![]() Well, this is my last newsletter article for you. It is hard to believe that this time has come. I pulled up my first article to read from February 2010 and I remember writing it like it was just last week. Time flies and we can never know just what the Lord has in store for us. When Morgan and I started this process with the IMB just over a year and a half ago, we never could have imagined that time would go by so quickly. I cannot tell just how amazing it is to see how the Lord has brought us to this point. It is only by his grace and it will only be by his grace that we go forth from this place. As I look back over our time here there are several things that really stick out to me. Obviously this is where we started our family. All four of our kids were born into this church. I am so thankful that the Lord allowed us to begin our family here. Then I think of all the time I’ve spent with our youth. From lock-ins to Bible study, there have been lots of memories made with our students. Probably my greatest time with our youth has been at World Changers each year. We’ve been to Fort Smith, Covington, Natchez, Eastland, and Joplin and everywhere we went I saw the Lord work in our students in a powerful way. My desire from day one for our students has been that they love the Word and live it out in all they say and do. I hope this will be true of each of them for the rest of their lives. Finally, I think about a more recent happening. Sabbatical was such a special time for me. Not necessarily because I got to preach more or be more involved in different ministries but because I learned more how to put my trust in the Lord. That task was one that I did not feel prepared to accomplish. I am in no way qualified to do the things you entrusted me to do. Every day I had to let go of my desire to control things and let the Lord lead me. It caused me to draw closer to him and prepare me for this coming season in our life. God’s timing is so perfect and Sabbatical was a God ordained time. Thank you for entrusting me with that time. If I could just close by challenging you with one last thing. I was reading 1 Corinthians 10 this morning and the last three verses of the chapter say, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.” Church, let everything you do be for the glory of God and let your task be to see that many are saved. May you be a church that in all you do, through your time, talents, and tithe, you declare his glory among the nations. Thank you Oak Crest for your faithfulness to the Gospel and allowing me to be a part of this covenant body. As of tomorrow I am no longer on staff but you are still our church. We look forward to continuing to partner with you for the sake of the Gospel. In Christ, Nathan
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YOUR LOTTIE MOON GIFTS AT WORK
![]() What a special time this past Sunday was! Once again it is hard to even know how to express how much we love this church. God has been so gracious to us. This is the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere, being an Air Force brat, and all my kids know is Oak Crest. Thank you for your support over the past 6 years and your continued prayers for our family. Sunday night we sang a song titled "Grace Alone." It is only by his grace that we have come to this point and it will only be his grace that carries us through. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with what we are doing and know how to pray for us, we have a newsletter signup sheet in the foyer. In Christ, Nathan DUE TO THE POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE NATURE OF THIS ARTICLE PLEASE DO NOT SHARE ITS LINK ELECTRONICALLY
Over the last couple of weeks several of you have asked me to write an article updating you on where we stand in the application process with the IMB. Before I do that I just want to thank everyone for your encouragement. You have no idea what a blessing it is for our family to know we will have the support of this church once we are overseas. God has been so gracious to bless us with Oak Crest. There are three phases to the application process with the IMB. The first phase is the Prospect Phase when applicants have their initial interview, provide basic info about themselves, and attend a missions expo to learn more about how the IMB functions. Basically this is the part where the IMB makes sure you aren’t a crazy person. Morgan and I attended our expo in September of last year. The second phase is the Applicant Phase. This is a time of more in depth exploration about calling, physical and mental health, and giftedness. The final phase is the Candidate Phase. Here the candidate is matched with a job, their references are released, and they go before the trustees for approval. This all took place in August and September and we were recommended for appointment on September 28th. What’s left for us moving forward? Now that we are recommended to be appointed as IMB missionaries we will attend appointment week November 3-9th in New Orleans. After training and lots of meetings we will participate in the appointment service, Lord willing, on November 8th at which point we will officially be IMB missionaries. Our last official day at Oak Crest will be December 18th and we will start training in Virginia on January 18th and be finished on March 18th. Between appointment and training we will be visiting churches that would like to be prayer partners with us. We will not be looking for any financial support as we will be fully supported through the Cooperative Program but we do want to bring several churches alongside us to commit to pray for us. After training in March we will then go to Southeast Asia for a year of language school before we transition to our final destination and begin our work. Our first term will be three to four years, including the year of language school, and we will then return to the states for a time of furlough. We’ve walked through this entire process understanding that everything set before us will only happen if it is the Lord’s will. All of these plans are subject to change as things are always changing in the world of missions. But we know that God is sovereign over all of this and there is no reason why we should be at the point we are right now apart from his working. We trust that his will is being done and we long for the day when we can be on the front lines of reaching the Unreached in Southeast Asia. In Christ, Nathan Thanks to everyone who has signed up to participate in our Oak Crest booth at the Midlothian Fall Festival this Saturday. If you have not signed up and would like to stop by our booth to help pass out water bottles, Story tracts, and Oak Crest info, please come join us. The more we have at our booth the better. Whether you are participating on Saturday or not I would plead with everyone to be in prayer for this outreach opportunity. We have a great chance to reach many people in our area with the gospel. Please pray for lots of gospel conversations and that those conversations will result in saved souls. See you Saturday!
In Christ, Nathan I think we can all agree that one of the most important things we can and should be doing in our Christian walk is sharing the gospel consistently. It’s important because Christ has commanded us to do so and lost souls are at stake. I think something else we can all agree on is that we don’t share the gospel as often and as consistently as we should. Why is this? The one thing that is potentially most important in our walk is the one thing we fail to do so often. There are lots of answers we can give to the why. Fear, discomfort, and lack of contact with the lost are just a few. I’m convinced though that the main reason we don’t share the gospel is we have never been equipped to do so. We talk a big game but how often is our talk not backed up because we really don’t know how to begin to share the gospel? The truth is we cannot allow ourselves to let any excuse get in the way but if there is one that will continue to be a stumbling block it is being ill-equipped. This coming Sunday, October 4th from noon to 2pm, I will be doing Way of the Master evangelism training. In two hours I will give you basic tools that will equip you for a lifelong commitment to sharing the gospel faithfully. So often all it takes to get someone actively sharing the gospel is showing them how. Way of the Master is a non-confrontational way of sharing the gospel with anyone, anywhere. You can use it to share with your children and you can use it to share with a complete stranger in the grocery store. It is a very practical, yet biblical way of presenting the gospel. I challenge everyone to make this a priority, realizing that Sunday afternoons are cherished time. This is time worth investing in. Another advantage of attending this training is it will prepare you for the Midlothian Fall Festival coming up on October 17th. We will be providing lunch and childcare so everyone is welcome to join us. There is a signup sheet in the foyer. Will you be a part of reaching Midlothian with the gospel? Don’t be content sitting on the sidelines of evangelism. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. The following video gives you an idea of what The Way of the Master is all about. In Christ, Nathan Don't miss out on these opportunities! |
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December 2015
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