This is the final installment of my tributes to the men who've led the Carleton C4C movement. I want to say so much about this guy right now, but I'll let my tribute do the talking. Would Mr. Onih-nih-nih-nih-fer-ichuk (Adam's pronunciation of Nate's last name) please step forward.
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Lastly, but certainly not the least, is Nathan Onifrichuk. Convocating with me, along with the Carleton class of 2008, Nathan majored in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and was the KSL of our movement this past academic year of 2007-08. What a great friend! Countless times talking with him this year have been so valuable. It was great being able to go to him and talk about what I was doing. He was always ready with feedback for my work leading Discipleship Group Leaders' Training or WM, he always had good ideas for discipleship, and he was a man of prayer.
I have never heard someone pray as powerfully as he did in our God's Name. When he prays, he's praying to the "Lord God," and you believe it when you hear the reverence and yet confidence that he expresses in it. Nathan also taught me to pray the cross. Sometime in the past few years, Nate (I'm guessing on Adam's advice) read C.J. Mahaney's The Cross Centered Life (which I highly recommend since it's pure Gospel) and would thank God for the cross every time he prayed. That impacted me so much. Now I try to remember to pray in the confidence of being on this side of the cross, while thanking God for the cross. It really is the centre of our faith; no cross, no Christianity.
And he was a man of self-discipline. We know the implicit command, "when you pray" (Mt. 6:5), but there's also the implicit command, "when you fast" (Mt. 6:16). Nate pulled off a forty day fast! Awesome! And his bulging muscles scream of his discipline. Like Paul, he disciplines his body and keeps it under control (1Co. 9:27). I know that Nate's health is really inspiring for men. I certainly find it hugely respectable. He hasn't been mastered by anything, but has mastered his body.
Moving on to the Bible aspect, I associate Nathan with Nehemiah. To get all joking out of the way, the most obvious reason for this is his height. They say that Nehemiah (knee-high-miah) is the second shortest person in the Bible, dwarfing the Apostle Peter who fell asleep on his [wrist] watch. Nathan was a man of prayer and a man of vision. Nehemiah was certainly a man of prayer: as his heart wept, right away he turned to God (Ne. 1); when he was scared of his king killing him he prayed (Ne. 2:4); when his project of rebuilding the wall was at risk, he prayed (Ne. 4:9). As man of vision, Nehemiah knew what needed to get done, and it happened. When people were wavering, he would be steadfast. He knew so clearly that his purpose in leading was to make sure that all of the people he was immediately responsible for were set on their course.
That was identically true for Nate. He was always looking for input, especially in areas where he knew that he needed help. He was so humble. I could never believe the things that he did that showed his humility, whether it was going to the gym with me and putting up with how slow I was on the track, or need to put on and take off weights from the bench cause he was doing twice as much as me, never letting anyone puff him up for his awesome grades, or simply confessing that his QTs (i.e., Quiet Time) hadn't been encouraging. Just the quality you need in a leader. I'm sure that Moses, who said of himself, "the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth" (Nu. 12:3), would have to compete with Nate for the modern day title.
The specific thing that makes me realize that Nate was like Nehemiah, was his initiative in pushing our movement in the next direction. He identified that in our postmodern culture (though he wouldn't have used the label) relationships are a priority and that right/wrong, truth/error, good/evil aren't priorities anymore, so he said that relational evangelism was the natural response. He's a missiologist and doesn't even know it! Nehemiah knew that the wall needed to be put up (Ne. 1:3; 2:1-5), so he did everything he could to get his people behind his mission. Nate had the ST behind him because he convinced us.
Nate's challenge this past year was to get our movement thinking about relational evangelism. He succeeded. He finished what he set out to accomplish. Praise be to God for making such finite beings helpful to His infinite plan.
--
These men all impacted me by the example they set. I'm really grateful for it. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for them. Praise God for leaders!
