Jesus plays video-games, reads fantasy, watches sci-fi movies, and goes to Comic-Con {and you should too}

Growing up, I would often hear a couple titles constantly ascribed to me; things like “out of the box” and “imaginative” (most likely synonyms for “a handful"). But what they ultimately meant was I had a curiosity for life, and a wonder that reached beyond the mundane of the every day. Very little interested me more than stories, which naturally lendded itself to me spending my hours inside my own mind wandering the fantastic lands I would hear of in books, fighting the battles I would see in movies, and taking on the image of leading a life within a story of epic proportions. The books, films and games I would find my self caught up in, each told a story of a place more beautiful, epic, and grandiose than the one I currently lived. Filled with thought, beauty and whimsy they invited me into the magical tales they were weaving in my heart.

So now fast-forward fifteen years as me and my newly found adventure-partner (wife), climb into our ship (car) and head to something magical called Wonder-con. I had always wanted to go, but had never been able to for varying reasons such as time/money/schedule. So, as we landed in the land of Wonder-con (Orange County) and began to walk into the Wonder-con stronghold (convention center), I could feel the boy within me begin to fill with the magical excitement of entering a beautiful and epic story.

Wonder-Con is a convention held every year where thousands upon thousands of fantasy, sci-fi, superhero and all-around story lovers- convene to hear, see, taste, and touch the newest and most beautiful stories being told.

It is a place where you can walk booth to booth doing things like picking up swords, to playing the newest RPG video-game, to (my favorite) seeing up-close the beautiful works of original art and meeting the artists who brought them to life.

All of this, not to mention getting to witness the countless Cosplayers (people who dress up as their favorite characters) dressed in their handmade, intricate and beautiful costumes- making walking by a Storm Trooper, Aragorn, a Transformer, or even Superman something that falls in the realm of possibility. It’s a place where people have discovered and loosed the gift of their imagination upon the world. A place where people have realized the power of story and let its beauty effect, transform and invite us into a world beyond ours.

So naturally, as I walked past the miles of food-trucks closer to the convention center, my anticipation only rose. That was until we came upon the doors to the convention center. It was there I saw something that squelched my excitement.

There, in front of us and the thousands of excited story-lovers were a group of men and women dressed in kaki slacks, tucked in white shirts, a countenance of mild destain on their face, and large black and yellow signs in their hands that read “Sin brings God’s wrath” and “After death, the judgement” and the one that caused my heart to sink the most “Repent! and believe in Jesus”

Now at this point you might ask what it was that made me so upset upon seeing these devout followers. After all I love Jesus with my whole heart, and I do think we (all) should repent and believe in Jesus. But it was less the words on the signs that bothered me, and more the context and way they were being throw at people.

Hear me out... Here you have thousands of people, each one are story, art, beauty, and imagination lovers. All at the same place to give to and draw from the beautiful energy that each of these aspects can bring. And as they walk into something so beautiful, they are immediately confronted words representing Jesus, in a, guilt producing, fear inducing, people separating, coldly uniform way, and ultimately ugly way.

I don’t know about you, but this deeply bothered me. It bothered me because the “truth” they were espousing about my Jesus was the opposite of the message he gave his life to tell.

The Jesus I know is the teller of stories and the dreamer of dreams. He is the Jesus that told us of a beautiful land we were destined for should we follow him. A land leaving John desperate for words beautiful enough to describe this place after seeing only a glimpse of it.

(Revelation 22:1-5)

The Jesus I know, is the artist who every night paints the sky with the very colors the imagined into life. He is the Jesus that hand crafted all of nature with it’s intricate beauty in flowers, trees, animals, mountains, crystals, eyes, storms, water, and all living things.

(Psalms 19)

The Jesus I know, is the master story-teller who invites us into a new narrative of life, adventure and overcoming. He is the Jesus that’s helps us and gives us the chance to tell a more beautiful story than we ever could on our own.

(Ephesians 2:10)

So when I saw those people there, standing back to the the convention, yelling, judging and condemning... My heart sunk because I so desperately wanted everyone there, to know the Jesus I know.

