration. Now I'm not talking about the pagan roots for it is early morning for me right now and I don't want to take the time, what I'm talking of is our traditions of today that says we celebrate Easter as the time when Christ rose from the dead to take away the sin of the world and destroy the power of death. This is the tradition I am talking of.

Now is this a loose tradition based on some story from antiquity, or maybe a mythical story, or maybe even a lie put forward by the followers of some man who lived 2000 years ago? We must first ask ourselves if a tradition would really last for 2000 years if the man it was based on died and did not rise from the dead. Many men have died since the creation of the world, a few were brought back to life but died again later, and two never died, but have traditions sprung up from these people that have lasted through the ages? No. So what is so special of the Christ that would bring a tradition lasting 2000 years? Perhaps it has something to do with the reality of the event and its purpose.

A man raising himself from the dead and walking about for several days being seen by many and doing amazing things like walking through locked doors would certainly leave a lasting impression on the lives of those who saw him. To see such a thing would almost certainly leave a "tradition" lasting many centuries. A lie of a stolen body would die off with the first martyr. Who would willingly die for a lie? No, the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour could only have been a real historical event. It really did happen, and all other theories hold no water. A man beaten as badly as Jesus was and crucified by those who know the art like the back of their hands most certainly was dead, not fainted. And I would like to see even a healthy man bound in cloths like a mummy get up and push a several thousand pound stone away from the door of his tomb from the inside and then somehow get passed an armed guard of elite soldiers. If a healthy man could not do this then I am sure a severely beaten man could not. Even in scripture God made it clear that Jesus was dead. Pilate asked in Mark 15:44-45 if Jesus was in fact dead and it was confirmed. The bible leaves no doubt.

So why would Jesus die? He had to die. Without the shedding of blood there could be no remission of sins. This was not some back-up plan God had devised from Adam's mistake in Eden. To suggest such a thing would be to imply that God did not know the future choice of Adam. No, God knew and yet He chose to create us and love us still even through all our mistakes and rebellion. But He had to have a way of restoration. Being Holy He could not have sin in His presence so He devised His plan of salvation from before time ready to redeem His creation upon its corruption. Wow, God you are awesome!

And Jesus had to rise to life for the only way to defeat death is to break its hold by rising to life. Jesus showed His power by raising Himself from the grave. Death must be defeated because it is an intruder. God does not die and He is the giver of life. Death was not part of God's design but instead is a punishment and result of our sin. It must be defeated. God alone has the power to defeat death as He is the giver of life. He brought man from the dust of the ground. Dust does not breathe, or have life, so life could only come from God. And He breathed into the man the breath of life and man became a living soul.

So God gave life, man removed ourselves from God by rebellion, so God restored our life by sending His son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins by dying for us and then defeating death by rising to life. Only God could do this, and it has been done. The cross is empty and rotting somewhere. The tomb is empty. He is not here, He is risen, just as He said, Matthew 28:6. Happy Resurrection Day.

"And whose side are you on" asked the young hobbit?

"I am on no body's side because nobody is on my side," replied Treebeard. Actually this scene has nothing to do with my post but I liked it for the title. But there is a good point to take from this. Pippin naturally asked because there was a war on and as far as he could tell there was only two sides. I know that in modern day warfare there can be the two opposing sides as well as different views and so on but when you boil it all down is there still not only two sides?

So what then is my post about? Well it is quite simply about sides. Sides in a battle that I know will tread on a few, or more than a few, toes. Which battle is that? Specifically the battle between evolution and creation, more broad it is the battle between God and man. It is an age old conflict and this is why I know it will step on a few toes because for anyone who reads it there will most certainly be those who disagree with me. Oh well, such is life, at least in this world.

I am sitting at work right now and I just read an article about a science teacher in Chicago who was recently reprimanded for mentioning creationism in his science class. The case was brought up by an atheist who said that it is wrong to teach creation in the science classroom as well as against the law. Now I will not get into specifics I will just say he was told not to do it again and it was dropped. But why even the issue? First of all it is not illegal to teach creation in the classroom but is often brought up as a quick easy out because many people do not know that it is not illegal and most people do not want to be guilty of breaking the law.

