Renovation

The Zockoll household is undergoing renovation. The whole front section of our main floor has been stripped down, repainted and repatched. We're into our third week of repair, and it's giivng me a feeling of living in a warehouse. Anywhere you talk you get echos. It'll be nice to get the furniture back in here. Tony Skinner's paint and wallpaper crew does a fantastic job. If you live in Knoxville, this is the man you need to see.

We pulled up some old carpet in the fireplace room and found beautiful wood flooring. After a cleanup, I now have a parquet floor. No extra carpet purchases - woo hoo! That's the skinflint side of me talking.
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This is from Bill Gordon's fine column at 4truth.net, a ministry of the North American Mission Board:

Philosophical objection:
"Why didn't God create free creatures that would not sin?"

Christian Response:
Those who raise this objection never provide a satisfactory answer as to how God could manipulate a free choice and at the same time keep the choice free. The Christian doctrine of God teaches that God is all-powerful. However, there are some things that even an all-powerful God cannot do.
For example, the Bible teaches that God cannot sin (see Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Heb. 6:18; Jas. 1:13). Christian theologians also argue that God cannot do anything that is nonsensical or self-contradictory.
When the skeptic asks why God didn't create a free creation that would not choose evil, he might as well ask why God didn't create square circles. Both questions are self-contradictory and nonsensical. A square is not a circle and a fixed will is not free.

Three wonders

“If I ever reach heaven I expect to find three wonders there: first, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to miss some I had expected to see there; and third -- the greatest wonder of all -- to find myself there.”

-JOHN WESLEY

True Friendships

Here is a picture of our front yard, including my pet project: the front flower garden. When we moved in, the bushes had been overgrown and a lot of the ornamental foliage had been inexplicably designed to actually block the passerby a look at the flowerbed. I spent the spring ripping out all the shrubs and laying out a whole new design of plants. I aimed for a Victorian style of splashes of color throughout the garden. I've now added a second garden across the yard. It's the Russian heritage of farming; man, I do love to get into the soil whenever I can.

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I think of some of the deepest friendships of my childhood. There was a great elementary school pal named Danny, who listened to my fantastic stories and superhero plans, encouraging me all the way. Then there was the Camp Mt. Lou San summer counselor "Uncle Marv", a former member of the Air Force who was a humble yet straightforward mentor to us impressionable ones. I also remember my teen years' spiritual mentor Eric, who helped me see the reality of Jesus and the joy of the Scripture. All of these - and many more - friends helped me see the true friendship that Jesus offers to everyone and anyone. Even in my stupidest moments - the time I was arrested for an act of graffiti, the time I cheated on my high school sweetheart, the time I lied to a string of friends in order to cover up an initial falsehood - these close friends stood by me and let me know that they would stay nearby. They didn't condone my stupidity, but even as they corrected me they showed that they were true companions. I think that is where I first saw Jesus as more than an icon; I saw Him as a friend.

" My love of you, O Lord, is not some vague feeling: it is positive and certain. Your word struck into my heart and from that moment I loved you. Besides this, all about me, heaven and earth and all that they contain proclaim that I should love you, and their message never ceases to sound in the ears of all mankind, so that there is no excuse for any not to love you. But, more than all this, you will show pity on those whom you pity; you will show mercy where you are merciful; for if it were not for your mercy, heaven and earth would cry your praises to deaf ears." - Augustine, "Confessions"

What I owe

I love the depth of Oswald Chambers' work. His insight, like CS Lewis, forces me to pause and reflect. Here are some of his words concerning the passage in Romans:

"I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians." Romans 1:14
"Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent himself to express it. The great inspiration in Paul's life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that sense of indebtedness to Christ in regard to every unsaved soul?"

Chambers' words strike deep. Have I been really absorbed in not only pleasing Christ but in reaching others for Him? I get caught up in my work in the sportswriting world and in the editing work I am doing for corporations, I tend to forget that there are plenty of people I can reach for Christ. Each day this summer is a new opportunity.

Right now I teach a summer series on Wednesday night to students. Have I asked questions about their souls? Have I showed them Jesus? I've been dealing with sports team owners around the country. Have I been the right witness? Have my words pointed to or away from Jesus?

I want to keep these thoughts forefront.

Two words

I stood on the tiny concrete-pad-and-canvas-awning porch that makes up the front of M&M Barbecue here in Knoxville, Tennessee. At M&M you don't sit down and eat. In fact, you don't even stand up and eat. The place is so small that you're forced to make your choices at an order window and take your stuff home. But, oh, it's worth it. That's why every time I stop by the place I stand in a line of at least seven to ten people.

"I've seen you here before, buddy." said the tall grinning man next to me. "You and your son were here, gettin' a big order. You really tear into this stuff, don't you?"

"Sure do," I agreed. "This is fantastic barbecue."

"Reminds me of the place over near Walker Springs exit," the man said, looking at the awning as if trying to visualize a road map. "Good pork, and the hush puppies are crisp." He glanced at me. "But ol' Pressy here, she has a way of smokin' the chicken that tops anything in town. Lookit all those smokers, son."

He stepped back. "Here, buddy, you go ahead of me. I'm in no hurry."

I gave a weak protest - I was dying for some ribs - but he insisted that I move ahead of him. I thankfully moved ahead but we still chatted.

And that gives you Knoxville, Tennessee in a nutshell. Two words, really.

Food. Friends.

Now, I'm not trying to over-simplify. Knoxville is nationally known for its college sports programs at the University of Tennessee. Appalachian music and bluegrass talent seems to grow from trees. Oak Ridge nuclear technology is right down the road. The city has a lot of quirks, qualities, bells and whistles enough to intrigue anyone who visits. Just a quick look at the Civil War history books gives an idea of the heritage this city owns.

