If College Students Wrote the Bible:

* The Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning—cold.

* The Ten Commandments would actually be only five—double-spaced and written in a large font.

* New edition would be published every two years in order to limit reselling.

* Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn’t cafeteria food.

* Paul’s letter to the Romans would become Paul’s email to abuse@romans.gov.

* Reason Cain killed Abel: they were roommates.

* Reason why Moses and followers walked in the desert for 40 years: they didn’t want to ask directions and look like freshmen.

* Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, He would have put it off until the night before it was due and then pulled an all-nighter.

One-Liners

1. Give God what’s right — not what’s left.

2. Man’s way leads to a hopeless end — God’s way leads to an endless hope.

3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma — but never let him be the period.

6. Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.

7. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a faith-lift.

8. When praying, don’t give God instructions — just report for duty.

9. Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to church.

10. We don’t change God’s message — His message changes us.

11. The church is prayer conditioned.

12. When God ordains, He sustains.

13. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

14. Plan ahead — It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.

15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

16. Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.

17. Exercise daily — walk with the Lord.

18. Never give the devil a ride — he will always want to drive.

19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21. He who angers you controls you.

22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

23. Give Satan an inch & he’ll be a ruler.

24. Be ye fishers of men — you catch them and He’ll clean them.

25. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

26. Read the Bible — It will scare the hell out of you.

Ok…I know what you’re thinking.

“Yo Zack, i’ve heard of that guy, isn’t that the same dude that wrote the Narnia series?”

Yes, you are absolutely correct. Same guy.

Those are great books too, don’t get me wrong I have read a few of them over the course of my schooling. But this book has changed me for the better. Please allow me to explain.

‘Mere Christianity’ is not just a list of do’s and don’t’s for people who claim to be Christian. This book is a very practical (and deeply philosophical) work that provides solid evidence for why the Christian faith works for humanity.

Now I, myself, being a Christian, was challenged by the claims of Lewis in this book. From issues concerning morality and the ways of the universe to the challenging doctrine of the Trinity. But for every claim, there was reasonable evidence to back it up as well as simple analogies to help the reader better understand what the author was trying to communicate.

Look, Lewis was a British guy who complied this work during WWII. Honestly, I haven’t read much work from that time period other than historical documents and even those can be used to help us learn from the mistakes of the past.

‘Mere Christianity’ was as challenging, intriguing, and practical then, i’m sure, as it is to me now reading it in 2010, almost 50 years later. This whole work of just over 200 pages is broken down into 4 books. Here they are:

#1-Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe

#2-What Christians Believe

#3-Christian Behaviour

#4-Beyond Personality: First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity

Each section has something to offer for the common spiritual seeker who is interested in Christian ideas, theology, or about the meaning of life itself. Lewis uses a very educated, but also very common style of language in communicating even the most complicated of Christian ideas.

I could just keep going on and on about how awesome this book is and how I learned a lot about own faith from it, etc. If you have even read this far, know I appreciate you very much for doing so. Understand that I have never been much of a reader personally and that I had never thought of much use for reading about Christianity outside of the Holy Bible itself, before I looked into other sources such as this one.

This book is great for someone who has been raised as a Christian and is struggling to defend their faith, someone has been to church a few times and has wondered about God and has questions, or even someone who has never had any exposure at all to spiritual or theological ideas. Basically, it’s for everyone.

I strongly encourage you to give this book a chance. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s ok. Wherever you might be in your spiritual/ life journey, I encourage you to look into this wonderful book.

Know that I will be praying for you in your journey as well.

I’ll leave you with some quotes from the man himself, Clive Staples Lewis:

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”

“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.”

“If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through. If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake.”

“This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there’s a rumor going around the shop that some of us are someday going to come to life.”

“Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist.”

“The only things we can keep are the things we freely give to God. What we try to keep for ourselves is just what we are sure to lose.”

Blessings to you and yours.

Life has taken on new meaning.

These last two weeks have been memorable for sure.

Let’s Recap:

May 21 - May 28 consisted of a lot of reading and preparing for the bible studies for this summer. Went to the Angel game on the 25th with Ryan, Becca, and co.

Saturday May 29th - 2 Parties in the OC. Got to meet Lauren Hunt for the first time, she’s a lovely girl. Her going away party was fun and I got to reconnect with some of the Fullerton Crusade people. Ryan’s party was a lot of fun as well. He showed his entire family the music video that I had helped him with which was cool. Got to catch up with my friends from Long Beach. I miss those guys :/

Sunday May 30th - Back in the OC with Rialto peeps for the Angel game! It was totally epic. Howie Kendrick had 2 home runs that one, one of which was a walk-off. It was AMAZING!!!! Spent the rest of the day at downtown Disney and then went to Denny’s for dinner because I was literally starving. :P

Monday May 31st - Spent most of the day chilling and reading.

