Tis the season

Every year it seems Christmas trees appear in department stores earlier than the year before. Our decorations, for celebrating this sacred time, get bigger, larger and more extravagant. The presents, well they just get more valued and more important to us.

Yet we often forget the biggest gift we receive on Christmas.

That we receive every Christmas.

That we receive every day.

The gift God gave us, so that he could be with us…forever… Immanuel.
That is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about how much God loves you. That he loves you so much he would give his one and only son for whoever believes in him shall not perish but receive eternal life.
This Christmas spend some quiet time with Jesus.

Thank God that he gave up his son for you.

Talk to a friend about Jesus; invite him or her to church.

Most of all remember that we are celebrating the birth Christ, the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Son David, Jesus…so that God could be with us…Immanuel.

God is just answering my prayers

As many of you probably know…I am a grill cook at…Denny's and…I hate it. Denny's has consistently and constantly kept me from hanging out with my friends, going to concerts and doing things with the youth ministry. A lot of people have told me that I should quit that job, just get a new one, you hate it. I have told people that I could not because it just pays so well, I could not possibly find a better job.

Let's face it guys…I am lying.

What you probably do not know about four months ago I received an e-mail from my pastor. In the e-mail was an application for a "perfect" job. This job was off the hook. I am talking about benefits, I got to create my own schedule, the majority of the work was on a computer and it paid a full dollar more than Denny's. When I left the interview the man told me that I had the job, I just had to let him know if I wanted it. He told me to pray about it and to see what God had to say. I prayed and I prayed and I knew that I could not take the job. Something was not right and God did not want me there.

Immediately I felt convicted, "God is punishing me for not being a good person I thought." You see I have been praying for a long time for God to help me become a better person. I have been praying for God to help me become more patient, to help me control my anger and just be a kinder person. Since I have failed in these areas in my life I honestly thought God just did not want me to be happy.

Wait…that does not sound like the God I know. What happened to the good who lays me down in green pastures even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death? When did God do a 360 and started hating me.

What happened to ask and being given too?

What happened to seeking and finding?

What happened to knocking and that darn door being opened?

Obviously he did not change but why were my prayers not being answered. Well let's look at what I was asking for. I was asking for God to help me become a better person. I wanted to be more patient; I wanted to be able to control my anger; and I wanted to be kinder. All of these things I struggled with at Denny's.

If you ask for patients do you think God just makes you patient? Do you think he just zaps you with patients? Or does he present you with situations to become more patient?

What a fool have I been! Every time a new cook messed up I had a chance to be patient. Every time we got busy I had a chance not to get angry. Every time a server messed up I had a chance to be kind.

So why am I still at Denny's…God is just answering my prayers.

Nice Guys Finish First?!?!

Recently I have been striving to become a better person and to become closer to God and I am just blowing opportunities left and right. It seems no matter how hard I try I get beat down by persecution and temptation. I should be ready, it comes with the territory. Peter warned us…"8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." After a week of Satan's barrage I was ready to throw in the towel. Who cares anyway nice guys finish last anyways.

Wrong!

Throughout the bible it tells us that we need to become the "least" here on earth to become the greatest in heaven.

Wait, what? To be the greatest we have to become the least? That does not make any sense.
Think about it for a second. God has always used the little guy, the underdog, the unthinkable and the nice guy to do his work. Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Joshua all fit that bill. Moses, the leader of the early church and the guy who wrote the first five books of the bible and then some, was afraid that pharaoh would not listen to him. David was a sheep herder and he destroyed a 9 foot tall giant. Mary was a peasant girl who gave birth to the redeemer of the world!

Let's not forget about Jesus though. Yes Jesus was fully God but we often forget he was also fully human. He started his three year ministry when he was 30 years old. What did he do before that? He was a carpenter. He did not study the word with a priest; he was not given a "cushy" job to do before he had to save us. No he was down in the dirt on his hands and knees as carpenter, working with his hands. It is kind of like when you see a politician campaign and it says "vote for so and so he is a man's man," except Jesus actually is.

"For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest."—Luke 9:48

I know there is hope for me and you and everyone else in this world.

Do not be afraid to be the nice guy.

The Rock n’ Roll Jesus Guy

I am known for being Zaq, the kid who spells his name with a "Q." I am known for being the funny, random and wild person who makes you laugh. I am known to be an odd blend of metal head and a flower child rapped in one. I am known to wear black clothes and pants that are said to be "too large." I am known for my long hair that is unkempt.

I am afraid what I am known for is not who I am.

Oddly enough what I am not known for is what defines my life. What I am not known for is why I am sober, not depressed and alive today. What I am not known for is what I want to be known for more than anything.

I need Jesus' strength; so I can step out of my bed and into the battlefield. So I can fend off any of the enemy's attacks. So I can be strong for others.

I need Jesus' wisdom; so I can walk a path less traveled. So I can help others. So I can be closer to him.