My point is this. In this battle there are only two sides. For God, or for man. Right now is when some will say "what do you mean, either we must accept creation or evolution?" First of all I did not say it. I have heard it said. Secondly I would first ask that one carefully searches his beliefs and see just what path they will lead him on, or what would the conclusion be. For example, if one subscribes to special creation by God in six literal days as it records in Genesis where does it force one to either re-interpret scripture, contradict scripture, or change scripture from say a historical account to a metaphorical one? Theologically it is sound as this is just a literal reading of the Genesis account of creation.

Now if one were to subscribe to evolution then one must decide first of all to be either a humanist and accept evolutionary theory in its entirety which says there was no God and it all happened by chance random processes, or one must make some kind of compromise to try to harmonize the bible with the theory. For example, to say that millions of years were used by God to come to a complete creation over all that time one must accept that death was a natural part of all that time and therefore death was around before sin as this was before Adam but even Adam must be seen as not an actual person but rather a representation of man in general. If that is true then one must also accept that when the scriptures tell us that Jesus died to conquer death one must ask why if death was a natural part of God's original design for life from the beginning of the ages.

You see I am a creationist. I believe that there is supporting evidence for it and that it makes the most sense theologically with the very foundational beliefs of our scriptures as Christians. Evolution however, in its very basics, is trying to explain the world without God. To say God did it does not give credibility to God's character. To say he allowed death before sin, went on to say it was good, and then came to save us from death just makes no sense. No, evolution is not compatible with the bible.

But here is where I would draw attention to the opposing side of creationism. In this battle of the school teacher who was the one who brought it up? Was it a christian parent upset that his kid's teacher was teaching creation? No, it was an atheist! Here is how I look at it. If I was to hold that some form of evolution was possible and that God used it and that if I interpret the scriptures a certain way to make it harmonize so that everything fits so I can have my faith and my science then is everything okay?

Well ask yourself this. When it comes down to it who are those pushing to make creationism illegal in the classroom? Who are the loudest proponents for evolution? What do die hard evolutionists say about creationism? "Some sky fairy said poof and then everything magically appeared." Quoted from discussion boards on the very same news feed of the teacher being reprimanded. If my belief is just a combination of faith with the world's science am I on the right side? If some one would have called the God of the universe a sky fairy I am sure David would have said to us the same thing he said to the Israelites, "who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

We may not have all the answers to give for everything we see around us, although neither do the evolutionists, but does that mean the answers are not there? On the same discussion board an atheist gave an example as to why there isn't a God. If your house is your world and you are looking in your house for your keys and do not find them then they don't exist. That is the abridged version of his statement but the general idea. He adds more in where you look and so on but his conclusion is the same. He then says that if you look for God and he cannot be found then he therefore does not exist. Well let me ask him a question. Does your house have a window? Could you have dropped your keys out the window and therefore they exist but outside of your world? Could God exist outside of your world? Or maybe as Indiana Jones and his friend Sala says of the Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark. "They're digging in the wrong place!" Maybe they are looking for a god of they're own imaginings and since they cannot find him then he doesn't exist. God says quite clearly in the bible that the invisible attributes of Him are clearly seen ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:20.

Does all this mean I am right and others are wrong? As I do not know all ends I can not say yes and I can not judge others motives behind their beliefs, all I can do is look at the world around me and use scripture to interpret it. I believe that I am right. I know God exists else my faith would be a blind faith. And if I know God exists then is it possible that he created the world in six very literal days, well why not? If He is an all powerful God could He not have done it all in an instant? Six days has a meaning and a purpose for us, our work week. Ages of time has no meaning or purpose, it is only necessary for evolution to be plausible. Take a serious look at more than just the so called "scientific evidence" to see where you stand. Is more being compromised than just the start of a book? If the interpretation of the evidence disagrees with the foundation of scripture then which should be thrown out, scripture, or the interpretation of the evidence? And is there another possible interpretation of the same evidence that agrees with scripture?

