Ashes to Beauty: How Your Story Can Change A Life (with Nick Liew)

As promised we are back this week with a special “on the road” episode. Brad is traveling with the On Eagles’ Wings team for the month of July and got a chance to sit down with our good friend, Nick Liew. Nick is the coordinator for the On Eagles’ Wings team. He shares how his story enables him today to point people to the greatest story - the good news about Jesus. As Brad mentions in the podcast, go to hopefornativeamerica.com to find out more about the team and the Summer of Hope.

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Transcript

Hi everyone. This is Jesse, producer for Go Mad. As promised, we are back this week with a special on the Road episode. Brad is traveling with the On Eagles Wings team for the month of July, and he got a chance to sit down with our good friend Nick Liew. Nick is the coordinator for the On Eagles Wings team.

Nick shares how his story enables him today to point people to the greatest story, the good news about Jesus. As Brad mentions in the podcast, go to hopefornativeamerica.com to find out more about the team and the Summer of Hope. Let's go, MAD.

Welcome back everyone to another episode of Go Mad with Doug and Brad and I'll tell you, yeah, we were off last week because we're coming off of an awesome Warrior Leadership Summit conference. We'll talk about that in a couple minutes, but I have to tell you, this episode today is gonna be a little different.

For starters, I'm on the road right now. That's right. I'm not in the studio and um, it's just me today and a special guest who I'm gonna introduce in just a minute, and. I am recording in one of the strangest studios, air quotes I've ever been in, in an RV that we've rented, uh, for the summer because of traveling with an incredible team.

Again, we'll tell you about them, but if you could see this place right now, we've got curtains in weird places and pillows propped up a certain way to try to help with the sound. So that is a little bit of a glimpse of the inner workings of go mad. But other than that, Pretty normal show. So what we're gonna do right now is I want to bring in someone that we talk about going and making a difference all the time on this show.

Go mad, go make a difference. And when we're talking about that, we're picturing people who are making a difference. I've got one of those with me today who's part of the On Eagles Wings team, which is a team of Native American young people who are all about being ambassadors of hope for their people. So I'm gonna, Not waste any more time, and I'm welcoming in Nick Lou, the coordinator for on Eagle Swings.

Nick, welcome to go mad. Hi. Uh, so glad to be here. And yes, this has definitely been the more interesting looking studios I have ever been in. This is, I don't even know, we can't call it a studio, but we're going with it. No, it is a studio. People use their closets with clothes, so it's actually true. You, this is a studio, so Nick.

I, I'm just, I want people to get to know you a little bit before we talk about this on Eagles Wings team. Sure. That we're absolutely on the road with right now. You know, I've known you for a lot of years. What, how old do you, do you remember, how old were you when we first met? I. Yeah. So I was 11 years old.

Wow. Um, when I first was invited to an on Eagles wings event. And how old are you now? I am 30. You gotta say 32. 32. Wow. So we, we've been around each other for a while. Let's get that out there and then public air. So for anyone wondering Yes. People still do hang out with us even after they've known us for a while.

Yeah. So, so let me ask you this. I would love for, before we talk about this team, Can you tell us, you stand on basketball course around the country and you have shared your hope story, the difference Jesus has made in your life. I would love to start there. Can you just tell our listeners a little bit about who you are, what, how you got to where you're at right now?

Absolutely. So growing up, I was actually born and raised in Texas, uh, Dallas, fourth area. So I kind of grew up in more of an urban setting. So, yeah, typically, uh, when I, when I get a chance to go out on these basketball courts, my story that I'm gonna share is, um, one that is very common that we see on reservations and in native communities.

But yeah, so growing up, some of the earliest things that were happening inside of our home, uh, was there was some domestic violence. There was a lot of arguing. My parents, uh, we grew up in an area that. Maybe is, uh, less nicer and financially, you know, was, is a struggle kind of for us growing up. And so along with, uh, some of the arguing and some domestic violence and things, there was, uh, substance abuse.