But the two building blocks I find here are exceptional meals and folks who won't take you for a stranger. Those two are virtually intertwined, too. Who hasn't been invited to a Knoxville gathering where there wasn't a table groaning with pies, cakes, salads, and enough meat to drive anyone's cholesterol to the Space Station? Ever here of the after-church suppers and socials? Heck, we practically invented 'em. Folks and food, going together hand-in-ha ...er, fork. And yes, more than one restaurant in town serves fried-green tomatoes.

It's a stereotype we can live with. Go ahead, you can tease. Just pass me a plate of slaw to go with my pulled pork.

And another plate here for my friend. Here you go, buddy - slaw and pork. And what did you say your name was...?

New week, big assignments

Big week this week in the office. Some major work being done in preparation for the sports leagues starting up in the fall, and time moves quickly. I'm working with Marty on the West Coast as we ready some teams for the work to be done. A couple of tours to assemble, and some columns to write today. Lots of time at the keyboard and on the phone. And all while still celebrating my hometown Penguins' Stanley Cup championship. Yeah, the playoffs were great. I have a 1980s era Pens jersey on the wall of our Man Room.

Through the years I've read numerous Christian authors. Some are simple and effective in their message. Others are fairly confusing - at least to me - with numerous high-handed statements and lofty phrases. Still others try for a broad audience and try so hard to make a watered-down version of the Gospel that their weak narrative is downright embarrassing.

Time and time again I keep coming back to C.S. Lewis. As I have said before, I am not a real fan of his fiction (nothing wrong with it, just personal taste) but his apologetics are powerful. I enjoy a writer who is no-nonsense and yet careful to let the reader think. Lewis does not put words in your mouth, so to speak. He gives you a proposal and lets you study. I've always liked that kind of teaching. It might be because I grew up with no father figure who instructed me, so I enjoy a good sit-down instruction that's clear-cut and direct.

Here's a sample from Mere Christianity:

Enemy-occupied territory-that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really 'listening-in' to the secretwireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going. He does it by playing on our conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery. I know someone will ask me, "Do you really mean, at this time of day, to reintroduce our old friend the devil-hoofs and horns and all?"
Well, what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. But in other respects my answer is "Yes, I do."
I do not claim to know anything about his personal appearance. If anybody really wants to know him better I would say to that person, "Don't worry. If you really want to, you will. Whether you'll like it when you do is another question."

Proverbs 28:6

"It is better to be poor and honest than rich and crooked."

Nicholas and Alexis stopped by for a visit this weekend. Peter is establishing a small online business, and we'll see the first steps this week. Jill may have caught another round of poison ivy, believe it or not. Julliane is getting over a small cold. My writing career is now stable and I thank the Lord for the many literary opportunities He has sent my way. I stay pretty busy in my office six days a week.

It wasn't too long ago that I was approached by a business that wanted me to do some unethical work. They would pay well, and they were offering me some hefty bonuses and perks for both me and those within my network. Only this was, the work they wanted to do was sleazy.

It wasn't hard to cut them off. No way my people are going to dishonor the Lord, who has given us so much. God has been fantastic - as He always is - and my policy is that neither my network nor I will work with anything that I am asked to do that would be a slight to the Lord. Furthermore, I will cease working for anyone who would question the honeswty and integrity of the work we do.

It reminds me of the time when I was a high school artist - not especially talented, but fairly competent in drawing cartoons - and was picking up odd jobs of illustrating various bits of work for teachers and students. One spring I was approached by an assistant football coach who wanted me to draw an obscene sketch for a poster. I was stuck. I had been raised to show respect for authority figures and obey them while showing honor for their position in life. So I was stuck. It may seem humorous to you because the answer seems so obvious but the teaching of respect for authority was deeply ingrained in me.

The coach argued with me. He promised to leave my name off of it. He tried to bargain with me. But eventually he wore down after I got a backbone and let him know that I could not do those kind of drawings. The sad thing was that I did not let him know that my convictions were based on my life with Christ. The good thing, though, was that I was able to see Jesus walk me through a very difficult situation.

It's the same approach I take now; that God will be honored in all the work I do. I strive for that each day.

Scripture quotation from New Living Translation.

Prov.31:10

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."

Here I am with Jill at my 50th birthday party. Of all of the wonderful gifts God has given me, Jill is at the top of my list. She has been my support and encourager through the hardest times of my adult life, and she has been a support whenever I tackled a project that was daunting yet attainable. Most of all, she has been a spiritual influence in our household, an example of one who desires to please God each and every day.

In case you were wondering, we're sitting on a giant inflatable slide that was in our back yard. Yeah, my birthday was pretty off the wall.

My 50th birthday today

Here on my birthday there are a lot of significant things that I could say as I look back upon my life but I'll spare you the boring details by giving you the best secular quote I've read this year:

You were born an original. Don't die a copy.

~John Mason

Outside of the Bible, I think that's about the best advice I've ever read. I firmly believe it

and now pardon me as I prepare for our garden party where I'm going to eat so much barbecue that I'll sprout horns.

Tomorrow: the half-century mark

Here's a picture of Julianne and me taken at the Knoxville Ice Bears minor league hockey game.

Tomorrow I will be 50 years old, and I must tell you, I enter into tomorrow's celebration a thankful man. God has been good, amazingly good.

Even in the trials He has patiently taught me and brought me along, so that, as stupid as I am, I can still learn. He's placed some wonderful lessons in front of me so that I can continue to grow in His knowledge.

I'm able to work with professional athletes, start-up businesses and major corporations by writing for them and helping them in the field of communications. I'm able to be creative and form new ideas to help people. I'm blessed to be able to continue to write novels and articles for companies across the country. I'm going to be part of a new publishing firm. More about that later.

And I get to enjoy my family. I have the blessing of having my office inside my home.