Tuesday June 1st - Finished “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel. An amazing read I highly recommend it. Went to Janae’s house and got to catch up her family and hangout in Fontana for the evening.

Wednesday June 2nd - Final preparations before the study started. Man, did God rock this night. We had so many great discussions about the Christian walk and people were totally feeling the presence of the Spirit by the end. It was a very successful study in my opinion, and I am looking for ward to many more!

Thursday June 3rd - Got to hangout with Pastor Luke and enjoy some Jamba Juice. We walked around Victoria Gardens and had a very stimulating discussion of different aspects of Christian Theology. Later on I watched the first game of the NBA Finals and the Lakers dominated the whole game, so it wasn’t incredibly exciting, but still awesome.

Friday June 4th - Dad came home from his first week away at his new job and decided to take the family our to Dave and Busters. Had a lot of fun playing the Star Wars starfighter game. I wasted a lot of chips playing that darn game :P Later that night I went to Corky’s to celebrate Becca’s birthday with the gang and had some great laughs. Stayed up with Ryan and Ivo til almost 7am the next morning. Crazy.

Saturday June 5th - Slept in after a long night. Got to Becca’s party around 2pm and went swimming. Went to dollar tree with Ryan, Ivo, and Becca’s mom to get coconut bras, grass skirts, and straw hats. We looked sexy ;) haha Later on my Dad finally decided to go with me to the Dave Koz concert and I know he’s glad he did because it was amazing!!!! I have never heard a saxophone played like that. The “Pink Panther” was probably my favorite; Dave and Paul Jackson Jr. solo battled for several minutes and got the whole crowd fired up. Afterwards, we met up with Bubba Jackson from KJAZZ and had some food. Dave Koz was at the reception signing autographs and I was able to get one and take a picture with him! So cool…

Today - The first time I have been back to Sunrise since I have been home. It was very refreshing to see old faces and update everyone on my spiritual journey. I remember now why I love my home church so much.

I am sooooo blessed beyond what I deserve. Just in the past few months I have seen a change in me that has renewed my spirit and has given me a peace and a joy that could only come from God. I am very excited for this summer and to see what God is going to do with it!

Matthew 7:7 - Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Peace and Love

Lately I have felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to write. I’ve spent the last few hours putting together a list of daily commandments from the scriptures to give myself encouragement, inspiration, and wisdom.

Some of these are direct quotes from passages in the Bible and others are paraphrased or rewritten in a language that suits my style. I am going to tape this list to my closet door so that it will be easily referable and memorable.

Feel free to take from this list whatever you like. I strongly encourage you to make a list for yourself so that you may be reminded of all the wonderful aspirations God has for your life, on a daily basis. Enjoy!

Things to Do:

Remember the sacrifice that was made by Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for your sins.

Remember that it is only through Christ that you have eternal life.

Remember it is by grace that you have been saved, not by works; it is the gift of God.

Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Allow yourself to be completely filled with the Holy Spirit.

Pray without ceasing.

Edify the body of Christ.

Glorify God in your works daily.

Walk in love, light, wisdom, and unity so that you may glorify God.

Meet people “where they are” (spiritually, mentally, physically etc.) as Jesus did.

Bear the burdens of others, even those of whom you do not know.

Be content with what you have for you are continually blessed beyond what you deserve.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.

Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Put away wrath, bitterness, and all manner of evil speaking for it does not glorify God.

Do not conform to the things of this world. Rise above them to further the kingdom of God.

Take Christ as your example and follow in His footsteps.

Confess Christ freely before men so that Christ may confess you before the Father.

Let your light shine before men that they may see your works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Be holy in all manner of conversation.

Seek first the kingdom of God.

Hear God’s voice.

Be a servant.

Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Deny yourself.

Take up your cross daily.

Keep His commandments.

Be reconciled to your brother for murder begins in the heart.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad when you are persecuted, for great is your reward in heaven.

Do good to please God.

Forgive men their trespasses, so that your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Be constantly open to the will of Father.

Pray that His good and perfect will be done.

Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

Fear only the Lord your God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Remember that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Forgive your offenders just as the Father has forgiven you.

Have a faith that can remove mountains and cast them into the sea.

Be hospitable towards all. Invite in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind.

