Nathan Storey

I am back blog world…it has been a long time. Dearest blog you are like an old friend who has grown apart from me. There is a part of me that always wanted to reconnect but there is some much work to be done to do so I did not even know where to start. So I start by telling you why it has been so long. The laziness in me had won this battle for far too long so here I am: ready to make things right; to reconnect. Deep down I always knew that it would be good; it would be sweet when I saw you again but always the hard work of reconciliation got the best of me.

Now that we got that out-of-the-way. It is good to see you again. I want to write more so here I am trying to dissect complexities and put them to words. Maybe you will understand them as they trip over my brain into cyberspace or then maybe not.

I have been working on a new music project with my IV friend Matthew Stevenson. After trying many years of unsuccessfully pushing and pushing to make the band thing work I am taking a different approach to this. It was probably what I should have done from the beginning but how would I have known that? I am taking a really laid back approach to this project: writing, forming a full band and advertising slowly and without haste, (even though we are recording now). I have always wanted things to happen with my timing, forcibly asking people to join or changing something without really thinking of repercussions, it is time to do things differently. If God’s timing than that means that mine is not.

This being said Matt and I are taking it slow. I am ok that it is just us right now, (it sure makes recording easy). We have one show lined up and a great ep in the works. we will see what the Lord does with it.

We are leaning towards the name Prodigal. What do you guys think?

It is the day after Christmas. Another year has seemingly flown away in a blur. I have been blessed to have my sister home visiting from school in Dallas. We have had some great times hanging out and catching up. It is interesting to see the different people we are becoming. We remain close, however.

Every year I wake on December 26th with a sense of dread. It’s a sad day. Christmas is over and soon the tree, lights and wreaths will be packed away. The home cooked meals will cease and soon I will be consuming Chic-fil-A everyday in the food court at school. Now I think that some of this sadness is ok but on this particular December 26th I am trying to focus on something else: Christ’s consistency as our Saviour. Every Christmas season you hear Christians talk about focusing on the reason for the season, being the birth of Christ and God’s gift of salvation. This should be our focus instead of shopping and buying and gift giving (which seemed even crazier this year than ever: people died at Toys R Us…c’mon America).

Now I have to confess that I was looking forward to this season for a break more than anything because of how insane my semester was. But I was also thankful for my family being here and I still have this to look forward to because my extended families never get together till later in the year, but I had to be reminded of Chrit’s blessing to us as much as anybody else.

But here is what I really wanted to get to. I should have no sadness due to the end of Christmas. Yes, school is starting again soon and family will be going back to their homes but we are still incredibly blessed. Christ is alive and well. He was born not only to die but to rise again. He has ascended into heaven to prepare it for us. The word of God says that His mercies are new every morning. Our God is eternally faithful. The dictionary should be rewritten to look like this:

Faithfulness=God

So this year I am going to remember this. I might even write next to my bed or something. The truth is that our God sent Christ to be our daily saviour, not just the Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas saviour. I should be thanking daily for his faithfulness and his willingness to save.

It boils dane to this boys and girls: Jesus is the reason for every season. 

Merry CHRISTmas and I hope you guys have an awesome New Year’s!

So I’ve done it again. I have made a commitment to write my thoughts on life and God and I forgot about it. Is that weird to say? That you forgot about life?

Anyway, the Lord says in His word that He will never leave us nor forsake us. I have a hard time with this and it’s not that I don’t believe it…I just don’t live it. Like I said above I forget about life. God forgive me for I know not what I do. Would you not think that one such as myself who has been given such a gift as eternal life AND acknowledged the Giver of that gift would spend a little bit more time with Him. I’m trying harder everyday to, but I don’t live like I have this debt. It is not a woeful debt, however, it is indeed an honor so I want to live like it is. Paul says to take joy in the journey. Paul said that and he called himself and bondservant. I want to live like there is no time left, live everyday like my last to shout God’s name. I want to lead worship, like there is no one listening but God and I want to pray to Him like a servant who hopelessly in love with their master. 

