Hey people of God:
I spent the night at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission a few weeks ago. We’ve been doing street ministry for almost seven years now so we have a pretty good idea about what’s going on in the neighborhoods, but this was different. Two things of significance came out of that evening.
One, I was shocked at how heavy God’s presence was there. I was in a room packed with around 100 men. We all got a mat (about three inches thick) and a blanket, and slept about six inches from the man next to us. When I got there I signed my name in and picked out an empty mat. I sat down on the mat, began to read my Bible, and realized God’s presence was really strong there (I would compare it to when a worship service is really, really good and all the people are participating strongly in one accord). I looked around to see if anyone else noticed and they were preparing for bed like I assume they normally did. Quickly I asked God why his presence was so strong. His answer: “Nate, I’m always with the oppressed and down-trodden like this. I’m surprised that you’re surprised.”
Two, as I sat there I noticed the guy next to me rummaging through his duffle bag. He looked like a regular guy and you wouldn’t know he was homeless if you saw him in the store or at McDonald’s. The Spirit nudged me and said, “You know he’s going through his dresser right now, don’t you?” The realization stabbed me in the heart! The guy on the other side of me was sitting on his mat looking off into space. He suddenly got up, unlocked a locker above where he was, and took out a small package of donuts. He sat down again to eat it. Again the Holy Spirit nudged me and said, “You know he’s in his dining room now and soon his dining room will be his bedroom.” I almost couldn’t take it. Immediately the list of things I have as desires got thrown out of the window. Immediately I realized that I was already blessed beyond imagination compared with everyone in that room. Immediately I realized that the church could be in error. Why? I’m glad you asked.
Is it possible that we’ve been away from “those” people long enough that we don’t really know what’s going on. Is it possible that The Church in America has been so affected by the consumer culture we live in that our desires have slowly become corrupt? Is it possible that we’re so immersed in this kind of life-style that our lives differ very little from our unbelieving neighbors? How is our desire for things and success any different from all those around us? I know I think I need a new dresser but it isn’t a duffle bag. I know I think I need a bigger house (and subsequently a bigger bank note which will take more money and free up less money to give) but it is a mansion compared with a mat. I don’t have anything against becoming prosperous. That’s a natural bi-product of serving God. My question is: has even The Church gotten caught up in the American lifestyle to such a degree that we’ve lost focus on what really matters to God? Maybe one of the reasons that our churches are failing at such alarming rates has to do with the fact that our desires no longer match up with His!
I feel like right now I’m babbling so I’ll stop. I know there is no one shot solution but I also realize that when you get serious about serving God, He eventually shows you things in your life that don’t line up with His way of doing things. This may be one of them, both personally and corporately. Just something to think about.
I love you guys!
N8
Monday, November 27, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
September Newsletter
Hey beautiful people:
I have a desire to be faithful and finish the assignment that God has given to me. Unfortunately, in scripture, very few finish well. The Bible is littered with people who had good intentions but ended up faltering in the end, and this has led me to wonder why. What kept so many from finishing well? Are there certain patterns of lifestyle evident among those who stayed faithful? If so what are they? Scripture tells us that the way to life is narrow and hard, and few are they who find it. What clues does God give us about finding (and more importantly, staying on) that narrow way?
While I was thinking and praying about this I was led to consider a butterfly. When a butterfly breaks out of its cocoon it cannot fly immediately. It has to inflate its wings with blood which takes time. If it doesn't do this it will be devoured by predators because it is very vulnerable in this stage. For the butterfly, skipping this step is death. This ministered to me greatly for a few reasons.