Watch and pray so that you may not be led to temptation.

Make disciples of all nations. Baptize them and teach them to observe His commandments.

Receive God’s power.

Be born again in Christ Jesus.

Do you guys ever feel like you are not as important in someone’s life as you thought you were?

There are just some times in my life when I feel like i’m not welcomed by some people in certain situations.

I don’t understand it. People say that I am a like-able guy. So why do I feel like some people just don’t want to be around me?

It’s really confusing predicament because one minute you’re hanging out with a friend and enjoying each others company and the next they’re telling you that they forgot to invite you on a beach trip or to their house for a party or to meet up and grab lunch etc. etc.

All of this seems pretty useless to be writing about, but i’m just tired of people being so shady about making and breaking plans.

Look man, it’s really simple: If you don’t want to be around me or invite me anywhere, JUST TELL ME!

It’s seriously that easy.

Trust me, you won’t hurt my feelings if you are just straight up and honest with me instead of making some lame excuse to cover your ass because you can’t own up to it in a normal conversation.

Look I know that you have other friends and i’m not trying to say that i’m better or worth more than anyone else. I just think that when you consider someone a close friend, you make certain assumptions. Go on and correct me if you think i’m wrong.

Just realize that I have higher standards for certain people than others and if you can’t fit that role in my life, then we need to have a talk. Because this one just might kill me.

This weekend was moody.

Friday: I was excited to go home. Arrived just before 2pm. Got to catch up with the family for a bit and finish my math homework. Went to visit Sarah and her family. Got dinner at Farmer Boys and had some good conversation with mom and dad about business. Had Sarah pick me up from dinner and we went to the day creek spot in Rancho for a bit. Then, we went off to Hollywood. Visited Miley Cyrus’ house and near it we saw Demi Lovato’s house and it smelled like some DANK weed, which was hilarious. We took of to find Miley at some club right off Hollywood Blvd. She eventually came out and was a total jerk to the 5 people that were standing around trying to get a picture. Sarah was VERY upset to say the least and cried her eyes out. So, we headed home and Sarah let me drive after me convincing her that she was emotionally distraught. I went pretty fast, but it was really fun to drive that Civic at it’s full capacity. Got home in a timely manner and went to bed.

Saturday: Jake had a game in Riverside at Arlington High School. Got to see the Whitesell’s. Jake didn’t play because he was rehabbing his knee from the last game. They got beat needless to say. After we got back in Rialto I went to go pick up Hayley from Becca’s new house and ended up staying for a while and watching the Long Beach State vs. UCSB Big West Final. We lost which was upsetting because I really was looking forward to traveling with the team to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Oh well. Got to see Ryan which was nice. Later I hit up Cynthia and stopped by to visit with her for a bit. It was good catching up with her. I had texted Natalia Sulistiyo earlier and asked her if she wanted me to stop by and visit her at UCR. She agreed and I texted Breann to let her know that I would be over there. She seemed excited that I was coming to visit, which made me happy. I met up with Natalia first and got to see her room and everything. Then I went to visit Breann and talked to her longer than expected, like always. After about an hour I went and spent some time with Natalia again and then went back to Breann’s dorm for the rest of the night.

It felt great to have her in my arms, just for that short time. I was filled with joy the entire time I was with her, but tried to keep it as undetected as possible. We fell asleep in each others arms a few times and had some fun messing around. I felt like I could try to kiss her and she would accept it, but I think we’ve both gotten to the point where something like that would be stepping down a path that neither of us are ready for. I feel like her and I should talk about it. There’s still time, but I feel like the more I wait, one day it will be too late. But, overall, it was great to see her. She is amazing and I hope she knows that I think that highly of her. I don’t think there is anyone on this earth that I respect more.

After all that, I went back home and crashed around what was now 6am because of daylight savings.

Sunday: Because of my adventures the night before my sleep was screwed up and I had to argue with my dad about going to church. I ended up trying to get rest but was continually woken by one thing or another. He was yelling at me to get the grass cut and that I wasn’t contributing to this family or paying him back for my education. It’s ALWAYS about money with him no matter what he says. Eventually, I got a solid hour of shut-eye and went down to go cut the grass in the back. Took care of it and even went over it twice like my dad had asked me to. Went inside and had my mom clean up the hair on my neck and then I made a couple burritos knowing I was going to be leaving with Terresa soon. He comes in the house and yells at me and make’s me promise to cut the grass in the front before I leave. I agree to it and he goes on yelling anyway. I pack up my things and make sure that I will be ready to leave once she shows up. My dad comes in and is sitting on the stairs and says in a low voice,”You’re gonna get out there and cut the grass right?”. OH MY GOD!!! I had already told him I would and this made me a bit upset. We argued for a few minutes and then I walked out the door yelling back at him. I walk over to the garage and around it to get my shoes from the back. When I walk back to the garage my dad is standing there and tells me he doesn’t deserve this crap from me and he takes the lawnmower over to the lawn as I try to tell him I was getting the shoes and was planning on taking care of the grass. He turns around and very directly tells me to “Eat Shit”. He tried to apologize to me about 30 minutes later, but I wouldn’t let him speak to me. He doesn’t deserve it.