I couldn’t help but see of the irony of a group so desperately trying to get the most creative people in the world to respond to Jesus, in perhaps the most uncreative way possible.

But it got me thinking... What would happen if: When we begin talking to the people who best love stories, beauty and imagination... We, instead of communicating fear and guilt, we start introducing them to the author, artist, and dreamer, of story, beauty and imagination? I don’t know, but I would be willing to guess, that maybe, just maybe some of these story/art/beauty lovers might actually want to know the creator of story/art/beauty.

So, today if you do know God, and want to share him with the world, perhaps start by showing the beauty of the God we follow.

And if you DON’T know Jesus, know this: God is the original storyteller, master artist, and the one who perfectly designed you with the desire to share in his pleasure. And he wants YOU- NO MATTER who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done to join in the story of EPIC proportioned He is telling.

--

PS

I am so excited to announce I will be acting in a new Sci-Fi feature film - Keep an eye out for more details soon!

The Mind Behind

Even if we forget the beautiful design we live in, and ignore the staggering complexity and balance all life. That still doesn't touch the question of why there is something (matter) instead of nothing. Why does anything exist at all?

Well...

Imagine walking on the street and by chance you come across a beautiful painting (use your imagination). What you would most likely NOT say is "Wow what a cool coincidence that all that paint, and a frame fell together so beautifully".  Instead, you would say something along the lines of "Who painted this, and put this here?". Logic would lead you to believe that something of it's apparent complexity and reason- HAS a reason. That the art you see had an artist.

Chance had little to do with it...

Now, lets take you; a self aware, complex person, with the ability to reason and think. Wouldn't it be logical to assume you were created with those faculties by a creator WITH purpose and thought?

Lets take science on a whole. A system of laws we so desperately lean on for answers. Wouldn't the logical conclusion of the frame work of "laws" be a law giver?

As you journey through this day, I challenge you to observe the order, beauty, function, and ultimately intention woven into everything around us. And as you do, challenge your self to ask if maybe just maybe behind all this design there could be a designer...

City of Prodigals [first OFFICIAL trailer for Confessions of a Prodigal Son]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtNHYvTW0PE?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

"I can remember coming to LA- poor, passionate, and ready to live my dreams, but what I soon found out was this dream was hard, and didn't come as easy as I thought. I began to look around me and see others, who like me, came here to Hollywood looking for something, but ultimately found disappointment and heartache in not being able to satisfy the hunger in their souls whether they achieved "success" or not. I began to notice how lost and hurt so many around me were, and I began to realize that the city that promised, to so many, the fulfillment of dreams and desires- Was in reality a concentrated gathering of the broken and hurting looking for "more". I realized that instead of living in The City of Angeles, I was living in a City of Prodigals. I had my own long nights, weeks, months, years, when I thought giving up on following god would be easier and maybe it would've been. But as I continued, even through the hardest times to try my best to follow Jesus, I began to find that the dream I had come here to find was slowly being replaced with a bigger and better dream than I ever could have imagined. Until, one morning I woke up, and felt a tug from God on my heart, to get up and write. I didn't know what to write, so I asked him, and like a light coming on above my mind, I realized it had to be the prodigal son story, because Jesus has an interest in bringing the prodigals home. So I sat down and took the story Jesus told from the bible and mixed in with my experience in a modern world and long story short, we will soon have Confessions of a Prodigal Son. A story I hope will touch many, and maybe just maybe, call a few prodigals home."

 

Today is the OFFICIAL release of the first teaser trailer with actual footage from the film! If you believe in the dream that God placed on Nathan's heart to love, redeem, and call the prodigals home- the watch, be inspired and share with others.

 

Make sure to "LIKE" the COAPS Facebook for all the up to date news on the film: https://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsOfAProdigalSon

And Visit the website for more information and materials being posted soon: http://www.confessionsofaprodigalson.com/

Counterfeit Grace

And now that the provocative title has you here, let me explain- Gods grace: is beautiful and perfect. Our grace: is a cheap knock off of the original. And until we take on and ingest the true article, we cant know the all consuming, life changing, beautiful design of God's perfect gift.... So, how do we find this grace when so many counterfeit graces exist?

Well let's start where we all must.. Realizing our darkness.

