Who am I? Why am I writing?

I’m a husband and a dad who happens to also be a pastor.

My wife and my mom call me Nathan- some people call me Pastor Nate- but Nate is just fine.

I grew up beside the railroad tracks near Rock Creek Park in Albemarle, North Carolina. I lived there my whole childhood- yep, one home. When I left for college, I would have a different “home” almost every semester.

Growing up, I never really thought of myself becoming a pastor- and I’m fully aware how unqualified I still am. I suppose that’s why I don’t usually capitalize it when writing it out- p-a-s-t-o-r. I thought I was to be a lawyer, then a musician, then an English teacher… but it was a conversation with a professor at Wingate University that pushed me into the world of church and ministry and all that comes with that vocation.

Vocation is an important word to me- I find it somewhat hilarious to think of ministry/pastoring as a job, because it really has become more like a lifestyle/calling than that.

I enjoy writing- not as much as the professionals, but I do enjoy getting the jumbled cloud of words from my head/heart and onto the page/screen. I probably use the dash (-) incorrectly all the time, but I enjoy it- kind of like an aside while I write- and then I come back to my original point.

If you want to get to the heart of who I am, I would say it this way: I love Shauna and Lucy and Brennan more than anything else on earth. I can’t make or buy enough things to fill their life with- I’m a tinkerer, and I’m always looking forward to something. I’m constantly working to make more of Christ come out of me than whatever else might be inside. I’m self-aware enough to know that if I don’t pray, I’ll be mean- and if I don’t golf regularly, I won’t slow down. I’m a pastor— but I hesitate when I say that— mainly because I know what it means. But I am one.

Shauna is a therapist/counselor, and she is the most loving person I’ve ever met. I respect her more than anyone in the world, and I should tell her that more often than I do. Lucy and Brennan pull compassion and love out of me that I didn’t know was there- and laughter- so much laughter. I think I could run away with all three of these folks to an island and never look back… but, ya know, that’d be unsustainable, and I don’t have the money for that (yet).

I’m weary of simplistic answers and surface-level thinking- I’m not okay with the idea of spirituality and Jesus being an option for a busy and full life- the ways of Jesus are the ways- everything else is the option. And I hate that word, busy- limited is what I’ve found to be more true. In the words of Eugene Peterson- “a busy pastor is a lazy pastor.”

Speaking of Eugene, he’s the pastoral father figure to whom I’m most affectionate. I believe my introduction to him and his work back in the late 1990s was providential— he will forever be a part of my life.

I’ve served four churches over two+ decades now, and it’s been my joy to pastor at Abundant Life Church in Glen Burnie, MD, and presently, at Albemarle First Assembly in Albemarle, NC.

I’ve earned graduate and undergraduate degrees and served on the boards of directors of various organizations. I enjoy leadership and organizational development, but I’m overly cautious about the use of leadership in the church of Jesus. We often conflate leadership with discipleship (following Jesus). This isn’t true. Leaders can be disciples, and disciples can be leaders, but neither is synonymous with the other.

I’ve decided to create this space to share my heart in a focused way. I’ll share these posts on social media, for sure- but mostly, I want an easy way to write and share my heart with the congregation/church that I serve (others are welcome, of course, to participate). There will be serious things, prayerful things, and downright silly things— because that’s how life goes.

I also run a small business, No Hassle Solutions, which helps small business leaders/owners. I provide consulting and operational help. If you’re interested in any of that, I share business leadership posts here at this site, or you can go over to www.nohasslesolutions.com and check out more there.

Lastly, if you find grammatical or spelling errors- let me know. Except for the use of the dash- I don’t much care for your input on that. :)

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Contact Nate

Got a question? Want to connect?

We can set up a call, or you can email me.