The End of Medicine: Not With a Bang, but With a Whimper.

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Award winning artist Nathan Clark George describes his music in simple terms, preferring not to talk of the typical labels and categories.

“There are sort of two sides to my writing. One is Scriptural, just setting passages of Scripture, like Psalm 111 and Psalm 24 to music. Another side of my music is just pulling from family life.”

Nathan and his wife Patricia spend much of their time touring in a cramped motor home with their six children: Jonathan, Elaine, Elliot, Anna-Margaret, Matthias, and Elsa. Their adventures are featured in Pull up a Chair, a DVD produced by Franklin Family Media.

There’s a full-length concert on the DVD but also some candid looks at the challenges of family life on the road. They talk about trying to eat a healthy diet, and then the camera catches them joking about snacking on M&Ms. In one clip Nathan admits, “We were both foolish enough to think this would be great.” Patricia adds, “It’s small, it’s crowded, it’s rarely clean. It’s like all of life’s frustrations condensed.”

On the other hand, they’ve had a lot of good times meeting Christians across the country, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to apply Scripture and gather material for song writing.

Seeing Nathan’s humble demeanor, you might not guess that he has managed some considerable achievements in a decade of touring. He started traveling and recording just when the music industry was collapsing, yet his loyal fan base continues to grow.

It’s no minor accomplishment that he’s making the musician’s life work in a way that feeds his family and gives them the priority they deserve. Nathan is blessed with a godly family heritage stretching back generations, and his dad is a pastor in Carbondale, Illinois. He’s a strong believer in regular family worship time led by fathers.

“A lot of guys struggle with leadership in worship at home. I do too, but I’ve found it doesn’t have to be much—nothing elaborate. There’s something powerful about a father humbling himself before God and just praying with his family. Read some Scripture, maybe sing a song or two.

“We all struggle with leading our families spiritually, and I hope my music portrays that. I hope my music does encourage a multi-generational vision for the family, so that the faith is passed down to our children.”
Songs drawn from Nathan’s family life can make audiences laugh or move them to tears, but they always inspire with the hope of the Gospel. His 2005 album, Slam the Door, features songs that skillfully tell a variety of stories from everyday life.

“Why Am I This Way?” deals with struggles we all have:

Why am I so slow to forgive when my kids are so quick?
Why does my patience wear so thin?
Why am I this way?
I am a master at stringin’ them along,
It’ll just be a bit, I won’t take long,
Give me a minute I am writing a song.
Why am I this way?
I’m not pretty and I’m not pure
Without a lot of grace I’d be doomed for sure.
Even with all I know about Christ still it seems that I
Blame it on Adam, blame it on Eve.
Blame it on anybody but me.
How I am supposed to live kid-like faith?
Why am I this way?

Another song on the album tells of a time Nathan gave his son the third degree for disturbing his sleep, only to find out the next morning that the little guy was sick. “Georgia Peach” is a whimsical take on courting Patricia, “You Make Me Smile” is a sweet love song for her, and “Little Girl” is about watching a daughter grow up. “Perfect Man” expresses the feelings of falling short of God’s glory but finding identity in Christ, and “One More Farewell” is about the struggle of balancing work and family.

The title track sums up the album with a surprising twist. When we want to “slam the door,” is it because of the daily grind, unfulfilled desires, and relationship strains? Or is it somehow a way we long to fight the good fight, finish life well, and enter heaven? For Nathan’s creative take on that, you can get the album through his easy to remember web site, NathanClarkGeorge.com.

These types of songs are also found on the rest of his albums, and they put Nathan in a great position to fill a niche when folk-acoustic style sort of came back around in independent or “Indie” music. Somewhere in the turmoil of the internet revolution, while artists and fans were reacting against the powerful labels, big studios, and over-hyped over-produced music, Indie was born. Nathan was named acoustic performer of the year by the Christian outlet, Indie Heaven (indieheaven.com) in 2009.

Its amazing to look back now and see how God led him to this point.