Tomorrow, the former members of the West Park Baptist youth group of decades ago will be my guests at our birthday party. So many good things happening.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life... Psalm 23:6

Breaking Up

In high school we had one of those "married couples." You know, the guy and the girl who were so attached that it's hard for you to visualize the time when they were actually walking on their own. Danny and Tanya were that way. They were always together. Always together. You couldn't pry them apart with a crowbar. It seemed like when he breathed pepper, she would sneeze. We would put down bets as to how soon after graduation these two 'soulmates' would get married.

Imagine my shock when I found out they split up almost as soon as the summer started. These two had been together for three years at least. It was stunning - Danny and Tanya were, well, supposed to be together. It was the talk among the grads. What happened to those two that they'd split up? They were inseparable!

I think of Steve and Julie who broke up in college and how I was shocked, thinking that these two were made for each other. They'd been together for six or seven months, and after they broke up they were miserable. They realized they were made for each other and they got back together. Today, they're happily married (over 20 years now) and have a pack of kids.

I think of people who have walked away from Jesus. Some people say 'walked away from the faith' but that can mean anything from mindless liturgy to repetitive yoga exercises. I mean people who have approached the awesome protection and love of Christ ... and turned away.

I was reading Adrian Roger's "Love Worth Finding" web site and this startling fact was posted:

Did you know that 85 of America’s first 100 colleges were built for the preaching of the gospel?

Harvard was founded as a Christ-centered school. In 1646 one of it rules stated, “Everyone shall consider the main end of his life and studies to know God and Jesus Christ, which is life eternal.”

Yale was founded in 1701 to train preachers of the gospel. Their president told the 1814 graduating class, “Christ is the only true, the living way of access to God.”

Princeton insisted in its early days that every faculty member be “convinced of the necessity of religious experience for salvation.” Its first president said, “Cursed be all learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ.”

Tragically, these schools and many of our earliest colleges and universities have abandoned their founding principles and more importantly their first love.

The book of Revelation reveals Jesus' deep disappointment with the church at Ephesus. This was a busy church "on the go" but the tragedy is spoken aloud by Jesus: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love."

We were made for a relationship with Jesus. I don't want to leave that union.

Source: http://www.lwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=for_DiggingDeeper

Jill

Here is a picture taken at Nicholas' wedding. Jill is with her very dear friend Sharon McDuffie. Jill and Sharon have been friends for almost twenty years now, and Sharon was instrumental in making a fantastic presentation of Nicholas' and Alexis' wedding. Jill and Sharon both brighten any room they enter. My wife Jill has a heart for the Lord that is a constant encouragement to me, even in these early days of my new writing career. She has a yearning to follow Jesus each and every day and makes our household a home. I know quite a few people who cannot say that and it reminds me to thank the Lord every day for the blessing of having such a precious wife.

The "Meadowlark weekend" was fantastic. Maryville has embraced the new team and there is excitement about the upcoming season. We had numerous radio shows and press conferences - all went well. Big plans are in the works for the fall season.

Meadowlark is a man after God's own heart. He was consistently talking about following the Lord and the joy that serving Jesus brings. It was a busy but spiritually uplifting weekend.

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This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24

Meadowlark coming

We're moving quickly around here, preparing for the press conference tomorrow. I will be picking up Meadowlark Lemon at the airport at 4 p.m. He will be coming into town to announce his part of the ownership of the new ABA team, the Smoky Mountain Jam, along with his new tour with the Harlem All Stars - everything will be based in Maryville TN, right next to Knoxville. Meadowlark has been a good friend of mine since 2000 and, as the new Director of Operations for the Jam, I am pleased to be able to welcome him on board to be part of our basketball family. His tour is going to be awesome - he still gets on the court and plays!

Nicholas and Alexis Zockoll wedding

Here are Nicholas and Alexis (picture taken with my Blackberry -sorry for the sloppiness. I'll post better pictures later.) What a wonderful time we had. Goid blessed us with great weather and wonderful family and friends. Nicholas and Alexis are spending their honeymoon at Daytona Beach this week. It's great having Alexis as part of our family, and I'm proud of Nicholas for the wise choice he made to receive such a wonderful wife.

Faith in the Journey

I received a phone call last night from my youth group member of 27 years ago, Dan Guerrero. We talked of many events and joys of those days in Hollister, California, and of the journey since then. What a powerful thing to talk to someone to whom you ministered over a quarter of a century ago. I thought of the many things that have passed through my life since then, of which you read in my blog. I realize that through these years, as with the day-to-day walk I experience right now, that faith in the Savior is what keeps each day fresh and vibrant.

Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. You cannot see Him just now, you cannot understand what He is doing, but you know Him. Shipwreck occurs where there is not that mental poise which comes from being established on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the heroic effort of your life, you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God.
God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us, now He wants us to venture our all in abandoned confidence in Him. - Oswald Chambers

Prom

Peter and Libby before Saturday night's prom. They had a great time, and both of them looked great. I can't tell you how enjoyable it is to be able to see them at this special event. I can remember my Junior Prom - I wore (I am not making this up) a forest green tux that was not fitted properly so the pants came up over my ankles. I should have patented the style: high-water formal.

Libby and Peter went to Wasabi's before the prom - a little fancy food-prep-before-your-eyes type of shindig. All in all, it was a memorable evening for them. These are two very special young people.

new week

It has been about five straight days of rain. The azaleas are in bloom.

This is the our last week with Nicholas in the household. As of Saturday he will be a married man. he and Alexis will be settlign in Jonesborough TN as he pursues a career in the Air National Guard. I can still recall him as a child with me pushing him around the house on a Big Wheel truck (yes, it was indoors - we did get a bit rowdy) and his holiday school recitations onstage while a student at Faith Christian School in NC. And now he is ready to start his own heritage. I am saddened by our loss of his immediate presence here but joyful that he is blessed with a wonderful wife and a great start on a new life.