I need Jesus! To redeem me, to be my friend, to be my everything.

I love Jesus from the bottom of my heart, from morning to dawn, from now until he holds me in his forgiving arms.

I love Jesus; he is my strength, my shield, my sword, my savior, my redeemer and my best
friend. He is my model for my life, even though my life does no justice to it. I screw up, constantly but luckily I do not (and more importantly He does not either) define my life by my
mistakes.

I love Jesus because he loves me. Agape, the unconditional love he has for me. Jesus loved me when I was drunk and high and now that I am sober. Jesus loved me when I did not know him. Jesus loved me when I hated myself. Jesus loved me when I hated him.

I am saved!

I am redeemed!

I am God's child!

I am on fire for Christ!

I am a lamp for the world!

I am the salt of the earth!

I am ready to do whatever God ask me to do!

I am because of what he was!!!

I want to be known as a Jesus freak. I want to be known as "Rock n' Roll Jesus Guy!" I want to
be known as the guy who is so in love with Jesus that it radiates off of me. I want to be so under the influence of the Holy Spirit that you can see it my eyes, feel it in my touch, hear it in my voice, taste it in my cooking and smell it on my breath.

And through my actions…

I will be known as a…

loyal and faithful…

servant of God.

Amen

Forgotten Soldier and my desperate prayer

Today there are several thousands of soldiers in Iraq and each one of them is there to protect you. There is no doubt about it; the purpose of their personal sacrifice is to defend you and your country. I am lucky to know a few veterans of Vietnam who are personal heroes to me. Personally I love the USA; it is the greatest country of them all. I may jokingly say I am moving to Canada to live among my fellow hockey lovers but I would never trade Old Glory for that stupid maple leaf. Since I love the USA so much I have thanked the veterans I know and have had a chance to meet. When they fought I was not even a thought here on earth but I cannot tell you how much their sacrifice means to me. Would you believe not one of them has ever said, "I made this sacrifice but…" anything? Their sacrifice was unconditionally to all Americans and so many soldiers go unrecognized for their contributions but one goes unrecognized more than any other.

Unfortunately today you can barley turn on your TV without hearing about a death in Iraq. Everyday someone loses a father, a son, a mother, a daughter, a friend and so and so forth. Rarely you will hear story about a soldier who jumped on a grenade to save his platoon but you never hear the story of the soldier who jumped on the grenade to save the whole world. I am talking about Jesus.

There is no difference if you are White, Black, Asian, Native American or anything else. There is no difference if you are Catholic, Methodist, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim or anything else. There is no difference because God loves the world so much that he sent his one and only son so for whoever believes in him shall not perish but receive eternal life. If you barely sin or sin like hell there is no difference because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no difference. Jesus gift was unconditional more than any other gift. He will never say I died on the cross for you but… anything. He paid off all your sins once and for all.

When will we see that there is no difference, I am tired of going backwards. I love my veterans including Christ, who is at the top of my list and we owe it to them to move forward. The only way we can move forward is to love. Hate does not change anything or anyone it just pisses you off and I am tired of being pissed off. I want to be like Christ so bad and fail so much but I just got to keep going. He changes, heals and most of all loves you; without that I am nothing. Help me get through this.

Believing and Following

I have believed in Christ for about five years but I have only followed him a little over a year. You see there is such a huge difference in believing and following and I have not realized it until now. A believer is someone who thinks something is real. You believe that gravity is holding everything down to the earth; you believe that two plus two equals four; you believe that Christ came from heaven to die on the cross to save you from your sins. Although Jesus calls us to do so much more than to believe in him, he calls us to FOLLOW him. Sure John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life," but does not tell us how to live our lives. I am firm believer in John 3:16 and I believe that if you have true faith in Christ that you will be saved but that is not enough for me. I personally cannot sit back and do nothing while Christ does everything.

"18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matt 4:18-20)

I want to be a fisher of men; I want to be like Christ; I want to follow Jesus. There are two things you need to do to become more like Christ.

One you need to follow him. Image you are Peter, minding your own business and then this guy comes to you and says follow me. You do not know much about him other than he is a rabbi but you follow him anyway. Why? Because he is a rabbi! He is someone who can teach you so much about God. Simply, following a rabbi in this time period was like going to an intense bible study. You would follow your rabbi around and make note of his every move, how he handled arguments about scriptures, how he preached and even how he read the scriptures. Imagine following Christ like this; imagine how much you could learn from him.

Two you need to practice what Christ teaches you. I remember when I was a child I wanted nothing more to be like Jarmiour Jagr. So I watched each Penguin game with my hockey stick and ever time Jagr touched the puck I would jump up and imitate his every move. To be like Christ we have to imitate him too. Obviously we cannot be one hundred percent like him, but we can try. When you find yourself applying his teachings in your life it will become easier to be like him.

So I am done with believing in Christ, it is not enough for me, I am following him.

