Chad Nygren

Young Adults

In August I started working a little bit with the young adults in our church and we launched a ministry called FUSION. The whole idea of working with people closer to my own age group kind of freaked me out a little bit, but I got over that and decided to jump in with both feet.

The idea behind fusion is to bring together a segment of our church that is currently on the sideline for whatever reason. To create a meaningful experience that will excite them to seek out transformation and community. Nice idea at least.

A team was formed. A direction was picked and some methods/programs developed. Again the heart is not to be program focused but to get at the heart of what the church is suppose to do, equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. (Eph. 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ) We want to first create space for people to build significant connecting relationships, and secondly create space for them to express themselves in active service.

That is the idea. More later.

8th and Leading Well

Tyler has been through many hardships and they are not over. But tonight he is leading well as an 8th grader. Character is building. Maturity is growing. Depth is deeper. God has this one in his hand!

It's Heavy

Preaching Sunday was a rush because a number of reasons, least of all was it was my birthday. The message was one of those ones you sweat over. Six verses. Some repetition. Lots of questions coming out of the passage--not many answers. When you prepare a message the preacher often experiences to a degree the subject matter they are preaching on that given week. It sure felt like I did but it did not hit until after Sunday. 

I praise God for the response we saw Sunday. It was amazing seeing people surrendering to God and seeking out people to pray with. A man I was honored to pray with said he has been gone for ten years. I asked him where he had been and he responded, "Away from Jesus." I said, "Welcome home!" It was humbling.

The other thing I do not take lightly is my role as equipper. It was also an honor to share the teaching responsibility with a great friend--Jonathan Schlender. When I first met Jonathan, he was a crazy paradox. One foot in the world and one foot in heaven. He was trying so hard to be a "Good Christian." But that is not Jonathan. Jonathan is a radicle, table tossing, gospel proclaiming, gifted passionate preacher man of God who has a message to be told. It has been amazing to see a guy like Jonathan mature in his life. Get married. Be a loving husband. Lean into his future fatherhood and continue to serve our King of kings.

Thursday, I asked Jonathan how he was doing and he was struggling, as was I. It was as if a dark cloud was raining down on us. There was no reason for it--but it was there. So we decided to meet and pray. Prayer is a game changer. It lifts our attitudes, it helps us identify areas of spiritual warfare, and primarily it allows us to tune our hearts to Gods. Discouragement and depression had set in and prayer was our weapon of choice. I eagerly anticipated my prayer time with Jonathan that afternoon and the dark spiritual cloud began to break up as I began to realize that a spiritual battle was being played out this week. 

God wants his servants to be weak on their own, so they can fully rely on Him for strength and provision. His plans are so much better than ours. I am still amazed at what God did Sunday, but I am learning the lesson that His provision is made perfect at my weakest moments when I cry out to him in a prayer of desperation. 

Sermon Extra's

Extras from 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

My identity in Christ and my position in Christ:

1. I am a child of God. (John 1:12)
2. I am steeped in sin and have been since birth. (Psalm 51:5)
3. I am chosen. (Ephesians 1:3-6)
4. I am born again. (1 Peter 1:23)
5. I am freed from the bondage of sin.(Romans 6:6, Romans 8:2)
6. I am a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
7. I am God’s workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)
8. I am free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
9. I am redeemed and forgiven. (Colossians 1:14)
10. I am a work in progress. (Philippians 1:6)
11. I am in Christ and Christ in me. (John 17:20, Galatians 2:20)
12. I am a friend of Christ. (John 15:15)
13. I am a co-worker of God. (2 Corinthians 6:1)
14. I am a co-heir with Christ to the Kingdom of God. (Romans 8:17)
15. I am more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37)
16. I am the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)
17. I am a priest. (1 Peter 2:9)
18. I am a citizen of heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
19. I am an ambassador of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
20. I am the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
21. I am in possession of the truth. (1 John 5:20)
22. I belong to God. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
23. I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
24. I am complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
25. I am loved by God. (Romans 8:38)

1. I am an image bearer of God. (Genesis 1:27)
2. I am crucified with Christ. (Galatians 2:20)
3. I am alive together with Christ.  (Ephesians 2:4-5)
4. I am washed in blood. (Ephesians 1:7)
5. I am an adopted son of the living and true God. (Ephesians 1:5)
6. I am anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
7. I am shielded from evil. (1 John 5:18)
8. I am a witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
9. I am a temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
10. I am blessed with every spiritual blessing. (Ephesians 1:3)
11. I am enriched. (1 Corinthians 1:5)
12. I am guarded by God who gives me inner peace. (Philippians 4:7)
13. I am free to access to God. (Ephesians 2:18)
14. I am united with the Lord. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
15. I am appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
16. I am a minister of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
17. I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6)
18. I am a branch of the true vine. (John 15:1-5)
19. I am hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
20. I am free to approach God with confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)
21. I am part of a greater thing. (Romans 12:5)
22. I am justified. (Romans 5:1)
23. I am a saint. (Ephesians 1:1)
24. I am assured that all things work together for my good. (Romans 8:28)
25. I am significant to God. (Matthew 6:25-33)

by Rick Warren, 

In my study of Gospels, I made a list of the people Jesus came for:

Jesus came for the chewed up, crossed off, crying out

The dropped out, edged out, fizzled out, and freaked out

The have nots, the held back, hung over, and knocked around

He came for the left out, the loaded down, and looked over,

The locked up, led astray, laid off, and let down

The messed up and the mixed up

He came for the passed over, the picked on, put down, pinned down and pushed around

The ripped off, the run down and the run over

Jesus came for people who are screwed up and the shrugged off,

The shut in and shut out

The smashed up, the stacked against, and strung out

Our Savior came for the torn up, thrown away, and the turned off

Those who used up and walked over,

The washed out, the worn out, the wiped out, and the written off

He came for you. And me.

How far we reach!

I was somewhat stunned last night as I pondered what had happened at Epicenter, our middle school program. Not that I should be surprised but quite regularly God does unexpected things where we are not looking. We like to keep our messes contained in a box but when we actually start dealing with them things can get somewhat messy. The past is brought up and painful situations are remembered but I believe God works through those situations and brings about amazing results where we can find a deeper understanding of who He is. 

Last night a 6th grader confessed to smoking cigarettes over a year ago when in 5th grade. She wanted to clear her conscience and let someone know how God has gotten a hold of her heart.

A young man realized his parents marital problems were not his fault and that no matter how good of a kid he was they would still be making the decisions that face their family. I saw a glimmer of hope in his eye when he realized this and saw freedom in his worship.

One of our leaders also took some steps last night, dealing with a hidden past. Heavy stuff but ultimately freedom will be experienced. I was amazed as he transparently communicated how he struggles with his past to his small group and how God is the only one that can get us through. 

Understanding that God desired our hearts and minds to be open to change and to be leaning into his voice for direction and guidance is vital to our spiritual growth.

Rip Off!

This weekend we did a project in our bathroom--Installing a floor. The bathroom previously had carpet down and that is gross. I pulled the carpet out almost two years ago and it is a wonder I am still married because I didn't finish the job. I do not enjoy handy man jobs too much--because I usually mess them up so I put this one off. Here is what I learned thru the process:

• My wife is an amazing handy-woman
• Home Depot is not accurate on time to complete a project 
• It always costs more and you always forget something 
• I get angry at myself when I mess up 
• The results are worth the hard work 
• It is nice to live a mile from Home Depot 
• You should quit when you can't feel your legs anymore 
• Knives are dangerous  
• There is no such thing as a perfect job 
• I love being a pastor  

  Still a few things to finish up but we saved a bunch of money and I learned some valuable lessons.

Can Giants Grow?

This is my friend Shawn. He is a giant in a number of ways. I feel very short when I am around him. He is a goliath. But not in a bad way. Shawn is the kind of guy you like to have next to you--you know I am much more likely to pick a fight with him there than not there. He is the guy that has your back. Plus word on the street is that he is not as tough as he is tall.

One thing about Shawn, recently I have seen his heart change. He has grown so much. It is cool to see your friends grow. Shawn is stepping into his role as father, husband and leader and doing it well. 

Love you Shawn!

Why I quit today!

It's winter time and today winter was not informed because we are headed to 56 degrees--Yay! I struggle with depression and people don't often understand that because of my personality type. There are days I just want to quit. Not in a end my life kind of way but just go crawl under a blanket and sleep for a week kind of quit. As I search scriptures I see verses about quitting all the time. Some people live by the mantra, "Never give up!" or "Never say die!" I just find myself with out the energy to say those specific phrases anymore and I think God has taught me it is ok to give up and to die. I will tell you why in these bullet points.

• I give up because only then can God take over and help me through the dark times. 
• I give up because it is a position of surrender and humility. 
• I give up because it means I need others to come along side me to help me. 
• I give up because it allows us to do this together. 
• I say die, because it means you have laid down your life. 
• I say die, because it means you stood for a cause. 
• I say die, because it means you were consumed for a purpose. 
• I say die, because to die is gain. 
• I say die because Jesus died for me.  

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  - Philippians 1:21 

Nygren Family Grows by One

Meet the latest addition to our family. Gokul Surian Nygren. Yeah...interesting name but we like it. No, seriously we have talked about sponsoring a compassion child for years and never jumped in. So we decided to jump in and help some one in need.

We did this for a number of reasons:

• We wanted to help a child in need because we believe children can change the world.
• We wanted to help someone who lives far from us so we can learn about their culture.
• We wanted to give out of sacrifice--giving something up as a family for our sponsor child.
• We wanted to teach our children about ministry and giving.

So if you are ever in our home a picture of our fourth kid Gokul who lives in India hangs on our fridge. We pray for him. Our kids write him letters and draw him pictures. We will send him gifts. Maybe another "Sponsor Child" is in our future.

Streams of living water

Is. 35:6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,  and streams will water the wasteland. 

At least our water is clean!!!