Nathan took up music very young, with piano lessons. When his brother started playing the blues on an electric guitar, Nathan learned acoustic on an old 12 string. He went on to become a skilled guitarist, with a strong background in classical, but tastes that ranged across many genres. He liked the “folkies” such as Simon and Garfunkel, but played everything from simple Bach pieces to Punk Rock.

When it came time for college Nathan wanted to become a missionary pilot and took an associates degree at Southern Illinois University, and then a smattering of classes across the board.

He continued to play in bands and receive invitations, but knew launching out into full-time music would be very difficult with the internet reshaping the entire industry.

Nathan was confident in his technical skills as a guitarist, but needed a little more time to develop stage presence and continue to write songs. In the meantime, he went to seminary. In a moment of candor he says, “I went to seminary so I wouldn’t end up being the flaky musician.”

There’s actually more to it than that. He wanted to be grounded in Scripture no matter what he did, and explore whether God would have him serve as a pastor in a church.

He went to Sangre de Cristo Seminary, a small school in the Rocky Mountains of Westcliffe, Colorado. Horn Creek Christian Camp (horncreek.org), a non-denominational outreach, was founded there by Nathan’s uncle in the 1950s, and the seminary grew out of it in the 1970s. Nathan still goes back there frequently, and even did an album called Home at Horn Creek that features some live songs.

Sangre de Cristo seminary stands out for keeping the priority on learning the Biblical languages, and making theology subordinate to time spent in the Scriptures.

It was while in seminary that he met and married Patricia in 1997. They were engaged after a four month courtship, and it became apparent that they would need to have a very short engagement or wait until the following spring to get married. Patricia didn’t want to wait and they sought the advice of their families. Both families and Nathan’s uncle gave their blessing. It worked out so they could be married after just a two week engagement, in a beautiful outdoor ceremony surrounded by the aspens.

Nathan filled some pulpits while in seminary and served in a small church for two years. It was another faith-building experience, where he learned about leading worship and communicating the Word of God.

Eventually Nathan came back home to Southern Illinois where he got some great experience working as a producer in a music studio, again across a wide variety of genres. As that job dwindled, he began to consider trying full-time touring. The Lord had continued to bless him with invitations. For Nathan, it was either tour together as a family or not at all, so he bought a motor home in 2005.

Nathan has since been able to upgrade the motor home, but now has a family of eight to fit in. He plays in a variety of settings from living rooms to coffee houses, from church services to week-long conferences. Sometimes he’s there to give a concert and primarily entertain, sometimes he’s specifically brought in to lead the congregational worship.

As Nathan’s opportunities to minister have continued to grow, he’s also very excited that he can play a part in the resurgence of setting Scripture to music, and has released several albums that are primarily Scripture.

Words for Everyday (2002) features songs that are mostly excerpts from the Psalms, but also two passages from Isaiah, and the well known passage from Colossians 2 about being rooted in Christ. Rise in the Darkness (2007) has a couple more Psalms on it, as well as songs from Habakkuk 3, Acts 2, and Galatians 6.

“Brothers,” the song from Galatians 6, was written for a conference focused on that text, but also happens to be the passage Samaritan has used in its materials for years. “Brothers” expresses themes about bearing one another’s burdens wonderfully.

Nathan has graciously put up “Brothers” in the free download section of his web site for Samaritan members. He’d appreciate it if members would use the email forwarding tool to share it with friends. (He doesn’t collect their email addresses or send annoying promotional materials.)

In 2009 God provided Nathan and his family with a place to stay in the Lawrenceburg, Tennessee area. They are house sitting for a friend on a rural property that is off the grid and powered by solar. Nathan describes this as a new adventure and great blessing. The home base allows Nathan to be closer to the happenings in Christian music around Nashvillle.

Recently he had the opportunity to collaborate with several artists on My Cry Ascends, an album intended to help congregations get back to singing Psalms and other passages of Scripture in their worship.

The composer for the project is Gregory Wilbur, who introduces the songs at his church and a Christian school in Franklin, Tennessee. The other artists are well known in Christian music: Michael Card, Steve Green, Wes King, Katy Snow, and Bruce Carroll.