There was also because of the hurt and the trauma, um, that my parents experienced, I'm sure from when they were younger, was contributing factors. And so for my sister and I, I have an older sister. Um, a lot of things that we experienced. It is hard. We had to grow up a lot faster than a normal kid would.

Yeah. And so as we grew up though, all the things that were going on in my home, I, I was always just confused and I had a lot of anger and hurt inside because I didn't understand why my life was the way it was. As I got older, I started to see that your choices lead you down roads. Um, and I, I saw that with some of either the older guys that, uh, I hung out with because I spent a lot of time away from home because I didn't, I.

I just wanted to be away. I had a chip on my shoulder for the longest time, um, because I thought it was me versus the world, and I didn't really trust anybody. And it, it, it, it took me a lot of places for a lot of years, but it was, it was poisoning me. But yeah, I was looking for answers. I, I wanted something more.

I, I knew that there had to be more to life, but I thought that in order for change to happen, it was gonna have to be me. Yeah. Uh, you know, trying, being exposed to drugs, alcohol, uh, gangs, girls playing sports, everything that comes along with that. And just even just the more urban setting. Mm-hmm. Um, Being out in the streets and, and late night being involved.

A lot of things that a kid shouldn't be. But again, like what I was looking for was trying to find who I was. Um, honestly, as I got older, uh, all of that pain and that hurt that was there when I was a kid, it just continued to grow and, and, and essentially just kind of fester inside of me to a point where there were moments where it would just.

I would lash out and, uh, I would be hurting or I would get emotional or be upset and I'd feel like something's wrong. Mm-hmm. And I didn't know what to do. And even the people that were closest to me, they could tell when something was wrong, but I would hold 'em at an arm's length and I would, you know, I'd be like, Hey, I'm good.

Like, I don't need you. I don't need help. I'm fine. I, I'll get it done. I grew up in and outta church one day. It wasn't tell who I understood who Jesus really was. And it, it found me at a time in my life when I was trying to do a lot of, of quote the right things. Mm-hmm. Um, I had tried to, you know, uh, make a lot of positive decisions.

I had tried to even do Christian things and, and be, uh, whatever that meant be, you know, to follow Jesus and stuff. But it came to a point in my life where I was driving home one night, and at that point in my life, I had pulled myself away from everything, all of the positive influences I had, kind of took them outta my life.

I was kind of just doing me because I was like, you know what? Honestly, I was like, I deserve a little me time. It was really a dumb a, a dumb season, uh, that it was, it wasn't a mistake. Because the mistake is you make, you make mistakes on a test. I knew what I was doing. Mm-hmm. It was a poor choice. And I want people to know that there is a few mistakes that we make in life.

We make a lot of poor choices. And it was a poor choice. And it led me to this season where I was driving home and I felt alone. And I had gone back to some of the things that God rescued me from. My family situation was falling apart financially. I was in a bad situation relationally. I was heartbroken and I, I found myself driving home one night and I was asking God, what happened?

Like, how did I get here? Which by the way, lemme just say they right now. I think there are a lot of people that are listening that either they've gone through that or maybe are going through it right now, or they've got. One of their kids maybe that's going through that time. And so I think that right now they're probably thinking.

Okay, so, so what changed? What was that turn by, I know you're getting to that right now, but I want to, I wanna just tell listeners that listening close, because what you're hearing right now is a hope story. So this is, there's a lot of choices that Nick made and he is being honest about those, but that's not the end of the story.

Yeah, and that's not the, doesn't have to be the end of your story. Or the end of the story of that person that you've been praying for for a long time. Absolutely. Yeah. So I was driving home one night in my truck and uh, I just asked God what happened. You know, I remember just being really feeling the weight of just where I was and where I wasn't, and I started to cry.

Um, and then it kind of turned into like an ugly cry and it's like almost midnight, right? And, uh, I was actually in my, uh, third year in college. And I started to audibly, just like you're listening to me right now, I started to talk to God and I eventually, it became yelling at God, right? And I was just being honest, and I was like, God, like I don't know what's going on.