God Bless you in your journey.

Walking with my God

What does it mean to follow someone? When driving if you are following someone you make every turn they make so as not to get lost. Or when playing follow the leader you do all that they do so as not to loose the game. But what does this mean when paired with following our God?

I have been a christian for many years now. That does not make me any better or any worse than any other just stating a fact. In those years I have grown in considerable ways as every christian is called to do. I have learned much, seen much, and worshiped many different ways, meaning taken part in different denominational worship services. In this journey I have learned much of what it means to walk with my God.

Does this again mean I know more than others? Please understand the point of this post. I am talking of myself, not comparing. I have a saying that I can't remember now if I made it up or if I heard it somewhere but it goes like this, Lord, help me to be better than I was yesterday but worse than I will be tomorrow. The meaning is quite clear, it is just to say that I want to be better every day. I want to achieve a greater heart, greater attitude, greater likeness of my Lord everyday. After all, we are called to be transformed into his likeness.

A journey can take many paths. A journey is not like a vacation, or a trip. The very idea of the word trip seems like a short trip to the store or a trip to grandmas house, but the word journey brings with it the idea of a lengthy travel, a trip if you will of some long duration. To follow Christ is just such a journey.

In my travels I have learned many things. Some of those things I have learned opened my eyes to errors I had in my way of thinking. A fun example is that I could never understand why Peter was warming himself by the fire when they took Jesus but upon spending time in Israel and having a whole day where it did nothing but snow in the heart of Jerusalem I now understand why Peter was warming himself. To change the way you see things or the way you understand things comes with learning. To never change means you know all and are therefore perfect and have no need of God. Yeah, like that will ever happen!

So in such a journey with Christ we are in essence playing follow the leader. We must do all that He does so as to not loose the game. We must run the race with all diligence so as to win the prize. How can we expect that over time we will make right choices apart from following His guiding? We are trying to become more like Him and He consulted with His Father everyday for guidance. He was our example and so we should follow suit.

Raising three very wild boys in this ungodly world I can see the value of living consistently with scripture as my foundation. everyday must be based on scripture. Sadly this is not always the case, but I am trying to be better than I was yesterday right?

I recently learned two new words, Exegesis and Eisegesis. Now exegesis means to read the bible and bring truth from the scriptures, and eisegesis means to read the bible and interpret it based on human experience. Now I may seem naive and I have in fact been called that recently in an Internet discussion board for standing up for young earth creationism but I have always thought that if I approach God's word ready to hear what He has for me to hear then the word of God speaks for itself. I know there are many who will most certainly disagree with me on this line but that is as it is.

So what is walking with my God? Quite simply it is following His every move to the best of my ability to become more like His Son. Looking for His guiding word everyday of my life in order to stay within His will for my life. And talking with Him as a friend to learn more of His life and ways. That is walking with my Lord.

A wee bit of news

Hello one and all who check our blog. I must say it is a bit fascinating to look at the statistics on here and see where some of the page views are coming from. Like for example, I just noticed that there was one page view from Iran?! How weird is that? People all around the world that i may not even know are reading my family's news. If I know you who checked in Iran and I just don't remember I am sorry.



Anyways I have a bit of news I would like to share with you all. I would like to share with you about our mission The Prodigal Son Project. Now by now if you check this blog regularly you know all about our mission and its goals. To reach the young travelers of the world with the gospel of Christ. To do this you may also remember that we need to have a house of our own in order to invite the travelers in for a clean and welcoming place to stay where they can feel free to ask about Jesus, or at least experience a nice clean bed and hospitality.



If you remember I put an update on here a while back telling everyone of what we needed to raise in monthly support in order to begin our visa process so we could move over to Scotland by July of this year. I would like to thank all those who have been helping us in this and partnering with us in prayer to see this vision become a reality. But here is the draw back. We have not yet reached our goal of 2,000 dollars of monthly support and that means we are no where near our goal of around 5,000 dollars in regular monthly support.