Why is Nathan so excited about doing something as seemingly quaint as putting Scripture to music? For starters it’s as if his two greatest passions are coming together. He’s hopeful that putting Scripture to music in artful ways is something that will catch on in Christian music and in the church.

Nathan is passionate about serving the church, and what better way to do so than by setting Scripture to music. Not only is it effective for worship, but it also helps believers remember Scripture easily when it’s set to a tune, so they can meditate on it during the day.

Perhaps few would have thought there would be demand for Nathan’s music or Scripture songs a decade ago. That just goes to show that the Word of God is powerful, and that there is an audience that really appreciates Nathan’s effort to be faithful to it in music.

Nathan hopes to add more churches and dates to his touring schedule and would be happy to meet more Samaritan members.

If you’re interested in hosting a concert, you can email Nathan at mail@nathanclarkgeorge.com, or visit his Web site which provides details on how to host a concert. He’s heading to California and Portland in September, so maybe something out west or along the return route home to Tennessee would fit into his schedule.

If you want to give his music a try, there are several free songs at NathanClarkGeorge.com, as well as options to purchase songs or albums. Be looking for a new Christmas album tentatively titled Love Begotten that Nathan is planning to release this November.

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Read the article at the Heartland Institute’s website.

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After answering many calls yesterday and transferring them to the appropriate extensions, Nathan, at dinner, asked me to pass him a drink. I slipped and said, “Yes, let me transfer that to you.”

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Read Acuff’s post and painstakingly review your relationships.

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Although God’s people scattered around the country are not required to help with this particular need (I was not an active member when the TIA occurred), they have been sending both encouraging notes and checks for weeks.  We are thanking God for the hundreds of dollars that have been so graciously given, and for the kind words of encouragment.

This is just another example of how God takes care of His people.

Visit Timothy’s blog, Striving for Reality.

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I recently had treatment for heart problems. I had been experiencing chest pains and tests showed my arteries were very constricted. Doctors said I would need a stent.

Then I learned about Enhanced External Counterpulsation, or EECP, from a friend. EECP is an FDA approved treatment that has been shown to enlarge arteries and blood vessels giving your body a “natural bypass.” It costs a fraction of the more often prescribed surgeries, and has almost no risk of side effects. It can even give existing stents a longer life span. It is totally non-invasive.

EECP has also been used to help people with kidney disease, diabetes, and many other problems. We heard a testimonial of a lady whose diabetes was so bad that her feet turned black, and doctors were considering amputation. But after EECP blood flow returned and her feet got back to normal, pink and healthy.

I was very impressed with the quality of care that I received, and what we learned. So much can be done these days as an alternative to stents and the bypass surgeries that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We even learned of medical studies showing that patients with artery blockages who don’t have surgery have the same survival rates as those who do have the surgeries. With odds like those, I preferred to try EECP.

I highly recommend this procedure. I am feeling years younger and my chest pains are gone. I am now focusing on eating healthy and keeping to an exercise program to continue to care for my body.

James and Ronnelle Buck
Northport, WA

P.S. Here’s a link to some information on the EECP treatment from the website of the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Irvine, California, where I had the treatment. The largest manufacturer of the machines is Vasomedical, and on their site you can find doctors and hospitals by ZIP code that do the treatment. I hope some members will consider it, and find that it is appropriate for their situation.

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Although the Obama administration promised it will limit federal taxpayer funding of abortions in the new high risk health insurance programs created under the ObamaCare law President Barack Obama signed into law, officials have said the limits are temporary and apply only to the new program.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for National Right to Life Committee, said this about the likelihood of ongoing struggles over abortion funding through the new health care law:

… unless Congress repeals the health care law or performs major corrective surgery on it, there will be years of battles, as each new program is implemented, over how elective abortion will be covered—and the White House is suggesting that today’s policy will not necessarily be applied when implementing the other programs, some of which will cover far larger populations.”

U.S. pro-lifers will need to be on the lookout for continuing mischief.

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