Like I've tried to do all these things. I've tried to be a good person. I've tried to even do things for you. Why is everything falling apart? And I was like, God, you know what? I believe you could save me from hell, but I don't believe you could change me and make me a new creation. How could you? Mm-hmm.

You know, everything that I've done that I continue to do, you know my sin, you know my scars, you know everything about me. And at that moment, it was this first time where I felt exposed, ashamed, embarrassed about who I was before God. I remember in that moment God was saying, Nick, this is what I've been waiting for.

Hmm. Wow. Yeah, when I began my relationship with Jesus, it wa it's been a, it was a long journey, but all of that time where I thought I was following Jesus, I had given him most of my life except this small part that I wanted to hang onto. And it was, it was poisoning me. And at that moment where I said, God, I can't do this anymore.

I, I don't, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm 21 years old and I don't know. I don't know how to fix my life. I need you, I need, I don't know what to do. And, and God was like, look like this is what you've been able to do and me through you when you're only halfway in. Mm-hmm. What could your life look like if you're completely sold out for me?

And at that day, I got off of the rollercoaster. And I wanted to follow Jesus with everything not being perfect, but I wanted to follow him. No matter times how I fall, I want to get back up because I know it's gonna be worth it because obviously what I was doing up until this point, including trying to do the Christian thing.

It wasn't enough. Mm. Jesus wanted everything, all of me. And then that day forward, I was like, all right, let's do things different. And then I went, I was like, I gotta get myself back surrounded by believers, uh, who love Jesus. And so I got back to church. Uh, when I went to church, the first message was about, uh, small groups and community.

And I was like, great. Like, I don't like people. I still, so I still don't like people, but, uh, Yeah, I, uh, he puts up with me though, so personal. Yeah. You know, and then I guy's like, oh, you don't like people, let's go to ministry. Uh, yeah. So I, uh, I was like, all right, well obviously the things I've been doing up to this point don't work, so let's do everything different.

So I was like, let's get plugged into church. Let's start serving, let's get into a small group. Let's get into a men's group. Let's get accountability into your life. And once I started, also a big thing when, you know, God got ahold of me. He exposed a lot of what I did and didn't believe about him and what I actually knew about God.

And so I was like, you know what? What do I believe and why? And as I asked that question, I was like, oh, well I know this and I've been taught this and this and that. And I started to realize I haven't gotten in God's word and learned what God has said about me. A lot of pastors or mentors or people that I trusted have taught me great things that came from the Bible.

But I didn't physically know personally, and so once I started to learn my identity in Christ, what God has said about me, but also the plans that he has for me and how he wants to use us and use the sin and the imperfections and the things that he saw before the CRE creation. And he chose me. And God doesn't just choose you and love you, but he likes you.

Man, it just blew me away. But that's huge in because the, uh, a couple things stick out to me. The, first of all, you mentioned your identity. You mentioned who you are in Christ that are okay. You're realizing who you are because you mention in your story there's a few different parts of your identity. I mean, you're a Hickory, Apache, young man, part Chinese.

Those are both identity things you can identify with those. You were a young man who was playing sports. That's another place people find their identity. You were, you talked about girls and different choices you were making. Those were places people find their identity, but all of that, you go through all those things of I.

Who you are, who the, all these different things that we're making up who you are and saying, but that's not who I really am. Absolutely. I am, I, I am a child that I'm, my identity is in Christ. So one of my coping mechanisms, um, because of the hurt and just the, the lack of trust that I had with people, I created almost this like, Facade persona of it was like, oh, I'm Nick Lu and I don't need anybody.

And I'm just the fun guy. And even, you know, struggling as um, someone who's half native, half Chinese. In the minority setting, not fitting in anywhere, um, but also fitting in anywhere. Um, and so for so long it was like I was looking for what, okay, what is Nick? How, who is Nick and does Nick have to create to, to appease people and this and that and whatever, and then all of that identity.

