Things are happening and life is flying by!
I am leading worship at Voice Of Hope Church in Wayland on May 24th to see if I would be a good fit to be their worship leader. Praise the Lord.
I am still planning on walking across Michigan in May... and that is coming up really quick... kinda crazy.
I have a lot of homework coming due and it's making me nervous that I wont get it done...
Happy Velociraptor Awareness Day!
Susan Boyle Rocks!
Paintball scenerio this weekend!
Peace out.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A flood of emotions
I am in a very strange mood right now. I'm not really sure how to explain it. I am feeling so many conflicting emotions. Maybe it's just that I need sleep.
Part of me is excited, grateful, and happy. But at the same time I am sad, discouraged, angry, and broken.
-I am excited for camp. I have a great feeling about this summer, I know that God will do amazing works in people's lives and I am pumped about being a part of that.
-I am grateful that Jesus smashed my heart... and then sewed it back together to look more like His
-and I am happy (for lack of a more appropriate word) because I had a great talk with my Mormon missionary friends today (no, I am not Mormon, I just like to talk to the Mormons)
I am sad, discouraged, and angry because we live in a fallen world and it SUCKS. The devil and his schemes are powerful and tricky. He is always throwing his arrows at me and trying to get me to fall. It seems like something new everyday. I am thankful I have a greater weapon... I just wish I was diligent enough to practice with it more often so I don't look like a bumbling fool when I try and use it.
These emotions come and go... or like tonight, all come at the same time. Yet there is another emotion that I did not mention. I did not put it with the others because I don't think it is actually an emotion. As I have said before, joy is a mindset, it is a choice. Being an opposite of joy, bitterness is likewise a mindset and a choice.
Everyday I fight off the bitterness. It seems to be my default mindset.
I don't want to be bitter. Yet, every morning, I wake up with bitterness trying to fill my thoughts. Everyday I stop myself and say "no, there is a better way".
It's not that I'm bitter at one particular person; no, that would be too easy to solve. If you know me well enough, you could probably guess where my bitterness comes from. I just can't stand American Christians. I could go on and on, but you've probably heard it. Christians in this country are pansies. Sometimes when the bitterness takes control, I don't even want to call myself a Christian out of shame. Not because I'm ashamed of Jesus, no no... I would die for Him in a heart beat. But because I'm ashamed to be associated with Christians in America. Now you know the inner struggle of Nate Storvik.
It is a struggle because I know it's not right. We are not called to be bitter, we are called to love. There is hope yet for the church in America, I am not about to give up on it. Everyday when I wake up I have to choose peace, love, and joy; only with these can things be made right... bitterness will solve nothing. It is a scheme of the devil to inspire hate.
Part of me is excited, grateful, and happy. But at the same time I am sad, discouraged, angry, and broken.
-I am excited for camp. I have a great feeling about this summer, I know that God will do amazing works in people's lives and I am pumped about being a part of that.
-I am grateful that Jesus smashed my heart... and then sewed it back together to look more like His
-and I am happy (for lack of a more appropriate word) because I had a great talk with my Mormon missionary friends today (no, I am not Mormon, I just like to talk to the Mormons)
I am sad, discouraged, and angry because we live in a fallen world and it SUCKS. The devil and his schemes are powerful and tricky. He is always throwing his arrows at me and trying to get me to fall. It seems like something new everyday. I am thankful I have a greater weapon... I just wish I was diligent enough to practice with it more often so I don't look like a bumbling fool when I try and use it.
These emotions come and go... or like tonight, all come at the same time. Yet there is another emotion that I did not mention. I did not put it with the others because I don't think it is actually an emotion. As I have said before, joy is a mindset, it is a choice. Being an opposite of joy, bitterness is likewise a mindset and a choice.
Everyday I fight off the bitterness. It seems to be my default mindset.
I don't want to be bitter. Yet, every morning, I wake up with bitterness trying to fill my thoughts. Everyday I stop myself and say "no, there is a better way".
It's not that I'm bitter at one particular person; no, that would be too easy to solve. If you know me well enough, you could probably guess where my bitterness comes from. I just can't stand American Christians. I could go on and on, but you've probably heard it. Christians in this country are pansies. Sometimes when the bitterness takes control, I don't even want to call myself a Christian out of shame. Not because I'm ashamed of Jesus, no no... I would die for Him in a heart beat. But because I'm ashamed to be associated with Christians in America. Now you know the inner struggle of Nate Storvik.