I have been a missionary on the field for over 6 years. I know the pains of trying to raise support. It goes against anyone who works hard to basically ask people for money to help support them, especially if it is to support not only them but their family as well. Some of you may know of missionary stories where the missionary just prayed and God put it on someones heart to support him or her. Other missionaries however would hold nothing back in letting people know of their needs. Neither is wrong and both are good ways. Sometimes it is a matter of humility to go to someone with your needs and then leave it up to God to move that person's heart.



What am I saying through all of this? Simply this, we need your help. We cannot begin to stress how deeply we believe that God has put this vision in our hearts and we know that the path we are on is where God wants us to be. We ache to share the gospel with these young travelers as well as to be on the mission field again discipleing new believers. But we cannot do this without help. We know that God can move mountains and we are trusting on Him to move in this area of our support. But we are also calling on everyone who is following us to seriously pray and seek God in this. Ask Him what is His will. We thank you all for reading this post and hope that you are well. May God Bless you.

Thoughts on, or after, Valentine's Day

I read this recently and thought it was fitting for Valentine's Day, albeit a day late. Please enjoy and tell me what you think. Nate


God loves us, and it is plain as the nose on our face. So what is love? Is it a feeling? An emotion, little butterflies in our tummies? Or is it a choice? A choice maybe to love in the hardest times, or even unto death. Jesus Himself told us that there is no greater love than a man laying down his life for his friends.

Is love really love when it must be forced? Think about it. Who has ever loved green beans just because they were told to eat them when they were kids? In fact, unless you always loved green beans, most children I’m sure found it even harder to swallow because they were being forced to like them. See, love is not love unless it is given a choice. God could not create us to automatically love Him and have a perfect love. He would have had little robots to love Him and do what they were programmed but that would not have been the relationship that He created us for. So love must by its very nature have a choice. A choice to either love or not to love. It is this reason that God created us with this choice and it is this reason that we had the choice to make. The sad truth is that Adam chose to rebel and man has chose to disobey our Creator ever since. Look at any 4 year old or teenager for that matter. They are a perfect picture of how we try to rebel against our Father every day. We think we know better when in truth we know nothing.

You see, the story of the bible is a love story. It is God’s love story about His pursuit of His people and their turning from Him. Many say that the God we read of in the Old Testament is a violent, murderous God who wipes out entire people groups on a whim, not a loving God. But is this really an accurate picture? I have seen this argument brought up often on the Internet but always from those who already disbelieve the bible and the God who inspired it. So how should we look at it? The best way is to start at the beginning. When you go to see a new movie you wouldn’t wait till it is half over and then go in to see the rest, you would see it from the beginning. The same is true of a good book. You wouldn’t pick up a mystery novel and start in the middle and read on from there. You would know nothing of the characters and the end would not make sense, so you start with chapter one.

Happy Valentine's Day and God Bless You All.

Comic Book Superheroes

Have you seen Batman Begins, or Superman Returns, maybe the four X-Men movies, or what about the new ones coming this year like the Green Lantern, or Captain America? Seems like we are a bit obsessed, yes? Well just the other night me and Lia watched Batman Begins and how from the darkness he became a symbol of courage and justice in Gotham. Do you remember any movie lines? The only one I remember from the Micheal Keaton Batman is "Where does he get such wonderful toys?". What about the new one, "It's not who I am that defines me, but what I do." Just a little different. Now don't get me wrong, I like the Keaton Batman, and I like the new Batman, but there is a marked difference in our superheros today. In Superman Returns there is a point when Superman is talking with Lois Lane about her paper where she said that no one needs a saviour anymore, and he turns to the city and says "I can hear them all, and they are crying for a saviour." That quote may not be exact for any of you who are superman fans. It has been awhile since I saw the movie, but you get the idea.