Until we realize how dark our shadows really are, until we realize how broken and disgustingly-destructive our rebellion and sin really is, we can never know to the full extent the beauty of the a saving and loving grace that Jesus offers us so freely.

So often instead of staring our darkness in the face and calling it what it is- we justify, explain, and excuse ours and others sin. Saying "there's room for this or that" "it's not that bad" "it's just what culture does, it's okay". Then when we are confronted with our sin, we say "grace is all I need" wipe our hands and carry on business as usual... But in doing this, we are not actually living in the grace we claim we are. Instead in doing this, we abuse, contaminate, and make light of the gift if grace that was given to us-not to excuse our bad behavior but instead empower us to change!

Jesus came and died to bring a new Kingdom to earth, a kingdom that is here to redeem, remake. But also a kingdom that is here to destroy the painful, destructive power of sin and the brokenness we've allowed it to have over us. I think in our minds that Jesus simply came to say -

"never mind, don't worry about sin anymore, you're all good, so do whatever you want and 'grace' will totally cover like whatever"

But if you look at what he really said in his words and life was (paraphrased)

"I have come to give you a new way, a perfect way. Leave your old self behind and find who you were made to be in me, and yes I know that your not perfect and will fail, that's why I died for you, so that anytime you cannot do it, it's on me... But you still have to try and work everyday at forsaking your flesh and the destructive things that you have allowed you rule you, and move towards me and the beautiful, living Kingdom I have come to establish"

When we "get" and grasp this, and hear what Jesus was truly saying, is when we actually realize the depth of his love and the meaning if his sacrifice. When our darkness in confronted by his light. We can no longer live in the shadows cheeping his beautiful creation of grace he gave us out of love.

When Jesus kneeled down to a woman he had just saved from stoning for being caught in the act of adultery, first he told her that he had forgiven her sins and no one could accuse her... BUT then he tells her something else "go and sin NO more."

Isn't that how Jesus deals with us though? He kneels down with love and gentleness next to us as we lay in the ruin of our mistakes, then he forgives us extending his beautiful and amazing "grace"... So often we think this is where the story ends, this is all that needs to happen, Jesus forgives us and that's it... But wait that's not where the story ends. Jesus then helped the woman up and said "Go... And sin NO more". What!? Did you see that? Jesus doesn't just leave us there on the ground, with forgiveness only. Instead, through His strength, He lifts us to our feet and gives us a command- First to "Go", to do something, to make an action and begin to change. Then to "Sin no more", to leave the old behind and to STOP the things that brought us to the ground in the first place. Jesus doesn't just forgive us, He does one better, He sets us on a new path and invites us to leave behind our dark and begin walking into his light... So we see that grace isn't the allowance of our sin and acceptance of staying on the ground, but instead it is the empowerment to even through our mistakes continue walking on towards the Kingdom Jesus has invited us into.

God says "I am Love" Jesus says "if you love me obey me" and "I am the way the truth and the life". Let these remind you that grace is not an acceptance of your darkness but an empowerment I walk towards light.

I See God In You

We were made in the image of God.

Let that sink in, don't just hear it, then release this truth- ingest and let it become apart of you. The designer of the cosmos who holds galaxies in his hands made you, me, and us in his very image...

When we realize this about our selves, something amazing happens; we begin to see worth and infinite value that we have in been made with, not because we made it so, but because the great Mind designed and gave it to us. Allowing us to share His very image, in heart, soul, mind, and body.

And after we realize and see the intrinsic, and intentionally placed value in ourselves, we begin to see it in others. We see the very image of God in EVERYONE around us; be they black or white, rich or poor, man or woman, strong or weak. We suddenly see the value we all were created with by the master creator... It's a value that something like status, money, class, education, race or sex could never hold a candle to when trying to asses someone's true worth... How could they? How could any sum of money match the infinitely-beautiful and powerful image of God that lies upon us all, and is woven in to our very humanity.

The more we know God, the more we know his image, the more we know his image, the more we see it in the ones around us. And as we do things like racism, classism, ageism, sexism, bigotry, and hate slowly disappear, into the recognition of something greater- into the realization and recognition of the image of God is on ALL of us. The separations of the natural, give way to the inclusion of the super-natural, knowing we all bare the image of God.

