Where to begin?
My name is Nathanael, I am a Red Letter Christ-centric Universalist, a coffee / sushi / steak / beer aficionado or (as some might say) snob. I have been in the Behavioral Health field for close to 5 years now and I love it! It’s easily the most difficult thing I’ve done work-wise, but also the most rewarding, and consequently it is my intention to be in this field for life. I will go back to school (hopefully sooner than later) to further my education, pick up a MSW LPC, and counsel others to counsel others part time and continue hands-on in-the-trenches work in Behavioral Health.
It is my desire to be a peacemaker, to foster and partake in dialogue and discussion with people from all walks of life. One of the ways I do this is by throwing an occasional dinner party with people from different walks of life, I don’t document this on my blog because I choose to BE present in the here and now when it’s happening. Some things in life shouldn’t be documented, shouldn’t be Facebooked, shouldn’t be Instagrammed, just experienced to the fullest.
I like being active when it comes to social justice, and the ones that are on my radar are issues concerning the LGBTQ community and Behavioral Health. Everyone has issues that they lean to and consequently these are mine on the local level and beyond.
I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes; “be yourself, everyone else is taken” ~ Oscar Wilde. I try to do the best with the time God has given me, to invest it in the lives of others rather than spend it, to make the world a better on a local level going outward, to expand my comfort zone rather than step outside of it.
Onward and upward,
Nathanael
Nathanael Vitkus 
Hi Nathaniel! Wasn’t sure how else to contact you, so apologies for the comment like this. Anyway, Mike Morrell and I really appreciate your blog, and think you’d be an excellent candidate for our Speakeasy Blogger Network. Do you like to review off-the-beaten path faith, spirituality, and culture books? Speakeasy puts interesting books in your hands at no charge to you. You only get books when you request them, and it’s free to join. Sign up here, if you’d like: http://thespeakeasy.info
You’re not on any contact lists, I promise; if you don’t respond, that’s it, and the invitation is open as long as you’re actively blogging. Hope you join us!
I will give it some thought, but it does appeal to me so it’s a strong maybe! 🙂
Hey Nathanael! My name is Lucy, I am from Australia! (how cool that we are from different countries yet we can communicate!) I’m not really down with the world of blogging but I was feeling a bit lonely yesterday and I googled “I wish I had a best friend” (how embarrassing hehe), half as a joke but also because someone somewhere in the world is feeling the same way and if it’s written somewhere, Google will find it! Anyway your blog came up because you’d written a post titled exactly that. I ended up reading a few more of your posts.. well most of them actually and just wanted to say I think you’re really cool. I don’t know when things got so complicated, instead of faith being about just living and loving, rather than this heaven/hell stuff. I don’t think hell is a God thing, at least not the way it is mostly taught/perceived. I think that God loves the whole world and will never give up on anyone ever. No pressure to write back.. just felt the need to tell you you’re cool 🙂 Bye!
Hi Mr Vitkus
I am a photo editor with AOL Huffington Post and we are running a story on your Chicago Pride coverage. I saw that you had images (https://nathanaelvitkus.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/but-overcome-evil-with-good-my-recap-of-chicago-pride-2014im-sorry-campaign-2014/) and was wondering if you could share some of them with us to accompany our story. We would of course credit you and link back your site.
If this is acceptable could you please confirm that the photo(s) you are providing have been cleared for AOL Huffington Post use and does not infringe any third party rights by replying to this email with the following statement:
I hereby represent and warrant that I or my organization, __________, either owns the copyright in the attached Content or has a license that allows us to provide the Content to AOL for use on your site under the following terms.
1. Worldwide non-exclusive use on the AOL Network, for primary use in a non-commercial feature (“Feature”) and unlimited Secondary Uses (“Secondary Uses” defined as instances of the same Images including the use of screen grab images as “pointers” channeling viewers to the primary use of the Images on AOL’s pages) specifically including Secondary Uses on third party social photo sharing and networking sites including without limitation Facebook.com, Tumblr.com and Pinterest.com;
2.For the life of the Feature;
3. For online distribution including 1) the right to use the Images in outgoing RSS or MRSS feeds as long as they point back to the Images in their primary use on the AOL Network (“AOL Network” defined as products, goods and services owned and/or operated by AOL and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries); 2) the right to use the Images in RSS or MRSS feeds distributed outside of the AOL Network as long as each such use links back to the Images displayed on the AOL Network; and 3) the right to allow AOL end users to snag AOL Network-branded modules, widgets and/or slideshow galleries containing the Images (“Modules”) and post Modules to a third-party site.
Thanks so much!!
DAMON DAHLEN
Photo Editor | AOL Huffington Post
damon.scheleur@teamaol.com
P: 212-652-6373 | C: 646-221-0896
AIM: damonscheleur11
770 Broadway 5th Floor | New York, NY | 10003
Yes these are my photos, and yes if you want to use them as long as you attribute them back to me, you may 🙂 Thanks for doing the right thing in all of this Damon! Let me know once it is up so I can share the link with my friends.
Nathanael
Here ya go and thank you for allowing us to use your images!! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/02/jesus-chicago-gay-pride_n_5551388.html