What is the point you ask? It is this. When many of these comic hero wonders were created it was during a time in our history when things were uncertain, people wanted to have someone that could fly in and rescue them, save them from all problems. In the Christopher Reeve Superman we saw him battle Lex Luthor and even turn the whole world around just to save Lois from Death, but in the new one we saw how nothing, not even a convenience store robbery was to small for him to take the time to save. Superman suddenly cared for the everyday joe on the street.

Now we in America must be truly losing our creative streak as instead of thinking up our own new heroes we just resurrect the old ones from the comic books sitting in old boxes in our closet and give them a new flair. But I ask the question, what is our depression today, why are we so desperately searching for a saviour? Because we want to be saved. A weak saviour will not do so we look to one who can fly, one who is not ashamed to wear his underwear on the outside of his spandex. We look to one who can hear us and come to our aid faster than a speeding bullet. We want a hero that can take our sins on himself because he is the only one able to do so, he is the only one able to bear them.

Is the time ripe for our Saviour to be known in His creation again? It would appear so. Will we let the opportunity slip by? I hope not. Will we let our own insecurities keep us from bringing the ultimate saviour to this dying world? It is not about us but about Him, and if Superman can hear them all crying for a saviour, then the true saviour of the world can hear them. It is time to show them not Superman in red and blue spandex, or Batman in his special black armor suit, but Christ in His glory, the empty cross and tomb.

The world is ready and even begging for a saviour, lets show them one.

Remembering...the pain

It has been sixteen months since we left Yei. For sixteen months we have been living here trying our best to fit in to life in the states. A roof over our heads not made of grass, hot and cold RUNNING water, Wal-Mart, ah yes, Wal-Mart everything you need and don't need under one roof. Mangos don't taste quite like they do fresh off the mango tree as compared to straight off the grocery store shelf. Oh to be asleep at night during the end of mango season and be awakened to the sound of falling rotten mangos splatting on someone's head. Or watching the ammunition dump being blown sky high because some careless soldier caught it on fire while trying to harvest honey. All night long those bombs, explosives, grenades, and small arms were popping only about a mile or two away. Life was...is different, and there is no going back.

I know I've made this comment to some before, and I will make it again here, "How can you pick up the threads of an old life, when so much has happened.."? This was Frodo's mussing at the end of Lord of the Rings. Ultimately he wasn't able to pick up that old life and that is why he left for the undying lands to bear away his burden. But what of us who have no undying lands in this life, just the slow drudgery of day to day until that one day when we either cross the river or see His return in the clouds? How do we move on? Can time, the ticking of the hands, really heal all wounds in this life? For all of eternity we will have every tear wiped away by our loving Father. There would be no such need unless the time of this world is not enough to heal all wounds, maybe that is what Frodo learned.

How do I describe the thoughts floating around in my heart? How do I communicate such pain and joy? recently I was talking with a good friend whom i have not had much interaction with in a long time. Upon reading this this friend will know who she is and I am grateful for her asking about Yei. Not many have done so and yet I don't think I would have known how to respond if they had. The beauty and wonder of the work that me and my wife have done and the pain and sorrow that we have endured is not an easy thing to convey.

It is very hard to make understandable the inner ramblings of the heart. they do not come out in nice ordered sentences and paragraphs. My heart was very wounded while serving in Africa. While all are to blame for some actions Satan is the real cause behind all evil. I made many mistakes... many. It has been hard to grasp the forgiveness extended to me by my Father, harder still to extend it to those who hurt me. Have you ever seen the movie Braveheart and looked into the eyes of William Wallace when he discovers Robert the Bruce's betrayal? I know that feeling. It was hard to leave Sudan, almost like I was retreating. But God told me it was time for the sake of my own life, and that of my family. Sudan almost claimed my life physically, spiritually, emotionally, and in the end it would have also been the life of my family. God saved our lives in a very real sense. Was I bitter...yes. Am I bitter...not anymore. Those people were and still are my family. I pray blessing on them and I wish the best for them. But it was not just the arguments, insults, mistrust, accusations, or insults that lead to such pain, I lost something very close, closer to me than I knew it to be at the time.