While I was speaking at a church class, I encountered a man in his thirties, a gentleman who was suffering greatly. "Paul" was enduring the loss of his home and a family tragedy. He told me he felt empty, a shell that just moved around and functioned. I listened and listened. I've been there. It was a powerful way for me to help someone, for me to tell someone that hey, I felt the same way. I shared Romans 8 but mostly I listened. Please remember this hurting gentleman. I will be contacting him throughout the week.

This is a big week. Lots to do, especially with the American Basketball Association. The ABA is really doing a powerful job of renovation and restoration. I'm busy with teams almost 24/7.

Comparisons

Now here's what we call a good snow in eastern Tennessee. This was taken of Jill and Julianne this past winter as I pulled up to the house after work. I bet it took Jill all of an hour to make that little snowman. But Julianne thought it was practically a blizzard. My friends in Colorado called about an hour after this picture was taken to tell me they had two feet of snow on the ground and more was still coming.

But to us - especially the little ones - this was a big thing. I do believe they even cancelled school for this.

In reflection I see that this is the way people are in other areas of their life. They may think events in theri own personal lives - especially trials - are insurmountable and deep. Yet in comparison to others, it pales. At college, one of my roomates asked for serious prayer because his executive dad wasn't getting as much of a bonus as they had hoped... while down the hall prayer was going up for a roommate who has to leave school because of a baseball-sized tumor in his brain. (He survived the harrowing surgeries and came back to school before the end of the year.)

In each of our minds, yes, the suffering I'm going through is real and hurting but let's not fail to realize that others around us need compassion and support. Let's not shut down and fence ourselves in. As Christians let's reach out and assist others who are in need and share each other's burdens, with people both inside and outside the faith. They're all heavy burdens, and in need of extra shoulders.

azab

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. - Psalm 37:25

The truth of God's protection is that His children are given care and guidance ... even when they may not know it. Many times I've encountered Christians who find out the protection they've been given even when they were not aware of it at the time. the word f"forsaken" in this verse is azab and it has a heavy definition: to be left behind, let alone, neglected, abandoned.

There are times when I felt that God had left me. The time I was called to candidate in San Jose at a church of 600. They called me for an interview, phoned me many times, asked tons of questions...and then changed the rules mid-stream. In a heated deacons' meeting the group argued over the percentage of "yes" votes by which they would take me. Through some last-minute dealings, I lost the calling by a few percentage points. I was devastated.

Yet about three years later I found out that the church had an inner cancer of dispute and arguments. The church and school folded and closed down not even six months after that vote.

If I would have picked up my family and moved across the country, there was a good chance I would have been unemployed within a year.

I see that as a firm yet loving Hand of Care, protecting my family from turmoil. Many is the time when I was given help when I didn't even know it. You probably can remember times inyour life as well.

Such is the way of the Father.

Good things

Psalm 37:4 comes very much into mind in these recent days. We've been preparing for Nicholas' wedding, including the rehearsal dinner we'll have here at the homestead, which adds to the family traditions and history that this home is bringing to our family. Peter will be taking Libby to the prom this Saturday night. Julianne is "working" with me every day for 1/2 hour in my office here at the house (she empties my office trash can and then plays with Hello Kitty on a nearby table), while I work alongside the new and eager ABA teams as well as handle my other writing assignments.

Jill is busy but happy in preparing for the wedding here at the house, and many in our home church are helping us in various ways that make this festive time possible. Our outside gardens are slowly but beautifully blooming. The foxes - all seven of them - roam around the back yard, and Nicholas actually caught one of the babies and petted it quietly before releasing it back to the den. I will get you a picture of it tomorrow.

LIfe is almost unreal because things have been good. Oh, make no mistake, we've got our problems - companies deliquent in paying me and constant home repair are just two - but the family is together and enjoying each other all day long. I have been able to enjoy a true delight in the Lord. The word "desires" in the verse is the Hebrew word mish'alah which also means petitions or requests. It has been my desire ( my prayer, my petition) to be in fulltime writing and have a house to accomodate not only my family but also others who have need as well. Right now we are hosting a young man from Oklahoma. We see God's blessing every day and feel His peace. Isn't He great?

Yes, He is.

Ice Bears game

I've been doing some writing for the local minor league Knoxville Ice Bears, winners of the Presidents Trophy as league champions the last two seasons. Here is Julianne with the mascot, Chilly. Highlight of her evening. Any resemblance between the bear and any member of my family is purely coincidental.

Psalm 143:10

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

I've highlighted the words that mean so much to me. God's will is what I want to do. My will is dull and dead-end, because it will only serve to focus attention on me, nad what eternal use is that? I serve God because I love Him...so much so that I call Him my God, and according to the Bible, He enjoys when I make that claim.

Having been a Boy Scout in my early years and a frequent guest to Yosemite National Park in my twenties, I can appreciate the next part: "Lead me on level ground." Just as I enjoy flat, easy-to-walk pathways, I enjoy it when I can get a break from the ups and downs of life and be able to settle into a pattern where I can concentrate on serving God and reaching out to others. There's a peace I get when reading the Bible that nothing else can give me.

"Here She Comes..."

...and here is Julie - at the time she was 3 years old, coming out onto our back deck to show off her finery. I want you to look closely: she is wearing a tiara, a two-piece bikini, a boa, a Hawaiian lei, a purse, and wrapped around her neck like a scarf are Curious George's legs from a long-departed stuffed animal.

She announced that she was a princess.

You know, I promise I'll get back to the Bible study info on this blog, but right now I have to stop laughing. I'm telling you, she is the Human Cartoon.

Breakfast

Here is Julianne at breakfast, obviously stunned at my latest creation: a Mickey Mouse pancake. Those cooks on the Food channel have nothing over on me, baby.