So go, and begin to see the image of God in you, and the ones around you, the ones you love and the unloveable... For even when you were unlovely, God -the creator of the stars- saw not your brokenness but instead the value he had placed upon you, and gave his life so you could know just how much you are really worth.

Let

Gentle light finds it's way through through the ancient tree's arms- as finally, like a Pollock, it falls distorted upon my LA apartment building. The Burbank mountains begin to stretch and spread their arms south and north, ready, come what may. And I sit here, shirtless and still, waiting, and watching as all parts of nature each with its unique voice, acknowledges their creator. And through them he shines.

Let us turn our faces to our creator and let his light fall upon us.

The Waiting Room

The air is dry and stale and hangs still in the space, I look around the room I have become all to familiar with; Its cold blank walls stare back at me, and remind me of how long I've been in here. On the other side of the room is the door I wait to enter.

A few scattered chairs lay around, acting as remnants of the people who have come and gone into the next room. I had been under the impression that I was here first, and had my name on the list before the several individuals who have somehow come and gone in before me... But for one reason or another, here I sit, still.

I have been dreaming of what's on the other side of that door for years now, and now I sit so close and yet so far. I am kept from my dreams only by what seems to be a thin door, needing only permission from those in charge to pass through.

I pick up an old magazine and mindlessly flip through it's torn pages, while thinking of the people I have witnessed pass through the door and into the room I so desperately want to be in. I wonder if it's something about them specifically that got them in. Maybe it was their beauty, skill or personality that ushered them into the coveted room. I turn the magazine page to a perfume ad where a very fit couple -making a striking and intimate pose- stare at me from the thin paper. I begin to wonder if it's me, If instead of some people being let it in because of who they are, perhaps I am being kept out because of who I am. Maybe my resume is to small or wasn't formatted correctly, or perhaps they found out about that thing that happened last year I hoped no one ever would, or maybe they inexplicably realized I'm not as good at math as I told them I was. Or maybe they somehow saw who I really am.

Whatever it is, I think it's time to give up. I toss the magazine back onto the table beside me and slowly stand up. I look one more time at the door that now seems so impossible to pass. I put my hands in my pockets and with a final deep breath, turn and begin to walk out.

Then suddenly "Nathan"

Startled, I swing back around, and there next to the door -I had so long waited to open- is another door... It's smaller than the other one and the finish on it looks worn, but there it stands none the less. I don't know how I hadn't noticed it before, perhaps I had been so focused on the entrance I thought I was supposed to go through I hadn't noticed the one right next to it. The new door was cracked open, presumably where the voice came from. I paused shortly, then answered.

"Yes?"

"Where are you going?"

"I uh... I have just been..."

"Come on in"

I hesitate briefly, looking back at the door I had been so sure I was supposed to go through, then look back at the open door beside it.

Why Aren't You Living The Story You Were Made To Tell

God has not placed dreams, passions and gifts on your heart to be ignored. He has placed them on your heart to be realized.

God has a story to tell, God has a story for YOU to tell! You need only let Him.

But the unfortunate thing is, so many will live and die never having known the sweet, fulfilling, beautiful-taste, of living the destiny God has for them. 

How can this be? How can God have individually designed each of us with loves, passions and gifts for so many to miss the story they were designed to tell.

Could it be because all to often we say things like...

"If I had enough money, I would..."

"It would take a LOT of work and dedication, and I just don't know it I am ready to commit..."

"I'm scared"

"What if I fail?"

"What would other people think"

"That's not what normal people do"

Whether you have said these things out loud, or heard them whispered in the back of your mind. You must silence the noise and hear only the voice of God ready to narrate the story he has created you to tell. But to hear his voice, you must listen.

7 Simple Ways To Live A Healthy Life And Still Be Happy (Yes You Can Have Both)

If you are anything at all like me, you have big dreams and huge visions of an amazing life; little of which includes counting the hours until your next low calorie meal of dried Kale, just so you can reach some number on a scale that a random website said you should be at.

Since I believe in God...