But even though everyday is a battle I thank God that we are winning. (The Bible says that we have already won). But I wanna do better. God deserves every breath and every waking thought in our minds and every moment to be used to somehow bring glory to our God. Like the hymn says: Because a sinless Saviour died. In a way this is not possible, (unless maybe you are a monk), but God wants our hearts to be there with his because he has the love like no other. The love of an unearthly father. 

So pray for me brothers and sisters. Pray for me and I will pray for you.

In the same way God’s Word says in the book of John that Jesus (the Word) was with God in the very beginning, even before the world was formed.

On Thursday, we had a question and answer session for Large Group after a pretty awesome event on Wednesday. I had the privilege of answering the question of the truth of the Bible. I found some pretty amazing things that helped my faith grow greatly. For example, over 10 ancient civilizations have a story about a great flood and one man who built a large boat and survived. 

I also was encouraged by the story of Paul and what he says in Timothy regarding the inspiration of the scriptures. A man who so violently pursued the eradication of Christians calls the Scriptures useful in every situation.

Another question that was posed was about a good God allowing bad things to happen. I need not touch this one because the following video that was shown pretty much sums it up.

I meet with our IV staff worker on Wednesdays for a time of discipleship so I thought I would share what we talked about.

Joshua 3

Crossing the Jordan

So to give a little bit of background of this story: Moses has died and his mantle has been passed down to Joshua. Moses was told that he would not see the Promised Land but that his people would reach in the time of Joshua. In the first two chapters of Joshua he is blessed by the Lord and also does some recon in Jericho. 

This brings us to the events of Joshua 3. The Israelites are ready to cross into the land that has been promised land but one thing stands (or flows rather) precariously in their way, the river Jordan. The Lord commands Joshua to send the Ark ahead of the nation. The waters of the Jordan part and the people cross over in Res Sea Fashion.

Here’s what is awesome about this passage. Verse 17 says that the Jordan flowed from a town called Adam to the Dead Sea. Think about that. The Jordan River is the lifespan: from the creation of the first man, Adam, to a sea called Death. 

It gets better. The name Joshua means Jehovah saves. I think it is very appropriate that a man with this name led God’s people for a while. Jesus’ name means God will help which is very similar. In this story Joshua is a representation of Christ.

Just as Joshua was sent to lead God’s people so many years ago, Christ was sent to do the same thing for the later generations. I think that this is an awesome picture of the omnipotence and provision of Almighty God. Even in the Old Testament God had planned for a savior to interrupt the violent, rushing and inevitable flow of life. A bridge into the promised land. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

Prepare, prepare..the bridegroom waits, the bridegroom waits for His love

Be vigilante lovers, open wounds, He suffers endlessly

Seek amidst the skies, some clouds, our King returns with crimson stains

To be the finisher and perfecter of our imperfect Faith

So I have been meaning to do this for a long time. I think my brain is too muddled to survive much longer without an outlet for creative thought. Music, sadly, has taken somewhat of a backseat, (as far as time and writing goes. It very much still apart of my life and will forever be so), so I think this will be good for me.

Im not doing this for anyone but my Savior and me. Don’t get me wrong and feel free to read but this blog is worship. I talk to Jesus. Now I will write to Jesus. I hope you can be encouraged by what comes from this thing. 

Hopefully this blog won’t turn out to be meaningless chatter. Maybe you will find value in it. So many things about art are a mystery. How can it be wrapped into words? But then again how can it be that art can express something about an infinitely beautiful God and His ways. Yet I think that it has (my sister’s paintings for example). So maybe God lets us take snapshots of Him to place into art. Maybe art is our translation of the most simply mysterious thing ever…God’s love. “What does that mean to me?…well here take a look at these lyrics or maybe look at this photograph I took!”

So here I am taking baby steps towards understanding something that can never be truly understood in this lifetime at all. Will you join me?