Heroes

I was probably seven or eight years old when Dad had us all stuffed into his old Volvo station wagon and pulled up to a fellow's house just outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania. When Dad came out of the man's house, he threw open the back of the vehicle and slid in two crates.

Those crates were stuffed with comic books.


Yeee hah.





This began my venture into the world of the mortals who could achieve feats only dreamed by the rest of us (and of course, they were dreams - sprung from the imaginations of people like Stan Lee and Bob Kane).
Batman, Superman, Spiderman, the original Iron man (who wore a bulky yellow suit and looked like the Tin Man's evil brother), Plastic Man, Flash, Captain America, Hulk, Sub Mariner (too weird for my taste), Fantastic Four and so many others.

Their exploits were phenomenal. I knew every detail about these heroes of the 60s comic book era. I studied and memorized their powers. We had some old ones, to be sure. In some of our collection, Batman had a gun, Peter Parker kept fighting a schoolboy nemesis named Flash, and Superman spent too much time with some magical goblin named Mr. Mxyzptlk.

I did see a lot of weaknesses in the characters - a necessary part of the story line. Superman had kryptonite. Spiderman had temporary web fluid and teen angst. Hulk would turn back to Bruce Banner occasionally. Batman was, well, a great athlete but could get his comeuppance since he had no superpowers.

The Good News Club I attended taught me about One who had much more than any one of these literary figures. Better yet, Jesus was real. He is real. And He, above all else, is immortal and without a weakness. In fact, He took on the form of a man to accept the weaknesses of the flesh and He still won it all!
That's where my interest changed. This Jesus was the real hero. I wanted to learn more about Him and be like Him.

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death... Phlppns 3:8-10

Resurrection and this day

In my childhood, Easter was a time that my mom would drive us over to my great-grandparents' farm in Tarentum, PA where we six Zockoll kids would run around my Grandpap's (Mike Paholich's) 65 acre farm, looking for Easter baskets filled with chocolate and jelly beans.

Although I enjoyed the excitment of the day, I can honestly say I never really figured out the odd secular celebration. The idea of a rabbit carrying eggs in a basket for everyone in the world was preposterous to me even at five years of age, even while I was hanging on to a belief about the winter-time visits by a guy in a red suit and flying reindeer. I couldn't stand the thought of jellybeans, especially after we spilled a bag of black licorice jellybeans against the heater of the VW bus and endured the smell all the way back to Hershey, PA. Never did like the ham dinner ( I don't like ham anyway) or the full suit and tie I was to wear.

As a junior high kid one rainy Easter weekend at my grandparents, I kept eating hardboiled eggs. Ate 32 of them in two days. Took me over ten years to even look at a hardboiled egg.

But what I did like was a good message on the rising of Jesus. That was, and still is, awesome. Here is hope for the next life and comfort from Someone bigger and much better than me. It's a simple but powerful, universe-altering message.

And here is an important truth from the Scriptures. In John 11 ... Jesus is speaking to Martha who is mourning because of the death of her brother Lazarus...

25) Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection (Greek: anastasis) and the Life. The one believing toward Me, even if he should die, he will live.
26) And everyone living and believing toward Me should never die. Do you believe this?

Note this: Jesus clearly teaches that He is the Resurrection. The Resurrection is not a happening, it is Himself–the resurrection is Jesus Christ. Bill Klein of "Greek Thoughts (http://www.studylight.org/) states:

"Additionally, after His resurrection, He is known as The Resurrected One. Jesus' pronouncement is the scriptural basis for salvation, empowerment, and hope for everyone who ever believes toward Him."

Other Greek words talk about the event of resurrection, but Jesus Himself is the only One on which this special Greek word (ana = up, esthmai -= to stand) will be used. He is much more than the instrument making resurrection happen. He is the means by which is is possible at all.

He came out of that tomb and set a new course of history for you and me if we just follow Him. Yes, that's what I want to do. Follow Him.

A good/bad day

John 19
"After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon {a branch} {of} hyssop and brought it up to His mouth... "

This day commemorates the day Jesus went to the cross. I cannot imagine the grief of the disciples. It's hard for me to guess the terror of the bystanders as they saw Jesus bloody, torn, exhausted and yet prodded on to His place of earthly death. This day must have been soul-shattering for some who did not fully understand the Master's plan.

It must've seemed like a lonely day. A lost-in-the-desert day.

This is what it's all about, though, isn't it? This is the Memorial Day Weekend of the grassroots of why we believe and what we exist to do. This is our heart because He is our heart. His willingness to die in such a torturous manner is still astounding to me, and to the unregenerate world it is revolting because they just don't understand.

On this weekend I want to reconnect with the foundational story of Jesus. I don't want the social aspect of it so much (large crowds seem to bother me more and more lately) as I want an intensive, no-holds-barred understanding of the suffering He willingly endured for me, and all of us.

To those who were there and personally witnessed the brutal torture of Jesus, this must have been the end of the world to them. A horrible, terrible day.

But in reality, it was a good day. A very good day.

Because on Sunday...

"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."

Red Fox

Our subdivision is connected to Fox Road, here on the outskirts of Knoxville. When we first moved into our new home, we were told about the largish hole near the back of the property (our whole property is one foot short of being the exact dimensions of a football field) and how it was the home of a red fox and her kits. We would peer around for the fox to come around, and occasionally saw one darting across the subdivision road or sneaking around in the backyard tree line, but never a close encounter.

Until this past month.

That hole is once again home to a pretty red fox and her three roundish and furry kits. What a sight. Nothing on television or film could replace the real-life entertainment we get every day. We've been keeping a careful eye on them and enjoying the family tussle every afternoon. In the morning I leave an egg at the mouth of their "den", and as I do I have observed tufts of feathers and an occasional large mammal skull in the hole. Mom's been out hunting and doing a good job of feeding her babies.