I believe our creator is an amazing artist, who created food to be a wonderful, life-giving experience, meant to be savored and filling!

AND I believe he created human bodies to be beautiful, healthy, balanced, able to help us experience pleasure as we interact with the world God has crafted while carrying our the work we were made to do.

The unfortunate part, is we live in a fallen world, where we have disease, sickness, addiction and an array of other human shortcomings that seem to make the above two statements mutually exclusive. 

It is easy to sometimes feel like to be healthy, we must be miserable; eating things that just aren’t fun, and spending hours in a cold, damp place (the gym) surrounded by silent sweaty people and the sounds of clanking metal as we grow more and more self conscious, to gain a body the magazines say we need.

But then on the other hand, it’s not hard to find your self in a place where you take the enjoy life and food and drink mantra, only to find yourself in a constant place of guilt, and if not guilt simply unhealthy habits, that have very real consequences for your health and safety.

So what are we to do? 

Wait for Heaven until we can down as many bags of chips we want- and still have the perfect bod? 

Or is there a way to start moving towards the life of health that honors the creators creation- WHILE still praising God by partaking in the wondrous culinary artistry he has put upon this earth?

A lot of people know me either as the actor, or writer or hollywood guy. But what some of you may not know is that I am also an avid health food junkie and a certified-nutritionist! When I first began my journey into studying nutrition and health I began to see some easy and amazing ways to stay healthy while still loving life! Here are my top 7!

1. Water, Water, Water... This is probably the most important and simply just easiest way to stay and get healthy, in fact if you just stopped reading the rest of this post and changed nothing, but started drinking the recommended amount of water a day you would already start seeing amazing health results -cleansing, weight loss, appetite control, increased energy, and a plethora of more benefits- I know soda is good, but hey... Drink water, just do it!
2. Give Up Soda... I know, I know it’s good! But research has shown that people can weigh 10 pounds less, by changing nothing else and simply giving up soft drinks. And besides you never know what you might be missing! There are some amazing drinks (not even green ones) that are good and will make you feel awesome; like TEA- hot or iced!
3. Go Whole Wheat... If you are anything like me, when someone suggests to give up bread, (or carbs all together) it’s all you can do to not throw their kale shake in their and their ridiculous opinions face. I can’t live without my sandwiches, but making a simple change at the grocery store to 100% whole wheat bread can change you entire body. Where white bread will turn straight to fat, slowing you down... The wheat and bran of whole wheat grains will naturally cleanse your body.
4. Move! Just get up. If you are not a gym person, you don’t need to make your self one, just get up and do something, your body was made to move and dance and walk! Even just 15 min a day can drastically improve your health!
5. Go Natural... I know you’ve heard it before... But you have to, your body is MADE to eat and enjoy foods of all kinds and flavors, NOT chemicals and weird gooey lab stuff. SO just by making a choice to eat mostly “Natural” food, you will see a HUGE change in how you feel and your body will better be able to help you be your best self by working well!
6. Eat More Veggies & Fruits... We all know this already, but think of it this way, I am giving you license to eat more! You can eat as many greens and fruits as you want! BUT no cheating and frying, pouring ranch all over them. I promise after just a little while of putting some of natures veggie and fruit delights into your diet, you will start to CRAVE them!
7. Power UP! So I have always dreamed of being a superhero, so when I heard there was a list of something called the “Superfood's” I was all about them. Some of my favorites are Avocados, blueberries, mushrooms, kale, knew, Adding a few of these into your everyday, will supercharge your body and help it work the way God designed it to, not to mention will give you super strength and the ability to fly ;)

So there you have it! 7 simple ways to health that won’t make you hate life.

Try these every day and overtime I promise they will help you become the best you can be!

Why a Four Year Olds Tears are a Beautiful

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Js4YZ1z0to&w=560&h=315] This is to me deeply beautiful.

Say Something the piano ballad by Great Big World- is a gentle, powerful, and touching song that has skyrocketed into the publics ear with it's deeply personal driven lyrics about a relationship ending, haunting melodies striking heart strings with every minor note and deeply touching vocals that hold the air of someone like you or me expressing the depths of our soul.