Truth

The following is the opening paragraph to my final essay in my advanced comp class. As you probally know you either win or lose your audience in the first paragraph and I really want to nail this. My paper is on the resurrection of Christ. Just by reading the opening would you want to continue reading the paper or would you change it? Please give feedback!!!

Many people in today's world claim to be Christian. In fact, thirty-three percent of the world's population choose to believe in Christ. What does that mean? Well it means roughly thirty-three percent of the world's population believes that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and came from heaven to die on the cross for the sins of humanity. Today I would like to make a much larger claim than that. To believe in something is to consider or to accept something, that could be true but you honestly do not know. You believe the Steelers won the game last Sunday, you believe that the person next to you is Mark and you believe that you have to work tomorrow. I do not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and came from heaven to die on the cross for the sins of humanity, I know he did. By proving eight facts I will disprove popular theories of what happened to Jesus thus leaving one possible solution, his resurrection.

Love

Love. Love is the upmost aspect of God that amazes me. His love is greater than any other love in the world. Love is to God as water is to ocean. No one can fully explain his love but it is stated best by Jesus when he said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) People often wonder why Christ would die for us, why he would subject himself to such a humiliating and painful death. I struggled with this question myself for a long time. In fact after seeing the Passion I said, "I should have been on the cross, I am the sinner." As I matured through Christ I slowly began to realize why he died for us. He died for the ugly, the broken, the sick, the corrupt, the sinners; he died for you and me because he could not bear spending eternity in Heaven without you (remember the prodigal son).

Christ love is incomparable. Who would you die for? My list includes my family and my friends and it does not come close to the list Christ made before he died. Christ's list included my family and my friends and the rest of the world. He died for Joe Shmo down the street, the person who just cut you off in traffic, the drug dealer in your apartment, the homeless man in that alley. Jesus loves the unlovable in the eyes of the world. I cannot think of one person I would not want to spend glory with but I can think of people who I did not love when I had the opportunity to love them. That is where I differ from Christ the most (in my eyes), other than him being sinless.

So how do we love the unlovable? First we need to stop viewing people as outcasts or wastes or any other label we might associate those who do not know Christ. We need to see these people the way that God saw them as he created them, with the eyes of our hearts. God does not create outcasts or wastes; we are all created in God's image with a purpose and that is how we should see all people (remember the man born blind). Maybe the reason a man is an outcasts or wastes or any other label you might give someone , is so that the glory of God may be revealed through him. If you know me you know my adolescent years were spent in alcohol and marijuana but now because of God's glory I am sober.

Once you see people through the eyes of your heart you will find it easier to love.

The Wall

Most of us, when we first accept Christ, build our faith as if we are building a wall. Like a stone mason we carefully select our rock or core beliefs as new followers of Christ. We lay them down and start to build on top of each other. For example, a new follower of Christ might say well I believe in Christ crucifixion and resurrection; I believe it is bad to drink alcohol; I believe that it is grace alone that saves me from my sin. All of these examples can be backed up by biblical text but some can be also argued with biblical text.

So what becomes of our wall when you change your mind? What if you believed that tattoos where unholy because of Leviticus 19:28 but later decide that you misinterpreted that text? What happens when you find out that some words in the bible where misinterpreted and because of that your idea on that subject is changed (Red Sea or Sea of Reeds)? What happens to your wall when your core stones are pulled from underneath it? It falls, you fall and your faith falls.

How do we overcome the wall? We need to recognize that the bible is a living text. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Heb 4:12) The word of God can mean many, many things in different situations and to different people. It changes and evolves to help in today's world.

As modern Christians we need to stop focusing on "the issues" of a holy life. As far as I am concerned you should try to live a life as holy as you can the way Christ wants you to. Interpreting "the laws", in my view, should be done with yourself and God. And the issues we need to concern ourselves with are that, that concern people. We need to reach out to our communities, our homeless and our unloved. There are so many people who need him and we are worried about if it is ok to have a wine toast at a wedding.

It is love, not law!

So I say to you, tear down your wall!

Get out there and get something down for Jesus, just let me know what I can do to help.

I do not understand

During the winter months something terrible happens to my beloved sports center

...BASKETBALL...

I like Basketball...

I am a big Pitt fan but I do not understand what makes it so great. It controls the airways and I rarely get to see highlights of HOCKEY which is so much better...

And every top ten is filled with Slam Dunks and Allie Oops but maybe two amazing display of hockey excellence. For example Jarkko Ruutu took out Darius Tucker...that is huge!!! With Chris Simon suspended (for slu-footing Ruutu) Tucker is easily the big brawler in the game. He is an incredible fighter...

insane...

beast...

Chuck Norris hides from him...

and Jarkko one...

not in the top ten...

a slam dunk is a slam dunk…

I see it all the time…

my cousin can slam dunk…

but he cannot beat up Darius Tucker…

I Do Not Understand...