All in Overcoming Fears

Gideon Part 1: Arise, Mighty Warrior!

Gideon Part 1: Arise, Mighty Warrior!

Nathan Westwick
Gideon, Overcoming Fears

Imagine living in an agricultural society, working hard to grow crops to feed your family, only to have those crops stolen again and again, with your family left to go hungry. Understandably, this would wear on a person, and you would likely rise up in anger, seeking to enact justice on those who are stealing from you.

But imagine that those stealing from you are much more powerful, much more forceful, and any time someone tries to speak up or fight for their rights, they get squashed so that the rest of the community will get the message and fall back in line.

This is the environment Gideon grew up in.

His solution? He hid.

Stepping Courageously Into Your Next Season

Stepping Courageously Into Your Next Season

Nathan Westwick
Faith, Overcoming Fears, The Journey

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

Facing Each Day Anew

Nathan Westwick
Faith, Fighting for What's Good, Overcoming Fears

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

Why Now is NOT the Time to Play it Safe

Nathan Westwick
Fighting for What's Good, Life Abundant, Overcoming Fears, The Stuff That Matters

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.

Where is your hope?

Where is your hope?

Nathan Westwick
Faith, Overcoming Fears, The Journey, The Stuff That Matters

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.

The Journey of Healing

The Journey of Healing

Nathan Westwick
Fighting for What's Good, Overcoming Fears, Life Abundant, Relationships, The Journey, The Stuff That Matters

I hopped on my road bike yesterday for the first time in about a year.

The last time I rode it was shortly before I ruptured my Achilles – an injury that is nearly a year in the recovery process, and still not where I would like it to be.

Now, full disclosure, the picture shown above was taken during my glory days on that bike. She and I (the bike, that is) would travel all over the local roads together, climbing mountains, enjoying views, speeding down descents. That bike and I have enjoyed thousands and thousands of miles of blissful togetherness.

And then, with one loud snap of the Achilles, it all came to a screeching halt.

Standing in the Face of Fear

Standing in the Face of Fear

Nathan Westwick
Overcoming Fears, Good vs. Evil

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.

Lean in to What's Stable

Nathan Westwick
Faith, Overcoming Fears, The Journey

Two years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I had the privilege of visiting the isle of Iona in Scotland. What stood out to us, other than the incredible beauty of this small island, was a small abbey perched along the southeastern shore.

This abbey was built by St. Columba sometime after he landed on the island in 563 AD after fleeing persecution in his home country of Ireland.

In front of the abbey stands St. Martin’s cross, built around 800 AD.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part (or The Fear is in the Anticipation)

The Waiting is the Hardest Part (or The Fear is in the Anticipation)

Nathan Westwick
Faith, Family, Life Abundant, Overcoming Fears, The Journey

We recently had the opportunity to join some beloved family members at Six Flags for the day. Given that we have three boys who jump at any whiff of adventure, we trekked over to what used to be called Magic Mountain (now Six Flags California) for a day of fun.

One ride, in particular, caught my attention:

It’s the new version of Freefall – redone from the days of my youth to be four times taller, and a million times more thrilling.

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