When I first heard this song shown to me by my fiance Rachael Lee, I was suddenly hit with a blast of emotion. As each lyric and note floated through my car speakers, Memory upon memory was conjured up with each harmony sang, and minor note hit. They were real memories, close to me, each one resonating with something the artist was singing. I was brought back to the times of my life of deep doubt, and struggle when I didn't know if my now wife and I would make it through. I was forced into a beautiful slide show of the story that is ours to share but almost wasn't.

All of this because of a few notes and words strung together.

I thought maybe I had such a deep reaction to this song because of what I have been through and the experiences that have painted my understanding of the world.

But how mysteriously interesting it is to watch Young Jackson listen to this ballad. Jackson is four, and as we watch through the lens of a smartphone, this young man shedding tears as this song plays, it is plain to see, that this young man has something going on inside him in response to this song; something that is bringing a visceral and real reaction to the forefront of his countenance.

But how can this be? Jackson being only four would presumably know nothing about the the intricacies of a romantic relationship or the pain brought on from the loss or lack their of. But still Jackson is moved, deeply moved even to tears.

Could it be, that the ignition of our emotions go beyond simlpy our experience? Could it be that the deep longings we feel in response to beauty aren't learned but written on our hearts from before we can even begin to understand what they mean? Could it be that a master designer didn't leave our hearts up to chance but encoded his very being and passion into them before we even had a thought?

I don't know...

But, I know that day in and day out, I have unexplained responses to the beauty I find around me every day, and like Jackson I don't know why I am so effected, I don't know why I long, I don't know why I know why I am touched in the deepest part of my soul and feel a longing for for something I cannot explain

But, what I do know is that I and deeply moved to long for something I have never experienced before.

Out Of This World Love

It's astonashing the tangable things we will give up for the imeterial object of love. If there is such a powerful desire for something not of this world, what should we conclude then about the thing our hearts so fervently desire.

Quote #2...

Quote #2

Do we believe there is a design? If not, we are left to our fumbling human guesses at putting the pieces of an obviously broken world together.

What Happened When I Said I Didn't Know If I Believed In God

I waited with a worried heart and a furrowed brow for my parents to come and say goodnight. Usually it was a quick prayer and quick “love you goodnight!”- but tonight I had something to tell them that had been burning a hole in my heart.

I could feel knots in my ten year old stomach, while I unknowingly wrapped my fingers tighter and tighter around my sheets.

On the walls around me hung pictures and poster of heroes and great figures standing tall representing the strength a young man’s heart longs for, but tonight I didn’t feel strong or brave, as yet another distressing wave of doubt came over me.

The door swung open and my parents entered ready to send me off to bed as they prepared to end their day. After a short prayer and a pat on the leg they began to leave when suddenly I said “stop, I need to tell you something”.

Gently concerned, they turned back around and asked me what was on my mind. A bit of fear welled within me mixed with a twinge of shame as I took a breath and let it come out “I don’t know if I believe in God.” The words hung in the air, and the silence was almost more than I could bare. Then I felt the gentle hand of my mother rest again on my leg as the worry left her eyes and a sleight smile came over her face, “That’s okay.”

Astonished that my mother -the most godly woman I have ever known- so nonchalantly took in stride my doubt of God, I replied puzzled… “It is?”

“Of course” She said “Every true believer will have doubts and questions about God, that’s very normal, when I first met Jesus, I know I did. You are a great boy Nathan, and I have no doubt you’ll be a great man.” And with one more “Goodnight I love you”, my parents gently left the room taking the weight of the world I had been carrying, with them.

That night my parents gave me something amazing, through their allowance of my doubts they gave me the ability to know God on a greater scale than I could have ever known him while having a faux faith forced upon me.

From that night on whenever I would have doubts- having felt the freedom to communicate with my parents about them, I would share my struggles and thoughts. And consistently I would leave empowered in my fight. My mom would tell me “Don’t worry Nathan you remind me of the great biblical hero Jacob, who wrestled God”, “I do” I would ask wondering how? “Yes” she would say “And that’s a great thing, because wrestling is a full contact sport and when we wrestle with God we are in communion with him, which is ALWAYS a good thing.”