--
Lastly, but certainly not the least, is Nathan Onifrichuk. Convocating with me, along with the Carleton class of 2008, Nathan majored in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and was the KSL of our movement this past academic year of 2007-08. What a great friend! Countless times talking with him this year have been so valuable. It was great being able to go to him and talk about what I was doing. He was always ready with feedback for my work leading Discipleship Group Leaders' Training or WM, he always had good ideas for discipleship, and he was a man of prayer.
I have never heard someone pray as powerfully as he did in our God's Name. When he prays, he's praying to the "Lord God," and you believe it when you hear the reverence and yet confidence that he expresses in it. Nathan also taught me to pray the cross. Sometime in the past few years, Nate (I'm guessing on Adam's advice) read C.J. Mahaney's The Cross Centered Life (which I highly recommend since it's pure Gospel) and would thank God for the cross every time he prayed. That impacted me so much. Now I try to remember to pray in the confidence of being on this side of the cross, while thanking God for the cross. It really is the centre of our faith; no cross, no Christianity.
And he was a man of self-discipline. We know the implicit command, "when you pray" (Mt. 6:5), but there's also the implicit command, "when you fast" (Mt. 6:16). Nate pulled off a forty day fast! Awesome! And his bulging muscles scream of his discipline. Like Paul, he disciplines his body and keeps it under control (1Co. 9:27). I know that Nate's health is really inspiring for men. I certainly find it hugely respectable. He hasn't been mastered by anything, but has mastered his body.
Moving on to the Bible aspect, I associate Nathan with Nehemiah. To get all joking out of the way, the most obvious reason for this is his height. They say that Nehemiah (knee-high-miah) is the second shortest person in the Bible, dwarfing the Apostle Peter who fell asleep on his [wrist] watch. Nathan was a man of prayer and a man of vision. Nehemiah was certainly a man of prayer: as his heart wept, right away he turned to God (Ne. 1); when he was scared of his king killing him he prayed (Ne. 2:4); when his project of rebuilding the wall was at risk, he prayed (Ne. 4:9). As man of vision, Nehemiah knew what needed to get done, and it happened. When people were wavering, he would be steadfast. He knew so clearly that his purpose in leading was to make sure that all of the people he was immediately responsible for were set on their course.
That was identically true for Nate. He was always looking for input, especially in areas where he knew that he needed help. He was so humble. I could never believe the things that he did that showed his humility, whether it was going to the gym with me and putting up with how slow I was on the track, or need to put on and take off weights from the bench cause he was doing twice as much as me, never letting anyone puff him up for his awesome grades, or simply confessing that his QTs (i.e., Quiet Time) hadn't been encouraging. Just the quality you need in a leader. I'm sure that Moses, who said of himself, "the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth" (Nu. 12:3), would have to compete with Nate for the modern day title.
The specific thing that makes me realize that Nate was like Nehemiah, was his initiative in pushing our movement in the next direction. He identified that in our postmodern culture (though he wouldn't have used the label) relationships are a priority and that right/wrong, truth/error, good/evil aren't priorities anymore, so he said that relational evangelism was the natural response. He's a missiologist and doesn't even know it! Nehemiah knew that the wall needed to be put up (Ne. 1:3; 2:1-5), so he did everything he could to get his people behind his mission. Nate had the ST behind him because he convinced us.
Nate's challenge this past year was to get our movement thinking about relational evangelism. He succeeded. He finished what he set out to accomplish. Praise be to God for making such finite beings helpful to His infinite plan.
--
These men all impacted me by the example they set. I'm really grateful for it. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for them. Praise God for leaders!
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2 comments:
Nathan was a great leader. However, I can't believe you referred to "his bulging muscles"...
Believe it.
The Bible makes much of self control. His body is evidence of his self control. I feel satisfied with the justification that I gave for that comment within the entry.
In jest, I suggest that you consider taking a vow of constructive criticism where, when you criticize, you only say things that are helpful. Or, maybe you could just take that vow for when you comment on my blog.
Thank you for your faithful readership, though.
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