When my world essentially fell apart, I realized that I didn't really know who I was. Also, it didn't matter who I thought I was because what mattered was. What God, the creator, the one who made me, who he says I am. There was freedom in that because now it didn't matter what people said about me. Now it didn't matter what I did or didn't accomplish or what I have or don't have to offer as far as talents and, and, and all these different things.

And all of a sudden there was just this freedom of, wow, so this is the freedom. That only comes through a personal relationship with Jesus if you understand who you are in Christ. Mm. Before we talk about kind of now where you're at 10 years later, after that moment, on the side of the road and everything, couple things stick out to me for those who are wondering, Hey, you may be listening, you may be stuck where you're at right now, or you have someone you want to help out.

These aren't things that Nick and I talked about beforehand. It's just things that stick out from your story. You literally had to realize, okay, first of all, I'm making choices. These are things I'm doing now. Things thrust upon me. These are things I'm doing. You literally had to stop, you pulled your truck over to the side.

I mean, you stopped and said, I've gotta stop. I'm, well, I was still driving. I just got slowed down. Great. You're, you're heavy. You're, you're ugly crying while you're doing Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, you slow down. I was on the way home. Oh my goodness. So you, you have this moment, you're like, I've gotta turn this around.

But then you also made that step of, I've got get around. Other believers, I've gotta gain community. I've gotta be around people who can help pull me accountable. And you mentioned getting into God's word. These are all practical steps anyone can take of saying, I know I'm going the wrong direction. I gotta start going the right direction.

I've gotta be around people who will help with that. And I gotta be in God's word. Huge. Yeah. Simple, but really profound action steps someone can take. Yeah. It, it's really interesting because if you've ever been driving somewhere and you are headed to a destination and for all of a sudden your, your surroundings start to look a little funny and you're like, well, this doesn't look like, uh, where I'm going.

Oh, it should have been right here. Like, I was getting close to it, and I've, it's been like 20 minutes. I'm still not there. I probably lost. And then you just keep driving. You see, that's how my story was. I realized something was wrong and I, not only did I have to stop, And say something is wrong. But I knew I needed to turn away from the direction that I was going.

Yeah. Yeah. I needed to retrace, okay, what have I been doing wrong? And so when I talked about getting into small group, when I talked about having accountability, when I talked about getting into God's word, those were retracing my steps because I was going in the wrong direction. But I needed to know where to go to, which was the right direction.

Mm-hmm. And God's word allowed me to see that path. So here you are, you've gone through all of that, and then you get involved. You've been involved with the On Eagles Wings Ministry, like you said, for a lot of years off and on, and being, uh, part of kind of our Warrior Leadership Summit conference, which we just got to wrap up and as I mentioned before, just to tell you guys what that is, I.

Hundreds of native young people from dozens of tribes across the country up into Canada. They come together for this one week of just being together, realizing I'm not alone as I stand for Jesus where I live, and they're getting discipleship and they're hearing the gospel and they're got great teaching from native leaders and they've got great worship and all of this.

It's a week just for them. So you've got that part of it, but that's part of on Eagles wings. But then your role is you are helping really just shepherd and oversee a lot of what's going on with those on Eagles Wings team members, which is what I hear them laughing outside even as we're recording. Yes. I say them playing together, having fun.

Yes. So tell us a little bit, what is the On Eagles Wings team for those who may not know? What is this group of Warriors? Who are they? Absolutely. So the On Eagles Wings team is made up of native young people from teens to twenties that have volunteered and have gone through an application process to be selected to be a part of this team.

And so these native young men and women, From all over the United States. Uh, typically we also have had Canadians mm-hmm. Um, that are in their teens and twenties that have come from different tribes, regions of the country, different backgrounds, different forms of, you know, some of the statistics that you would see as far as substance abuse, whether it's physical, sexual, verbal abuse, gone through depression, attempted suicide, and yet all of these native, young men and women have come to know.