Some of you have heard of Isaiah, some of you have not. He was a little boy that was introduced very briefly into our lives. He was an HIV positive baby, and he had an older sister named Rose. At the time we(me and Lia) felt that as we stayed in Sudan we would adopt these two kids once we had a house and take care of them. While they were with us another girl visiting the base at the time was taking care of Isaiah and loving him like a son. But she was not to stay and what would happen to him after that. We figured we would take him. It was not to be. While on leave in Uganda all of us as a family were sick our whole week there and that is when we heard God tell us it was time to go. What?! But looking back it was. What of Isaiah? It was time for him to go too. Shortly after our decision we got the news of his passing to be with his Creator. Forever healed of a mistake that was not even of his own doing. And while his sister is now left alone she is in a home where she is loved and free from the burden of a child that was not hers to bear. She took it patiently and may God bless her for the lost years of love spent watching her brother. and from what i have hear He is. But that does not ease the pain of losing one whom I regard as my son.

How do you pick up the threads of an old life? Simple, you don't even try, for it is impossible. My life is forever changed and I can either run from the pain, or learn from it. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. I have made my choice....

The Prodigal Son (Backpacker) Project

This is kind of like a refresher for some but maybe a bit new for others as there may be some new folks reading our blog. I wanted to tell you all again a little bit about where we stand right now along with a bit of our purpose for this ministry.


The Prodigal Son Project is a new vision that God has given us. The basic idea is this, to reach young travelers in Europe and ultimately the world with the gospel of Christ there by sending out more traveling missionaries to spread that same gospel to the ends of the earth fulfilling the Great Commission.


Our plan on doing this is to invite these young weary travelers into our home, which will be in Scotland, and having them stay with us. While in our home they will hear the gospel as well as seen it lived out in a day to day basis. They will have a warm and inviting home atmosphere where they can feel free to stay as long as they want and discuss about God, Jesus, life, or anything else they may want to talk about. Backpackers are generally quite open to discussions on religion and we will use this to bring in the gospel. Those that accept Christ will be welcome to stay with us for discipleship and rest to build on their new foundation if they choose. If they wish to move on they will be given whatever tools we can provide, such as a bible, to keep them in the right path as they continue their travels. Hopefully and with God's blessing they will spread their new found faith as they travel and in this way continue to spread the gospel to other areas. This is the goal of the Prodigal Son Project.

Now where are we in seeing this goal? Well right now we are in the USA preparing ourselves to move to Scotland to work with/under YWAM there. YWAM, or Youth With A Mission, is a non-denominational missionary organization. We will be with the YWAM base there for about six months and then move on from there to a small town in the north called Oban. Right now we are facing some challenges. The first is support, we need to have around 4-5,000 a month in regular support raised to pay for the cost of living in Scotland as well as to pay for our plane tickets and visas. We actually need this support before we can even begin processing our visas. and two we will eventually need our own home. As you can guess the cost of houses in the UK are not cheap.

Our prayer and plea is this, that you would pray and ask the Lord to guide you in some way to help us. If it be prayer only we would not be disappointed. A soldier can have everything he needs to attack the enemy, but with out the land ahead prepared through offshore bombardment he can not win. Only with a pre-emptive strike can he succeed. Without prayer we can do nothing. If the Lord should lead you to give we would be greatly pleased as again a soldier can have all the pre-attack he can, but without ammunition for his gun or food for his stomach, he will not survive. We too need the finances to help with everyday expenses. However if the Lord leads you to give just a one time gift that will be thankfully accepted as well. A very necessary part of our ministry is that we own our home in the UK but being expensive we need to raise the money for purchasing a house. All such one time gifts would go towards that house.

I am putting on here information on where to send support if the Lord should lead you in such a way. The address is ACI Int. P.O. Box 1131 Clifton, CO 81520 Checks can be made out to ACI International. With the check enclose a letter stating that it is "preferenced for BIE", do not put our name anywhere on the check.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this and we thank you for your prayers. For a sideshow and more info on our mission please see our earlier post in the blog archives on the right side of the page and click on "2010" and then on "May". Thank you so much.