Wow, last post 4 years ago?! Well, I've got some things to write about so... Stay tuned!

Changing Places

Well, it's been SEVERAL months since I've written. "SORRY!" My lovely wife told me I should just concentrate on one site rather than try and maintain this one too. I'll try and be faithful to both but we'll see. As for the title of this entry, I've changed jobs. Same career path but now focused and all together. As many of you know I have been involved in Emergency Services for many years. Starting in high school I began taking courses in pre-hospital emergency care. I became a volunteer junior member of my local fire department (Essex Fire Department). I have been a volunteer there for several years now. For the past 7 plus years I enjoyed working for the Town of Colchester on Colchester Rescue. What an outstanding group of people! This past year I began to get in shape, lose weight and challenge myself to test for the Burlington Fire Department. In June I took the entrance exam ... and passed. The next step was the physical agility test ... which I took and passed (3 min. 27 seconds)!!! Then the oral boards. In the beginning of October I was notified that I had been offered a position and on October 20th I began my new career position as a Firefighter / EMT with the Burlington Fire Department. I spent the first 8 weeks in "Recruit Academy." As of yesterday (12/17/08) I began my first shift at Station 2 assigned to Engine 2. I will spend the next 5 months there training and learning. After those are finished I will move on to Station 1 (Central) on Engine 1 for the final months of my probation. It will be a very busy year learning, training, practicing skills, and developing my ability as a firefighter. What a great experience this has been so far. At 37 years old making this move was a hard decision but one I have ALWAYS desired.

I truly feel that God was involved with this process. I applied for another department in the past and did not finish the testing process. I applied for that department again and made steps all the way up to testing and still was not able to go there. With this position everything went very smoothly! I prayed "God if it is Your will that I get hired then let doors be opened or doors be shut." Well, every door opened. Now as I begin my new journey with BFD my goal is to work as unto the Lord. Letting Christ’s light shine through me and being available to help in any way I can. As the quote on my signature line of my email reads: "What would you try if you knew you would not fail?" I have tried and have not failed!!! Now as I continue on I will bless God with my life and live as a Christian and try and reflect God's plan through me. Available to listen, counsel, pray and encourage others as Christ taught us how to.

The next step in my journey is meeting with the District Board on January 19th for my local ministers license. I have been reading, studying, preaching and teaching over the last several months. Being obedient to God's plan for my life is my desire. To let that also reflect on my family and friends as well. I have an AWESOME wife who has been extremely supportive in every effort of both of these processes. My boys ... are just AWESOME as well. I cherish our families walk with God!!! My wife’s devotion and my boys growing faith is so encouraging. God has TRULEY blessed me 360 degrees.

As I finish this post, I want to encourage you to wish people a very Merry Christmas. That is what this season is about. We celebrate the birth of Christ ... but that is not the end of the story! Christmas is all about Salvation. Christ was born so that WE (you and I) may live forever with Him in eternity in Heaven. The ONLY way that that was going to happen was the miraculous story of His birth. My favorite quote this time of year is what the angle told Mary when she found out she and her aunt were pregnant. The miracle of a virgin birth and the miracle of a women who was barren for so long becoming pregnant in her elder years. "For with God nothing shall be impossible." LUKE 1:37

Well, I'll probably write again in a few months ... hopefully sooner! God Bless and Merry Christmas!

Stay tuned!

DOH!!! Yes, I know it's been a while. I think I'll try something new and post a blog about the messages I've preached or lesson's I've taught. Spark some interest and some conversation. Gotta stay up on this blog thing.

Not as we see, but as Jesus sees!

I'm going to quote some pages from a book that I'm reading. I have been enjoying the writings of Max Lucado. He ministers at the Oak Hills Church of Christ. I'm taking the quote from the book titled: God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be Just Like Jesus!

Chapter 2: Loving the people you are stuck with.
* From The Basin Of His Grace *

" Oh, I could never do that, you object. The hurt is so deep. The wounds are so numerous. Just seeing the person causes me to cringe. Perhaps that is your problem. Perhaps you are seeing the wrong person or at least too much of the wrong person. Remember, the secret of being just like Jesus is "fixing our eyes" on Him. Try shifting your glance away from the one who hurt you and setting your eyes on the one who has saved you.
Note the promise of John, "But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blod of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin" (1 John 1:7).
Aside from geography and chronology, our story is the same as the disciples;. We weren't in Jerusalem, and we weren't alive that nigh. Buth what Jesus did for them he has done for us. He has cleansed us. He has cleansed our hearts from sin.
Even more, he is still cleansing us! John tells us, "We are being cleansed from every sin by the blood of Jesus." In other words, we are always being cleansed. The cleansing is not a promise for the future but a reality in the present. Let a speck of dust fall on the soul of a saint, and it is washed away. Let a spot of filth land on the heart of God's child, and the filth is wiped away. Jesus still purifies his people.
Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, "I can clean that if you want." And from the basin of His grace, He scoops a palm full of mercy and washes away our sin.
But that's not all He does. Because He lives in us, you and I can do the same. Because He has forgiven us, we can forgive others. Because He ash a forgiving heart , we can have a forgiving heart. We can have a heart like His.
"If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other's feet. I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you" (john 13:14-15).
Jesus washes our feet for two reasons. The first is to give us mercy; the second is give us a message, and that message is simply this: Jesus offers unconditional grace; we are to offer unconditional grace. The mercy of Christ preceded our mistakes; our mercy must precede the mistakes of others. Those in our circles should have no doubts about ours.
What does it mean to have a heart like His? It means to kneel as Jesus knelt, touching the grimy parts of the people we are stuck with and washing away their unkindnesses with kindness. Or as Paul wrote, "Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each toher just as God forgave you in Christ" (Eph. 4:32).
"But Max," you are saying. "I've done nothing wrong. I'm not the one who cheated. I'm not the one who lied. I'm not the guilty party here." Perhaps you aren't. But neither was Jesus. Of all the men in that room, only one was worthy of having His feet washed. And He was the one who washed the feet. The one worthy of being served, served others. The genius of Jesus' example is that burden of bridge-building falls on the strong one, not on the weak one. The one who is innocent is the one who makes the gesture.
And you know what happens? More often than not, if the one in the right volunteers to wash the feet of the one in the wrong, both parties get on their knees. Don't we all thing we are right? Hence we wash each other's feet.
Please understand. Relationships don't thrive because the guilty are punished but because the innocent are merciful.