Got back to Long Beach after that and tried my best to enjoy the rest of the day. Hopefully, I will get some sleep to help ease my mind and start off the week right.

I’ve written an email to my dad and will send it to him shortly. I hate doing this, but I don’t see myself communicating my emotions any other way. Goodnight World. Hope your last 24 hours was better than mine.

3 MIDTERMS THIS WEEK! (Hist 173, Comm 220, Phil 170)

pretty intense week to say the least, but I got through it and I think I did well on all of the exams.

Found I got an 85 on my first business calc test. Sweet!

So…yeah…enough with all that school garbage…

Let’s recap the fun events of this past week.

Monday: Nothing special, actually. Studied. bleh.

Tuesday: History Midterm felt good. Work was awesome. Pledge drive. Got to take calls from listeners and met more of the staff at KKJZ. Found out that Paul James used to work at 96.7 KCAL. Activity Class was boring. Went to Blair field for the first time to watch the Dirtbags with my friend Sean and some girls he knows. Amazing field, I wish I was good enough to play on it. There’s just something about Baseball season man.

Wednesday:Comm Midterm = Easy! Work was awesome yet again. Philosophy Midterm = Eh. Skipped Business Calc to hang with John and Sebastian for a bit, always a great time. Crusade was dope, God rocked it inside out.

Thursday: Slept in :) Got breakfast for the first time this week. Voice class. Off to Anaheim for the Big West tournament, which was a great experience. I got to know more people in pep band really well, but they’re an interesting bunch they are. We played awesome and it was a fun time. Got back and called in the movie night i’ve been planning with my theory friends from last semester for a bit. I took Anthony’s car, which was a pristine white eclipse, for ride with Nathan, Peter, and Kyle. So much fun. That car is great to drive. Did a couple burnouts and scared Peter half to death haha. Got back, ate, and watched Step Brothers. Really nice catching up with those guys.

Today: Should be going home. It should be eventful considering I haven’t been back since the Super Bowl. I have A LOT of laundry that needs to be done :/

What a week it has been.

I’m out. Peace and Love.

Yesterday I realized something: I’m not living up to my full potential.

All the different components of my life need some work.

(Physically, Mentally, Spiritually, etc.)

I’m working harder to get in shape and trying not to eat unhealthy as much as possible.

My mind is always wandering, but I don’t feel like i’m gaining “new and exciting” knowledge from day to day.

Getting to spend some time with Ryan Klement just talking and reading the Bible was very eye opening. I want a faith like his.

I know that changes need to be made.

Who am I going to be 10 years from now?

Of course I want to be better, but my lack of motivation is keeping me from getting to where I want to be.

Sometimes I feel like I have a good balance between different aspects of my life, but other times I seriously doubt that there is any order in my life what-so-ever.

I need to start being who I want to be, today.

And i’m gonna enjoy every minute.

One of the greater things that a newly christened adult like myself realizes is that: There is so much potential to be great, even during these hard times.

These last two weeks have been quite eventful. But, I have no right to complain.

School has continued to be a breeze. Took a reading quiz on a book I didn’t even read for history class. Think I did well on it.

I really dislike my philosophy class. I haven’t missed one yet. Voice class continues to be an adventure. I’ll probably have to perform in front of the class this week.

Got to go to V20 last Thursday the 11th with Sanger and Steven. Pre-gamed it up and then danced all night. Mardi Gras was poppin’ in the club. So many girls trying to grab the beads off of my neck. C’mon now ladies, behave. ;)

Anyway, why I felt compelled to write at this moment has to do with the events that have taken place over the last few days. Let’s recap, shall we?

I knew I was going to have my interview for the KJAZZ internship on Tuesday. I prepared myself well and thought I did an excellent job at presenting myself, thinking this as I was exiting the building.

Turns out, I did. I was hired the very same day my interview was held. It was an understatement to say that I was excited that night when I read and responded to that email.