And find hope in a personal relationship with Jesus. Yeah. Yes. And so these team members, there's about 30 of 'em on our team this year, have decided that I want to be a part of something bigger than me and I want to do something. To make a difference, eh, with, with their summer to be a part of the solution to some of the existing problems that we see on Native reservations and in native communities.

So they stand on basketball courts and they go into these communities and they're sharing their hope stories like Nick just did. They're sharing their hope stories with local people their age from a All ages. Really? Yeah. And they're saying, We've been these statistics, but we're so much more than that.

Absolutely. We absolutely, we found hope. His name is Jesus. Yes. These are some incredible young leaders. Yep. And one of, uh, one of the, the, the unique things about on Eagle's wings, it's native young people going back to other native young people, their reservations, their communities, and talking about a brown skin, Mediterranean Jew.

Hmm. Whose name, if he was here, would say, my name is Yeshua. I come from the tribe of Judah. Talking about the, the story of who Jesus actually was and telling them how he came from a town where people said nothing good can come from that town. He, uh, loved to tell stories. He lived in poverty. He was a victim of injustice, and at the same time, he died of violent death.

But not just to stay dead, but to raise again three days later and talking about he did that for them and he loves them. That is what these on Eagles Wings team members are literally warriors and Walking Miracles, and that's why this is such a special team because for so many years, There's been this lie that's been put out there that Jesus is the white man's God in all these different native communities.

And when this team, when someone like Nick or someone like any of these team members stands on a basketball court and says what Nick just said, man, the blinders come off because they're seeing weight. That's not the Jesus I heard about. That's not who I thought this guy was. And all of a sudden they're like, I can find this hope too.

I can find this healing. And so that's why we work with. People who invite us in, invite the team in. Absolutely. 'cause we wanna work with churches, parachurch Ministries who say, man, this team has been here. Now we wanna follow up on these efforts. But let me ask you this. So this is this team, and we're in the middle of this right now.

Just when you hear this podcast, pray for this team. Please do. Because the rest of July, they are sharing their hope stories and they're making a difference in these communities. But in this a few minutes, we have left here. Talk to us about, so we've got Nick before really surrendering to Jesus. Yep. And we've got this team.

How do you wind up where you're at really helping oversee so much of this ministry? Yeah, absolutely. Uh, so quickly when it, uh, when Jesus got ahold of me in a very real way, he started to change, uh, what I saw was important. Um, and for me, uh, I desired that. If I had these misconceptions about who I was, uh, in Jesus and what Jesus said about me, how many other native young people, uh, and you know, especially the men, um, have these same misconceptions and aren't walking in the freedom and are just living to survive.

When Jesus doesn't call us justice to survive, he calls us to have life and life to the abundance, right? So to thrive. And I was like, man, God, just, you know, I was praying as God was doing all this work and me and pulling out this, you know, trauma and abuse and all that stuff. And I started to see like, man, like.

I want to reach other young natives that, uh, are um, want to do something with their life. They don't know how. So God kind of just rebroke my heart for on eagles wings, and I wanted to be a part of this movement because I wanted to further it. And so I understand that. Uh, I had some unique, um, gifts and abilities as far as networking and being able to work with.

Just other leaders to work on the logistical side of things and help painting a picture of how we can partner with them, because exactly what Brad said, we go to places where we've been invited, but also where we having a partner that's committed to follow up. That means when we come tell the these local, young people about Jesus and those that hear this about this relationship and choose to begin a relationship.

They have somewhere to get connected. Yeah. That's the big thing because discipleship and evangelism are interconnected, interdependent upon each other. Right? You can't have evangelists without people that are discipled in order to know about Jesus. But they have to have Jesus first in order to be discipled.

So, you know, we understand that model. And so with you on Eagles wings, it's unique because we have, yes, the outreach where we go out and physically tell others about Jesus, and then we have the inReach where we get to pour into these awesome. Incredible, talented, beautiful, native young men and women. Uh, and, and just to be able to say that, Hey, like you can do your part of the solution right now.