It is a struggle because I know it's not right. We are not called to be bitter, we are called to love. There is hope yet for the church in America, I am not about to give up on it. Everyday when I wake up I have to choose peace, love, and joy; only with these can things be made right... bitterness will solve nothing. It is a scheme of the devil to inspire hate.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Shreddin the Gnar
I realize that the name of my blog is no longer accurate, as I do not post daily. My life is too busy for that, and even now I should be doing other things. Oh well...
I would like to start by saying that this weekend was a lot of fun. More importantly, though, it was challenging too. If you don't know, I had the privilege of being an adult chaperon/driver for the Temple Hill youth group for the Dare 2 Share conference in Chicago. I love the THBC youth group a lot and it was awesome to hang with them again. I am a fan of Dare 2 Share a lot more than Acquire The Fire. ATF is nice and all, but D2S is much more challenging. Not only is it challenging, but they equip you and then throw you into situations right then to practice evangelism... and it's amazingly awkward.
Anywho... it was a great re-charge and greatly encouraging to gather with so many other hard-core Jesus followers. One of the kids from another group told his story of leading a guy to Christ in the middle of a gas station Friday... because he was willing to share his faith everywhere he went. That's cool stuff.
I would appreciate your prayer for my health. I am scheduling a doctors appointment to get their opinion. I have lost most of my appetite for food. I am hungry like I should be, I can feel my stomach growling, and I force myself to eat, but food just lost it's appeal to me. I'm not really sure why this is.
I need to find ways to expand my circle of influence to non-Christians. One of the main things they talked about this weekend was to think of someone in your life that doesn't know Jesus that you can evangelize to... and I was like... um... shoot. I've effectively run out of non-Christian friends that are a regular part of my life. That needs to stop. So i guess you could pray about that too.
I pray like a sissy
thought I would throw that out there.
Another conviction of mine is facebook. Ok... I use it to communicate with people, but that is just my excuse for justifying an addiction. This weekend, Derwin said "maybe you spend more time on facebook than in the Word..." when he was talking about distractions in life. yikes... that was like a knife to the chest. I'm not going to quite using facebook, but I will start being conscious of my time on it, verses my time in the Word; not because I'm going to start being religious about the way I use my time, but because I have a desire to grow closer to God and facebook is not the best tool for that... the Bible and prayer are the best tools for that.
I need you guys to keep me accountable on that.
I'm shreddin the gnar (that would be surfer lingo for going all in... going big rather than going home).
I would like to start by saying that this weekend was a lot of fun. More importantly, though, it was challenging too. If you don't know, I had the privilege of being an adult chaperon/driver for the Temple Hill youth group for the Dare 2 Share conference in Chicago. I love the THBC youth group a lot and it was awesome to hang with them again. I am a fan of Dare 2 Share a lot more than Acquire The Fire. ATF is nice and all, but D2S is much more challenging. Not only is it challenging, but they equip you and then throw you into situations right then to practice evangelism... and it's amazingly awkward.
Anywho... it was a great re-charge and greatly encouraging to gather with so many other hard-core Jesus followers. One of the kids from another group told his story of leading a guy to Christ in the middle of a gas station Friday... because he was willing to share his faith everywhere he went. That's cool stuff.
I would appreciate your prayer for my health. I am scheduling a doctors appointment to get their opinion. I have lost most of my appetite for food. I am hungry like I should be, I can feel my stomach growling, and I force myself to eat, but food just lost it's appeal to me. I'm not really sure why this is.
I need to find ways to expand my circle of influence to non-Christians. One of the main things they talked about this weekend was to think of someone in your life that doesn't know Jesus that you can evangelize to... and I was like... um... shoot. I've effectively run out of non-Christian friends that are a regular part of my life. That needs to stop. So i guess you could pray about that too.
I pray like a sissy
thought I would throw that out there.
Another conviction of mine is facebook. Ok... I use it to communicate with people, but that is just my excuse for justifying an addiction. This weekend, Derwin said "maybe you spend more time on facebook than in the Word..." when he was talking about distractions in life. yikes... that was like a knife to the chest. I'm not going to quite using facebook, but I will start being conscious of my time on it, verses my time in the Word; not because I'm going to start being religious about the way I use my time, but because I have a desire to grow closer to God and facebook is not the best tool for that... the Bible and prayer are the best tools for that.
I need you guys to keep me accountable on that.
I'm shreddin the gnar (that would be surfer lingo for going all in... going big rather than going home).
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