The Power of forgiveness

Recently I shared a meal with some friends. A husband and wife wanted to tell me about a storm they were weathering. Through a series of events, she learned of an act of infidelity that had occured over a decade ago. He had made the mistake of thinking ti'd be better not to tell her, so he didn't. But she found out. And as you can imagine, she was deeply hurt.
Through the advice of a counselor, the couple dropped everything and went away for several days. A decision had to be made. Would the flee, fight or forgive? So they prayed. They talked. They walked. They reflected. In this case the wife was clearly in the right. She could have left. Women have done so for lesser reasons. Or she could have stayed and made his life a living hell. Other women have done that. But she chose a different response. On the tenth night of their trip, my friend found a card on his pillow. On the card was printed a verse: "I'd rather do nothing with you than something without you." Beneath the verse she had written these words:

I forgive you. I love you. Let's move on.

The card might as well have been a basin. And the pen might as well have been a pitcher of water, for out of it poured pure mercy, and with it she washed her husband's feet.
Certain conflicts can be resolved only with a basin of water. Are any relationships in your world thirsty for mercy? Are there any sitting around your table who need to be assured of your grace? Jesus made sure His disciples had no reason to doubt His love. Why don't you do the same?"

This brief exert from the book, but sums up how I need to feel right now. A lot of people around me right now need to read and UNDERSTAND this. Jesus loves me just the way I am, but he doesn't want me to stay that way. He wants me to be Just Like Jesus. Perfect love casteth out all fear! We need to strive for a Love like Christ's love.

O Praise Him!

New Song Cafe! This is such an awesome place to see all the new worship material that are being sung! The artists also show you how to play each of their songs. AWESOME!!! Enjoy!

It's been a while and 50 lbs!

So I think the last time I posted ... well, I know the last time I posted was in March. S-L-A-C-K-E-R! Well, life has been great. Lots of things going on in my life; where to begin? Well, Weight Watchers has been going AWESOME! I started January 2nd am still going strong today! I've lost 50 pounds (1.8 lbs shy of 50), but 50 pounds sounds really GREAT to me! I'm pretty close to having to go get new clothes. Old clothes fit now and I'm going to have to get a some suit coats tailored. Something I'm very proud of.

So the other aspect of my life that is going great is my goal of the ministry. My pastor has allowed me to now start my preaching requirements. 26 Preaching messages in 6 months and read several books and finish reading the Bible through. I've had the opportunity to preach in Rutland, Chelsea, Barre, Burlington and my home church in Jericho. God has been so great giving me direction for each message! Lessons have included "The Awesomeness of God," "I am worth it," "The power of a personal God," "Hope ~ Don't let the fire die," and "Medal of Honor." I have time scheduled to preach in Laconia, NH at Faith Pointe UPC too. God is such an AWESOME God! This is a really exciting time in my life and my spiritual growth. I am appreciating every day that God has given my to be in His will.

Well, thats all for now and I promise not to be so long in between posts. Have a GREAT day! "Z"

One month and 17 1/2 pounds!

Greetings!
Well, It's been one month since I last blogged and I'm happy to report that I've lost 17.5 pounds and 2 notches on my belt and I've been able to wear a few shirts that I haven't for a while. Oh, don't worry many more pounds to go. Weight Watchers is the way I'm doing it. With trips to the gym for a 30 minute ride on the bike and then about an hour of lifting. I'm enjoying it and feeling better! My goal is to get around the same weight that I was when I got married. NO, I'm not telling what that was ... I'll be losing about as much as my youngest son weighs though!

As for the media fast and other elements of our fast ... we'll after an AWESOME God centered Holy Ghost extravaganza revival service tonight, Pastor has decided to continue the fast. I'm ok with that quite frankly. Our church is getting ready to make a huge break through into a revival experience that we haven't had in quite some time! Just prior to service beginning tonight Pastor and I were talking about why people still come to church. It's not because of talented muscians or great programs, but people still keep coming back because of the POWER of God that they feel and experience at church. We have been having prayer at 5:00 (focused prayer) until service starts at 6:00. WOW, what an experience we've been having! When we started the Fast about a month ago, our first service was just amazing and power packed! Tonights ... well, I told Sister King (our piano player for the evening) that I want to start service with some focused prayer. I don't want any music, just focused, God centered prayer. "Ok" she said. About an hour and a half later prayer ended! I am sure that people were healed, set free from burdens, delivered from things in their life that only God could get rid of and much, much more! It is always so awesome when God moves in such a powerful way like that. I felt something in the morning service when I was praying then. I had a feeling like one service was just going to bust through the roof. It did and it was phenominal!

I'll write more later, but for now I just wanted to let y'all know I was back "authoring" again.

God Bless and stay tuned for the next update.