Looking ahead

This is the Brad Zockoll favorite quote of the month:


If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

- C.S. Lewis

Blueprint Doulos

Attached are some pictures of some of the teens involved with the Blueprint Doulos project in years past. Years back I had created this program and we had 150 churches across the U.S. and into Canada. The Lord has directed me to re-establish this ministry across the United States and right now we are doing a test-run as I try to resurrect the program after more than a decade. The principle of Blueprint Doulos is that the young people in school and in youth groups are, as James 1:22 says, "doers and not just hearers of the Word." Strategy meetings, game teamwork, teaching, responsibilities and intensive Bible discussions are part of the maturation process of the student within the Blueprint Doulos (doulos is the Greek word for "servant") program. Teens learn to serve as well as lead. They are directed to straightforward lessons about the reality of Jesus Christ and the work of the Lord in this world. So far twenty-five churches and schools have signed up, reaching from California to Pennsylvania. Please pray; a group of churches in Nova Scotia is considering taking on this beta testing part of the program as we gear toward the fall.

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.