Me. Working at a Jazz Radio Station? Pretty awesome, right?

Next day I was invited up to the station by my new boss and shown around the station by her and a guy named Andrew. Got my paperwork, set my hours for next week and bounced out.

Thursday. Worked out at the gym pretty hard. I can still feel a bit of tension in my biceps. Played a game that night in the band and got some nice end-of-the-week R&R. Didn’t sleep to well though.

Friday morning went with John and Sebastian to check out some apartments in Seal Beach. Beautiful location minutes from the beach and reasonable prices. Hopefully they will be available during summer.

That night John and I drove up to Sebastian’s in Whittier, grabbed some KFC, and went to the drive in. Saw Shutter Island, which was an amazing film. I love psychological thrillers and this movie only intensified that admiration. Nice job Scorsese, you did it again.

Once back at Sea Bass’ pad we watched The Departed. Two shots of the Scorsese-Dicaprio combo in one night. Woah. XD

Back in the LBC the next day. Mardi Gras time with Sanger and his crew. It was an amazing experience. The sights, sounds, people, energy, camaraderie, and excitement had downtown Long Beach ablaze with Mardi Gras fever. We chanted “WHO DAT!?!?!” until our voices almost completely gave out. Got to throw out beads to the crowd and have a lot of fun doing it. It’s the closest thing I have taken part in compared to the real thing. But, mark my words, I will go to the real thing someday in the Big Easy.

I was so tired after that. I napped for a while, but was too lagged to go out. So, I decided to beat-down lose horribly to Luis in some Wii Sports before going to bed.

Today was pretty uneventful. But, I got some work done. Read my employee handbook for my new “job”. Took care of some Bid-ness calc homework.

I’m prepared for the week. Greatly looking forward to Tuesday when I start this new employment opportunity.

I don’t want to sign this one off in what would be a usual way for me. So I leave you with a statement that gives me strength and perspective for a number of reasons:

“Laissez les bon temps rouler!”

Praise be to the most high God who breathed life into us all. Amen.

I couldn’t help but smile :)

Today I wore my jersey all day with the utmost pride around campus and it felt great. I used the day to reflect on what MY team had accomplished. I just wanted to take in all of what happened on Feburary 7th,2010 before I sat down and wrote about it. So here goes…

The Saints winning the Superbowl is amazing, no doubt.

What is even greater is what they stand for and what it means for a city that I have family ties to. Unless you know someone very close to you who understands this it is hard to imagine the emotions that even I feel right now, much less a true native of New Orleans.

My Dad and I called my Aunt Lisa after the game and she was in absolute tears.

Called my Uncle Tommy and he couldn’t stop saying, “I can’t believe it”.

Ever since I understood the game of football I watched games with my Dad and, most of the time, they were Saints games. I knew who Joe Horn and Deuce McCallister were and how they were admired by the city of New Orleans. I loved the story this professional team told and was immediate tied to the team by my heart strings.

Then we picked up this guy Drew Brees as a free agent in 2006 along with the acquisition of Reggie Bush in the draft who I knew very well and a new head coach in Sean Peyton. I myself was also playing football in high school at the time and was very interested in watching professional football.

They had a great run that year. After losing to the Bears in the NFC Championship I went out and bought my first Saints jersey. #25 Reggie Bush.

Two mediocre seasons followed. I continued the hear from my Dad and extended family members about what it would mean if they won a Super Bowl. The idea was beyond far-fetched, even if they were only one step away from the big game two years prior.

Then, this last season happened. I watched every regular season game entirely except for a few. It was amazing to watch as the Saints stayed undefeated against tough opponents for so long while breaking records along the way.

How and why they played was bigger than life itself. This is because their mission was about life and restoring it to a city, a region, and a people who were in need of a real hope after so much devastation from a hurricane that hit just a few years ago.

This season was incredible:

Started 13-0. I talked a lot of smack during the run and it was awesome.

Lost the last 3. No big deal. I had predicted we would go undefeated.

Playoffs:

Divisional Round - Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals. Check.

NFC Championship - Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. Check.

Could it be? The New Orleans SAINTS were in the Super Bowl! (I predicted a Saints win in the Superbowl against Indy back in October. Just sayin.)

Final Score - Saints 31, Colts 17. Drew Brees MVP.

We have reached our destiny. The rest is now history.

I am greatly looking forward to it.

Who Dat say dey gonna beat ‘dem Saints? Nobody.

Now to find and purchase a lot of Superbowl Champion Saints gear…hmmmm… :)