Nat Crawford - Executive Coach, Speaker, Leader

Why is there something rather than nothing? Have you ever considered this question? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why are we here? Why is the earth here? Why is the universe here? Why is there something rather than nothing. Every world view has to answer these questions. Not just the Christian. Not just the theist, but the pantheist, the polytheist, the agnostic, and the atheist. We all must try to determine why there is something rather than nothing. Once one gives an answer, they need to answer one more question: is my conclusion the most reasonable answer. Atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell who said that “The universe is just there, and that's all." In other words, it just exists. It always had. It’s a brute fact. Is this reasonable? As Christians we would say “God” is the answer. But is that the most reasonable answer. Some would say, it doesn’t matter. It’s a matter of faith. But I ask you, is such a blind faith badge of honor for us as Christians? The...

Legalism. Legalism is a word Christians are prone to use and prone to be afraid of. Some Christian’s tout “I am not a legalist. or "I don't want to be legalistic about that..." I often wonder, what do they mean by "legalistic". If they mean by legalistic is that they don’t put works ahead of the gospel of grace, then good. The true gospel is salvation by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). But if they mean, the gospel is good news for your soul, but indifferent for your life. In other words, as a Christian, obedience is nice, but not a result of salvation. If this is what they mean, they’ve bought into the myth of Christian legalism. Too many Christians believe that the gospel is potent enough to save your soul but impotent to change your life. Your soul will be saved from hell, but your life will look like you belong there.  They equate obedience to God as legalism. If you believe this, you have bought into the myth of Christian legalism. If you...

Are Christians crazy for believing that Jesus physically rose from the dead? Each and every Easter, we are faced with the claim that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. That is if you can get past all the fluff of Easter bunnies and Cadbury Eggs. Beyond the commercialized and secularized version of "Easter" is the true Easter. The real reason why we celebrate each Spring. But I think the question of “Is an actual resurrection of Jesus the best possible explanation for the claims of the apostles that Jesus historically and physically rose from the dead?" should be explored. Skeptics and believers should wrestle with this question. Because as the apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless” (1 Cor. 15:14). So is an actual resurrected Jesus the best explanation for the claims of the apostles? Let’s look quickly at the many possibilities and let us all be willing to follow truth to wherever it leads. Th...

“But I say,   walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify   the desires of the flesh.   For   the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other,   to keep you from doing the things you want to do.   But if you are   led by the Spirit,   you are not under the law.   Now   the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,   idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,   divisions,   envy,   drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that   those who do   such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.   But   the fruit of the Spirit is   love, joy, peace, patience,   kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   gentleness,   self-control;   against such things there is no law.   And th...

“This is going to hurt me more than it does you.” We’ve all heard that before in a movie, a book, or in real life. Often this involves some kind of discipline or consequences for one’s actions. The one saying it means it. The one hearing it never believes it. The apostle Paul said some very similar in his second letter to the Corinthian Church: For though I caused you sorrow by my letter , I do not regret it; though I did regret it —for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— I now rejoice , not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. Today, as I read Paul’s words, it struck me that many of us struggle with holding people a...

“Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub.” This might make you chuckle as you think back on family dinner prayers. “Now I lay me down to sleep. Pray the Lord my soul to keep.” This might take you back to your bedtime ritual or maybe Metallica’s famous Enter Sandman. For many people, their prayer life goes no further than these simple and repetitious prayers. But isn’t there a better way to pray? Absolutely!  What is prayer? Prayer is simply conversing with the God of the universe. It’s a conversation…but one with God! Now think about this. Imagine you went to you best friend, spouse, or child and talked to them in cute, memorized phrases. Chances are they’d be annoyed and you’d be bored. Why would we want to do that with God? We shouldn’t. So, what’s the alternative? There are various prayer models to follow. Even Jesus Christ told His disciples (and us) how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). The reformer Martin Luther wrote book “A Simple Way to Pray.” He suggested praying the Lord’s p...

Do you remember “The Jerk” with Steve Martin? It has to be one of the funniest of Martin’s films. There’s a scene where he’s working at the gas station and someone begins shooting at some oil cans. He begins to panic and yells, “He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!” In other words, he thought the cans were the problem. Not the person who was shooting the cans. Funny until it is real life. The recent events of mass shootings,  terrorist  attacks, and a divided nation, makes me sad. It is not surprising, but never-the-less sad. No one is talking. No one is listening. The media is telling people what to think and not how to think. We live in a world of tweets, headlines, and empty hearts and minds. Now, to the point: the recent shootings in Florida are tragic.  Facebook, Twitter, the news, and the government are pointing fingers. I can’t say some of the accusations are false. But they all fail to address the real problem. Here’s what I mean: Gu...