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

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.

On Practicing Gratitude

As we approach Thanksgiving 2021, how are you feeling?

Hopeful? Anxious? Excited? Sad?

Maybe some of you are seeing family members you haven’t seen in a long, long time, and so your heart is filled with a sense of fullness of finally being able to sit around the table together again.

Perhaps others of you are missing the company of loved ones this holiday – whether separated by actual death, geographical distance, or ideological disagreements.

The JourneyNathan WestwickNovember 23, 2021Anxiety, Blessings, Connection, Dealing with Pain, GratitudeComment

Where Do You Go for Peace?

Well, the summer is as good as over – school is starting back up, vacations are wrapped up, and it’s time to get back into the rhythms of the “normal”.

How does this transition of seasons sit with you? Are you refreshed? Excited? Nervous? Anxious?

Being Present, Life AbundantNathan WestwickAugust 10, 2021Anxiety, Finding Peace, Bible, Finding Joy, Giving PauseComment

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

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.

Lean in to What's Stable

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.

Faith, Overcoming Fears, The JourneyNathan WestwickMarch 17, 2020Anxiety, Crazy Life, Desperation, Fighting On, HardshipComment

The Only Way Out is Through

Do you feel stuck in an impossible situation? Does it seem like God has left you high and dry? Hang in there - things may feel out of control, but hope is available, even if it seems hard to see from where you are…

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

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.

Faith, Family, Life Abundant, Overcoming Fears, The JourneyNathan WestwickFebruary 25, 2019Anxiety, Overcoming Fears, Crazy Life, Adventure, Leap of FaithComment

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