We also notice that she'll let them wrestle and then get them back inside while she curls up and sits outside for a quiet time.

I guess moms of all kinds need their break from the kids.

Calling Out

Saul answered, "I am greatly distressed...God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do."

This passage in 1 Samuel 28 is heart-wrenching, but also instructive. I truly feel a pitiful compassion for Saul (By reading of his symptoms throughout the Biblical narrative, some researchers suggest he may have suffered from a form of depression or even schizophrenia) when he feels like he's at the end of his rope.

I can sit here in my office now and look back somewaht objectively. My hope's been restored and I now wake up in the morning like in the old days - ready to attack and hit the ground running.

It wasn't that way last year.

I think the worst thing I faced was the feeling that God had abandoned me, left me completely on my own and lost any favor with me.

And it was horrifying. Pulling myself together to face another day was a daunting task. Shuffling to work to sit at a desk and peel through work that had no value attached to it was more than I could bear. Enduring a burning back pain around the clock. Being unable to sit through a simple meeting without breaking out in sweat because of the pain. I suffered...and suffered to the extreme. Through all this, Jill was loving and understanding as she allowed me to talk and express my grief.

But even when it seemed God was the farthest away He had ever ben in my life, I still couldn't keep calling out and reaching for Him. And now I know, as brutal as last year was, it was all for my good. I'm seeing that each day now.

I recall having a dinner with an older couple in Hollister, California back in the 80s, and I got to discussing the local church. The husband got up and left the room. His wife leaned over and told me, "He had a bad experience and won't have anything to do with church or God." I asked her what it was about, and she replied, " A dispute with the deacons about church construction."

"How long ago was this?" I asked.

"Oh, about twenty years ago," she replied.

I was stunned. A disagreeable situation that couldn't be resolved, and the man walks away from God? Even now, after all I'd been through - and a lot of the memories still give me the creeps - I just couldn't bring myself to abandon God and go it alone. Father, if I don't have You, what else is there to hope for?

Reliance

Psalm 91:2 - "I will say to the Lord, 'My Refuge and my Fortress, in whom I trust!'"

A thought for the Christian community

I'm in the final stages of cleaning out the old office and moving equipment into the new office in my home. I've received the blessing of the folks in Administration here at my present corporation and on Monday I will begin my career as a fulltime writer.

As I was heading to work this morning, a glaring truth hit me, and it might be something for us as a Christian community to ponder:

Back last year as I was praying and seeking God's will, I applied and queried at numerous Christian institutions from churches to colleges to camps, and numerous times I was told the reason that I was not in the running was because of my age. I'm 49 years old, and the oft-given excuse was that, yes, even though I met the qualifications to serve in their ministry, it was an issue of age. In other words, I was too old to serve in the Christian community.

But then I stepped into the secular world and was immediately embraced for the years of experience I had acquired. I have more work than I've ever had, and I keep getting calls from companies, sports teams and organizations wanting me to write, speak and assist them.

Obviously I know God has His hand on the direction of all of our lives, and of course I am elated at my writing job - in fact my writing involves both Christian and non-Christian work...

...but don't you think the Christian community ought to reflect on this? Not once have I been told in the secular community that my age was a factor. In more than half of the interviews I had with Christian organizations, my experience made no difference. It was because I was old.

I run over three miles a day. I'm still into weightlifting and other sports. I write over 10,000 words a day. I'm in the recording studio, writing two biographies, and traveling to sports arenas as I write columns. I'm not able to keep up?

Could the Christian community be guilty of age discrimination?

Amazed

I am amazed at how fast 4 year old Joulianne is learning to read.

I am amazed that Nicholas and Alexis will be getting married on May 9th. Time seems to be flying!

I am amazed that starting Monday I will be fulfiling my lifelong dream of being a fulltime writer.

I am amazed at how Jill is as pretty as she was the day I married her - after all I've put her through.

I am amazed at how good Peter is in onstage acting. Especially the British accent thing.

I am amazed at how God gave us this house to turn into a home and have so much fun in it.

I am amazed - every time I look in the mirror - at how much uglier I get every day.

I am amazed at how mind-boggling boring Public Radio telethons are. If I had enough money, I'd pay for the whole station just to make all those people quit jabbering.

I am amazed at how God has given us so many generations of kids - who are now adults - that I had the privilege to teach and love and see grow up... who still call or stop by and pay their respects.

I am amazed at how tired I get more and more.

I am amazed at big snowfalls. Blizzards really throw me for a loop, too.

I am amazed at the brilliant apologetic writings of CS Lewis and the heartfelt narrations of Augustine.

I am amazed - and will always be - and the plan of salvation. What God had made possible for me through Jesus Christ just stuns me. And that Jesus was willing to go through His suffering for someone like me... well, it's beyond words.

Blessed {be} the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly {places} in Christ... Ephesians 1:3

Study last night

Last night was our final study until June. I have numerous obligations out of town in the coming weeks so we are all taking a hiatus. We finished up Revelation - what a journey!



I've also been able to go back and do voice work (my old radio days are coming back!) for companies. Here is a link to one of the sites. Click on the video - I'm the narrator:
http://abspriorityinfo.com/



I cannot tell you how busy today has been. I have taken dozens of calls and have been chugging through e-mails in anticipation of new writing jobs.

I have received e-mails and calls from a number of friends that I have not been able to return as quickly as I would like. I apologize, but with this big career change upon me, every available minute has been spent in moving files, setting up a new office, and getting legal paperwork in order. I hope you can understand. I will contact you as soon as possible. Besides this, Jill has run into a batch of poison oak and it is brutal. She has been seeing it spread slowly up her arms and legs, and it won't stop oozing despite numerous medications. It was bad enough (the ailment and the medication) that she was bedridden all day on Sunday. Please remember to pray for her.