Um, and just en encouraging and empowering them and giving them opportunities to step in and get a taste of perhaps the ministry that God is calling them into. Yeah. And maybe you've heard about on Eagles links before. Maybe this is the first time you're hearing about it, but it really is when you say this, these.

Beautiful and amazing warriors. They really are. People get these pictures of what Native Americans are and everything else, and if you could see what these young men and women are, you would see a glimpse of what. Being strong and courageous really is you would get a glimpse of what these heroes, of the faith that we hear about in the Bible are when they stand up and take a stand in the hardest of circumstances.

We often say that if the church today would do what this team is, honestly, it would be a whole huge game changer because this team is passionate, they are bold, and they're saying, you know what? I've been lost. I know what it's like and I'm tired of seeing my people go through what I had to go through. I have a chance to bring them hope and his name is Jesus.

Over and over again. I, I've been doing this for 30 years with on Eagle's wings. This is our 30 years of celebrating what God's doing. Nick's been a part of that for a lot of years. And over and over, I can tell you consistently walls come down and people choose Jesus because it's the right messengers with the most important message there is.

What I wanna say to those who are listening is, God's put you in a certain place. What you hear from Nick's story here in his heart is God sent him to his people, and that's what's unique about this team, is they're going to their people. You are in a place right now where God has positioned you and said, I've got something for you.

And if you, maybe you're making the wrong choices right now. Maybe you were sitting there saying, well, I can't be used. I don't have any gifts. Listen to Nick's heart. Here he is saying, that's what I thought. And then God said, no, just turn it over to me and I've got this huge plan for your life. You can be used by God, right where you're at with the people in your life that you connect with most to bring them the hope.

Of Jesus. They will listen to you because you've had a similar life experience. Just like these Native Warriors have had a similar life experience with those, they're sharing Jesus with. You can do that too. That's what we're all about here, is going mad, going and making a difference because when we reach those around us, when we reach those that are in our world, Oh my goodness.

Hear what Nick has to say here and listen to his story. That can be a story you have too. Alright, so Nick, with all of that said, how would you encourage the people who are listening to this right now, from everything you've walked through, seeing this team in action, what would you say to just the average person listening to this?

Absolutely. Um, for one, you have a story you see. God allowed you to experience and go through things and he created you where only you can share your story, but you have to also understand that God also created you to be able to communicate to someone that will hear about a Jesus that can save and change their life.

But they will have to only hear it from you. Mm. You gotta understand that there will be people that never set foot in a church or will never pick up a Bible, and the only Jesus that they will ever hear and see and know is the Jesus that is shared and lived. Through you. So one of the things that I want to encourage you too is, is that there was a quote from one of our, uh, another, he's actually on our, on Eagles wing staff.

Um, when he was sharing his story, it, it made me get emotional because he said, when I, when I talk about my story and I talk about the things that I went through, it's like I'm talking about a completely different person. Mm-hmm. Like, I can't even recognize the person that I'm telling you about because of what Jesus has done in my life.

So you have to understand you have a powerful story and you might think, well, I haven't been through this. No, no, no, no. Your story is powerful because it's real and people need something real in this world. So please, if you are moved by any of this mo, being moved by something isn't just emotionally, that means it's calling you to action.

So, Like this podcast is called Make a Difference. You need to go and realize that there are people in your life specifically placed because they need to hear about the hope that you found in Jesus and that Jesus loves them and he can change their life. Well, as we wrap up this very unique roadshow of I Goad with Doug and Brad, and as we just say, huge thank you to Nick for being part of this, and as we, uh, tear down the.

Very strange studio that we have concocted here. I wanna encourage everyone listening. Yeah, we love it when you like and share and review the podcast, but right now I would say if you wanna learn more about what God is doing to people like Nick, The Warriors he's sharing about check out Hope for native america.com.

Hope for native america.com will take you right to a page that tells you more about on Eagles wings, what God has been doing, what God is doing. You can even sign up for reports to see what God is doing this summer, even through this team. So thank you everyone for tuning in, for being part of this. Uh, and Nick, thank you for being here with us today.

Until next time, goad.