The song below was written years after that night in my bedroom, hundreds of miles away from my parents, in a small apartment in Hollywood. I had been going through a time of doubt and struggle with God, not unlike the struggle I faced when I was ten. I wanted to put all my fears and doubts into a song but felt a pause thinking maybe, I shouldn’t doubt God and just pretended to be okay. But then suddenly I could again hear my mother’s words echoing through the confines of my minds memories “Wrestling with God is a GOOD thing, wrestling is a full contact sport, and as long as we are in contact with God you have nothing to worry about.”

So with a pure heart, I wrote an honest song to God that ultimately brought me even closer to my creator.

That night in my bedroom, my parents gave me a gift. They gave me the gift of allowing me to doubt, struggle and fight, because they knew that is who God had created me to be. And because they allowed me to wrestle with God, they by default allowed me to be in full contact with him.

I encourage you, wrestle with God, doubt, struggle and be brutally honest with Him, He can take it, and doesn’t mind at all- when you do this you just might find that engaging in the full contact sport with your creator will bring you closer to God than you ever might have thought.

This is the song I wrote that night-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBZu8Y3NwD4&w=560&h=315]

Get the song on iTunes here

Get the song on Amazon here

Hallelujah (I'll Still Sing) - Lyric Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBZu8Y3NwD4

This is a song I wrote in a time of doubts and questions and comes out of a very personal place. I hope my words can connect with you wherever you are and encourage you to say "I'll Still Sing"

Quote #1

We are so much more willing to listen to a clever fool than we are a awkward wiseman

You Long For Another World Whether You Know It Or Not

In the wake of the tragic events of a fellow actor and beloved artist (in what appears to be) taking his own life, at the behest of a lethal addiction- I watch the reaction of the world around me; I read in the status's of peers, expressing sadness and remorse for the loss of such a bright life. But in doing so, I also see something else- Many of those commenting on the tragic events seem to think the reason for this loss of life was because of the individuals fame, career and a life of being known by many and the pressures that came with that. At first glance, I mentally okay the logic and scroll on, but then I feel a catch in my mind.

It suddenly occurs to me... How many overdoses are there every year we will never hear about because the individuals involved are not famous, well known, or in blockbuster movies- But each having just as much or more "pressure" in there family, personal, or professional life as any celebrity we know?

After coming upon this realization, I am forced to maybe think that maybe the tragic events of us humans losing the fight to addictions, or even taking our own lives; fall upon something so much more serious than a job description.

While I don't pretend to know all the factors that played a part in these tragic events that happened over this past weekend. What I can speak to are the relationships around me and the tragedies I have witnessed first hand in lives of those whom I love and loved. I think it so often comes down to simply this. We live in a broken world, and no matter what this world tries to promise us this world does not fill the void we forever long for. No matter the amount of money, fame, respect (all the things we think would satisfy us) we were made for something else, that until we realize, we cannot find peace.

Someone once said

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Another wise person noted "There is a God shaped hole in all our hearts." The poor and the rich... The famous and the unknown.

We will never know what we were created for until we know who we were created by. We can never fill the void we feel in the depths of our souls until we invite the one who created them, in.

Created You Were

Remember today that you were designed- Intentionally and beautifully.

You were not carelessly just thrown here, you are not the result of a random molecular happening, or a thoughtless mass of cells.

Instead realize this

You were made, designed and created with passion and love, you were given a purpose and will, your life has meaning, and you have the ability to live fully the story you were MADE to tell.

Let this effect you today, let this inspire you to know your creator more and find the purpose encoded on your heart.

Playing Pretend the way God intended

Cold and tired and completely drained I suddenly realized that I was right where my maker had designed me to be.

I Just got back from my first acting gig of the year (9pm-6am) it was cold, late and very tiring... But somewhere around 3am as I and 8 only 8 other guys were walking down the middle Broadway Ave in downtown Los Angeles, all of us holding movie weapons feeling very heroic, was when I realized how blessed I am to get to live out my dreams. I love the person God created me to be and when I started living the story he had for me, is when it really got fun.

Go and begin to move towards the person that your creator has designed you to be. In the meantime I will be playing pretend and getting paid for it! AMAZING!