Amazed, stunned, in awe

God has once again amazed me.

I attended the American Basketball Association owners meeting in Nashville on Friday. I was in attendance with CEOs, civic leaders and businessmen from all over the nation - a pretty impressive list of people. The head of the league, Joe Newman announced that the ABA will be preparing for 62 teams in the fall.

He also required that each of the teams sign on with me as their chief national statistician. I sat there amazed at what has just transpired. This has taken my writing career in terms of the ability to pursue avenues in publishing and outreach in my literary endeavors.

We're all still taking this in.

This changes just about everything in my life.

Memory

Psa 139:1-4
O LORD, You have searched me and known {me.} You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.

I find this passage especially striking because I am a person who forgets a lot. A LOT.

I write things down on a calendar - and guess what: I lose the calendar. I am not making this up. In college I was given a Day-Timer schedule book as a gift. I lost it within a week.

Computer filing has been the greatest thing for me. Having cohorts who work alongside me in business is also a Godsend. They will remind and notify me whenever I'm off my schedule. Hmmm, that would be about every three hours or so.

Then there is the name-forgetful faux pas experience I endure just about every week. Yesterday I was shopping and the clerk was a student of mine - for two years. That was only two years ago. I needed to look at his name tag. He saw me doing it.

I can't remember the main characters in a movie five minutes after we leave the theater. In fact, sometimes during the movie I forget their names. Pitiful, I know.

Yet the Lord knows me intimately. When I'm hurt and when I'm on top of the world. When I'm sneaky and when I'm sympathetic. And when I'm grieving to know Him better.

Luk 12:7
"Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered..."

I agree with Eric

"God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." Eric Liddell

And if you will understand and accept the deep humility in which I say this, then I can truthfully say I feel a parallel to the Olympic runner in this sense:

God made me a writer. And when I write, I feel His pleasure.

And I am as sincere and truthful as I can possibly be.

Outside of my time with my Lord and my family, there is virtually nothing I enjoy better than to write. When I sit down to start a new chapter or create a plot, I am reminded of the promise in God's Scripture:

"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart"
Ps. 37:4.

kopiao

1 Timothy 4:8-10 "...godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

John MacArthur, Bible teacher, notes : "'Labor' (Gk., kopiao) means 'to work to the point of weariness.' 'Suffer reproach' (Gk., agonizomai) means to agonize in a struggle.' We work to the point of weariness and exhaustion, often in pain, because we understand our eternal objectives.
J. Oswald Sanders wrote, 'If he is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue for his leadership, it will always be mediocre' ... Weariness, loneliness, struggle, rising early, staying up late, and forgoing pleasures all come with excellence.
Galatians 6:14--Paul said that by taking up the cross of Christ, he crucified himself to the world--he died to everything around him and became consumed with the gospel of Christ....As Paul looked to the future, that caused him to serve with his whole heart, striving in the work of the ministry. We hope in an eternal, living God, who will some day reward those who faithfully serve Him."

I wonder how many of us have been Christians for the sake of the title, or for the asurrance of delivery from Hell alone. We commit ourselves to verbiage, but when the rubber meets the road, we don't have an inkling of serving for the sake of Him... we do it for show, for obligation to our local assembly, for a 'feel good' emotion, but we have lost that commitment to serving the Lord for His sake, and for furthering His kingdom.

I mean, sure, we've served in somewhat of a capacity as long as it fits our schedule, but have we worked in a kopiao or agonizomai manner? Have we given to help a needy person, even doing physical labot? Have we hoarded our precious lunch break instead of seeing a sick one who needs a person to talk to? Have we sought out people and shared the Gospel with them, even if it is at risk of getting ourselves embarrassed?

Hey, we take risks every day. We burn the midnight oil for a job promotion. What happened to our service to Jesus?

Life Lessons In Wrestling

I was never an outstanding athlete.

In fact, at best I believe I was fairly mediocre.

Oh, there were times when I won some sort of trophy here or there, but mostly I wore the label "average, not exceptional" of which so many of us are familiar.

I wrestled in high school, maintaining a love/hate affair with it that takes too long to explain. If you've been a wrestler, you know what I'm talking about.

My story for today concerns the match that wore me out. Completely.

Our high school division maintained that wrestling matches between opponents would consist of three 2 minute rounds. We were playing against a cross-state rival and I was competing in the 138 pound class.

My opponent was the same age as I, and was a rookie on the varisty team as well. As we started the match, I felt a sudden surge of excitement. I was stronger than this guy. In fact, I could move him around at will. I was going to destroy this little cretin. Ha! I could sense the kill when after the first period, I jumped out to a 4-0 lead. In the second period I was muscling him all over the mat. He was flopping around, diving and scrambling with his legs while I forearmed, pulled and grappled with him, flexing my now bulging muscles.

And that was my mistake.

I was trying to out-muscle him. And in the third period it caught up. My arms were shot. I mean, they were dead. And slowly, slowly, he climbed back in points. I could hardly pull myself up. My biceps were twitching from fatigue. Exhausted, I felt myself being pulled and shoved now. The little-regarded opponent now was within one point.

I still could not respond, only try to escape and buy time. But it didn't happen. With twenty seconds left he took me down and had a near pin. By the time the clock ran out, the underdog had beaten me by two points.

Man, I thought I had this guy. I knew I had him.

But as I sat in the hallway, stunned, I came to a great realization that day. I was not as strong as I thought. My concept of my endurance was much, much less than I had ever imagined. Hey, I was limited! I think all of us come to this epiphany sometime in our young life - and this was one of mine. I began to realize that not only could I be defeated, I could actuially defeat myself, as I had done in the match. By not pacing myself or by patiently thinking through the approaching moves, I set myself up for a fall.