Last month I expressed that God had directed me to increase my level of intercession for Vanguard and all of its partners, as well as my level of consecration. After seeking God as to what this meant I found that this would entail a deeper level of commitment to God than I have ever experienced. But as always, I have the choice in it. I can choose not to and begin to coast. Or I can choose to follow Him and begin the fight with my flesh because it would rather relax instead of increase prayer time. But if I don't develop the discipline needed to obey God's direction in this I will, by default, disqualify Vanguard for its next season of ministry and promotion. The reason is (as with the butterfly) the strength I need for the next season is hidden in the process. God had to kill off an entire generation of Israelites in the desert because they had no heart for war (Exodus 13:17, Numbers 13:31). He didn't do this because He didn't want them to enter into the Promised Land, but because they had not developed the tools necessary to possess the land. And therein is a key about why many ministries, churches, and individuals fail to walk in the fullness of what God has called them to.
This year's consecration won't win next year's fight. The thing with God is He is always calling us to greater things which require more faith and deeper commitment. The day that His requests are more than you're willing to give is the day you limit His ability to work in your life. It's different for each one of us. For some He may be asking us to get up an hour earlier each day to spend in prayer and devotions. For others it may be beginning to do devotions period. For still others, it may mean volunteering once a week in a ministry not your own. For some it may mean increasing your giving to your church or another ministry. Whatever it is it will always require more of us than was required before. But the payout is always greater than before as well. For the butterfly, even though it is time consuming to fill its wings (and maybe not desirable), in the end flying is much more glorious than crawling no matter what the price. The question becomes: what are we willing to do to stay faithful, because to resist God's leading is to begin down the path (many have unknowingly chosen) that ends in not finishing the race well. The battle is won in the preparation.
If I can sit still long enough to learn form God that Vanguard's promotion and faithfulness is tied to my obedience to His direction, this can give me enough vision to obey Him no matter how hard. Remember discipline makes no sense without vision. For Vanguard to stay faithful and stay on that narrow road where life is, I must learn to increase my intercession and increase my consecration. For me to refuse is to rob Vanguard of its future and to condemn it to failure. I need to remember that the strength I need to possess the Promised Land will be developed in today's process. If I can remember that, fighting against my flesh will become much easier.
I challenge you today to sit down and consider what God has asked you to do personally, and then meditate on why He has asked you to do it and what it is strengthening in you that is preparing you for tomorrow's promotion. It will help you find strength for fighting through today's battles and may be the key to you faithfully finishing all that God has asked you to do. Think about it.
I love you guys!
N8
I have a desire to be faithful and finish the assignment that God has given to me. Unfortunately, in scripture, very few finish well. The Bible is littered with people who had good intentions but ended up faltering in the end, and this has led me to wonder why. What kept so many from finishing well? Are there certain patterns of lifestyle evident among those who stayed faithful? If so what are they? Scripture tells us that the way to life is narrow and hard, and few are they who find it. What clues does God give us about finding (and more importantly, staying on) that narrow way?
While I was thinking and praying about this I was led to consider a butterfly. When a butterfly breaks out of its cocoon it cannot fly immediately. It has to inflate its wings with blood which takes time. If it doesn't do this it will be devoured by predators because it is very vulnerable in this stage. For the butterfly, skipping this step is death. This ministered to me greatly for a few reasons.
Last month I expressed that God had directed me to increase my level of intercession for Vanguard and all of its partners, as well as my level of consecration. After seeking God as to what this meant I found that this would entail a deeper level of commitment to God than I have ever experienced. But as always, I have the choice in it. I can choose not to and begin to coast. Or I can choose to follow Him and begin the fight with my flesh because it would rather relax instead of increase prayer time. But if I don't develop the discipline needed to obey God's direction in this I will, by default, disqualify Vanguard for its next season of ministry and promotion. The reason is (as with the butterfly) the strength I need for the next season is hidden in the process. God had to kill off an entire generation of Israelites in the desert because they had no heart for war (Exodus 13:17, Numbers 13:31). He didn't do this because He didn't want them to enter into the Promised Land, but because they had not developed the tools necessary to possess the land. And therein is a key about why many ministries, churches, and individuals fail to walk in the fullness of what God has called them to.