Don't (just) ask Jesus into your heart

As a new year looms on the horizon, new thoughts, visions, and wonders fill our mind. For some it can cause excitement, a wind of a new beginning, but for many an uncertain new year brings something else; For some of us the this new year is a shadow that is impossible to see into, containing the unknown and bringing about uncertainty with every step closer into the mist we take.

As I lay in bed counting the things I'm iffy about in this coming year- the tasks I need to get done, and the feats I must accomplish, I suddenly feel a knocking at my brain. It's God. My creator the one who made me, and holds the entire universe. He waits patiently for me to finish up what I'm doing and answer him. I do, and cordially invite him in. He walks confidently in keeping his eyes knowingly on all the things going on around me in this house I call my mind. And without so much as a sogoodtoseeya he rests his eyes on me and in his gentle and powerful voice, says"fear not".

At this point I have a choice, I can allow my God the one who has made me, and everything, who knows all, sees all, and lives outside of time with perspective that sees The epic spectrum of the galaxies; to stay here with me, in my thoughts, and worries, and let him comfort, reconcile, heal and lead me. Or... I can say "well it was great to see you, thanks for coming, but I have this thing, so I got to ask you to leave" and God being the gentleman he is, will. Leaving me to the company of my nagging worries, intrusive fears, and ever present shortcomings.

We will all stand facing the shadow of the unknown at some point, but is then that we have a choice to either walk through it with the creator who has perspective or to go into the fog alone with only our ideas and strength on how to make it through.

So often we invite God into our hearts, but forget to invite him into anything else. God wants to walk with you through everything. Your Creator holds peace, love, joy, overcoming truth, and redemption in his hands, which he holds freely out to you, are you have to do is take hold.

Bring the Prodigal Film Home

Help Bring a Prodigal Home (Film) 

Support by visiting - http://www.gofundme.com/598bwc

Confessions of a Prodigal Son is a cinematic story of young man who is lost and found, ruined and redeemed, broken and restored. It is a modern retelling on film of the parable of the prodigal son from the Bible. I wrote the screenplay simply to encourage prodigals to come home.

This 90-minute Indie film is almost finished, but I can’t bring this Prodigal home to DVD and distribution without some help. I hope you will take a minute to learn more about my first journey into filmmaking, and to help me bring this project to completion. See some of the amazing screen shots below.

Kevin Sorbo

Michael Bolten and Rachael Lee

Nathan Clarkson (Me)

Real life is the best source for good fiction, and I wrote Prodigal out of my own experiences and observations as I journeyed through film school in NYC and tried to break into the film industry in LA as a 22 year-old unknown newbie. When I decided to try writing my own film, I wanted to create a role I could believe in, tell a story others could believe in, and make a difference in the lives of other prodigals.

To make a long story short, I put my idea on a crowd-funding site last spring. With God’s help, and the support of many amazing friends, the first round of funding allowed us to film the entire story in two weeks in LA. We had very little money, but we had a committed and talented director and some amazing talent who wanted to be involved, including Kevin Sorbo, Michael Bolten, and Tanya Chisholm, all recognized Hollywood actors. We wrapped filming on August 30.

As a first-time filmmaker, I am humbled and excited to see my story coming to life on screen. I named my new production company Lighting Dark, because that’s what film should do.

But here’s where you, and the wonderful GoFundMe community, can help me make sure this film actually does light the dark. I have enough funds to start the editing of the film, but then I will need new funds to finish the edit, pay for the film score, sound editing, mastering, and production.

Joel Clarkson my brother (composer), Aaron Eberhardt (Sound Engineer), Sean Waldron (Editor). All of which are lending their professional skill, working tirelessly behind the scenes for next to nothing. We would love to reward their passion and dedication.

To finish this project, I need a minimum of $3,000 in additional funds. No donation is too small, and every dollar will be gratefully and faithfully used to pay the editors, composers, musicians, sound mixers, and other providers who will move this film from dream to reality. If you believe in the power of returning prodigals, and you share my passion for storytelling in film that can write new stories in people’s lives, then I hope you will consider helping me bring this Prodigal home. Thanks!

http://www.gofundme.com/598bwc