My Christian walk was that way as well. I was in the emotionalism, social enjoyment and excitable events that made up a teen group calendar. But relying on Jesus? Well, why should i, I reasoned. He let me walk this earth, and live my own life, right? I can make it on my own.

But I found out, as I did in this wrestling meet, that my attempts at serving Him and living for Him through the teen years and adulthood trials of life would take much more than my own strength, I didn't know how to pace myself. I wore out too quickly. I needed the quiet, lone times with Him in prayer and reading in order to build trust and renew my spirit.

And those renewal times with Jesus, my friend, have been the best times of my life.

Isa. 40:31 - But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

Mrs. Downey's Estate

A couple of my old college classmates told me that there was an extra room on the country estate. "If you help with the property, Mrs. Downey will give you the room for free," said Jared. "And now's the right time, because a buddy of mine is moving out of her home - well, really, it's like a small mansion. Three other guys each have rooms there. If you call this number -" he handed me a slip of paper - "you can get first rights on the room."

I called the number and was greeted by a kind, elderly voice. Mrs. Downey was more than happy to have someone take the room. Having grown up in a rural town, I was fairly familiar with farm chores, so I moved into the basement room and would care for her horse, two cows and twenty-five acres of pastureland. For free rent. Nice.

So it seemed.

I was unpacking my stuff and carrying it through the basement door when the departing student bumped into me. "It's a huge place," he said. "She even has an elevator inside."

"You're kidding," I said.

"But you need to know something," he warned as he packed his car. "The reason I'm leaving is that she's a nut case." He looked me in the eye. "I've been accused of stealing, crawling on the roof and even bowling in the upstairs hallway." He tapped his forehead. "She's losing it, and I'm not going to be around on the day she snaps, free rent or not." He left and I pondered my new situation.

To make a long story short, it was true. Almost every night I would hear the brrrrrp of the old elevator coming down to the basement and would then have to explain myself.

No, Mrs. Downey, I wasn't bouncing a basketball down here.

No, Mrs. Downey, I didn't take all the ketchup.

No, Mrs. Downey, I wasn't trying to sneak a girl into my room.

No, Mrs. Downey, I wasn't climbing the magnolia tree last night at 2 a.m.

I had just about had it with this little 78 year old woman who stood inches below five feet tall. She wandered the house, cutting glares at us each evening while complaining that she needed our protection to watch the estate. She ate alone and she muttered about the inequities of the War Between the States. I am not making this up.

I was enduring this odd lifestyle, mainly because I needd to save money, but in truth, I was tiring of it quickly. I enjoyed taking care of the farmland and caring for the animals, but in truth, I found them much more pleasant than I did the sour-faced Mrs. Downey.

Then one cold, raw evening I happened to be carrying some farm tools to the back porch when I saw friends pull up to the front of the mansion. Mrs. Downey had some neighbors and a family member arrive for coffee. I stepped inside to return a broom and I noticed the small party was uneasy. The heating had not caught up to the quick temperature drop. The main room was cold, and nobody knew how to start the fire in the fireplace. Mrs. Downey was crestfallen. She was appearing to be a poor hostess, and in her world, that was worse than profanity.

I did the only thing I knew to do. "Here,"I said briskly. "That's my job. I see I made it just in time." The group looked at me while Mrs. Downey's eyes grew wide with surprise. I didn't wait for a comment, but ran out into the yard and grabbed as many branches as I could find.

For some reason, I have always been able to make a good crackling fire. Other people play a Steinway or run a four minute mile. I can handle an Ohio Blue Tip match with a bit of a talent, I humbly admit. Within three minutes I had a strong, warming fire blazing in the hearth and throwing out much-needed heat. The guests smiled and I nodded, but as I left to go feed the cows, I saw Mrs. Downey's eyes.

She was grateful.

Grateful.

What resulted was a fine and unusual friendship between this elderly widow and myself for the final three months until the end of the year when I was called into a new ministry elsewhere in the country. Mrs. Downey and I would sit at her messy kitchen table and watch a miniscule black and white TV while sipping instant coffee from old ceramic mugs or dining on leftover macaroni on mismatched plates. She shared her concerns for her family and her daughter's history of illnesses. She chatted about many things - maybe some day I will tell you about them - but above all she opened up to me, a 23 year-old college grad between jobs.

I learned the deep and yet delicate power found in Colossians 3:12:

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

I never saw Mrs. Downey again. That was 26 years ago. I still remember, though, the door of friendship opened when I saw that someone had an estate that needed repair and a little love.

And I'm not talking about the house.

Last night was probably the most off-the-wall Bible study we've had so far.

The initial studies (we'll have two of them a night and maybe three if time allows) were from the book of Philemon and the book of Revelation, specifically from Rev. 19. As we were talking about the coming of the Lord and the ensuing battle of Armageddon, the conversation changed - and I am not exactly sure at which juncture this occurred - we got into "nasty deaths in the Bible."

Among others, to the best of my memory we started discussing:

- Herod being eaten by worms.

- Ehud stabbing Eglon and getting his hand covered by the fat of Eglon's belly.

- Saul's suicide.

- Samson's torture (his death wasn't that grotesque, but the blinding he received was awful)

- Jezebel getting thrown out of a window, gettign run over by a chariot and then being eaten up by dogs.

The discussion was rather lively and not disrespectful in any way. After we had animated conversation for quite awhile the guys looked at each other and started laughing. Yet the point was made which came out in Revelation 19 - the birds were called to eat the flesh of the rebellious ones (Now I remember, yeah, that's where the conversation turned to the grisly death stuff) and I had made the point of the egocentric claims of the many who, as in Psalm 2, thought they could overthrow God and promote themeselves. Their end is not only swift, it's also humiliating.