This year's consecration won't win next year's fight. The thing with God is He is always calling us to greater things which require more faith and deeper commitment. The day that His requests are more than you're willing to give is the day you limit His ability to work in your life. It's different for each one of us. For some He may be asking us to get up an hour earlier each day to spend in prayer and devotions. For others it may be beginning to do devotions period. For still others, it may mean volunteering once a week in a ministry not your own. For some it may mean increasing your giving to your church or another ministry. Whatever it is it will always require more of us than was required before. But the payout is always greater than before as well. For the butterfly, even though it is time consuming to fill its wings (and maybe not desirable), in the end flying is much more glorious than crawling no matter what the price. The question becomes: what are we willing to do to stay faithful, because to resist God's leading is to begin down the path (many have unknowingly chosen) that ends in not finishing the race well. The battle is won in the preparation.
If I can sit still long enough to learn form God that Vanguard's promotion and faithfulness is tied to my obedience to His direction, this can give me enough vision to obey Him no matter how hard. Remember discipline makes no sense without vision. For Vanguard to stay faithful and stay on that narrow road where life is, I must learn to increase my intercession and increase my consecration. For me to refuse is to rob Vanguard of its future and to condemn it to failure. I need to remember that the strength I need to possess the Promised Land will be developed in today's process. If I can remember that, fighting against my flesh will become much easier.
I challenge you today to sit down and consider what God has asked you to do personally, and then meditate on why He has asked you to do it and what it is strengthening in you that is preparing you for tomorrow's promotion. It will help you find strength for fighting through today's battles and may be the key to you faithfully finishing all that God has asked you to do. Think about it.
I love you guys!
N8
Monday, August 07, 2006
August Newsletter
Hey beautiful people:
God has been dealing with me about what needs to happen for the street ministry to go to the next level. About mid-July while I was in prayer God said to me, "If you want Vanguard to go to the next level, your level of consecration must increase as well as your understanding and practice of intercession." As you all know when we feel like we've received direction from the Lord we have a choice: do it or don't do it. The only reason Vanguard even exists is because we have tried to the best of our ability to go wherever He leads whenever He leads us, so I began to search out what He meant by this.
First, I began re-reading an outstanding book on intercession, "Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets. I was encouraged by the things I was reminded of and decided to make appointments with men and women of God who had successful ministries for more than 20 years. I found some amazing things out but, as a rule, all of them spent much time DAILY praying for their congregations or partners. And God began to teach me that my willingness to intercede for EVERYONE who comes into contact with Vanguard (from financial partners, to street ministers, to prayer partners) allows Him to bring the street ministry to places of greater influence and effectiveness because we are proving faithful with what little we have been given.
And then God showed me 1 Corinthians 15:45 which says, "So it is written: 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit." As I studied I realized there are only two kinds of human beings in the earth: born again "Last Adams," and the unsaved "First Adams." And if you have been born again you have become a life-giving spirit who is a joint heir with our hero Jesus the Christ. How does all this tie into what God instructed me to seek out for Vanguard? I'm glad you asked.
We have been created in the image of Our Father. He is the one who said, "Let there be light," and there was. Jesus said in Mark 11, "If anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself in the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." Proverbs 18:21 tells us, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." As the leader of Vanguard Street Ministries, it is my duty to call things into place for the ministry and those connected with it. Since I am a born again, life-giving spirit in the image of my Father, co-laborer with Christ (who told us in John 14 that we would do greater things than he did - including speaking God's word into situations and seeing the situations change) now when I get up in the mornings to intercede for Vanguard I pray for you with a new found purpose and authority. I speak protection and understanding into your lives. I call the partners who are not yet part of Vanguard into place. I call provision for you and your families into place. I speak God's will for your lives into place (knowing that Jesus would not have asked us to pray, "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven," if it wasn't important to pray). I call the kingdom to come into your lives. I call discernment into your lives. I call godly friends into the lives of the children of our partners. I call increased hunger for God and His word into your lives. I call discernment of your purpose and your place in His kingdom into your lives. I call harmony into your lives and the lives of your families.
As I prove faithful in interceding for Vanguard I have faith that God will take us to the next assignment He has for us. And I have to say that working with Him for your betterment and increase has been very enjoyable. It sounds crazy but it's true.
Pray about this to see if there's any truth in it for you and your situation.
Have a great rest of the summer. It's going faster than it ever has!
I love you guys!
N8
God has been dealing with me about what needs to happen for the street ministry to go to the next level. About mid-July while I was in prayer God said to me, "If you want Vanguard to go to the next level, your level of consecration must increase as well as your understanding and practice of intercession." As you all know when we feel like we've received direction from the Lord we have a choice: do it or don't do it. The only reason Vanguard even exists is because we have tried to the best of our ability to go wherever He leads whenever He leads us, so I began to search out what He meant by this.
First, I began re-reading an outstanding book on intercession, "Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets. I was encouraged by the things I was reminded of and decided to make appointments with men and women of God who had successful ministries for more than 20 years. I found some amazing things out but, as a rule, all of them spent much time DAILY praying for their congregations or partners. And God began to teach me that my willingness to intercede for EVERYONE who comes into contact with Vanguard (from financial partners, to street ministers, to prayer partners) allows Him to bring the street ministry to places of greater influence and effectiveness because we are proving faithful with what little we have been given.
And then God showed me 1 Corinthians 15:45 which says, "So it is written: 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit." As I studied I realized there are only two kinds of human beings in the earth: born again "Last Adams," and the unsaved "First Adams." And if you have been born again you have become a life-giving spirit who is a joint heir with our hero Jesus the Christ. How does all this tie into what God instructed me to seek out for Vanguard? I'm glad you asked.
We have been created in the image of Our Father. He is the one who said, "Let there be light," and there was. Jesus said in Mark 11, "If anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself in the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." Proverbs 18:21 tells us, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." As the leader of Vanguard Street Ministries, it is my duty to call things into place for the ministry and those connected with it. Since I am a born again, life-giving spirit in the image of my Father, co-laborer with Christ (who told us in John 14 that we would do greater things than he did - including speaking God's word into situations and seeing the situations change) now when I get up in the mornings to intercede for Vanguard I pray for you with a new found purpose and authority. I speak protection and understanding into your lives. I call the partners who are not yet part of Vanguard into place. I call provision for you and your families into place. I speak God's will for your lives into place (knowing that Jesus would not have asked us to pray, "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven," if it wasn't important to pray). I call the kingdom to come into your lives. I call discernment into your lives. I call godly friends into the lives of the children of our partners. I call increased hunger for God and His word into your lives. I call discernment of your purpose and your place in His kingdom into your lives. I call harmony into your lives and the lives of your families.
As I prove faithful in interceding for Vanguard I have faith that God will take us to the next assignment He has for us. And I have to say that working with Him for your betterment and increase has been very enjoyable. It sounds crazy but it's true.
Pray about this to see if there's any truth in it for you and your situation.
Have a great rest of the summer. It's going faster than it ever has!
I love you guys!
N8
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
July Newsletter
Hey beautiful people,
WE'RE ONE YEAR OLD! Wow! It doesn't seem like that long but it has been one year since we decided to step out into the streets and do this crazy thing called "Vanguard Street Ministries" full time. Praise God! He has certainly come through for us just like He said and I thank Him for being greater than advertised.
Even though we're looking back on God's wonderful provision we're also looking forward to what He is calling us to do this next year. Part of this means looking at what needs improvement and what is doing well. This list is being compiled for our board members to consider, but something I felt the Lord asking me to share with you could be a personal challenge for all of us.
As I was looking at what needs to be adjusted within Vanguard, the Lord challenged me to believe bigger this year than last. I sensed Him asking me to add more line items to our budget and increase our giving to other ministries. When I asked God why He said, "Nate, if you get comfortable where you're at, your faith will become stagnant." Wow! And I could immediately see how getting comfortable with being able to believe Him for the success of Vanguard at last year's level isn't good enough for this next year. If Vanguard is to move forward and take back more territory from the enemy we need to make sure that we are constantly challenging ourselves to believe God bigger than we ever have. This is an uncomfortable place to be sometimes because it means being in a place where if God doesn't come through the whole ship may sink. But this is where He asked me to place Vanguard and so we are in the middle of seeing exactly what that means.
How does this relate to you? I ask you to challenge yourselves as well. Don't be okay with the level of God you have seen in your own lives. Press out in whatever way you sense God asking you to press out in. Increase your offerings to your church. Increase your volunteering in your ministry areas. Start a business. Help someone else start their business. Pay someone's car off for them. Pay someone's house off for them. Begin laying hands on every sick person you meet believing every time that one of these days someone is going to jump up completely made whole. Ask God to help you get up ten minutes earlier to intercede for your neighbors. Pray for your enemies. Forgive and then FORGET ABOUT IT. Love like you mean business. Boycott religion and support relationship. Be a better friend than you have been. Look for God everywhere.
All I'm saying is that when the widow in 2 Kings 4 stopped finding jars to fill with oil, the oil stopped flowing (read the story if you don't know what I mean. It's really powerful). I don't want to hinder God's work in my own life or the life of His street ministry by coming to a place where we can manage by ourselves. I think I have seen the wisdom of always being in the place where, on paper, it looks like disaster is only inches away. Only then can He really be seen for who He is, and only then will we never see our faith go dormant.
Let's spur each other on to greater and greater acts of faith and together see how great our God really is!
I love you guys!
N8
WE'RE ONE YEAR OLD! Wow! It doesn't seem like that long but it has been one year since we decided to step out into the streets and do this crazy thing called "Vanguard Street Ministries" full time. Praise God! He has certainly come through for us just like He said and I thank Him for being greater than advertised.
Even though we're looking back on God's wonderful provision we're also looking forward to what He is calling us to do this next year. Part of this means looking at what needs improvement and what is doing well. This list is being compiled for our board members to consider, but something I felt the Lord asking me to share with you could be a personal challenge for all of us.
As I was looking at what needs to be adjusted within Vanguard, the Lord challenged me to believe bigger this year than last. I sensed Him asking me to add more line items to our budget and increase our giving to other ministries. When I asked God why He said, "Nate, if you get comfortable where you're at, your faith will become stagnant." Wow! And I could immediately see how getting comfortable with being able to believe Him for the success of Vanguard at last year's level isn't good enough for this next year. If Vanguard is to move forward and take back more territory from the enemy we need to make sure that we are constantly challenging ourselves to believe God bigger than we ever have. This is an uncomfortable place to be sometimes because it means being in a place where if God doesn't come through the whole ship may sink. But this is where He asked me to place Vanguard and so we are in the middle of seeing exactly what that means.
How does this relate to you? I ask you to challenge yourselves as well. Don't be okay with the level of God you have seen in your own lives. Press out in whatever way you sense God asking you to press out in. Increase your offerings to your church. Increase your volunteering in your ministry areas. Start a business. Help someone else start their business. Pay someone's car off for them. Pay someone's house off for them. Begin laying hands on every sick person you meet believing every time that one of these days someone is going to jump up completely made whole. Ask God to help you get up ten minutes earlier to intercede for your neighbors. Pray for your enemies. Forgive and then FORGET ABOUT IT. Love like you mean business. Boycott religion and support relationship. Be a better friend than you have been. Look for God everywhere.
All I'm saying is that when the widow in 2 Kings 4 stopped finding jars to fill with oil, the oil stopped flowing (read the story if you don't know what I mean. It's really powerful). I don't want to hinder God's work in my own life or the life of His street ministry by coming to a place where we can manage by ourselves. I think I have seen the wisdom of always being in the place where, on paper, it looks like disaster is only inches away. Only then can He really be seen for who He is, and only then will we never see our faith go dormant.
Let's spur each other on to greater and greater acts of faith and together see how great our God really is!
I love you guys!
N8
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
First Post
Vanguard now has a blog!!!
Stop back soon to catch up on whats new and going on with Vanguard!
Stop back soon to catch up on whats new and going on with Vanguard!
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